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 10! Our final newsletter for Term 2.

At the moment, we are very mindful of students needing to be away as they are unwell but it is also important to remember that children need to be at school in order to learn. It is a real balancing act! Some students are down to below 75% attendance which means that if this continues over the whole year, they will have missed the equivalent of one term! While we are grateful that sick children are not at school, we do ask families to be aware of the late starts and early finishes to days, as well as the occasional day off 'just because' - they all add up and impact student learning!

On the bright side thought, only two weeks until school holidays ......... hang in there!

Please read on to discover what else is happening in our school community. Remember to check the key dates section of the newsletter to stay up to date.

As always, feel free to contact me at any time with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Kind regards,

Janet

Key Dates:

Term 2 2025

Thursday 26th June- Parent Support Group (PSG) meetings

Monday 30th June- MRC Taster Day @ Noorat

Tuesday 1st July- Mid-year reports delivered via PAM

Friday 4th July- SRC Event: St Colman's Talent Show

Term 2 finishes at 2:15

Term 3 2025

Monday 21st July- Term 3 commences

Sunday 10th August - Bunnings BBQ

School Closure Days for 2025
8 August – Student-free day- Catholic Social Teaching
31 October – Student-free day- Structured Literacy
3 November – Student-free day- Compliance Training and Assessments
19 December – Student-free day; last day of term four

Catholic School Culture

Today I would like to share with you all an article written by Jim Quillinan that was shared this week with all staff within Catholic Education Ballarat schools in their weekly newsletter.

In light of what is happening in the world this week the following reflection may speak to you.

Please read "An Invitation" and let's work towards building school communities and a world based on Jesus' dream mentioned in this piece.

2025 Sacramental Program

We are now inviting expressions of interest from families who are considering enrolling their child in our school’s Sacramental Program for 2025. If your child is in Grade Four or above, they are eligible to make the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. Children in Grade Three or above may receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Program Outline:

Wednesday 30th July - Sacrament Parent Meeting at St Colman’s at 5pm at the church.

Wednesday 27th August - Sacrament lunch with St Colman’s at 1pm at Macs Hotel

Sunday 31st August - Eucharist Sacrament at St Colman’s at 9am

Wednesday 15th October - Reconciliation Mass at St Thomas’ Church at 7pm (This will be a combined St Thomas' and St Colman’s event)

If you are interested or would like more information, please let us know by the end of this Term (July 4th). Contact the school, Janet or Rosie O'Connor (RE Leader) for further information.

This program is a wonderful opportunity for children to deepen their faith and participate in important religious milestones. We look forward to supporting your child on this special journey!

Semester One Reports

You will receive your child’s report on the last day of Term 2 via PAM. This year we are reporting on the new numeracy curriculum; Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0. The staff have been teaching to this in 2025 and will be reporting on this too. One of the changes to our reporting is that instead of reporting to several strands - Number and Algebra, Measurement, Space - we will now report to 'Mathematics' which will include all of the strands. Look out for this when our new look reports come home later in the term.

We will be conducting parent-teacher conferences at the beginning of Term 3 (date TBC). This is an opportunity for parents to sit with their teacher and discuss their child’s academic progress. This is also where parents and teachers can discuss any possible concerns that need to be addressed for the remainder of the year. However, if you have any pressing questions, you are always encouraged to make contact with your child's teacher to arrange a time to discuss your concerns.

2026 Enrolments

It’s that time again—we’re starting to plan ahead for the 2026 school year! If you’re thinking of joining our school community next year, please send back your Enrolment Form as soon as you can.

Know someone who’s still making their mind up? Encourage them to get in touch and book a tour! We’re always happy to show off our classrooms and share all the great things happening here. We’re proud of what we offer, and we’d love to welcome you and your friends for a look around anytime.

New Uniform Items

At our most recent SAC Meeting, the prospect of introducing tracksuit pants into our school uniform was discussed. We have decided to put out a brief survey to determine if there is enough interest in adding them to our logo uniform supply. We would have something similar to the trackies they have introduced at St Pat's Camperdown (see photo above) and we anticipate they will cost approximately $50. Please answer the connect survey below.

Would you be interested in purchasing school tracksuits pants if we introduced them into our official school uniform?

Last year we introduced a new uniform item; the puffer vest. We have a few available in the office for purchasing. They cost $60 each and the cost will be invoiced to your school account. Sizes seem to be fairly accurate, so if you child is regularly a size 10, I would suggest that, or one size up, is the size you need to buy.

Winter School Uniform

The weather has turned, and the long-anticipated rain has brought a burst of cold weather with it. This is a timely reminder that we expect all children to wear the correct school uniform. We believe our uniform—and how we wear it—reflects our school and demonstrates our pride and sense of belonging to the St Colman’s community. There are also quite a few second-hand jumpers and jackets available if you need them.

Boys’ Winter Uniform:

Navy blue rugby school jumper or navy-blue school jacket

Navy blue polo shirt (short or long sleeved)

Grey cotton drill trousers or shorts

Navy blue socks (Crew length)

Girls' Winter Uniform:

As above with the inclusion of the option to wear;

Navy skirt and navy tights

Navy cotton drill trousers

SRC Talent Show – Save the Date

We’re excited to announce that the Student Representative Council (SRC) will be hosting a Talent Show on the final day of Term 2! Many students have already nominated their acts and are busy practising to get ready for the big day.

