Dear Community of St Columba’s,
We are thrilled to share the outstanding results from the recent Interschool Cross Country Carnival!
Congratulations to our incredible team who represented St Columba’s School with determination, sportsmanship, and team spirit. Their hard work and dedication truly paid off:
Our Girls’ Team took out 1st place in the Girls’ category, a phenomenal achievement!
Our Boys’ Team secured a strong 2nd place finish in the Boys’ category.
Overall, St Columba’s School proudly placed 2nd among all competing schools.
This success is a testament to the commitment of our students, staff and parents, particularly those helping our runners thrive at Columba Runners on Monday and Wednesday after school. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community.
A special thank you to Mr Banks and all staff who helped make the day a success. Your guidance and enthusiasm inspire our students to strive for excellence.
We will acknowledge all our Interschool Cross Country students at our next assembly.
Go St Columba’s!
OSHC Educator’s Day
On this OSHC Educators Day, we extend our deepest gratitude to our wonderful OSHC team at St Columba’s.
Your care, creativity, and commitment make a world of difference in the lives of our students and families. Whether it’s a warm welcome in the morning, a fun-filled afternoon activity, or a quiet moment of support, you help create a safe and nurturing environment where children can thrive.
We appreciate the energy you bring, the relationships you build, and the way you go above and beyond every day. Your work is truly valued and celebrated.
Thank you to Jess, Shelby and all our Educators for all that you do.
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday 30 July: OSHC Educators Day
- Friday 1 August: Census Day: Please advise the school in writing of your child’s absence on this day to assist us with our reporting requirements on this day.
- Saturday 2 August: P&F Quiz Night
- Monday 4 August: Evacuation Drill
- Tuesday 5 August: Australian Maths Competition for Years 3-6
- Tuesday 5 August: Assembly
- Wednesday 6 August – Friday 8 August: Year 6 Camp
Wishing everyone a joyful and successful Term 3!
In Gratitude,
Gina Burns
Principal
Assistant Principal's Updates
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.
Mrs Leesa Vinciullo
Assistant Principal
P & F News
REMEMBER: THE QUIZ NIGHT IS THIS SATURDAY!
DOORS OPEN: 6.15PM
FIRST QUESTION: 7PM
LOCATION: BAYSIE BOWLS CLUB
FOOD: BYO
DRINKS: BUY AT THE BAR TO SUPPORT THE CLUB
BRING: YOUR A-GAME + COSTUME (also not compulsory fyi) + ALL THE LAUGHS
FINAL CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Miss out on a ticket for the night? THIS COULD BE FOR YOU. We still need a few legends to help make the night run smoother than a Backstreet Boys dance routine! Don’t worry – there’s not much to do during the night itself, because we want everyone to channel their inner trivia master and relive the glory days of scrunchies, cassette tapes, and glow sticks! If you can spare a little time before or after the event, we’d be totally stoked to have you onboard. Click on the volunteer link to sign up and get involved: https://volunteersignup.org/7H8F9?fbclid=IwY2xjawLtLPlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFWUlFaZVloMTZOaU9PbWlqAR7DGa6ozeGZ72WYqTDz0vDs2HVhFl3LXw2lO4fuGHWt6uB-_LnM18rS_41NQg_aem_kpQ23G9e5yplJiH9AsTOVA
EARLY RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE TO BUY THIS WEEK (See Flyer attached to this newsletter)
We’ve had many parents reach out to the school who can’t attend the Quiz Night but still want to support the School — therefore raffle tickets will be sold each morning for some amazing hampers prior to the big night! (1 Ticket for $5 | 3 Tickets for $10 Must be 18+ to purchase tickets).
Raffle Hamper 1
– $100 Crown Voucher (Thanks to Justine)
– Kindle (Donated by Shaun Pratt, Bellcourt)
– $100 King Somm Voucher + Twin Pack of Wine from King Somm
Raffle Hamper 2
– $100 Voucher & Beauty Products from Just For Me Beauty Bayswater
– Hair Products
– $30 Bunnings Voucher
Raffle Hamper 3
– Hair & Beauty Products
– $20 Bunnings Voucher
– Beautiful Jug & Glass Set (From Daisy & Rowe)
REMINDERS
Containers for Change
Get involved with our School yard fundraising by joining the containers for change group. All you have to do is scan the barcode attached to the newsletter with your containers from home — all funds from your deposit goes directly back to fundraising for items that benefit the kids at St Cols.
