St Colman's School Mortlake eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

St Colman’s acknowledges the Girai wurung people as the traditional owners of the land on which our school stands and we respectfully recognise elders both past and present.

From the Principal

Dear St Colman's community,

Welcome to Week 3!

Last Thursday, we had the pleasure of welcoming the grandparents and special friends of our students to our school. It was a delightful morning filled with joy as the children shared their work and showcased their learning experiences with their visitors. We then shared a lovely prayer service, followed by a morning tea that allowed everyone to mingle and connect, and in some cases, re-connect with old friends. This event is one of the highlights of the school year, highlighting the significant role that grandparents and elderly friends play in the lives of our students as cherished role models and mentors for the next generation. I thank all of the people who made the effort to attend this event, and I cannot emphasise enough how special it was for them to share the morning with you.

Read on to find out what is happening in our school community. It is always a good idea to familiarise yourself with the key dates section of the newsletter. Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have.

Kind regards,

Janet

Important Dates:

Term 4

Monday 21st October: Seniors to visit Aberlea

Wednesday 23rd October: School Advisory Council meeting @ 6:30pm

Friday 25th October: 5/6 Cricket Blast in Terang

Monday 28th October: Cyber safety chat with John Keats from the Warrnambool Police.

Sunday 3rd November: Montgomery Pavilion Centenary Community Event from 11am

Saturday November 9th: Mortlake Rose Show

Monday 11th November: Middles to visit Aberlea

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

Friday November 15th: 9am- 11am Kinder Transition Session 1

Monday 18th- Friday 22nd November: Meals on Wheels week

Tuesday 19th November: F-2 excursion

Friday November 22nd: 9am- 11am Kinder Transition Session 2

Monday November 25th: St Colman Feast Day Mass @ 9:30am

Wednesday November 27th: School Advisory Council AGM, 6pm @ Macs Hotel

Friday November 29th: 9am- 11am Kinder Transition Session 3

Friday December 6th: 9am- 11am Kinder Transition Session 4

Tuesday December 10th: Whole school Move Up Day/ Orientation Day

Thursday December 12th: Whole school Aberlea Christmas visit

Friday December 13th: Mortlake Community Christmas Carols

Saturday 14th December: Bunnings BBQ

End of Year dates:

Tuesday 17th December: End of Year Mass, Awards and Picnic

Wednesday 18th December: Final day for students

Thursday 19th December: Student Free Day- Final day for staff (2025 Planning Day)

Friday 20th December: Student Free Day- DOBCEL Approved TIL acquittal day

As part of their 10-year strategic plan, DOBCEL are prioritising 'deeper collaboration between schools'. To support the implementation of this practical principle, Tom Sexton, Executive Director of Catholic Education Ballarat, is allowing schools two extra student free days in 2025. The letter below was sent to all families last week regarding the impact this will have upon our school community, in particular, the anticipated change to the school holiday break at the end of Term 1 2025.

Catholic Identity

Our Diocesan Community

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

Teaching and Learning

Lions International Peace Poster Contest

Each year our Senior students participate in the Lions Peace Poster competition. This year, the students were asked to creat a poster that reflected the theme; Peace Without Limits.

"For peace to be anything more than a possibility, we need to make it a priority. This year, we’re asking our young students to create a poster that speaks to our world’s infinite potential for kindness once we commit to pursuing the idea of peace without limits."

At our weekly assembly we welcomed Heather and Julie from the Mortlake Lions Club to award our winner. Congratulations to Alex Lehmann for being the winner from our school. All local entries will be on display in the window atthe BP Service Station (AKA Deano's Service Station). So you can call past and have a look.

Congratulations to the children who were acknowledged for their achievements at last week's assembly.

Year 5/6 Cricket Blast

This Friday, October 25th, our Year 5/6 students are heading to Terang Cricket Oval to take part in Cricket Blast against other district primary schools. Permission needs to be granted via the PAM app and there is no cost to attend. A BBQ and drink will be available to buy on the day. Price list below.

