Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had an extremely busy schedule at school over the last two weeks with the events scheduled for Term 4, and rescheduled events from early in the year due to Covid.

Many thanks to those who have been involved through this very busy time.

Please keep the Year 3 students in your thoughts and prayers as they make their First Reconciliation this coming Saturday. Many thanks to Mrs Poole, Mrs West and Mrs Lucas for preparing the students so well.

The P&F have also had a very busy time with the Grandparents Day, the Disco and then

on Saturday night, the Night in White. The Night in White was a great success and many thanks go to Patrice, Hayley and Renee for the amazing amount of work they put in organising the event. There was a great spread of families from across the school who attended. The location and views were superb, although it did get slightly chilly, however, this changed once guests started dancing. There were some wonderful photos taken on the night showcasing the event. Also, thanks to Brooke Pink for organising a great disco for the students on Friday night.

Our Year 5 students will hold their speeches and elections next Monday, 14 November for the 2023 Year 6 Student Leadership roles. I would like to thank Mrs Ogg and Mr Beins for preparing the students for the elections.

I wish to advise families that double stream classes will be shuffled in preparation for the start of the 2023 school year. The teachers will look at a number of criteria in determining the split. This will include academic, social, friendship and gender. The school will look at family requests, however the decision as to which student goes into which class rests with school.

I am advising that school fees will decrease by 5% at St Columba’s in 2023.

Congratulations to the following people who were elected to the P&F Executive for 2023 to 2025. I am sure they will hit the ground running in 2023.

President - Vice President - Secretary - Treasurer

Hayley Mitchell - Gemma Bristow - Renee Methorst - Mathew Smith

School Advisory Council Members 2023:

Chair: Phil Horner

Members: Hayley Roseby and Esmeralda Soliano-Wood

P&F Rep: Chloe Gavalas

God Bless and keep safe.

Allen McMahon

Principal

This Friday, 11 November there will be a Remembrance Day Service as part of the 4G Assembly, commencing at 9am in Kalyara. Parents are welcome to attend.

Students are welcome to bring in a gold coin donation on Friday morning to receive a red poppy. All proceeds collected will go directly towards the Vic Park / South Perth RSL.

Remembrance Day falls on the 11th of November each year.

On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes’ silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation.

In Australia and other allied countries, including New Zealand, Canada and the United States, 11 November became known as Armistice Day – a day to remember those who died in World War One. The day continues to be commemorated in allied countries.

After World War Two, the Australian Government agreed to the United Kingdom’s proposal that Armistice Day be renamed Remembrance Day to commemorate those who were killed in both World Wars. Today the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts is commemorated on Remembrance Day.

Week 6 will see our staff and students enter Wellness Week for Term 4. This week (Mon 14 – Fri 18 November) will see our students explore different aspects of their wellbeing (physical, mental, social/emotional and spiritual) as well as providing opportunities to practise some self-care habits.

Students will not have set homework during Week 6 and may wear their sports uniform for the week. Parents are asked to only book meetings with teachers for urgent matters.

Parents are also welcome to purchase from the Coffee Van that will be parked in the Staff Carpark on York Street from 7:30 - 9:00am on Wednesday 16 November. Who doesn’t like a coffee to start their morning on the right note!

We look forward to exploring our wellbeing and building our knowledge and skills in this space.

We wish our Reconciliation candidates well as they receive this Sacrament on Saturday, 12 November at St Columba’s Parish, under the guidance of Monsignor O’Loughlin.

Students have been well supported in their preparation, with a Reconciliation Retreat Day scheduled this week. We wish them well as they take this next step in their faith journey.

The ICAS Mathematics certificates have arrived and were distributed today to students.

Parents can see on the back of the certificate where their child scored in relation to the rest of the participants. We congratulate our students on their achievements in this external assessment.

The P&F will sponsor the Kidz in Sport sessions at lunchtime this term for students in Years 1-6.

Tuesdays, 1:20 -1:50pm Yr 4- 6

8 weeks starting Tuesday, 18 October

Wednesdays, 1:20 -1:50pm Yr 1-3

8 weeks starting Wednesday, 19 October

Sessions will take place on the tennis courts and cover a range of sports and skills.

Students are welcome to wear their sports uniform on their Kidz in Sports Day for the remainder of the term.

The P&F are proud to offer parents an opportunity to attend a Cyber Security – Surf Online Safe Seminar, hosted by Paul Litherland. Paul is an ex-police officer with a wealth of experience in the cyber security space.

Date: Tuesday, 22 November

Time: 6:30 - 8:00pm

Location: St Columba’s School – Kalyara Mia (Covered Assembly Area)

Please RSVP by submitting your details on the link below by COB Monday, 21 November.

There is no cost for this event.

We kindly ask you to include your name, email address and how many people will be attending from your family.

We look forward to being able to offer this insightful learning opportunity for our parent community.

Please don’t hesitate to contact your P&F rep if you have any questions.

(reflection from Monday 7th November)

Our students in Y4 - 6 participated in the Healthy Friendships Workshops on Monday. Our students were involved in group activities utilizing tools such as:

Friend-o-meter; understanding green and red behaviours and the concept of Healthy and Unhealthy Friendships.

Friendship Burgers; conflict within friendships doesn’t mean the end of a friendship, how to resolve conflict, utilizing the “Friendship Burger” to explain how we are feeling and move forward in a Conflict Cycle.

We are very keen for parents to support this workshop by initiating follow up conversation at home. Parents from Years 4 - 6 will receive a handout regarding this.

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.

Please click on the link below for more details.

Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the summer school holidays. VacSwim offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations. They are a great school holiday activity and they teach valuable safety skills to help keep your child safe in the water.

Term 4: Tuesday, 11 October to Friday, 9 December 2022

Term 4: Monday, 10 October 2022

Reconciliation: Saturday, 12 November at 10am