Dear Families of St Columba’s,
Thank you for strongly supporting the return of our Parent Information Evening. As I wandered from session to session, I enjoyed listening to the questions parents asked. Your questions give us feedback on what you as parents want to know more of and we have gathered these to further develop our presentations next year.
Moving forward if you have any further questions about your child and their learning, I encourage you first to speak to the classroom teacher. Working closest with your child, they are best positioned to answer your query in the first instance. Respectful, open and timely communication is at the heart of the parent-school relationship. By all means if you are left concerned or not satisfied with the response, you are encouraged to direct your feedback to me so we can resolve this at the school.
Invitations
I would like to invite all families to attend our first Parents and Friends Meeting next Tuesday 21 February to be held in the School Library at 7 pm. The P&F share an important responsibility in the friend and fund raising at St Columba’s. This is a great way to become involved in the life of the school.
I would also like to invite you to join our school for Mass on Ash Wednesday next Wednesday 22 February at 9.00 am. This is the day we mark the beginning of the Lenten Season. The sprinkling of the ashes on Ash Wednesday is an expression of our faith and a sign that we are asking God for forgiveness. It is a time of prayer, fasting and giving to others. As we prepare for Easter, let us remember Jesus’ messages of love and mercy, and ask God to bless us so that we can ‘Be More’ in our own lives and in the lives of others.
Uniforms
Our uniform procedure is really specific because when our students come to school we want them to instantly feel a part of the community to give them the best start to focusing on the business of learning. Added pieces of jewellery, elaborate hairstyles etc. can add pressure to our students to fit in and we don’t want that. Please help us to explain to your child that non uniform items are best left for special occasions and school holidays.
Over the last week, if there was a discrepancy in your child’s uniform, the teacher would have sent home a gentle reminder. Thank you for your continued support of the school uniform to keep our standards of uniform and grooming high.
Parking and Use of Roads at Drop Off and Pick Up
The beginning of each school year always brings a little extra pressure to our surrounding roads during drop off and pick up time. Our Kiss N Drive is supervised before school from 8.15 am – 8.40 am and after school 2.55 pm – 3.15 pm.
Arriving after school at 3.10 pm does alleviate some traffic congestion, so if you are able to come a little later please do so. Students will never be left unsupervised.
Mr Kehoe is a wizard at identifying cars as they arrive, but it is going to take me a while to get that good, so I appreciate families displaying the name cards the school provides on the dashboard as they approach so we can ensure your child/ren is ready.
A brochure regarding the use of school parking facilities has been distributed by the City of Bayswater and is available for viewing on our website. There are very clear directives regarding the responsibilities of all of us in relation to parking around school, and the interactions we have with City Officers and their roles. Please maintain respect for City officers, as they are completing their work under the direction of the City in maintaining the safety for all, especially our children. You are providing an example to your child to follow.
One of the directives from the City is for officers to take photographic evidence of offending vehicles to ensure accurate administration of infringements. As a school community, we continue to set ourselves the highest of standards in regard to the wellbeing of all. We have a school Code of Conduct, which I referred to in my last newsletter, to set ourselves the highest of standards in regard to the wellbeing of all. Thank you for doing your part to ensure our Code of Conduct is adhered to an exceptional level.
It’s great to see so many families taking advantage of this wonderful weather and community to walk or ride to school.
Milne Street Parking
Following a return to eased COVID restrictions, Milne Street Road is no longer to be used as a Kiss and Drive Facility. Parents must park in the allocated parking bays on the school side of the road. Students are not permitted to leave the school gate until either they can identify to the duty teacher that you are parked nearby or you have collected them from the grounds.
NAPLAN
In 2023, all students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in the NAPLAN online testing. These first of these tests will commence on Wednesday 15 March.
These tests are important because they are the only tests we have in the country that are completed by all students in certain year levels. The results give vital data to us that then helps teachers, schools and education sectors plan their programs at school, state and national levels.
Students can become anxious about their upcoming NAPLAN testing. They can become concerned their parents or teachers may be disappointed or angry if their results are not high enough, so it’s important to reassure them that NAPLAN testing is not to be feared. It does not prescribe their future nor affect how their teacher or parents see them. Please reassure them, their teacher knows them. They know whether they find fractions easy or decimals hard, because they see them every day. They are the people who know their real ability.
All students will be required to sit the NAPLAN Online tests unless an Exemption Form (submission deadline Friday 3 March) or Withdrawal Form (Submission deadline Wednesday 8 March) are submitted. Both forms can be accessed by contacting our NAPLAN Co-ordinator Niall Kehoe.
