“Lord, we acknowledge our responsibility to care for

and bring healing to Country and our nation.

Forgive us for the times when we have failed to do so.

Increase our capacity this NAIDOC Week to humble ourselves and

listen afresh to truly hear the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Amen”

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of Term 2, I want to express my thanks to our students, staff and families for your ongoing support and contribution to the life of our school.

Firstly, I ask that you please keep three of our staff members in your thoughts and prayers, as they each mourn the recent loss of a parent, parent-in-law and sister. As a faith-filled community, we hold them close in this time of grief.

This week, our school has been engaged in a range of important activities. On Tuesday, a number of students proudly represented St Columba’s at the Interschool Cross Country. They demonstrated perseverance and great sportsmanship throughout the event—we congratulate them on their efforts.

Across the school this week, students have participated in learning and celebrations for NAIDOC Week. These activities have been an opportunity to deepen understanding and appreciation for the history, culture and achievements of our First Nations peoples.

Looking ahead to Term 3, the Student Council has recommended that year-level play areas on the bottom oval be reinforced with year levels and rules be consistently followed. They have also suggested a whole-school activity afternoon for Wellness Week, to be held on the Friday of Week 5. Staff have endorsed this initiative, and we look forward to bringing the school together for an afternoon of community and wellbeing activities in multi age groups.

We are pleased to welcome back Mrs McDonald from Long Service Leave next term, and we thank Mr Moore who has stepped into the Music role during her absence.

Included with this newsletter is a parent information sheet titled “When Things Go Wrong at School.” This aims to support families in understanding our communication processes and how we work in partnership with you to resolve concerns positively and constructively when issues happen at school.

A reminder that school resumes for students on Tuesday, 22 July, as Monday, 21 July is a pupil-free day.

Wishing all our families a safe and refreshing school holiday break.

God bless,

Allen McMahon

Principal

TERM 2

Friday 4 July

• NAIDOC Week Liturgy - 9am
• Free dress NAIDOC colours
• Term 2 ends

TERM 3

Monday 21 July

• Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 22 July

• Term 3 begins
• FHC Parent Meeting - 6pm

Thursday 24 July

• Vinnies Winter Appeal begins

NAIDOC Week will be celebrated by the St Columba’s school community in Week 10. This will involve activities and tasks completed in class that build student understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s culture and customs.

The Week will conclude with a NAIDOC Liturgy on the last day of school, Friday 4 July at 9am. We look forward to students deepening their understanding of the First Peoples of Australia as we celebrate the 2025 theme, “Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy.” Students are encouraged to come to school in NAIDOC free dress colours on Friday, 4 July. No donation is required.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our Year 6 Confirmation candidates who received the Sacrament of Confirmation over the weekend. It was a beautiful celebration of faith, with each student embracing this important step in their spiritual journey with reverence and maturity. A sincere thank you to the families, staff, and parish team who supported them throughout their preparation.

Looking ahead, we invite all families of students preparing for First Holy Communion to attend the Parent Information Night on:

📅 Tuesday 22 July
🕕 6:00pm
📍 St Columba’s Church

This session will provide essential information about the sacrament, preparation requirements, and key dates for the term ahead.

We look forward to continuing to walk alongside our students and families as they grow in faith and understanding.

Congratulations to all our Interschool Cross Country runners. St Columba's finished fourth overall.

• Fletcher - 1st Y4 boys
• Zara - 1st - Y6 girls
• Ariellle - 2nd - Y3 girls
• Year 3 girls won overall champs for their group.

We are seeking your help to support the students in our school who are at risk of anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are food and insect allergies. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid being exposed to the allergen.

Our school is supporting students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:

• training staff,

• encouraging students with food allergy to wash their hands before and after eating,

• encouraging students to wash their hands after eating something their classmate/friend is allergic to,

• teaching students not to share food with friends who have food allergy,

• teaching students the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with allergy looks sick,

• educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis, and

• teaching students that teasing someone with an allergy is not acceptable behaviour.

Food allergy is now common in school aged children. Children can be allergic to any food, and it is not possible to completely remove all foods from our school. To help manage food allergies, our school is following the National Allergy Council Best Practice Guidelines (2021) which do not recommend banning foods as this is difficult to enforce and can bring a false sense of safety. Instead, we have chosen not to stock nuts and nut products in our canteen as these foods are not staple foods in the diet. We request that parents also consider not sending nuts to school, especially for younger students.

We ask you to support the school’s risk minimisation strategies outlined so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

The Vinnies Winter Appeal is the next Catholic Charity Fundraiser the school will support.

This year Vinnies have asked us to collect blankets, warm coats/jumpers and thick pairs of socks, ensuring that all items donated are in good clean condition.

This fundraiser will run for the first 3 weeks of Term 3 (Thursday 24 July – Friday 8 August), culminating in a Pyjama Day (gold coin donation) on Friday 8 August.

A washing basket will be distributed to all classes, and we encourage students to bring in warm clothing to donate to those who need them.

Our Mini Vinnies leaders will empty the baskets at regular intervals and store the items for donation.

We thank parents in advance for their support of this charitable initiative.

Dear Parents,

School Photos will take place on Tuesday, 29 and Wednesday, 30 July 2025 (Term 3, Week 2).

Individual student SHOOTKEYS will be sent home as soon as they arrive. We are continuing with MSP Photography this year and parents are not required to bring back any envelopes. All individual and class photo orders are placed online.

If you do not require a school photograph this year you do not need to action anything.

Instructions for ordering photos will be on the student photo SHOOTKEY sheets and are self-explanatory. Only online orders are accepted. A wide choice of photo packs are available for purchase.

Should your child lose their individual order sheet you can request your child’s SHOOTKEY from the office.

Family Photos
Family Photos will be taken before school in the Library from 8:00am on Tuesday, 29 and Wednesday, 30 July.

If you would like a Family (sibling) photo taken we ask you to collect an envelope from Administration. We will advise when these are available.

Please ensure your FAMILY Envelope and payment are handed to the Photographers on Photo Day.

FAMILY Photos cannot be ordered online.

Any new students to the school will receive an individual SHOOTKEY form on photo day by the photographers.

All students in Years 3-6 will wear their formal uniform on Tuesday, 29 July.

The DRAFT photo schedule is below. Please note that this is not set and can be changed by the photographer without notice. (Year 4 and 6 classes have swapped photo times).

Please note that there are no scheduled Pre-Kindy photos this year as we have 4 classes, and the photographers are unable to attend across 4 days. Parents who wish to have professional photos of their Pre-Kindy child can attend the Family photo sessions.

Hi everyone,

We hope you had an amazing Term 2. How are we half way through the year already?

I am pleased to offer the following extra curricular activities for Term 3:

Lunchtime Chess Club: Years 3-6

Date: Commence Tuesday 29th July (week 2)
Time: Lunchtime (straight after eating lunch)
Location: Year 6W Classroom
Cost: No costs to parents, P&F will cover the costs

Netball: Years 1-6 (Afterschool)

Days: Tuesdays (Years 1-3) and Thursdays (Years 4-6)

Dates: Commence Tuesday 29th and Thursday 31st July (Week 2)

Duration: 6 weeks

Time: 3:15pm-4:15pm

Location: Netball Courts (front of school - children to head there straight from class)

What to wear: Children must wear their allocated uniform for the day. They can bring change of clothes/shoes if needed.

Cost: $40 per child (P&F to pay the remaining)

Tech Club: Years 3-6 (Before School)

Days: Monday (Sphero Program), Tuesday (Drone Program)

Dates: Commence Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th July (Week 2)

Duration: 8 weeks

Time: 7:30am-8:30am

Location: Kalyara Mia

Cost: $115 per child (P&F to pay the remaining)

Monday Sphero Program ($90 discount Code SCCPSM)

Tuesday Drone Program ($90 discount Code SCCPST)

Soccer Club: Years 1-6 (Before School)

Days: Wednesday and Friday

Dates: Commence Wednesday 30th July and Friday 1st August (Week 2)

Duration: 8 weeks

Time: 7:30am-8:30am

Location: Bottom Oval

What to wear: Children must wear their allocated uniform for the day. They can bring change of clothes/shoes if needed.

Please remember, by signing your children up you and the provider take accountability of your child, not the school.

Wishing you all a restful holiday break. See you in Term 3.

Hayley Mitchell
P&F President

Hi Team,

Round 16 is wrapped up, and the competition is heating up as we head into the final stretch. For the WA teams, the Eagles almost pulled off the impossible against the Magpies, and the Dockers made it six wins in a row—purple patch confirmed!

🎯 Top Performers – Round 16:

Mathew S – 7 tips, 5-point margin
Stef F – 7 tips, 32-point margin
Tristan K – 7 tips, 32-point margin
Brendon O – 7 tips, 33-point margin
Mark S – 7 tips, 33-point margin

📊 Overall Ladder (Top 5):

Brendon O – 92 tips, 313-point margin
Stef F – 90 tips, 274-point margin
Junior B – 90 tips, 378-point margin
Nick W – 88 tips, 354-point margin
Skip H – 88 tips, 381-point margin

Round 17 kicks off Thursday at 5:30PM with North Melbourne taking on the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium. Don’t forget to lock in your tips early!

Enjoy the term break, and stay tuned for more updates in Term 3 as the competition gets even tighter.

For any questions, reach out at doscafootytipping6151@gmail.com or give me a call at 0411 253 951.

Cheers, Santhosh

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.

Monday - 10.00AM

Tuesday - 10.00AM

Wednesday - 5.00PM

Thursday - 5.00PM

Friday - 10.00AM

Saturday - 11.30AM (Reconciliation)

Saturday - 6.00PM

Sunday - 7.30AM

Sunday - 9.30AM

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 4 July

Term 3: Tuesday 22 July - Thursday 25 September

Term 4: Monday 13 October - Friday 12 December

Term 2: Monday 12 May, Friday 30 May

Term 3: Monday 21 July, Friday 26 September

Term 4: Monday 27 October

Eucharist: Sunday, 17 August, Sunday, 24 August, Sunday, 31 August at 9.30am

Reconciliation: Saturday, 15 November at 10am