Principal's Update - 23rd June

Welcome

Dear Families,

As we approach the end of another incredible term, we wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for the unwavering support and partnership you have provided us. Your involvement and dedication have played a vital role in creating a thriving and enriching learning environment for our students. 

This term has been filled with remarkable accomplishments, memorable experiences, and significant milestones. From exciting excursions and sporting events to engaging classroom activities, our students have grown and flourished under the guidance of our exceptional educators. None of this would have been possible without your constant encouragement, trust, and active participation in your child's education. 

As the winter holiday break approaches we hope you find rest, rejuvenation, and a chance to breathe and for some a chance to return to full health after what has been a term where many families have been struck down by illness.

We eagerly anticipate your return in the upcoming term, as we continue to work together to provide the best possible educational experience for our students. Your continued support and collaboration are invaluable to us, and we look forward to building on our achievements in the months ahead. The building projects will commence in Term 3 and we anticipate that this will be challenging for us as a community to navigate. Whilst we endeavour to limit disruption where possible, we have worked in consultation with the Catholic Education Office to find what we consider to be the best scenarios possible for all. We understand that these scenarios will not always be what suits all people, however please know that many facets of this are out of our control. We ask for your continued support in this area.

Visitor access during the day

To ensure there are few disruptions to class time, we ask that if you have any messages or anything to drop off to your child during school time, that you please let our administration staff know, and they can either drop things to your child or call them over to the office. All visitors to the school must follow our school processes by signing in, and we ask that you make an appointment should you wish to speak to your child’s teacher.

Bunnings BBQ Update

A huge thank you to our team of volunteers who gave so generously of their time to support the Bunnings BBQ a few weeks ago, raising approximately $1100. We appreciate all the time and effort that goes into these events.

St Columba’s Feast Day and Grandparents Day

We were absolutely delighted to host our Grandparents and special friends recently when we celebrated our Feast Day on Friday, 9th June. Our celebrations in family groups were a lovely opportunity to celebrate this day, and the attendance was overwhelming. Thank you for your support.

Book Fair

Thank you for your support in purchasing for our recent Book Fair, with $975 raised for our school. This money will go towards updating some of our literacy resources.

Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal

Thank you to our team of volunteers who supported our Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal today and made and served Hot Chocolates for our students. The Mini Vinnies and our leaders, Elyse and Hailey, facilitated a beautiful liturgy, and it has been wonderful to see our students enjoying the comfort of their pyjamas throughout the day. We also received a substantial number of donations towards the Winter Appeal which were very gratefully collected by St Vincent de Paul representatives today and will be distributed to those in need. Thank you to everyone who donated to this worthy cause.

Parent Helper’s Induction

Early next term we will be running a parent/classroom helper’s induction course for anyone interested in volunteering within the school. This will be a great opportunity for those who have the capacity to support student learning and would like to experience the day to day running of the school. For anyone interested please add your details to the form that can be found here and we will be in contact with times and dates next term. 

Sacraments - Reconciliation and First Eucharist

A note from Lia at St Columba's Parish...

Thank you to those who completed the online form for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist in Term 3 for their child/ren.

As a reminder, your child's attendance with a parent or guardian is required for the Monday evening preparation sessions (5:45-6:30pm), as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of Eucharist.

Your child's preparation will be enriched by their involvement in weekend Masses. You may choose to attend on Saturday evenings at 6pm at Our Lady Help of Christians Wendouree or 10am on Sunday mornings at St Columba's Ballarat North.

To secure your registration, please drop off the $50 registration fee and your child's (Baptism-Confirmation) trifold (not your stole) to the St Columba's Primary School office. You must submit these by July 12, 2023, Wednesday. Our first preparation session will be on July 17, 2023, Monday at 5:45pm, St Columba's School.

Gate Opening Times

A reminder that you are welcome onsite at the beginning and end of the days once the gates have been opened. Howard Street Gates will now open at 8:20 am for early drop-offs pre-arranged with the Principals, whilst both Gregory Street and Armstrong Street will be open at 8:30 am. Students will be supervised from 8:30 am, with classes commencing at 8:45 am. Please be aware that children arriving early must remain seated near the Year 1/2 Community until supervision commences.

Please note that ALL gates will be locked from 8:45 am. Students arriving at school after 8:45 am must enter through the Administration Office to ensure they are marked as present for student attendance.

Traffic Safety

Some reminders from our Crossing Supervisor 

Please ensure that no child or parent steps onto the crossing until directed to by the Crossing Supervisor at the Lydiard Street crossing. This is for your safety, as traffic can be quite heavy and, at times, unpredictable. Please also use the school crossing on Armstrong Street to ensure personal safety for everyone. Whilst this crossing is not manned, we ask for your patience and vigilance here. Please also be mindful of reversing safely. 

Please also ensure that you walk your child across roads rather than calling them across. Thank you for your support in keeping your child safe.

Important Dates for Term 3

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals