Dear Community of St Columba’s,
What a fantastic night we had at the recent 80s/90s Quiz Night! A huge thank you to our wonderful P&F for organising such a vibrant and fun-filled event. It was a joy to see so many parents mingling, laughing, and making new connections. Nights like these remind us of the strength and warmth of our school community. We are also grateful to everyone who supported the evening through prize donations or raffle purchases. While fundraising wasn’t the goal, your generosity added to the spirit of the night.
Special thanks to our members co-ordinating the event, Marina, Annie, Justine, Bec and for all the ongoing support behind the scenes to Davina, Nikki, Bridie, Bea, Sarah and Courtney.
We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Tim and Dani from IGA Bayswater for their generous donation of Wildcats basketballs. Your support continues to make a meaningful difference in our students’ experiences.
Congratulations to all our enthusiastic readers who participated in the Premier’s Reading Challenge! We are especially proud of our top readers: Spencer V (Year 1), Mia H (Year 5), and Zoe A (Year 6), who showed outstanding commitment and love for reading. Well done!
This week, our Year 6 students are heading off on camp, and we wish them and the Camp Team a safe, fun, and memorable experience over the next three days. Leesa Vinciullo and I will be joining the Year 6 Team on camp, and in my absence, Mr Niall Kehoe will be Acting Principal. I know the school will be in very capable hands.
A Friendly Reminder About After School Pick Ups for Junior Students
Please keep your child nearby you as you wait for your older children. Students who have not been collected by a parent/guardian need to wait with the Duty Teacher at Milne Street or Kiss N Drive.
We kindly remind families that large ball games and playground use are not permitted on the oval or playgrounds after school. This is especially important as we need to ensure these areas remain clear for our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) licence requirements from 2.50pm.
Thank you for your understanding and support in keeping our school environment safe and compliant.
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday 6 August to Friday 8 August: Year 6 Camp
- Friday 8 August: Guest Author Gavin Aung Than visits the Library
- Monday 11 – Friday 15 August: Science Week
- Friday 15 August: School Mass. Parents are all very welcome to attend
- Saturday 16 August: Confirmation Enrolment Mass, 6pm, St Columba’s Parish
In Gratitude,
Gina Burns
Principal
Assistant Principal's Updates
SCHOOL UNIFORM UPDATE
Parents please note that JFE have advised that uniform prices have been updated on the website.
Just a reminder that we now have library bags and hats available to purchase at the front office, all other uniform items must be purchased online through the website.
Mrs Leesa Vinciullo
Assistant Principal
P & F News
QUIZ NIGHT WRAP UP – (See Sponsors Brochure attached to this Newsletter)
What a Night! Saturday’s 80s & 90s Quiz Night was a huge success — full of fun, laughs, and friendly competition! Thanks to our amazing community for coming together, dressing up, and making it such a memorable night. A big shout-out to our sponsors Bayswater Bowls Club, and all our incredible volunteers — especially Gina Burns and Leesa Vincuillo for their generous help on the night. What a team effort!
REMINDERS
Father’s Day Breakfast – Friday 5th September 7:30am on the School Basketball Court
Soon it will be time to celebrate DAD! More details will be posted here in the next newsletter. Watch this space!
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 (Flyer attached to this newsletter)
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 😉
KEY TERM 3 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
P&F Meeting — Tuesday 19th August 6:30pm
Father’s Day Breakfast – Friday 5th September 7:30am
Term 4 Family Carpark raffle – 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.
LIBRARY CLASS FOR WEEK 2
Congratulations Year 6 Green
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week:
Ambrose Beros – PKW
Florence Beros – PKW
Sylvia Giolitto – PKW
Ellie Raven – PKW
Blake Cruthers – KW
Harriet Stazzonelli – Y3W
Patrick McGlue – Y4G
Roisin Veale – Y4G
Tessa Cavalli – Y4W
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 4 – 13 August
Week 5 – 20 August
| Kindy Green | Week 4 – Madison Hayward Week 5 – Ariela Hoek |
| Kindy White | Week 4 – Theo Fagionata Dezajacomo Week 5 – Banksia Graham |
| PP Green | Week 4 – Ronan Elliott Week 5 – Lilly Fannin |
| PP White | Week 4 – Austin Hohnen-MacDonald Week 5 – Owen Humphreys |
| Year 1 Green | Week 4 – Margot Juniper Week 5 – Austin Hoek |
| Year 1 White | Week 4 – Clara Pearson Week 5 – Loki Imbert |
| Year 2 Green | Week 4 – Isla Elliott Week 5 – Julia Fantoni |
| Year 2 White | Week 4 – Jude Hoogland Week 5 – Scarlett Little |
| Year 3 Green | Week 4 – Millie Gibson Week 5 – Annabel Harper |
| Year 3 White | Week 4 – Celeste Mulherin Week 5 – Luciana Pulido Vargas |
| Year 4 Green | Week 4 – Felix Juniper Week 5 – Zara Fantoni |
| Year 4 White | Week 4 – Katie Kim Oliver Week 5 – Mila Fernandez |
| Year 5 Green | Week 4 – Tommy Gibson Week 5 – Mia Fernandez |
| Year 5 White | Week 4 – Gianna Krishnan Week 5 – Huw Humphreys |
| Year 6 Green | Week 4 – Ivy Hoogland Week 5 – Mariana Pulido Vargas |
| Year 6 White | Week 4 – Andrew Gai Week 5 – Mason Harper |
Award Winners
MERIT AWARDS – Term 3 , Week 3
Congratulations to all the recipients of our Term 3 Merit Awards:
PP Green – Matilda Arfuso, Amelia Easton, Darcy Eden
PP White – Clara Charles, Jack Franich, Caolan Meenan, Finn Patten
1 Green – Liam Chipperfield, Alex de Courcier, Frankie Pizzata, Liam Wilkey
1 White – Lyla Bradley, Esme Crookes, Mason McMurtrie, Ezra Smart
2 Green – Darcy Blake, Alfred Eden, Annabel Paulus, Isaac Tran
2 White – Odin Dupont, Andrea Gunawan, Holly Magee, Francis Masek
3 Green – Charlie Bateman, Annabelle Cornish, Lorraine McGowan, Ivy Quach
3 White – Luca Isautier, Hazel Scarvaci, Harriet Stazzonelli, Oscar Walker
4 Green – Marcus Chong, Nate Hoogland, Madelyn Markowski, Mia Paulus
4 White – Arden Bezich, Amelia Booth, Megan Hutton, Thomas Pinnington, Darcey Poulsen
5 Green – Connor Campbell, Millie Charlett, Mia Fernandez, Oscar Hamilton
5 White – Sera McDougall, Henry Webb
6 Green – Zoe Alugbin, Lennox Harris, Leo Kennelly, Agnes Zoou
6 White – Eli Felt, Lana Ly, Kirana Stahl, Emmanuel Wai
Religious Education and Curriculum News
From our Gate classes:
This term in GATE, Yr 4 and Yr 5 students have been immersed in an exciting STEM project focused on bridges. We kicked off the unit by reading The Story of Iggy Peck, Architect, which sparked thoughtful discussions around creativity, perseverance, and engineering thinking. From there, students explored the question: “What makes a bridge strong?” They investigated various bridge types—beam, truss, cantilever, arch, suspension, and cable-stayed—and learned about famous bridges around the world. After weeks of research, students began designing and constructing their own bridges using pop sticks, working within specific parameters for length, height, and weight-bearing capacity. To wrap up the project, students are recreating their designs using Maker’s Empire, a 3D design platform, and will bring their digital models to life with our 3D printer. It’s been a fantastic journey of creativity, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving!
Our Yr 6 GATE students have just wrapped up their entry for the Cluedunnit Kids project, where they worked collaboratively to investigate clues, build a case, and present their findings. With that complete, we’re now diving into a new hands-on design challenge: building a miniature room! Over the next eight weeks, students will take on the role of interior designers and engineers, creating detailed 3D models of furnished rooms using everyday and recycled materials. This project blends creativity with mathematics, as students apply scale, proportion, geometry, and measurement to bring their designs to life.
From our Italian classes:
Ciao a tutti! This week Year 3 will be using their knowledge of adjectives and creativity to make Father’s Day cards in Italian. Here is a picture of our Mother’s Day cards from earlier this. Bravissimi!
During classes students love using our Italian mascot ‘Giuseppe’ for speaking tasks !!
Community Notices
HEALTH NURSE TIPS AND INFORMATION
Whooping Cough
Whooping cough (Pertussis) is a bacterial infection. The infection is spread by droplets that are coughed or sneezed out. The illness usually starts with a runny nose and a cough, with long spells of coughing. The person will have many quick coughs in one spell and there will be an average of 25 coughing spells a day. After a spell, young children may ‘whoop’. They may also vomit. The coughing spells will start to subside after several weeks.
If your child has whooping cough or has come in contact with whooping cough, see your doctor. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to treat whooping cough. Check that your child eats and drinks enough while they are sick.
The child should stay away from school until five days after starting treatment, or if not treated, for three weeks from the start of symptoms. Any children under seven who have not been immunised and have been in contact with someone with whooping cough should be kept away from school for 14 days after the contact, or until they have been on antibiotic treatment for at least five days.
For more information on whooping cough, see the fact sheet at Healthy WA – Pertussis
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
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is when technology is used deliberately and repeatedly to cause harm. Both individuals and groups can be victims or perpetrators.
Examples include:
Why it’s serious:
Cyberbullying can happen at any time, reach a wide audience, and be difficult to escape. Like offline bullying, it can have long-lasting emotional effects.
Signs your child may be affected:
Tips for Parents:
Useful Links: