Dear Parents and Carers,

Hope that you are well and have enjoyed a sensational week.

World Environment Day is acknowledged and celebrated this Sunday 5 June. The theme, ONLY ONE EARTH was the motto for the 1972 Stockholm Conference. 50 years on, the motto is as important as ever – this planet is our only home, and humanity must safeguard its finite resources.

This theme ONLY ONE EARTH calls for transformative changes to policies and choices to enable cleaner, greener, and more sustainable living in harmony with nature. Its focus is on the need to live sustainably in harmony with nature, and our possibilities for shifting to a greener lifestyle through national policies and individual choices.

Thank you to Mrs Herring, Mrs Emmett and our staff for their ongoing work in leading our School Environment Management Plan (SEMP) and associated environmental strategies and initiatives.  Thank you also to Mrs Ceclia Welch, Mrs Nicky Bishop and Mr Johnny Crapis who volunteer their time each Friday in supporting our students in building their knowledge, understanding, skills and an appreciation of our environment through growing vegetables and maintaining a sustainable garden space.

On  Thursday 9 June we will acknowledge the feast of our patron saint - St Columba. Our celebration at school will begin with Mass and the presentation of our St Columba Awards (based on our 6 Core Values), followed by K-6 sporting and tabloids activities. All parents and grandparents are invited to attend and/or participate.

Interesting Facts about St Columba:

• Saint Columba was born in Gartan, Co. Donegal in AD521.
• He was christened Crimhthann, but was known as Columba later in his life.
• His mother was Princess Eithne of Leinster. His father, Fedelmidh, was the great grandson of King Niall of the Nine Hostages
• Columba was a religious man and well-educated scholar. He attended many different schools around Ireland
• Saint Columba died in AD597 at the age of 76
• Saint Columba is one of Ireland’s patron saints, along with Saint Patrick and Saint Brigid
• Columba in Italian translates to dove.

St Columba Blessing

Be O Lord,
a guiding star above me,
a smooth path below me,
a kindly shepherd behind me
and a bright flame before me;
today, tonight and forever. Amen.

As part of our School Review and Improvement goal for 2022, staff are working on reviewing our current Vision and Mission statement, along with our Core Values. The purpose of this is to ensure that our current statements and values are both relevant and contemporary. As part of this process we are inviting parents and grandparents to complete the Vision and Mission survey. Gary Quinn, who has a wealth of experience and wisdom to share in this space, is supporting our school throughout the process. Our students will also have the opportunity to participate in this review. 

Thank you once again for your support and attendance of the P&F Colour & Slime Splatacular.  It was a brilliant afternoon and we greatly appreciate your sponsorship of our students in raising an amazing $16000. Sarah Foster, Kelly Saveski and their team where sensational in ensuring the event was such a success and enjoyed by all involved. Well done SCC!

Our Staff Development Day (Pupil Free Day) will be held on Friday 10 June. Our staff will focus on key changes in the new K-2 Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum centred around the foundational skills and conceptual understandings of English and essential numeracy skills and fluency in Mathematics.

Pentecost Sunday 5 June - "Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the Earth"

This Sunday our parish community is inviting our K-6 students and their families to  celebrate Mass this Sunday 5 June at 9:30am. It will be a wonderful opportunity for both our school and parish to come together for Pentecost Sunday.

Staff are currently in the process of finalising Semester One Reports which will be sent via Compass on Thursday 16 June (Week 8). Thank you to our staff for their efforts over the last few weeks in finalising our student's Semester One Reports. Students Learning Conversations will take place in Week 9 and 10.

Stay safe and well. Enjoy your weekend and hope to see you throughout Week 7.

Take care

Brad Colquhoun - Principal

St Vincent de Paul Support

Most of the children at our school have now selected their fundraising toys/gifts from the conclusion of our Colour Run and Slime Splatacular. One family have acknowledged that maybe your child/children do not require many of these toys and therefore you may like to give to others. If you would like to keep something and maybe donate something, to St Vincent de Paul, we ask you to bring your toy/item into school. Please do not feel pressured to do this, as families certainly worked hard to fundraise for our school. This is just another way for our school community to give to others less fortunate in our community.

World Environment Day

Our Year 1 Gold class and Ms Finlay-Joseph, today led our school community in acknowledging World Environment Day. Our special guests, Ms Beth Riolo, from the Catholic Education Office, and Jo-anne McCrea, a marine biologist/zoologist and WWF-Australia ambassador, were a part of this special event. Father Patrick blessed our Laudato Si' metallic signs to be hung within our school grounds.  We have called these our "Environmental Stations of the Cross" as they are based on Laudato Si' quotes from Pope Francis. Thanks to everyone involved in organising this event and partaking in the celebrations.

Vision/Mission

Don’t forget to take the time to complete the google form linked to our school vision and mission.

St Columba Feast Day

On Thursday 9th June our school community will celebrate the feast day of our patron saint, St Columba (Columbkille). Father Anthony will lead us in a mass in the Monsignor Downey Hall from 9.30am, which will include the presentation of the St Columba awards. Everyone is most welcome to attend.

