Dear Parents and Carers, 

Over the past year we have had parishioners volunteer their time assisting teachers in listening to students read, to helping with art lessons and completing jobs in the library.  One of our volunteers, known to the students and staff as Eric, has decided to no longer give his time to our school. I just wanted to share his words with you.  

A perfect example of the benefits of intergenerational activities and how they foster understanding, empathy, and knowledge transfer. Younger generations learn wisdom and history, while older generations gain perspective and stay engaged. It strengthens family bonds and enriches community connections, promoting mutual respect and support.  We are very gratful for all our parishioner and families volunteers.  

A reminder that Tuesday 10th June is a Pupil Free Day. Staff will be engaging in Professional Learning linked to our Annual Improvment and School Improvement Plans.

Time still remains to complete the Tell Them From Me Parent Survey.

This survey gathers feedback from students, parents/carers, and teachers on various aspects of school life, student engagement, and teacher-student interactions. The survey is anonymous and should take about 20 minutes to complete. You can access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device using the following URL: http://tellthemfromme.com/8jzdh  The closing date for the survey is Friday 30 May 2025. I thank you in advance for your participation.

Have a blessed fortnight. 

Warm regards, 

Mrs Maria Disibio 

Acting Principal

Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Sixth Sunday of Easter, celebrated this weekend,  focuses on the theme of peace, particularly God's peace for all people. This peace is emphasized in the Gospel reading, John 14:23-29, where Jesus leaves peace as his farewell and tells the disciples the Holy Spirit will soon come and teach them everything and remind them of Jesus' words. 

In today’s world, where we witness the pain of war, the plight of refugees, the wounds of injustice, and the loneliness of many, we must respond with the heart of Christ. Let us be peacemakers in our homes, schools, communities, and workplaces. Let us advocate for the dignity of every human life, care for creation, and stand in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed.

Peace begins in prayer. It is nurtured in families. It grows in communities committed to mercy and reconciliation. And it is sustained when we act courageously for the common good.

Let us echo the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love…”

Monday May 26th marks the anniversary of National Sorry Day, a day when we pause to remember the Stolen Generations of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It leads us into National Reconciliation Week which is held each year between 27th May and 3rd June.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2025 is “Bridging Now To Next.” Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. For the Catholic Church in Australia, this week offers us a time to be fully the Church that God dreams for us – a Church in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make their own unique contribution and that contribution is joyfully received by others.

St Columbkille’s will recognise this event on Monday 26th May with a whole school prayer and liturgy in the Monsignor Downey Hall at 9.15am. A huge thank you to our Year 4 staff and students for organising and leading this celebration.

Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal

Our Mini Vinnies group are in the process of finding out what items of food and clothing are needed for our local Corrimal community. This term our St Vincent de Paul focus is the “Winter Appeal” where students/families donate goods. More information will be forthcoming.

Parish / Grade Masses

Just a reminder that parents, grandparents and friends are invited to celebrate Mass with grades each Friday at noon. 

Friday 23rd May - Year 5

Friday 30th May - Year 4

Friday 6th June - Year 3

Friday 20th June - Year 6

Friday 27th June - Year 5

Friday 4th July - Year 4

Have a wonderful fortnight!

Mrs Joanne Herring

Religious Education Coordinator

This week we held two parent listening assemblies, where we listened to ideas, thoughts and suggestions about how to improve the learning at St Columbkille's. We would like to sincerely thank those parents who were able to join us. We appreciate how difficult it can be with work, family and other commitments. The giving of your time is greatly appreciated.

Our school leadership team will be collating this information and adding to what we are going to call, our "Vision for Learning". This is one of the targets of our School Strategic Improvement Plan, a journey that we will make our way through over the next four years. This will be our individual and collective commitment to what learning should look, sound and feel like, for every student, every day.

We would also like to thank members of our school leadership team for the giving up of their time in the evening to support this work. 

Mrs Christine Perre

Acting Assistant Principal

Each Sunday, we provide a weekly school event update for the upcoming week via Social Media (Instagram and Facebook). We have had so much positive feedback about these being helpful in family planning for the week. 

Starting this term, we will also be adding some family activities that help reflect on the Sunday's Gospel Reading. As a proud Catholic School Community, we strongly encourage all families to talk about the reading and the messages of the Scripture.

If you are able to engage in the suggested family activities, we would love for you to send us photos/written reflections that we could share via our newsletter or social media. These can be sent directly to Mrs Perre at perrec01@dow.catholic.edu.au

We will also be discussing the Sunday's Gospel with our students each Monday morning. This supports our work on our School Strategic Priority that by 2028, staff and students are able to articulate their faith and our mission as a proud, contemporary Catholic school, through word and action.

If you do not already follow our school's page on Instagram and Facebook, we highly recommend you do as it contains the most up-to-date information about weekly events. 

