Principal Message Week 2 - Term 2

It was lovely to ease into Term 2 with a soft start, thanks to the short week bookended by public holidays. Thank you to all families for supporting such a calm and positive return to school.

While our on-site students focused on wellbeing and re-establishing routines, our Year 4, 5 and 6 students were immersed in a different kind of learning environment. Camp provides rich opportunities for students to take safe risks, try new things, and build resilience, all while being supported by their teachers and peers. It’s a space where collaboration and teamwork come to life, helping students strengthen relationships and develop important life skills. Thank you to Jane, Nicole and Amanda for the thoughtful planning behind this experience, and to Jane, Amanda, Natalie and Ruby for accompanying the children and ensuring they were safe, supported, and able to make the most of their time away.

As part of our ongoing efforts to build community partnerships, last week our Year 3 students visited Poet’s Grove Kindergarten. They worked alongside the younger children using tinkering tools to create everything from dinosaurs to castles — developing leadership, creativity, and mentoring skills along the way. Partnerships like these enrich our children's understanding of their role in the broader community and provide valuable opportunities to practice real-world skills in a supportive, hands-on environment. Special thanks to Rachael, our STEAM leader, for working with Poet’s Grove staff to bring this collaboration to life.

Last Friday, Charlotte, Audrey and Bonnie represented our school at the Elwood ANZAC service held on the foreshore. Charlotte opened the ceremony with the prayer, and together the three girls laid a wreath on behalf of St Columba’s before joining the combined schools’ choir to sing the national anthem. It was a moving morning of remembrance, where we paused to honour those who have served and reflected on the importance of peace, tolerance, and the powerful role our young people play in shaping a better future.

This is a special term for our Year 6 students as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. On Tuesday evening, we gathered for a Family Night and were honoured to welcome Hang Vo, CEO of Sacred Heart Mission, as our guest speaker. Hang’s inspiring message invited our children to reflect on their gifts and how they can be signs of hope in the world — within their families, their communities, and beyond. Her words encouraged our students to live out their faith with purpose and courage at this significant moment in their journey. On behalf of our Year 6 students, Parish catechists, Jane and Christine, we thank Hang for sharing her own personal journey with us.

This weekend is the local government election, and St Columba’s is proudly supporting the tradition of the Democracy Sausage with a community BBQ on site. A very big thank you to our PFA and School Advisory Council for bringing this to life in true community spirit — your generosity and teamwork make events like this possible and help strengthen our school community connections.

As a Catholic school in the Melbourne Archdiocese, we take part in a formal four-yearly review process to guide ongoing school improvement. Throughout Term 1, our staff worked together to review, reflect on and assess our practices using the School Improvement Framework Rubric. This involved gathering evidence and evaluating our work across key domains: Learning & Teaching, Education in Faith, Wellbeing, Community Engagement, and Leadership & Management.

The next stage of the review takes place over the next two weeks. Our appointed reviewer, Mark Workman, will visit the school to meet with staff, students and parent focus groups. These conversations, alongside our documentation, will inform the final report and guide the development of our next four-year School Improvement Plan. We look forward to sharing our goals and next steps with the community once this process is complete.

Term 2 is a little longer than usual, with 11 weeks full of opportunities for connection, celebration, and learning. While we’re disappointed that Market Night has been postponed due to delays with the new courts, there is still much to look forward to. Highlights include our first assembly for the term tomorrow morning, Mother’s Day celebrations, an Open Learning Morning with a writing focus, St Columba’s Feast Day, Winter Sports for senior students, HOLT Cross Country this week, and a Grandparents and Special Persons Assembly later in the term. Each year level also has a range of excursions and experiences planned to support and enrich their current Units of Inquiry.

We are grateful for your continued partnership and look forward to seeing you at many of these upcoming events.

Year 4/5/6 Camp Photos