Dear Community of St Columba’s,
Welcome back everyone for the start of the final term of 2024.
The staff had a fantastic start to the term as we dedicated our professional development day on Monday to our school values. Every school has its unique set of values, and as a Catholic school, while we may share some of these with government schools, we strive to embody our values in a distinctly Catholic way, especially in fostering the value of Mercy.
Mercy is about transforming our compassion into action, as we serve for the glory of God. We promote five values to guide this mission: Faith, Wisdom, Respect, Compassion, and Peace. This week, I would like to focus on Respect, a value common across many schools, and share some insights from our discussions.
A principle of Catholic social teachings is Human Dignity, and this is the foundation of our Value of Respect. Human Dignity means that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore we are called to love one another and treat everyone as if they were Christ. We recognise His divine image in every situation, both positive and challenging. Upholding this dignity serves as the inspiration for building a just and compassionate world.
Our values encourage us to recognise God in ourselves, in others, and in all of creation, inspiring us to act with mercy.
I hope this has provided you with a Catholic perspective on how our value of Respect is connected with our Catholic Tradition.
St Col’s Bike Bus
Yesterday was a special day for a few of our students and parents as they participated in the very first St Col’s Bike Bus. For those who may be wondering what this is, a group of parents, led by Kate Bowker, support students to ride to school via a short, pre-determined route to school on the road. Parent involvement is a must for younger children.
This event coincides with October being Bike Month in WA. Interestingly, this sustainable initiative also aligns with Pope Francis’s call in Laudato Si for us to care for creation. Coincidentally, it is a great example of our Mercy Value of Respect for creation in action here at St Col’s.
For their first ride 15 children from both St Col’s and Bayswater Primary School participated, with kids riding independently on training wheels or being transported by parents.
St Col’s Bike Bus occurs on Tuesday only. Parents are reminded to always follow all road rules, and I ask you to be particularly mindful of this on Tuesday as the Bike Bus travels along Leake Street.
I want to express my gratitude to Kate Bowker for introducing this wonderful initiative to our school, as well as to all the parents who have supported her in getting it started. “From little things, big things grow.” (Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly, 1990)
If you would like to know more about the St Col’s Bike Bus, please contact the school.
Upcoming Events
- Friday 11 October: Assembly
- Sunday 13 October: Columba Runners Windup
- Monday 14 October: Kindy Health Nurse Visit
- Wednesday 16 October: Kindy Health Nurse Visit
- Wednesday 16 October: PP Excursion to Constable Care
- Friday 18 October: Years 3-6 attending Parish Mass
- Friday 18 October: P&F Student Disco
Thank you!
Your kindness and support during this difficult time for Lisa and the Slocum Family are deeply appreciated. Thank you for being there for Lisa and her family.
In gratitude,
Gina Burns
Principal
School photos
The school photo orders will be coming home [this week]. Please note the following:
- Magnetic photo frames and additional prints are slotted between the prints of your package.
- Key chains are packed separately and distributed by the school office to the classroom teachers, who then distribute to the students. Check with your teacher if you have not received yours as yet.
- Sibling photos are delivered to the eldest child and placed inside their photo package as additional prints if applicable.
- Digital negative orders will be sent to your email address supplied within 3-5 days of the school photo delivery. Don’t forget to check your junk mail folders.
- You are still able to place additional orders via the Kapture website. Use the same school code as previously supplied.
If you ordered photos more than 10 days after photo day, your order will be handled separately and mailed directly to your home address within the next 28 days. Check your confirmation email for more information.
Kind regards
The Kapture Crew
Uniform Shop
Please note the following dates for Term 4 opening:
Wed 9 October (first Wed of the month)
Wed 6 November (first Wed of month)
Then each week until end of term:
Wed 20 November
Wed 27 November
Wed 4 December
Orders can still be placed online for delivery to your child’s class each Friday.
P & F News
Car Space Winner
Congratulations to Bea Humphreys and her family for winning the most sought-after car spot for Term 4! Thank you to everyone who bought tickets and ran the event — our School raised over $400 in ticket sales.
Subway Fundraiser Lunch
Well Done St Cols! Our community raised $686 from the Subway fundraiser on the last Friday of Term 3. We would love to thank EVERYONE who ordered and all the parent volunteers who arranged deliveries to classrooms. A terrific team effort!