Confirmation

On Thursday 2nd June our Confirmation candidates attended the church for Reconciliation, in preparation for their upcoming sacrament. We continue to pray for these students as they await the blessings of the Holy Spirit. If books have been completed, please hand them in at the school office. Our retreat afternoon will be on Thursday 9th June from 4-6.30pm in the Monsignor Downey Hall. Any queries or concerns please contact the school.

Family / Parish Mass

A reminder that this Sunday 5th June we celebrate Pentecost- the birthday of the Church. All families are invited to our church celebration. This will begin at 9.30am in St Columbkille's Church and is followed by a morning tea (please bring a plate of food to share), and the chance for the students to run around and play. It will be a wonderful opportunity to join together as a school and parish community.

PARISH NEWS

Faith Education Officer – Catholic Diocese of Wollongong

Suitably experienced and qualified persons are encouraged to apply for the role of Faith Education Officer for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Commencing in June/July 2022, this role supports the important work of Catholic Special Religious Education for over 8000 young Catholics in approximately 140 state schools. Based in Campbelltown, with hybrid working location arrangements, the successful applicant will be primarily involved in supporting the recruitment, training, and authorisation of volunteers throughout the diocese. Proficiency in teaching/presenting and sound administrative skills are essential. The position comes with an attractive remuneration package including salary, superannuation, fully maintained vehicle, IT equipment and phone. 

Applications can be emailed to helen.bennett@dow.org.au

For more information and a detailed role description go to www.dow.org.au/jobs

For all enquiries, call Helen on (02) 4222 2403.  Applications close Friday 3 June 2022.

Eucharist - The Sacrifice We Offer

You are encouraged along with members of your community to join Bishop Mascord and others from across the Diocese for a Workshop on Saturday 11 June 2022 Xavier Conference Centre Wollongong, 9:30am - 2:30pm, presented by Sr Carmel Pilcher RSJ, PhD 

Lunch and Morning Tea provided. An opportunity to make a donation to assist in covering costs will be provided towards the end of the workshop.

At this workshop we will seek to understand what the early church understood by priestly participation in the liturgy. Namely that each of us, together with our sisters and brothers in Christ, bring to the celebration the joys and hopes, grief and anxieties of our week. 

This is a great opportunity for formation for anyone who wishes to deepen their appreciation of Eucharist. Please encourage members of your community to register and attend.

Register by Tuesday 7 June 2022: dow.org.au/events Enquires: Anthony Rewak anthony.rewak@dow.org.au / 4222 2465

Reminder: Wrap with Love

Father Anthony has sent an invitation to join a worthwhile group initiative. Parents/carers may be interested in joining the parish group who meet regularly as part of the Wrap With Love project (www.wrapwithlove.org). This group knits/crochets blankets, clothing and other items to be given to those in need. If you would like to be a part of this community building and humanitarian initiative, as well as enjoy a cup of tea and attend Mass afterwards, please contact the school.

Vinnies

Our Corrimal St Vincent de Paul Conference is in need of blankets. During winter we experience a greater demand for these items. If you have a blanket in a cupboard that is not being used, please consider donating it to Vinnies. Bring blankets to school, or to Mass and place in one of the Vinnies baskets. Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Joanne Herring - Religious Education Coordinator

Congratulations to the Powell family who have welcomed Jude David into their family.  We wish Josh, Kate, Ivy (4B) Bodhi (1B) and baby every happiness and success moving into the future. Enjoy this most precious time.

"The littlest feet make the biggest footprints in our heart"

In celebrating our school Feast Day of St Columba, we have planned a school picnic day on Thursday 9 June on the school grounds.  The students will participate in a whole school Mass in the morning within the MD Hall, followed by presentation of St Columba Awards and participation in various activities throughout the day. 

The students will be required to wear their full sports uniform, including their school hat.  They need to bring their morning tea, a packed lunch, plenty of water to drink and sunscreen. 

Parents are welcome to join us for the activities and lunch.  

We look forward to celebrating.  

Diocesan Cross Country Trials 

On Tuesday 24 May, 8 students proudly represented our school at the Diocesan Cross County Trials. All students ran very well and did the St Columbkille’s community proud. 

The following students competed: Sabina Santillan 34th, Ben Franco 29th, Sophie Caughlin 25th, Harrison Esteves 2nd, Amelia Rutledge 5th, Randy O'Brien 10th, Ava Cooper 18th, Bailey Mitchell 2nd. 

Congratulations to Harrison, Amelia and Bailey who will represent the Wollongong Diocesan Team at the MacKillop Cross Country Championships at Eastern Creek next month. Good luck!

Carla Olima - Physical Education Teacher

       

SCC Athletics Carnival - Tuesday 14 June

Athletics Carnival Primary (8 years to 12 years of age) - Beaton Park, Gwynneville

On Tuesday 14th June, St Columbkille's will be holding our annual Athletics Carnival at Beaton Park after two years of cancellations. Unfortunately our Infants students will not be attending due to the inner field at the track and surrounding grassed being closed. The Infants will be holding a Tabloid Athletics Carnival at school. Please see below for further information. We will again have our student helpers from Holy Spirit College who will be assisting parent helpers and teachers.

