Principal Report

Principal Message week 9 Term 2

They’re back! Yes, we are absolutely delighted to have our full school cohort back at school.

Tuesday saw the return to school for our Year three – six children. It was such a wonderful experience for the whole school community to see the children as they returned for the first time after eight weeks of remote learning. It never ceases to amaze me how excited and keen our children are to be back at school. Whether it is a weekend or an extended break, they are clamoring to get through that front gate. Watch out if we are not there at 8:30am because they certainly are and they are ready to go.

The re-adjustment to school for our Year three – six children has gone very smoothly and I feel they have quickly adapted to the new routines. We have been pleasantly surprised with the ease of this transition. We were a little apprehensive as to how some of the procedures such as washing hands after play times would work now that we have everyone back, but there really was no need to worry as the children have adjusted, showing great self–efficacy and needing minimal assistance to ensure hygiene practices are maintained.

Re-establishing connections is a vital component in the successful transition back to school. From the outset of the COVID-19 we have placed great emphasis on the wellbeing of our children. As our children return it is vital that we make time to reconnect: children with children and staff with children. It is a child’s existing social and emotional competencies, including their sense of self-worth that provides an important source of resilience during transitions. Health and wellbeing are foundations for learning and that is why providing a positive and supportive learning environment is vital to ensuring we continue to assist children to grow their resilience.

I think for many the highlight has certainly been seeing their friends and being able to play with them. That bond and those connections means so much to children and never more so than now. It was definitely timely that stage one of our new playground was finished. The children absolutely love it! It is quite different to our last playground, its inspiration came for the children themselves, and that means there are many more parts to explore and interact with. They have had a terrific time experimenting and trying new things throughout the week.

I would like to thank Simon Lewin for all the support and assistance he provided during the install. Simon has worked behind the scenes for the past 8 weeks to ensure our playground was finished and ready for action on Tuesday. On behalf of the St Columba’s community I would like to thank Simon for all his work and his commitment to helping to deliver on this project.

I said earlier it has been an exciting week and we cannot overlook the enormous achievement of our school in the ResourceSmart Awards last Friday. Our school is a 5 star ResourceSmart school, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a school our size. This recognition is due to the amazing sustainability work that so many within our community have contributed to. Firstly, we are so proud of Stephanie Young who was the well-deserving recipient of ResourceSmart 2020 Teacher of the Year and secondly our incredible Green Team, made up of a very passionate group of parents, for receiving the ResourceSmart Community Volunteer award. As a school community, we are so proud. It takes the efforts of many to achieve success such as this and it is wonderful that our school has been recognized for the commitment it has undertaken to ensure that we are committed to sustainable practices and the ethical stewardship of our resources now and into the future.

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/