A Window Into Learning At Columba
Mother's Day Event
What a wonderful morning!
On Friday, students, family members, and staff, gathered on the basketball court to commemorate Mother's Day. Although a chilly and fresh morning, the weather held off for us to be able to celebrate the wonder of motherhood outside. Mums and special ladies were able to grab a hot coffee from the coffee van and pay a visit to the classrooms for a browse at the work students have been doing. This was a special event for Columba, as it was the first time in a long time that we have been able to open our school up to families and visitors. What better way than to have the wonderful women in our lives, our role models, our first teachers, and our number one supporters along for the occasion!
SCHOOL TV
This month on SchoolTV - Screen Time
As a result of the global pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift in the amount of time people spend on screen-based devices. Families are transitioning back 
to pre-COVID routines but many are still struggling to re-establish the boundaries and rules around screen use. Some continue to deal with digital conflict and tech tantrums on a daily basis. The latest research found that 77% of teenagers spend more than five hours on screens per day, but it is important to note that not all screen time is considered equal.
Parents play a crucial role in modeling a positive and healthy approach to using screens and assisting children to navigate the content they watch. It is better to model and mentor screen use, rather than monitor it. Children tend to do more of what they see us do, and less of what we tell them to do. However, it is still important to outline the risks and highlight the benefits of screen use to ensure you keep a balanced attitude. Encourage discussions around the issues that people experience in monitoring their screen time and be honest about your own difficulties.
Parents need to remain firm in their approach to managing screen time. Excessive screen time can be detrimental to a child’s overall wellbeing. Ensuring the correct privacy settings are in place is vital to prevent children from being inadvertently exposed to inappropriate content or online predators. Parents need to also be mindful of the potential impact screen time can have on a child’s social, emotional, educational, behavioural, and even physical domains.
In this edition of SchoolTV, caregivers will be provided with a range of guidelines and strategies to help manage screen time at home. We hope you take the time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to this month's edition https://bunyip.catholic.
NAPLAN ONLINE
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will take place online this year between Tuesday 10th May and Friday 20th May 2022.
Students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) and numeracy.
COLUMBA'S NAPLAN TIMETABLE
Columba camps, incursions and excursions
Our school camps, incursions and excursions program seeks to provide opportunities for students to learn about the world and about themselves in ways that are difficult to present in a classroom environment. Activities are planned to engage students in learning and are linked to concepts and skills being explored in class. Opportunities have been very limited over the past two years so staff are busily planning a variety of learning experiences for our students. Many students have already had the opportunity to participate in a camp or excursion this year with more planned in the coming terms.
Grade 4 Camp
Our grade 4 students travelled to Phillip Island this week to attend camp at 'The Island Camp'. Students were challenged by a variety of activities including the giant swing, flying fox, pyramid climb, pedal cars, an art class with a local artist etc. The students were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones in a number of ways: being away from family-some staying away from home for the first time, making new friends, working together in a team to solve problems, being brave enough to try new things. Staff were very proud to report that our students faced these challenges with confidence and supported each other very well.
Grade Prep 'Bugs" excursion & incursion
Last week our Prep classes travelled to the Melbourne Museum to learn about bugs and their habitats. They participated in the hands-on Bugs, Bugs, Bugs program, learning about the external features of real insects, spiders and other arthropods, using a hand lens to sort and classify them scientifically and learn about classification. They learned how museum scientists look after the insect collection.
Students used science inquiry skills and become ‘scientists’ making predictions about what is a bug, what is an insect and how is a spider different to an insect.
There's a buzz around the learning in our Prep classes! Next week the Preps are looking forward to an incursion from a local expert on Bees. We will learn about these wonderful insects and why they are such an important part of our environment.
Grade 1-2 'The Science of Push and Pull' incursion
This term, our Year 1-2 scientists are conducting experiments in their quest to test and understand forces of push and pull. Yesterday was a particularly special day in their scientific endeavours!
Swinburne PrimeSCI came to Columba for the ‘Toys In Motion’ Incursion. The sessions included exciting demonstrations and hands-on learning activities. Students investigated forces and motion through the properties of toys. Concepts of push, pull, friction and gravity were tested and explored.
In addition to this, 1-2s embarked on the ‘Pop Fly Challenge’! Students worked in teams to design, test and build something that launches a ball high enough so you can catch it. A range of materials were provided including skewers, fly swats, spoons, scoops, cups, tape and straws. In trials, students worked together to test, modify and improve their design.