Mrs Christine Perre

Acting Assistant Principal

To assist with your planning, these are the Pupil Free Days that will occur this year:

Term 3: Monday 21st July and Friday 26th September 

Term 4: Thursday 18th December and Friday 19th December

On these dates, staff will engage in Professional Learning and/or Spirituality Days. 

There are times when changes need to be made that are beyond our control. If there are any changes to these dates, they will be communicated with you as early as possible.

Mrs Christine Perre
Acting Assistant Principal

As we are now in the Winter Uniform, it is a timely reminder to revisit our school's Uniform Policy.

We have had some parents seek clarification around the shape of earrings permitted so we have updated the policy to ensure greater transparency and consistency. The policy stated plain studs, but we have now been more specific about the nature of plain being round or square in shape. 

We have also detailed that the girls must wear either navy tights OR navy socks (must be knee-length if wearing the dress).

We appreciate your support in ensuring your child is wearing the appropriate uniform. 

A huge thank you to one of our school dads, Connor, who has generously given his time and skill to build us a beautiful picnic-style table for the playground.

Of course we also thank his little helpers, Mollie and Maeve, for their neat paintwork!

We are very grateful to have such amazing members of our school community!

We’re excited to encourage our students and families to use reusable lunch bags when ordering from the canteen! By making the switch, we can reduce single-use plastic and help protect our environment. Reusable lunch bags are a great way to keep food fresh and contribute to a more sustainable school community.

Let’s work together to make a positive impact and keep our school green!

Lunch orders can still be made online, and the reusable lunch bag can be placed in the lunch tub within classrooms for collection.

Visit the websites below to order your child’s reusable lunch bag:
https://www.stickybeaks.com.au/shop-now/

https://www.spartanschoolworld.com.au/products/lunch-order-bags-1

In Term 3, we would like to offer a Lego Building/Board Games Club at lunch time.

If you have any lego or board games (that are in good condition) that you are willing to donate, this would be greatly appreciated. 

We do not require Duplo (younger Lego). 

Donations can be brought to the school office.

On Wednesday the 14th of May, 12 students from UOW college came to visit Year 6. Eleven were from various parts of Japan such as Tokyo and all the way to the very top of Japan. One student was from Saudi Arabia. First the students along with a student teacher gave Year 6 a wonderful presentation on Japan and Saudi Arabia. It covered history, traditions and clothes on both countries and they also spoke about toys and future projects for places. We were able to do some Origami with them and the class made a Ninja Star. We moved over to Bamburr to enjoy the sunshine and we had lots of chats with the students. Caroline Ayers (my mum) was the organiser who made this wonderful experience possible.

Juliette Ayers.

By Zara and Cleo

Representative Sports News

Application for Extended Absence - Greater than five school days

Complete this form for an absence of greater than five school days that is due to one of the following reasons: misadventure or unforeseen event; participation in special events not related to the school; domestic necessity such as serious illness of an immediate family member; attendance at funerals; travel in Australia and overseas; recognised religious festivals or ceremonial occasions.

Previously when families took leave within the school term, schools issued a certificate of extended leave, approving leave for holidays and other personal matters. As of 2025 the CEDoW Attendance Policy has been updated to reflect the importance of school attendance for all students. This means that schools now issue an Acknowledgment of Extended Absence. This acknowledgement indicates whether the explanation for the absence has been accepted by the Principal or not. An explanation that is not accepted is recorded as an unjustified absence. Generally, an explanation for extended absence for the purpose of travel outside the school holiday period can not be accepted by a Principal, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as urgent family situations, illness, funerals or special religious ceremonies.  

Please email the completed form and supporting documents to info@sccdow.catholic.edu.au
If you have any questions please contact the school office.

Last week we started offering a range of lunch clubs, targeted at a range of interests, and they were a huge success!

This is a trial this term. The success of these clubs will determine whether or not this is something we implement long term.

The clubs are a great opportunity for students to join in on activities that are of interest to them, or an opportunity for them to try something completely new!

This term, the following clubs will be offered:

• Monday Lunch - Dance Club (available to K-6)
• Wednesday Lunch - Music Theatre Club (available to Years 3-6 only)
• Friday Lunch - Games & Craft e.g. chess, knitting, crochet and more (available to K-6).

You might like to talk with your child about whether or not they would be interested in joining one (or more) of these clubs.

Mrs Christine Perre

Acting Assistant Principal

Parents/carers can purchase Healthy Harold merchandise for their children through our online store. Simple select 'Parent/carer ordering for child', choose your desired items, add them to your cart, and complete the checkout process. Online orders close one day before your school visit starts. All items will be delivered by the Life Ed educator during your school's Healthy Harold visit. For more information to share with families, click here.