Hello to all families,

With first term only a week from completion, I would like to thank all families for the way they have continued to be patient in working with us to get back to 'covid normal'. We have certainly had some ups and downs this term, but the resilience we have shown as a community shouldn't go unnoticed. I need to also thank our wonderful staff who have met all the challenges head on. They are an amazing bunch of people and we are very lucky to have such dedicated and courageous individuals educating our children. It was wonderful to see parents back in the school this week meeting with teachers. I am sure everyone got a lot out of those conversations and that they continue to support us in being the best educators we can be for your children.

With Term 2 not far away, we continue to look forward to many events, one in particular is the introduction of Esports to Columba. So what exactly are Esports, and aren’t video games a negative thing for our children and a distraction from things like school? That may have been the case once upon a time, but these days, Esports are being used to accelerate learning capacities and increase certain skills in school students. In Term 2 and Term 3, our 3-6 students will be competing against one another as gamers in a formal competition, The Fuse Cup. Much like our school sports competitions, we will have a number of events across the two terms, during which our grade 3-6 students will compete against each other for their house colours. Four students in Grades 5/6 can then qualify to compete in Melbourne against other schools.

We are very excited for what a great opportunity The Fuse Cup will be for our students. We know that our students are gifted in so many fields, and that gaming is a passion for some of them in their free time. The Fuse Cup therefore gives many of our students the opportunity to represent the school in a competitive arena, many the only time they will have that opportunity. We know that The Fuse Cup will help students improve communication and coordination in a team, but most importantly, we know that by creating opportunities for students to take part in co-curricular activities will boost their self-efficacy and in turn, their success at school. Whether students are participating in a chess club, the footy, or netball team, results have shown that students who are involved in co-curricular activities are more engaged in their school community, and thus their education.

One thing is for certain, at Columba we know that group activities facilitated and delivered by an education provider in a formal setting (be they online gaming or frisbee golf) bring people together. When students work together, the results are the same as any other team activity – the students participate with their peers in mind. Emotional skills, such as compassion and good sportsmanship, are acquired in these settings and more importantly, Esports is a team sport that any student can get involved in.

For more information on The FUSE CUP, please read the flyer which includes

DOWNLOAD FLYER HERE

Or visit their website https://www.thefusecup.com.au/

SCHOOL PHOTOS CATCH UP PHOTOS

Thank you to all parents for having their children looking tip top for our school photos on Tuesday. Our school photographer will be returning early in Term 2 to take individual photos of all students that were not at school on Tuesday. Their photo will also be added to their class photo. I will confirm the 'make up' date when I have been contacted by the photographer.

Take care

Andrew Greco

5/6 Camp

TARAGO SPORTS

AMAZING DAY AT DISTRICT ATHLETICS
Well done to all our kids who participated in the District Athletics this week. The feedback from all the teachers attending was fantastic and our kids did so well in how they presented and how they participated. Congratulations to all the winners and most importantly to all those that did their very best.

Last Day of Term 1

Friday 8th April - Early Finish 2:15pm

On the last day of term for each term we need to finish school early due to the school buses running earlier for state schools on these days. As we access the buses through the state government, we must fall inline with state schools and Bunyip Primary School finishes at 2:30 on the last day of each term. To ensure all our children are able to get home safely and still access their buses, we need to finish at 2:15pm. If your child is on a bus and you do not want them to go home at 2:15 on the bus, please call the school and let us know they will be picked up.

After School Care will be available on the 8th April and will begin at 2:30pm. We ask that you please confirm this with your after school care provider.

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NEXT SCHOOL CLOSURE

ANZAC DAY HOLIDAY - Monday 25th April

QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY - Monday 13th June

COLUMBA SCHOOL CLOSED - Monday 11th July

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Friday 8th April ALL Students

Put your loose coins in your Caritas Box and bring them back to school.

No box? Just bring in a Gold Coin donation to give to your teacher on the day.

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.

The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum. All government and non-government education authorities have contributed to the development of NAPLAN materials. Students are assessed on the same literacy and numeracy curriculum content, regardless of whether they complete the tests online or on paper. Results for both formats can be reported on the same NAPLAN assessment scale.

All students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 are expected to participate in the annual NAPLAN assessment. Students with a disability may qualify for adjustments that reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments. You should discuss the use of any adjustments for your child with your child’s teacher.

A student with a disability that severely limits their capacity to participate in the assessment, or a student who has recently arrived in Australia and has a non-English speaking background, may be granted a formal exemption. Your school principal and your local test administration authority can give you more information on special provisions or the process required to gain a formal exemption.

If a child is absent, schools may arrange for individual students to complete missed tests at another time during the school’s test schedule but not outside of it.

COLUMBA'S NAPLAN TIMETABLE

SCHOOL FEES & CONCESSIONS

Please contact the school office if you need to discuss your 2022 school fee payment. All school fees for 2021 are overdue. Term 1 2022 school fee statements will be emailed shortly.

?????DO YOU QUALIFY FOR A SCHOOL FEE DISCOUNT?????

For any families that have recently received a Government means-tested health care concession card, please forward a copy of your card to the office to check your eligibility, as a fee concession may apply. The card must be in the name of the parent/fee payer for a fee concession to apply.

If you qualify for this, please contact the school as school fees will be considerably less for your family.

If any families would like to set up a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly direct debit schedule for school fees, please complete the Direct Debit Form below and return it to the school office. For any assistance regarding calculations of payments, please contact us via email at: finance@bunyip.catholic.edu.au

If your current Health Care card is due to expire this year and your card is re-issued, please send a copy of your new card details to the office as soon as possible for the concession to be checked and applied for next year's fees, if not already done so.

For more FEE INFORMATION please visit our website

https://bunyip.catholic.edu.au/school-fees-and-levies

insights_will_smith_hit_chris_rock_what_do_we_tell_our_kids_ns.pdf

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