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,

This Thursday, we're excited to open our school to families, friends, and the wider Mortlake community. You're invited to join us for tours of our classrooms, a communal picnic, and a Family Bush Dance.

We see this as a great chance to showcase the fantastic educational opportunities we offer our students. It would seem that the benefits of educating your child in a Catholic school can now be backed by data. A new study using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey shows that people who attended Catholic schools tend to have better outcomes in employment, health, and overall life satisfaction.

The study highlights that Catholic schooling provides both personal and community benefits. On average, alumni from Catholic schools are more likely to have jobs and earn higher wages than those who attended government schools, with wage differences ranging from 4% to 11%. They're also more likely to work in public-serving industries and donate to charity. Plus, attending a Catholic school seems to positively impact personal health and life satisfaction.

You might already know about these benefits, but others in the community might not. Feel free to share these findings with anyone who is deciding where to send their child to school. It could help them make an informed decision about the best place for their child's education. A copy of the full report is available on the DOBCEL website (link below), and you can also watch a video featuring lead researcher for the report, Mr. Andrew Wade.

Read on to find out what else 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.

Wishing you all a wonderful fortnight ahead!

Kind regards,

Janet

New Research Highlights Lifelong Benefits of Catholic Schooling

Key Dates:

TERM 1 2025

Monday 17th March- Year 3 and 5 Conventions of Language NAPLAN

Tuesday 18th March- Year 3 and 5 Numeracy NAPLAN

Wednesday 19th March- Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN Catch-up Sessions

Thursday 20th March- Billy Bush Band Family Night

Wednesday 26h March- School Photos

Friday 28th March- Mercy Regional College Taster Day (at Camperdown's MacAuley Campus)

Tuesday 1st April- Division Athletics Carnival

Thursday 3rd April- Holy Week Prayer Service @ 2:30pm

Friday 4^thApril- St Colman's Cross Country; Farewell for Jane Lee; Easter Raffle

Term 1 ends at 2:15

Term 2 2025
Monday 21st April - Easter Monday
Tuesday 22nd April – Student-free day; Structured Literacy
Wednesday 23rd April – Universal Positive Behaviour Support/SWPBS
Thursday 24th April – Southern Zone collaboration day regarding DOBCEL 10 year Strategic Plan
Friday 25th April- ANZAC Day
Monday 28th April- Students return for Term 2

School Closure Days for 2025
28 January – Student-free day; first day of term one
22 April – Student-free day; Structured Literacy
23 April – collaboration with St Mary’s Ararat, St Thomas’ Terang and St Patrick’s Camperdown re:
Universal Positive Behaviour Support/SWPBS
24 April – Southern Zone collaboration day regarding DOBCEL Strategy 2035 - ‘Pursuing fullness of life for all’
8 August – Student-free day
31 October – Student-free day
3 November – Student-free day
19 December – Student-free day; last day of term four

In addition to these days and other Public Holidays, St Colman's takes the Local Government Area recognised holiday of Warrnambool Cup Day, which this year is on Thursday May 1st.

Catholic School Culture

Wishing all of our Irish friends, and colleagues from our Network School, St Patrick's in Camperdown, a very Happy St Patrick's Day

The Catholic view of friendship emphasises love, selflessness, and seeing Christ in others. True friendship reflects God’s love, fostering mutual support, honesty, and a shared commitment to virtue. Jesus demonstrated the highest form of friendship by loving unconditionally, forgiving freely, and laying down his life for others (John 15:13). He showed friendship through acts of service, compassion, and inclusion, such as dining with sinners, comforting the sorrowful, and washing his disciples' feet. From Jesus, we learn that authentic friendship is rooted in love, sacrifice, and a desire to help one another grow closer to God.

During this Lenten Season, we can follow Jesus' example and be a compassionate and inclusive friend, one who takes great joy from raising others up and helping to make a difference in the lives of others.

Our Lady of Mercy Parish News

We welcome Father George to Our Lady of Mercy Parish

Learning and Teaching

NAPLAN 2025

The Year 3 and 5 students have been putting their best efforts forward during the NAPLAN testing period. Please note that we still have two tests to conduct.

Monday 17th March - Year 3 and 5 Language conventions

Tuesday 18th March - Year 3 and 5 Numeracy

Wednesday 19th March - Catch-up Day

Attendance on these days is important, especially if your child is in Yr 3 and 5

NAPLAN Information for Parents and Carers

Pre-Service Teacher Placement

Today we welcome Ella Pekin to our school as she commences her two-week Pre-Service Teacher Placement in the Middle Room. Ella is currently in her third year of studying Bachelor of Primary Education and we look forward to seeing the new ideas and innovative approaches to teaching she can share with our students and staff. We will welcome another Pre-Service Teacher, Malia Callaghan, in Term 2. St Colman’s is excited to be able to share our knowledge and expertise with them and we are proud to be able to play a crucial role in supporting and developing emerging teachers.

School Photos

Our official School Photo day is scheduled for Wednesday March 26th. Frank from 'msp Photography' will be here from 8am on the day to set up and start taking staff photos etc. Children will bring home their individual photo package at some stage this week, with online ordering an option again this year. If you would like a Family Photo of your children who are currently at St Colman's, please contact Jane to receive a special envelope/order form.

