Principal Report
Principal Message Week 10 Term 2
It has been a lovely week here at St Columba’s. The children have settled back and have easily adapted to what has become our ‘new normal.’ It is wonderful to see them so engaged in their learning. Each week, even during remote learning where they had to be virtual, I conduct Learning Walks and I am always amazed at what the children have to say about their learning, their classrooms and school in general.
Since our return it has been important to adapt and respond to the needs of our children,
socially emotionally and academically. During remote learning, we gained many new insights. This was an opportunity not to be missed and we soon realised that remote learning was giving us a rare glimpse into the children as learners and individuals. We feel very privileged to have had this experience and the insights gained have shaped the way in which we have approached learning and teaching on our return.
As a school, we would like to capture this moment in history and maintain the momentum. We have had conversations and discussion amongst ourselves as staff and we have asked our children about their experiences but we would also like to hear from you. What did you learn from the remote learning experience? How might we as a school innovate on the
experience? What approaches and practices will change as a result? What are you still
wondering? What artefacts will we collect to represent this time? As Kath Murdoch puts
it, “Mining for Gold … What Have We Discovered? And What Now?”
Our Parish Education Board have created a short 8 minute survey which was sent out via
Flexibuzz yesterday. The survey is designed to be a quick capture of learnings while the
experience is fresh, and is not intended to capture every aspect of schooling during the
lockdown period. I hope you will be able to set aside a little time to complete it as your
feedback will be valuable in learning from the experience and improving education outcomes for our children. In case you missed the Flexibuzz here is the link: parent survey.
I thank you for your continued support of the school throughout this experience and look
forward to continuing to work with you to provide a pedagogy that is engaging, rigorous,
purposeful and meets the needs of our children’s learning for the future.
Something that makes our school so special is our school community. Our motto, ‘The little school with a big heart,’ I believe truly represents St Columba’s unique culture of care, empathy and respect for diversity. On behalf of the staff I would like to thank you for the beautiful ‘gift’ we received on Wednesday. This snapshot of gratitude left not a dry eye in the room. It was such an honour and privilege to be there in that moment and to feel the genuine appreciation for the staff of St Columba’s. It was a truly memorable moment and I thank the PFA and you our families for going to great lengths to ensure we were treated to a very beautiful and precious moment which we will remember for many years to come.
Important Pick Up Reminder
Afternoon pick up
Pick up times will be staggered as follows:
- 3:15pm Year 5/6 and siblings
- 3:20pm Year 1/2 and siblings and Prep
- 3:25pm Year 3/4 and siblings
Please ensure that you only arrive at the designated time slot so that we can maintain social distancing and for the ease of dismissal.
Social Media
We have refreshed our social media accounts. We will be posting updates to showcase our amazing school.
When you get and chance it would be great if you could like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stcolumbasprimaryschool/ and follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stcolumbaselwood/