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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.
Dear Families,
This week I watched the ABC Four Corners episode, “The kids who can’t”. It explored the growing trend in Australia of kids who are struggling to get to school. Notice I didn’t use the term, “School Refusal” as experts in the field, parents and the kids themselves don’t like the term as it doesn’t speak to what is actually happening. For a number of reasons these kids are struggling to get to school but aren’t refusing; they actually want to be at school engaging in learning and being with their teachers and friends…they just can’t. They use the term, “School can’t”. It was a hard watch at times and my heart broke for the families who courageously shared their stories….there but for the grace of God go we.
These kids are communicating that school doesn’t work for them in some way. More and more schools are looking at ways to support students for whom the traditional school structure provides challenge. Whilst the episode looked at students with ASD, ADHD and anxiety disorders, I found it quite thought- provoking in regard to all our students and prompted much reflection on how we can support the kids at Columba.
Columba school has been doing a lot of work developing our Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour. This is the framework we use to consider and respond to the needs of students to ensure we provide a safe, predictable school environment. Columba has strategically implemented a range of supports seeking to create a safe and inclusive learning environment but we are always seeking to improve.
We consider the needs of the students using a three tier system. I will focus on wellbeing in particular in this week's newsletter.
Tier one provides supports, knowledge and skills for all our students. These help normalise behaviours and thinking, for example, we are using The Resilience Project to teach students to show gratitude for the small things in their lives, empathy for others, mindfulness by staying in the moment, alongside developing emotional literacy i.e. naming the emotions we are feeling and developing positive ways to express these. We seek to destigmatise mental ill health and give students skills to seek help when they need it. Tier one also involves teachers creating organised and predictable classrooms and routines where students are engaged in learning at their particular need to reduce stress and fear of being a failure. We seek to help students feel connected.
Tier two provides support for groups of students who need extra input and practise in these areas to develop wellbeing and self esteem. We have a team of people who do this at Columba. Paula, our school counsellor, leads Amelia and Steph who run small wellbeing groups exploring concepts such friendship skills, growth mindset, anxiety & worry, social skills etc.
Tier three is the most intensive level for students who need individualised support plans. We provide free counselling to students with a variety of needs and support families with securing professional assistance for critical needs.
Linking all three tiers is the Learning Team. Your first port of call for assistance is of course your child’s classroom teacher who will consult with the Learning and Wellbeing teams. Lizzy Cunningham is our school MHiPS leader (Mental Health in Primary Schools)- a Victorian Government initiative providing funding for each school to support student mental health initiatives. At Columba, Lizzy acts as a support for teachers and families in connecting to professional supports, for example, psychologists, Allied therapists, community groups etc. and in keeping the lines of communication open.
We urge our families to continue to communicate with us in identifying needs and creating plans and pathways for assistance. We thank all those families who have recently taken the time to attend Family Conferences. This is invaluable for us to respond to the wide variety of student needs, both academically and in the wellbeing space.
Take care
Regards,
Caz Websdale
Acting (Pretending?)Principal
We welcome Andrew back next week after a well deserved break with his family.
Division Athletics Achievements
On Tuesday the 30th of April we had students represent Columba Catholic School at the West Gippsland Primary Aths Carnival Division level.
We walked away with phenomenal achievements from all students, with some moving on to the Gippsland Regional Aths Carnival next month. With top placings and some record PBs, it was a fantastic day.
A big congratulations to our Columba students for representing our school. You all should be incredibly proud of your achievements. Well done.
Friday 10th May - week 4 Junior Assembly - Prep C hosting
Friday 17th May - week 5 Senior Assembly - Grade 5/6M hosting
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Today grade 5-6P hosted our assembly focussing on
Fairness
(MacKillop Green House value)
“Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times”
Psalm 106:3
Well done to all our Award Winners!
Each fortnight we focus on one of our school values: Respect, Fairness, Generosity, Inspiration, Perseverance. We model and look for opportunities to teach our students values that underpin the way we believe we should live and interact with others and with our world.
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The grade 3-4 students will be exploring concepts in Science this term and will attend an excursion in support of this inquiry.
They will be attending a Science show, The Alphabet of Awesome Science, on Friday 31st of May at the West Gippsland Art Centre, Warragul. During the show the Grade 3-4s will be learning about different Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences giving them the opportunity to explore and discover the wonders of our world.
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2024 Dates
Pupil Free Days - NO STUDENTS 2024
Tuesday 11th June - PUPIL FREE DAY
