St. Columba's Primary School
NEWSLETTER | TERM 2 | WEEK 2 | 5 MAY 2022
Dear Lord,
We pray for mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need; may they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.
We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us; may they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.
We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty or conflict; may they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes away every tear.
We pray for women who are not mothers
but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.
We remember mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever etched in our memory, with love.
Amen.
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is nice to be planning for the school on a normal basis once again. School events, assemblies and life are now very much back to normal. Please see the school calendar for upcoming events.
I had a very productive meeting this week with Jack Van Maanen and Amelie Dawson our head boy and girl regarding the points raised at the student council meeting held towards the end of last term.
Outcomes from the meeting are, that there will be two more water fountains for students installed, we will monitor the student lines at the canteen at recess time, play pod will resume in Term 3, students will continue to eat lunches spread out around the school rather than in the undercover area except for rainy days and there will be areas around the school that classes will be responsible for making sure that on a Friday the areas are cleared of any litter.
A big thank you to the students for some fantastic suggestions.
Families please note that you will need to adhere to the school parking policy and the street verge signage. Parking is not permitted in ‘no standing or parking ‘zones or on Forest Street and cars that do not follow the street and verge signage, face a possible fine from the Ranger.
Your help in this matter will be very much appreciated.
Next week we have NAPLAN testing in Year 3&5. The student’s reports from the testing will be received by the school by the end of Term 4 and will be sent home with the end of year school reports.
If you have any questions please feel free to see your classroom teacher.
God Bless and keep safe.
Allen McMahon
Principal
Important dates
Sunday, 8 May - Mother's Day
Tuesday, 10 May - NAPLAN testing begins (Years 3 and 5)
Saturday, 14 May - Sacramental Enrolment Mass - 6pm
Please note the following change of date for Catholic Day:
Previous date: Term 2 - Friday, 3 June
New date: Term 3 - Friday, 23 September (Pupil Free Day)
Merit award winners - Week 2
Year 1G - Samuel, Emma
Year 1W - Vudhip, Harlow
Year 2G - Annabelle, Cooper. J, Molly
Year 2W - Alistair, Alexandria
Year 3G - Eden, John
Year 3W - Neala
Year 4G - Angus, Arabelle
Year 4W - Emily.S, Hannah
Year 5G - Caeli, Emma.B
Year 5W - Isabelle, NateYear 6G - Noel, Ahliah
Year 6W - Cait, Eva
Sacramental Enrolment Mass
The rescheduled date of the 2022 Sacramental Enrolment Mass is Saturday 14 May at 6pm.
All candidates who are making their Reconciliation, First Holy Communion or Confirmation are required to attend the Mass, along with one parent.
We ask parents to sign in their child's attendance on the sheets provided at the Church.
We look forward to seeing the candidates at Mass.
Code of Conduct
We take this opportunity to direct members of our community to review our Code of Conduct. These statements are aimed at ensuring the protection and wellbeing of students in our care. In addition, awareness of the Code of Conduct ensures that adults do not put themselves in potentially vulnerable positions; for example, adults use the ambulant toilet when on site and do not use student toilets. Please take a few moments to review our Code of Conduct.
Keeping Safe: Child Protection Program
The Education Act mandates the teaching of a Protective Behaviours program in all schools. At St Columba’s we follow the Keeping Safe Program. The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC) aims to help children learn to recognise abuse and develop ways of protecting themselves from abuse and, in wider terms, covers rights, relationships, responsibilities and ethical behaviour.
The KS:CPC is divided into 5 documents specific to the age and year level of students. There are an additional three documents for educators working with:
· Aboriginal children and young people
· culturally and linguistically diverse children and young people
· children and young people with disability and additional needs.
The KS:CPC is predicated on two main themes which are presented through topics and activities of increasing complexity. The two KS:CPC Themes are:
· Theme 1: We all have the right to be safe
· Theme 2: We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust.
The two KS:CPC Themes are explored through four Focus Areas, which are examined in growing complexity in accordance with the age of the students. The four KS:CPC Focus Areas are:
· Focus Area 1: The right to be safe
· Focus Area 2: Relationships
· Focus Area 3: Recognising and reporting abuse
More information can be found on the KS:CPC website: http://tiny.cc/KSCPC-ParentCarerInfo. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions about the curriculum.
NAPLAN 2022
All children in Years 3 & 5 will complete the NAPLAN Online testing in Weeks 3 and 4 this term unless exempt or withdrawn.
The testing period is from Tuesday 10 May to Friday 20 May.
The school has undergone extensive School Readiness Testing procedures to ensure our devices and networks can support the online assessment.
Please find below the NAPLAN testing schedule for St Columba's Primary School for 2022.
Please note all tests are online except for the Year 3 Writing Test.
Students who are absent on a particular testing day are still able to complete the test when they return to school. The NAPLAN testing window is open until Friday 20th May, giving us a full week to complete any catch up testing needed.
NAPLAN assesses fundamental skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time through the school curriculum, rather than specific content. It is not a pass-or-fail type test, for which students can study or drill, but rather shows how students are progressing in numeracy and literacy skills against national standards for all Australian children. It also provides information that allows schools and governments to better target efforts to help all students achieve their potential and acquire the basic skills to help them build successful lives.
The best way you can help your child to prepare for NAPLAN is to ensure that they are well rested and send them to school after having a nutritious breakfast. Please reassure your children that NAPLAN is just one part of the school program and urge them to simply do the best they can on the day.
