Dear Parents and Carers,

Hope that you are well and that you have enjoyed your week.

Harmony Week - Everyone Belongs is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Harmony Week encourages us to reflect on our on values and beliefs both individually and as a school community. At St Columbkille's we celebrated Harmony Day through morning prayer and play having the opportunity to play board and card games on harmony with our friends.  

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is a Sacrament of Initiation like Baptism and Confirmation. It brings us into the fullness of our life in Christ. We encounter Jesus through the celebration of the Eucharist. On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, many of our primary students will be receiving this sacrament for the first time. Thank you to our staff, Fr Patrick, parishioners and parents for the support given in preparing our students for this beautiful sacrament and celebration.

"The Eucharist is essential for us: it is Christ who wishes to enter our lives and fill us with his grace" - Pope Francis

Open Classrroms were a great success.  Our students were fantastic tour guides for their parents and carers, sharing their learning, classroom spaces and introducing parents and carers to their teachers.  The two nights were highlighted by a warm sense of community, connection and celebration.  Thank you for your attendance.  

Due to the closure of Wollongong Council Grounds and the ongoing and predicted rain, a decison was made to postpone the Cross Country Carnival.  Weather permitting the carnival will now be held on Tuesday 5 April at Ziems Park, Corrimal.   

On Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 April Kindergarten and Year 6 students and families have been invited to join in the celebration of Mass.  Following this, our school will be open for tours for new and propective enrolments.  Should you know any families looking to join our school community, please invite them to attend from 10:45am.  Further details are included below.  

Enjoy the remainder of the term. Thank you for your ongoing support, care and understanding.

Stay well and safe.

Take care

Brad Colquhoun - Principal 

Fourth Week of Lent   (Week beginning Monday 28 March)

This week through Project Compassion we learn about Rosalie, who lives with her husband and seven children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Forced to join the army when she was just 15-years-old, Rosalie experienced significant trauma and hardship during her years in the military. After she was demobilised from the army, Rosalie, like other ex-combatants, was left to fend for herself in the community. 

With your generous support and through Caritas Australia's partners, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and Caritas Bukavu, Rosalie was able to connect with other members of her community and participate in business skills training to help her to reintegrate into society.

She joined a savings group which helped her with a loan to start her own small business selling second-hand shoes and natural remedies. 

“I can eat, dress, maintain my health and help others. My children study and manage to eat twice a day. I have learnt to work hand-in-hand with other members of the community. Really, there is more joy in sharing with others.” - Rosalie

Watch a short film about Rosalie’s story here. 

Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

Mrs Joanne Herring - Religious Education Coordinator 

LENT WEEK 4 - EXPECT TRANSFORMATION

We are a people who meet, deeply listen, discern, journey, accompany, become aware, transform and act as bearers of Christ’s love.

We are Emmauns.

As Jesus accompanies us on our journey this Lent, let us:

• slow to his pace
• listen more deliberately
• discern habitually
• expect confidently to be transformed
• gather and break bread joyously
• act with intent for justice and peace

“Sir,” the man replied, "Leave it one more year and give me time to dig around it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year: if not then you can cut it down.”

Luke 13:8-9

Shirley Smith (known as Mum Shirl) was a social worker and advocate on behalf of Aboriginal Australians who lived and worked in the Catholic parish of Redfern.

The Ted Kennedy eulogy unveils a woman with a deep, unique faith “She  welcomed the gospel like a little child. She thirstingly swallowed the Gospel whole, never prepared to  spit out the bits we whites find unsavoury or uncomfortable. …Christian hope for her transcended pessimism and optimism. It called her to expect God to intervene in the face of despair. She woke up every morning expectantly, expecting God to do that. She never had to wait around, because always, always,  some rejected person would come round the corner; who of course was Christ himself.”

Mum Shirl expected God to intervene, not necessarily to change situations or events but to transform herself to then manage challenging situations.