I am aware that some children will be attending the Regional Swimming Carnival in Horsham on that date. Frank has kindly agreed to call in Tuesday afternoon to take a photo of any children who will be in Horsham on the 26th. Can you please let the office know if you would like your child's photo to be taken on Tuesday 25th March or early on Wednesday 26th (Frank will be here from 8am on the 26th)

If you are new to this, and are unsure about the process please contact the school for clarification.

Welcome Picnic, Open School & Bush Dance

We are looking forward to seeing all of our families at this Thursday's highly anticipated Open Classroom and Family Bush Dance Night! All classrooms will be open for viewing from 5pm and then the Bush Dancing, led by The Billy Tea Bush Band, will kick off at 6pm. All children are encouraged to wear 'bush' attire.

This special event is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate everything that makes our school so special.

We would love for you to Bring A Friend along to share in the fun. Whether it's a neighbour, a family friend, or someone interested in learning more about our school, everyone is welcome. We especially encourage those of you with friends who are parents of preschool-aged children to invite them into our school. This is a great chance for them to see firsthand the fabulous learning and warm nurturing environment we offer here at St. Colman's.

Athletics Carnival

On Friday March 7th, we enjoyed another day of friendly competition and rivalry with our friends from St Thomas’ Terang at our annual athletics carnival. Congratulations to all of our students who gave it their all in very warm conditions. Special congratulations to Steff Van Den Heuvel, Imogen Barr, Archie Dale, Jack Allen, Henry Greig and Leah Joyce who all won Age Champions on the day.

A huge thank you to the many parents who helped out on the day and to Brianna and Ms Moulden for their work organising the day. We are still working out who has qualified for the ‘next level’ which is the CDDSA Aths Carnival in Camperdown on April 1^st.

Athletics 2025

End of Term- advance notice

As the end of First Term quickly approaches, I would like you to put a couple of special events into your calendar.

Our Easter Holy Week Prayer Service will be held on Thursday, April 4th, at 2:30 pm in St. Colman's Church.

Our last day of term will be a busy one for us all. We will start the day with our school Cross Country. After that concludes, we will be holding a special 'Farewell' Morning Tea for our long-serving Finance Officer, Jane Lee. Jane is retiring after a long and wonderful career in finance and administration. Twenty-two years of that career have been spent behind the front desk at St Colman's School reception, so we have much to celebrate and many stories to share.

The final event for the term will be the drawing of our annual Easter Raffle. Tickets will be given to your family this week and sell for $1 each. Please start bringing in your Easter donations, which we will use to create the hampers that make up the prizes on offer.

NBN Works

We have been advised that the NBN will be conducting works at the front of our school next TUESDAY, MARCH 26th. This will result in partial road closure and footpath closure on Dunlop Street. We are unsure how disruptive this will be to drop off and pick up times, but just be aware that you may be redirected on the day.

Mercy Regional Collage Open Day

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.

This year we will hold our meetings Wednesday of week 3 and week 8 each term starting at 6:30pm. Please note that we have cancelled this Wednesday's SAC Meeting as we put all of our efforts into promoting our Open Night/ Bush Dance.

The dates are;

Term 1; Feb 12th

Term 2; May 7th and June 11th

Term 3; Aug 6th and Sept 10th

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

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 Friday 28th March.

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.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing Newsletter by Mrs Marsden

The Red Zone

Over the next couple of weeks, students will further explore the emotions in the red zone. These include many powerful emotions such as anger, terror, frustration and rage. Students will learn how to identify their emotions and the events, thoughts and feelings that lead them to this point. It is important to acknowledge that all feelings are valid and acceptable. It is fine to feel angry, but we need to identify ways to move on from that feeling and regain control. We will explore a range of strategies students can use in an attempt to regulate their emotions and make their way back to the optimal green zone.

One of the most valuable tools students can use to self-regulate is mindful breathing. There are some excellent resources online, and once students have learned the skills, they can use it anywhere and anytime they feel the need to. Check out this video on Figure 8 Breathing. You might even like to try it at home.

Figure 8 Breathing

SchoolTV Wellbeing Platform

"In today's digital age comparison is the norm, constant exposure to curated lives and unrealistic standards leaves many feeling short. "

Dr Emma Woodward

Social Media and Comparison Culture

Our Weekly Award Winners

Michael Grose Parenting Toolbox- So, your child argues with you. Here's what to do.

So, your child argues with you. Here’s what to do.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support

At St Colman's, we are excited to be using a positive behaviour acknowledgement system, 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. At their most recent meeting the Junior SRC decided on the following rewards;

250 tickets= Movie and popcorn afternoon

500 tickets= Hot chip lunch at Tea Tree Lake

750 tickets= Casual clothes and free time afternoon/ rotation games

1000 tickets = Day trip to Lake Pertobe.

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

Leadership and Stewardship

COMMUNITY NEWS

Second Hand Books

We have received a large donation of second hand children's books. If you would like some books for your children, you are welcome to browse through the boxes in the corridor and take home what you would like.

Lunch Orders

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

Menu and 2025 price list below

Time to Register for Auskick

Any Participant that registers into a Western District Community Auskick, Community Superkick, or a School Holiday Program before 5.00pm on Sunday the 30th of March, will be entered into the draw for the chance to win a Geelong Cats Signed Jumper.
This jumper will be a 2024 dual team signed guernsey, signed by all Geelong Cats AFL and AFLW players.

Birthday Wishes

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 1 Week 8 Monday 17th March 2025