St Columba’s Feast Day

Students across our school Community will gather together to celebrate the Feast Day of St Columba on Friday, the 9th of June. 

For this special Feast Day, we invite the grandparents and special people of our community to join us from 2:00 pm to gather in Liturgy and participate in an activity with their grandchildren relating to St Columba’s Peace Prayer. 

Our celebration of St Columba will take place in Family Groups. For those who are new to our school or unfamiliar with Family Groups, they are cross-school groupings that allow for siblings and cousins to all gather together in one space. Grandparents will be greeted by staff at the two main entry gates (Howard & Gregory St) and directed to the Learning Group, where their grandchildren will be waiting. The celebration will conclude at approximately 3.15 pm. 

We look forward to welcoming all the extended family of our community to our school for this special occasion.

Piety Store at St Columba’s Church for Confirmation 28th May & 4th June

The Piety store in the Church will be selling gifts for these occasions at 10 am Mass each Sunday and on the days of Confirmation and Eucharist. We extend an invitation to all families to attend a special mass on Sunday, the 28th May or the 4th June, when these children will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Here are a sample of what are available to purchase:

School Uniform

As Winter takes hold, we would like to remind all families that our school has now transitioned to our winter uniform. It is important that we all take pride in our uniform and appearance, as it reflects the values and identity of our school community. Wearing the correct uniform is also a way of showing respect for ourselves, our peers, and the school, and helps to promote a sense of unity and belonging. Thank you for your continued support in making this school one we can all be proud to be a part of. A reminder for children to wear socks that do not have visible branding and are the correct ones for either the sport or winter uniform.

Medical Update

At this time of the year, when colds, flu and COVID seems to be everywhere, can we please ask that our community does all we can to protect each other. All staff, students and visitors to our school are encouraged to ensure high levels of hygiene are maintained daily with hand washing and use of sanitiser before eating and after blowing noses or using the toilet.

Anyone who is symptomatic is recommended to utilise Rapid antigen testing and test kits can be collected from the front office if required.

A reminder for everyone to please not send your children to school if they are feeling unwell, and ensure they remain at home for 48 hours after symptoms have stopped as per health guidelines to ensure your child is clear of infection. Thank you to our families who are following these guidelines and working to ensure the safety of everyone in our community. 

Following these guidelines and working to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.

Enterprise Bargaining Agreement

Work continues with the IEU and workplace representatives around the negotiation of the new EBA for Catholic Schools. You may have seen, and are likely to be seeing more around this in the news in coming weeks as it nears completition. There is likely to be a period of adjustment and some impact on the operation of the school as part of this. These may relate to school hours and particularly events that operate outside these such as camps. As we get a better understanding of exactly what the new award will look like we will work with our School Advisory Council around how this may play out in the day to day and ongoing functions of the school.

Traffic Safety

Some reminders from our Crossing Supervisor 

Please 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 to ensure personal safety for everyone. Whilst this crossing is not manned, we ask for your patience and vigilance here. Please also be mindful of reversing safely. 

We ask that you refrain from gesturing for your child to board your vehicles whilst on the crossing for safety reasons. Please also ensure that you walk your child across roads rather than calling them across. Thank you for your support in keeping your child safe.

Important Dates for Term 2

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals

Welcome

Dear Families,

This week our schools in the Ballarat Diocese are celebrating Catholic Education Week.  The theme this year is Let the words you speak always be full of grace’  – Colossians 4:6

How we speak and how we are open to being changed through dialogue has been subject to deep consideration in many different circles – political, social, ecological, and theological. Dialogue opens us to the other, to learn and to change – it is an openness to being moved or influenced and allow for the spirit to be present – this is the invitation our theme offers.

The way we live and act and the words we speak provide insight into the very essence of our individual being. Our use of language, with expression and gestures, brings us into engagement with others. Most regularly, this engagement is through conversation or dialogue. For Christian people, sometimes this dialogue maybe with the divine.

