Dear Parents and Carers, 

Hope that you are well and have had an enjoyable couple of weeks. 

Congratulations to our Year 3 students who made their First Holy Communication over the last 3 weeks. We are extremely appreciative of the time and work of Fr  Patrick and Fr Anthony, parishioners - Anna and Millie,   teachers - Mrs Runko and Ms Connery, families  and staff who have supported our students through this sacrament of Initiation. 

       

This Sunday at 9:30am, we celebrate our final Family Mass for 2024. Our school band 'The Cobra's' will be playing and we invite one and all to attend this special end of year celebration with our school and parish community.

The Semester 2 Academic Reports were published via Compass yesterday afternoon. Congratulations to the many students who have made significant growth in their learning throughout Terms 3 and 4. We are extremely proud of our students and their commitment in this space.

Staffing has been finalised for 2024. It is always an emotional time with a sense of excitement, challenge and sadness associated with both the process and final outcome. We welcome Miss Lauren Ah Tong to the St Columbkille's Team and we welcome back Mrs Libbie Tyrrell.

We farewell Mrs Joanne Ilias, who was the successful applicant for a full-time permanent teaching position at St Michael's, Nowra. Congratulations to Mrs Amy Runko for her appointment as a full time permanent teacher at St Therese West Wollongong.  Mrs Susan Fulwood has decided to retire from her School Support role from the end of 2024 and Mr Thomas Lattimore will take on a new position within the NSW Fire Department.  Ms Michelle Emmett has decided to take a further 12 months leave to continuing working at Dorchester ETU.

We congratulate and wish all our staff the very best moving into their new roles for the 2024 school year.  Below you will find a detailed outline of SCC 2024 staffing.  

Advent

Advent, which begins the Church’s liturgical year, begins on Sunday December 3rd 2023. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. This week we light the first Advent candle which symbolises HOPE. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah. Next weekend is the second Sunday of Advent and the candle represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

Celebrating Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas.

Family / Parish Mass

Join us Sunday 3rd December, at 9.30am, for our final family and parish combined Mass. Our school band, the Cobras, under the guidance of Marguerite Andary, will perform two hymns for the congregation. Students will also be helping out with readings and offertory. Children's liturgy will happen within the Mass, so come along for a wonderful morning of celebration and eucharist. Please remember to bring a small plate of food to share afterwards for morning tea. Recent First Holy Communicants are also invited to wear their special outfit / dress again.

Sacraments

Our First Communion Masses are now complete with a number of students having received Jesus for the first time. It is wonderful to see them also taking part in the eucharist during weekend and school/parish Masses. Remember you can receive the "body of Christ" as many times as you like.

First Reconciliation, for our Year 2 students, was celebrated yesterday with Father Patrick and Father Anthony. Through this sacrament the priest, in Jesus' name, forgives our sins and we are encouraged to be better people. Thank you to all those who helped in preparing these children, both at home and at school.

Christmas Celebration

Our Christmas Celebration will held next Wednesday 6th December from 6pm (weather permitting). In the event of inclement weather the concert will be cancelled. Our Infants and Primary choirs have been rehearsing well under the guidance of Ms Patton. Our school band also have been practising a couple of tunes. Let's pray for fine weather next week!

Year 6 Graduation Celebrations

Our annual Year 6 Mass, dinner and awards will be held on Wednesday 13th December. Mass will begin at 5.30pm in St Columbkille's Church, followed by dinner and our major awards for the evening. We celebrate all that these students have become and will inspire themselves to become, as they complete their primary years of schooling. 

Vinnies Christmas Hampers

Our annual support for the St Vincent de Paul chapter of Corrimal has begun. Our Christmas hampers can commence being filled with specific items for each grade. Thank you to the Mini Vinnies for organising this. These hampers are always endorsed by our families to help others in need, especially at Christmas. We will hand over these hampers during the final days of the school year.

Staff Spirituality Day

On Monday the 18th of December the staff will take part in their annual Spirituality Day. This will  focus on gratitude and thanksgiving using different prayer styles. It will be a time to reflect on another year, the successes and challenges within the teaching profession.

Christmas Masses Corrimal & Bulli

St Columbkille's

Christmas Eve | Sunday 24th December 7:30pm Vigil MASS | 12 Midnight MASS Christmas Day |Monday 25th Dec | 9:30am MASS

St Joseph’s, Bulli

Christmas Eve | Sunday 24th December 5pm VIGIL MASS | 7pm VIGIL MASS Christmas Day | Monday 25th December 8:30am MASS | NB: NO Evening MASS

II Rite of RECONCILIATION Bulli: Wednesday 20th December at 6pm Corrimal: Thursday 21st December at 7pm

Last Youth Group for 2023 - 8 DEC

WHERE: St Columbkille’s Parish Centre TIME: 6:30pm– 8pm WHO: Yr 6 to High School CONTACT: Amy 0423 289 320

Have a great fortnight!

Mrs Jo Herring - Religious Education Coordinator

Student academic reports for Semester Two were published via Compass yesterday. The Semester Two Report, assesses all Key Learning Areas taught using the A to E scale.  Students Kindergarten to Year 6 will receive a Semester Two Report. 

Optional Learning Conversations will follow during Week 9 and 10.  Should you require a Learning Conversation with your child's class teacher, please contact the teacher via email or through the School Office.   

Maria Disibio - Assiatant Principal 

NSW Champion of Champions Tennis Tournament

Congratulations to Kaylen Pons in Year 3 who recently competed in the NSW Champion of Champions Tennis Tournament.

Kaylen won 3 and lost 2 games to the top seed and the 6th seed. He ended up in 13th place in the state under 10's.

Well done Kaylen!

- The final day of 2023 for students will be Friday 15th December 2023.

- Staff will return to school on Tuesday 30th January 2024.

- Students will return to school on Wednesday 31st January 2024.

- 2024 Kindergarten students will start their first day at St Columbkille's on Wednesday 7th February 2024.

Belinda Howard

Senior School Support Officer

Dear Parents/Carers

The safety and wellbeing of students is always our first priority. This includes protecting their privacy and respecting the wishes of parents and carers regarding the use of student photos, images, and works at all times.

At the start of each school year, you are asked to complete a form to provide your consent for images of your child to appear in various places (e.g., in school newsletters, social media, and promotional material).

In 2023, this form became digital, and you were asked to consent to an event in Compass. 

In the same way that you provided consent for your child in 2023, you will still be able to simply reply in the Compass app; however, in 2024, this consent will be provided in a new app feature called Compass Insight. Compass’ Insights module is a tool for gathering information from staff, students and parents that can be used for a variety of purposes.

What do you need to do?

During the Christmas vacation period, you will receive a new image consent Insight in the Compass app. Please click on the link provided and read the details of the Insight carefully, discuss it with your child, and once you have made your decision, answer the question to either provide or decline consent.

To ensure that no child misses out on having their photo taken as part of school life, we will occasionally send reminders to parents and carers who have yet to complete the Insight.

If you have any questions about this change or the image consent form in general, please contact the school, and we will be happy to discuss this further with you.

This information was provided by Anthony Rooskie (Information System SME - Finance, Facilities, ICLT and Planning) - Head Office. 

Kind regards,

Belinda Howard

Senior School Support Officer

With the warmer months upon us, it’s timely to remind students of the dangers of UV rays and the importance of sun safety.

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and statistics show that melanoma is the most common cancer affecting young Australians aged 15 – 24 years. The good news is that skin cancer is highly preventable.

The new Sun and UV at School skin cancer resources will assist primary and secondary school students in making healthy, safe, and proactive choices regarding sun protection to reduce their risk of skin cancer.