Dear Parents and Carers, 

I hope you are all well and that you and your families have enjoyed what has been a fabulous start to the 2024 school year.  It has brought much joy to see the smiling faces, to hear the laughter on the playground and to feel the buzz of new learning in our classrooms.  

Last Wednesday we celebrated Ash Wednesday with K-4 in the Monsignor Downey Hall gathering in liturgy and Year 5 and Year 6 joined our Parish for Mass.  Thank you to the parents and friends that joined us and thank you also to Mrs Rathbone and her team of helpers for the planning organisation and implementation of the Liturgy.

Lent offers a perfect opportunity to embody the gospel in your daily life. I ask you to consider how you can integrate the gospel into your everyday actions, not just during these forty days. Let Ash Wednesday not be the sole day where your Christian identity is evident; let your actions consistently reflect your faith throughout the year. Being recognised as a follower of Christ is a profound affirmation of your commitment.  

This week we commenced our series of Open Classrooms with Stage 2, Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 and Year 5 last night. Year 6 will have their Open Classroom the next week on Tuesday 27, starting at 5pm. These sessions were an opportunity for our students to guide their parents around their learning environments, to share learning already occurred and to introduce their teacher/s to the parents/carers. The number of families filling each classroom was a wonderful indication of the success of these evenings.  

You may have noticed that the Madjuru playground (previously known as the Infants Playground) has been temporarily closed.  With construction fencing erected and a Risk Assessment in place, it is hoped we can reopen this space soon, so that our students can enjoy the play equipment and sandpit once again.  

Our recent Parents and Friends AGM saw the election of the following people to the respective positions.  I thank all these ladies for raising their hand to lead our P&F.  

Dear St Columbkille's community,

This past week and a half I have been fortunate to attend, with other colleagues from the diocese and Father Patrick, the 2024 RE Congress in Anaheim, Los Angeles. It will be trip that will be forever remembered fondly in my heart for the learnings, experiences and friendships formed. The theme of the conference was "Be Loved." This is a great reminder of how God's love, nourishment and transformative power is experienced in our hearts, mainds and in our actions.

Pope Francis has said, "This is the heart of the Christain faith: God, who is love, has drawn near to you, to me, to everyone, in his Son Jesus, and wants to share in your life, your work, your dreams, and your thirst for happiness." I was blessed to take part in so many life filling experiences and for that I am truly grateful.

I am also thankful to the staff of St Columbkille's in continuing to help our students live out their faith these past 2 weeks, and in the near future, with a number of experiences they have organised and led. "It takes a village to raise a child" and our community is a testament to that. BE LOVED!

FAMILY / PARISH MASS

The first of our family/parish masses will occur on Thursday 7th March at 6 pm. It will be a "Welcome Mass" for St Columbkille's with our school leaders, staff and students receiving a blessing from Father Patrick. Our school band will enliven our spirits by performing. We hope to see many families join us for this celebration.

Our first school and community weekend Mass, for those who can attend, will be held on Sunday 17th March @ 9.30am. Our Stage 3 students will help lead this Mass, and it is an extra special celebration being St Patrick's feast day.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2024

This year it will be held on Friday 1st March, 2024. For decades this global ecumenical prayer service has been an opportunity for local churches in each region to come together to pray, focusing on a particular place in the world and supporting a shared project. All parishioners are welcome at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, Balgownie for a 10am Mass. This year's service was written by the Christian Women of Palestine.

DIOCESAN EDUCATION MASS

Each year staff from within the Diocese of Wollongong attend the annual education Mass. This year we will celebrate together on Tuesday 5th March at St John Vianney's Cathedral at Fairy Meadow. We look forward to this event and giving thanks for the new school year and all that it brings.

SACRAMENTS 2024

Dates for the sacraments of Confirmation (Year 6), First Holy Communion (Year 3) and First Reconciliation (Year 2) have been set. Further information will follow as we near these dates.

• Confirmation: Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd of July @ 7pm
• First Holy Communion: Sunday 8th, Sunday 15th and Sunday 22nd of September @ 9.30am
• First Reconciliation: Thursday 5th December @ 9.30am

WANTED: PROJECTOR OPERATORS FOR MASS

Are you available (student, parent or family) to go on a roster to operate the laptop at either the 6pm Mass on Saturday or 9.30am Mass on Sundays? If you could help out once a month or every six weeks, please contact Millie 0409 999 196. It would be wonderful for those students who have already received, or are receiving, the Sacraments to help lead this ministry.

Have a wonderful fortnight being loved,

Mrs Jo Herring - Religious Education Coordinator

On Tuesday 13, our School Captians, Rosalie and Kynan along with Mrs Disibio attened the 2024 Project Compassion Launch at John Therry, Rosemeadow.  The liturgy was a beatufil expreinced led by the staff and students of John Therry.  