Grace is the gift of God’s presence in our lives. How we engage, speak, and dialogue with others can bring God’s presence into being.

St Paul’s letter to the Colossians was written to a community receiving distorted accounts of Christian conduct and belief. St Paul was urging Christ’s followers to be above the misrepresentations. His words could be seen as inviting people into dialogue about Jesus and the Christian message in the world. We are invited to do that again today by Pope Francis, who provides three fundamental guidelines to help us dialogue or speak with grace:

“The duty to respect one’s own identity and that of others, the courage to accept differences, and sincerity of intentions.” 

Our students celebrated a Liturgy together in Family Groups this morning to mark the occasion. Sr Veronica Lawson, a member of the Sisters of Mercy Congregation, joined us to celebrate the occasion and speak to our students about her role in Catholic Education over the years. We had initially planned a cross-school session with Our Lady Help of Christians in Wendouree as they are part of our Parish. Unfortunately, due to the high number of illnesses within their school, they had to cancel their involvement.

Mother's Day

Thank you to the Dad’s who again organised and facilitated this year's Mother’s Day Stall. The students were most delighted with their gifts for their Mum’s, and it was wonderful for families to attend the stall together to choose gifts.

Our Mother’s Day Liturgy was a beautiful celebration and tribute to our Mother’s and the special women in our lives. Thank you to all who attended this special celebration. A special thank you also to Lucy and Torie for coordinating this celebration and to our wonderful staff for providing a delicious morning tea.

Medical Update

We have a small but climbing number of students out at the moment with COVID or COVID related illnesses and a large number of students particularly in our junior years experiencing gastro like illnesses. A reminder for everyone to please not send your children to school if they are feeling unwell, and ensure they remain at home for 48 hours after symptoms have stopped as per health guidelines to ensure your child is clear of infection.

Gate Opening Times

A reminder that you are welcome onsite at the beginning and end of the days once the gates have been opened. Howard Street Gates will now open at 8:20 am for early drop-offs pre-arranged with the Principals, whilst both Gregory Street and Armstrong Street will be open at 8:30 am. Students will be supervised from 8:30 am, with classes commencing at 8:45 am. Please be aware that children arriving early must remain seated near the Year 1/2 Community until supervision commences.

Please note that ALL gates will be locked from 8:45 am. Students arriving at school after 8:45 am must enter through the Administration Office to ensure they are marked as present for student attendance.

School Uniform

We would like to thank families who have supported the transtion to winter uniform. We would like to remind all families that our winter uniform includes pants or tunic and navy socks/tights. Shorts are only permitted to be worn on the days that your child has thier allocated sports lessons.

It is important that we all take pride in our uniform and appearance, as it reflects the values and identity of our school community. Wearing the correct uniform is also a way of showing respect for ourselves, our peers, and the school, and helps to promote a sense of unity and belonging. Thank you for your continued support in making this school one we can all be proud to be a part of.

Important Dates for Term 2

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals

Welcome

Dear Families,

As we near the midway point of the term and school year, we wanted to take the opportunity to update you on some of the exciting things happening at our school. We've been hard at work both inside and outside the classroom to ensure our students have the best possible learning environment.

Our staff have been engaged in some thought provoking professional learning opportunities, with a particular focus on literacy development and how we learn to read. A number of our staff have completed course work with Latrobe University around the Science of Language and Reading and we are now in the process of exploring the implications of this in our classrooms. We believe that strong literacy skills are essential for success in all areas of life, and we are committed to ensuring our students have the tools they need to excel. We are also continuing to work on promoting our positive behaviours, so that our students can develop the social and emotional skills they need to thrive.

On the building front, we have been working closely with our architects and contractors to plan our upcoming building project. We're excited to let you know that we will be going out to tender shortly, with work commencing later this year. We will keep you updated as we progress, but we are confident that the end result will be a fantastic addition to our school.

