Term 1 Week 9 Monday 25th March 2024

Acknowledgement of Country

From the Principal

Inspiring Speakers from VACPSP

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the biennial VACPSP Conference in Lorne. The conference was full of so many highlights for me, but I will just touch on three very special guest speakers that I was blessed to listen to.

We were all inspired by Craig Foster, a former Socceroo, who has gone on to become one of Australia's most respected sportspeople as a broadcaster, social justice advocate and human rights campaigner. Foster is a vocal critic of the Australian Government's treatment of asylum seekers. He played a high-profile role in the campaign to free Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from detention in Thailand in from late 2018 to early 2019, later co-writing a book about it, Fighting for Hakeem, which became the working title of a 2023 documentary film (renamed The Defenders). Craig’s resounding message was that by remaining silent, we are allowing a society where people are not treated fairly.

Former world no 4 tennis player, and now highly respected sports commentator, Jelena Dokic shared her incredible story of resilience and triumph. It’s the story of her survival in the face of poverty, bullying and extreme brutality. It’s about how she survived as a refugee, twice. How she survived on the tennis court as she ascended to become world No.4. But most importantly, how she survived the unimaginable abuse by Damir Dokic, her violent father and manager. Jelena shared with us that once she found the strength to use her voice to tell her story to the world, that was when she started the healing process that has allowed her to not only survive but to thrive.

Saroo Brierley was born in a small Indian town. In 1986, aged only 5, he lost all contact with his family when he was at a train station waiting for his brother. He never saw his brother again. After living on the streets of Calcutta for 3 weeks by himself, Saroo was placed in a local orphanage and went on to be adopted by an Australian family. He grew up with his new parents in Hobart, Tasmania where he spent the next 25 years. Siroo never gave up hope of finding his birth family and he told us all the incredible story of how he did eventually find that ‘needle in the haystack’ using Google Earth and determination. If you have not watch the movie based on Siroo’s miracle story, LION starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, then I encourage you to do so and if your children are old enough, watch it with them too.

All three speakers provided me with a similar message, that being the power of using our voices to implement change. As I said last week the theme for the conference was Leading with Strength, and the strength that all three of these people showed when they were strong enough to ‘speak up’ was truly inspiring.

Important Dates:

TERM 1 2024        

Tuesday 26^th March – District Aths Carnival

Wednesday 27^th March- School Photos

Thursday 28^th March- Holy Week Prayer Service and Easter Raffle drawn from 11:45

                                                Term 1 ends at 2:15

Term 2 2024

Monday 15^th April- Term 2 commences- Jane Lee on LSL for 4 weeks

Wednesday 24th April St Colman's Cross Country

Thursday 25th April - ANZAC Day

Friday 26th April - Student Free Day- Staff Professional Learning in Wellbeing 

Monday 29th April - Catholic Education Week

                                         - GRIP Student Leadership Day

Tuesday 30th April- Open Day

2024 School Camps (with St Thomas’ Terang)

Sept 2^nd-3^rd: Year 3/4 Warra Gnan Coastal Camp, Warrnambool

Nov 13^th-15^th: Year 5/6 Dunkeld Adventure Camp

School Closure Days for 2024

Term 2: Friday 26^th April- Wellbeing

Term 3: Monday 15^th July- Religious Education; Re-contextualising the Scriptures.

                Tuesday 16^th July- Structured Literacy

2024 Sacramental Program

We are pleased to invite all children in Year 3-6 to participate in our 2024 Sacramental program. This year, we will offer the Sacrament of Confirmation which will be held on Sunday 19th May at St Colman’s Church. The Sacrament of Confirmation is the second of the three Sacraments of initiation, beginning with Baptism and finishing with Holy Communion.

The Parish of Our Lady of Mercy is transitioning to a new structure for receiving the Sacraments. Therefore, going forward, children in Year 3 will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and those in Year 4 will participate in First Reconciliation and will receive the Sacrament of First Communion.

Please note that Confirmation will be the only Sacrament that we will celebrate at St Colman's this year. Holy Communion and Reconciliation will take place for our students in Year 4 and above in 2025.