Rosalie and Kynan spoke to the school community the following day and distributed the class Project Compassion boxes, asking each communuity member to give so that ours can have life.  

Students can place their donations in classroom boxes for parents may wish to donate dirtectly online. Donate Now Online

Our Parish are in need of volunteers to operate the laptop so that the Mass Powerpoint is projected for all to see.  Help is needed on the Saturday 6pm masses and the Sunday 9:30am masses.  You can volunteer your time once a month, every six weeks, or as often as you can.  Minimal technology skills are required and training and support is provided.  

Should you have questions or be interested, please contact Millie - 0409 999 196

Danger, Drama, Action!

This week some of our aspiring Year 6 authors participated in a writing workshop run by the NSW State Library. Students were guided through a process to write a story about an adventurous explorer, following the writing instructions below: 

• Introduce your explorer character and explain why they're not exactly a 'perfect' explorer
• Explain your character's motivation for exploring, and why they will keep going no matter how dangerous it gets!
• Describe the first scene they see in the world they're exploring using vivid, sensory descriptions of the landscape
• Put your character through a series of three increasingly dangerous situations, building to a final life-or-death dramatic finish
• Figure out how your character will survive these challenges, and if they successfully fulfil their reason/motivation for exploring
• How has your character changed because of their adventure?
  What have they learnt about the world, and about themselves?

This interactive workshop required the students to add their contributions to a Q&A in the Zoom platform, with many of these being read out to all participants. 

I look forward to reading these stories when completed!

Mrs Michelle Lace - Leader of Enrichment

As you would be aware a number of our students have food allergies to nuts, eggs, fish and shellfish.  In keeping these students safe from food reactions including anaphylaxis, we ask that you take great care when packing lunch boxes for your child/ren school each day. 

We ask that you pack:

No raw nuts (nut muesli bars)

No nut products (peanut butter, Nutella, coconut water)

No nuts in cooked items

No raw eggs

No cooked eggs (egg sandwich, egg in a salad, egg based mayonnaise)

No meringue 

No raw fish

No raw shellfish

No cooked white fish, salmon or shellfish 

Items that are OK to include in lunchboxes are:

* tinned tuna

* egg within cooked foods (cakes, biscuits, quiche or zucchini slice) 

We ask all who consume these foods to wash hands thoroughly after consumption and to ensure that they do not share their food with others.

The following website, ‘Kids with Food Allergies’ contains a number of recipes that are as free of many different food allergens as possible.  If you struggle with what to pack your child, this site is worth a browse.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/recipes-diet.aspx#res

Also, just a reminder that NO dogs are permitted on school grounds as we have a student very allergic to dogs. 

Rosalia Lane is strictly a no stopping zone. It is recommended that parents and carers should not park in the laneways and/or driveways (Coxs and Rosalia) prior to afternoon dismissal - Carlines commences at 3pm and finishes at 3:30pm.

We ask parents/carers and grandparents do not arrive before 3pm and wait in the either laneway. Arriving at and/or after 3pm greatly reduces the congestion and makes the flow of traffic safer and effective.

Please ensure that the following guidelines are adhered to for the safety of all. 

• Children must only be dropped off or picked up in the clearly mark designated area
• Children must only enter and exit from the driver side of the car
• Family names are to be clearly displayed on the sunviser of all cars. Please contact the office if you need a one
• Overtaking a stationary vehicle is not permitted - it is a dangerous practice and unsafe for students exiting vehicles.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT!

Kaylan Pons in Year 4G has been selected in the Tennis Australia NSW Super 10s Team. The NSW Super 10s program consists of weekly training squads at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre and exciting, team based competitions for 16 boys and 16 girls aged 10 and under. The nation-wide program is aimed at providing quality opportunities and experiences for emerging young tennis players. Well done Kaylan!

'I made the state tennis team for the under 10s.  I made it through both days and each day was very hot and hard.  So now every Tuesday I have to travel to Sydney Olympic Park for training.  Every second Saturday and Sunday I travel to Parramatta.'  

SCC Swimming Trials

Congratulations to all of our swimmers who participated in the SCC Swimming trials. It was amazing to see so many swimmers at the pool, especially our younger students who attended for the first time. 

Congratulations to our age champions:

Junior Girl - Jett Hyslop

Junior Boy - Lennox Elliott

11 year Girl - Stella Howell

11Year Boy - Ollie Stewart

Senior Girl - Isabella Masters

Senior Boy - Nate Elliott

Congratulations to our winning house!

1st - MACKILLOP GREEN

2nd - McCabe Yellow

3rd - Downey Red

4th - Joseph Blue

Diocese of Wollongong Selection

Congratulations to Kynan Merola (Cricket) and Harper Harrison (Touch) who have been selected to represent the Diocese of Wollongong in the upcoming MacKillop Trials. We wish both Kynan and Harper every success as they work towards being selected for the MacKillop team.

