Term 4 Week 8 Monday 21st November 2022

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.

Our Prayer this Week

Hopeful God,
As we wait this Advent, we wait in wonder at what the world might be: a place of fairness and welcome, where everyone has what they need to live fully.
As we wait this Advent, we also pray: for all in our human family who,  hope for a better life, rich with possibility.
Hopeful God, help us share your hope.
Amen

The First Sunday of Advent is this coming Sunday. 

From the Principal

Dear Families,

We are all looking forward to our school feast day on Thursday. Please remember to RSVP if you are planning on joining us for a BBQ lunch. It would be great to see some people at Mass at 12pm. 

Last week we were fortunate to have Elise Killen with us for Work Experience. We are very thankful to have had Elise with us and enjoyed her enthusiasm and willingness to participate in all areas of school life. 

This week we have our last visit to Springers, this has been a great opportunity to experience a different type of physical activity. We are very thankful to the team at Springers for providing such a rich experience. 

A reminder to SAC members that our AGM and meeting is on this Wednesday night at 6.30pm. 

Kind regards, 

Stacey

St Colman's Feast Day

On Thursday 24th of November we look forward to celebrating the feast day of St Colman of Cloyne, our patron saint.  St Colman was born in Ireland where he was well known to be a gifted poet with some of his writings still in existence today! Later, he became a bishop and was the founder and patron of the diocese of Cloyne and its cathedral. 

The grade sixes have worked with the teachers in planning a feast day celebration. It will be a casual clothes day with a gold coin donation to Caritas Australia and the students will partake in activities run by the teachers. We invite all parents to join us for mass at 12pm which will be followed by a BBQ lunch back at school. 

Christmas Art- Come and Try

Fun at Springers!

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This Wednesday is our last trip to Springers Gynmastics in Warrnambool.

We will travel down prior to 11am and return around 2pm, with students having the opportunity to participate in a 45 minute gymnastics session. 

This activity is partially funded by a Sport Schools Grant that we have gained to help support our involvement in different types of sports. 

Congratulations Alex

Well done to Alex L who was the winner of the 'Guess the Baby' competition. 

How would you go?

Out of School Care

From 2023, St Colman's students will have access to before and after school care. This service is run by TheirCare at Mortlake College. Further information can be found on the flyer or on the TheirCare website. 

Transport arrangements are being explored between St Colman's and Mortlake College. 

If you are interested in attending an information session please let me know at principal@scmortlake.catholic.edu.au

Advent resources

Please follow the link to find some great resources to help families engage in Advent. The Names of Jesus Advent chain will help families explore who Jesus is and the Little Nativity Pack will allow children to play out the wonderful story of Jesus coming! 

https://evangelisationbrisbane.org.au/shop/free-resources/

Meals on Wheels

St Colman's is rostered on for Meals on Wheels this week (21st to 25th November). If you can volunteer for one or more days, please complete the attached survey.

New PAM accounts

In 2023, all parents will be given a new PAM account. Instead of having one account per family, each parent will have their own account. In preparation for this, you need to login to your current PAM account and complete the survey that has been created which asks for your email addresses as this is what you will use to login to your new account. If you are having difficulty accessing the survey, please try going to our website and clicking on the PAM tab up the top or contact Jane at the office.

Lions Eye Health Program

A big thank you to the Lions Club who screened a large majority of our students eyes last Tuesday. Each child who was seen was sent home with a letter with the results. 

Key Dates for the Diary

Term 4

22nd November- Prep interviews

23rd November- School Advisory Council AGM

24th November- St Colman's Feast Day

30th November- Come and Try Christmas Art 

5th and 6th December- Gr 3/4 Camp to Halls Gap

6th December- Global transition day (MRC and Mortlake College)

9th December- St Colman's Transition Day

13th December- Graduation and end of year celebrations

16th December- Last day for students. Mortlake Community Christmas Carols

Advance Notice: First day of 2023 for students will be Monday 30th January

MRC Art & Technology Exhibition

Mercy Regional College invites everyone in the community to visit its annual Art & Technology Exhibition on the weekend of 26-27 November at the Old Terang Courthouse. The exhibition will be launched with a drinks and nibbles event on Friday 25 November, from 5pm. Everyone is welcome to attend - please RSVP at https://cutt.ly/mrc-art-tech. 

MRC Car Raffle 2022

Mercy Regional College Car Raffle 2022 will be drawn on Wednesday 30 November! Purchase your tickets for a chance to win one of the 10 wonderful prizes, including a Renault Captur valued at nearly $35,000, a $2,000 Betta Home Living voucher, an Apple Watch and many more. Tickets are available online at https://cutt.ly/car-22, at MRC reception an at numerous businesses around the region. Don’t miss MRC raffle stall at the Noorat Show to purchase an extra ticket with cash. Tickets are $10 each, 6 for $50 or 13 for $100. 

Mortlake Christmas Carols

Save the date! We're hoping to have a group of students to sing on the night. 

Mercy Regional College

Our Lady of Mercy Parish News

COVID Reminders

New settings are now in place. 

Most settings are changing from must to highly recommended.

For example, you must stay home when testing positive is changing to, it is highly recommended that you stay home.  

Changes to COVID-19 isolation requirements.

It is strongly recommended that students: 

• Who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five days.
• Should not attend school after five days if still symptomatic.
• Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.

Where students become symptomatic at school, they should: 

• Be collected by their parents/carers.
• Undergo testing for COVID-19. 

It is strongly recommended that staff: 

• Who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for five days.
• Should not attend school after five days if still symptomatic.
• Who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.

COVID-19 reporting requirements.

The Department of Health recommends that a person who tests positive for COVID-19 should inform those with whom they have recently been in contact, including their workplace, school and household. 

Schools no longer have to alert their school community of positive cases. 

Face masks.

Staff and students who wish to wear a face mask should be supported to do so, and schools should continue to make face masks available for staff, students and visitors. 

The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home. 

Additionally, the department recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19 for 10 days after a positive test when they need to leave home.