Police Education Visit

Next Monday, October 28th, St. Colman's will host a visit from Leading Senior Constable John Keats, a Youth Resource Police Officer. He will conduct two educational sessions: the first for our Foundation to Year 3 students, focusing on Stranger Danger, Road Safety, and the safe use of the internet and devices.

Following this, he will meet with our Year 4 to 6 students to discuss cyberbullying, online predators, and the safe use of the internet and devices. Given that many children are actively engaged in online activities, this timely discussion aims to help ensure that all our students remain vigilant and safe while online.

Community Engagement

Grandparents & Special Friends Day

What a wonderful celebration of our Grandparents we had last Thursday. Many of whom commented on how lovely the poem we read during the service was. I have attached a copy of it below, as well as a selection of photos from the day.

Grandparents Day 2025

Advance Notice- Save the Dates

Term 4 looks set to be another busy term. We have planned a couple of community engagement and fundraising projects and we would love for you to keep the following dates in mind so that you can help to support them in some way.

Saturday November 9th: Mortlake Rose Show. Our students will be entering some of the competitions on offer and we will run a play corner to keep the children entertained while their parents look at the displays.

Saturday December 14th: Bunnings BBQ at Warrnambool. We have been offered a spot in the hotly contested Bunnings BBQ fundraising calendar. This is the first time our school has had the opportunity to run the BBQ at Bunnings and being so close to Christmas it should be an incredibly busy day!

Second hand Uniforms

We have collected a selection of 'pre-loved' school uniforms that are available to ALL members of our school community. These items are free of charge, but it really is the 'luck of the draw' if the item you want is there or not! You are always welcome to come into the office to have a look at what is available.

Also, if you have any unused uniform items that you no longer need and are in good condition, please consider donating them to the second hand pile. All pre-loved items can be left at the office. Thank you!!

Playgroup at St Colman's

We look forward to welcoming back our local pre-schoolers every second Friday, with our next session being held this Friday October 11th.

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.

WELLLBEING

Michael Grose Parenting Toolbox

St Colman's School is always looking for ways to best support our families. We have signed up to receive fortnightly advice and tips from Australia's most highly regarded parenting educator, Michael Grose via his newsletter; Parenting Toolbox.

What is Parenting Toolbox?

Parenting Toolbox is an online learning manual for parents who wants to accelerate their child’s development, while maximising their own parenting, personal and professional growth. Oh, and enjoying family-life!

Championing the Unsung Heroes: A Guide to Nurturing the Family Underdog.

Raising talented kids is easy, but parenting struggling and neuro-divergent children is challenging. These five tools are essential for raising kids who must work hard to achieve.

Click on the link below to read more.

Championing the Unsung Heroes

Social Media Safety

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children to be safe online and on social media. You can help your children safely navigate their digital world and educate them to avoid harmful online experiences. You can explore websites, games, apps and social media together and set some rules and boundaries.

Your support and guidance can give your children the knowledge to make sound decisions online and confidence to ask for help when they need it. It is also important to stay informed about online safety.

The Department of Education recognises this important issue and has developed fact sheets about supports to help keep students safe online and what to do if they are involved in an online incident.

The fact sheets contain links to evidence-based information on supporting positive and safe online experiences, signs a child or young person might need support, what to do if something unsafe happens online, and where to reach out to for more support.

To access the fact sheets, refer to the Safe Socials webpage. The fact sheets are available in 19 community languages.

The government is also launching public consultation on age limits for social media.

You and your children can share your experiences to inform proposed changes via an online survey, before 5 pm on Friday 1 November 2024. For more information on the survey and to take part, refer to Proposed changes to social media age limits on the Engage Victoria website.

If you have any queries about this information, you can contact the department by email: bullystoppers@education.vic.gov.au

Parent Fact sheets

Safe on Social

Survey- Proposed changes to social media age limits

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

At St Colman's, we are excited to introduce a new positive behaviour acknowledgement system this term, inspired by the School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework. This evidence-based approach helps schools improve social, emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes for students from Foundation to Year 12. Our new system will focus on promoting and rewarding specific behaviour expectations within our school community.

