Thank you to all our parents who consistently support the wearing of the correct school  uniform  each and every day. This week the majority of students have come to school wearing the correct uniform  however, some  girls are wearing false nails and/or nail polish. Whilst this may be appropriate for  the holiday period it is not appropriate for school.

The following is an extract for the Good  Samaritan School Handbook:

The wearing of correct school uniform is very important at Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School as it creates a greater sense of equality among the student population despite the diverse socio-economic backgrounds of their families. 

The following are some basic guidelines for following the expectations associated with wearing the correct school uniform at Good Samaritan:

1. All students are to wear the full, correct  uniform at all times.
2. Uniforms are to be labelled, cleaned, pressed, properly repaired and worn neatly at all times. 
3. Damaged or shabby items of uniform are to be replaced.
4. School uniform regulations apply equally to hair, jewellery, make-up (including false fingernails), hats and shoes.
5. Classroom teachers are responsible for checking uniform on a daily basis.
6. Where a uniform breach occurs a verbal reminder/warning is given.
7. If a repetition of uniform breaches occurs, parents will be contacted by way of letter.
8. Students out of uniform, who have a valid reason, should have a note to this effect, signed by their parents. This is to be counter-signed by the classroom teacher.
9. For extreme breaches of the uniform code, a student may be isolated from the rest of the school.
10. Where genuine financial difficulties hamper a student in fully meeting all uniform requirements, the Principal may supply items of uniform at the school’s expense.

In the last  week  of Term 3 any Lost Property marked with students’ names was returned to them. Any lost property without names will be washed and donated to the Clothing Pool. This term we aim to have no lost property at Good Samaritan.

Parent Action: Please check your child’s clothing and belongings to ensure that they are labelled with their name.

During the holidays our playground sinks were installed with water bottle refill taps. Now students are able to refill their water bottles much more easily. Many thanks to our parents who, through the  P&F, who supported the cost of these taps.

Planning  is currently underway for  the establishment of a school managed 1:1 iPad program for Good Samaritan in 2021. Parents of students who are currently in Years 2&3 have recently received detailed information about how the program works.

School Managed iPads allows the school to support parents with the introduction of a personal electronic device for learning. In addition, the main features and benefits are:

• Purchase: The school bulk purchases all devices and parents pay the device off, interest free (through school fees) over a two year period. Optional packages are available eg: 128GB iPads, AppleCare+.
• APPS & Social Media: Apps are restricted by the school and are strictly educational. All social media apps, including Messages & Facetime, are blocked. Parents can request additional Apps which the school can remotely install.
• iCloud: students receive a 200GB school managed education iCloud account.
• Screen Time: in the interest of student health, screen time is limited to students. The iPad Apps are unavailable between 8pm to 7am (for example). This time can be flexible to meet specific family needs. 
• Filtering: The iPads have Internet content filtering enabled while not at school.
• Apple ID: The school remotely supplies apps (including paid apps) to the device. No Apple ID is required hence no issues with students using their own, or their parent’s Apple ID.
• End of Year 6: When your child leaves Good Samaritan, the iPad will be restored to factory settings for continued use without school management.
• Students who already have an iPad: If the iPad isn’t too old, it can be erased and added to the school’s managed fleet of devices.

We look forward to rolling out this program in 2021.

Throughout the holidays we received information that COVID-19 restrictions would allow the school to host Kindergarten 2021 Orientation. We are currently planning the orientation sessions and will distribute the information regarding the organisation of the sessions in the coming week.