Principal's Update - 25th July

Welcome

Dear Families,

The term is already flying by, with Week 4 just around the corner. With that said, it has been wonderful to see how settled students are in their new learning spaces as we prepare for the building project's commencement later this term.

Our Foundation students have made the Hall space their new home and embrace it wholeheartedly. The Library is slowly being disseminated to new spaces to provide room for classes to be decanted towards the end of term. 

We have relocated the Picture Story Books to the new Foundation space, which our Junior School has been delighted about. The Fiction section has also just relocated to the Year 3 space in the old Foundation building. The students remarked yesterday that they felt so lucky to have both a sink and all of the fantastic books at their disposal.

Reconciliation

Thank you to families for their involvement in the preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation over the past two weeks. We look forward to the culmination of the Sacrament for the children next week when they participate in Sessions with Fr Marcello and Fr Eladio Lizarda at St Columba’s Church on  Wednesday, August 2nd, and Thursday, August 3rd.

Lia has a few reminders for families prior to the sessions. They are as follows:

Please remember to iron onto your child's white (Baptism) stole the Reconciliation iron-on transfer, which you received together with your child's worksheets at last Monday's preparation session. The children will wear their stoles on Reconciliation evening next week. If you were unable to attend the preparation session on July 24, please collect your child's worksheet and iron-on transfer from the parish office by 2 pm Thursday, 25th  or from 10 am to 2 pm tomorrow, Friday, July 28th July.

Cultural Day

Yesterday was a truly wonderful and enlightening cultural day, where our community came together to celebrate the sharing of Culture and Stories from a culture that stretches back over 60,000 years. The event was a resounding success, thanks to the efforts of Nicky, Erica and BADAC personnel. We commenced the day with Shannon celebrating a Welcome to Country. She discussed the significance of the Welcome ceremony and the difference between a welcome and an acknowledgement. The children were extremely respectful. A heartfelt and special thanks go out to Aaron Clarke, Charlie Clarke, Nicole and Shannon, who played pivotal roles in facilitating some of the festivities today. The day was filled with outdoor games, storytelling, painting stones and leaves, bracelet making, and interactive dance workshops that allowed everyone to immerse themselves in the day. It was an incredible opportunity to foster deeper cultural connections and understanding, promoting harmony and appreciation. The event truly highlighted the importance of cherishing and respecting the rich tapestry of cultures that make our local area so unique and diverse.

We look forward to providing more opportunities in the future to embed cultural understanding into our daily lives.

PE Update

We have just completed our basketball trials for Year 5/ 6 Students. We have had 70 students try out for 32 positions. St Columba’s can only have four sides compete at the competition. As a school we are fortunate to have so many students wanting to represent our school. Unfortunately, there will be some disappointed students as we are unable to take them all. For those students that miss selection, we will look to give them some other sporting opportunities as they arise.

What's coming up at St Columba's

Recently, the St Columba’s School Advisory Council commissioned sub-groups to work on creating events, fundraising and diverse community engagement opportunities. 

There has been a lot of work happening in the background. To give you an idea of the exciting things to come, this is what the Social Committee have mapped out for our community.

Music Bingo at Hop Temple (July 2023) A successful event!
School disco (Aug 2023) 
Launch of St Columba's beanies (Aug 2023)
Father's Day event (Sept 2023) 
Candle making & cocktail for Mum (Sept 2023)
Student Art Competition (Sept 2023)
St Columba's candle launch (Oct 2023)
Sip & Social (Nov 2023) 
Colour Run (Nov 2023)
Welcome picnic (Feb 2024)
St Columba's Ball (March 2024)
Easter Egg hunt (April 2024)
Mother's Day event (May 2024)

There are plenty more ideas to come, too! If you also have an idea, we welcome any suggestions to keep us going well into 2024. We greatly appreciate all your support.

*All events/fundraising is organised by parents volunteering their time and effort.

Important Dates for Term 3

Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals