Columba Catholic Primary School Acknowledges the Bunurong Peoples’ of the Kulin Nation as Traditional Owners and Custodians and pay respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.  

Columba acknowledges the Bunurong’s continuing relationship to the land and waterways and respects that their connection and spiritual identity are maintained through ancient ceremonies, songlines, dance, art, and living culture.

We pay tribute to the invaluable contributions of the Bunurong and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Elders who have guided and continue to guide our work.

The Tree of Life

This painting in the Cathedral, is by Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Bauman.

She was asked to paint a picture to go with her talk called 'Dadirri', meaning silence or stillness. It was the time when the saltwater crocodiles lay their eggs in the mounds they have prepared along the river banks or in the swamps amongst the cane grass.

The painting is in three parts. The upper part depicts nature, which is our calendar. It tells us when to hunt for fruits, yams, animals, reptiles, fish or birds. By looking at certain flowers that are blossoming, or which way the wind is blowing, we know what to look for and gather.

The bottom of the painting is ourselves. The circles and lines mean that we have been washed with Jesus' blood coming from the paperbark chalice. The yam under the cross is Jesus' body. The cross means that Jesus died for our sins and rose to life again. At the top of the cross there are flames coming from fire sticks. Jesus is the light of the world.

The tree in the middle represents the Aboriginal people. Pope John Paul II said to them: 'You are like a tree standing in the middle of a bushfire sweeping through the timber. The leaves are scorched and the tough bark is scarred and burned, but inside the tree the sap is still flowing and under the ground the roots are still strong.' When the wet season sets in and the rain comes, the tree grows and blossoms. The storm winds come too. The white lines on each side of the tree are the water and wind representing the Holy Spirit.

Dear Families

As we look back at our Father's Day celebrations, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the significance of this special day and the incredible role that fathers play in our lives.

Father's Day is more than just a date on the calendar; it's a heartfelt opportunity to express our gratitude and love for the amazing dads, grandfathers, uncles, and father figures who enrich our lives every day. It's a day to celebrate their unwavering support, their wisdom, their love, and their dedication to their families.

Fathers are the strong pillars of our homes, providing guidance, encouragement, and a sense of security. They teach us valuable life lessons, inspire us to reach for the stars, and show us the importance of hard work and perseverance. They are our role models, our heroes, and our friends.

To all the fathers in our Columba Community, your dedication to your families and the positive impact you have on the lives of your children is truly exceptional. We celebrate you not just on this day but every day.

As this will be the last newsletter for the term, I want to wish all families a safe and restful holiday break. Even if you are not able to get away for a holiday, please take the time to rest and recover from what has been a winter full of sickness and sniffles. As the weather gets warmer, make the time to be outside, get some fresh air, go for a walk and recharge those batteries.

As the term drawers to a close, I need to let everyone know we have had an overwhelming amount of enrolments for Prep in 2024, as well as many enrolments in our other grades. We continue to grow and welcome new families which is wonderful. You must all take credit for your part in this, as I know that you are and have been the voice for our wonderful school. There is no better way to advertise our school than ‘word of mouth’ in the community, so thank you for speaking so highly of our school. Whether it be informally at the shops, hairdresser, restaurant or cafe, or when formally asked for recommendations by prospective families, your positive talk about our school helps us all build belief within our community that we are a special school and that we can provide an excellent, well rounded education for all families that choose Columba.

PREP ENROLMENTS 2025

Our 2024 enrolments for Prep are officially closed. We currently have a waiting list for Prep for 2024. Our 2024 5/6 classrooms are near capacity, but we have many places left in grades 1-4.

Please note that all existing families will need to enrol their Prep child for 2025 by the end of term 1 2024. This will ensure we have a clear understanding of how many other Prep students we can enrol.

To be clear the priority list for enrolments in all Catholic Schools is

Priority 1. Current families (Catholic and Non-Catholic)

Priority 2. Catholics Living within our Zone*

Priority 3. Non Catholic Living within our Zone*

* Living within our Zone - Bunyip, Longwarry and Garfield (East of Mont Albert & Gillespie Rd).

Have a wonderful weekend

Take care

Andrew Greco

Principal

SCHOOL FEES FOR TERM 3

are NOW OVERDUE

Please contact the school if you are having trouble paying your school fees.

Your school fees are like a normal bill or debt. The debt will accumulate and become overwhelming if not addressed. Please do not ignore the fees and work with us to sort out a plan.

Direct Debit is a great way to pay off your fees a bit at a time. Jan is here to help just give her a buzza!

Please email or call finance@bunyip.edu.au or speak with the

principal principal@bunyip.catholic.edu.au

Both can be reached at 03 56295933

2023 Children's Sacrament Dates

CONFIRMATION

On Wednesday our Year Six students spent the day at Marist Sion College for a Confirmation reflection day. Led by the Year Ten Youth Ministry class, we saw some familiar faces of past Columba students.
Our Year Sixes had the opportunity to explore where they see the Holy Spirit in their lives and think about how they can make a difference in our world.
We pray for the Confirmation candidates who will be celebrating their sacrament this Saturday at 2 p.m. at St Joseph’s Iona, with Bishop Greg.

