“We thank you Lord, for the courage and sacrifice of the ANZACS almost 100 years ago.

As we remember those who have fallen in battle, we give thanks to you, gracious God,

for their great sacrifices in conflict and in captivity. They gave their lives for peace and freedom. Amen”

Dear Parents and Carers,

Our Year 4 and 6 students are in the final stages leading up to the celebration of their First Eucharist on Sunday, 5 May and Confirmation on Saturday, 18 May. I wish them all the best and know that the students will have a wonderful experience in celebrating their respective Sacraments. I would like to thank Mrs Daniele, Mrs O' Brien, and Mrs Vuckovic, Mrs Pilatti and Miss Bechelli for their work in preparing the students.

We welcome Mrs Spiewak to our school staff. She will be filling in for Mrs Tilli who is on leave.

The Year 6 students are organising an ANZAC Day Liturgy this Friday. Families are invited to attend. It will be held in the undercover area at 9:00am. A reminder that it is traditional on Anzac Day to wear a sprig of rosemary pinned to a coat lapel or to the breast (it does not matter which side, but left seems most common), or held in place by medals. Rosemary has particular significance for Australians on Anzac Day as it grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The pupil free day on Friday, 10 May has been set aside for Parent/Teacher interviews. Communication has been sent out to families on how to make a booking time. Please take time to meet with your classroom child’s teacher and discuss progress so far this year.

Please note Friday, 31 May is a pupil free day and Monday, 3 June is a public holiday.

A reminder, students will finish this term on Friday, 28 June.

God Bless and keep safe.

Allen McMahon

Principal

Thursday 25 April

• Anzac Day

Friday 26 April

• Anzac Day Liturgy - Y6 - 9am

Tuesday 30 April

• FHC Retreat 24:7 Ministry

Thursday 2 May

• FHC Rehearsal - 9am

Friday 3 May

• Assembly - 3W

Year 1G - Matthew R, Hugo R, Clare

Year 1W - Grace, Tyler, Hugo

Year 2G - Chloe, Ayla, Zavier

Year 2W - Lily, Evie, Ruby

Year 3G - Inez, Charlotte, Oscar

Year 3W - Aidan, Matthew, Leah, Florence

Year 4G - Nash, Ava, Gabriella D

Year 4W - Noah, Archie, Cooper

Year 5G - Sophia M, Nathan, Gui

Year 5W - Noah, Xavier, Mikayla

Year 6G - Aiden, Emily P

Year 6W - Giorgio

We will gather in Week 2 as a whole school to celebrate ANZAC Day. We remember all those who have served our nation during war, those who have died, and those who have returned. Let us pray for all who fought for our country believing in the gift of peace. Students will participate in an Anzac Day Assembly at 9am on Friday 26 April, led by our Year 6 leaders.

We will hold our ANZAC Day liturgy on Friday, 26 April at 9am in Kalyara. Led by our Year 6 leaders the service will commemorate and honour the Australian and New Zealand Army forces who bravely fought in Gallipoli during World War I.

We pray for those children in Year 4 making their First Holy Communion this term. Next week there will be a Retreat Day and Rehearsal in preparation for the Sacramental Mass on Sunday, 5 May. Please click on the Newsletter link below for more information.

Congratulations to our First Communion candidates for 2024. Banners are now up in the Church and will stay there until the Sacramental Mass on Sunday 5thMay. Parishioners are encouraged to adopt one or more candidates to support and pray for.

Monsignor O’Loughlin

Parents,

As part of the reporting procedures used at St Columba's we offer parents of children in Kindy to Year 6 (not Pre-Kindergarten) the opportunity to participate in a parent-teacher interview.

In 2024, Parent-Teacher interviews will be held for Kindy to Year 6 on Friday 10 May.

For these interviews we are using the new online Microsoft Office 365 booking system, promoted by CEWA, called ‘Bookings’ as it links directly with the teacher outlook calendar and their email account. We appreciate your patience as we navigate this new system together.

Using this system, you will be able to book the interview times that suit you best from any internet enabled device.

