St Columba Anglican School

It was a fantastic day of football for SCAS at the HRIS Primary Football Gala in Maitland earlier this week. Our Years 5/6 Girls were outstanding from start to finish, going through the entire tournament without conceding a single goal and finishing as champions. Our Years 5/6 Boys also had a great day, battling hard through a very competitive draw and finishing 5th overall. Across both teams, the effort, teamwork and sportsmanship on display were a real highlight. Well done to all players for representing SCAS with pride!

St Columba Anglican School is a co-educational Early Learning Centre - Year 12 campus. Set on the beautiful Mid-North Coast of NSW, our school is home to students and families who are aspirational, engaged and enthusiastic about learning.
We are looking for an inspirational leader to serve as our next Head of Primary, guiding and empowering the students in our care. If you are an enthusiastic and experienced Primary leader, driven to make a real difference in young people’s lives, we invite you to apply for this exciting position. Applications close next Friday, 4 September. Please visit scas.app/careers for more information and to apply.

Recently, twelve students from Years 6 to 8 attended the HICES Music Festival camp at Stanwell Tops, joining young musicians from across NSW for three days of intensive rehearsals and specialist sectionals in concert bands, string orchestras and choirs. A highlight was our students independently forming a woodwind ensemble and performing for around 450 fellow camp participants. The festival then moved to Sydney Town Hall, where students took part in technical rehearsals before presenting an outstanding concert that evening. The experience gave students the opportunity to explore new repertoire, develop their musicianship and confidence, and make new friends along the way. Congratulations to our students on representing St Columba so well, and thank you to Mrs Amy Corrigan and Mr Bill Canning for supporting them throughout the festival.

We are delighted to share that Justin Munro, Head of Faculty for Technology, Visual Arts and VET, has received Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). HALT is NSW’s highest teacher accreditation, recognising educators who demonstrate exceptional practice, mentor and lead colleagues, and improve student outcomes beyond their own classroom. To achieve it, Justin compiled extensive evidence over time showing sustained impact against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, including leading whole-school initiatives, mentoring colleagues, and embedding innovative practice. The process ended with a formal site visit and assessment by an independent assessor appointed by NESA. Justin now joins less than 1% of teachers in NSW who hold this accreditation and is the first teacher to achieve this during their tenure at SCAS.

Since joining us in 2012, Justin has made a significant impact across many areas of SCAS, including mentoring several students on the global stage through STEM projects and competitions, supporting countless HSC students, developing our Iona Fusion Robotics Program, overseeing the success of our VET opportunities for Stage 6 students, and contributing to school activities such as musical set design and Year 6 Billy Kart designs, all while regularly going above and beyond to support SCAS staff and students.

Upon receiving his accreditation, Justin reflected that he was proud to have achieved this at a regional school like SCAS and is both honoured and excited to be raising the bar for what technology education can look like in Port Macquarie. Congratulations Justin!

It was a lively 2WAY SCAS Community Radio Gig last Wednesday night. Mahli, Katherine and Zayna chose some awesome music, made insightful reflections, and were very entertaining! These gigs are enormously popular with the largely retired audience that listens on 2WAY, reminding them of the youthful energy and loving kindness of the modern generation.

Congratulations to our Primary Chess Team, who have progressed to the North Coast Zone Final of the NSW Junior Chess League Country Championships!
We were delighted to be hosted by Manning Valley Anglican College for the semi-final, where our team played exceptionally well and won 6 matches to 2.
Good luck in the final, boys!

Stage 1 were very excited to welcome Jenny and Ditto from Bravehearts for a special Assembly visit!
Our EarlyAct Club selected Bravehearts as the charity to support, donating the $300 raised from our Mother’s Day Stall to help fund their important work as a child protection organisation.
As it happens, all of Stage 1 had recently experienced the Ditto’s Child Safe Adventure digital show, so everyone already knew who Ditto was—and they were very excited to meet him in person!
It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn more about Bravehearts and the important work they do to help keep children safe.

As part of Bullying No Way Week, our Year 9 students took part in a special “Be Kind” activity designed to spread kindness, inclusion and positivity throughout our school community.
During Wellbeing, Year 9 students wrote thoughtful messages of encouragement and kindness for our Year 7 students. These messages were delivered alongside doughnuts as a small reminder that kind words and simple acts of kindness can make a big difference.
The activity gave students the opportunity to reflect on the importance of looking out for others, helping people feel included, and creating a school environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
A big thank you to our Year 9 students for helping to spread kindness and a little sweetness throughout the school!

Week 6 at SCAS...

The Primary school is celebrating National Science Week during Week 6! With lots of fun activities planned for class and break time, it is sure to be a great week!