Principal's Update - 7th November

Welcome

We hope you enjoyed the recent long weekend and had the opportunity to relax and recharge. While the school was closed to students, staff had an invaluable opportunity during our closure days to focus on enhancing our teaching practices through Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) and Structured Literacy. Staff engaged in a school visit and participated in follow-up reflection tasks, allowing us to learn from other educators and critically evaluate our own methods. This experience has highlighted both the strengths in our current approach and areas where we can make improvements to ensure our students receive the highest quality education. We are excited to bring these insights into our classrooms, enriching our literacy and instructional strategies to better support every child’s learning journey.

Remembrance Day

This coming Monday, 11th November, we will come together as a school community to honour Remembrance Day. It is a solemn occasion to reflect on the sacrifices made by countless men and women who gave their lives for the freedoms we cherish today. Across our communities, we will pause to remember their courage, dedication, and unwavering commitment to peace. In their memory, let us recognise the profound impact of their service and uphold the values they fought to protect. Together, we will ensure their legacy of bravery and selflessness is not forgotten.

Class Preparation for 2025

As we look ahead to the 2025 school year, our Foundation Transitions are well underway, helping our youngest students become familiar with their new environment and building connections that will support their learning journey. At the same time, preparations for class groupings are in progress, carefully considering the needs and strengths of each student to create balanced and supportive learning environments. Additionally, we are finalising staffing arrangements to ensure we have a dedicated and skilled team ready to provide the best educational experiences. Together, these efforts are laying a strong foundation for a successful year ahead, focused on growth, community, and excellence.

Staffing Update



As we approach the end of the year, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of several valued members of our St Columba’s community who will be moving on at the end of this term.

Ruth Hackwill will be departing on leave to focus on family commitments. We are grateful for her dedication and commitment to our school and wish her all the best as she embraces this new chapter with her family.

After 19 years of service at St Columba’s, Wayne Lynch will be retiring from education. His legacy of support, guidance, and inspiration for our students and staff will endure. Wayne, we thank you for your tireless work, and we celebrate the incredible impact of our Sporting opportunities over the years.

Torie Waight and Lucy Quanchi are also moving on to new roles within other Catholic schools in Ballarat. We thank Torie for her dedication to our school and parish over the past 10 years, and Lucy for her service to our school over the past 5 years. Their expertise, passion, and commitment to Catholic Education will continue to enrich students and colleagues in our wider community. We look forward to witnessing the positive influence they will undoubtedly bring to their new roles.

Lastly, Danni Stephens will be stepping away from Catholic Education after 6 years of service at St Columba’s. Danni’s dedication and service have been truly appreciated, and we are grateful for the unique perspective and spirit she brought to our school.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ruth, Wayne, Torie, Lucy, and Danni. Each has contributed to St Columba’s community in ways that will be remembered for a long time. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours and look forward to celebrating their achievements with them in the coming weeks.

Whilst our recruitment process continues, we are pleased to announce that Emily Carlon has accepted a position to join our St Columba’s team in 2025. She comes to us with recent experience teaching in the State Education system and in the UK. We look forward to welcoming Emily to our school community. We are also thrilled to announce that Lachie Cooper will also move into a teaching role after successfully completing his Teaching degree at ACU.

We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

National Recycling Week

November 11^th – 17^th is National Recycling Week, an annual event established by Planet Ark in 1996. Reducing our waste not only keeps valuable materials out of landfill it also benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Head to https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/nationalrecyclingweek/ to search for some ways you can ‘Join the Cycle’ for ways to get involved at school, at home, at work or in the community.

Christmas Cards

We will be selling packs of 15 Christmas cards that were designed last year. Cards are available at the school office or via Quickcliq for $5

P & F Fundraiser

Important Dates - Term 4

Important Dates - Term 1 - 2025