Please note the following points:

• A separate booking is required with each child’s teacher using the links in the newsletter. Bookings are made for individual parents/guardians, not for couples. If two parents/guardians wish to attend a single interview time slot, one parent/guardian should make the booking then both can attend.
• You will only see time slots that are available at the time you are using the system. As time slots are booked for teachers, those time slots are no longer displayed as available. This prevents double-booking of teachers or parents/guardians.
• You can log in and change bookings any time up to 5pm on Friday 3 May. Any changes after this date will need to be emailed directly to classroom teachers.
• Other parents may be making bookings while you are using the system. It is possible, though unlikely, that a time slot is displayed to you as available but is then booked by another parent shortly afterwards. If you then attempt to book this time slot it will not be available, and a message will be displayed to indicate this.
• If you encounter any problems using the new booking system please contact the classroom teacher by email as they have direct access to their booking calendar.
• Parents that have previously contacted their child’s teacher to discuss student progress are not required to book another interview. Similarly, those parents who have met for IEP/IEPM Meetings do not require another interview time.

This term, students from Year 1-6, will be participating in Jump Rope for Heart. This program will run for 5 weeks, from Week 2-7.

Jump Rope for Heart is a fantastic physical activity and fundraising program that has been run by the Heart Foundation for 40 years. It’s a great way for your child to keep fit and learn new skills, but it also helps raise funds for vital heart research and education programs.

Over the course of the program, students from Year 1-6, will be skipping as part of class daily fitness. Each week, your child will learn new skills, increase their physical activity, and learn about heart health.

You are welcome to register your child online. By doing this you’ll get access to additional skipping resources to help give your family a great reason to get away from the screens and get outdoors.

Register and create your own secure webpage at jumprope.org.au/parents

By signing up online, you and your child can:

• Easily raise funds online
• Track skipping skills progress and earn virtual badges along the way
• Post updates to your page so family and friends can follow their progress
• Access additional skipping resources

Your child should have a ‘fundraising guide’ flyer to take home, which includes further information on the program. If you didn’t receive this, visit jumprope.org.au/parents for all the information that you need.

In alignment with our Catholic school identity, we have decided that all donations and prizes will be collected as a whole school effort. Together we can make a big difference! All prizes earned will be donated to CARITAS and be shared with underprivileged children. All money raised will be given to the Heart Foundation.

Thank you for getting involved in Jump Rope for Heart!

We take this opportunity to direct members of our community to review our Code of Conduct. These statements are aimed at ensuring the protection and wellbeing of students in our care. In addition, awareness of the Code of Conduct ensures that adults do not put themselves in potentially vulnerable positions; for example, adults use the ambulant toilet when on site and do not use student toilets. Please take a few moments to review our Code of Conduct.

https://www.stcolumbassp.wa.edu.au/stcadmin/uploads/file/code-of-conduct-procedure.pdf

The Education Act mandates the teaching of a Protective Behaviours program in all schools. At St Columba’s we follow the Keeping Safe Program. The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC) aims to help children learn to recognise abuse and develop ways of protecting themselves from abuse and, in wider terms, covers rights, relationships, responsibilities and ethical behaviour.

The KS:CPC is divided into 5 documents specific to the age and year level of students. There are an additional three documents for educators working with:

· Aboriginal children and young people

· culturally and linguistically diverse children and young people

· children and young people with disability and additional needs.

The KS:CPC is predicated on two main themes which are presented through topics and activities of increasing complexity. The two KS:CPC Themes are:

· Theme 1: We all have the right to be safe

· Theme 2: We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust.

The two KS:CPC Themes are explored through four Focus Areas, which are examined in growing complexity in accordance with the age of the students. The four KS:CPC Focus Areas are:

· Focus Area 1: The right to be safe

· Focus Area 2: Relationships

· Focus Area 3: Recognising and reporting abuse

More information can be found on the KS:CPC website: http://tiny.cc/KSCPC-ParentCarerInfo.

Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions about the curriculum.

In Week 9 last term all students from K-6 were sent home with a single-page hard copy report with their WASN number clearly indicated on the front. We encourage all parents to keep this in a safe place until you submit your WA Student Assistance Payment claim within the ServiceWA app during Term 2, from Monday 15 April to Friday 28 June 2024.

All Western Australian school students (Kindergarten to Year 12) currently enrolled in a public school, registered non-government school, or home-schooled, with a valid WA student number (WASN) are eligible to claim this payment from Monday 15 April 2024.

