News
Principal's Report
Transition
We have been fortunate to welcome another group of new Receptions to our school over the past couple of weeks as our Collies to Classroom program well underway. It is a credit to our Reception teachers, Miss Warwick and Miss McGrath, to be able to work with both our new Reception students, our Mid-Year Reception students and our Reception students who began at the start of the year. It is a complex puzzle to solve but they’ve done a superb job with it so far.
It was so wonderful to see old kindy friends reunited together at SCMS.
Our transition program runs over six weeks for these children as they become accustomed to life at St Columba’s.
What’s going on with the build?
Yesterday the children were transfixed in the yard as the concrete slab was poured for the new Junior Primary classrooms. Over the next few weeks, we will see the timber and steel work completed on the new classroom. Everything (touch wood) is going to plan currently, apart from some inclement weather that has put the project back a week or two.
During the next few weeks, brickwork will begin on the new toilet block and the sports shed will be relocated so that it sits in line with the new block. This will offer us clear line of sight from the playground all the way through to the Green Space.
Wellbeing
Next week I’ll be sending home some information home about the investment we are making into our Wellbeing Program for 2023 as we continue to prioritise this space for our students. It is a complex domain to work in but we recognise that this is a complex time now for families and for young people. We are coming out of a once-in-a-century pandemic and moving into a new phase of rising interest rates and cost of living challenges.
We want to continue to play a role in supporting families and young people through this time, and a focus on student wellbeing is a crucial part of this for our school. I am so excited by what we will be able to offer in 2023 for families so keep an eye out for a letter late next week that will describe our significant investment in this space.
God Bless,
Scott
Green Space News
All of this glorious rain and warmth have created perfect conditions for the Green Space to thrive!
The fruit trees have responded well to the winter working-bee prune. With loads of blossom still about, bees continue to pollinate and plenty of fruit has already set.
Some trees that have been previously sparse in production are presently full of promise.
The sunflowers we propagated for R U OK? Day are booming, some are now more than 30cm tall - well worth a look if you’re in at drop off or pick up times. Our sunflower plants are lovely reminders to check in regularly with our own self care, and our care of others so that we are all receiving the things we need grow and bloom!
Our potato patch is full, we have been consistently layering straw and earth along with regular watering, so we expect a good harvest in the months ahead.
Our summer crop planting also includes: capsicum, watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, pumpkin, garlic, rhubarb, strawberries, herbs and more.
Green Space gardeners have been enjoying fresh lettuce snacks as we work and play - were you lucky enough to grab a bag of our organic lettuce for a gold coin donation?
Recess and lunch are busy times in the garden, with many enthusiastic helpers across all year levels. Have you heard school garden stories at home lately? Together we maintain the space by watering, weeding, planting and mulching. We expand and share our knowledge, connect with the natural world around us, and perhaps most impressive of all, we ‘mostly’ stick to the ‘one ripe strawberry per student per day’ guideline!
The next phase of raised garden beds is now underway as Bruce has crafted some wonderful beds for us from recycled materials from the old aquaponics site. We have also repurposed many of the concrete blocks that surrounded the original herb bed outside of the hall, with Josh creating a lovely border and seating wall in the shade of the sheoak tree.
Please do head on over to the Green Space, check out the progress and enjoy it as the days become warmer and things really start to grow.
Happy Gardening!
Jo
WHS
Bushfire Safety
With our burst of warm weather this week, it is a great time to sit down with your family and talk about bushfire safety. Your safety and survival during a bushfire will depend on how prepared you are, and the decisions you make.
There are 7 keys to surviving a bushfire that the CFS recommend you review as part of developing your Bushfire Survival Plan:
- Writing and practicing your Bushfire Survival Plans
Your plan is central to your survival - Understanding bushfire behaviour
It is important to understand the characteristics and behaviour of bushfires. They are influenced by vegetation, topography and climate. - Recognising days of high fire danger
Bushfires can be more dangerous on certain days. Learn to recognise the characteristics and terminology of these days. - Preparing your home and property
Even if your Plan is to leave early, a well-prepared home is more likely to survive a bushfire. - Creating emergency kits
Kits keep all the things you will need together and accessible. Create:- Relocation Kit - things to take with you
- Survival Kit - what you need to help survive the day
- Recovery Kit - what you need for the 24-48 hours after a fire.
