IONA 16

Christ’s Resurrection The Foundation of Faith

Even though the season of Easter is well behind us, this beautiful reflection from my parish newsletter this week reminds us of the daily presence of the Resurrection in our lives.

“Pope Leo XIV, during his general audience, reflected on Christ’s Resurrection as the living foundation of Christian faith – an event that gives direction, healing, and hope amid life’s confusion and suffering. He said that believing in the Resurrection should transform how we live, allowing us to bring light and hope to a world marked by many crosses. The Pope reminded the faithful that the Resurrection is not a distant memory but a reality made present in the Eucharist and in daily life, where “every day is Easter,” and through both joy and pain, we are guided towards the fullness our hearts long for.”

We all carry crosses, the burdens of our daily lives. Some of these we carry more heavily than others, and some are much harder to carry than others. With the Resurrection as our hope and our anchor, our faith secures our belief that our lives, and the lives of others, will once again flourish. We place out trust in God’s divine love for us, and in the love, compassion and humanity we share with one another.

The Arts on Show

It is the season where our Arts program is on show. Our concerts and art exhibitions provide opportunities for our students to showcase their talent and to share their learning with the wider community. It is a chance to share successes and achievements, and to acknowledge the work of our wonderful staff who encourage, challenge and inspire our students to aim for their best. I look forward to welcoming you to these events over the next two weeks.

Year 9, 10 and 11 Assessment and Exam Period

I know that many students have been proactive in preparing for their upcoming assessment and exams. This preparation allows students to apply the study skills they have been learning alongside their subject content and knowledge. We wish them all the best.

Correspondence for families

Families and students will have received the following correspondence from the College on Monday 3 November and are asked to acknowledge and return the letters by Friday 14 November, prior to the commencement of Transition:

• 2026 Year 11 Expectations
• 2026 Year 12 Expectations

Blazer Braid – 2026 Year 11 Students

All students progressing to Year 11 at St Columba’s College have the opportunity (not compulsory) to have braid sewn onto their Blazer lapels. Information, detailing this year’s process, timeline and cost will be sent to families within the next week.

Bronntanais o Dhia Program

The goals of the Program are as follows:

1. To extend opportunities for positive reinforcement of student achievement & behaviour 
2. To build a holistic story of an individual student’s development 
3. To extend the pursuit of excellence into a wider range of fields 
4. To promote additional opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills 

Blazer badges (embroidery on the pocket of their college blazer arranged by Noone Imagewear) are available by earning thresholds of points within the three categories of our Learning and Wellbeing Framework – 

Students who qualify for the opportunity to purchase a badge for their blazer should note the following:

• Events and activities are predetermined for earning points towards a blazer badge 
• The cost of an award badge is $34.50. This includes dry cleaning cost, removal and reattachment of the pocket with one award image. If the blazer is already dry cleaned (with tag attached), deduct $9.50 from the overall cost. For each additional award at the same time of submission, there is another $10.00 per award image 
• Students are automatically awarded commendations on the completion

of an activity or event 

• When students have reached a threshold within one of the categories, Engage, Connect, Learn, they are able to apply for a blazer badge 
• Students must apply for an award in the year that they are allocated the points. They cannot apply for an award retrospectively (a year or two later). Any points received at the Celebration of Excellence evening, may be used in the application of a Connect, Engage or Learn award in the following year due to the early cut off date for semester 2 applications. 

Applications for 2025 must be submitted no later than Wednesday 26 November. 

PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE (PEC)

On Tuesday 29 October, the majority of Year 12 students commenced their VCE examinations with their English exam. Members of the PEC were there at the end of the exam to hand out beautiful cupcakes as a well deserved treat. It was lovely to see the surprised faces of the students as they emerged and saw what was awaiting them.

Lead auditions for the 2026 College Production of Beauty and the Beast will be held on Sunday, 23 November 2025, in the St Columba’s College Hall.

Upon application, you will be allocated a specific audition time slot. Auditions will commence at 10:00am.

All auditionees will be required to sing, act, and dance as part of the audition process.

Audition Form:

• Please complete the following AUDITION FORM to register your audition:
• This form must be submitted by 9.00am on Monday 17th November.

Audition Materials:
All necessary materials, including the script and information pack, can be accessed via AUDITION MATERIALS

Singing Auditions

Each auditionee must prepare one song for their audition. NOTE: You will be required to perform a second song from Beauty and the Beast.

• The song should be from a musical (but not from Beauty and the Beast).
• Choose a piece that reflects the style and personality of the character you wish to audition for.

Good luck, and be our guest in making this production something truly magical! 

Year 8 students recently visited Altona Beach as part of their Humanities unit on Landscapes and Landforms. Over two days, students explored how natural and human processes shape coastal environments through hands-on data collection and observation, investigating wave patterns, erosion, and land use along the coastline.

Three classes enjoyed perfect weather on Thursday, 30 October, while four classes showed great resilience working through the rain on Friday. Despite the mixed conditions, students stayed engaged and curious, gaining valuable insights into the importance of caring for our coastal environments.

A big thank you to the staff who supported students on the day.

It’s National Recycling Week and St Columba’s College is excited to announce that we have received a $5000 Sustainable Schools grant from Coles and Planet Ark to go towards our new garden and Precious Plastics program!

We are asking members of our community to start collecting and regularly donating plastic bottle lids to be used for our Precious Plastics program that encourages students to “rethink waste” by finding creative ways to recycle plastics.

Donations of clean and dry #2 (HDPE), #4 (LDPE) and #5 (PP) plastic bottle lids are needed.

Students and staff can drop off the lids to our Precious Plastics collection point outside the STEAM lab and community members can drop off lids to Front Reception.

