Dear Parents and Carers,

Hope that you are well and have enjoyed your week.

• From Monday 28 February, we will move to symptomatic testing. Tests are to be used at your discretion such as if your child is symptomatic or there are cases in their class. Our school will provide each student and staff member with 8 tests per student and staff in schools.  Further information re: RAT’s collection, will be sent out once kit’s have arrived. Beyond that, students and staff can access PCR tests or buy their own rapid antigen tests. Will advise of collection, once RAT kits have arrived at school
• FOR PRIMARY - Masks will continue to be required indoors for all school staff, volunteers and visitors including parents and carers in primary schools until Friday 4 March. This means that from Monday 7 March, masks will no longer be mandatory for all staff. However, those who wish to continue to use them will be supported to do so.
• From Monday 28 February, visitors can be allowed back on school site. All visitors are asked to follow our usual sign-in and sign-out process.

Below are a series of adjustments that we have made at a school level to support the easing of restrictions:

• Morning Arrival -  K-6 will assemble on the Front Cement
• Morning Assembly -  K-6 morning assembly with welcome, Acknowledgement of Country and SCC Prayer
• Afternoon Dismissal -  to remain the same (Midgley St or Front of Church for parent pick up until further notice)
• Parents - can support in classrooms, attend morning/award assemblies
• Awards Assemblies - Award Assemblies K-6, with parents in the MD Hall each Friday at 2:30pm.
• Canteen will re-open at recess and lunch (date to be advised)

As a school community we will continue to ensure COVID-smart measures are in place, including maximising natural ventilation in learning spaces, social distancing, option of wearing masks, good hand hygiene and cleaning practices.

In regards to staffing, I would like to announce that Mrs Trudi McDonald has decided to relinquish her SSSO position due to health and family reasons. Commencing her time at SCC on 22 October 2018, Mrs McDonald brought with her great professionalism, care, empathy and compassion and highly effective school office practises, protocols and infrastructure. The community of St Columbkille's will dearly miss Mrs McDonald and wish her and her family all the very best moving into the future.

Mrs Sharon Anderson finishes her role as Acting SSSO today. We wish Mrs Anderson all the very best in her future endeavours. Her support, flexibility and professionalism of our school community throughout the last 3 terms has been greatly appreciated.  Thank you Mrs Anderson.

Next Thursday 3 March, the Student Leadership 2022 Presentation will take place in the MD Hall at 2:15pm. With the easing of restrictions, both parents and Year 5 will attend this wonderful acknowledgement and celebration for our Year 6 students

On Tuesday we held our first P&F meeting for 2022. On the agenda was the Annual General Meeting, where our P&F Executive were elected. Congratulations to Nicky Bishop, Rosie King, Kelly Saveski, Sarah Foster and Pina Martelozzo for accepting and taking on the responsibilities associated in supporting our school community. With the easing of restrcitions the P&F Colour Run will take place on Friday 1 April at Ziems Park, Corrimal. Further inofrmation will be made avaialbe closer to the event.

President: Nicky Bishop Vice Presidents: Sarah Foster and Pina Martelozzo

Secretaries: Kelly Saveski Treasurer: Rosie King

Register SCC Uniform Committee

Further to the success of our former SCC students in last year Higher School Certificate (HSC) from Holy Spirit College and St Mary's Star of the Sea, Aaron Northey (Edmund Rice College) achieved an atar of 94.25 and made the 2021 High Achievers List for Modern History. Aaron will attend Sydney University to study Aeronautical Engineering. 

Thank you for the continued support, patience and care that you have afford our school community. We your weekend with family and friends. Stay safe and well.

Take care

Brad Colquhoun - Principal

The continuing gospel narrative this week (Luke 6:17, 20-26), with Jesus addressing those who choose to follow him, outlines a way of being that brings fullness of life. This is not presented as following a set of laws, rather it comes from the more challenging perspective on how to live. This includes being satisfied by living in right relationship and experiencing the joy that comes from living this way. The alternative, hidden behind a false reality of living the ‘rich’ life, is less appealing - dissatisfied and a sense of despair that comes from a focus on self at the expense of others and a hardness of heart that excludes a relationship with God.

The poor and the rich, refer to whether we recognise the place and need for God in our lives or whether we believe ourselves to be self-sufficient and God is external to our lives.  Like any relationship, our relationship with the divine grows and deepens over time when there is a willingness and openness to what is offered. There are many blessings for those who welcome God into their lives.

As you go through your day, take time to notice and savour the moments of goodness, truth and beauty you encounter. These are the blessings that we welcome into our lives. In the times and experiences that are more challenging, trust that remaining committed to and open within the relationship, will also have blessings.

Congratulations the following students for their results in the 2021 Science ICAS Assessment:

Distinction - Taavi Cooke - Ciara Pons 

Credit - Alissa Bishop - Daisy Smith - Cameron Ritz

Merit - Rosalie Larkin

Participation - Kynan Merola - Bronte Ireland - Christian Da Silva - Aiden Heaton

Harper Briscoe-Hough, Niamh Conway, Sophie Coughlan, Ella Dorney, Stella Howell, Willow Jenkins, Andie Lucchitti, Isabella Masters, Mia McCormack, Amelia Rutledge, Payton Sims, Abigail Vaughan, Kade Bloom, Taj Bloom, Lennox Elliott, Nate Elliott, Kayle Galaxidis, Alex Mamouris, Kynan Merola, Bailey Mitchell, Kaylan Pons, Dylan Saveski, Ollie Stewart, Paxton Stewart.

Thank you to our sport Captains who will also be assisting with the running of the carnival on the day.

