Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

It seems that every year there is a TV show, an app or game that has content which promotes violence or behaviour that impacts upon students of  primary school age. Recently the eSafety Commissioner wrote a blog post entitled Squid Game shows the need to check what your child is watching. 

Coming out of remote learning where we relied heavily on technology, some writers spoke  about questioning the need for face-to-face learning whilst others take the view that technology can be toxic. I think that, if children are left to figure out the technology or choose the content they watch by themselves, then the potential for a toxic online environment is very much a concern and to some extent a danger.

Parenting is tough.  We love our children so much that there are times when we give in, or we think that they are ‘mature’ enough to make decisions themselves. It’s so important for us as parents to always be the adult in the discussions and the decision making that impacts the day to day lives of our children. 

Andy Hargreaves is a professor emeritus at Boston College and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada. In a recent article he wrote ‘...Psychology professor Jean M. Twenge reported that teenage anxiety levels spiked after smartphones started to saturate the adolescent market in 2012. During the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of 5-year-olds received government-mandated, on-screen instruction that well exceeded the one-hour limit that was recommended pre-pandemic by the American Academy of Pediatrics…’

The partnership between school and home with the management of technology is now more important than ever. Hargreaves goes on to describe what schools (and parents) can   do ‘...retain the uses of technology that offer distinctive benefits, yet ruthlessly eradicate the uses that lead to toxic effects.’ He goes on to describe some actions that we can take to proactively manage a healthy approach to the use of technology and therefore the exposure to appropriate and inappropriate content. A couple of these are outlined below:

• The primacy of schools and teaching. Most children and families need physical schools with in-person teaching and learning. They enable young people to develop identities as members of a community. Frankly, physical schools are also necessary because children’s parents need to go to work. Online learning has a place in all our lives now, but nothing will ever beat the stimulation, relationships, and engagement children get from in-person teaching.
• Unique value proposition. Learning technologies should be adopted when they have a unique value that cannot be addressed in another way. This is true of all learning resources such as manipulatives, books, and conversation. Adapting technologies for students with special needs, collaborating with colleagues across remote rural communities, and transforming assessment such that students, parents, and teachers alike can get instantaneous feedback on student learning—these are some of the digital ways we can enhance teaching and learning. Digital technologies must be employed only where they add unique value, and not, willy-nilly, just because they are there.
• Risk management. Strategies of educational-technology use must address risks. These include excess screen time, digital addiction, adolescent anxieties about online identities, algorithms that reinforce in-group prejudices as well as personal preferences, excessive student surveillance, and displacement of valuable non-digital activities, such as outdoor play and sleep….

The idea that technology use displaces the non-digital activities that are so important for the growth and development of children is quite alarming. Technology use in schools is an ever evolving process. Technology use at home is very much the same. As we approach the end of the year, and yet another Christmas holiday period, I urge you to be proactive about what your children are watching, how much time they spend on devices and providing a balance between digital and non-digital activities. 

They’ll thank us for it when they’re older!

As we journey through the week together, with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal

Attached to the newsletter this week is the Formation of Classes Policy and Procedure. This policy is used to direct the process of class formation each year. This is a lengthy process that works towards ensuring that every child’s needs are considered. The process begins throughout Term 4. It is important that parents are aware that the teachers know the students within the school - classroom and playground - environment exceptionally well and always put the best interests of every child first.

Please take time to read the policy. This will give you some indication of the process. Whilst parental requests are considered, there is never a guarantee that they will be granted. If you plan to make a request, particularly about your child being placed within a friendship group, please be aware that there may be circumstances surrounding such requests that prevent it from being granted. 

Often there can be experiences where children are placed in classes with friends upon parental requests. The children have then encountered difficulties with the friendship causing awkward situations for all involved that could possibly have been avoided. In addition, parents have requested that their child not be with a particular child/ren and the concern rests more with the adults than the child/ren involved. 

Please remember that, first and foremost, Good Samaritan is a place of learning. Learning involves academic achievement as well as learning how to work effectively with a range of people including peers, teachers and school support officers.

The staffing process is currently continuing and we are hoping to have this complete by early next week. Following this I will be able to communicate staff and class allocations with parents. However, please be mindful that we are currently finalising student class placements for the 2022 school year. 

This process will be completed on Monday 6 December.

No further changes to classes will be made beyond this date.