In the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, the tree depends on the horticultural skill and care of the gardener to improve its flourishing. In our modern world, society is quick to judge and label people based on their ‘output’, society is quick to ‘cut down’ and destroy the weak, damaged and unproductive. Jesus is the gardener who says ‘forget the output’ you are mine, that is enough, let me look after you because if you do, ‘fruit’ or  flourishing will come. 

Most of us can recall a time in our school life when a ‘gardener’ and not the ‘vineyard owner’ crossed our path. The ‘gardener’ may have been a teacher who believed in us, listened to us, advocated for us, stood with us and  loved us when others did not - a bullying incident that was ignored by everybody except our ‘gardener’ who noticed and acted for us and enabled us to continue to ‘bear fruit’.

In our Catholic schools, we work every day for ‘thy kingdom come’. We instil in our students this spirit of expectation that as ‘gardeners’ we are transformers who will affect change for the flourishing of all in our communities. 

Just as Mum Shirl, sat in the church and expected God to transform her, our students should come to our schools and expect us as ‘gardeners’ to transform them because they are forever fruitful as children of God.  

Congratulations to the following students:

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Award

1B - Emily England

1B - Isabel England

1G - Jake Franco

2G - Noah Martelozzo

3B - Matthew Bertacco

3B - Lachlan Donachy

3G - Jack Cram

3G - Poppy Galaxidis

3G - Mia McCormack

4B - Jasmine Bertacco

4B - Haize Humphries

4G - Sophie Coughlan

5B - Ethan Ackhurst

5B - Leah Petch

5G - Kaitlin Cram

6B - Abbie Dyer

6B - Payten Sims

School Medallion

5B - Indira Lozenkovski

On Monday 14 March a number of students attended the Diocesan Time Trials at Corrimal Pool. Unfortunately Year 6 students were unable to attend due to school camp. The following students represented the school in a wonderful manner and were very competitive.

Kade Bloom, Taj Bloom, Alex Mamouris, Ollie Stewart, Lennox Elliott Well done to all students.

Australian Mountain Biking Interschools - we wish the following students luck as they prepare for the Australian Mountain Biking Interschools, which is to be held over a number of days this week in Thredbo. Good luck and enjoy the competition: Ashton Cooper, Hugo Immens, Sam Dorney, Archie Malcom, Ricardo Vega

On  Monday  21  March,  the  following  students  trialled  for  the Wollongong  diocesan  Soccer  team:  Ava  Cooper,  Dean  Srbinovski, Bailey Mitchell, Haydon Sharman, Randy O’Brien.

A wonderful effort from all students. Ava Cooper and Haydon Sharman were successful in being selected into the Diocesan team. Bailey Mitchell has been selected as a shadow player for the boys team. Well done.

Congratulations to Isla Ryan (Netball), Sonny O'Brien and Ryder Bighetti (Rugby League U11's) for being selected in Diocesan team. Isla, Sonny and Ryder will now represent the Diocese of Wollongong at the upcoming MacKillop Section Trials . Outstanding work.

Mrs Kipp - Leader of Sport

Easter Liturgy and Raffle - Thursday 7 April

The Easter Family Raffle has been a wonderful event over the years. Thank you to our staff who are kindly donating Easter eggs for the raffle. Each family will receive a ticket (no cost) in the raffle. Prizes being drawn during morning assembly.

Our Stations of the Cross Liturgy will be held for 1:45pm to 2:45pm on the Front Cement. Each grade will present during the Liturgy. Parents, carers and grandparents are most welcome to attend.

It was lovey to see our school come alive with parents, carers and students at the recent open classroom evenings.  Students sucessfully showcased their learning environments, celebrated the learning already achieved and it was also a great opportunity for parents and carers to be introduced to their child’s teacher/s. Our students were fastastic tour guides and should be congratulated on their efforts.  

Thank you to our staff for their preperation and dedication.

Mrs Maria Disibio - Assistant Principal 

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.

Due to measures beyond our control, the P&F Committee have decided to postpone the 'Run4Fun Colour Spectacular', which was to be held on 1 April.