We warmly invite all parents and families to come along and enjoy the show on Thursday, July 4th, starting at 11:30 am in the Undercover Area. It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the amazing talents of our students and support their efforts.

We look forward to seeing you there!

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

Recently, our staff had the valuable opportunity to participate in a day of professional learning with Dr Shiralee Poed, a leading expert in Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) and School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). Dr Poed’s extensive experience and research highlight the importance of proactive, evidence-based approaches that help all students feel safe, supported, and included at school.

Following this day of learning, our staff are implementing several key changes to strengthen our positive behaviour supports:

Refining Expectations: We are refining our school-wide expectations to ensure they are clear, consistent, and easy for all students to understand and follow.
Recognising Positive Behaviours: Staff will be focusing on recognising and encouraging positive behaviours more frequently, rather than only responding to challenges. This shift helps reinforce the behaviours we want to see and builds a more positive school culture.
Supportive Prompts and Coaching: Our team is committed to using supportive prompts and coaching, providing students with guidance and reminders in a caring and respectful way.
Inclusive and Data-Informed Practices: We are also working to ensure our approaches are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all students by using data tracking to identify trends and areas of focus.

These changes are based on the latest research and best practice in positive behaviour support, and are designed to create a safer, happier, and more productive learning environment for everyone.

Below you will see the DRAFT copy of our updated School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) Matrix, which outlines the behaviours we expect from all students in different areas of school life. Our aim has been to simplify the SWPBS Matrix to ensure it is a clear and simple guide that describes how students can show respect, care, and responsibility in all situations—whether they are in the classroom, in the playground, online, or out in the community. It is based on our core values as a Catholic school, recognising that each child is unique and created in God’s image.

Last Tuesday, our Student Leadership Team spent some time reading the Matrix and provided valuable insight into parts of the matrix or wording that they think should be altered. Our School Advisory Council (SAC) has also reviewed the draft document and provided their feedback. Now it is your turn! Please have a look at this Matrix, and if you would like to make a comment or suggestion, please call Janet before the end of the term.

We look forward to working together with families and our school community as we continue to grow and improve our positive behaviour supports.

SRC working on the SWPBS Matrix

Our new Behaviour Blitz focuses on recognising and rewarding children who demonstrate respect by following adult instructions.

Free SPELD Parent Sessions

SPELD Victoria (Specific Learning Difficulties Association of Victoria), is the peak professional body for Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs) in Victoria. They are hosting FOUR free online information sessions for parents and educators. A fabulous opportunity to learn more about how best to support our children with learning challenges.

View schedule and REGISTER HERE

School Advisory Council

We are grateful to our SAC members for 2025 for their ongoing support of our school.

Jo Wallis (Chair), Alison Greig, Zion Palmer, Sophie Allen, Rachel Baulch, Danielle Kenny, Georgie Price, Rosie O’Connor (School rep), Janet Cain (Principal).

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.

The dates are;

Term 3; Aug 6th and Sept 10th

Term 4; Oct 22nd and Nov 26th (AGM)

Wellbeing

Cyber Safety and Digital Responsibility

As highlighted in previous newsletters, we continue to address school-related issues that arise from students’ online activities—such as gaming or chatting—outside of school hours. If you become aware of any online incident involving your child that may impact their school experience, please let us know.

We encourage you to remain vigilant about your child’s online activities, including what they access, play, say, and hear. By fostering digital literacy, parents can help protect children from risks like cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and online predators, while also promoting healthy digital habits and open conversations about online experiences.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing valuable information and resources to support you in this area. These will include key online safety messages, practical tips, and links to eSafety tools and resources designed to help young people stay safe and thrive online.

We look forward to working together with our families to ensure a safe and positive digital environment for all our students.

Better Conversations about Gaming

Click on the link below to access information sheets for parents to use to guide the conversations they are having with their children about gaming.

Key points: Children are more likely to seek help when a parent or carer:

* encourages them to talk with them if they have issues

* gets involved by playing games with them or shows an interest by asking open questions about the game they’re playing

* learns about their gaming interests and how it benefits them

Conversations about Gaming

Better_conversations_about_gaming_for_families_0_1_.pdf

Michael Grose Parenting Toolbox

Mental Health Care Kit

Click on the link above to access "A Mental Health Care Kit to Protect Your Family: An Essential Guide".
Ease the Pain of Anxiety, Sadness, Disappointment, Loneliness, Rejection and More with this Handy Support System

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 11 Child Safe Standards

CCYP for Parents and Cares

COMMUNITY NEWS

Lunch Orders

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

Menu and 2025 price list below

Playgroup at St Colman's

Our fortnightly Playgroup is ready to start again. We look forward to welcoming back our local pre-schoolers every second Friday. Our next session will be this Friday 27th June.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD WITH YOUR FRIENDS WHO HAVE PRESCHOOL 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 the school.

Out of School Care

A reminder that during 2025 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.

NCCD Information.pdf

Term 2 Week 10 Monday 23rd June 2025