All parents and carers are warmly invited to join us for two parent workshops this term.
Reading: Thursday 7th March: 2-3pm in MD Hall. We will be discussing the syllabus expectations in relation to the teaching of Reading and what this looks like in the classroom. Practical examples for what you can do at home will also be shared.

Maths: Friday 8th March 2-3pm in MD Hall. We will be discussing fundamental knowledge all students need to have and give practical examples of what you can do at home to support your child. 

Please come and join us for an afternoon of learning and games!

See you there.

Mrs Christine Perre and Mrs Maria Disibio

Dear Parents and Carers,

School Fees will be due for payment in full by Wednesday 28th February 2024.

This is also when first instalments will be due. 

Statements should now have been sent to all parents/guardians. If you have not recieved your 2024 statement, please contact the SSSO Belinda Howard as soon as possible via email - howardb03@dow.catholic.edu.au. 

What is applied within the school fees?

Payment Plans

Parents have the option of going on a payment plan if they are unable to pay school fees in full at the start of each year. If parents are already currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year.

In order to go on a payment plan, a Request to pay by Instalment Form must be filled out by the parent and emailed to the Senior School Support Officer - howardb03@dow.catholic.edu.au. Alternatively you can also drop the form off to the school office. Parents have the option to pay either on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.

IMPORTANT: Please note, if you currently have a child at another school in the Diocese and you are paying by instalments at this location, you will not need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment. The instalment request carries over from school to school with the same frequency of payment. EG: Weekly, fortnightly, etc.

Please contact Belinda Howard via email - howardb03@dow.catholic.edu.au or please call 4284 7987 to discuss this in further detail.

Financial Hardship

It is an important part of the Senior School Support Officer’s duty to implement strategies for families who may be experiencing financial hardship and may be finding it difficult to pay their school fees. If you are experiencing financial hardship, it is important to advise the Senior School Support Officer as soon as possible. A special form called a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession will need to be completed by the parent/carer.

Please contact Belinda Howard directly via howardb03@dow.catholic.edu.au or please call 4284 7987 to discuss this in further detail.

Kind regards,

Belinda Howard

Senior School Support Officer

Last year a notification was sent out in the newsletter advising of the new school fee schedule for 2024. Some of the information provided was not applicable to St Columbkille’s and has caused confusion for some parents and carers.

The correct information regarding fees is set out below.

In 2024, for students in Kindergarten to Year 6, the Tuition Fee is $1,843 per family and the Building Levy (formerly known as SEDSO Levy) is $1,245 per family. As well as these fees, each student at the school is a charged a Resource fee, Excursion fee and other event fees if applicable which vary in amount according to the different grades. We apologise for any confusion caused.

Key messages for families –

• Families have an important part to play in keeping children safe around roads.
• Never drop off or meet your child on the opposite side of the road to the bus stop or call them across the road.
• Always drop them off or meet them on the same side of the road as the bus stop.
• Remind your children to always wait until the bus has gone before choosing a safe place to cross the road
• Talk to your children about Stop! Look! Listen! Think! every time they cross the road:
  • Stop one step back from the kerb – Look continuously both ways
  • Listen for the sounds of approaching traffic
  • Think whether it is safe to cross and keep checking until safely across.

Drivers should look out for children who are crossing the road or waiting to cross. Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children.

Lights begin to flash when the bus stops and the doors open, and they keep flashing for about 20 seconds after the doors close. Children are most at risk in the minutes after they get off the bus.

Young children are often unpredictable in their movements. They are still developing the skills that help them to judge the direction of sound and the speed and distance of vehicles.

Due to their large size and mass, buses can cause severe outcomes for other road users in crashes.  Motorists can help reduce the risk of a crash and keep children safe by:

• slowing down to 40km/h when bus lights are flashing, unless a lower speed limit applies
• looking out for children crossing the road near bus stops, in school zones or along bus routes
• giving way to buses when they merge back into traffic.

For more information visit: Transport NSW Be Bus Aware.

Harmony Week is an annual celebration of Australia’s cultural diversity and the benefits it brings to the entire Australian community. In 2024, Harmony Week runs from Monday 18 March to Sunday 24 March.

Schools play a vital role in promoting ideas of harmony, togetherness, and belonging during this important time. Many schools also take this opportunity to organise events that celebrate multiculturalism within their communities.

One way of being involved in Harmony Week is to encourage student participation in the annual Harmony Day Competition. In 2024, the competition categories are Poster, Songwriting and Short Film (new category). The theme for the 2024 competition is: ‘Harmony – what can we do?’

Entries close on 12 April 2024.

More details on the competition are available here.