Learning at St Columba's
Term 4 Wrap Up
As we close out another year of learning, we celebrate the many ways our students have grown as learners and community members. This year, I have often reflected on how our school continues to live out the IB Mission Statement, developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who strive to create a better, more peaceful world. In our Catholic context, this aligns beautifully with our commitment to nurturing respect, compassion and stewardship of God’s creation. Throughout the year, students have shown growing confidence as inquirers, thinkers and communicators both inside and outside the classroom.
A particular highlight has been our Year 6 PYP Exhibition. Our students demonstrated impressive independence as they explored issues they genuinely care about, applied skills from across the curriculum, and communicated their learning with clarity and creativity. The Exhibition is a wonderful celebration of their growth, showcasing the culmination of their PYP journey and the ways they have developed agency, commitment to action and a strong sense of responsibility to others.
As the school holidays begin, we encourage students to continue being reflective, balanced and open-minded learners. The break provides opportunities to live the Learner Profile in simple, meaningful ways, embracing rest, exploring new interests, and thinking about hopes for the year ahead. Moments of boredom, often inevitable during holidays, can become catalysts for imagination. With simple materials at home, students can design, build and create using boxes, containers or recyclables, turning unstructured time into opportunities for curiosity and innovation.
This term, our Year 3 students inspired the school through their Little Bits initiatives, encouraging creative problem-solving using recycled materials. Their leadership highlighted the importance of sustainability, innovation and responsible use of resources. These values resonate strongly with both the PYP and our Catholic call to care for our common home.
To continue nurturing curiosity throughout the break, I have provided some fun and engaging Little Bits Challenges. These simple, low-prep prompts invite students to explore creative thinking using everyday household items. Families can enjoy engaging activities that foster imagination, problem-solving and a deepening appreciation for sustainability and resourcefulness.
I would like to thank all of you for your partnership this year and wish everyone a safe, restful and joy-filled holiday break.
School Holidays Little Bits Challenges
Week 1: Nature Explorer Light Box
Challenge: Collect natural items such as leaves, flowers, or seeds and arrange them inside or on top of a recycled box. Cut out the base, line it with baking paper, and shine a torch underneath to create your own light box. Rearrange the natural items each day to design new illuminated artworks. (Inspiration taken from the Preps)
Week 2: Wrapping Paper Fairy House
Challenge: Use leftover wrapping paper, small boxes, and Christmas ribbon to build a tiny fairy house. Place it in a special spot in your garden and continue adding natural items. You never know who might visit.
Nature add-on: Decorate with leaves, twigs, or pebbles from your garden.
Week 3: Cardboard Marble Run
Challenge: Use wrapping-paper tubes, small boxes, and cardboard scraps to create a simple marble run. Experiment with different angles, heights, and pathways to test how the marble’s speed and direction change.
Week 4: Mini Homemade Notebook
Challenge: Use leftover wrapping paper, cardboard packaging, and scrap paper to make a small notebook. Bind it with ribbon, string, or wool and decorate the cover using natural or recycled materials.
Week 5: Upcycled Nature Sculpture
Challenge: Combine recycled materials, boxes, bottle tops, cardboard, scraps, with natural items you find outdoors to create a small sculpture. It could be an animal, an imaginary creature, or an abstract design. Experiment with balance, structure, and texture as you build.
Week 6: Make Your Own Game
Challenge: Use recycled materials and items from the garden to create a game board, rules, and instructions. Test your game with family members and refine it each time you play.
Take photographs of all your creations and share them with your new teacher in 2026. You are always welcome to email me photos; I would love to see what you create.
Have a great break!
Nicole Spence
PYP Coordinator