Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been an exciting and highly enjoyable past few weeks at St Columbkille’s.  This included our first Award Assembly and the presentation of the Kinder Welcome Certificates.

Thank you to the parents who were able to attend our Parent Information Evenings. It was wonderful to initially meet with you to discuss our Vision, Core Values and prioties for 2019.  We greatly appreciate your time in the busyness of your week.

The Annual General Meeting of the St Columbkille’s Parents’ and Friends’ Association was held on Tuesday evening. Many thanks to the parents (including our new Kinder parents), who attended the meeting and who continue to support our school. The P&F are a very important part of our community, representing all parents, grandparents, carers and supporting the future development of our school through a number of fundraising and social activities. Congratulations and thank you to the following parents for accepting the following roles:

2019 P&F EXECUTIVE

President: Wayne Rohoseink. Vice President: Sarah Foster

Secretary: Melissa Docherty Treasurer: Nicky Bishop 

2019 COMMITTEE COODINATORS

Pastoral Care: Zoe Jacobson The Patch: Cecila Welsh

Have a sensational couple of weeks, remembering to look after yourselves and one other.

Take care

Mr Brad Colquhoun - Principal

As we prepare ourselves for the Church’s season of Lent think about these 3 important words in the lead up to Easter – change, conversion and new beginnings. Remember to use your heart and hands to emulate Jesus.

Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week is a special time in the year when we celebrate and give thanks for Catholic Schools, especially our own school, St Columbkille’s. The theme for 2019 is “The future has a name, and that name is hope.” Throughout the course of this week students, staff and families will have an opportunity to join together for a liturgy and classroom visits, reflect on why we are thankful for our Catholic school community and listen to a presentation in regards to Project Compassion.

 Project Compassion Launch

On Tuesday 5^thMarch our captains, along with Mr Colquhoun, will represent our school at the annual Project Compassion Launch. This year the event will be held at St Brigid’s, Gwyneville and the Lenten theme for 2019 is “Give LENT 100%.”

Ash Wednesday Mass/Liturgy

Next Wednesday, 6th March we begin the Church season of Lent. This commences with the feast day of Ash Wednesday. All Catholics are blessed with ashes on their forehead to remind them to turn back to God in preparation for Easter. Years 3-6 will attend a Parish Mass on this day and our K-2 students will celebrate with a liturgy in the hall.  

Lenten Prayer Boxes

Family Prayer boxes will be sent home during the Season of Lent. The box contains all that you will need for your family to pray together. Please remember if your child doesn’t bring the prayer box home during the season of Lent they will have a chance to bring it home during October – the month of the Rosary, or in the season of Advent.

World Day of Prayer 2019

The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement led by Christian women who welcome you to join in prayer and action for peace and justice. It is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday in March. The movement aims to bring together women of various races, cultures and traditions in a yearly common Day of Prayer, as well as in closer fellowship, understanding and action throughout the year. In 2019 the host country will be Slovenia and the theme is “Come – Everything is Ready!”

Mrs Joanne Herring - Religious Education Coordinator 

More than 68,000 people have engaged with the Plenary Council during the Listening and Dialogue stage. As this time comes to an end there’s still 3 weeks to contribute your story, your experience of faith, Church and God in your life to help shape the Plenary Council agenda. The Listening and Dialogue stage will close on Ash Wednesday 6 March 2019. It would be great to log on to the website and have your say: http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/

On Saturday March 2and Sunday March 3 students from our school will take on reading and offertory roles at our parish Mass. Thank you to those families involved. It would be lovely to see many more families at this weekend Mass enjoying the company of others after celebrating the Eucharist. Remember to bring a plate of food to share. Please advise the office if your family would like to be involved.

On Monday 11February, St Columbkilles had our annual Swimming Carnival. Due to a change in Council regulations we were only able to hold our carnival over a half day, which did change the dynamics, however we still observed some fantastic swimming talent.  Although we had fewer competitors, a number of students entered multiple events and displayed great sportspersonship. The following students are our 2019 Age Champions:

Junior Girls:    Maddison Wood

Junior Boys:    Hamish Dorny

11 Girls:         Charlotte Mamouris

11 Boys:             Jake Walsh

Senior Girls:    Katerina Fluery

Senior Boys:   Kye Mitchell

Chamionship House: MacKillop

Many thanks to all the parents who volunteered their time by helping out on the day. 

School Fee Agreements

Families who wish to take advantage of the flexibility of paying their school fees over the school year, rather than paying within 30 days, must have in place a current School Fee Agreement to advise their preferred method of school fee payment, amount and frequency.   Agreements are accessible from the school office and website.

Please note:  If you have an existing School Fee Agreement you are required to provide an amended version as soon as possible to update your details.  In the case that you are paying by Direct Debit, you may also need to provide an amended authority which will be lodged by the school on your behalf.Diocesan_School_Fee_Agreement.pdf

• The School Fee Agreement should be returned to the school office by Friday 1 March 2019, with any applicable payment authorities.
• Families who do not return agreements will be subject to full payment within 30 days.
• Methods of payment offered include: BPay; EFTPOS; Cash/Cheque; Credit Card; Direct Debit with the preferred method being BPay Payments – please refer to the School Fee Agreement for further information regarding each type of payment.
• Frequencies offered include: Weekly, fortnightly, monthly or intervals that suit the family budget
• To determine your payment amount, an online ‘School Fee Calculator’ is available on the school’s website.

