St. Columba's Primary School
NEWSLETTER | TERM 2 | WEEK 4 | 9 MAY 2024
“Dear Lord, We thank You for the gift of mothers, for their love, guidance and care.
Please bless them with Your grace, strength, and wisdom as they continue to nurture and support their families. Surround them with Your love and peace, and let them know how deeply they are appreciated and cherished. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen”
Dear Parents and Carers,
Our Year 6 students are in the final stages leading up to the celebration of their Confirmation on Saturday, 18 May. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. I would like to thank Mrs Daniele, Mrs Vuckovic and Mrs O’Brien for their work in preparing the students. The students will also be participating in their Confirmation Retreat on Monday, 13 May run by the 24 - 7 Ministry Group.
We will be farewelling Monsignor O’Loughlin later this term, as he will be retiring. There will be a student led Prayer Service and a staff morning tea to farewell him. Monsignor has been leading the St Columba’s Parish since February 2011. We wish him well in his retirement and hope that he takes time for himself to relax and enjoy his retirement.
Please take time to view the mural of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop on the Year 5 classroom walls. There is still some further work to make it into a prayer grotto. These works will include some more paintings of children in St Columba’s school uniform, a roof and an enclosure to the student walkway.
Many thanks to the P&F and Year 1 Dad's involved in organising the Mother’s Day celebrations yesterday. The preparation was outstanding and was extremely well attended. It is a fitting lead up to Mother’s Day celebrations on Sunday.
A reminder, that the Cross Country will be held next Tuesday, 14 May. Students will need to be in their sports uniform.
A reminder to families that students should not be on the school grounds prior to 8:30am. St Columba’s provides supervision only from 8:30am until the bell goes at 8:50am. On entering the school grounds during the day all parents will need to sign in at the front office.
If students are going to play on the playground equipment after school, it is a requirement that a parent must be there to supervise. The school staff do not supervise the play equipment after school. If students are unsupervised on the equipment they will be asked to leave the area. A reminder that the playground equipment is not to be used before school.
There is a School Advisory Council meeting on Monday, 20 May at 7:00pm in the school staffroom.
A very, very Happy Mother’s Day to the Mothers of our School Community for this coming Sunday.
God Bless and keep safe.
Allen McMahon
Principal
Important Dates
Friday 10 May
- Pupil Free Day - Parent / Teacher Interviews
Sunday 12 May
- Mother's Day
Monday 13 May
- Confirmation Retreat
Tuesday 14 May
- Cross Country Y3-Y6 - 9am
Wednesday 15 May
- Reconciliation for Y6 in preparation for Confirmation - 9am
Friday 17 May
- Walk Safely to School Day
- Confirmation Rehearsal - 9am
Saturday 18 May
- Confirmation Mass - 6pm
Confirmation Mass
We are excited to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our Year 6 candidates next Saturday, 18 May at 6pm in the St Columba’s Church.
Please keep our candidates in your prayers as they complete their final preparations, including a Retreat Day next Monday, 13 May.
Building a national picture of child health
From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).
The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school (Pre-Primary).
The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years.
Children don’t miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information.
The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need.
AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state/territory and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool.
Some teachers have found that completing the AEDC made them more aware of the needs of individual children and their class, and that the data was useful for planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing programs.
Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census.
To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au.
Mary - the Month of May
May is traditionally devoted to Mary, our Mother. This Christian custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. The practice of honouring Mary during the month of May has been especially recommended by the Popes. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of the Church and therefore the example, as well as the guide and inspiration, of everyone who, in and through the Church, seeks to be the servant of God.
CEWA Childsafe Framework
This framework of nine elements combine supporting a child safe culture, healthy and respectful relationships and extended guardianship in school communities, based on the latest research and recognised best practices. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring each of the nine elements. Please view the video below for an introduction to the framework.
https://childsafe.cewa.edu.au/introduction-key-concepts/
What is the Element - Investigating and Reporting?
Following, or developing and implementing where required, processes that are transparent, fair and clearly understood by the community.
What does this Element look like?
1. CEWA Student Safety, Wellbeing & Behaviour Executive Directive and other CECWA policies are understood and used in investigative, reporting and recording procedures
2. School and CEWA staff recognise the roles of external agencies (such as police, Department for Child Protection and Family Support)
3. Teachers, staff and principals understand their responsibilities in all forms of child abuse, whether sexual, physical, emotional and/or psychological
4. When handling complaints, the wellbeing of the child or young adult is the priority and confidentiality is observed
Refreshed Families page for website
We have refreshed the information on the Families page on the website and it is now an online version of the Parent Handbook. Please browse through the page to see the topics covered.
Hi everyone,
A MASSIVE thank you must go to Sam, Reagan and all the awesome Year 1 parents for putting on a fabulous mothers day morning tea. We know events like these don't just happen overnight, so please know we really appreciate it.
This week the P&F committee had our third meeting for the year. Your reps will share with you more about what was discussed at this meeting, but here is a summary:
- Adults Only Event: The committee is looking at whether or not there is interest in holding an adults only event for 2024. Please respond to your rep so we know whether or not to go ahead (possible date Saturday, 2 November)
- We are looking at upgrading the long jump pitch on the bottom oval (budget depending)
- We have confirmed the extra curricular activities for Term 3 (Technology Club, Drama Club and Chess Club)
- The P&F will be purchasing a gift for monsignor on behalf of the school community for his retirement.
We have attached the minutes from the previous meeting (Meeting 2 held in Term 1) for those that are interested.
Have a wonderful week everyone :)
Hayley Mitchell
P&F President
DOSC Footy Tipping 2024
Hello all,
Round 8 Results:
Round 8 had plenty of heated battles, as some of the competition’s biggest rivals went head-to-head. It was a competitive round of predictions, with three of our tipsters achieving a 6 out of nine, while 4 others managed to secure 5 out of 9 tips correctly.
Top Performers:
- Alan G: 6 correct tips with a margin of 16.
- Craig P: 6 accurate calls with a margin of 38.
- Mathew S: 6 correct predictions with a margin of 46.
- Ange: 5 correct picks with a margin of 15.
- Brendon O: 5 solid predictions with a margin of 1.
Overall Standings:
In the overall standings, David B and Craig have swapped places in points, just behind Santhosh with a margin of 69 points. With just two games separating the top six contenders, the competition for the lead is intense.
Current Leaderboard:
🥇 Santhosh P: 41 tips, margin of 181
🥈 Craig P: 41 correct calls, margin of 211
🥉 David B: 40 correct tips, margin of 245
🥉 Joshua J: 39 correct tips, margin of 234
As we gear up for Round 9, get your tips for the Blues vs. Dees today at 5:30PM.
Keep those tips coming in smoothly! Let's maintain the footy fever at full throttle!
Scholastic Books - Issue 3
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.
School Term Dates for 2024
Term 2: Tuesday 16 April - Friday 28 June
Term 3: Tuesday 16 July - Friday 20 September
Term 4: Tuesday 8 October - Friday 6 December
Pupil Free Days for 2024
Term 2: Monday 15 April, Friday 10 May, Friday 31 May
Term 3: Monday 15 July
Term 4: Monday 7 October
Sacrament Dates for 2024
Confirmation: Saturday, 18 May at 6pm
Reconciliation: Saturday, 9 November at 10am
St Columba's Catholic Primary School
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/