If you are a business or community group who can donate larger quantities, please contact roedera@columba.vic.edu.au to arrange regular drop offs.

Help us keep up the momentum of National Recycling Week by donating your eligible drink containers to St Columba’s.

Students and staff can drop off containers with the 10c mark to the three drop off bins at the College and anyone can choose to donate their funds to the College by downloading the CDS Vic West app and adding ‘Greening Our College’ (St Columba’s College) as a CDS donation partner.

All funds go towards supporting the College’s environmental initiatives and also encourages our community to divert precious materials from landfill.

The closest locations to the College are:

1. Highpoint Shopping Centre (120-200 Rosamond Rd, Maribyrnong VIC 3032)
2. Essendon Fields (2 Short Street, Essendon Fields VIC 3041)
3. Essendon DFO (100 Bulla Rd, Essendon Fields VIC 3041)
4. Westfield Airport West (29/35 Louis St, Airport West VIC 3042)
5. Keilor Park Football Club (251 Stadium Drive, Keilor Park, VIC 3042)

At St Columba’s, we take great pride in the way our students represent the College, not only through their words and actions, but also through their presentation. Wearing the College uniform correctly reflects a sense of belonging, self-respect, and pride in our shared identity as St Columba’s students.

As we move towards the end of term, we ask for the continued support of parents and guardians in ensuring students maintain our high standards of uniform and grooming. Please take a moment to review the following reminders with your child:

• Blazers are to be worn to and from school each day.
• Make-up should be minimal and natural, heavy make-up and false eyelashes are not permitted. Students will be asked to remove false lashes before attending lessons.
• Jewellery is limited to:
  • Up to three small studs or small hoops per ear
  • A small cross/religious medallion necklace if worn
• Hair must be tied back neatly and kept off the face.
• Nails should be clean and short, clear or light French-tip polish is acceptable, but acrylic or brightly coloured nails are not permitted. Students will be asked to remove nails before attending lessons.
• PE uniform is only to be worn on timetabled Dance and PE days.
• Scarves are outdoor garments and are not to be worn indoors.

If your child is addressed for any of the above uniform infringements they will be required to attend a 20 minute lunchtime restorative.

If your child is not in the correct uniform please notify your child’s House Leader via direct message. A uniform pass will be issued.

These expectations help create consistency and ensure that all students present themselves respectfully and safely in line with College values. We appreciate the ongoing partnership of families in reinforcing these expectations at home so that every student arrives ready to learn, confident, and proud to represent St Columba’s.

Thank you for your continued support. If you require further clarification please refer to the Student Management Guidelines on SEQTA homepage.

While year 12 final exams are well under way, students in years 9-11 are also preparing for their own assessments in a couple of weeks. Students enter this period with various feelings, expectations and pressures – and many find it challenging to plan their time and develop effective revision strategies. 

It’s completely normal for many students to experience higher levels of stress in the lead-up to exams. A manageable amount of stress can be motivating and reflects a student’s desire to do well. However, when stress becomes excessive or prolonged, it can interfere with concentration, memory, decision-making, sleep, and overall wellbeing.

Parents are well placed to help their teens manage stress, by staying connected, offering both practical and emotional support, and encouraging healthy routines. Even focussing on the basics – balanced nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep and maintaining social connections – can make a meaningful difference in reducing stress and supporting good mental health. 

The following links and resources may be useful as a guide to supporting your young person.

• Practical Strategies for Managing Exam Stress
• Supporting A Young Person School Stress
• Helping with Exam Stress

One of the most common questions I hear from parents—whether their children are 3, 13, or 17—is: “Why does it feel like bedtime, chores, or even just getting ready for school turns into a battle every day?” The short answer? Many kids are missing clear structure – and the emotional connection that makes that structure feel good.

Read the full article HERE.

Table tennis

After several weeks of lunchtime training sessions, our team of 28 students headed to MSAC for the table tennis competition on the 8th October. All games were doubles and each year group had 4 teams. It was a fantastic day of competition and school spirit, with outstanding results across the board. Our junior team and intermediate team placed 1st overall. Our Senior team narrowly missed out on the top spot but demonstrated great determination and a competitive effort. Well done to all who participated in the table tennis competition!

Player of the match awards:

• Arabella T (Year 8)
• Mary B (Year 10)
• Natalia D (Year 11)

Go Girls 100km Challenge 

On the 14th of October, we headed to Lakeside Stadium with 5 teams of year 9 and 10 students to take part in the Go Girls Foundation 100km Challenge at Albert Park. It is an inspiring event celebrating empowerment, resilience, and solidarity among girls’ schools across Victoria. Students ran in a continuous relay around the 400m track, with each team aiming to collectively reach 100km. Our teams gave their all, contributing a total of 308.8km. A remarkable achievement that reflected far more than physical endurance. The challenge raises awareness and funds to support women experiencing hardship, including those rebuilding independence after domestic violence, seeking employment, overcoming social isolation, recovering from homelessness or illness, or developing leadership and business skills. Through events, workshops, coaching, and industry partnerships, the Go Girls Foundation helps women regain confidence, independence, and control of their futures. We are incredibly proud of our St Columba’s teams, who made an outstanding contribution of $8921 to the overall $195,934 raised so far. We look forward to participating again next year!

Go Girls Photos by Gray Tham

11 November – Junior Performing Arts Concert

13 November – Year 10 and 11 Exams Commence

14 November – Year 7 2026 Parents’ Welcome Night

18 November – Art Exhibition, Year 9 Exams Commence

21 November – Student Free Day

24 November – Commencement of 2026 Timetable

26 November – Celebration of Excellence Awards