Principal's Update - 15th March

Welcome

Dear Families,

And before we know it, we’re into week 7 and headed for the end of an incredibly busy Term 1. A big thank you to all our families who have been involved in Meet and Greets and PSG meetings over the last week. It is a wonderful opportunity to make connections with staff and get to know a little more about each of you. Relationships lie at the heart of all that we do and we truly value the insights you can provide as we partner in education. Please continue to reach out and communicate with your child’s teacher/s should you have anything you believe may assist their learning.

Our building project is well underway and we are in the final stages of demolition for the Columba wing, with the ceiling due to come down next week. Internal framing for the Iona building has mostly been completed and framing for the external decks is in. We have also contracted Plan Group to manage the playground installation and works for this will start over the school holidays (pending approvals). We once again take the opportunity to commend our students and staff for their resilience and adaptability during this time, we know the school will benefit significantly from these works and look forward to the opening later this year.

Staff Appointments

We are pleased to inform you that Mrs. Rebecca Lubeek will be joining our team as the new Finance Officer commencing Term Two. Rebecca is skilled and highly competent in finance and has a great deal of experience in the industry. Rebecca also has a passion for technology and expertise in marketing.  Our current Business Manager, Emma Busuttil, will support her during a handover period in the coming weeks. Emma is departing to take up a new position at the Ballarat Specialist School in Term Two, and will be sorely missed. We are confident that Rebecca will integrate well into our school community and that Emma can hand over the reins to her confidently.

We would also like to announce that Mrs. Julie Molloy will take up the School Counsellor role in Term Two. Mrs. Molloy has been a familiar face to our St. Columba's Community as a parent and a casual relief teacher over the years. She is currently studying Counselling at the University of Tasmania and has a gentle manner that will be supportive of the needs of our school community.

We are currently in the process of finding a suitable appointment to cover Keely Bruty’s class as she commences her maternity leave in early term two.

Meet & Greets

This week, we conducted our ‘Meet and Greet’ sessions, which proved valuable for parents and teachers to discuss how they have settled into the new school year. Our teachers gained valuable insight into the children and discussed goals for students to support them in reaching their full potential as learners.

Year 3/4 Camp - Log Cabin

Our Year 3 / 4 students are excited about attending their upcoming camp experience at Log Cabin Camp at Creswick in Week 9 of this term. Last week, parents attended a camp meeting to gain insight into the logistics of the camp and ensure that all students were adequately prepared for the camp. We look forward to a great experience together.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN has commenced for our Year 3 & 5 students. For those participating for the first time, NAPLAN is a national assessment program that looks at the literacy and numeracy skills of students. It provides a benchmark of student achievement against National Standards. Students participate in 4 assessments over two weeks, with a focus on writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling, reading and numeracy. We encourage all students to participate but also recognise that this can be a stressful or negative experience for some students. 

Please ensure your child has headphones at school to facilitate these assessments.

NAPLAN Testing schedule (assessments will typically take place in the morning of the day allocated)

13th March - Writing

14th March - Reading

18th March - Conventions of Language

19th March - Numeracy (Year 3)

20th March - Numeracy (Year 5)

21st March - Catch Ups where allowed

Parent Volunteer Induction

To assist in the process of parent volunteer inductions, we are putting together an information booklet that covers the required information. As part of this, there will be an attached online quiz to complete. Parents looking to volunteer within the school or at events will be required to read through the material and complete the quiz (successfully) to take part or complete the previous course. We will send details and access to the booklet/quiz out shortly.

The Sacrament of Senior Reconciliation

As Senior Reconciliation is the final Sacrament that is typically celebrated during the primary school years, in the Ballarat Diocese, we ask that you ensure your child has completed their Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation and First Eucharist before enrolling for the Sacrament of Senior Reconciliation. 

The final session is as follows:

The Parish and School share the responsibility with parents and carers, together in partnership, of the spiritual development of each child in the faith of the Catholic Church. Please note that this year, the Sacramental program is family-based, school-coordinated, and parish-supported.

Foundation Enrolments for Foundation 2025 - Key 2024 Dates

• Foundation (Prep) enrolment expressions of interest opened Monday, 12th February.
• Expression of interest forms close Thursday, 23rd May
• First-round placement offers will be sent Friday, 31st May at 12.00 pm
• First round acceptance closes Friday, 7th June at 4.00 pm
• School principals meet to determine the allocation of placements on Wednesday, 12th June
• Second round placement offers will be sent Friday, 14th June at 12.00 pm
• List of schools with vacancies published Friday 14th June at 12.00 pm
• Second round acceptance closes Friday, 21st June at 4.00 pm

Register your interest in enrolling your child at a Catholic school in the City of Ballarat by completing an online “City of Ballarat Expression of Interest for Enrolment” form found here.  At this stage, you will be able to nominate St Columba’s Primary School as your first preference.

When completing the Expression of Interest form, you must indicate your first preference school and upload your child’s birth certificate and baptism certificate (if applicable).

Please note, siblings of children currently attending St Columba's are required to complete the 'City of Ballarat Expression of Interest for Enrolment' form. 

Family Liturgy, Lenten Activity and Caritas Walk 2024 - Monday 18th March

Our Lenten Liturgy and ‘Caritas K’s Walk’ will take place on Monday 18th, March 9:15 am to 10:30 am. The students will participate in a Lenten Liturgy at 9.15 at St Columba’s Church. Families are most welcome to join with the school community. The students will then return to school to participate in the ‘Caritas K’s Walk’. The walk takes place around our school perimeter. Caritas K’s is an opportunity to fundraise and educate people in social justice, aiming to move our compassion into action for now and for all future generations. 

The walk will commence at 9.45 and conclude at 10.15. There will be various collection tins on each street corner for your donation. Donating your icy pole money is a powerful action. The donation will go towards ‘Project Compassion’ and the work of Caritas in bringing relief to those in need. Additional family members and prams are most welcome. However, we are unable to accommodate pets due to the safety of our students.

Looking forward to seeing you all at this event. Don’t forget your gold coins for a worthy cause. 

Please note that all children are invited to wear their full sports uniform if they wish to walk in runners.

Family Group Holy Week Task - Wednesday 27th March

Please note the change in date

On Wednesday, 27th March, our students will gather at 9 am in their Family Group location. The students will participate in a liturgy focusing on the events of Holy Week, followed by a reflective craft activity. You are most welcome to join your child/ren in prayer and assist them in their response activity.

We look forward to working with you at this significant time in our church calendar.

Loose parts area refresh

As you will all be aware, our current playspace has been reduced during the building project, and temporary fences have been erected throughout the yard. With this reduced space and demolition of the current playground, we are asking for donations of materials for loose parts to support children in engaging in alternate activities. If you have any items to donate, please let us know.

Examples being: tyres • straw • rocks • stones • pebbles • buckets • cups • containers • digging tools • chalk • scarves • ribbons • fabric • smooth sticks • wooden spools • pots • pans • elastics

Foundation Wednesday Rest Days for Term 1

Foundation students will not attend school on the following Wednesday's for Term 1:
Wednesday 20th March

Please be advised Foundation student literacy & numeracy assessment days will scheduled during these Foundation Rest Days. Foundation teachers will provide further information.

Please note the following:
Wednesday 27th March - Students will attend due to Good Friday Public Holiday

Important Dates

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals