Term 3 Week 2 Monday 28th July 2025

Acknowledgement of Country

From the Principal

Key Dates:

Term 3 2025

Monday 21st July- Term 3 commences

Wednesday 30th July- Sacramental meeting at the Church at 5pm 

Thursday 31st July- Responsible Pet Ownership session

Friday 1st August- NCCD Due

                                     - Little Colman's from 9am

                                    - Assembly @ 2:45pm

Monday 4th August - Kinder Visit

Tuesday 5th August- Parent Teacher conversations

Wednesday 6th August- SAC Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Thursday 7th August- Bell's Shakespeare performance at Mortlake College

Friday 8th August – Student-free day- Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRRs)

Sunday 10th August - Bunnings BBQ

Monday 11th August- Feast of the Assumption Mass @ 12pm

Thursday 14th August- MRC Production of Cinderella @ 11:30

Friday 15th August- 5/6 Hooptime at Terang

                                     - Little Colman's from 9am

                                    - Assembly @ 2:45pm

Monday 18th August- Friday 22nd August- Book Week

Friday 22nd August- Book Week Fair and Parade

Wednesday 27th August- Sacramental celebration lunch

Friday 29th August- 3/4 Hooptime at Terang

                                      - Little Colman's from 9am

                                     - Assembly @ 2:45pm

Sunday 31st August- Sacrament of Confirmation at 9am

Monday 1st September- MRC Discovery Day (visit for Year 6's)

Friday 12th September- Little Colman's from 9am

                                              - Assembly @ 2:45pm

                                              - Trivia Night and Raffle Draw

Thursday 18/ Friday 19th September- Yr 3/4 Sovereign Hill Camp

Friday 19th September- Term 3 ends at 2:15pm

Monday 6th October- Term 4 commences

Wednesday October 8th - Friday October 10th- Yr 5/6 Melbourne City Camp

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

2025 Sacramental Program

Our Sacramental Program for 2025 begins this week with the Parent Information Session taking place at St Colman's Church at 5pm.

It is not too late to join this program. 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. If you would like your child to be part of the program, please let Rosie or Janet know ASAP.

Program Outline:

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

Wednesday 27th August - Sacrament lunch with St Colman’s candidates 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!

The winners of our inaugural Talent Show; Rosie and her performing goat, the Amazing Socksie!! 

Raffle

The St Colman's School Online Raffle is back for another exciting year! Once again, we’re proud to present the ever-popular Local Loot Draw, featuring fantastic prizes generously supplied by a wide range of Mortlake businesses in the form of vouchers and gift cards. 

Tickets are still only $25 each and there are 400 tickets available, therefore the odds are excellent for the three valuable prizes.

Families are asked to support our school's major fundraiser in the following ways;

* Buying a ticket (or tickets)

* Selling tickets to family and friends

* Fulfilling your rostered time to sell tickets at several community places (see roster below).

Thank you for your wonderful support in past years. We hope you’ll join us again in making this year’s raffle another huge success!

Bunnings BBQ

We have been lucky to secure another shot at raising some extra funds for our school at the Bunnings BBQ in Warrnambool on Sunday August 10th and we need your help!

The Bunnings BBQ is one of our major fundraisers of the year, and we can’t make it a success without your support. If you can spare an hour or two to help cook, serve, or set up, we’d be so grateful. Many hands make light work, and this is a great way to support our small school community and meet other parents. If you’re able to lend a hand, please contact the office or complete the form below (a hard copy has been sent home with your child).

Thank you for helping us make a difference!

2025 Non-Government Schools Census

Conducted annually, the census provides the community and the Australian Government with information about schools and students in Australia. Census date for 2025 is this Friday, August 1st.

The annual census collects de-identified information about:

• the number of students and staff
• students on a visa
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Information about students with disability is also collected annually as part of the census. The collection about students with disability is called the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). When we refer to the census it includes reference to the NCCD.

Census informs the My School website, helping parents and the community learn more about Australian schools. The data collected highlights some of the needs of each school’s students. The Australian Government also uses the census data to calculate funding and to create informed and tailored policies for Australian schools. 