- Acting on days of high fire danger
Put your preparation and plans into action on high fire danger days. - Consider your physical and emotional preparation
It's important to be realistic about what you can and can't do. Ensure you and your family understand fully what a bushfire can mean in terms of fear, stress and threat to personal life.
The link below will take you to the CFS website. This website has a wealth of information to help with planning and preparing for Summer and the bushfire season.
Middle Primary News
On Wednesday the 26th of October, the Year 3/4 Class travelled to Mylor Baptist Camp for a 3-day adventure camp. The students arrived at the school early on Wednesday morning with big smiles and a buzzing energy that even the cold, wet weather couldn't dampen.
We were welcomed with a warm smile from a group leader Lizzie who looked after the class for their duration of their camp. Lizzie was full of energy which grabbed the student's attention straight away. The students participated in many adventure and team building activities throughout their time at Mylor, with the favourites being the raft building in the pool, challenge course and giant flying fox.
The camp was a great opportunity for all the students to step outside their comfort zones and give everything a go. Upon reflection, all the students discussed how proud they were to overcome any challenges presented their way, whether it be in the form of heights on the flying fox, crawling over and under obstacles in the challenge course or performing in our 3/4 talent show.
Student Reflections on the Year 3/4 Camp:
Camp was so much fun and exciting! During camp the food was really good. We had a great variety of choice to eat. The staff were really kind and friendly, which was comforting among difficult activities. Everyone got along throughout the day. The talent show really brought out a lot of true talent in everyone and almost everyone gave it a go! - Tahlei Coombe
The zip line and the challenge course very fun. The food was great! The beds were soft and the sleeps were quiet! - Zade Stockings
I loved how you got all muddy and wet! I don’t usually do that! The Water Bugs were great to catch, explore and classify! - Poppy Graggs
Junior Primary News
During writing in Year 1/2, we have been identifying the key features in narrative texts to help us with the creation of our own stories. We completed an activity in partners where we identified the features by underlining them. The students did this with a range of different texts.
Senior Primary News
In English, students have been learning how to implement different strategies that will benefit their writing. This unit focused on Field, Tenor and Mode, which are components of linguistics. An example of their work would be how they changed the Tenor (relationship) between the author and reader in a passage they created. We have included some students work from this lesson.
RE News
Hello!
Last week we had a beautiful mass celebrating the solemnity of All Saints. We were led so beautifully by our Year 5/6/7 class and I sat in the pew soaking up the singing and the full presence of the school and some parents who came along. It seems so long ago now that there was a time when we weren’t allowed to sing at mass and also were limited to a small amount of numbers. How wonderful that we are past that!
Our next whole school mass will be on Thursday, November 24 at 9:15am. As this will be our last mass as a whole school, I’d encourage you to come along and join us. We will be reflecting on the upcoming season of Advent.
Have a great rest of week!
God Bless,
Miriam Honner
Mini Vinnies
Our new Mini Vinnies committee for term four are Kelsey (President), Gabriella (Vice President), Poppy (Treasurer) and Tahlei (Secretary). Our Mini Vinnies have been working hard to organise Zooper Dooper sales on Fridays!
SAPSASA Cricket
In week 3 I was selected to play SAPSASA cricket in Adelaide representing SYP and SCMS.
Due to the weather on the first day we had to play games inside, I still enjoyed indoor cricket even though it had different rules.
We used this time to get to know our team mates because we were all from a different school.
On Wednesday we played 2 games outside the morning game was only 12 overs due to the rain but in the afternoon, we got the full 20 played.
The first game on Wednesday I got out for a duck but the second game I made 15 runs and took 3 wickets.
The wicket I am most proud of is the caught and bowled as it had some pace.
On Thursday we played 1 game with 36 overs, I made 30 runs then had to retire but was allowed back in when the rest of the team was out.
I continued to make 7 runs on the last over totalling my score to 37 not out. I got 2 wickets in a row not quite the hattrick I wanted because it was a dropped catch.
It was really fun I and loved talking and having fun with my team mates.
By Max Johnson
