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 back to Term 2. I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing holiday break, and that all our students are ready and eager for a term full of great learning, fun, and community.

It is with great sadness that Catholics around the world mourn the death of Pope Francis. Pope Francis worked tirelessly for the underprivileged in society-the poor, prisoners, the sick, and many more. His unwavering commitment to compassion, justice, and the transformative power of education inspired countless lives across the globe. With humility and love, he called upon each of us-students, educators, and leaders alike-to walk gently with one another and with God. Pope Francis reminded us that education is not only about knowledge, but about forming hearts capable of understanding, peace, and empathy. His messages to young people were always filled with hope and encouragement, urging them to be builders of bridges, not walls.

He was often referred to as 'the people's Pope.' We join together in heartfelt remembrance and deep gratitude for the life and legacy of Pope Francis. Our thoughts and prayers are with those of the Catholic faith within our own community and around the world at this sad time.

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.

Kind regards,

Janet

Key Dates:

Term 2 2025
Monday 28th April- Students return for Term 2

Miss Stape on Long Service Leave (4 weeks)

Tuesday 29th April- GRIP Leadership Day in Geelong

Thursday 1st May- Warrnambool May Races Public Holiday

Monday 5th May to Friday 9th May- Meals on Wheels

Monday 5th May- Whole-school Wellbeing Day

Tuesday 6th May- CDDSA Cross Country @ Noorat

- Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) Parent information session @ 2:30pm

Wednesday 7th May- St Colman's Open Morning 8:30-11am

- SAC Meeting @ 6:30 in the staffroom

Friday 9th May- Mother's Day Breakfast from 7:30am

Friday 16th May- Division Cross Country @ Warrnambool

Friday 23rd May- HCSN Network Day

Monday 26th May- Regional Cross Country

Friday 30th May- Tri Sports

Tuesday 3rd June- 20th June- Junior Excursion to Warrnambool

Wednesday 4th June- AFL 9's

Monday 9th June- King's Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday 11th June- SAC Meeting

Monday 30th June- MRC Taster Day @ Noorat

Tuesday 1st July- Mid-year Reports delivered

Friday 4th July- Term 2 finishes at 2:15

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- 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

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

Prayer for the Pope & Conclave

With the passing of Pope Francis, let us pray for the eternal repose of his soul and for the College of Cardinals as they embark on their sacred duty to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

Heavenly Father,
You entrusted the care of Your Church on earth to Pope Francis,
and now You have called him to Yourself.
We entrust his soul to Your boundless mercy.
For his lifelong service, we thank You.
For his care for the poor and marginalized, we thank You.
For his witness to simplicity, we thank You.

Protect Your Church in this time of transition.
Guide the Cardinals in their sacred duty.
Grant them Wisdom and Courage,
Hope and Charity,
and the Faith they need to discern Your Holy Will.

Our Lady of Mercy Parish News

We welcome Father George to Our Lady of Mercy Parish

Leadership and Stewardship

We warmly welcome Vanessa Binns to our school community as she commences her role as St Colman's new School Finance Officer. Please introduce yourself to Vanessa when you pop into the office.

Agri-Tech Roadshow

Our students began the term today by participating in a fabulous incursion from the Agri Tech Roadshow. The Raising Aspirations in Careers and Education (RACE) project delivered a range of hands-on, interactive, and engaging activities that focused on building students’ capacity in STEM and digital technologies connected to agriculture. The children all took part in two workshops: one based around the honey industry and the other focused on tractors and coding. Thanks to our STEAM teacher, Ms Moulden, for organising this great experience for our students. The kids had a blast.

RACE Roadshow

Annual Easter Raffle

Thank you to our school community for your support of the annual Easter Raffle which raised ?????? Congratulations to the following prize winners.

1st prize: Angela Absalom

2nd prize: Jack Allen

3rd prize: Charlotte Allen

4th prize: Cameron Family

5th prize: Tim McKenzie

6th prize: Tony Greig

7th prize: Sadie Wardlaw

8th prize: Zoe Smeaton

9th prize: Blair Bassett

10th prize: Scarlett Baulch

11th prize: Gus Carmody

12th prize: Ken Murley

13th prize: Peter Palmer

14th prize: Jax Kenna

15th prize: Leah Joyce

School vest for Winter

Last year we introduced a new uniform item; the puffer vest. We have a few available in the office for purchasing. They cost $50 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.