Meanwhile, we have also been focusing on our yard space. We have recently met with Groundworks around our spaces and have plans underway to resurface and grade the basketball court. Despite some additional setbacks related to fire hydrants and drainage we are now back on schedule to complete these works, with a goal of having the new court open by Term 3. Given the current state of the weather, we suggest that students bring along some 'cover up' clothes for break time that they can get dirty in.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the incredible work our school community has done supporting the school while we have been engaged to manage St Augustine's Creswick. As our time supporting them winds back, we are looking forward to being able to focus on a number of major projects coming up for St Columba's.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school. We're incredibly proud of our students and staff, and we know that together, we can achieve great things.

Gate Opening Times

A reminder that you are welcome onsite at the beginning and end of the days once the gates have been opened. Howard Street Gates will now open at 8:20 am for early drop-offs pre-arranged with the Principals, whilst both Gregory Street and Armstrong Street will be open at 8:30 am. Students will be supervised from 8:30 am, with classes commencing at 8:45 am. Please be aware that children arriving early must remain seated near the Year 1 / 2 Community until supervision commences.

Please note that ALL gates will be locked from 8:45 am. Students arriving at school after 8:45 am must enter through the Administration Office to ensure they are marked as present for student attendance.

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 Friday, 5th May. Gifts will be $5 each, and siblings will be invited to attend the stall together to purchase the perfect gift for their mum.

Payment can be made via QuickCliq. To do this, please login to your QuickCliq account (via the SZapp as you would for lunch orders), scroll to events, and you will note the Mother’s Day Stall, where you can place your order. Please note that gifts are limited to one per child and a separate order is required to be put through for each child to assist in a seamless process for helpers on the day. Cash purchases will also be accepted on the day.

Camp

Our Year 5/ 6 Students attended Burnside Camp at Anglesea this week. The weather was picture-perfect on Wednesday for beach activities, and the children thoroughly enjoyed all activities they participated in. We wish to thank our staff for their commitment to ensuring our students were well cared for and supported throughout the experience. We know there will be some very tired students (and staff) as the week draws to a close.

School Uniform

As the weather gets cooler, we would like to remind all families that our school has now transitioned to our winter uniform. It is important that we all take pride in our uniform and appearance, as it reflects the values and identity of our school community. Wearing the correct uniform is also a way of showing respect for ourselves, our peers, and the school, and helps to promote a sense of unity and belonging. Thank you for your continued support in making this school one we can all be proud to be a part of.

Religious Education Update

Mini Vinnies Commissioning Mass

On Sunday the 7th of May we invite all Mini Vinnies to 10am Mass at St Columba’s Church where they will participate in a commissioning to honour their role as leaders within our community. The new leaders will receive a badge however all are encouraged to attend. 

Mother’s Day 

On Friday the 12th of May we invite you to join us for our annual Mother's Day Mass at 9:15 at St Columba's Church. We are asking for an RSVP from those who wish to attend a Mother's Day Morning Tea after the Mass where a light refreshment will be provided. You can RSVP here. 

Please note the school children will continue their regular school routine, whilst the morning tea takes place in the school hall. We look forward to hosting and celebrating you!

Sacrament of Confirmation 

Baptised children who are in Grade 3 or above are invited to enrol in the program for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Preparation will take place on Monday evenings from 5:45 - 6:30 pm at St Columba’s School on the 15th and 22nd of May. With any questions or an expression of interest please contact Lia Andanar Yu, Parish Coordinator at Ph: 5331 1012 or ballaratnorth@ballarat.catholic.org.au

We extend an invitation to all families to attend a special mass on Sunday the 28th of May or the 4th of June when these children will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Catholic Education Week

This year, Catholic Education Week will take place in Week 5 of the term from the 22nd to the 26th of May. On Friday the 26th of May, St Columba’s will be gathering with Our Lady Help of Christians. 

Please keep an eye out for more information to come! 

Important Dates for Term 2

As we begin Term 2, we wish to remind you that our school is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment for all students. We value your feedback and encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to a productive and fulfilling Term 2.

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals