Principal's Update - 26th March

Welcome

Dear Families,

As Term One draws to a close next week, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on the many highlights and achievements of the past few months. Another successful camp, with the Year 3/4 students at Log Cabin, where students embraced new challenges, built friendships, and created lasting memories in the great outdoors. The excitement continues to build as we look forward to our Colour Fun Run this Sunday, a vibrant and joyful event that promises to bring our school community together in a celebration of fun, fitness, and school spirit. It’s been a fantastic term, and we can’t wait to finish it on such a high note!

Sad News

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the sudden passing of Mick Miller, the much-loved husband of Cathy Coffey, our former Administration Officer. Mick passed away unexpectedly last week, leaving Cathy and their children, Sam, Jack, and Bella, heartbroken. Many of you will remember Cathy’s warmth, kindness, and dedicated service to our school community, and we know this loss is deeply felt by all who know the family. We ask that you please keep Cathy, Sam, Jack, and Bella in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. May they feel the support, love, and strength of our community surrounding them in the days ahead. Mick’s funeral is tomorrow at 2:00 pm. 

Whole School Assembly

We are excited to invite our school community to our second Whole School Assembly for the year, led by our Student Leaders, this Friday in the School Hall. We warmly welcome parents to join us for this occasion and kindly ask that you be seated by 8:50 am. 

We continue to celebrate Please enter via the Howard Street double gates and access the Hall through the decking entrance, where our friendly ushers will be there to meet and greet. We look forward to coming together as a school community and celebrating the start of another wonderful year!    All parents, please be seated in the hall by 8:50 am 

Colour Fun Run

Our Colour Fun Run is fast approaching, taking place on Sunday, March 30th, at C E Brown (Laker’s) Reserve.  This will be a fantastic opportunity for our school community to come together and enjoy an afternoon filled with fun, laughter, and physical activity for all abilities. We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of our dedicated volunteers who have already begun preparations, especially those stepping forward for the first time. While our initial organising team is small, we will soon be inviting more volunteers to assist on the day to ensure a safe and successful event—there are many ways to get involved, even if you’re not part of the main committee. We look forward to seeing as many families as possible join us for this exciting and colourful celebration!  Please note there will be a BBQ and a number of Food Trucks attending to provide a range of food and beverage items for the event.

Date: Sunday 30th March 

Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm 

Location: C E Brown Reserve (Laker’s Oval) Behind Selkirk Stadium

Sacrament of Reconciliation Celebration

Next Thursday, 3rd April, at 5:30 pm, we are celebrating the culmination of our Reconciliation preparation, a special and meaningful milestone for our students as they take this important step in their faith journey. We extend a heartfelt thank you to our families for their ongoing support, encouragement, and partnership during this preparation period. We are also deeply grateful to Fr Ed and Fr Francis for their guidance and care and to our St Columba's parishioners for their prayers and support in helping to nurture the faith of our young people.

Easter Raffle and Donations

Our Easter Raffle is back!! You are able to purchase tickets on behalf of students, family, neighbours and friends. Tickets are now available to purchase via the following link. Ticket sales will be online only this year through rafflelink.

Please finalise your ticket purchases no later than Tuesday, 1st April 2025.

Families are also asked to please leave a donation for the Easter raffle prizes at the school office by Tuesday 1st April 2025

Thank you in advance for your kind support of our school fundraising efforts.

Holy Week Reenactment - Rescheduled to Friday 4th April

We wish to inform you that we will be rescheduling our Holy Week Reenactment originally planned for this week.

A significant number of our staff will be attending the funeral of Mick Miller, husband of Cathy Coffey, our much-loved former administration officer. Cathy was a valued and well-respected member of our school community for many years, and we know that many staff wish to be present to support her and her family during this time.

As a result, we anticipate a reduced staffing capacity on the afternoon of the funeral, which is likely to lead to some classes being split or combined for the latter half of the day after 2nd break. We thank you for your understanding and support in this matter.

The new date for our Holy Week Reenactment will be communicated shortly. We look forward to sharing this important reflection with you at a more suitable time.

2026 Foundation Enrolments

Reminder to families that Enrolment Applications are now open for Foundation 2026 Students.

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 below.  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).

If you have a sibling starting, you must complete the form also.

Mother’s Day Stall

To celebrate our Mother’s and the Special women in our lives, we will hold a Mother’s Day Stall on Monday 5th May. Gifts will be $5 each, and families will be invited to attend the stall together to purchase the perfect gift for their mum. Children have the option of cash on the day or the option of paying via QuickCliq. Please sign in to your QuickCliq account (via the SZapp as you would for Lunch Orders). Scroll to events, and you will note the Mother’s Day Gift Stall, where you can place your order. Gifts are limited to one per child. Cash purchases will be accepted on the day.

Mother’s Day Liturgy

This year we are excited to celebrate our Mother’s and the special women in our lives with a Mass at St Columba’s Church at 9:15 am. More details to follow.

School Athletics Carnival

Our students are busily practising in preparation for our School Athletics Carnival, set for Thursday, 8th May, at Llanberris Reserve. Students will be bussed to the event, parents are encouraged to pick their child/ren up prior to 3 pm. Please accept the permission sent out on PAM and indicate if your child needs to be bussed back to school, as we need to finalise bus numbers ASAP. This event will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to gather in their house groups and participate in various events. Thanks to those parents who have registered their intent to support the day. Please note that due to some changes in arrangements at Llanberris, the podium is no longer available to schools.

Eucharist Preparation Term Two

We are pleased to invite Year 4 students who have recently completed their Sacrament of Reconciliation to participate in the upcoming preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. To commence this important journey, we warmly invite you to a Parent Information Session at the school on Friday, 2nd May, at 9:00 am. Your attendance will provide valuable insights into the preparation process and how you can support your child's spiritual development.

We have been delighted with the facilitation of the recent Reconciliation preparation and are grateful for the exceptional support from the team of schools within our newly formed Cathedral Parish. This collaboration has enriched our programs and strengthened our faith community. The facilitation of our recent Reconciliation program was well-received, and the content delivery at school, along with activities at home and the attendance at weekend Masses, was achievable and engaging. We welcome your feedback and will provide a survey in the coming weeks.

We look forward to your participation and to continuing this meaningful journey together.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS ABOUT WEEK ONE TERM TWO

As we approach the start of Term Two, we’d like to remind families that Week One will look quite different to a typical school week. This unique week is bookended by two public holidays—Easter Monday on Monday, 21st April, and ANZAC Day on Friday, 25th April. In between, our school will be closed for three days as staff engage in important professional learning alongside other schools in our Central Zone. On Tuesday, 22nd April, our leadership team will attend the launch of the DOBCEL Strategy, featuring renowned guest speakers Pasi Sahlberg and David Runge. Wednesday, 23rd April will see staff participating in the "Teach Like A Champion" professional learning with colleagues from Lumen Christi. On Thursday, 24th April, our team will spend the day working with Sr Veronica and Sr Carmel Setford, focusing on reigniting the Mercy Charism that lies at the heart of St Columba’s. We thank you for your understanding and support as we invest in these valuable learning opportunities to strengthen and enrich our school community.

Term 2 Week 1 -  

• Monday 21st April - Easter Monday Public Holiday
• Tuesday 22nd April - DOBCEL Strategy Launch - All Central Zone Staff
• Wednesday 23rd April - Teach Like a Champion - St Columba’s & Lumen Christi
• Thursday 24th April - Professional Learning with Sr Veronica Lawson & Sr Carmel Setford around Mercy Charism
• Friday 25th April - ANZAC Day Public Holiday

Transition to Winter Uniform

During the first two weeks of Term Two we transition to Winter Uniform. If you require any new uniform items, please contact the front office or login to Quickcliq to place an order. 

If you would like to purchase any secondhand uniform at any stage, please see our office team they have what is available sorted and ready to buy.

Community

Important Dates - 2025