Providing your child with a well-rounded education is not only about their academic performance. School is designed to equip children with a wide range of skills that can’t be learnt from textbooks but build life-long skill sets and resilience.
St Columba’s provides your child with the opportunity to take part in cultural activities after their school day.
The Arts are important for any child because unlike much of the academic work, the Arts tap in to right brain thinking which include emotional intelligence, imagination, social awareness, expression and intuition.
The development of these aspects in a learner is critical for a well rounded approach to life and include:
Creativity Development
Confidence
Problem Solving
Perseverance and Focus
Collaboration and Accountability
St Columba’s offers three exciting Arts activities to our students. Students are provided with a weekly schedule of the activity practice days and times.
At these practices St Columba’s children participate in these exciting activities providing social engagement, a sense of community, the opportunity for friendships and increased teamwork between students.
In July and November our cultural students are invited to attend an awards morning at which they are recognised in front of their peers, teachers and the St Columba’s community for their dedication and achievements in their cultural activities.
In other words, your child’s brain grows when they are playing Chess. In addition, Chess provides students with these incredible life skills:
Focus
Scenario planning
Strategy and planning development
Analysing other people’s behaviours and thinking patterns
Improved memory
At St Columba’s we foster a fun, relaxed learning approach to Chess, helping players to understand what is happening in the game, and why they have won or lost a match. Students participating in our Chess program attend various Chess matches throughout the year, helping our Chess students to measure their skill levels against other schools and encouraging healthy competition and a sense of teamwork.
Equipping Students To Thrive In An Extraordinary World
The St Columba’s Choir offers students an opportunity to engage with the incredible world of music in a team setting.
Studies show that engaging with music can assist children with fundamental literacies such as math and language literacy.
Being part of a Choir has the following additional benefits for students:
Cultivates patience and perseverance
Improves listening skills
Increases confidence and emotional intelligence
Introduces a non-sport oriented team activity
Provides a community centred on a common interest
The St Columba’s Choir is a non-competitive space in which every child is welcome. The focus of the music is on rhythm, pitch and tone, and children are encouraged to read music as part of Choir practice. Our Choir sings a variety of songs across musical genres, introducing children to a wide range of musical perspectives and ideas as we strive to develop a love of music and singing in every child.
The St Columba’s Choir participates in a variety of competitions and festivals throughout the year, offering children the opportunity to experience the excitement of live performances and the team spirit that is fostered as we work together to prepare for these performances.
The St Columba’s Public Speaking program provides students with the opportunity to enter into the world of debate and presentation of their ideas.
Of all the skills learnt at school, the ability to organise and present ideas to an audience is one of the most important and long reaching skills.
Studies show that students who participate in Public Speaking from a young age enjoy better academic performance in high school, are more confident and are able to express themselves more clearly.
The life skills students attain through Public Speaking include:
Sequential thinking and communication
The ability to communicate and influence others
Increased self confidence
Improved memory
Improved writing and reading skills
The St Columba’s Public Speaking Club consists of a group of passionate individualists. Young people who are taught to listen to those around them and to develop their own opinion and ideas which they passionately debate and discuss. We also equip students with fundamental Public Speaking tools such as breathing techniques, stress management processes, voice projection, stage presence and tools to manage unpredictable debate circumstances. Our students participate in various interschool competitions throughout the year, which build comradery and a sense of belonging and pride in their individual and team work.