We ask that you make contact with either Janet or Rosie if you would like your child to take part. Participation in our Sacramental program is entirely voluntary, please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

Caritas Project Compassion

During the Lenten Season, we ask all our families to raise money for the Caritas Project Compassion. Each family will bring home a money box today and they are asked to fill the box with coins. These coins are then returned to school and used in the Class Money Line competition held on the last day of this term. The class with the longest coin line will win a hot chip lunch.

All the coins are then forwarded on to the Caritas Australia team, where they will use the money raised to support their charitable works.

The money line will be held this Thursday, March 28th, so it is time to start returning your Project Compassion boxes to school.

Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) Survey

Every five years all Catholic primary schools in our diocese complete the Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) Survey. 

The Catholic University in Leuven was commissioned by the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd (CECV) to design a process and tools, based on sound research, to accomplish the goal of understanding our current Catholic identity and where the school community might like to see itself in the future.

The ECSI Survey is a key element of this process and I write to request your participation. The online survey gathers responses from students in Years 5 and 6, all staff and a representative sample of parents.

You are asked to complete the survey online; it may take up to an hour to do so. Attached is a letter of explanation and a set of instructions. Your child will also bring home a copy of this information today. In order to get an accurate picture of how our school community sees our school, it is essential that as many of you as possible complete the survey. Please find some time in your busy lives to sit and reflect upon our Catholic Identity and complete the survey.

Go to; http://www.ecsi.site/au/user/

Enter the password: Ghj654

Click on NEW USER

Our school Access code is: (case sensitive): mpUWYb

Many thanks in advance for taking the time to do so!

Our Lady of Mercy Parish News

WEEKEND MASS TIMES
ST THOMAS’ TERANG
Saturday 6.00 pm
Sunday 10.30 am
ST COLMAN’S MORTLAKE
Sunday 9.00 am

Greater Western Swimming Regional Championships

Congratulations to Charlotte and Imogen for representing St Colman’s at the Greater Western Primary Swimming Regional Championships held at Horsham on March 22^nd. Imogen competed in the 11-year-old breaststroke finishing in second place. Imogen narrowly missed out, by just 1 second, on qualifying to compete at State Championships in April. What an amazing effort. Charlotte and Imogen combined with Annabelle and Matilda from St Thomas’ in the 4x 50m freestyle relay, finishing in third place. Super effort girls!

Although we are a small school, we are fortunate to utilise our strong connection with our nearest Catholic school in St Thomas’ Terang to ensure that all students who qualify to compete in these events do not miss out on experiencing these, and many other, fabulous events.

My New Gallery

District Athletics Carnival

Tomorrow, eight of our students will be representing our school at the District Athletics Carnival in Camperdown. Students need to find their own way there with the first event being the optional 1500m run. If your child has nominated to take part in the 1500m, they will need to be at Frederick Street oval before 9am. A note was sent home last week to all children who will be participating.

Best of luck to the students who made it through to this competition:
Will C, Phoebe D, Alex L, Imogen B, Gus C, Archie D, Eloise D and Zeke P. 

Specialist Timetable for Term 2

Below is the Specialist timetable for Term 2. All children need to wear their sports uniform and return their library books each Wednesday

The Easter Raffle is back!

we are still waiting on some families to drop off a donation for the Easter Raffle.

Please drop your donations off at the office ASAP.

Raffle tickets also need to be returned by Wednesday March 27th.

The raffle will be drawn this Thursday at approxiamtely 12:45pm. 

School Photos

Scheduled for this Wednesday 27th March 2024

Your child has been given their personalised order form. Use this form to order your photo package. You can either place the money in the envelope or order and pay online. Please write the online order reference number on the envelope. 
Family envelopes are available from the office if you wish to have siblings in a photo together.

