Dear Community of St Columba’s,
As a faith-filled community, we keep our Year 6 students in our prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend.
This sacred occasion marks a significant milestone, strengthening their connection with God and inviting them to more fully embrace the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives.
We congratulate each of our candidates on their commitment and dedication throughout their preparation. We have been inspired by the thoughtful way they have engaged in learning, reflection and prayer as they have prepared for this special moment.
As they stand before their families, sponsors and parish community, we pray that they are filled with the wisdom, courage and peace of the Holy Spirit. May they continue to grow as compassionate leaders, faithful disciples and active contributors to both our school and parish communities.
We thank our staff, Jenny McLeod, Jennifer Scott, Jacob O’Reilly, Catherine Breen, Leesa Vinciullo along with Fr Mark and Sr Lisette, who have supported our students throughout this journey, along with all families.
We wish all our Confirmation candidates a joyful and memorable celebration.
Catholic Performing Arts Festival
We would like to extend our very best wishes to all our students participating in this year’s Catholic Performing Arts Festival.
A special acknowledgement goes to our talented School Choir, who have been expertly prepared by our Music Specialist Teacher, Karen Gonsalves. Your dedication, commitment and enthusiasm during rehearsals have been outstanding, and we are incredibly proud of the way you represent St Columba’s.
We also congratulate all students who have entered the festival as vocal or instrumental soloists. Performing independently takes courage, confidence and perseverance, and we commend you for embracing the opportunity to share your talents with others. Many of these students share their musical gifts and talents at our community gatherings and celebrations throughout the year.
Whether you are performing on stage for the first time or building on previous experience, we celebrate the effort, practice and passion that have brought you to this point. We know you will represent our school with pride and excellence. We wish all participants every success and an enjoyable festival experience.
We look forward to sharing and celebrating your achievements with our community as the Performing Arts Festival concludes, and we thank our families and staff for their ongoing support of our young performers.
Mid-Year Kids’ Raffle Thank You
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful P&F and the dedicated members of the raffle subcommittee for their hard work and generosity in making this year’s Mid-Year Kids’ Raffle such a success.
Events like these take considerable planning and organisation, and we are incredibly grateful for the time, energy and enthusiasm contributed by so many volunteers behind the scenes. Your efforts help create excitement and connection within our school community while supporting opportunities for our students.
A special thank you for including a bonus prize draw for our adult community members. It was a thoughtful addition that added to the fun and gave parents and carers an extra reason to get involved.
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to Dan Bull MLA, Member for Maylands, for once again generously sponsoring the major prize of a $500 gift voucher. Dan’s ongoing support of our school community is greatly valued and contributed significantly to the success of the raffle.
Congratulations to all the winners of our raffle and thank you to everyone who donated, purchased tickets and supported the initiative. Together, we continue to strengthen the wonderful sense of community that makes St Columba’s such a special place.
Pre Kindy and Kindy 2028 Enrolments
We are excited to announce that enrolments for Pre-Kindy and Kindy 2028 are now open.
If your child was born between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, they are eligible to commence Kindy in 2028. As places are in high demand, we encourage families to submit applications as early as possible.
Younger sibling details are not automatically transferred through our administration system. To ensure your child is considered for enrolment, please complete an application form and return it to the school office. We would hate for any current family to miss the opportunity to secure a place for their younger child, so please submit your application at your earliest convenience.
For further information or to obtain an application form, please contact the school office, 9208 2700
Are you leaving?
While we are always sad to farewell families from our St Columba’s community, we understand that circumstances and family plans can change.
To assist us with planning for the 2027 school year, we kindly ask that you notify the school by 4 September 2026 if your enrolment arrangements will be changing and your child will not be returning in 2027.
Please advise us by emailing admin@stcolsbays.wa.edu.au or contacting the office on 9208 2700.
Thank you for your assistance and support, which helps us plan effectively for the year ahead.
Upcoming Events:
- Friday 14 August: 6W Confirmation Ceremony @ 6.30 pm
- Sunday 16 August: 6G Confirmation Ceremony @ 11.00 am
- Monday 17 August: Winter Carnival for Year 6 Students
- Wednesday 19 August: Choir Performance at the Performing Arts Festival @ 10 am (St Benedict’s Catholic Church, 115 Ardross St, Ardross WA)
- Friday 21 August: Pupil Free Day (School and OSHC Closed)
- Monday 24 August: Catholic Day/Pupil Free Day (School and OSHC Closed)
In gratitude,
Gina Burns
Assistant Principal's Updates
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
SEMESTER TWO IEPs
Revised IEPs have now been sent home for families to read, sign and return to either the classroom teacher or reception. Your prompt response to this is very much appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to contact the classroom teacher, or myself, if you have not received your updated IEP, or have any questions or concerns about the IEP.
THE CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY – please see eligibility criteria
The annual Perth Children’s Christmas Party will take place on Saturday 14 November at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre.
To be eligible to attend this party, children must
- Be aged between 3 and 12 (inclusive)
- Be eligible for NDIS funding and / or
- Have additional needs
Vital information regarding this event is in the flyer attached to this newsletter – including how to register your interest in your child attending. If you have questions after having read the document, please email me directly.
UR STRONG FRIENDOLOGY NEWSLETTER ITEM
THINK OF YOURSELF AS A ‘FRIENDSHIP COACH’
The Founder of URSTRONG was interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald who asked her, “Should parents get involved in their kids’ friendships?” Here are some Dos & Don’ts to coach your child from the sidelines.
https://urstrong.com/think-of-yourself-as-a-friendship-coach/
Mrs Leesa Vinciullo
APRE and Inclusive Education Coordinator
P & F News
Father’s Day – Save the Date:
Donut with Dad Father’s Day celebration on Friday, 4 September.
Join us for a special morning celebrating all the amazing dads, grandads and father-figures in our community.
Please click on the link below to register the number of people in your family attending, so we can make sure there are plenty of donuts to go around!
A coffee van will also be on site for coffee purchases.
RSVPs close 10pm Wednesday 26 August.
We are also looking for volunteers for the day – if you’re able to lend a helping hand.
2026 Book Week
St Col’s Book Week Costume Swap
Book week is fast approaching (Friday 28th August) & with the extra pressure of adding another item to the forever evolving to-do list… the P&F would like to initiate a “share/recycle album” to help the community and keep things simple and stress free! Chances are there are a few costumes worn only once gathering dust at the bottom of our kids drawers! Please use this Facebook link which will direct you to the St Col’s Community Book Week album to share pictures of costumes you may be looking to rehome and/or lend to another. Please get involved if you wish.
Costumes are not restricted to the theme.
Nathan, Nat & Shaun Could be Coming to Your School for Book Week!
This year for Book Week we have entered a competition for Nathan, Nat & Shaun from Nova 93.7 to attend the school on Friday 28th August for our Book week parade. Here is the link to register our school. The more people that register the more chance we have to win. The winning school will receive a $5,000 donation.
Nova – Nathan, Nat & Shaun Could Be Coming To Your School For Book Week!
Thanks,
The P&F team
Library News
2026 CBCA
Book Week
Symphony of Stories
Dates: 22 – 28 August 2026
Dress Up Day (Kindy-Year 6)
Friday 28 August 2026
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 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.
Rita Cuthbert – Library
(Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday)
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week.
Oliver Pham PG
Florence Stazzonelli 2W
Frankie Wilson 3G
Isla Elliott 3G
Luke Poletti 3G
Bodhi Chipperfield 3W
Harriet Stazzonelli 4G
Rosie Veale 5W
WEEKLY RAFFLE ROSTER
TERM 3
Week 5 – 19 August
Week 6 – 26 August
| Kindy Green | Week 5 – Sophia Lobana Week 6 – Addison MacIntyre-Martinz |
| Kindy White | Week 5 – Arie Loong Week 6 – Heath Marie |
| PP Green | Week 5 – Poppy Kay Week 6 – Aston Lee |
| PP White | Week 5 – Chloe Metherell Week 6 – Stella Pavlovich |
| Year 1 Green | Week 5 – Gursher Lobana Week 6 – Austin Hohnen-MacDonald |
| Year 1 White | Week 5 – Hannah Linke Week 6 – Violet Mulherin |
| Year 2 Green | Week 5 – Peyton Palmer Week 6 – Zahlia Phillips |
| Year 2 White | Week 5 – Kai Loong Week 6 – Ava Sanders |
| Year 3 Green | week 5 – Sophie McDonald Weel 6 – Ada Marie |
| Year 3 White | week 5 – Holly Magee Week 6 – Holly McMenamin |
| Year 4 Green | Week 5 – Noah Palmer Week 6 – Ella Phillips |
| Year 4 White | Week 5 – Adam Nguyen Week 6 – Celeste Mulherin |
| Year 5 Green | Week 5 – Owen Metherell week 6 – Alec Mather |
| Year 5 White | Week 5 – Asher Shrivastava Week 6 – Lachlan Stewart |
| Year 6 Green | Week 5 – Shaan Tah Week 6 – Jonathan Truong |
| Year 6 White | Week 5 – Luke Magee Week 6 – Luca Marrapodi |
Class News
From our Pre-Primary Classes:
At the beginning of term 3, Pre-Primary were lucky enough to have a visit from Nicola at Play in the Past for the Little Locals incursion! We learnt all about our special community helpers, and then had the best time investigating the different stations. We got to dress up and pretend to be nurses, life guards, police officers, park ranger and explored a beautiful Indigenous provocation.
Community Notices