A public demonstration site is available for parents and students to access. The link below provides access to the NAPLAN Online Demonstration site which provides examples of the different types of question formats as well as practice questions across all 4 testing areas. Public Demonstration Site Link
An individual student NAPLAN report will be issued by the school later this year. Parents can use this information to monitor how their child is progressing and identify any areas of concern. Parents may also wish to use their child’s results to discuss progress with teachers. More information is available at www.nap.edu.au
We invite you to speak with your child’s classroom teacher if you have any concerns regarding the NAPLAN assessment.
Kindy 2024 - Offers for siblings of existing families
The Kindy 2024 offers were emailed last week to all families with complete applications and documents. Thank you for your timely responses; everyone replied on time!
If you still have outstanding documentation to submit: Please do so as soon as possible. We will email an offer once this is finalised.
If you have not yet applied for Kindy 2024: Apply online via the enrolment page on the website and ensure all required documentation is included.
We urgently require Canteen helpers this term
Volunteers urgently required for Wednesday's, Thursday's and Friday's.
Canteen - no cash orders, even for small items
- Orders must be placed by 9 am
- All orders now online: Quickcliq https://quickcliq.com.au/
- No Cash - icy poles, ice creams and small treats need to be ordered online.
If you are on roster and are unable to make your roster day, please endeavour to find a replacement and advise the office immediately via email.
A message from Shona our School Counsellor
Self-Care: “Self-Care is the multiplier of time”
Self-care is an essential part of living and should not be confused with being self-indulgent. Engaging in regular Self-care is how we can continue to cope better with daily stressors. When we find time for ourselves, we are better equipped to care for and look after the ones we love, as we cannot pour from an empty cup.
Self-care means to care for not only our physical health but our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Self-care is very personal to what resonates and is effective to you, for example: a warm bath, a cup of tea, reading a book, going for a walk-in nature, spending time with pets, praying, yoga, meditation etc. It can be difficult to find time for Self-care, and so it is often pushed to the side as we believe we do not have the time for ourselves whilst we are caring for others such as our families. It is important to remember that even just taking 5 minutes a day, or a few hours per week for ourselves allows us to recharge and re focus our energy, so we can more effectively engage in the tasks and activities in our lives.
https://lifeinmindaustralia.imgix.net/assets/src/user-uploads/Life-in-Mind-Self-care.pdf
Warm regards,
Shona Simpson
P&F News
Hi Everyone,
Happy Week 2.
How nice is it to start seeing faces around the school grounds? Something we definitely took for granted pre-covid.
Unfortunately, as a result of covid, the P&F were unable to hold the annual Mothers Day celebration. We still wanted to do something in honour of all the Mothers in our school community to celebrate. Your children will be coming home from school tomorrow with a little gift from the P&F. So please look out for it (it is in an envelope). On behalf of the P&F, you are the reason why our school is full of beautiful children. Thank you for everything you do and all that you are. Happy Mothers Day.
“A mother is she who can take
the place of all others
but whose place
no one else can take.
-Cardinal Mermillod
I can now announce the winners of the Mothers Day Raffle for 2022. Thank you to Mr Yock for drawing out the winners:
1st Place: Susanna Alexandra
2nd Place: Maryam Tashakkori
3rd Place: Nicole Fernandez
Thank you again for your support and congratulations to all the winners. I will contact you to arrange pickup of your prizes.
Have a lovely rest of your week and have a wonderful Mothers Day.
Hayley Mitchell
P&F President
Dads of St. Columba's Footy Tipping 2022
Hello St. Columba’s Families,
Footy tipping results for Weeks 7 and 8 will be included in next week's newsletter.
Regards,
Todd Dawson
Entertainment Books
The year starts from the date of purchase of your Entertainment Book.
Scholastic Books
Book Club - Issue 3 - Due Wednesday May, 11
Cash payments are no longer accepted. Payments can be made by credit card - Visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app. Your order will be electronically linked to the rest of your school's order. You do not need to complete the order form.
Chess Association of WA
The Chess Association of WA will be having a series of four zonal chess tournaments between schools from March to November 2022. The primary and secondary winners earn the right to play in the National Schools Finals.
We would like to invite students from your school or your school chess team to participate in our Central zonal tournament on 15 May 2022 at the Royal Park Hall, West Pert. Please refer to the attachment for further details. We value every school's participation. We would appreciate it if you could put this notice on your school community board. We welcome all students that play chess. We look forward to the participation of your school.
Please contact me or Alan (President) if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.
Warm regards,
Faith Tee
CAWA Junior Vice President
Term 2 Calendar
School Term Dates
Term 2: Wednesday, April 27 to Friday, 1 July 2022
Term 3: Tuesday, 19 July to Friday, 23 September 2022
Term 4: Tuesday, 11 October to Friday, 9 December 2022
Pupil Free Dates
Term 3: Monday, 18 July, Friday, 19 August 2022 and Friday, 23 September
Term 4: Monday, 10 October 2022
Sacrament Dates
Confirmation: Saturday, 28 May at 6pm
Eucharist: Sunday, 19 June at 9:30am
Reconciliation: Saturday, 12 November at 10am
St Columba's Catholic Primary School
Email: admin@stcolumbassp.wa.edu.au
Website: https://www.stcolumbassp.wa.edu.au/
Location: 30 York Street, South Perth WA 6151, Australia
Phone: (08) 6436 9500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Education/St-Columbas-Catholic-Primary-School-South-Perth-173160579973945/