A reminder that applications are now being accepted for Kindergarten, 2020.  The enrolment forms are available from the school office or you are able to download them from the school website.  

Download: Catholic Primary School Enrolment Package

Lederer Corrimal is starting "Spend For Your School" campaign between 29th April to 14th June.  Customers who shop there, can allocate every dollar they spend as points towards their nominated school.  The local school with the most points wins.

1st Prize - $3000

2nd Prize - $1500

3rd Prize - $1000

5 x $500  Runner Up Prizes

The P&F Pastoral Team supports families with food (dinners, lunches for students etc) during times of loss, injury and/or hardship. If you need support or know a family that does, please contact the school office.

We as a whole school community will be participating in "Clean Up Australia Day" on the 1st March.  The children will be allocated an area in and around our school, to clean up under the supervision of their teacher.  

Parents are asked to supply the children with gardening gloves (if possible) or rubber gloves for the day.

HOLY SPIRIT COLLEGE ENROLMENTS 2020

Applications for enrolment in Year 7/2020 are now open and enrolment packages are available from the School Administration office and were sent home with our Years 5 & 6 students.

The College will be holding Open Mornings on Wednesday 27 February and Thursday 28 February 2019 commencing at 9.00am and concluding at 11.00am.

A Twilight Tour of the College will also be held on Thursday 28 February at 5.30pm, which will be followed by an Information Evening at 7.00pm.

Applications for enrolment close on 12 April 2019.

For further information please contact the Enrolments Officer on 4286 6211.

School banking has commenced for 2019. Thank you to Mrs Romany Rosengren for taking on the position of school banking officer again this year. Romany does a wonderful job in supporting our students throughout the year and we are very thankful for the work that she does.

If you would like your child to commence school banking, please contact the School Office

Reminder: The newly named - Rosalia Lane (Sister Rosalia of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus opened the first Catholic school in April 1904) is strictly a no stopping zone. Therefore, parents and carers should not park in the laneways (Coxs and Rosalia) prior to afternoon dismissal. 

In resepct to our neighbouring houses, parents/carers are not to arrive before 3:10pm. Arriving at this time greatly reduces the congestion and inconvenience caused to our local residents and neighbours.

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 in the front of all cars (sunvisers) 
• Overtaking a stationary vehicle is not permitted

Parents are reminded that school commences at 8:50am and concludes at 3:10pm each day. Increasingly children are arriving late to school or being signed out early. Teachers are on duty from 8:30am and children are encouraged not to arrive at school before this time. If your child is arriving late to school you MUST report to the school office to sign in your child/ren.

Early departure requires parents and carers to sign children out at the school office. Parents are asked NOT to drop children off in the laneway or present at the classroom without leave approval from the school office. Thank you for your continued support with this matter.

We recently welcomed Start Smart to deliver their free, financial education workshops to our students 1-5. Workshops were delivered in class to students by a facilitator.  Start Smart changes the way young people learn about money, by making money management interactive, engaging and fun. Our students were equipped with the confidence and competence they need to make smart decisions about money.

Our school has proudly joined the Commonwealth Bank's Start Smart Program in its mission to improve the financial literacy of Australia’s young people. Overall, the program proved to be a highly beneficial experience for students and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. For more information on the program and each of the workshops we encourage you to visit www.startsmart.com.au.

Mrs Maria Disibio – Assistant Principal

Quite a number of items of lost property have already been collected in the Lost Property baskets kept within the Basement.  Items found with names will be returned, however the growing number of items, inlcuding lunch boxes, food containers and drink bottles that are not clearly marked will be donated to St Vincent de Paul at the end of the term.  If your son or daughter has lost an item, please check the Lost Property baskets.  To assit with lost property we ask that all items are clearly labelled, so they can be returned.  

SIBS – Family & Sibling Support Program

CATHOLICCARE

Do you have a brother or a sister with a disability?

Disability impacts everyone in the family – most of the time this is an intensely positive and rewarding experience but sometimes it can also be really challenging! We understand caring for someone in your family can be hard at times; having a friend that knows what its like and understands disability can make all the difference.

SIBS is a social respite initiative designed to give the siblingsof children with additional needs some time-out to relax, have fun, and just be kids. Fun days out, workshops, and an annual camp are just some of the things we do to build a network of support and friendship for young people aged 5-12 years (Saturday SIBSClub) and 12-16 years (TeenSIBS).

To find out more contact: Kath Walsh on Mondays and Fridays Phone: 4254 9332 or kathw@catholiccare.dow.org.au  

Catholic Care are running a number of courses during Term 1 with the theme being, 'Strengthening Your Relationships' See flyer for further details. 

Bulli PCYC Gymnastics Program offers a variety of classes for all ages, abilities and interests. From classes targeted at developing fundamental gymnastics abilities, social skills, learning cool games and improving fitness and flexibility, to classes dedicated to perfecting technique, skills and routines to be competition ready. See the attached flyer for more details.