Dear St Columba’s Community,
As we wrap up our final week of the school year, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our Pre-Primary students and staff for their delightful nativity performance. Their bright smiles, dedication, and joyful enthusiasm filled us with warmth and took us back to the beautiful scene of that special night, so many years ago, when Christ entered the world to be with His people.
The students put their whole hearts into this celebration. Their hard work, especially after the Edu Dance Concert just a few nights ago, has truly been remarkable. Pre-Primary, along with your teachers and parents, we are incredibly proud of you! You are all stars!
To all parents, your involvement in your children’s educational journey has been invaluable. Whether you volunteered at events, attended parent-teacher meetings, or shared your insights, your active participation has significantly enriched the educational, pastoral, and spiritual growth of all our students.
To all our staff, I express my deepest gratitude for your unwavering dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence. From the classroom to the office, from the playground to OSHC, every role in our school is vital in achieving our mission to nurture the total development of everyone within a loving community. You all contribute to supporting the Catholic faith, principles, and our Mercy Values.
Thank you for your passion, your effort, and your commitment to our school. Your work makes a profound difference in the lives of our students, and I am truly grateful to lead such an exceptional team. I wish you all a well-deserved and restful break, recharging for the opportunities and challenges that await us in the new year.
Celebrating Successes
Congratulations to Year 6 student, Isla Markowski, on being selected to be the sole pianist in the Chisholm Band for Year 7 next year. Isla showcased her musical gift for playing the piano at this year’s Catholic Performing Arts Festival. Congratulations Isla!
School Calendar
Dates for 2025 will be available on our School Calendar which can be accessed via the Website this week.
Some dates to get you started:
- Monday 3 February 2025: Pupil Free Day
- Monday 3 February 2025: Shaking off the nerves 9.00 am – 10.00 am.
- Tuesday 4 February 2025: Pupil Free Day
- Tuesday 4 February 2025: School Office is open 8.00 am – 4.00 pm.
- Wednesday 5 February 2025 – Term One commences for students.
- Friday 7 February 2025: Mass and Commissioning of new Student Leaders, CSAC & P&F Members @ 9.00 am
Shaking Off The Nerves Day
Students and families are welcome to visit the school on Monday 3 February to meet their new Classroom Teacher and preview the classroom between 9.00 am – 10.00 am.
On this day the uniform shop will be open from 9.00am to 10.00am for online order pick-ups and purchases.
Please also see attachments to this newsletter regarding Christmas/January trading hours for jfe.
I extend my warmest wishes to each one of you. May this upcoming Christmas season be filled with joy, warmth, and moments of togetherness. We look forward to seeing you all for the commencement of 2025.
In gratitude
Gina Burns
Principal
P & F News
THANK YOU ST COL’S COMMUNITY – that’s a wrap!
2024 came in with a bang, as a new P&F Executive Committee was formed to support the St Columba’s P&F. Our first meeting of the year set the tone where we aimed to combine fundraising with “friend-raising” to foster connection, participation, and community spirit, all in support of our amazing school and its Mercy values. We committed to inclusivity, welcoming input and support from all members to ensure the success of our events and initiatives. To foster connection, we introduced event subcommittees, comprising of Class Reps from across all year groups. These subcommittees brought diverse perspectives and built strong relationships not only within the St Columba’s community but also with local businesses and schools in the wider Bayswater area.
Fundraising efforts this year focused on several key projects — upgrading the Early Childhood Education (ECE) outdoor area, replacing the cubby house in the downstairs playground, providing additional iPad charging and storage, increasing literacy materials and continuing our annual contribution to each class. The P&F raised over $20,000 this year — a remarkable achievement that will have a lasting impact on our community.
A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time for events throughout the year. From bake sales to sausage sizzles and raffles to discos, your commitment and generosity made these events possible and successful. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the school’s leadership, staff and students, including Gina, Leesa, Niall, Lisa, Kylie and Janine for their support and enthusiasm. This year also marks the retirement of our longstanding P&F Treasurer, Leston De Mello. Thank you Leston, for your many years of dedication and service. A special thank you to our incredible Executive Team along with our amazing Class Reps who dedicated so much time to volunteer for the students. Your unwavering support and guidance have made this year a success. We could not and would not want to do this without all of you!
We look forward to meeting new volunteers in 2025. Please feel free to drop us a message if you wish to become an active or non active team member here: https://s.surveyplanet.com/tfkdowhi
On behalf of the P&F, we wish everyone a safe and joyful Christmas. We look forward to building on this year’s achievements in 2025!
Pastoral Care
Happy Birthday to:
The following students who will celebrate birthday’s in the coming week:
Spencer Verma PPW
Indiana Gray 1W
Rose Pearson 2G
Charlie Bateman 2W
And to all the students and staff who will be celebrating birthdays over the Christmas/January holidays.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PASTORAL CARE TEAM:
Pastoral Care would like to pass on their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all our school community for your participation, donations and generally helping the team do their best for the school community.
A special thanks goes to the amazing Year 6 students who facilitate the Wednesday Raffle each week. Your service and big smiles each Wednesday are greatly appreciated. We are very proud of the leaders of the future you have become. Thank you so much!
Your beautiful contributions this year saw Pastoral Care welcome lots of new babies, help families where we were needed the most, bring a little cheer to our sick and injured in the school community, help remember those we have lost in our families and, of course, celebrate those we love through our Mother’s Day and Father’s Day raffles!
Again, thank you, we cannot do what we do without you!
Religious Education and Curriculum News
From our Pre-Primary Classes:
In Pre-Primary, the students have learned that every year, Christians set aside a special time of waiting and preparation leading up to Christmas, just as Mary and Joseph prepared for Jesus to be born. They learned that this special time of waiting is called Advent. Beautiful advent wreaths were created by the children to help them understand the themes for each week of Advent — hope, peace, joy, and love.
