Principal's Update - 14th September

Welcome

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

As Term 3 draws to a close, we take this opportunity to thank our families and staff for their continued commitment and support of our students and our school community. The year continues to fly by, and before we know it, we will be talking about Christmas and Year 6 Graduation. 

First Eucharist Celebrations

Seeing our First Communicant's participate in the sacramental celebrations over the past two weekends, receiving their first Eucharist has been wonderful. Thank you to our families who have supported the preparation of their children over the past months as they have continued on their journey of faith and received the sacraments of initiation. Our thanks go to Torie & Lucy for their organisation, along with Fr Marcello & Lia our Parish Coordinator.

Playground - Partly Closed

With the building project timelines progressing, we have been instructed by DOBCEL to close part of the existing playground in readiness for the build.

We are in the process of finalising plans for the new playground to be built and have been unfortunately halted by drainage issues. We look forward to some progress after the school hollidays.

Expression of Interest for the School Advisory Council (SAC)

We are currently seeking new members to join our School Advisory Council, commencing in the 2024 School Year.

The School Advisory Council is an active body made up of members of the school community who work in consultation with the Principals and represent the parent body to act as a conduit in providing feedback and thoughts around Community Engagement and future direction for our school. The SAC is also involved in positively promoting the school through marketing in the parish and community.

The SAC is involved in numerous other activities, including long-term planning, curriculum updates, school policies, marketing, technology, building and grounds maintenance, as well as staying abreast of local events and issues concerning the extracurricular activities of the school community. It should be noted that the SAC does not function as a grievance authority or have a role with staffing.

If you are interested in joining our School Advisory Council, please complete the expression of interest here. Further information will be available if requested.

Socktober Crazy Sock and Casual Clothes Day 2023 - Liturgy NOW 9:15 am

In 2016, Pope Francis inspired the launch of an initiative called Sport at the Service of Humanity. He recognised that sport has the power to celebrate our common humanity, regardless of faith, race, culture, beliefs, gender and ability. Sport can bring us together – to meet one another across borders and boundaries, to learn to compete as friends, to respect and trust one another even in opposition.

Socktober is a program run by Catholic Mission, and raises funds for programs benefiting children around the world, which is typically celebrated during Catholic Mission Week in October. It is a meaningful way for our students to engage with social justice and the very important work of global mission. Amid the excitement of the Women’s World Cup and with the AFL Grand Final on the September school holidays, what better time than now to get involved?

We will celebrate Socktober on Friday the 15th of September, with an invitation to wear crazy socks and casual clothes to school. 

All students will participate in a whole school Liturgy at the amended time of  9:15am and each class will make their own ‘sockball’ in response to the theme of the day. 

Please note, in previous years this has been named as a footy colours day. This change was driven by our Mini Vinnies who gathered together and reflected that children often focused on footy colours and did not know the main intention of the day. 

Each year, Catholic Mission chooses a focus country to donate to. This year, Socktober is supporting Timor-Leste. We recognise that money makes an impactful change in the lives of these children. However, in light of recent fundraising through our St Vincent De Paul Market stalls, our focus at St Columba’s will be placed on raising awareness and taking action. For this reason we are seeking no donations in comparison to previous years.

2024 classes

We will also begin the process of staffing and class lists in the coming weeks. If you have any information that may impact placement for your child, please contact us at principal@scballarat.catholic.edu.au. This relates to academic, family and social-emotional considerations. Please be aware we do not accept requests for specific teachers or social groups, nor can we promise, given the complexity of 340 students, that we can accommodate every consideration. 

The final date for requests will be the end of Week 1, Term 4, 2023, close of business Friday, 6th October.

Re-Enrolment Confirmations

Thank you to those families who have submitted their intentions for the 2024 school year. These responses support us with planning for staffing and class allocation for 2024. It also allows us an opportunity to offer places to those on our growing waitlist, giving them ample time to make their arrangements.

We appreciate that in some cases at this early stage it may not be clear whether a student is returning due to possible family relocation etc. Your response provides scope to identify these possibilities and the School may seek greater clarification in Term 4. If you have not already done so, please advise the School of your intention at this stage, to enable the best possible planning.

Responses are to be submitted through PAM. You can indicate ‘Yes’ (student returning); ‘No’ (student not returning) or ‘Undecided’. The School may then contact all ‘undecided’ and ‘not returning’ student families to gain further information.

Thank you for your support in this matter.

Armstrong Gate Closed & Traffic Concerns

Please reverse with care, and please abide by traffic laws. With increased traffic flow in Howard Street and in Gregory Streets in the mornings and the afternoons, please ensure you follow the traffic laws, including reversing safely and not across the road. We have had a number of near misses, and sadly, some cars have collided. Please reverse with care, and please abide by traffic laws.

We ask that you also walk across the street to collect your children from the gate rather than gesturing for them to cross to you. We ask this for the safety of our children. We ask that you be extra careful as we certainly don’t want to report that a pedestrian/child has been hit. 

Please note:
Howard Street gate opens at 8:20 am
Gregory Street gates open at 8:30 am
Armstrong Gate Closed until further notice due to proposed building works

Please note that under the new EBA, a teachers work day commences at 8:30 am. The gates will continue to open from 8:20 am for the remainder of this year, however next year this time may change, moving to the latter time of 8:30 am. 

Classrooms are open from 8:35 am to enable teachers to ensure they are ready for the day prior to student entry.

Crossings

Please also 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 and Lydiard Street to ensure personal safety for everyone. We ask for your patience and vigilance here.

School Closure Day - Staff Professional Learning - Monday 9th October

A reminder to all families that the second Monday back of Term 4 will be a School Closure Day for Staff Professional Learning with clarity around a teacher’s role in the learning process

Sustainability Group

St. Columba’s has formed their very first sustainability and grounds committee. The committee will work alongside students, teachers, and parents to become a more environmentally sustainable school and will help keep the school looking wonderful and safe.

We encourage St Columba’s students to be the key drivers for influencing the attitudes and behaviours of their peers, parents, and teachers in becoming a more sustainable school. The best projects build on the energy and enthusiasm of the school community and students. The committee hopes to obtain grants, implement recycling drives, educate, learn, introduce new strategies, and improve on existing ones. We plan to have a working bee of the school grounds sometime this spring. Watch this space for more information. 

Please feel free to join our committee or make any suggestions.

*Sustainability tip*

Did you know brown paper wrappers can be composted? Brown baking paper, brown cupcake patties and brown paper bags are an alternative and more sustainable option than using plastic wrapping and zip lock bags. Of course, buying nude food and packaged foods in bulk from the supermarket and cooking food at home is the best way to achieve a nude lunchbox, save money, reduce waste, and increase nutrition.

Term Four Hockey Opportunity Afterschool

Give hockey a go in Term 4 with the Hookin2Hockey program!  Learn basic skills of the game in a fun, friendly environment!

• Aimed at children 6-12 years old
• Running on the school grounds, after school (3:30pm-4:30pm) on Wednesday afternoons.  Program starts on 11 October and will run for 10 weeks, ending on 13 December
• Program run by experienced coaches from local hockey club Bobcats HC
• Equipment (sticks, balls, shinguards) supplied (we encourage people to invest in a mouthguard, however)
• Low cost of $75 for the term (less than $10 per week, per player)
• Develop the skills of passing, trapping, tackling and dribbling in a game-based learning program

Wednesday 11th October is a Come and Try Day at School from 3:30pm - 4:30pm  on the top courts - see whether hockey is for you before committing to the program!

For further details or to register your interest early please email bobcatshockeyclub@gmail.com with the subject “St Columba’s Hockey”.

Important Dates for Term 4

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals