Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 27 No. 3 - 29th February 2024

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Columba Families,

Michelangelo, the great Renaissance artist, architect and sculptor who was well known for the amazing scenes from the book of Genesis which were painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, made a statement about learning that is true of the journey of life and education. He said, “I am still learning”. As the master of his craft, he still felt inspired to do better and be better, and aspired to learn more. That is true for each of us, and in particular, our students. Learning is life-long if we are open to it. Our students are growing their experiences and skills in a range of learning areas within and beyond the classroom. I have shared my view of learning with our students on many occasions. We must be open to it. We  must be ready to make mistakes so we can grow from these experiences. Learning is our core business and being ready each day to encounter new experiences is the important work of our students, staff and families.

On Monday evening we hosted our Emerging Leaders Parent Information Evening on the Mt Carmel Campus. Special thanks to our Emerging Leaders Coordinator Lorette Tassan, Jessie Huen, our Indigenous Education Worker, and Kim McCosker, our Indigenous Education Adviser from Townsville Catholic Education. It was great to see so many families and Mentors from within our staff in attendance to support our Emerging Leaders as they begin to plan their goals for 2024.

Special thanks to Callan Newman, Vicky Kennedy and the Mt Carmel Staff for their assistance in leading a very successful Interhouse Swimming Carnival last Friday. Thanks also to Andrew Butler and Emma Systa who have been assisting our students with training sessions in preparation for the carnival. It was a rainy but very successful day, and it was good to see so many families and community members attend the carnival in support of our students. Congratulations to McAuley House who were overall winners on the day. There were some great records set in the pool by a number of our students, and the energy and enthusiasm with which our students embraced the day was outstanding.

I wish to advise the following Staffing Updates:

Shaylee Narayan has been appointed to the role of School Officer Assisting Student Learning. Shaylee will be working on St Mary's Campus and commenced on Monday 26 February. Shaylee has tiers of experience in diversity support and will be a valuable member of our team.

It is with pleasure that I announce that Phil Cottle has been appointed to the role of Groundsperson/Bus Driver. Phil has a range of professional and practical grounds and maintenance experience and is looking forward to working at Columba. Phil commenced in this role on Monday 26 February.

Kitrina Otto has been appointed to the position of Indigenous Education Worker commencing on the 4th March. She is an experienced IEW and has had over 17 years experience in the role. Kitrina has assisted in leading a number of First Nations programs and has experience in the residential context.

Bruce McNalty has been appointed to the position of Secondary Biology and Mathematics Teacher commencing in Term 3 of 2024. Bruce has experience teaching both in Queensland and internationally, and is looking forward to starting at the College when he returns from teaching in Hong Kong.

Crystal Payne has been appointed to the role of Casual Residential Houseparent. She has a range of personal and professional skills which will value-add to the residential team.

Please join me in welcoming each of these new staff to our community.

Farewell

As my time as Principal of Columba draws to a close, I would like to extend my genuine thanks to members of our community. Special thanks to Father Emmanuel for his spiritual guidance; Chair of the College Board, Rohan Dixon for his unwavering commitment to our College and to David McNeale and Kath Tartellin, Education Consultants, Townsville Catholic Education for their support during my time as Principal. I am deeply grateful for your commitment to our college. To our staff for going above and beyond to provide our students with the best possible Catholic education we can provide. They truly are amazing people and we are blessed to have a team of dedicated professionals who are so deeply committed to our students. Special thanks to our parent representative groups who advocate positively for our students. To our students, thank you for the privilege of supporting you on your learning journey. My life has been enriched through this experience and I wish you all the best for the future. Keep learning and keep being AMAZING!  Congratulations to Dan Kyle who has been appointed Acting Principal of the College until Jacqueline McNalty takes up the permanent position on July 1, 2024. I wish Dan, the College Leadership Team and Jacqueline all the best as they lead our community with faith and learning as their core focus into the future.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we are reminded of the importance and power of prayer. Prayer provides us with the silent opportunity to reflect and consider our strengths, our frailties and our commitment to loving God and to loving our community. Please see below a prayer for contemplation in this season of Lent.

God, I pray for my prayer life to become vibrant and strong in this season of Lent. I pray that your voice even though a whisper would ring loud and true in my life. I pray for the courage and boldness to follow wherever You lead, to love and serve whomever and however You invite me.

Many blessings for the future. May God continue to hold each of you in the palm of his hands.

Melissa Turner
PRINCIPAL

CSPA AGM

FROM THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - SM CAMPUS

Dear Parents and Caregivers

As a community, Columba Catholic College began our Lenten preparations with a liturgy for Ash Wednesday being held on both campuses.  Father Terry blessed the ashes which were created by burning the palm leaves from last year’s Palm Sunday celebrations.

Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at sundown on Holy Thursday.  It’s a period of preparation to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter.  During Lent we seek to deepen our relationship with Christ through prayer and by reading Sacred Scripture. We serve others through giving alms. We work together with our students to raise funds for Project Compassion to encourage compassion for others and give to those less fortunate than ourselves.  And we practise fasting by giving up something we like during the period of Lent.  This is not just about giving up luxuries, but developing a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully.

Several of our students, as well as Catholic students from other schools will be beginning preparations for the Parish Sacramental Program this week.  We ask your ongoing prayers to support these students as they continue their journey in faith, becoming fully initiated members of the Church through the reception of the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation.

Donna Maxsted
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - SM CAMPUS

NAPLAN TESTING

In Weeks 8 and 9 of this term (13^th March – 18^th March) students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in the NAPLAN Testing Program. It is important that students attend school on these days. Please refer to the test schedule below for when Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 NAPLAN tests will take place. Where possible, individual students who are absent at the time of testing will complete missed tests at another time during the school’s testing window.

