Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome to Term 4 for 2024! I hope that you and your family enjoyed the school break.  

For our Year 6 students, Term 4 is often a time of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, there's excitement about end-of-year celebrations and the prospect of moving on to high school. On the other hand, there's sadness at leaving behind a place and people they know so well.

Many of the school events in Term 4 will be the last they experience within their primary schooling. Some students will be moving on to high school with their St Columbkille's friends, while others will be venturing out on their own. This can be a daunting time for students, but it's also an opportunity for growth and new experiences.

My advice to our Year 6 students is to soak in every moment of this term. Make the most of each activity and cherish each moment. Take time to reflect on your primary school journey and all that you have accomplished. And remember, your St Columbkille's family will always be here for you, no matter where your future takes you.

On Wednesday 16 and 23 of October our school participated in the two days of Cyclic Inquiry.  This process includes the analysis of data, the writing of a reflective report and  school visits by a pannel of educational professionals. I thank the students, staff and parents who gave us their time and valuable insights into the life of St Columbkille's school through conversations with the pannel members. The panel will provide priority areas which will make up our School Improvement Plan. I look forward to sharing the panel recommendations with you.  

On Thursday we will have the CEO Comms Team in at school taking photos of students, staff and parents.  We ask that studetns are in full school uniform and that hair is neat and tidy.  

This afternoon, we joyfully celebrate our Family Fun Night! The excitement is palpable, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the P&F for their tireless efforts in planning and organising this event. A special thank you goes out to the dedicated parent and staff volunteers who have generously offered their time and assistance to the P&F.

Enjoy the celebrations and have a great fortnight.  

Warm regards, 

Maria Disibio 

Acting Principal

WORLD MISSION DAY

On Sunday 20 October, we celebrated World Mission Day. World Mission Sunday is a special day that unites Catholics worldwide in prayer, solidarity, and support for the Church's Mission efforts. Pope Francis offers this day as a way to amplify our collective call to Mission.

This year’s theme is “Go and Invite everyone to the Banquet.” (Matthew 22:9). It is a theme which prompts us to reflect on what is happening at a world scale and within our own circles.

WORLD SCALE

We do not need to look far to recognise that there are people all over our world struggling. Parts of our world are grappling the perils of war, poverty, discrimination and homelessness. We can at times feel helpless in this and yet Mission Sunday invites us to take some time to learn more about the plight of others. We can be inspired by the courage of those endeavouring to make a difference in these parts of the world and can pray for their works.

You may like to consider reflecting on the works of Catholic Mission or the Parents Circle, a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict.

Reflect: As you reflect on the needs of others in our world, how do you feel called to respond? What is the prayer rising in your heart today?

LOCAL CIRCLES

Pope Francis suggests that this call to mission is for everyone. We are ALL called to “go and invite” and to invite “everyone”.

One may ask, to what are we inviting people? We are inviting people into an encounter with God and this can be experienced in many different ways. We may offer an invitation to share in the Eucharist, or it may be an invitation to dinner, to share lunch or a coffee, go for a walk or join a group. And it is through these encounters that relationships are formed and deepened and a glimpse of God can be felt or seen.

This year’s theme not only encourages us to invite, but to invite everyone, which can be a demanding request. Anthony Gittin reminds us that, “Jesus deliberately and continually crossed such boundaries in order to include those who were excluded either by gender, lifestyle, economic status or religion.”

This willingness to extend beyond ourselves or to show kindness is not so much driven by a feeling but by a choice we can make. Hugh Mackay suggests that kindness is “the purest form of human love: the love that has nothing to do with emotion or affection; the love that says we will treat each other kindly and respectfully, regardless of how we happen to feel about each other, because we know that's the only way a human community can thrive.”

Reflect: Who is someone in your home or workplace that is on the peripheral, that you could extend an invitation towards this week?

CHRISTMAS ART EXHIBITION & COMPETITION

CEDoW Year 5 and 6 students showcased their artistic skills in the annual Christmas Story Art Exhibition last Wednesday evening. St Columbkille's was represented by Sophie Coughlan in Year 6 and Roma Aimasso in Year 5. This year, 163 entries were submitted from 29 primary schools and one K-12 college in our diocese. A panel of judges selected 48 artworks for exhibition, of which Sophie and Roma's were a part of, and are currently displayed in the Wollongong Art Gallery. A huge congratulations to Roma Aimasso for winning this years Bishop's Choice Award, with her artwork titled "The Guiding Star."

GRADE MASSES
Parents and friends are invited to our Friday parish and grade Masses at 12 noon in St Columbkille's Church. For your calendar these dates have been set:Friday 1st November- Years 5 & 6 (All Saints Day)Friday 8th November- Year 4Friday 15th November- Years 2 & 6Friday 22nd November- Year 3Friday 6th December- Year 5

GRANDPARENTS DAY
Please be advised that the date of our Grandparents Day celebrations will be: FRIDAY 29TH NOVEMBER.

OCTOBER- MONTH OF THE ROSARY

Church there are 4 types of prayer. Just remember the ACTS acronym. ACTS is an acronym that stands for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication (or supply needs).

• Adoration: Praising God for who he is and what he has done.

• Confession: Saying sorry for the hurt we’ve caused God and others.

• Thanksgiving: Thanking God for all he has done for us.

• Supplication: Asking God to grant us what we may need.

Enjoy praying together as a family for the next few weeks.

ALL RECONCILIATION ENROLMENTS FOR YEAR 2 STUDENTS AND ANY STUDENTS IN YEAR 3 OR 4 WHO MISSED OUT LAST YEAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO THE PARISH OFFICE.

Have a blessed fortnight!

Mrs Joanne Herring

Religious Education Coordinator

The final day for Term 4 for students is Wednesday 18th December.