End of Term/ Easter Celebrations

The end of Term One is only 4 school days away. We will finish the term on Thursday March 28th at 2:15pm. Throughout that day we will be holding several events of significance.
Children will need to bring back their Project Compassion boxes to use the coins in the Money line. The class with the longest line will be rewarded with hot chips for lunch on the first Friday back next term. 
Children will be finalising this term’s RE Unit on HOPE with a visit from inspiring guest speaker Ben Harkin. Ben visited our school last year and inspired our students with his incredible story of resilience and message of never giving up HOPE.
After recess we will commence our Easter events, see flyer below. Everyone is welcome to attend. Children can wear casual clothes on this day.

School Advisory Council (SAC)

We would like to introduce you to our SAC members for 2024.   

Jo Wallis (Chair), Alison Greig, Michelle Lehmann, Zion Palmer, Sophie Allen, Rachel Baulch, Danielle Kenny, Rosie O’Connor (School rep), Janet Cain (Principal) and Fr. Gary Jones (Parish Rep)

These people are the voice of the parish and parents in the school. If you have any questions or anything that you would like raised please contact one of these people.

The SAC meets twice a term and we thank these people for agreeing to be a part of this group that provides an essential link between the school and its families.

This year we will hold our meetings Wednesday of week 3 and week 8 each term starting at 6:30pm.

The dates are;

Term 2: May 1st and June 5th

Term 3: July 31st and Sept 4th

Term 4: October 23rd and Nov 27th (AGM)

Playgroup at St Colman's

We look forward to welcoming back our local pre-schoolers every second Friday, with our next session being held the first week of Term 2, Friday April 19th.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD WITH YOUR FRIENDS WHO HAVE PRE SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!

The ongoing commitment to this project will require support from other members of the school community. If you are willing to help out by going on a roster to help organise Little Colman’s, please contact either the school or Lily. 

WE WILL NEED TO PURCHASE SOME GAMES AND EQUIPMENT FOR OUR PLAYGROUP. HOWEVER, WE WONDERED IF YOU HAD ANY OLD TOYS AND GAMES THAT YOUR CHILDREN HAVE GROWN OUT OF AND THAT YOU NO LONGER NEED. IF SO, WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THE DONATION OF ANY PRE-SCHOOL TOYS AND GAMES, INDOOR OR OUTDOOR, THAT ARE IN EXCELLENT USED CONDITION.

SCHOOL NURSE VISIT

Each year our Foundation students have the opportunity to have a FREE health and wellbeing check conducted on them by the visiting School Nurse. If you would like your Foundation child to have this check, please complete either the online questionnaire or request a paper version from Shandell. 

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support is: A multi-tiered framework for establishing the social culture and behavioural supports needed for a school to achieve behavioural and academic outcomes for all students. For the next two weeks at St Colman’s we are working with our students on developing effective learning habits that will set them up for success throughout the year ahead. During that time, all staff will be reinforcing the behaviour expectations as set out in our Behavior Matrix (below).

SchoolTV Wellbeing Platform

This week's feature articles explain the importance of celebrating neurodivergence amongst our students.

Neurodiversity in children and adolescents is a concept celebrating the natural variation in how young minds work. It acknowledges that neurological differences, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and giftedness, are not disabilities but unique aspects of human cognition. Embracing neurodiversity fosters acceptance, empathy, and inclusivity in society. Parents play a pivotal role in supporting their neurodiverse child by understanding their specific needs, advocating for appropriate educational accommodations, and seeking professional guidance when necessary. By appreciating and nurturing their child's strengths, parents can help them thrive and unlock their full potential, leading to a more compassionate and understanding future for all.

"We need to embrace neurodiversity as a tapestry of brilliance, for within each unique mind lies extraordinary potential waiting to be unleashed. By celebrating our differences we create a world of understanding and acceptance." Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

Birthday Wishes

We would like to wish Patrick G a very happy birthday for this week. We also wish a happy birthday to any other members of our community who are a celebrating a birthday during the week. 

We send you many blessings on your special day and throughout the year. 

St. Colman's School is a Child Safe Community

Child Safety Officers

Janet Cain and Rosie O'Connor are our Child Safety Officers.