Due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, adjustments to curriculum have been made throughout Terms 3 and 4. Focus for Semester 2 has been on student wellbeing and learning, and priority has been given to Religious Education, English and Mathematics. As a result of this extended period of Remote Learning and the lack of opportunities for teachers to provide quality assessment tasks to determine student learning attainment and/or growth, student reporting in Semester 2, 2021 will look a little different to the one you received earlier this year.

You may be aware that communities to the north of Good Samaritan are being affected by continuing cases of COVID-19. This is resulting in students, staff and parents being close or casual contacts.

The advice around what should happen when someone is a close contact or a casual contact seems to change rapidly. That being the case:

Please contact the school office by phone or email immediately if:

• your child or someone they live with is a confirmed case
• your child or anyone residing with them in your family is notified that they are a close contact or a casual contact

To support the safety of you, your family and our wider community, it is critical that everyone is aware of what we are required to do if we are identified as a close or casual contact.

The latest advice can be accessed from the NSW Health website. A frequently asked questions fact sheet for school parents and carers is also available on the NSW Health website. Please refer to this information for the very latest advice.

Be assured that Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong is working closely with the NSW Ministry of Health, local public health units and Catholic Schools NSW to keep all of our schools informed.

Good Samaritan requires all visitors, including parents, who enter the school to check in using the Service NSW QR code. Thank you for complying with the regulations whilst on the school site.

As we follow the road map together to a full recovery, the consistent attendance of students at school is crucial to the ongoing academic and social success of our students.

From an early age, if children are taught that they need to 'show up' for school and make a commitment, this positive mentality aids academic and career success and brings benefits in adulthood.

Early Stage One

In Kindergarten, we are having lots of fun learning new things. In Religion, we have been learning about the story of Creation.

In Mathematics, we have been revising addition and subtraction and working with whole number activities.

We have also been learning how to write letters. We are thinking about and writing letters to our family, friends and other people. We are also learning how to write a postcard. 

We have been reading books about Monsters, 'A Monster Wrote me a Letter' by Nick Bland. 

This book combined our letter writing and monster theme.

On Friday we celebrated the end of Week 5 with a Monster dress up day. We had so much fun!

Working With Children Check (WWCC)

In order for the school to ensure that all staff and volunteers have the necessary WWCC, all parents who wish to volunteer are asked to ensure that they have the appropriate clearance in order to remain as a volunteer within the school. Once the WWCC is completed the school maintains a register of parents who are able to volunteer within the school. This includes classroom assistance, excursions, camps, canteen, Library assistance and general helping about the school.

Further information  about the Working With Children Check can be found on the CEDoW website. Follow this link to the website.

P&F News

Jamberoo Tickets

Hello Families & Friends,

After the challenges of 2020 we were certainly not expecting to repeat these challenges in 2021, but how amazing to be coming out the other side and have all our kids back at school together!  As our school community responded to the global health pandemic, GSFM P&F have met regularly throughout the year and quietly focused on ensuring that our school and community remained safe and supported. Fundraising has not been a priority and we did not wish to place any additional financial pressure on our school community during these times.

As the end of the year approaches and with the easing of restrictions, your P&F is very excited to once again offer our Good Samaritan School Community discounted single entry tickets to Jamberoo Action Park!  At this stage, Jamberoo will not be offering Season Passes for the 2021/2022 Season, so these individual tickets are the perfect gift for your family, friends and loved ones.  At a flat rate of $49.00 per ticket, and no limit on the number of tickets you can purchase, this is an offer too good to miss.

This offer is available for a short time only. Tickets can be purchased by filling out the attached order form, which is also being sent home, and transferring payment into the P&F account. Order forms and payment must be made by Friday 26 November 2021, with tickets being available the week commencing Monday 6 December 2021.

Account Name: Good Samaritan P&F, BSB No: 066-711, Account No: 007 045, Ref: ‘JAP – Your Name’

The Canteen will open on Fridays only until futher notice.

TERM 4 DATES:

November:

• Thursday 11 November - Remembrance Day 

• Friday 19 November - Colour Run (Subject to COVID restrictions)

• Friday 19 November - Book Club Orders Due to Schoolastic

December:

• Wednesday 1 December - Red and Yellow Day-Surf Lifesaving MUFTI DAY

• Friday 3 December - St Vincent De Paul Christmas -MUFTI DAY

• Monday 13 December - Year 6 Farewell 

• Wednesday 15 December - Last Day of Term 4 2021