Principal Report

Principal Message Week 10 Term 2

This has certainly been a term to remember. It is quite incredible to think that ten weeks have passed. I don’t think any of us thought that we would be in for another lockdown and remote learning experience in term 2 but, that’s how it goes.

The past few weeks with the return of the children to school has been such a wonderful experience. I couldn’t believe the way they ran into the school that first morning and the way in which they have relished being back in the classroom. When you walk through the school each day, you can feel the energy, excitement and eagerness for learning that they exude. It really goes to show how connected our children feel to their peers, their teachers, the staff and the school.

Semester One reports were sent out this week and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did. What excites me about reading the reports is that I get a real insight into each child at St. Columba’s and the progress they are making academically, social emotionally and as learners.

When reading the reports what stood out for me is the significant achievement and progress of all children. You only have to look at our prep children, who have shown remarkable and significant progress from the day they first walked in the gate six months ago. They have done exceptionally well, and I expect their gains in the second half of the year in all areas will continue to astound their parents even further. 

I feel very proud of all the children at St Columba’s. Not just due to their academic achievements but also the resilience, adaptability and flexibility they have demonstrated this term. The ability to adjust to the changes in your environment and being able to respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies and other processes is a key 21st-century skill. Whilst we may not expect this to be an outcome of remote learning, I believe it may just be a very useful by-product for our children’s futures.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their thorough preparation of these reports. With assessment, report writing, illness and a school musical, this time of year for teachers is an extremely stressful and busy time. However, as always, the staff at St Columba’s go about it in a most professional manner. The teachers are looking forward to discussing your child’s progress further at parent-teacher interviews next term.

As we head into the term 2 break, I thank you, our families once again for your overwhelming support and encouragement throughout this term. To the staff, I say thank you for your dedication and professionalism. It has not gone unnoticed. To our children, I say well done. I feel very proud of our ‘Little school with a big heart’ and believe hand on heart that we have as a community faithfully enacted the spirit of our motto throughout this time.

I wish you all a very pleasant break and look forward to seeing you at the start of term 3, ready for what is going to be a very exciting term for our school community.

Stay safe and well over these holidays.

Daniella