You don’t need to do anything - this process is managed by the school and rest assured, no personal names or private details are shared—just broad information like year levels, student numbers, and support needs.

For further information regarding the NCCD pis provided below.

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. Enrolments are due on Wednesday 6th August, 2025.

Know someone who’s still making their mind up? Encourage them to get in touch and book a tour! We are welcoming enrolments in all year levels, not just Foundation. 

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

We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our survey regarding introducing navy tracksuit pants to our school uniform. we are investigating options and costs and will present them to our SAC for their response.

We do still have a few Puffer Vests 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

We have noticed our girls in particular being out of uniform as they return to school this term. Please refer to our list above for the correct winter uniform. Girls should only be wearing cotton drill trousers or the navy skirt and tights option. Unfortunately, jazz pants and leggings are not acceptable.

The trousers are available from Target for $16 in a variety of sizes. Link below.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

During the first half of the year, we have been working to enhance our implementation of the SWPBS program. 

School-wide positive behaviour support (SWPBS) is a framework that helps schools create positive, safe, and supportive learning environments. It's an evidence-based approach that focuses on preventing behavioural issues by teaching and reinforcing positive behaviours in all students. 

SWPBS helps schools to:

• increase respectful and positive behaviour
• strengthen social and emotional wellbeing
• reduce classroom disruptions and increase learning time
• build positive, respectful relationships between students and staff
• create safe, orderly, and supportive school environments.

A major component of this has been to develop a matrix outlining the positive behaviours that we expect to see in different areas of our school. This is on display in the foyer for everyone’s reference. Different aspects of it are displayed in different learning environments as a reminder of student expectations. It has been wonderful to have students, staff and parent representatives contribute to its development. Please take the time to discuss the matrix with your child/ren. 

We are grateful for the huge amount of work our MHWL, Narelle Marsden has done over the last six months to really invigorate and strengthen the positive behaviour support structures we have in place at St Colman's.

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

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)

Some of our students have been participating in weekly ‘Peaceful Kids’ sessions with Mrs Marsden. Peaceful Kids is an evidence-based program that uses mindfulness and positive psychology techniques to help children reduce anxiety and stress while increasing their resilience and emotional wellbeing. The program runs for 5 to 8 weeks, and we plan to offer it again to a new group later in the year.

The benefits of this program for our participants are;

• Reduces Anxiety and Stress: Children learn practical coping strategies, such as mindfulness meditations and positive psychology exercises, proven to ease feelings of stress and worry.

• Builds Resilience: The program helps children understand and manage their emotions, empowering them to handle everyday challenges and setbacks more effectively.

• Develops Emotional Intelligence: Kids discover how emotional responses work, learn to recognise triggers, and practice self-calming and regulation skills.

• Practical Life Skills: Children are taught lifelong skills like deep breathing, problem-solving, self-soothing techniques, journaling, and expressing worries—tools they can use whenever stress arises.

• Supportive Group Environment: Participating in small groups, children realise they're not alone in feeling anxious or stressed and have a safe space to share experiences.
  

Overall, Peaceful Kids gives children a toolkit for managing stress now and as they grow, helping them not only survive but thrive in a busy, sometimes overwhelming world. If you think your child would benefit from Peaceful Kids, or to find out more information about the program please contact our Mental health and Wellbeing Leader, Narelle Marsden.

Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online

Using parental controls can help keep children and young people safer online by preventing access to harmful content, managing screen time, and who your child communicates with.

Michael Grose Parenting Toolbox

Make the shift

Shift from Generic praise (“Great job!” ,“That is so good!” “What a clever girl!”) to Specific, Growth-oriented phrases.

You’ll notice the difference.

Your words will land and stick.

You’ll see results—improvement at school. Better behaviour. More confidence.

Here are 20 phrases that truly build kids up, fostering a strong sense of self-worth and a love for learning.

Sibling Relationships

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

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 August 1st, 9:30am to 11am. Morning Tea provided

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD WITH YOUR FRIENDS WHO HAVE PRESCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND IT IS FREE!!!

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.