The Australian Mountain Bike Interschools is an exciting event open to students from Year 5 through to Year 12. This event begins on Wednesday 23rd March and concludes Sunday 27th March in Thredbo.

The 2022 Australian MTB Interschools features events & categories to suit every rider, ability & style. Whether you’re a cross country specialist, pump track master or a downhill demon, there is an event for you at the Australian MTB Interschools.

For any student who is interested in competing or who have already registered are able to wear a school jersey or singlet as part of their riding gear. Please find more information on this event using the following link:

https://www.thredbo.com.au/mtbinterschools/

As the event gets closer we will publish a list of competing students from St Columbkille's.

Mrs Colleen Kipp - Leader of Sport 

Premier's Reading Challenge

The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge begins on Monday 28th February and closes on Friday 19th August. Please keep an eye out for your child's login details in the coming weeks. This will be sent home as a note.

Scholastic Book Club Order Distribution - Help Needed
If anyone is interested in taking on the role as a Scholastic Book Club order distributor please contact me via email : moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au

The role requires someone to attend the school twice a term to check and distribute the book club orders to students. Full training will be provided.

Ms Helen Moon - Library SSO

On Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 March our school classrooms will be open for our parent community.  It will be at time for students to guide their parents through their learning spaces, their learning and to introduce them to their teacher/s. Opening times are staggered and COVID safety measures will be in place.  

Wednesday 23 March - Year 1, 3 and 5

Thursday 24 March Year 2, 4, and 6 

With your child as your tour guide, feel free to attend at any time between 6pm and 6:45pm. Parents/ carers will need to sign in with QR code and sanitise upon arrival (masks are optional). 

Our Kindergarten students will have the opportunity to celebrate their learning with their teachers via face to face meetings.  These meetings can be booked via Compass and will occur on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 March.  

We look forward to seeing you and celebrating your child's learning with you. 

On Thursday 3 March, commencing at 2:15pm we will hold the Year 6 Leadership Presentation in the Monsignor Downey Hall.  During the presentation the Year 6 students will be presented with their leadership badges. 

With the easing of COVID 19 restrictions, both parents/carers are now invited to attend.  The guests must sign in via the QR code, wear a mask and sanitise upon arrival.  Please help us to keep everyone safe, by not attending if you are feeling unwell or displaying any COVID-19 symptoms.    

Mrs Maria Disibio - Assistant Principal 

Congratulations to the 19 students who completed the Holiday Reading Challenge over the recent school break. These students were awarded certifiactes at our Award Assembly.  It was great to see so many of our students reading during the holidays. I'm sure their reading skills have improved because of their practise and that their books took them to wonderful places. Well done everyone!

The St Columbkille's Instagram and Facebook accounts have been posting photos of our students and staff enjoying their learning experiences. The accounts will continue to feature photos of our celebrations, news and events. I encourage you to follow our account - @stcolumbkilles.corrimal to view our posts thus far and so you can look out for future posts.  Our Instagram posts are also reflected in our Facebook page, so if you prefer, follow us on Facebook. Our Facebook page is also accessable via the link on the left hand side of this Newsletter.  

If you haven't already done so, I strongly encourage you to download the Compass App. Within the Compass App you will find the St Columbkille's Parent Calendar which can be viewed from the homepage or by selecting the calendar icon in the menu. The Parent Calendar can also be viewed in our Schoolzine newsletters. It is located on the lefthand side of the page.  

Links to both the latest version of our newsletter and social media posts can also be located via our school website. 

The SZapp (Schoolzine) App linked to our Schoolzine Newsletter is available to download from the App and Play Store. Downloading the App will provide you with another form of communication. In addition to the latest and archieved newsletters, the App includes links to our school website, our social media pages, school calendar and more, plus it also contains contact us facitlities.   

Simply download the App from the App or Play Store to your device, select the region, enter and select our school name and login using an exisitng email address.  

The newsletter and alerts will continue to be sent via Compass. The SZapp will just provide information via a different forum, which you may find easier to use.    

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. 

Looking for inspiration for heathly lunches!

Click on the link below for ideas for your child's lunchbox

Healthy Lunch Box

Did you know that you can acces the school calendar via the Schoolzine App? In the Home tab of the App, select School Calendar in the bottom right hand corner and all school published events will appear.  You can also choose an event and then select 'Sync Event' to add the event to the calendar on your device.  This is a great way to keep up to date with up coming school events.  

You will by now have received your first School Fee Statement for 2022 via email. If you have not received your Statement, please check your 'spam' or 'junk' mail in your email account.

Your first instalment payment is due on Monday 28 February 2022.

Please find below information regarding School Fees for 2022, along with a Request to Pay by Instalment Form

Celebrating women, food, culture and dance - together!

To celebrate NSW Women's Week (Women NSW) and our collective values of diversity, equity and inclusivity, please join Catholic Diocese of Wollongong for an afternoon of connection through conversation, dance, food and culture.

All women are welcome to come together and hear inspiring stories from our guest speakers, share delicious food and experience traditional dance and music from different cultures. Children’s activities and supervision will be available.

Sunday, 6 March 2022 1-4 pm

Edmund Rice College, 112 Mt Keira Rd, Mt Keira

RSVP by 2 March 2022

This event is proudly brought to you by Healthy Cities Illawarra Inc, Catholic Diocese of Wollongong, Catholic Women's League, Edmund Rice College Wollongong and SCARF Refugee Support.

To find out more or to purchase a ticket visit https://iwddc.eventbrite.com.au. 

Come Join the Team! 

@russellvalefc