Tuition Fees 2023
The 2023 tuition fees have been emailed along with your Payment Option form.
Please ensure your form is completed and returned by Friday 3 March 2023.
If full payment has already been made please disregard the above.
Should you have any questions please contact our Finance Manager, Janine Witherow on 9208 2712 or email finance@stcolsbays.wa.edu.au.
We appreciate your co-operation in this matter.
Enrolments 2024
- Enrolments for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten 2024 are filling quickly. Please note interviews take place later this term for 2024.
- Pre-Kindy 2024 – children born between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021.
- Kindergarten 2024 – children born between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020.
- If you have younger children in these age brackets and have not submitted an application, please ensure this is completed at your earliest convenience.
Once again thanking you for taking the time to read our weekly school newsletter. It is one way you can engage with the school. I would like to thank Lisa Slocum, our Administration Officer who prepares our weekly newsletter. There is a lot of love and energy that goes into this. Thank you so much Lisa! Over this semester, Lisa is taking a little time for herself and family and she will be in the Office Wednesday to Friday each week. Lisa Merendino has very capably and ably stepped into the position on Monday and Tuesday. Funny how we now have two Lisa’s on our front desk. We love both our Lisa’s!
In gratitude,
Gina Burns
Principal
P & F News
Welcome to all the new families and the existing ones, we hope you have settled into the new school year. Our first meeting will be Tuesday 21st of February at 7pm in the Library. We are still looking for class reps so if you would like to be involved, please get in contact. Everyone is welcome to come along to any P&F meeting to listen to what is happening and share their views.
Our fundraising efforts this year are focused on the new playground that will be replacing the old equipment outside the year 4 classrooms. This is on track to be installed in the July school holidays.
Our first event for the year will be a ‘Welcome to the New School Year and Italian night’ on Friday 10th of March. Italian night last year was a great success and this year we are going to have woodfired pizzas cooked on site as well as pasta, gelato and cannoli. More information will follow after our first meeting.
We will also be running a sausage sizzle at the swimming carnival for the students in Years 4-6 attending.
Entertainment Memberships
Online memberships are available again this year. Memberships can be purchased online.
https://www.entertainment.com.au/orderbooks/83589g
The next meeting is on Tuesday 21st February at 7pm.
Any questions or queries, I can be contacted via email gtarmstrong@iinet.net.au
Tanya Armstrong
President P&F
Library News
Library 2023
Dear Parent, Carers and Students
The library is open every morning before school:
PP – Year 6 : 8:15am – 8:30 am
PreKindy & Kindy : 8:15am – 8:45am
(accompanied by Parent/Carers)
The library is a calming and quiet place, making it the perfect spot for students to have a smooth and calming transitions in the morning.
Students may also like to return and borrow books before school.
Looking forward to seeing you the library.
Reading and activities in the LIBRARY
LUNCHTIMES
Students may also use this time to exchange their library book.
Homework/Library Bag
Just a reminder that students require the school green ‘Homework and Library Bag’ in order to borrow from the Library.
Many students will already have the green school ‘Homework and Library Bag’ from previous years.
‘Homework and Library Bags’ can be purchased from the Uniform Shop at a cost of $12.
Parents please order via the school Uniform Shop.
Rita Cuthbert – Library Officer – Library - the original search engine
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
To the following students who will be celebrating this coming week:
Nicholas Hofmann PPG
Harry Whelan 1W
Jude Allison 3W
Milla Robbins 6G
Emily Salt 6G
Pastoral Care is up and running again. As a group we support and assist families and individuals in our school community during both difficult times and more joyous occasions, such as the birth of a child.
The WEDNESDAY class raffles are starting up again in Week 5 this Term.
Tickets are 20c each (maximum of 3 tickets per child).
Term rosters are placed on the classroom door and printed in the weekly newsletter for you to check when your child/children are due to donate the prize (one prize donated per child a year) for their class. The idea is to provide a small gift (eg book, puzzle, pencils etc) to the maximum value of $5.
The child rostered to donate a prize is kindly asked to hand the prize to the class teacher before the morning of their roster.
We cannot do what we do for the community without your generosity and participation.
Thank you greatly from the Pastoral Care Team!
