St Colman's School

Acknowledgement of Country

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land the Birri-Gubba Juru people and pay our respects to the elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia.

Principal & Teaching and Learning Update

Another two weeks are upon us - from Athletics Carnival to Confirmation to Bike Day (Prep/Yr 1 & 2) to Camp for Yr 5/6. These events are not possible without the hard work of staff and parents. Thank you for all that you do so that our students can have the best education possible.

Last week and next week our teachers have/will the opportunity to visit St Benedict's School in Townsville. This is a wonderful opportunity for our staff to see different teaching ideas and styles and help them improve their teaching. It is also a time of affirmation that although we might be small in size we are doing some amazing things that other schools can learn from.

All students have had their reading assessed again in Term 2. The results have shown some excellent growth showing all the professional development that staff have been doing is reaping the rewards. This assessment also enables teachers to see where to focus in the future in the area of reading comprehensions.

Staff will begin a focus on Learning Intentions and Success criteria this term. Learning Intentions are descriptions of what learners should know, understand and be able to do by the end of a learning period or unit. Learning intentions are the basis for tracking student progress, providing feedback and assessing achievement. In addition to learning intentions, students may also have individual learning goals that they address in their learning. Success criteria are the measures used to determine whether, and how well, learners have met the learning intentions. This will work into our Three Way Conference to be held at the end of the term.

Religious Education News

Confirmation and First Eucharist

Congratulations to the following students:

Jhon Nunez

Trecia Nunez

Billy Booth

Harrison Bojack

Sam Heatley

Lincoln Bonanno

Kai Caspanello

This Sunday Bishop Tim, will confirm these children with the Holy Spirit and give them Jesus, the Bread of Life, on their First Communion Day. We pray for, and desire that the life of God be deepened within them.

Founders Day

Yesterday we were very fortunate to be able to come together with St Francis Ayr and Burdekin Catholic High School to celebrate Catholic Education Week. We also had the chance for each of our schools to share the story of the founders of the religious orders that established each school and take part in activities to celebrate our unique communities.

NAIDOC Day Celebrations

A wonderful day was had at NAIDOC Day last week. We thank St Mary's Bowen for hosting this event and look forward to working with them in the future. Uncle Jim and the Gudjuda rangers are coming this Thursday to talk to the students and return their boomerangs that they painted on the day.

Our last school Mass held on Wednesday 13th July had the theme of Get Up Stand Up ! Not only did we acknowledge our First Nations people but we also recognised that our school has many different cultures present. Our next school mass will be on Wednesday 31st August at 9.30am.

Billabong Visit

This term in Science and Technology the Preps and 1/2’s are looking at animal life cycles and their needs. The students got up close and personal with some animals on our excursion to Billabong Sanctuary.

After a very fun bus trip, we arrived at Billabong Sanctuary and went to the reptile enclosure where our ranger introduced us to ‘Boss’ the baby crocodile. He was amazing, and we got to have a pat. Then our ranger brought out a python, but don’t worry, she was friendly and we got to give her a pat too. The koalas were a hit, they were so cute! There were some mums with their babies. We also learnt about Echidnas, they are good at protecting themselves by using their spikes and digging into a hole.

We fed kangaroos, saw some cheeky emu’s, said hello to the dingo, saw a HUGE dinosaur that scared the teachers, and met Riley and his girlfriend who were a little sleepy in the cold weather.

Reuben and Wonda were two fat wombats who were very fun to watch. We also met a Kerloo, a blue Macaw, and lots and lots of ducks and turtles. What a great day we had at Billabong Sanctuary!

Congratulations to Freja and Ara who won 1st and 2nd respectively in the recent Reef Fest Colouring In competition. Both girls won a prize pack and prize money of $100 and $50. Well done Girls.

Mulkadee

Well done to Fletcher Sgori for entering Mulkadee in the choir section. Fletcher had a wonderful time and learnt many great skills. Mulkadee is open to all students from Year 4 - Year 6 and is held every year. Looking forward to more St Colman's students entering this wonderful opportunity next year.

Student of the Week

Term Calendar

Sport Update

High Jump

The High Jump event will be run on

Thursday 28th of July

at

at 11.40am.

We will start with the 12 yr old students.

Netball Clinic

Netball clinics will commence on Friday 5th August for Prep - Year 6 for four weeks.

Can all students for the rest of the term wear sports shoes on Friday and Thursday.

Last week the Blackhawks and the Red Cliff Dolphins visited at held Rugby League clinics for Prep - Year 6. It was a great morning - lots of fun and new skills developed. Thanks to NRL Country round for organising this event.