Principal's Message
Principal Message Week 2 - Term 3
Welcome back to a new term at St Columba’s. I hope the holidays provided your family with time to rest, recharge and connect with loved ones. Many families took the opportunity to travel—whether interstate, overseas, or simply enjoying the slower pace of home. However you spent the time, I trust it brought a sense of joy and renewal, and that your children have returned energised for the learning ahead.
Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming 15 international students from China to our school community. These students have joined classes across Prep, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 and will be with us for the first half of the term. Opportunities like this—where students connect across cultures and form new friendships—enrich our learning environment and reflect the global-mindedness we value as an IB World School.
As is our tradition, we begin the term with Wellbeing Week—a timely reminder that student wellbeing sits at the heart of everything we do. When children feel safe, valued and connected, they are best placed to thrive—both in their learning and in their relationships. Wellbeing is not an ‘extra’—it is essential. During the week, teachers designed experiences across the curriculum, including Units of Inquiry and Social and Emotional Learning, to strengthen students’ sense of belonging, agency and personal growth.
You may have seen recent coverage of NAPLAN results in the media. At St Columba’s, we are proud to share that our students are achieving outstanding results, with the majority performing in the strong and exceeding bands across Reading, Writing, Spelling and Numeracy. These results reflect the strength of our teaching and learning programs, the expertise and commitment of our staff, and the consistent use of evidence-informed practices across the school.
We place a strong emphasis on supporting the whole child—academically, socially and emotionally—and it’s clear that this approach is leading to excellent outcomes. It is a privilege to witness the growth, confidence and success of our learners each day.
This term brings a great deal of excitement, as rehearsals are now underway for our school musical, Finding Nemo Junior. This is our fifth musical, and over the years these productions have become woven into the fabric of our school’s culture. They are seen by many students as a rite of passage—an experience that builds memories, friendships and confidence.
The late Sir Ken Robinson spoke passionately about the role of creativity in education. One of my favourite quotes of his is:
“The arts especially address the idea of aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is one in which your senses are operating at their peak; when you’re present in the current moment; when you’re resonating with the excitement of this thing that you’re experiencing; when you are fully alive.”– Sir Ken Robinson, Changing Education Paradigms (2010)
Participation in the Arts—and particularly the Performing Arts—supports students in developing skills that extend far beyond the stage. Children learn to think creatively and critically, express emotions with and without words, collaborate with others, build resilience, and discover the power of multiple perspectives. Most importantly, they grow in confidence as they find their voice and see the value in their unique contributions.
Finding Nemo Junior brings important themes to life for our students: courage, friendship, perseverance, and the beauty of difference. Through the characters of Marlin, Nemo and Dory, children explore emotional intelligence—recognising feelings, facing fears, managing setbacks, and learning to trust. These are life lessons, told through story, music and movement and they resonate deeply with children at every age.
We are excited to welcome families to our performances on Thursday 23 October (evening) and Friday 24 October (morning). This production promises to be a celebration of creativity, community and joy.
Wishing you all a wonderful start to Term 3.
