Principal Report

Principal Message – Week 6 Term 4

This term has flown by so quickly and it is hard to believe that we are well over the halfway mark.

This week we held our inaugural Year 6 PYP Exhibition.

Four years ago, this was just a dream and an aspiration. As a school we have come a very long way since first announcing that we would be working towards becoming an IB World School.

For our Year 6 Class of 2023 the Exhibition has been the culminating experience of their learning at St Columba’s and the PYP. The exhibition requires the Year 6 children to take on an area of passion and personal interest and to demonstrate their ability to take responsibility for their learning and their capacity to take action. 

The Exhibition brings to life the learner profile. 

As IB learners we strive to be:

inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring risk takers, balanced and reflective.

I wish to congratulate the children on the way in which they embraced the opportunity the Exhibition provided and for their passion, commitment and for the perseverance they showed throughout. Taking on current issues such as gender equality in sport, cyberbullying, Aboriginal health, inclusivity in fashion, performance enhancing drugs in sport, palm oil and climate change. Further to this they are required to demonstrate their learning in an authentic transdisciplinary manner and include elements of literacy, numeracy, digital technologies, and the arts.

I believe the Exhibition process is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. I know when reflecting on this experience it will be the memories of working collaboratively, the roadblocks, the disagreements, the negotiating, the challenges, the new insights, and breakthroughs that will be remain with our Year 6s for a long time to come and hold them in good stead as they head off to their secondary schools.

For those of you who joined us on Tuesday night I know that this experience exceeded your expectations. The children were not only well researched and informed but articulate and passionate about their cause and about making a difference and taking action. 

The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. And as a Catholic school, we are called to act with compassion and empathy, to respect and care for our world and for the most vulnerable and to promote inclusion and provide community. To see this exemplified by our students on this occasion is testimony to what this community, parents, staff and school values and wants for each child that attends St Columba’s.

Staff have already started to plan for 2023 and we are very excited by the opportunities that we have for growth and development. Our next step is to now firmly entrench our community in a learning culture that is inspiring, rigorous, relevant, purposeful, and engaging for all. As we head into the second year of our school improvement plan, we want to continue to enable our learners to step boldly and confidently into their future; equipping them with the skills and attributes that they need to participate fully in a world that will continue to rapidly change and evolve.

The staffing for 2023 has now been finalized.

Concluding their contracts are Claire Van Loon, Danielle Looney, Jenna Wynd, Sarah Hobbins and Conor Markey. We are grateful for the knowledge and expertise that they have brought to our school this year. We wish them all the very best.

Rachael Bulcock will be taking maternity leave. Sophie Champion will be taking a year’s leave.

Angela Saliba and Julie Watson will be retiring. We thank each of them for their time and for the valuable contribution they have made to our school. 

I would like to welcome to our school community: Ashleigh Klooger, Angela Rush, Jordan Paul, Colin McDonnell, Amanda Reardon, Meaghan Payne and Nicole Spence as PYP Co-ordinator. 

I am very excited about the new staff joining and returning to the school next year. I know you, our community, will make them feel very welcome. 

2023 Classroom Teachers

Prep                                      Ashleigh Klooger and Angela Rush 

Grade 1                                Meaghan Payne

Grade 2                                Gemma Canalini

Grade 3                                Liane Pimenta

Grade 4                                Jordan Paul

Grade 5                                Amanda Reardon                             

Grade 5                                Colin McDonnell

Grade 6                                Jane Dixon

The children will meet their classroom teacher on Thursday 8th December when they have a ‘Step Up Day’ orientation session, with their new teacher and class from 9:00-11:00am. Year 3 and 4 will meet their teachers on Thursday 1st December.

I am extremely excited about 2023 and the new opportunities the year ahead will bring. As the new year starts, we invite you to share in our journey by continuing to participate in your child’s learning especially through Seesaw. During 2023 we will use Seesaw to provide real time documentation of your child’s learning. We will be encouraging you to check for posts regularly and to interact with your child and classroom teacher through this platform

So, we invite you to fully embrace the many opportunities that will be on offer throughout 2023 and to engage with the many learning experiences, social and community, on offer and to participate in and immerse yourselves fully in the life of our school.

Grandparents Day 2022

Last Friday’s Grandparent’s and Special Person’s Day was a wonderful morning and occasion at our school. We had an enormous turn out and every person there was so excited to be in the school. We had guests who made their way from overseas, interstate, and regional areas to be here for the first Grandparent’s and Special Person’s Day in three years.

There were so many lovely moments and a deep sense of school spirit and pride on display by the children. They were so proud and thrilled to be able to share this precious time with their family and friends.

A very big thank you to Bern and Claire and staff for all the work that went into preparing Friday’s liturgy. The children certainly rose to the occasion, and it was a wonderful and moving tribute to all the special people in our lives.

I would also like to thank Bern and her team of helpers for providing our guests with a sumptuous morning tea. It disappeared in no time!

Occasions such as these are a testimony to the wonderful contribution that you all make to our school, and we thank you for your support and willingness to be a part of events such as these.