The 'Run4Fun Colour Spectacular' will now be held on Friday 20 May 2022, at Ziem's Park Corrimal.

Over the next few weeks, sponsorship books will be sent home with the students.

This will be the P&F's major fundraising event for the year, we would like your support in making this event the best we have had.

The Big Vegie Crunch is a fun health promotion event to help our community UP THE VEG.

Our school will be taking part in The Big Vegie Crunch (part of Vegetable Week) at 10am on Thursday 31 March and students should come to school dressed in the colour of their favourite vegetable.

Primary schools across NSW will be joining together to break the record for the most students crunching vegetables:

• 50,260 students crunching simultaneously (2018 record) 
• 14,991 students crunching at other times over Vegetable Week (2019 record)

Get ready for The Big Vegie Crunch!

What can you do to help? 

Pack vegetables or a container of vegetables (not fruit this time) for your child to eat on Thursday 31 March

Need some ideas? 

• carrot, celery, cucumber – cut into sticks or left whole
• capsicum – cut into sticks or wedges
• corn – raw baby corn spears or a cooked corn cob 
• broccoli or cauliflower florets - raw or lightly cooked to keep their crunch
• tomatoes – small cherry tomatoes or a large tomato that can be eaten like an apple
• beans or snow peas - raw or lightly cooked to keep their crunch
• mushrooms – sliced or left whole
• if fresh veg isn’t possible, try canned or frozen vegetables instead

Send your child to school dressed in the colours of their favourite vegetables.

Remember to keep serving up the vegetables at home and in your children’s lunchboxes. Check out the resource ideas below:

Get Resourced for the Big Vegie Crunch

Vegetable Week & The Big Vegie Crunch Resources

Vegetable Week Competition - Social Media

Next Week our school will post about our Big Vegie Crunch event on the school’s social media account between Monday 28 March and Friday 1 April 2022. The posts with the most total likes, shares, comments or retweets (on a single post) will win a $400 Vegepod voucher. There will be one winner from a large size school, a medium size school and a small size school. 

Families and friends are encouraged to like, share, comment and retweet the post. 

Mrs Sue Smyth -  Vegetable Week School Coordinator

The school is seeking a parent or carer to volenteer approximatley 20 minutes a week to update the school communication board that faces the Princes Highway.  The board ideally needs to be updated on a Friday afternoon.  The volenteer could do this before or after the Award Assembly each Friday.  Training will be provided.  

If you feel this is something you could help out with, please contact Mrs Leonard or Mrs Disibio via the School Office or via email. 

Thanks in advance. 

Mrs Maria Disibio - Assistant Principal 

No dog are permitted on the school premises, for any reason, as we have a student in our school that has an Anaphylaxtic reaction to dog fur/hair. 

Additionally, we have a number of students allergic to a variety of foods including nuts, eggs and fish.  We ask that you refrain from sending these items to school. 

We thank you for your understanding of this very serious matter.  

Some of our Year 4 and Year 5 students took part in the Illawarra Fly School Competiiton.  We recently received the below feedback:

Clover Duggan created an extremely impressive short film. For a student in Year 5, Clovers digital media skills are very impressive.

Dylan Fang made a gorgeous plasticine diorama, which he clearly put a lot of effort into! Abbie Stenos made a wonderful GIF, clearly demonstrating strong digital skills also! Isabella Masters showed incredible detail in her tree drawing, and Ariah Blue + Sabina Harper’s drawing of the earth (with forests + animals) was also very well done! Lastly Sophie, Khloe, Scarlett + Georgia showed strong group collaboration skills with their lovely drawing! (unfortunately Ciara Pons entry was a corrupt file and we could not view it. Many apologies however if she would like to send it through again we will include on our website!)

Whilst these entries didn’t win the competition, I wanted to thank all of these students for their hard work and encourage them to try again next time! We had many entries from across the state, and it’s just wonderful to see our young eco-warriors and their mighty teachers getting involved in promoting our forests future!"
From Sally Oughton

Congratualtions to all our Year 4 and Year 5 students who particiapted.