Dear Community of St Columba’s,

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope you had a refreshing break and are ready for another wonderful term filled with learning, connection, and community spirit.

Holiday Heroes 

A huge thank you to Shelby Whatmore, who managed our  Outside School Hours Care solo during the holidays. With many of our OSHC staff enjoying overseas holidays, Shelby did a fantastic job keeping everything running smoothly. We also extend our gratitude to Shelby’s team for their ongoing dedication and support throughout the term. Your care and commitment to our students is truly appreciated. 

A special thank you to Janine, our dedicated Finance Officer, who continued to manage accounts and payments throughout the holidays. Your behind-the-scenes work ensures everything runs smoothly for our families and staff.  

A heartfelt thank you to  Joe and Uncle Joe  for keeping our grounds looking clean, fresh, and inviting. Their care and attention make a big difference every day. We are also excited to share that the new Admin Space for Staff downstairs has been painted, cleaned, and fully fitted out. It is now ready to welcome new staff members into a fresh and functional environment. 

Finally, a special thanks to our teachers. While the term break offers a chance to rest and recharge, our teachers are always thinking, planning, and preparing to make the next term even more fun, engaging, and meaningful for their students. It is a joy to see the excitement on students’ faces as they enter their classrooms and discover the new, interesting, and engaging learning spaces thoughtfully prepared for them. Thank you to our incredible teaching staff for your creativity, care, and commitment. You make St Columba’s a place where learning comes alive. 

Church Portico 

The new Church Portico looks amazing. Created by our Parish, this beautiful addition provides a welcoming and sheltered space for all who enter the church and gather after Mass. We are deeply grateful to the Church for this generous and thoughtful enhancement to our shared community space.  

Kind on Purpose  

This term, we continue to embrace the URSTRONG program, which empowers students with the skills to build healthy friendships and navigate social challenges with confidence. 

From our youngest learners, students are taught to be kind on purpose, to actively seek ways to show care, empathy, and inclusion. While our students are already wonderfully kind, we encourage everyone to look for ways we can be even kinder in our words and actions. 

Importantly, URSTRONG also teaches children what to do when someone is mean on purpose. Students learn to use an appropriate quick comeback to clearly and respectfully convey that the behaviour is not okay. Ignoring or pretending to be ok does not send a clear message, and responding with mean behaviour often escalates the situation, typically ending only when someone has had enough or the bell rings. 

By teaching these strategies, we are helping students build resilience, assertiveness, and emotional intelligence, key ingredients for a safe and supportive school environment. 

Supporting Parents – Free Cyber Safety Webinar 

We are always here to support parents in their vital role of educating and guiding their children and pleased to share a valuable opportunity provided by  Catholic Network Australia, facilitated by the Cyber Safety Project.

Webinar Date: Monday, 11 August 2025
Time: 5.30pm AWST
Format: Online (live session with limited registrations)
Recording Access: Available for 21 days after the session

(Please refer to the Flyer attached to this Newsletter)

This free webinar will explore key strategies for keeping children safe online and navigating the digital world with confidence. Please note that  live registration is capped, so we encourage families to register early. Those who register will also receive access to the recording for 21 days following the event. 

School Zones and Children’s Crossings 

As part of Main Roads push to provide a greater public awareness of their school zones and children’s crossings program they have published a FAQ sheet in addition to the below video you may also have seen.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHJvCKWmBDc  (The video is just under 2 minutes.) 

The City of Baywater has asked me to share both the FAQ and video with you to highlight some of the most recent changes to school crossing speeds to assist Main Roads in reaching as broad a target audience as possible. Please take the time read and watch to inform yourself of the changes. Your support is greatly appreciated.

School Zones and Childrens Crossings Program

Upcoming Events
 

• Tuesday 29 July: Interschool Cross Country 
• Friday 1 August: Census Day – if your child is absent, please ensure a written note is sent to the school before the start of the day so they can be appropriately included in the data submitted to the Government. 

• Saturday 2 August: P&F Quiz Night 
• Monday 4 August : Practice evacuation drill – please reinforce with your child that these are important opportunities to practise what to do in the event of an emergency. 

As always, we encourage families to stay engaged through Donegal, Class SEESAW Pages, and our community events. Your partnership is what makes St Columba’s such a special place to learn and grow. 

Wishing everyone a joyful and successful Term 3! 

In Gratitude,

Gina Burns

Principal

COMMUNITY BAPTISM EVENT

It is not too late to register your interest!

The St Columba’s Community Baptism Event has become a much-anticipated occasion on the school calendar! In the three years we have been offering it, we have assisted in organising Baptisms for over 65 children of a variety of ages.

This term we will be holding our third Community Baptism for the year.

Dates to note:

Thursday 31 July : Baptism Information Evening for parents and those to be Baptised. In the St Columba’s Church at 6pm.

Sunday 17 August : Baptism Ceremony at 10.45am after the 9.30 Mass

If you are interested, or have any questions about this event, please contact me as soon as possible!

ADULT FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNITY

In addition to our Community Baptism Events, we are looking to support adult (or teenage) members of our community who are interested in being welcomed into the Catholic Faith – OR – those who have been Baptised Catholic but have not made all of their Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism – Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation) and would be interested in doing so.

To express interest in this process, or ask any questions you have about it, please contact me prior to Friday 8 August.