Thursday 19th December and Friday 20th December are Pupil Free Days.

Our Year 5 2025 students will be required to Bring their Own Device for iPad for Learning from Thursday, Week 1 (6 February 2025). This device needs to be an Apple iPad.  

If your child currently has an iPad for their exclusive use at school, then that iPad would be fine. Please note that in 2025 your child will do the NAPLAN tests on their iPad which needs to be an iPad Air 3 or later (those sold in the last 5 years). If you need to purchase a new iPad, the latest iPad is Generation 10, however, please note that this device is quite expensive and also does not have a headphone jack.  The iPad (9^th Generation) can be purchased. A device can be purchased via  EduComIT  at school prices or alternatively, you may wish to shop around for a more competitive price.  

The iPad Mini does NOT meet the minimum size requirements for NAPLAN Online testing, and so, should not be purchased for your child’s use. We also recommend that the iPad is WiFi only — not Cellular. This means there are no additional internet usage charges, and your child will only be connected to the internet when WiFi is available (at school for example).

We highly recommend purchasing a survivor type case for the ipad as this type of case provides greater protection when carrying the iPad in school bags.  Your child will not require a blue tooth keyboard nor an Apple pen.  

Should you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me via email for via the school office.  

Maria Disibio - Acting Principal and Technology Leader

On 11 October 2024 a “Public Health Alert” was released by NSW Health encouraging the community to stay alert for symptoms of gastroenteritis. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, headache, and muscle aches. Symptoms can take up to three days to develop and usually last between one or two days, sometimes longer. Hospital data has shown a significant rise in cases in recent weeks across the state.

As we begin Term 4, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to protect one another within our school community. 

Here are a few key steps to prevent the spread of the viruses that cause gastroenteritis:

1. To help keep our school community healthy, students or staff members with symptoms of Gastroenteritis should stay at home until 48 hours after their symptoms resolve.
2. Everyone should wash their hands thoroughly and regularly for at least 20 seconds using warm water and soap. While hand sanitiser can be helpful, washing hands is more effective!
3. If you are dealing with a suspected case of gastroenteritis, please wear a mask and gloves to prevent the spread.
4. If surfaces are contaminated, clean them as soon as possible with hot, soapy water, then disinfect them. 

In the case of a school emergency parents / carers will be notified via a Compass Alert/email.  

In the event that your child requires emergency care you will be contacted via phone via the number you have provided to the school.  

It is vital that you have the Compass App downloaded and have access.  Should you require assistance with Compass, please call the School Office.  

Scholastic Book Club

The last day for ordering from the Book Club Magazine Issue #7 is Thursday, 31st October. As always, I will distribute these to students as soon as they arrive. Issue #8 of the Book Club magazine will be sent to us soon after. 

Don’t forget, you can mark an order as a “gift” and I will contact you directly to arrange collection ensuring your child remains unaware of the purchase. Happy Christmas shopping!

Scholastic Book Fair

Yes, our 2024 Book Fair is almost here! This year, we’ve extended it to being available for 8 days to give students and families ample time to browse and enjoy the selection.

We truly appreciate all purchases made, as every purchase helps us refresh our library with the latest books for our students.

Book Fair Sales / Browsing Times

Location - Gunya (The Basement)

Week 3:

Friday 1st November - 8:15am - 9am

Week 4:

Monday 4th November - 8:15am - 9am

Tuesday 5th November - 3pm - 4pm

Wednesday 5th November  - 3pm - 4pm

Thursday 6th November - 3pm - 4pm

Friday 5th November - 8:15am - 9am & 3pm - 4pm

Week 5:

Monday 11th November - 8:15am - 9am

Tuesday 12th November - 3pm - 4pm

Please support our school whilst getting your hands on the best new children’s books. Stock up early for Christmas! All donations made to our school will be gratefully received.

A Plea for Prayer

On Sunday, 13th October, the Parish of St Mary MacKillop, Oran Park, received the heartbreaking news of Fr David’s resignation as Parish Priest due to his diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). This news has deeply affected both the parish and school communities. As some of you may recall, St Justin’s Primary School is now led by Mr Colquhoun, who serves as Principal.

I strongly believe in the power of prayer and the importance of supporting not just our own community but the wider diocesan family. I humbly ask you to keep Fr David, as well as the parish and school communities of Oran Park, in your prayers.

Recently, Bishop Brian invited us to pray a special novena to St Mary MacKillop and Eileen O’Connor for Fr David. While the diocesan novena has concluded, our prayers need not end. If you feel moved to do so, please consider committing to a novena over any consecutive nine days. I know the Oran Park community would be grateful for your prayers and support so please hold Fr David close in your heart and prayers, trusting that God is always with us and always listening.

Best wishes to you all - 

Katrina Carroll

Library Administrator

Congratulations to all of the stiudents who participated in this year's ICAS assessments. Brody (Year 5) was awarded a Credit Certificate in both the Spelling Bee and the English assessment, and was awarded a Merit Certificate in Mathematics. Rosalie (Year 6) was awarded a Credit Certificate in the Spelling Bee, Writing and English Assessments. All other participants received a Participation Certificate.

Supporting healthy technology use as your child transitions into high school. 

This webinar explores the social pressures, peer influences, and technological challenges young people face as they transition into high school. It also offers practical strategies for navigating online friendships and connections to help minimise negative experiences.

It's suitable for parents and carers of children in upper primary school (ages 11 to 12) and Year 7.

• Tuesday 29 October, 12.30 pm AEDT 
• Thursday 28 November, 12.30 pm AEDT 

Register here.

eSafety 101: How eSafety can help 

• Thursday 24 October, 12.30 pm AEDT 
• Wednesday 4 December, 12.30 pm AEDT 

Register here.