Contact them on:

Phone: 55992285 or 0490539167

Email: jcain@scmortlake.catholic.edu.au or roconnor@scmortlake.catholic.edu.au

The Child Safe Standards

The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian schools to ensure they are well prepared to keep children and young people safe and protect them from abuse.  provides the framework for child safety in schools.

Child Safe Standard 3: Child and student empowerment

In complying with Child Safe Standard 3 St Colman's must, at a minimum, ensure:

3.1    Children and young people are informed about all of their rights, including to safety, information and participation.

3.2    The importance of friendships is recognised and support from peers is encouraged, to help children and young people feel safe and be less isolated.

3.3    Where relevant to the setting or context, children and young people are offered access to sexual abuse prevention programs and to relevant related information in an age-appropriate way.

3.4    Staff and volunteers are attuned to signs of harm and facilitate child-friendly ways for children and young people to express their views, participate in decision-making and raise their concerns.

3.5    Organisations have strategies in place to develop a culture that facilitates participation and is responsive to the input of children and young people.

3.6    Organisations provide opportunities for children and young people to participate and are responsive to their contributions, thereby strengthening confidence and engagement.

How are we implementing this at St Colman's (SCM)??

• Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationship Program is taught. 
• SCM  created of a Student Representative Council in 2024.
• SCM conducts Wellbeing surveys twice a year to check in with how the children are feeling.
• Embedded practice through RE and review of norms and rules. 
• Police in schools’ program. 
• Student Leadership team is promoted and encouraged. 
• Staff complete mandatory reporting annually. 
• Staff are trained in trauma informed practice.
• Volunteers complete an induction in relation to the Child Safe Standards. 
• Student- Friendly Child Safety Policy - developed by students
• SCM has developed a PPT for students to view

If you have any questions about our implementation of this Standard, or have a suggestion about how we could be doing this better, please contact  our Child Safety Officers; Janet Cain and Rosie O'Connor.

Our Student Representative Council will be co ordinating our partnership with Cooinda Terang to become a collection point for Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic).

We will be collecting all eligible empty drink containers and then returning them to the CDS collection point at Cooinda. The 10c raised from each return will go back to the SRC. They will nominate various charities to support as well as using 50% of the funds to upgrade school resources.

So please start collecting and sending in your empties. 

Most aluminium, glass, plastic and liquid paperboard (carton) drink containers between 150mL and 3 litres are eligible. You can keep the lids on, we recycle them too. The easiest way to know if your drink container can be returned is to look for the 10c mark on the label, often located near the barcode.

You can help in two ways:

1. The first is by far the simplest. Just return your empty eligible containers to the tubs in the corridors at school.
2. If you have a large amount of containers to deposit, you may wish to take them to a Container Deposit Depot and return them yourself. Please download the CDS Vic West App (instructions below). When you return your containers, nominate St Colman's School Mortlake as the charity you want to donate the money to.

Please note, that as we are in partnership with Cooinda Terang, our preferred deposit depot is their Reverse Vending Machine located at 49 Dow St Terang.

Their Care- School Holiday Program

Auskick and Net Set Go are back

Camperdown Theatre Company

Mortlake Community Market

Toastie Tuesday

Lunch Orders

LUNCH ORDERS are only available twice a week on Monday and Friday.

Menu and price list below

Out of School Care

A reminder that during 2023 we have access to Out of School Care, supplied by TheirCare, at Mortlake College. Registration is made via the TheirCare website. https://theircare.com.au/

Search for Mortlake College P-12

AngliCare Energy Assistance

As part of Anglicare Victoria’s FREE Energy Assistance Program, they provide assistance with energy bills to support Victorians to:

• Talk to their energy retailer and get help with debt
• Access extra financial support
• Check they are receiving eligible concessions on their bill
• Find and move to an affordable energy plan
• Understand bills and fix any possible errors
• Support your child's education with free internet at home

They can provide immediate assistance for clients who are struggling to pay for their gas or electricity bills to prevent disconnection to their property!

The follower two flyers provide further details.

NCCD

Please read the attached information sheet for parents regarding NCCD.