School Rewards Program — THE ATHLETE’S FOOT Morley Galleria
With $5 from every pair of shoes purchased being donated back to our School, This applies to the whole family across their fantastic range of school, sports, work and casual shoes. Make sure you mention St Col’s 😉
CALL FOR AGENDA ITEMS
Please email your Class Representative any agenda items by Friday 1st August to be included at the next meeting on Tuesday 19th August at 6:30pm in the School Library. We encourage you to put forward new ideas or feedback and join in on the conversations around friendraising and fundraising at St Cols.
KEY TERM 3 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
P&F Parent Quiz Night — Saturday 2nd August 6.15pm
P&F Meeting — Tuesday 19th August 6:30pm
Father’s Day Breakfast – Friday 5th September 7:30am
Term 4 Family Carpark spot fundraiser – on sale September
P&F Athletics Carnival bake sale/sausage sizzle fundraiser – Monday 22nd September
Library News
Dates: 25 – 29 August 2025
Dress Up Day (Kindy-Year 6) – Friday 29 August 2025
All students Kindy to Year 6 are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. The purpose of this event is to celebrate Book Week; therefore the focus is on participation rather than the costume.
Why not recycle a costume or put together something from home!
Please keep it simple and stress free
Please note: Costumes are not restricted to the theme.
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week:
Austin Kent – KG
Liz Vassallo Martins – KW
Violet Mulherin – PPW
Grace Minchin – Y1G
Ayla Christie – Y1W
Pearse McIntyre – Y3W
Leo Cameron – Y5G
Teodor Dimitrijevic – Y5G
Savannah Ceric – Y5W
Rosabelle Juma – Y5W
Sandra Mandujano Liu – Y6G
Alfie Allison – Y6W
Would you like to Volunteer with us?
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 entrance. Come say Hi and see what we are all about or please feel free to reach out to us by leaving a message with Lisa or Kylie in Administration and one of our amazing volunteers will talk you through volunteering with us.
WEEKLY RAFFLE ROSTER
TERM 3
Week 3 – NO RAFFLE (Year 6 camp)
Week 4 – 13 August
| Kindy Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Madison Hayward |
| Kindy White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Theo Fagionata Dezajacomo |
| PP Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Ronan Elliott |
| PP White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Austin Hohnen-MacDonald |
| Year 1 Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Margot Juniper |
| Year 1 White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Clara Pearson |
| Year 2 Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Isla Elliott |
| Year 2 White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Jude Hoogland |
| Year 3 Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Millie Gibson |
| Year 3 White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Celeste Mulherin |
| Year 4 Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Felix Juniper |
| Year 4 White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Katie Kim Oliver |
| Year 5 Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Tommy Gibson |
| Year 5 White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Gianna Krishnan |
| Year 6 Green | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Ivy Hoogland |
| Year 6 White | Week 3 – NO RAFFLE Week 4 – Andrew Gai |
Religious Education and Curriculum News
From our Pre Primary classes:
The Friend-o-Metre is a visual tool that we use to help students assess how they are feeling in their friendships. Like a thermometer, the Friend-o-Metre indicates whether a friendship is in the healthy (green) or unhealthy (red) zone. This term, the Pre-Primaries are becoming familiar with the Friend-o-Metre and are learning that it’s normal and okay for a friendship to sometimes dip into the Red-Zone. The key, however, is that we take action to get the friendship back into the Green-Zone.
From our Design & Technology classes:
In Design and Technologies, Pre Primary students are learning about where our food comes from and healthy eating! Today, we organised foods into two categories: Foods to eat all the time and foods to eat sometimes. What a blast!
Community Notices
HEALTH NURSE TIPS AND INFORMATION
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis, or ‘gastro’ is a common condition in children of all ages. It occurs when the bowel is infected by a virus or bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and sometimes, fever. Gastroenteritis, or ‘gastro’ is a common condition in children of all ages. It occurs when the bowel is infected by a virus or bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and sometimes, fever.
Most cases in children are not serious, but it is very important to make sure that a child with gastro receives enough fluid.
If your child has gastro, keep them away from school for 48 hours after vomiting and diarrhoea have stopped. If symptoms persist see your family doctor.
The easiest way to prevent gastro is to make sure everyone in the family washes their hands regularly, especially before eating and after going to the toilet.
School Counsellor News
SEMINAR
Please see attached a Flyer for Christine Keeble Consulting ‘Unpacking Autism and Neurodiversity in the Early Years.’
This seminar is suited for anyone working in early childhood, early intervention or raising young neurodivergent children.
Unpacking Autism Flyer 5 Oct 2025
Screen Time Tips for Families
While screen time can support learning and creativity, excessive use may negatively affect children’s physical and emotional development.
Recommendations:
This includes time spent on TVs, tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles, smart toys, and computers.
To support a healthy lifestyle:
🔗 For more information, see Raising Children Network.