Term 3 Week 6 Monday 25th August 2025

Acknowledgement of Country

From the Principal

Key Dates:

Term 3 2025

Monday 25th August- MRC Discovery Day (visit for Year 6's)

Friday 29th August- 3/4 Hooptime at Terang

                                      - Little Colman's from 9am

                                     - Assembly @ 2:45pm

Sunday 31st August- Sacrament of Confirmation at 9am

Friday 5th September- Father's Day Breakfast

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

                                              - Assembly @ 2:45pm

                                         Raffle Drawn at 7pm

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

Friday October 17th- St Colman's Trivia Night

School Closure Days for 2025
31 October – Student-free day- Structured Literacy
3 November – Student-free day- First Aid Training and Assessments
19 December – Student-free day; last day of term four

A Prayer for Getting Along

In these times of growing unrest and violence, not only internationally but in our major capital cities too, it is timely to read and reflect upon Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of August is for mutual coexistence.

The Holy Father invites us to pray that communities choose peace, respect, and understanding over conflict and confrontation.

As a family, take a moment this week to talk about what it means to ‘coexist’ in your daily lives—whether that’s at home, at school, at work, or in your neighbourhood. Where do you see opportunities to show respect, kindness, or understanding when differences arise?

Sacrament of the Eucharist

We continue to hold Zeke, Isabella, Scarlett, and Milana in our prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist this Sunday at St Colman’s Church. All members of the school community are warmly invited to join us for this celebration with Father George and our Parish family from 9 a.m. on Sunday, August 31st.

3/4 Hooptime

This Friday, our Year 3 and 4 students will be travelling to Terang to participate in the Rookies Basketball Competition against St Thomas', Mortlake College, Terang College and Timboon F-12. Information, including a drawer and canteen price list has been sent home with the students and all other details are available on PAM. Please login to your PAM account to give consent for your child to participate.

Our Major fundraiser; Local Loot 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.

Thank you to all of our families who have bought or sold tickets in this major fundraiser. We really need to keep the selling up as we have only 3 weeks to go!!! The raffle will be drawn on Friday September 12th at 7pm.

Book Week at St Colman’s – Celebrating 80 Years of Stories!

Last Friday was a wonderful celebration of books and literature during our annual Book Week!
The day began with a parade showcasing all the fabulous costumes, followed by the Scholastic Book Fair. Thank you to all the families who made a purchase and generously donated books for our library.

A huge thank you to Miss Stape for her dedication in organising and setting up Book Week at St Colman’s. It has truly become a much-loved tradition at our school, as seen in the enthusiasm of all children and their families. A special highlight is Miss Stape’s Annual Book Week Colouring-In Competition, which has been running for nearly 30 years! Congratulations to this year’s winners: Tilly W, Hailey G, Patrick G, Blair B, Izzy G, Archie D, and Charlotte A.

We look forward to doing it all again next year!

Book Week 2025

Trivia Night

What are the chances? Woorndoo Football Netball Club is very excited to be hosting the Mininera and District Football Netball League Grand Final on Saturday, September 13th. Unfortunately, this clashes with our planned Trivia Night. As a result, we have rescheduled the Trivia Night to be held on October 17th.

It’s going to be a fabulous night of games and trivia, so start organising your team now!

Tables for Sale

We have 9 of these red topped tables available for sale for only $10 each. Perfect for a cubby or play room. Please contact the office and arrange your own pick up. Thanks

$10 per table.

Father's Day Breakfast 5th September

2026 Enrolments

Awesome Award Winners

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;  Sept 10th

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

In today’s world, life presents many challenges, and being a parent or carer is certainly among them.

If you are finding any aspect of parenting or caring particularly challenging right now, or if you would simply like some advice, please refer to the attached flyer for available support. You are also very welcome to reach out to us at school for a conversation—we’re here to listen and explore ways we might be able to assist. If you have a specific need or concern, please let us know, and we may be able to arrange sessions that could also benefit other members of our school community.

We are grateful for the ongoing support of CatholicCare Warrnambool and our school counsellor, Rachael, who is available for appointments with you each Wednesday.

Therapy Dog at St Colman's

We look forward to welcoming Teddy to our school!

Michael Grose Parenting Toolbox

SchoolTV is available to support you!

Parenting is a learning journey, and with a little help from SchoolTV, you can engage in meaningful conversations with your child on topics that may sometimes feel awkward or difficult to address. SchoolTV covers a vast range of topics, each featuring interviews with leading global experts and a carefully curated selection of resources from key organisations. We encourage you to explore and utilise this platform, as it serves as a valuable tool in building relationships, fostering connections, and deepening understanding. By breaking down barriers, it helps pave the way towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. To stay informed about the latest topics, we also recommend signing up for ‘Get Alerts’. This feature ensures you receive updates as new content becomes available, and you can easily register through the link provided within each topic. Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in shaping a young person’s life, and SchoolTV is here to support you in nurturing confident and informed parenting. Explore SchoolTV today!

In this edition of SchoolTV - Anxiety & Young People

Anxiety is a natural and expected part of growing up. In fact, it plays an important role in helping young people prepare for challenges, stay alert to potential dangers and adapt to new situations. It can motivate them to study for a test, practise before a performance, or tread carefully in unfamiliar settings. However, for many children and adolescents today, anxiety can shift from being a helpful response to becoming intense, persistent and disruptive.

The world young people are growing up in is fast-paced and often demanding. Academic pressures, social expectations, family changes and the constant presence of digital media, can all contribute to heightened stress and worry.

When anxiety is left unrecognised or unsupported, it can begin to affect a young person's wellbeing, learning, friendships and self-confidence. That's why it's so important for adult carers to understand how anxiety may present in children. Everyone experiences anxiety differently, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution.

This edition of SchoolTV raises awareness and provides families with practical strategies to help young people manage anxiety in healthy, constructive ways.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Anxiety & Young People edition of SchoolTV

Free Digital Literacy Webinar with

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg and Dr Susan McLean

We would like to invite parents, carers, grandparents, educators and school leaders to attend an exclusive webinar supporting primary and secondary students.

This exclusive, one-off event is fast approaching and we’d love to see your families benefit from the insights of two of Australia’s leading experts, Susan McLean and Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

They will share invaluable insights on how to empower young people to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.

WEBINAR: Digital Media Literacy & Safety (Part III)
DATE: Wednesday, 3 September 2025
TIME: 7:30 pm

Topics in this webinar include:

• New Social Media Regulations
• Digital Footprint and Reputation
• Screen Time and Brain Development
• Parental Controls

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.