Principal's Update - 29th August

Welcome

Dear Families,

As we approach the end of winter this week, there’s a growing sense of anticipation for the warmer days ahead and the hope and optimism that these warmer days may bring. The last few weeks have been busy for our School Community, with amazing excursions to Sovereign Hill, sporting opportunities including basketball and footy, along with excitement of ‘Book Week’ last week. This coming Sunday we also look forward to Father’s Day, with such a special occasion to celebrate and honour the fathers and father figures in our lives. It's a time to reflect on the warmth and strength they bring to our families, much like the changing season brings new life to the world around us.

School TV

In each Principal's update, we will be featuring a topic from SchoolTV, a valuable wellbeing resource designed to support you in navigating the challenges of modern-day parenting. This award-winning platform helps build relationships, foster connections, and break down barriers, guiding you toward better mental health and wellbeing for young people. SchoolTV is an excellent tool for initiating conversations on topics that can sometimes be awkward or difficult to address.

SchoolTV topics are organised into a series of comprehensive resources, featuring interviews with leading youth wellbeing experts and researchers from around the world. Each topic provides hours of relevant and practical information, along with a curated collection of resources from key organisations. These resources include informative fact sheets, articles, apps, books, podcasts, websites, and videos—all conveniently gathered in one place for easy access.

We encourage you to explore these topics as they are introduced in our updates.

The mental health of today’s young people is at an all-time low. Depression, anxiety and self-harm are sadly on the rise. Unfortunately, there are more risk factors than protective factors, facing young people growing up. To parent effectively, it is simply not enough to avoid the obvious dangers like abuse, neglect and overindulgence. Parents therefore, need to arm themselves with practical skills, knowledge and strategies when it comes to raising children. Numerous studies suggest that the best-adjusted children are reared by parents who find a way to combine warmth and sensitivity with clear behavioural expectations.

2025 Classes

We will also begin the process of staffing arrangements and class lists early next term. If you have any information you feel 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 to place that we can accommodate every consideration. 

Buddy Families for 2025

We are excited to invite you to become a Buddy Family and help new families transition smoothly into our St Columba’s community. As a Buddy Family, you'll have the rewarding opportunity to share your experience, offer guidance, and extend a warm welcome to those joining us for the first time. Your support can make a world of difference in helping new families feel connected and at home. If you are interested in making a positive impact and fostering our community spirit, we would love to have you join this meaningful initiative. Together, let's make every family feel a part of our St Columba’s family! If this is something you are interested in, please complete this form  to register your interest.

Story Time

Next week we are excited to commence Story Time sessions for our pre Foundation students, who will join our St Columba’s Family in 2025. These sessions are a perfect opportunity for new students to begin to enter the school and become familiar with the school environment in a fun and non threatening way. These sessions will occur in our Foundation Classrooms for 2025. Not in the Hall Space which has been home to our Foundation Students in 2024.

Sessions involve Bambi reading Picture Story Books and singing some lovely pre school songs with our little people. A little play on the playground may be possible if the weather allows it. Session times and dates are as follows.

3rd , 4th and 5th September @ 9.30am

10th and 12th September @2.45pm

Father's Day Stall

A huge shout out and ‘Thank you’ to our amazing parent helpers who assisted this week with the Father’s Day Stall. The children were very excited to purchase a gift for their Dad’s and the special men in their lives.

Parent Helper Induction

Our parent/classroom helper’s induction course is for anyone interested in volunteering within the school. This is a great opportunity if you have the capacity to support student learning and see the day to day running of the school. For anyone interested please complete the documents in the links below . Helper's must hold a valid Working with Childrens Check and present it when signing in onsite.

The Code of Conduct and the Application will need to be printed, signed and returned to the office. Copies available at the office. The quiz requires 6 out of 6 to complete.

Fathers Day / Andrew Chinn

Tomorrow, Friday the 30th of August, Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to share his songs with our children. Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. 

We invite any fathers, grandfathers or special father figures to join us for this celebration at the Church, at 1:45 - 3:00. 

International Day of People With Disabilities

We are seeking enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to join our working party to support the planning and organisation of International Day of People with Disability, celebrated on December 3rd. 

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to an important cause, helping to promote awareness, understanding, and inclusion of people with disabilities within our community. 

Volunteers will collaborate on various tasks, including event planning, outreach, and coordination to ensure a successful and impactful event. Your involvement will make a significant difference, and we welcome individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds. 

If you are passionate about advocacy and making a positive impact, we would love to hear from you!

Please complete the attached application. Expression of Interest Form 

Important Dates - Term 3

Important Dates - Term 4