Anzac Day

Thank you to the students who represented our school with great pride and respect at Mortlake's Anzac Parade last Friday. The Anzac Day March and wreath laying ceremony is always a very moving experience and it highlights the importance of our community honouring and remembering those men and women who have fought to protect our country, helping to ensure that the sacrifices and values of past generations are honoured and carried forward.

Mother's Day Breakfast

Our annual Mother's Day/Special Person Breakfast is just around the corner!! Please save the date.

CDDSA Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to all of our students who competed with great pride and effort at the CDDSA Aths Carnival on the 1st April.

Under 9s: Jack Allen and Blair Bassett
Under 11s: Hayley Hannabury and Archie Dale
Under 12s: Steff Van Den Huevel and Imogen Barr

A special congratulations to Imogen Barr who has qualified to compete at the next level, the Division Aths Carnival in Warrnambool this Friday in the 800m, 100m and the relay events.

We wish Imogen all the best and know that she will do herself, and her school, proud!

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 2; May 7th and June 11th

Term 3; Aug 6th and Sept 10th

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

Wellbeing

Wellbeing Newsletter by Mrs Marsden

The Blue Zone

This week, students will explore the emotions linked to the blue zone. These include sad, tired, sick and bored. As a class, students will explore the ways in which our body reacts to these emotions, what may trigger them, and how to make their way back to the green zone.

Wellbeing Day

Monday May 5th will be our whole-school Wellbeing Day. This will be an entire day of activities focused on understanding how our mind and bodies work, how our emotions play a part in this and strategies for regulating our emotions. The flyer is also attached to the newsletter for more information. Students are required to wear casual clothes on this day. Please ensure that they are comfortable and appropriate for exercise and movement.

Parent Wellbeing Information Session

The parent Wellbeing Information Session will be held at school on Tuesday 6th of May, from 2.15pm. This session aims to educate parents on what we are learning at school in relation to social-emotional education, mental health and wellbeing. We will explain why these aspects are so important and provide families with a range of strategies and resources that can be used at home. It is important that all families have at least one representative attending. If you are unable to attend, please contact Narelle at nmarsden@scmortlake.catholic.edu.au for a link to join in online. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Cyber Games and Chat Rooms

It has come to our attention that children are using online games as a platform to chat with their classmates outside of school hours. While we understand the importance of social connections, we also want to ensure the safety of our students in the digital world. Online gaming environments can sometimes expose children to potential risks, including:

Interactions with unknown individuals
Exposure to inappropriate content
Cyberbullying
Excessive screen time

We are also deeply concerned about the suitability of some of these games for our young students. While certain games, like Five Nights at Freddy's, might appear harmless, some of the content can be quite frightening and may lead to nightmares or anxiety in children.

We encourage all parents to read the article linked below and have an open conversation with your child about their online activities. Consider setting guidelines for internet use, supervising their online interactions, and educating them about internet safety.

If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to support you and your child in navigating the digital landscape safely.

Some online games can fuel anxiety

SchoolTV Wellbeing Platform- school refusal

“School refusal is a complex issue as there’s rarely a single cause. It may be linked to separation anxiety, worries about leaving home, a phobia, depression, social problems or learning difficulties. It can start gradually or happen suddenly.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

Please click on the link below for more useful advice from many experts in this area.

School Refusal Edition

Michael Grose Parenting Toolbox

How to Help Kids Overcome School Refusal and Thrive

School refusal........... It's a phrase that strikes fear into the hearts of many parents. Getting your child to school, a cornerstone of childhood, suddenly becomes a daily battleground. You're not alone. Many parents of children aged 5-12 grapple with this challenging issue. Click on the link below to read a complete Parenting Guide to School Refusal is a must for every parent, teacher and school.

From No to GO

Our Weekly Award Winners

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

COMMUNITY NEWS

St Colman's Open Morning May 7th

The classic Cluedo board game comes to life on stage, with the mystery of which character, which room and which weapon gradually unfolding inside the impressive Boddy Manor.

Featuring a group of amazing local performers within a brilliantly immersive set, this live mystery comedy will have you laughing and guessing to the end! Tickets available online at: https://www.camperdowntheatrecompany.com.au/current-show

Time to Register for Auskick

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 2nd May.

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.

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 2 Week 2 Monday 28th April 2025