Dear Community of St Columba’s,
Mother’s Day
We hope all our Mothers, and those who play a mothering role in the lives of our students, enjoyed a very happy Mother’s Day.
A sincere thank you to our P&F for hosting the Muffin with Mum morning last Friday, and to the Dads who generously gave their time early in the morning to help set everything up. It was a lovely way to end the week and a special occasion enjoyed by many families.
Arriving Late to School
We would like to clarify and reinforce our procedures for students arriving late to school, as we are seeing some inconsistencies in how this is currently occurring. These procedures are outlined in our Parent Handbook and are in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students.
Students who arrive after the commencement of the school day – 8.40am for Kindergarten and 8.30am for Pre‑Primary to Year 6, are required to be signed in by a parent or guardian at the front office using the iPad, and a late pass collected. This pass must be provided to the class teacher upon entry to the classroom.
The school assumes duty of care for students from the time they are signed in on the iPad. Please note that before‑school duty concludes at 8.30am. If your child is arriving on the school grounds after this time and is not yet in their classroom with their teacher, we are unable to provide a duty of care until they are formally signed in.
We are currently seeing a number of students from Year One onwards arriving after 8.30am without being signed in at the office. Signing your child in is not only an important safety requirement, but it also allows the reason for lateness to be formally recorded. A student is unable to resolve their own late arrival.
Students who arrive late without a parent or guardian will be marked as late – unresolved, which requires follow‑up from the school to families. While we understand mornings can be busy and dropping children at the gate may seem quicker, following the sign‑in procedure reduces additional administrative follow‑up and ensures we meet our duty of care responsibilities.
Thank you for your cooperation and support with this.
Departures during school time
If your child needs to attend an appointment during school hours or be collected early, please notify the Administration via admin@stcolsbays.wa.edu.au.
This allows us to inform your child’s teacher in advance and ensures all staff are aware of their whereabouts. In situations such as departures at recess, lunch or during specialist lessons, this helps avoid confusion and supports the safety and supervision of all students.
Upcoming Events
- Thursday 14 May: Reconciliation Reflection Day
- Friday 15 May: Italian Day
- Friday 22 May: Walk to School Day
- Reconciliation Ceremony: Friday 22 May @ 6.30 pm
In gratitude
Gina Burns
Principal
Assistant Principal's Updates
MILNE STREET AFTERNOON COLLECTION
Parents a reminder any students still waiting to be collected from Milne St at 3.05pm, will be directed to the Roberts St Kiss and Drive. It has been observed that there are very few students at Milne St at this time, but if there is the potential for you to be arriving after 3.05, please remember to collect your child/ren from the Roberts St Kiss and Drive, which is operational until 3.20pm.
SECOND HAND UNIFORM FACEBOOK PAGE
A common theme voiced by students was the feel of the academic jumper. The woollen jumper was discontinued many years ago, to make way for a softer, more comfortable jumper. However, there are still some woollen jumpers in circulation through the second hand sales. The newer jumper is made of 65% polyester and 35% cotton and has tag from ‘Classics’ by William Shaw. The old wool jumpers have a ‘Perm-a-pleat’ tag.
We encourage parents to consider second hand purchases carefully and not to promote the sale of the old woollen jumpers with the ‘Perm-a-pleat’ tag.
Mrs Leesa Vinciullo
APRE and Inclusive Education Coordinator
P & F News
Mother’s Day Morning
A huge thank you to our Mothers Day Sub-Committee and all of the wonderful volunteers who helped make our Mothers Day morning such a special event. From the planning and setup to the little finishing touches on the day, your time and effort created a beautiful morning for our school community to enjoy. We truly appreciate everyone who contributed.
Just One Thing
Our P&F is built on sharing the load. If everyone does Just One Thing, it makes a big difference to our school community. Whether it’s helping at an event, lending a skill, or supporting behind the scenes, every contribution counts.
Please take a minute to complete our short Volunteer Interest Survey and let us know how you’d feel most comfortable helping this year.
St Columba’s Primary School P&F – Volunteer Interest Survey:
https://forms.office.com/r/N62gQFLgDh
Next P&F Meeting
Tuesday 16 June 2026
6:30pm – School Library
All parents and carers are warmly welcome to attend.
