Week 1 Term 1 2023

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. 

St Colman’s School Staff 2023 

Prep      -    Mrs Jodi Weston 

Year 1/2   - Ms Samara Fox   (Mon - Thursday )  - Mrs Jasmine Vass (Friday) 

Year 3/4   - Monday /Tuesday Mrs Kalah Totorica

                 -  Wednesday / Thursday/ Friday  Mrs Sharon Kiehne

Year 5/6    - Monday/ Wednesday/Thursday/Friday -  Mrs Kim Watkins

                            Tuesday —Mrs Kristy Lea Derlagen

For Maths/English - Mrs Karen Keys will be co-teaching Monday to Thursday

Sport / The Arts specialist Teacher - Tuesday - Thursday - Mrs Jasmine Vass

Mrs Gloria  Lazzarini   Italian—Friday  - 40 minutes per class

Bursar/ Secretary - Mrs Shalon Gibson 

Support officers :

Prep  - Miss Mimma Torrisi                                                 Monday to Thursday 

Year 1/2/ Minilit —Miss  Bernie Boccolatte                   Monday to Thursday    

Year 3/4/ Library / MultiLit — Mrs Venera Pont          Monday to Thursday

Year 5/6—Mrs Kellie Swaffield                                              Monday to Thursday 

Chaplain—Mrs Bec Horan

Canteen / Uniforms—Mrs Donna Sgori

Cleaner—Mrs Marianne  Bohne-Kobo

Gardener—Mr John Moss

Principal / APRE / Teaching and Learning Coordinator  - Mrs Karen Keys 

Principal & Teaching and Learning Update

Welcome to Term 1 2023! 

We are very excited to have many new faces this term, both students and teachers. You are very welcome.  I encourage everyone to be involved in the school through as many activities as you can. 

Communication from the school comes in many ways - Compass News Feeds, Newsletters (every fortnight) and Facebook posts. Teachers can also be emailed if you have a question. 

Looking forward to working with everyone this year to make 2023 the best !! 

Uniforms

At St Colman's we are very fortunate to only have one uniform. If you require new uniforms please ensure that you use the Quick Cliq app or contact the front office. The wearing of the correct uniform is a way to show our pride in St Colman's School. Students need to wear blue shoes every day except for Thursday (Sports day). If you have any uniforms that don't fit please consider donating them to our uniform shop where they can be given to families in need or sold at low cost to help the school. 

Thank you 

A huge thank you to the following people who helped at the working bee last week. 

Thank you to Donna Sgori, Genevieve and Wes Smith, Nellie Brown, Jasmine Vass, Kim Watkins, Shalon Gibson and Jenny and Glenn Santacatarina. We appreciate your hard work.  

Greet and Meet at St Colman’s School

Friday 3rd February - 5.30 - 7.30pm 

Free Burgers and sausages 

BYO Drinks and chair

Plate and cutlery

Each family is asked to bring the following to share (according to the eldest in the family) -

Prep to Year 3:  Sweets

Year 4 to Year 6:  Savoury or Salad

Please ensure you return the attached RSVP  by Tuesday 31st January 2023 for catering purposes.

Thank you to our CSP for supporting this event.

Mission statement 

In the first week of Professional Development staff gathered with two representatives from the Townsville Catholic Education Office to look at our Mission Statement.  School mission statements are documents that define where a school is going and drive decisions accordingly. Mission statements guide growth and learning. 

Part of the process was we looked at the present mission statement, our saint - St Colman, the Mercy values from the Sisters of Mercy who formed our school, the Townsville Catholic Education office mission and values and education goals.  During the day we were able to formulate a draft mission statement. We will now be seeking feedback from parents, students and parish. 

Past Mission Statement 

St Colman's School embraces the Gospel of John 10:10 - "I have come so that you may have life and have life to the full..."  At St Colman's School we value our Catholic Story embracing our traditions with ‘Strength in Faith'.  We are a Catholic School community that strives to develop respect for ourselves and others. Through a holistic approach to education, we aim to provide opportunities for all to reach their full potential: spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally and physically. Strong family, parish and community relationships cultivate a sense of belonging within a dynamic environment.

Draft Mission Statement 

St Colman’s Catholic School lives Jesus’ mission by fostering the Mercy values of respect, courage and compassion.  In a nurturing and inclusive environment, students are inspired to be confident lifelong learners who share their potential with the world in abundance.

We are asking parents and community members to look at this statement and ensure that this is the direction that we want St Colman's School to develop. A feedback form will be sent out next week.  

Burdekin Water Park Opening

On Friday 3rd February  three students were asked to represent St Colman’s School at the Official Opening of the Burdekin Water Park.  To ensure fairness of this selection every child’s name at the school was placed in a hat and 3 names were chosen out of the hat. The children chosen will receive a notice home and we ask that parents please confirm if their child is able to attend. 

Applications opening 1st February for Mulkadee Yr 4 - Yr 6

Mulkadee 2023 will embark on the magical re-imagining of the classic tale, Robin Hood.

Following the Mulkadee program's recently introduced alternating schedule, 2023 will see the return of the narrative driven format as it explores the thrilling tale of Robin Hood.

The alternating format between narrative driven and variety structure gives students the opportunity to extend and develop their skills while gaining an understanding of the interdisciplinary dynamic prevalent within most forms of arts based collaborations.

The 2023 Mulkadee Program will also see the formal introduction of the audio-visual (AV) specialty as we see some new specialists join our incredible team of industry professionals.

The Mulkadee Program provides a unique experience for students to learn from industry experts through workshops, roadshow - school visits and a weeklong festival held from Monday 17th to Friday 21st July, 2023. These opportunities culminate in the Mulkadee Showcase event - a performance to a sell-out crowd of family and friends at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre on Friday 21st July.

Annual Improvement Plan for St Colman's School 

In 2023 there will be four major focus' for the staff at St Colman's School to ensure that your child receives the highest level of quality education :

Goal 1  Writing :

Long term, sustainable improvement in Writing P-6 through consistent, research based, data driven pedagogy.  This will be achieved through:

• School wide Writing Framework focusing on teaching the skills of Writing
• Common language
• Assessment tool aligned with the Australian Curriculum for each Year Level
• Responsive teaching according to data gathered

Goal 2  Renewal of School's Mission statement, motto and logo :

Continue consultation with all elements of the community, create a Mission statement. 

Then develop visual representation (logo) and motto of our new Mission Statement. 

Goal 3  Diversity and Well being

Implementation of the Resilience project 

RISE - Respect  Inspire  Safe  Effort  - behaviour management throughout the school / Behaviour policy written

RAP Reconciliation Action Plan 

Goal 4 Hands on Maths - sustaining teaching and learning in Mathematics

Examining how to embed learning in Maths through data and hands-on activities. 

Of course other areas will be focused on but these are the four major activitites.  

Volunteer Site Induction

We are very lucky to have so many volunteers working throughout our school and are an integral part of the day to day life of our school.   In order to be a volunteer you need to complete the Volunteer Induction which can be found on our school website as well as attend a school site induction. We will be holding two inductions this term, Thursday 16th February at 8:00am and  5:30pm. Students are welcome to play in the playground whilst their parents attend this meeting 

The link to the Induction which can be done at home is below:

Our Year 6 student leaders. We wish them all the best for their last year of primary school and hope that they will lead the school with respect, pride and courage. 

Religious Education News

Important Dates 

St Colman's School and Parish will have a sacramental program running in Term 2 2023. More information to come. The students in Year 4 - Year 6 who have been baptized catholic will be able to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation. The Bishop will be celebrating this special event on Sunday 16th July Week 1 Term 3. 

A Message from Father Manoj 

My dear friends, parents, staff and children

I welcome you into the new year.  I hope everyone had a good holiday, I was happy to meet some of you at Christmas time.  I would like to hear your holiday stories, when I come back from my holiday in India, I’ll share my stories with you too.  Our parishes in the Burdekin had colorful celebrations, the schools and your parents were very much part of the celebrations.  Some of your children were part of the Christmas plays in Home Hill and in Ayr.  People loved it.  They still talk about it.  Congratulations and we will have more of it in the new year.  As we begin this new year, we thank Jesus for the last year, for blessing us with happiness and success.  Every new year brings us more blessings with its challenges but we are never alone.  Jesus promises to be with us forever, that is his name Emmanuel, God with us.  I wish each of you a successful academic year.  May God continue to shower his blessings upon our schools, your families and yourselves.  I pray that he helps our children in all their efforts to be good citizens of this country.  May the prayers of St Francis, St Colman, St Marcellin and all the saints help us to imitate Jesus in our daily lives.

 Yours in Jesus Christ

Fr Manoj

Fr Vitalis Oguh as Associate Pastor of the Parishes of the Burdekin Region (Ayr, Home Hill, Clareand Giru) effective February 1, 2023.

Sports Update

Water Awareness Swimming Program 

The Water Awareness Program will commence at Home Hill Public Swimming Pool on the following weeks in Term 1 2023:

Thursday 2nd February 

Thursday 9th February 

Thursday 16th February 

PARENT HELP

Volunteers are needed for all classes to ensure the safety of the students and smooth running of the lessons. 

It will be a requirement for all children to wear a swim shirt during the swimming sessions.  No payment is needed as the school is funding this event.

Pleaseensure the form is returned by  Tuesday 31st February 2023

Term 1 Events

Community News