Students will complete the following 4 tests during the testing period :

• A writing test
• A reading test
• A conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) test
• A numeracy test

In Years 7 and 9 students will use their own device (Chromebook or laptop) to complete the NAPLAN Tests. The Lock Down Browser has been installed on student devices. Students will be required to bring their own device, a set of headphones and a pen / pencil to each of the tests.

For further information about what is NAPLAN, and how students can prepare and participate in NAPLAN can be found via the following link. Parents should take the time to read and become familiar with the following documents:

• NAPLAN Information for Parents and Caregivers
• Privacy

The College invites parents/caregivers who would like to experience a simulation of the NAPLAN online tests, to explore the public demonstration test site with their child to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools that students will experience.

PUPIL FREE DAY - FRIDAY 26TH APRIL

YEAR 5 NEWS

This term is certainly flying by! Year 5 has had a fabulous start to the year and are certainly working hard. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Year 5 families for their generous contributions of pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. All the pancakes were sold and funds went towards Project Compassion. A number of our students are very keen to continue supporting our Catholic agencies and have joined Mini Vinnies so they can be involved in further fundraising activities throughout the year. 

This year our school has a Student Representative committee and Cooper Groves was nominated by a democratic vote as our Year 5 representative. Congratulations Cooper! 

In class, for English we have been working on our creative writing skills. We will all be creating a fantasy quest story, and I am very excited to read these. In Maths, our focus has been statistics and probability.  In Science we have been completing many hands-on experiments to learn about light. 

Our HASS lessons are about early colonies of Australia and the Gold Rush. We did some “gold” panning in our sandpit and some of us found a lot more ‘gold’ than others, just as it happens in the real world. In Religion, we have been studying the Old Testament, in particular the Jewish faith and the Books of Psalms. We are looking forward to the culmination of these units of work. 

Jemma Webber
YEAR 5 TEACHER

PREP NEWS

Our littlest learners have spent the past few weeks navigating the St Mary’s Campus, making new friends, and understanding the daily routines and expectations of being a Prep student. To support their transition, we went on a Bear Hunt! Thankfully, students avoided the long wavy grass, a deep cold river, thick oozy mud, a big dark forest, a swirling snowstorm, and a narrow gloomy cave. Instead, they met many new faces, explored new places, and found some very cuddly bears. 

In just a short period of time, the students have amazed me with how well they have transitioned and their positive approach to learning experiences.  

Here is what the Prep students love about school so far:

• Dempsey- I love painting on Fun Fridays.
• James- I love going outside and playing in the Prep Yard.
• Hugh- I love colouring in with my Year 6 buddy.
• Reece- I love doing Soundwaves and singing the songs. 
• Alexis- I love going to Music. 
• Frankie- I love playing with my friends.
• Jackson- I love playing with the building station and my friends.
• Michaela- I love playing with Ahana.
• Kash- I love painting. 
• Harper- I love reading books. 
• Tillie- I love playing with playdough. 
• Leon- I love doing our Soundwaves craft. 
• Jack- I love playing with cars. 
• Ahana- I love learning my sounds. 
• Leo- I love playing during Fun Friday. 

I look forward to seeing what this year brings, and the many opportunities that lay ahead. 

Lara Burns
PREP TEACHER

SECONDARY INTERHOUSE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

The echoes of house war cries resonated through Charters Towers, defying the relentless rain that threatened to dampen the spirits of the day. Despite a weather warning leading to a slight adjustment in the schedule, the 2024 Columba swimming carnival was a success, with seven records falling and an unexpected twist in the overall standings.

The anticipated favourites, Team Benjamin, entered the competition with high expectations. However, MacAuley (468) stunned the spectators by flexing their flippers late in the day, securing a remarkable 50-point victory. Benjamin(415) followed closely in second place, with Rice (256) claiming the third spot and Polding (208) finishing in fourth.

The inclement weather failed to deter the athletes from achieving remarkable feats in the pool. Seven records crumbled throughout the day, huge congratulations to Dale Beatty, CJ Knox and Azariah Hunter on their records.

As the day reached its climax, the much-anticipated staff vs. student race unfolded. In a thrilling contest where it was even on the blocks, unfortunately youth beat experience, with students having bragging rights for now.

Records

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PHOTO DAY

Columba Catholic College
School Photography Date:   MCC 01/03/2024

School photography day is tomorrow. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below or by returning the order envelope with your payment to our photographer on school photo day.  

2 easy ways to purchase:

1. Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
2. Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day

Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: GBQ DYW 9M6

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
• Sibling Photos - SMC only sibling photos and combined SMC & MCC sibling photos will be taken 22/02/24.  MCC only sibling photos will be taken 01/03/24.  Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. 
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past.

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to Columba Catholic College for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at: www.advancedlife.com.au/contact

Contact us at: www.advancedlife.com.au/contact

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV - SLEEP

Students today have extremely busy schedules, with ever increasing responsibilities at school and at home. Many kids, especially adolescents, are going to bed later and later and are at risk of sleep deprivation. This affects three areas of a child’s development: psychological, physiological and psychosocial. All three are essential to a child's growth, learning ability and overall wellbeing. Sleep is vital to a child’s overall development and is as important as diet and exercise.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn about the importance of sleep and how sleep deprivation can have adverse effects on a child’s health and wellbeing.

Here is the link to the Sleep edition of SchoolTV
https://columba.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/sleep

ALEESHA WATSON
GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR | REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST
COLUMBA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

SUNCORP SPIRIT CUP

MINERS RUGBY LEAGUE