Here's how it works:

Staff members will distribute RAFFLE TICKETS to students demonstrating the targeted positive behaviour.
These tickets will be collected in a large jar and counted weekly.
Progress will be tracked on a barometer displayed in our school foyer and pictured above.
School-wide rewards will be offered at various milestones, with a grand prize when we reach 1000 tickets.

To ensure student engagement, our Student Representative Council will help determine the focus behaviours and rewards for our "BEHAVIOUR BLITZ" initiative.

Our guiding principle will be "When we see it, we will reward it." Our goal is to make these positive behaviours intrinsic to our students, setting them up for future success. We aim to develop confident, resilient, compassionate, and capable individuals who embody our school values, appreciate diversity, and actively contribute to their communities.

Through this initiative, we're not just acknowledging good behaviour – we're nurturing the leaders of tomorrow by ensuring they are emotionally strong enough to cope with anything life throws their way.

As with all things involving your child's educational journey, we ask for your support with this initiative. We will be providing you with updates on upcoming editions of our newsletter so that you can continue these positive discussions around socially accepted behaviour expectations at home with your children.

Our current Behaviour blitz is on "Using a respectful tone". We have collected 75 tickets in just two weeks.

Thunderstorm Asthma

What is Thunderstorm Asthma?

Thunderstorm asthma is a serious and potentially life-threatening phenomenon that can occur during specific weather conditions. It is common throughout all parts of Victoria, particularly during spring when thunderstorms coincide with high levels of pollen in the air.

This combination can trigger severe asthma symptoms, even in people who have not previously experienced asthma or allergies.

Schools should have staff trained in asthma first aid, and DOBCEL will monitor the VicEmergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings and notify schools, and when appropriate, students should be kept indoors when weather forecasts identify greater risk.

By raising awareness and being prepared, schools can protect their students and staff from the risks associated with thunderstorm asthma, ensuring a safer environment for everyone.

Find out more

Further information regarding thunderstorm asthma can be found at https://asthma.org.au/triggers/thunderstorm-asthma/ and https://www.health.vic.gov.au/environmental-health/epidemic-thunderstorm-asthma-risk-forecast.

Preparing for Thunderstorm Asthma

Stay Informed: Keep track of pollen forecasts and thunderstorm warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology and the VicEmergency app.

Check the epidemic thunderstorm asthma risk forecast: Epidemic thunderstorm asthma risk forecasts in Victoria are available from 1 October to 31 December (the typical grass pollen season).

Download the Vic Emergency app from Google Play or the App Store and set up a 'watch zone' for your school location to make sure you are notified of the risk of an epidemic thunderstorm asthma event occurring. You can also visit the Vic Emergency thunderstorm asthma webpage for updates and information.

Have Asthma Action Plans: Ensure that students with known asthma have an up-to-date asthma action plan, and make sure staff are trained in asthma first aid.
Indoor Safety: On high-risk days, consider holding activities indoors to minimise exposure to allergenic particles.

Asthma Thunderstorm Triggers

Thunderstorm Asthma Forecast

Vic Health Thunderstorm Asthma Information

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

St Colman's has an ongoing commitment to implementing all 11 of the Child Safe Standards.

Standard 7 asks schools to ensure:
Processes for complaints and concerns are child-focused.

Watch the clip below if you would like to see an overview of this standard. If you have any suggestions about how we could better in bed this standard into our school community please let us know.

Child Safe Standard 7- Overview

The 11 Child Safe Standards website

Child Friendly Slides

Community Noticeboard

A wonderful community celebration is planned for the Montgomery Pavillion's 100th birthday on Sunday November 3rd.

Free Broadband

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:

The first is by far the simplest. Just return your empty eligible containers to the tubs in the corridors at school.
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.

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 we continue to have access to Out of School Care in 2024, 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.

NCCD Information.pdf

Term 4 Week 3 Monday 21st October 2024