FUNDRAISING FOCUS
School Disco Night – Friday PM, Week 2, School Basketball Court
The night is divided into two age categories, including a sausage sizzle and treats to buy on the night – get excited families! Check out the flyer attached to this newsletter and grab your tickets now via the link:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/StColumbasPrimarySchool/_2024PFSchoolDisco
Have you volunteered at School this year? Make Term 4 your moment and help out on the kids’ favourite fundraiser night! Sign up here if you can spare some time at the disco: https://volunteersignup.org/EH98J
Gingerberry Offer – Rob and Jayne Jagger have been a part of the St Columba’s community since 2015 and want to give back. Rob designs baby & children’s feeding products and has been in the industry for 20+ years. His brand Gingerberry, affectionately named after his girls Sophie and Lilah with their ginger & strawberry hair, focuses on ergonomics and provides young families with all they need when introducing a sippy cup, starting solids for the first time & teaching their little ones how to hold cutlery correctly. Rob is offering 20% off with part proceeds going to the School. Simply head to the website www.gingerberry.com.au and enter these two discount codes at the checkout (STCOLS20 + FREE) – all orders can either be collected from their home in Bayswater or the school and this offer will be on for the remainder of 2024. We understand you may be past this point or there may be another little bundle on the way, however they make great gifts and this offer can be passed onto friends. See flyer attached to this newsletter.
Entertainment Book Offer – 20% of every Membership purchased is donated to supporting our fundraising efforts. Join today and help us make a difference.
Order yours today: https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/83589g
Containers for Change deposits – Love to contribute to our schools fundraising efforts? Consider the St Columba’s P&F at your next Containers for Change deposit. Simply scan the QR code, download the app and add the member number to your profile. The P&F fund would be so grateful for your contribution to further aid in the students’ resources and equipment.
EVENTS FOR YOUR DIARY
- 18 October – School Disco
NEXT P&F MEETING
The next P&F meeting will be held on Tuesday 22 October at 7.00pm in the Sr Irena Library. We welcome all families to join in on the conversations and get involved by volunteering.
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week:
Mercy Alugbin KW
Eliyah Kaler KW
Leo Milhinch PPG
Maxime Isautier PPW
Archie Raynor 1G
Alliah Parker 2G
Smith Robertson 2G
Filip Pizzata 2W
Lucas Scali 3G
Thea Setzinger 3W
Lenny Harris 5G
Francis Le 6G
Ty Fernandez 6G
Tickets are 3 for $1 (maximum of 3 tickets per child).
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.
WEEKLY RAFFLE ROSTER
TERM 4
Week 2 – 16 October
Week 3 – 23 October
Kindy Green | Week 2 – Violet Mulherin Week 3 – Vera Pirone |
Kindy White | Week 2 – Hadley Winrow Week 3 – Zara Parker |
PP Green | Week 2 – Ofelia Stevners Byrne Week 3 – Marie O’Callaghan |
PP White | Week 2 – Spencer Verma Week 3 – Saoirse Stafford |
Year 1 Green | Week 2 – Mason Meenan Week 3 – Sebastian Setzinger |
Year 1 White | Week 2 – Ruby Palmer Week 3 – Molley Veale |
Year 2 Green | Week 2 – Celeste Mulherin Week 3 – Oscar Walker |
Year 2 White | Week 2 – Filip Pizzata Week 3 – Ivan Masnyk |
Year 3 Green | Week 2 – Jacob Mak Week 3 – Zara Fantoni |
Year 3 White | Week 2 – Rosie Veale Week 3 – Thea Setzinger |
Year 4 Green | Week 2 – Max Nguyen Week 3 – Shaan Tah |
Year 4 White | Week 2 – Wyatt Palmer Week 3 – Stefano Mustica |
Year 5 Green | Week 2 – Mia Moore Week 3 – Grace Masnyk |
Year 5 White | Week 2 – Shylo Verma Week 3 – Stella Kent |
Year 6 Green | Week 2 – Sayuthmee Ratnayake Week 3 – Phoenix Stanmore |
Year 6 White | Week 2 – Keira Pollitt Week 3 – Harry Lange |
Award Winners
MERCY AWARDS – Term 3, Week 10
PP Green – Loki Imbert
PP White – Lynnette Toh
1 Green – Alessia Cullura
1 White – Paige Booth
2 Green – Celeste Mulherin
2 White – Oscar Harris
3 Green – Parker Connell
3 White – Brooklyn Hamilton
4 Green – Alexander Lilleyman
4 White – Savannah Ceric
5 Green – Grace Masnyk
5 White – Lilah Jagger
6 Green – Sayuthmee Ratnayake
6 White – Sam Villamar