Thanks,
The P&F team x
Library News
Newsletter Notice – Book Covering
The library has lots of new and exciting books needing covering so that our students can read them before the end of the year. If you can help by taking a small number of books home to cover, please call into the library Monday, Tuesday,Thursday or Friday. Precut covering for books is supplied. Your help is greatly appreciated by students and staff.
The challenge runs from 23 March to 12 June 2026
Join the reading challenge for your chance to win!
Each week, students who log their reading will automatically go in the draw to win a prize. We have more than 200 weekly prizes, which include tech gadgets, book vouchers and e-gift cards.
The weekly prizes celebrate students’ efforts in the challenge and encourage them to continue to improve their literacy skills and enjoyment of reading. The weekly prizes are drawn at random from students who have logged their books.
Some of the 2026 weekly prizes include:
Book vouchers
Kmart vouchers
Cotton On vouchers
Yeti water bottles
Kobos
Australian Geographic vouchers
Rebel Sports vouchers
Ultimate Teen and Kid vouchers
To be in the draw to win weekly prizes:
1. read a book
2. log a book each week
3. go in the draw to win!
It is that easy, and with 12 weeks of the challenge there are plenty of chances to win.
Click the link below to register:
https://www.premiersreadingchallenge.wa.edu.au/
Rita Cuthbert – Library
(Monday, Thursday & Friday)
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week.
Rosie Moore PPG
Chase Dawson PPG
Penelope Halls 1G
Madison Aung Than 1W
Nathaniel McShanag 2W
Harper Raven 3G
Heidi Zekas-Crooks 3G
Aiden Harris 4G
Jacob Mak 5W
Sera McDougall 6W
WEEKLY RAFFLE ROSTER
TERM 2
Week 5 – 20 May – NO RAFFLE
Week 6 – 27 May
| Kindy Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Leonardo Copping |
| Kindy White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Quinn Erceg |
| PP Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Lucas Evangelista |
| PP White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Teddy Field |
| Year 1 Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Ronan Elliott |
| Year 1 White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Lilly Fannin |
| Year 2 Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Alex de Courcier |
| Year 2 White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Nathaniel McShanag |
| Year 3 Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Isla Elliott |
| Year 3 White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Cristian Evangelista |
| Year 4 Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Samiya McShanag |
| Year 4 White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Felix Halls |
| Year 5 Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Katie Kim Oliver |
| Year 5 White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Charlotte de Courcier |
| Year 6 Green | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Poppy Lillico |
| Year 6 White | Week 5 – NO RAFFLE Week 6 – Imogen Halls |
Class News
From our Science Classes
Our Science learning so far in 2026 has been exciting, engaging and full of hands-on activities. In Term One, our focus was Chemistry, and in Term Two we are moving into Biology. Students across all year levels have shown great curiosity and enthusiasm during our investigations and experiments.
Sarah Bolton
Science PP- Y6
Pre-Primary
Our Pre-Primary students explored objects in the classroom and quickly became experts at identifying what different items were made from. They particularly enjoyed using magnifying glasses and magnets during their investigations.
Year One
Year One students explored different materials with a focus on how materials can be physically changed. They especially enjoyed using their hands to scrunch and fold paper, discovering how these simple changes could make a much stronger bridge.
Year Two
Year Two students learnt how materials can be combined to create mixtures, and how some mixtures can be separated again. One favourite activity involved exploring how water, oil and detergent mix and layer in different ways. Students were also fascinated by separating black ink into many surprising colours using coffee filter paper.
Year Three
Our Year Three students explored melting and freezing as ways materials can change between liquids and solids. They enjoyed participating in hands-on investigations and recording their observations.
Year Four
Year Four students deepened their understanding of materials and how they are selected or created for different needs and purposes. They also explored how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used natural materials in sustainable and innovative ways for thousands of years.
Year Five
Year Five students built on their understanding of solids, liquids and gases by learning about the arrangement and behaviour of molecules in each state of matter. They enjoyed challenging themselves with card sorting activities and creating 3D paper models to demonstrate their learning.
Year Six
Finally, our Year Six students explored the difference between physical and chemical changes. Dissolving Skittles in warm water was a fun way to observe a physical change. Students also enjoyed a chemical change demonstration where gas produced from Alka-Seltzer tablets inflated a balloon attached to a bottle.
Community Notices
