Dear Community of St Columba’s,

Winter is now truly upon us, arriving with a dramatic deluge of rain this week. As always, we are keeping a close eye on the weather, monitoring conditions regularly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students. 

We use the best information available to us at the time to guide decisions around any necessary changes to our schedule or activities and we appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding as we navigate any interruptions that may arise due to inclement weather. 

Despite the chill and the rain, the warmth of our school community continues to shine through. 

A Seasonal Reminder

This time of year also brings an increase in coughs, colds, and other bugs. We are encouraging all students to help keep germs at bay by: 

• Practising excellent hand hygiene, especially before entering school, before and after eating, blowing their nose, and whenever hands are dirty; 

• Coughing or sneezing into their elbows rather than hands; 

• Using tissues once and throwing them in the bin;  

• Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water or using hand sanitiser when needed. 

Importantly, the best place for unwell students is at home, where they can rest, recover, and be monitored closely. This helps protect the health of everyone in our school community. 

If we believe your child is too unwell to be at school, we will contact you to request they be collected. If we are unable to get in touch with a parent, we will contact who you have listed as an emergency contact. Please ensure these contacts are up to date. 

Oval Use Reminder – After School Hours Care 

A friendly reminder that the school oval is a licensed space for OSHC students who are enrolled in After School Hours Care. For safety and compliance reasons, we kindly ask that all families ensure students refrain from playing on the oval after the school day ends.  

Premier’s Reading Challenge – Congratulations Finn! 

Congratulations to all students who are participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Your enthusiasm for reading is inspiring, and we encourage you to keep up the fantastic work. It is not too late to join in. Let’s make reading a fun and shared adventure. 

Reading regularly offers so many benefits, including: 

• Boosting vocabulary and language skills 

• Improving focus and concentration 

• Enhancing imagination and creativity 

• Building empathy and emotional intelligence 

• Supporting academic success across all subject areas 

A special congratulations Finn P in Pre Primary who is this week’s Reading Challenge prize winner. Well done on your reading efforts! 

Thank You to Our Volunteers 

To all the parents and carers who have been generously volunteering their time, whether it is supporting in classrooms, helping with excursions, or assisting with special events, we are so grateful. Your involvement adds tremendous value to our programs and helps build a strong, connected school community. 

Mercy Mission Day Colour Run 

We are excitedly looking ahead to this year’s Mercy Mission and St Columba’s Day celebrations, which will conclude with a vibrant and much-anticipated Colour Run, generously organised by our wonderful P&F. 

On Friday 6 June, classes will walk, under teacher supervision, to Bayswater Primary School Oval at their allocated times to take part in the Colour Run as part of our Mercy Mission Day activities. Full details were shared via Class SEESAW on Tuesday 27 May, so please refer to that post for all key information. 

This event has been eagerly awaited by our students, and we extend our sincere thanks to the P&F Executive and Bec Wilkey (General Member) for their incredible planning and preparation. 

If you have any questions about the event, we encourage you to check the Frequently Asked Questions at School Fun Run:
👉 www.schoolfundraising.com.au/faq 

We look forward to a day filled with fun, colour, and community spirit! 

Upcoming events: 

• Friday 6 June: Mercy Mission and St Columba’s Day  

• Tuesday 10 June: First Eucharist Reflection Day @ Schoenstatt Shrine 

• Friday 13 June: First Eucharist Ceremony 4W @6.30 pm 

• Saturday 14 June: First Eucharist Ceremony 4G @ 3.30 pm 

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school a safe and healthy place to learn and grow. 

In Gratitude, 

Gina Burns 

Principal 

MID-YEAR IEP REVIEWS

Teachers are currently conducting Mid-Year IEP Reviews. This involves updating information contained in the IEP as well as making any changes / adjustments deemed necessary. As part of this review process, teachers will either request a meeting with parents/caregivers, or send (via email) a copy of the reviewed document home for parents/caregivers to read. Parents/caregivers then have the opportunity (either in person or via email) to feedback on the reviewed document before it is finalised. Please take this opportunity to ensure all information regarding diagnoses and service providers is current.

Please note: Blue font is used to indicate all updated information – so that it can be easily compared to the original information provided at the beginning of the year.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher, or feel free to contact me.

Congratulations to all students who participated in the cross country last week. The final results are listed below.

1st Place      Columbanus 1045 points
2nd Place    McAuley 1038 points
3rd Place     Pascal  1008 points
4th Place     Russell 872 points

CHAMPION & RUNNER UP WINNERS

Year 1 Girls Champion – Arden O’Reilly
Year 1 Girls Runner up – Milly Congdon
Year 1 Boys  Champion – Max Bateman
Year 1 Boys Runner up – Liam Wilkey
Year 2 Girls Champion – Sophie MacDonald
Year 2 Girls Runner up – Paige Booth
Year 2 Boys Champion – Jude Hoogland
Year 2 Boys Runner up – Alfred Eden
Year 3 Girls Champion – Thea O’Reilly
Year 3 Girls Runner up – Ella Aldworth
Year 3 Boys Champion – Mason Sardelich
Year 3 Boys Runner up – Aiden Harris
Year 4 Girls Champion – Tessa Cavalli
Year 4 Girls Runner up – Brooky Hamilton
Year 4 Boys Champion – Oliver Minchin
Year 4 Boys Runner up – Marcus Chong
Year 5 Girls Champion – Mia Fernandez
Year 5 Girls Runner up – Evie Hamilton
Year 5 Boys Champion – Henry Webb
Year 5 Boys Runner up – Alexander Lilleyman
Year 6 Girls Champion – Harriet Webb
Year 6 Girls Runner up – Ivy Hoogland
Year 6 Boys Champion – Hunter Sardelich
Year 6 Boys Runner up – Elliot Dorozenko

Mrs Leesa Vinciullo