The carnival will run with our regular events with the exception of Shot Put, which will be carried out at school in the coming weeks. Year 2 students who are turning 8 or are 8 years old are expected to attend the Primary Athletics Carnival. Parent helpers will be notified about their roles next week, via Compass. Students are invited to wear their House Colours on the day. We look forward to a wonderful day and are very grateful that our carnival is finally able to go ahead.

Infants Athletics Carnival

Grades Kinder to Year 2 are getting excited about their upcoming SCC Infants Fun Athletics Tabloids Carnival to be held on the school grounds on 14th June. With K-2's carnvial at school, the costing associated will be credited back parents via school fees.

School starts, for K-2 students, as per usual times and the "Infants Fun Carnival of Events" will commence at 9:50am and run through till 12pm. Students are invited to wear their House Colours on the day. At this time, parents/carers are invited to take their children home after informing their child/ren's classroom teacher and signing them out at the school office.

We are looking forward to a carnival of participation celebrating sport and fun activities.

Athletics Carnival Infants Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 -St Columbkille's, Corrimal

Colleen Kipp - Leader of Sport and Ms Finlay-Joseph - Infants Tabloid Coordinator

Student academic reports will be distributed via Compass on Thursday 16 June. The Semester One Report, assesses all Key Learning Areas taught using the A to E scale.  

Learning Conversations, will follow during Week 9 and 10, with meeting dates and booking instructions to be published via Compass.  Children in Years 1 – 6 are to attend the conversation with their parents, as it is our belief that through engaging the children in the shared conversation about their learning, they can assume an increased responsibility for their learning and also celebrate their personal achievements. 

Kindergarten do not receive a Semester One written report, only a Semester Two Report at the end of the year.  This is an agreed practise in Catholic schools within the Wollonong Diocese.  Learning Conversations will take place providing oral feedback for the first half of the school year.  

As you can see from the photo below, our lost property basket if over flowing with jackets, pants and hats!  All these items have no names or no name of current students.  If you think your child's jacket, hat or pants could be in this basket, please come in and search through it.  The lost property is housed in the Basement.  

Thank you for taking time to undertake this survey. My name is Gary Quinn and I work for Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong. My current role is within Adult Spiritual Formation and previously I have worked in a number of primary schools in this diocese and the Archdiocese of Sydney.

At the request of Brad Colquhoun, Principal of St Columbkille's, Corrimal, I was asked to undertake a process of comprehensively reviewing the school’s vision and mission. The purpose of this review is to ensure that everyone associated with the school are clear about its purpose and direction, so that it is providing the best possible Catholic education in this community.

Recognising the partnership between home and school, this is an opportunity for you to provide some feedback. Thank you for your interest and honesty in completing this survey.

Gary Quinn - CEDoW Adult Spiritual Formation

Friday 10 June will be a Pupil Free Day: Staff will be learning about and working through the K-2 new Literacy and Numeracy Modules.

We would like to afford our musical students to be part of the Cobra School Band, hence we are asking for a volunteer or two, parent, grandparent, older sibbling or friend to practice with the Cobra Band weekly or fortnightly.  The Cobra Band will play each fortnight at the School Award Assembly.  

If you are interested in volunteering and helping out our school community in this manner, please email Mrs Disibio or Mr Colquhoun. 

Thanks in advance! 

If your child has a health related concern, that the class teacher needs to be aware of, please email the office staff or call the office staff and give them the information. These concerns may include: an extra dose of Ventolin on a given day or medication details. The office staff will inform the class teacher. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Mrs Pauline Leonard - Leader of Diverse Learning

We were finally able to hold our Colour & Slime Splatacular on Friday 20^th May.  The weather held off and it was a great day for all the students and the parent helpers had fun of their own! We hope all the children had a super fun & colourful day. We thank all the families that were able to help with sponsorship's and donations. This was our first chance to raise money to support our school in over 2 years.

A great big Thank You to all the parents who volunteered their time on the day to help the event run smoothly. We are so pleased to be able to announce that we made a grand total of $16 000 from this event! This will help us to support the school with purchases such as, technology, including i-pads, books, readers & sports equipment. 

Congratulations to our top 3 fundraisers: Georgia Allmann (4G), Alexandra Ryan (1G) & Chloe Carroll (1G) and our highest earning class was 1G. Prizes will arrive at the school in approx. 2 weeks and will be given to each child in class. 

Thanks

Sarah Foster - P&Fs Leader of Colour & SlimeSplatacular

Reminder:  Rosalia Lane is strictly a no stopping zone. Therefore, it is recommended that parents and carers should not park in the laneways and/or driveways (Coxs and Rosalia) prior to afternoon dismissal. 

In respect to our neighbouring houses, it is recommended that parents/carers do not arrive before 3pm and wait in the laneways. Arriving after 3pm 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 on the sunviser of all cars. Please contact the office if you need a new one
• Overtaking a stationary vehicle is not permitted - it is a dangerous practice and unsafe for students exiting vehicles.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Website: https://www.safety4kids.com.au/safety-zone_stranger-danger 

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.    

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.