Dear St Columba’s Community,
Catholic Education WA are celebrating Easter with two competitions for our students to enter. There is a Colouring Competition and an Acts of Kindness Competition all students can participate in. The closing date for submissions for both is Tuesday 26 March. Details can be found here Celebrating Easter
Jesus was willing to take up His cross and give up everything so we can have everlasting life. For us who want to be His followers, it means we too must also be willing to take up our own crosses, give up everything, and follow Him.
The cross is so much more than a piece of jewellery, a work of art, or a decoration on a steeple. It’s a reminder of our Savior’s great love for us and our call to follow Him, for in the end the promise is that His love will win out for us in the end. A series of cartoon figures above has always given me reassurance of this.
Pupil Free Day
A reminder following the Labour Day Public Holiday, there is a Pupil Free Day on Tuesday 5 March. There will be no school for students on this day whilst staff participate in Professional Development. Our Outside of School Hours Care is open for business as usual.
In gratitude,
Gina Burns
Principal
Each year, we celebrate World Day of Prayer
on the first Friday in March.
The message this year is :
I Beg You – Bear With One Another In Love
The focus country this year is : Palestine
To mark this event, the year 3 – 6 students will attend the 9.15am Parish Mass. Students from Pre Primary – Year 2 will hold a brief Prayer Liturgy in their classrooms.
Parents are encouraged to engage their children in
family prayer on Friday.
P & F News
Current fundraiser
Years 4 – 6 Swimming Carnival Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser
Wednesday 27th March 2024
Orders are now open for the P&F Swimming Carnival sausage sizzle, available for both your child and your family!
All orders must be submitted by 7pm Friday 22nd March!
Link to order: https://www.cognitoforms.com/…/_2024SwimmingCarnivalPFS…
Fundraisers ahead
FREE DRESS DAY FUNDRAISER
Wednesday 27th March | Gold Coin donation
Running alongside the upper school Swimming Carnival day, the lower school is ruling the school in free dress to raise funds for School community events!
Call for Agenda items
We encourage all parents within our community to be actively involved in the St Columba’s P&F. Our team is looking forward to hearing your new ideas or feedback on present and future events that support our School. Please communicate with your Class Representatives if you wish for these to be discussed at the next meeting. Items are required for the agenda by Tuesday 5th March.
NEXT MEETING
The next P&F meeting will be held on Tuesday 19th March at 7.00pm in the School Library. We hope to see as many new faces as possible.
Library News
The library is open every morning before school:
PreKindy & Kindy : 8:15am – 8:45am
(accompanied by Parent/Carers)
The library is open every morning before school:
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 transition in the morning.
Students may also like to return and borrow books before school.
Looking forward to seeing you the library.
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.
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:
Theodore Billington PPW
Holly McMenamin 1G
Digby Weaire 1W
Ezra Ta 1W
Elliott Bonnett 2G
Ivy Quach 2W
Marcus Chong 3G
Isaiah Chong 3W
Shylo Verma 5W
Maya Thompson Mewburn 6G
Grace Hartus 6W
PASTORAL CARE RAFFLE
Tickets are 3 for $1 (maximum of 3 tickets per child).
We are always looking for Volunteers to join the Pastoral Care Team. If you can spare a little time on a Wednesday morning after drop off, you can find us in the Church meeting room just as you enter from the basketball court.
Thank you greatly from the Pastoral Care Team!
WEEKLY RAFFLE ROSTER
TERM 1
Week 6 – 6 March
Week 7 – 13 March
| Kindy Green | Week 6 – Indigo Chin Week 7 – Lewis Christie |
| Kindy White | Week 6 – Luke Coniglio Week 7 – Amelia Easton |
| PP Green | Week 6 – Lyla Bradley Week 7 – Ayla Christie |
| PP White | Week 6 – Theodore Billington Week 7 – Liam Chipperfield |
| Year 1 Green | Week 6 – Asher Borich Week 7 – Nathaniel Byrde |
| Year 1 White | Week 6 – Zoe Chin Week 7 – Bodhi Chipperfield |
| Year 2 Green | Week 6 – Elliott Bonnett Week 7 – Aurora Cameron |
| Year 2 White | Week 6 – Olive Caruana Week 7 – Ezekiel Byrde |
| Year 3 Green | Week 6 – Tessa Cavalli Week 7 – Parker Connell |
| Year 3 White | Week 6 – Ethan Borich Week 7 – Belle Charlett |
| Year 4 Green | Week 6 – Tom Armstrong Week 7 – Alessandro Balla |
| Year 4 White | Week 6 – Leo Cameron Week 7 – Millie Charlett |
| Year 5 Green | Week 6 – Elliot Dorozenko Week 7 – Zozie Higgs |
| Year 5 White | Week 6 – Miranda Ahn Week 7 – Michael Baldwin |
| Year 6 Green | Week 6 – Edmond Cavalli Week 7 – Carys Bennetts |
| Year 6 White | Week 6 – William Armstrong Week 7 – Bianca Balla |
Award Winners
MERIT AWARDS – Term 1, Week 4
PP Green – Noah Bowker, Harley Johnson, Abigail Lumsden, Ezra Smart
PP White – Grace Aldworth, Holly Bunko, Frankie Pizzata, Lily Sinfield
1 Green – Cristian Evangelista, Julia Fantoni, Louis Fry
1 White – Odin Dupont, Ffion Humphreys, Digby Weaire
2 Green – Rose Pearson, Aiden Snodgrass
2 White – Annabel Harper, Ivan Masnyk, Ella Phillips
3 Green – Tristan Goh, Joana Gunawan, Lucas Scali
3 White – Alessandra Cahill, Harvey Ferguson, Nate Hoogland
4 Green – Sera McDougall, William Parks, Jonathan Truong
4 White – Xavier Balm, Henry Crookes, Ava Gallagher, Luca Marrapodi
5 Green – Elliot Dorozenko, Luca Scagnetti, Ava Scali
5 White – Richie De Mello, Hunter Sardelich, Lucinda Tran
6 Green – Alexi Brammer, Ty Fernandez, Maggie Ma
6 White – Abraham Lawes, Natalia Milhinch, Max Pierre
Religious Education and Curriculum News
FROM OUR YEAR 1 CLASSES:
In Year One, we have been learning that the Bible is a special book that has many stories. We have also learnt that there are different types of stories which fit into one of the two main parts of the Bible.
Over the last week, we have listened to ‘The Creation Story’ to learn about how God created the world and everything in it for people to enjoy. We loved working in small groups to create the most amazing artworks that recreated each part of the Creation story.
FROM OUR 2 WHITE CLASS:
We’re thrilled to report that Year Two White has kicked off the term with a fantastic start! The students have settled in well, embracing our procedures and timetable with enthusiasm and persistence.
In our Health lessons, we’ve delved into the fascinating realm of understanding our emotions, early warning signs, and emergency procedures. Moreover, we’ve embarked on an exploration of our remarkable brains. Did you know that our brains are the powerhouse behind countless functions essential to our daily lives? From dreaming to problem-solving, breathing to executing movements, our brains are tirelessly at work.
We’ve been focusing on three special parts of the brain that play a crucial role in fostering mindfulness: the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. By understanding these brain regions and, more importantly, learning techniques to keep our amygdala calm, we empower ourselves to influence the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus effectively. This heightened awareness equips us to make better, safer choices in our lives.
As we continue our journey of discovery and growth, let’s remember the incredible power residing within our minds and strive to nurture it with care and mindfulness.
Here’s to a term filled with learning, growth, and boundless possibilities!
Community Notices
2024 SACRAMENTS
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
In 2024, Father Andrew and I are keen to assist those families wanting to receive Sacraments here at St Columba’s. For any of the examples below, or if you would just like to ask a question about the Sacraments, please contact me at Leesa.Vinciullo@cewa.edu.au
BAPTISM – In 2023, we were thrilled to facilitate over 20 Baptisms of St Columba’s students and their siblings at the St Columba’s Parish. During Term 1, 2024, there will be another opportunity for those families wishing to have a child, or children, Baptised into the Catholic faith to do so. We have set a tentative date of Sunday 17 March, but will confirm this based on the expressions of interest we receive.
RECONCILIATION / FIRST COMMUNION – If for some reason your child, or children, did not make their Reconciliation or First Communion with the rest of their class, and now wishes to do so, can you please make us aware of this as soon as possible so that we can include them in our preparations for this year.
ADULT SACRAMENTS – If you have teenage children who have not made their Sacraments, or if parents and other family members are interested in becoming members of the Catholic family, we are also keen to hear from you. With some preparation, adults can undertake a special service where they receive all three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation) at once.
Father Andrew and I are looking forward to hearing from you and assisting you and your family on your faith journey.
Leesa Vinciullo
Assistant Principal
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A warm invitation is extended to our school community to attend the upcoming Open Day for Mercedes College.
The event is tailored for families who may be considering a Catholic secondary education for their daughters.
Event Details
Date: Tuesday 12 March
Sessions: 8:30am – 10:30am or
11:00am – 1:00pm
What to Expect
During the Open Day, families will have the opportunity to:
Explore our facilities though guided tours
Meet our dedicated staff
Engage with our talented students
Gain valuable insights into our academic programs and co-curricular activities.
Registration
Families are encouraged to register their attendance as soon as possible, using this link on our website: https://www.mercedes.wa.edu.au/enrolments/open-day/
If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact our Marketing team on marketing@mercedes.wa.edu.au
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A fun interactive day for families!
This expo is targeted at families in the aim to provide support to parents and students with mathematics learning at home. Please follow the link below for all the details.
March 10, 2024 – 10:00am
Centenary Park Community Centre
https://mawainc.org.au/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm%2Fevent%2Finfo&reset=1&id=4153
Classifieds
School Counsellor News
NO LUNCH BUNCH NEXT TUESDAY 5 MARCH DUE TO PUPIL FREE DAY.
LUNCH BUNCH WILL RESUME ON TUESDAY 12 MARCH.
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Nicole Leach
School Counsellor