Dear Community of St Columba’s,
Following on from previous Donegal’s, the third M.E.R.C.Y Value I will explore with you this week is Wisdom. Wisdom, in a spiritual context, is about gaining a deeper understanding of life and making choices that reflect meaningful values. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, the gift of Wisdom is viewed as a spiritual gift that allows us to see things from God’s perspective, enabling us to make choices that align with His will.
In our statement “We seek WISDOM as we strive for Excellence” this excellence is not about doing better than anyone else but doing whatever we can do, our individual best, for the glory of God. “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1Cor. 10:31
Through our value of Wisdom, we are supporting our students to:
- Understand what really matters and connect them to a higher purpose.
- Apply their knowledge into everyday situations.
- Guide them to act with kindness, fairness, and compassion; and
- Navigate tough choices to align their decisions on what best aligns with the values and beliefs of the Church.
Celebrating Achievements
We love to celebrate our students’ achievements outside of school and share them with our community! If we have overlooked anyone, we apologise. Please send any updates or news you would like us to share directly to the School Administration at: admin@stcolsbays.wa.edu.au
Quality Catholic Education School Review (QCESR)
The Quality Catholic Education School Review (QCESR) provides an opportunity for a panel of educators, external to the school, to affirm, challenge and report on the improvement journey at the school and the Principal’s leadership. The QCESR focuses on the school improvement context and the Principal leadership context, measuring the effectiveness of a Principal’s leadership and engagement with self-review, the impact of a school’s engagement with self-review, and the future directions for the improvement of student outcomes that the school has identified.
The last review at St Columba’s took place in 2016. At that time, it was called the School Cyclic Review Report.
The QCESR Panel will be visiting our school from Tuesday 29 October until Thursday 31 October. As part of the process, they will be meeting with the Principal, Leadership Team, a selection of staff, a selection of students, Parish Priest and nominees from the Catholic School Advisory Council and P&F group.
At the conclusion of the QCESR Panel visit, a two-part report will be completed. The first section comments on the school improvement processes and strategic direction and will be written and forwarded to the School Leadership Team. The second section comments on a Principal’s leadership and professional growth and development. It will be written and forwarded to the Principal and CEWA Executive Director.
I wish to thank all members of the community selected to participate for their time and contributions to the 2024 QCESR.
Nominations for Catholic School Advisory Council
I invite you all to consider nomination to the Catholic School Advisory Council (CSAC). Involvement with the CSAC is very rewarding and gives you the opportunity to be closely associated with the school.
A CSAC provides parents and community members with structured ways to provide support and expertise to the Principal and School Leadership Team.
The CSAC operates in accordance with the CSAC Terms of Reference, Quality Catholic Education, Policies, Executive Directives, and the Delegations of Authority. The CSAC is accountable to the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (CECWA).
The CSAC must carry out the following functions:
(a) Support planning for the present and future operation of the Catholic school.
(b) Provide membership, at the principal’s request, on selection panels for the employment of staff to the Catholic school in accordance with the relevant CECWA Policies and Executive Directives.
(c) Provide membership on the panel that recommends the appointment of a principal in accordance with the relevant CECWA Policy and Executive Directives.
(d) In consultation with the principal, communicate about the Catholic School and about Catholic education to persons and organisations in the School Community.
(e) Endorse the catholic school’s annual budget before submission to CECWA for approval; and
(f) Advise the Principal on school financial matters such as performance against budget, sustainability, and capital and recurrent planning.
There are two elected positions and two co-opted positions available on the CSAC for 2025.
Nominees to the CSAC should possess:
- A commitment and desire to promote Catholic education and give service to the Catholic School Community.
- A commitment to the safety, well-being, and pastoral care of all students and staff.
- An ability to work co-operatively and constructively with the principal, school leadership team, and all other members of the Advisory Council.
- The possession of skills, competencies, and experience that are reflective of, relevant, and beneficial to the Catholic School Community; and
- A sufficiency of time to devote to Advisory Council duties.
The CSAC meets once-twice a term on a Tuesday evening.
For further information, please refer to the Terms of Reference – Catholic School Advisory Committee
Nomination forms for the CSAC should be returned to the School by Monday 11 November 2024.
Catholic School Advisory Council Nomination Form 2025
Nominations for Parents and Friends Committee
The Parents and Friends Committee (P&F) directs its energies to friendship, fundraising, and other community activities to support the operation of the school.
All parents of enrolled students at the school are considered general members of the P&F.
The P&F is led by a volunteer group of parents, each of whom is elected to office bearer positions. These people are identified as P&F Committee members.
The P&F Committee membership conditions are:
(a) a commitment and desire to promote Catholic education.
(b) a commitment and desire to give service to the school.
(c) a commitment to the safety, wellbeing and pastoral care of all students and staff.
(d) an ability to work cooperatively and constructively with the principal, school leadership team, the Catholic School Advisory Council and other members of the P&F; and
(e) a sufficiency of time to devote to P&F duties.
The P&F Committee should be comprised of four to six plus the Principal or their delegate.
The P&F Committee must consist of the following office bearers:
(a) Chair
(b) Deputy Chair.
(c) Secretary.
(d) Treasurer; and
(e) P&F Representative to the Catholic School Advisory Council
All P&F positions will become vacant at the conclusion of 2024.
The P&F meet approximately once a month on Tuesday evening.
For further information, please refer to the Terms of Reference – Catholic School Parents and Friends Group
Nomination forms for the P&F Committee should be returned to the School by Monday 11 November 2024.
Bayswater Bike Bus
At the beginning of this term a few of our students and parents participated in the very first 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.
The Bayswater Bike Bus occurs on Tuesdays only. Parents are reminded to always follow all road rules, and I ask you to be particularly mindful of this on Tuesdays as the Bike Bus travels along Leake Street.
If you would like to know more about the Bayswater Bike Bus, please click on the link below.
Next Tuesday, 29 October the Bayswater Bike Bus will be holding a ‘Spooky Edition’. 
Upcoming Events
- Thursday 24 October: Interschool Athletics Carnival
- Friday 25 October: Assembly
- Friday 25 October: Teacher Appreciation Day
- Tuesday 29 October: Bike Bus (Spooky Edition)
- Tuesday 29 October – Thursday 31 October: QCESR (as per above)
- Friday 1 November: All Saints Day Mass
In gratitude,
Gina Burns
Principal
Library
Please note that the library is closed before school until further notice.
Uniform Shop
Please note the following dates for Term 4 opening:
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
THANK YOU
Disco wrap up!
A massive shout out to the 60+ fabulous volunteers who came together for last week’s disco! Your enthusiasm and support made the night truly unforgettable. There were over 410 tickets sold and by all accounts, the event was a resounding success; we couldn’t have achieved it without each and every one of you . A special thanks to our amazing Disco Divas P&F Sub Committee who spent countless hours planning and preparing. A huge shout out to our amazing suppliers— IGA Local Grocer Bayswater, Mondo Butcher and Grocer and The British Sausage, Ham & Bacon Co. for their generous contributions. Your support made a significant impact! We hope your kids had a fabulous night dancing, sparkling, glowing and enjoying precious moments with friends. They looked absolutely gorgeous! The event raised over $3400 to give back to our School community!
FUNDRAISING FOCUS
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.
Containers for Change Update
We would like to extend a special thank you to Karen McGlue for her efforts this year in collating, cleaning and returning our containers from the school and events! We have saved 1980 containers from landfill this year!
FINAL EVENT
- 29 November – EDU Dance concert
LAST MEETING & 2025 CLASS REPS
Our final P&F meeting for the year is WEDNESDAY 13th November at 6pm in the Sr Irena Library. Please feel welcome to join the conversations and get involved by volunteering. We will be looking for parent volunteers soon to fill the Class Rep roles ahead of 2025.
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week:
Harrison White KG
Ruairi Meenan KW
Caolan Meenan KW
Noah Bowker PPG
Lynette Toh PPW
Hazel Scarvaci 2G
Grace Howard 4G
Theo Smart 5G
Harriet Webb 5G
Annabelle Ong 6G
PASTORAL CARE WEEKLY RAFFLE
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 4 – 30 October
Week 5 – 6 November
| Kindy Green | Week 4 – Sebastian Teal Week 5 – Noah O’Hart |
| Kindy White | Week 4 – Tommy O’Donohoe Week 5 – Ruairi Meenan |
| PP Green | Week 4 – Luke Molony Week 5 – Harley Johnson |
| PP White | Week 4 – Peyton Palmer Week 5 – Olive Richards |
| Year 1 Green | Week 4 – Luke Poletti Week 5 – Leo Sharrinovski |
| Year 1 White | Week 4 – Maxeen Li Week 5 – Isabella Will |
| Year 2 Green | Week 4 – Noah Palmer Week 5 – Smith Robertson |
| Year 2 White | Week 4 – Ivy Quach Week 5 – Luciana Pulido Vargas |
| Year 3 Green | Week 4 – Patrick McGlue Week 5 – Mackenzie Strachan |
| Year 3 White | Week 4 – Olivia Molony Week 5 – Oaklyn Payne |
| Year 4 Green | Week 4 – Sera McDougall Week 5 – Quill O’Brien |
| Year 4 White | Week 4 – Kelvin Quach Week 5 – Matilda Meenan |
| Year 5 Green | Week 4 – Indi Whitbread Week 5 – Mariana Pulido Vargas |
| Year 5 White | Week 4 – Peyton Shute Week 5 – Sebastian Strachan |
| Year 6 Green | Week 4 – Maggie Ma Week 5 – Isla Markowski |
| Year 6 White | Week 4 – Grayson Harris Week 5 – Emme Moretta |
Religious Education and Curriculum News
From our Pre-Primary Classes :
In Pre-Primary Green, the children have been learning about the importance of their name and that everybody has a name which was chosen for them by their parents. We have been sharing the significance of one another’s names and it has been wonderful hearing about how the names were chosen. The children have been learning that many years ago, in Nazareth, there lived a young woman called Mary in the Bible and she was told by the Angel Gabriel that she was to name her baby Jesus.
From our Music Classes:
This semester, our junior music classes have been actively engaged in singing, dancing, and playing various instruments while exploring essential musical elements such as rhythm, pitch, dynamics and tempo.
Our Kindy students have focused on dynamics and playing a variety of listening games to understand the volume of music. Meanwhile, Pre Primary students have been exploring pitch and tempo.
Our Year One students have created their own soundscapes to accompany the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, while the Year Two students are completing their unit on the orchestra.