TERM 1
Week 5 – 1 March
Week 6 – 8 March
| Kindy Green | Week 5 – Maxwell Bateman Week 6 – Remington Bennett |
| Kindy White | Week 5 – Theodore Billington Week 6 – Hugh Murphy Grace |
| PP Green | Week 5 – Blake Darcy Week 6 – Paige Booth |
| PP White | Week 5 – Hugo Allison Week 6 – Bodhi Chipperfield |
| Year 1 Green | Week 5 – Aurora Cameron Week 6 – Ciara Carruthers |
| Year 1 White | Week 5 – Charlie Bateman Week 6 – Elliott Bonnett |
| Year 2 Green | Week 5 – Aimee Alexander Week 6 – Amelia Booth |
| Year 2 White | Week 5 – Elliot Lumsden Week 6 – Mathea Co |
| Year 3 Green | Week 5 – Leo Cameron Week 6 – Max Nguyen |
| Year 3 White | Week 5 – Jude Allison Week 6 – Sajad Aljabry |
| Year 4 Green | Week 5 – Raffaele Parker Week 6 – Michael Baldwin |
| Year 4 White | Week 5 – Miranda Ahn Week 6 – Shishir Berigai |
| Year 5 Green | Week 5 – Harry Blake Week 6 – Braelyn Carruthers |
| Year 5 White | Week 5 – Edmond Cavalli Week 6 – Bianca Balla |
| Year 6 Green | Week 5 – Zara Bell Week 6 – Olivia Cotellessa |
| Year 6 White | Week 5 – Justin Ahn Week 6 – Harrison Bull |
Religious Education and Curriculum News
From our Year 4’s
In Religion this week, the Year Fours are learning about the Parables. Parables are stories in the Bible which teach us how to live good lives as God wanted us to. We have particularly focused on the Parable of the Sower [Luke 8:4-15] where the seed in each part of the story is the Word of God and represents the different ways people respond to God
From our Year 5’s
This term in Art, Year Five students have been working on symmetrical art faces. They have focused on measuring the distances, how to draw detailed facial features and some have even mastered shading! What a talented bunch!
Community Notices
Hello and welcome to 2023
As advertised last year, Father Andrew and I are organising a community Baptism event for this term. We have had a wonderful response from a number of families expressing interest in participating in this event.
We now have dates for you to pop in your calendars, and these are also on the school website.
Thursday 2 March :
Baptism information evening 6.30pm church hall
Father and I will be providing information about the upcoming Baptism event and will assist you in your preparations. ALL families who have indicated that they would like to participate, will need to attend this event. If you have not registered your interest at this stage – it is not too late.
We ask that everyone planning to attend please RSVP to Leesa.Vinciullo@cewa.edu.au by Friday 24 February.
Thursday 16 March :
Community Baptism Event 6.30pm St Columba’s Church
Information about the ceremony will be provided at the information night. Participants are welcome to invite family and friends along to join in the celebration.
Looking forward to sharing this celebration with members of our St Columba’s community. Please don’t hesitate to contact me about this events or with any other queries you may have.
With thanks and best wishes
Leesa Vinciullo
Religious Education and Events Coordinator
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St Columba’s Dolphins (Years 4 -6 only)
With Ingrid Iaschi leaving St Cols last year we need some new parents to step up so that this group can keep running. This is a group that does some swimming training at Bayswater Waves Friday mornings before school to prepare for the swimming carnival. Swimmers must have passed at least stage 6 and be able to swim 25m of each stroke to participate. It is NOT swimming lessons.
Basically we need 4 coaches to run lanes, using the training plans provided, someone to purchase and deliver the breakfast items, someone to prepare a booking sheet and book the lanes at Bayswater Waves and then parent volunteers to prepare, serve and clean up after breakfast. Many hands make light work, so please volunteer if you are able to. Carpooling from Bayswater Waves can be organised so parents can come to school to help with breakfast.
We need enough parent to come forward by Monday 13th February to get the group running for Friday 17th. Please get in contact with our wonderful PE teacher Mr Banks if you are able to help.
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The Bayswater City Saints Netball Club is getting ready for Winter Season 2023, and we are currently accepting registrations for Net Set Go until Sunday 12 February. This program is structured as follows:
- Net Set Go – SET Division: Players turning 7 & 8 in 2023
- Net Set Go – GO Division: Players turning 9 & 10 in 2023
Players in older age groups are also welcome to complete an EOI on our website (www.bayswatercitysaintsnetball.club) and we will do our best to place you in a team.
We would love to have students from Saint Columbas come and join us. If you wish to register for NSG, please use this link (https://www.playhq.com/netball-australia/register/a4610e) or if you have questions you can send us an email through our website.
Classifieds
School Counsellor News
School Counsellor days for 2023 are every Monday and Tuesday and every second Wednesday commencing week 2.
Nicole Leach
School Counsellor