All are welcome to attend.

Confirmation Sacrament - 9th September at Iona 2pm

NEXT Assembly

Thursday 14th September 2:20pm

1/2GC on Prayer

Multi-Purpose Room - All Families Welcome

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Childs_Safety_Newsletter_piece_1_.pdf

Thank you to all of the special men who came to our Father's Day at Columba! The students had a wonderful time showing you around the school, meeting teachers, and showing their learning spaces. I am sure the day will be memories cherished by many!

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CELEBRATING OUR STUDENTS

This Fortnight's Awards

Inspiration

Each fortnight we focus on one of our school values: Respect, Fairness, Generosity, Inspiration, Perseverance. We model and look for opportunties to teach our students values which underpin the way we believe we should live and interact with others and with our world.

Jesus was inspirational as he practiced meditation and prayer to gain strength to meet the challenges of daily life. He consistently showed love, kindness, patience, gentleness to others and encouraged them to open to the Spirit within themselves.

Next assembly we will award students who have shown Generosity.

This is the value of Hollows House named after Fred Hollows.

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Car Parking Important Information

It has been brought to our attention that currently the school car park is becoming a potential hazard during after school pick-up. As a school, we have plans for upgrading the car park long and short term, however we require time and money.

The best way we can all make the car park safer is to use it better.

Below are a set of guidelines that will help keep the car park safe, while we wait for the upgrades to take place.

COLUMBA CAR PARK GUIDELINES

Any car leaving the car park MUST leave driving forward.
After 3:20pm NO CAR IS TO REVERSE FOR ANY REASON
Patience and courtesy are compulsory.
Under no circumstances should anyone drive into the Car park Exit.
As the weather dries the grass, staff will be encouraged to park on the grass areas marked on the map to allow more car parks for parents.

Below is a diagram/visual to help everyone understand the expectations. It is also an attachment below

Gravel_Carpark_Parent_Directions.jpg

As always we ask that all parents collecting their children are patient and courteous. If you feel someone needs help in following the guidelines, approach them calmly and let them know, often it just takes a friendly reminder.

Also if we do our best to set the standard for others through our actions, others will follow.

Please consider an alternate option for pick-ups. It could be

- parking at the Koolangarra Park and walking up to collect your child

- parking along Webb St and walking up to school to collect your child

- parking along Princess st and walking up to school to collect your child

While we understand this is not possible for all families due to time pressures after school, if you are able to utilise the surrounding streets and are willing to walk, this would also take pressure off the main car park for now.

We hope these directions help and please be assured that we are always working to provided the best possible resources and facilities we are able to for our students and the Columba Community.

Footy Fundraiser

Week 2 Update

We have just completed week 2 of the Footy Fund-raiser and have already raised over $1000! So far the grade competition is very close and while the tigers are out to an early lead, there are a few teams ready to make a big come back.

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Term 4 P&F Fundraiser

Tomatoes are NOW AVAILABLE for purchase

Order your tomatoes now for planting in November.

Plants will be available for pick-up on Monday 13th November from the Columba Multi Purpose Room.
They will be the best plants you will buy!

Plenty of purchasing options and plant bundles

ORDER YOUR TOMATO PLANTS HERE

https://bunyip.cdfpay.org.au/monitoronline/Account/AddToMyCart/9?itemType=3

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CREATE YOUR PROFILE CLICK HERE!

CREATE YOUR PROFILE CLICK HERE!

COLUMBA COLOUR RUN LAUNCHES TODAY

We will be holding the School Fun Run’s Crazy Colour Day as a major fundraising event this year on FRIDAY 17th November! We’re doing it to raise much-needed money for our classrooms and outside play areas.

About the Day

The Crazy Colour Day is all about Fun! It will be a huge colourful mess and is undoubtedly one of the most exciting days on our school’s calendar, with everyone’s participation the aim, so please make sure they attend on the day and cheer the other kids on!

How Does My Child Fundraise?

Firstly, go to schoolfunrun.com.au and create a student profile page. Everything to do with your fundraising revolves around this page.

Students who raise just $10 will be able to choose a prize! The more they raise, the better their reward – don’t forget to check these out in the sponsorship form! We have educated students on the dangers of doorknocking without supervision, and we encourage you to reiterate this at home. The great thing about online fundraising is that you can share the link to your child’s profile with friends and family via email, SMS and Social Media.

Online Fundraising

The easiest way to help your child raise money is through online fundraising, where students raise an average of $120. On top of raising more money, it’s also safer and easier than doorknocking and you don’t have to worry about handling money! To start fundraising online, go to your student profile page at schoolfunrun.com.au and share your online fundraising link.