Please note student WASN numbers can also be found on any formal NAPLAN reports - so this is another option for our Year 4-6 families. We have also uploaded each child’s WASN report to the SEQTA Engage portal (where parents access their semester reports for PP-Year 6) - https://stcolumbassp.coneqt-p.cathednet.wa.edu.au/

We hope that between the hard copy sheet, NAPLAN Report (Y4-6) and SEQTA Engage portal you will be able to access your child’s WASN number. The school cannot help submit any claims on your behalf but we can assist with finding your child’s WASN number. Please contact the school office if you need help with this.

To help families submit their claim please find the following resources:

A WA Student Assistance Payment FAQs can be found here.

This guide outlines frequently asked questions pertaining to:

• where to access general information and/or support in claiming payment;

• the process for claiming payment; and

• successful claims and the expected payment date for those claims.

For additional information, we would encourage you to have a look at the link below:

https://education.wa.edu.au/wasap/

Hi everyone,

It has been a great start to the term with 2 out of our 3 extra-curricular activities in full swing. Both basketball and soccer are extremely popular and it is so wonderful to see the children so happy. For those of you that have signed your children up for netball, the first session commences

Wednesday, 8 May / Thursday, 9 May.

Our Year 1 parent rep dads are busy putting together a fabulous Mothers Day event for the whole school (thanks lads). Mums/mother figures - please keep the morning of Wednesday, 8 May free in your diaries, you do not want to miss out.

Our next P&F meeting is Tuesday, 7 May, 7:00pm in the school staffroom. If you would like to see anything discussed, please let me know.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Hayley Mitchell

P&F President

Hello all,

Round 6 delivered another whirlwind weekend of AFL action, complete with nail-biting finishes and a Western Derby upset that we could Harley (hype is real) believe. Let's kick off with the rundown of the results!

It was a fierce battle of predictions, with six of our tipsters pulling off the punt with four correct calls, all separated by margins. Meanwhile, the rest of the pack managed to snag three right.

A round of applause for our top performers in Round 6

Craig P: Nailed 4 tips, with a margin at 61

Joshua J: Made 4 spot-on calls, with a margin at 67

Andrew J: Hit the mark with 4 tips, sporting a margin at 68

David B: Locked in 4 correct picks, with a margin at 70

Mark S: Scored 4 solid predictions, with a margin at 81

Ben B: Rounded up the pack with 4 accurate calls, with a margin at 82

In the overall leaderboard, the competition is as heated as a contested mark in the goal square! With only two games standing between the top eight contenders, the battle for supremacy is fierce and exhilarating.

Here's the current leaderboard:

🥇 Santhosh P: Holding onto the top spot with 28 tips, boasting a margin of 118

🥈 Andrew J: Hot on the heels with 27 correct calls, flaunting a margin of 144

🥉 Craig P: Right in the mix with 27 correct tips, showcasing a margin of 153

As we gear up for Anzac Round, get ready for more action, including a midweek showdown (a rare two-day gap without footy – talk about withdrawal symptoms!) with the Tigers taking on the Demons today at 5:25 PM.

Keep those tips flowing in like a perfectly executed handball! Let's keep the footy fever alive and kicking!

If you've got any questions shoot me an email at doscafootytipping6151@gmail.com or call Santhosh on 0411 253 951.

Did you know that every purchase you make on Book Club earns our school 15% of the order value in Scholastic Rewards? We use these to purchase more books and educational resources for the school. It all helps!

Cash payments are no longer accepted. Payments can be made by credit card - Visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app. Your order will be electronically linked to the rest of your school's order. You do not need to complete the order form.

Term 2: Tuesday 16 April - Friday 28 June

Term 3: Tuesday 16 July - Friday 20 September

Term 4: Tuesday 8 October - Friday 6 December

Term 2: Monday 15 April, Friday 10 May, Friday 31 May

Term 3: Monday 15 July

Term 4: Monday 7 October

Confirmation: Saturday, 18 May at 6pm

Eucharist: Sunday, 5 May at 9:30am

Reconciliation: Saturday, 9 November at 10am

Email: admin@stcolumbassp.wa.edu.au
Website: https://www.stcolumbassp.wa.edu.au/
Location: 30 York Street, South Perth WA 6151, Australia
Phone: (08) 6436 9500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Education/St-Columbas-Catholic-Primary-School-South-Perth-173160579973945/