Dear Parents and Carers,

Easter has now come and gone - we have had our celebrations, caught up with our friends and families, enjoyed the holidays with the children and now life goes back to normal. Children are back at school, parents are back at work and Easter is over, it’s finished for another year. Or is it?

Easter is only over if we allow it to be. How often do we take that period of Lent - that period of preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus - beyond the season of Lent and into the season of Easter? How often do we reflect on the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Resurrection of Easter Sunday after the event? In all likelihood many of us don’t think too much about it until the next year - until the next Easter.

Just before Jesus dies on the cross he utters the words, ‘It is finished!’ However, Jesus didn’t mean that it’s over for yet another year; his intent was something more like, ‘I’ve done it! I’ve succeeded! I’ve held out!’ Jesus wasn’t defeated as he hung on the cross - he had in fact succeeded beyond our wildest imagination - triumphant in his death.

This triumph left him precisely in blood, tears, and helplessness. He’s won, but it’s cost him his life, tested his faith to the limit, lost him his popularity, scattered his friends, shrouded his life in misunderstanding, left him looking compromised, and isolated him in an unspeakable loneliness.

Each of us experience our own ‘Good Fridays’ throughout the year. These may be periods of loneliness, grief, despair, anger or misunderstanding. We have to experience the Good Friday so that we are able to rejoice in the Easter Sunday - the beauty of life, love and above all faith. The important part is remembering that we can’t stay within our Good Fridays; we have to move to those times of resurrection. But how do we do that? Everything inside of Jesus believed that, in the end, always, it is better to give yourself over to love than to hatred, to affirmation than to jealousy, to gentleness of heart than to bitterness, to honesty than to lying, to fidelity than to compromise, to forgiveness than to revenge. 

As we enter this new term at Good Samaritan, it is important that we remember to acknowledge that not only will we as adults experience Good Fridays, but our children will too. What we need to assist them with is recognising when their moment of resurrection is because they were able to forgive, they were able to affirm someone else, they became gentle in their friendships, they were honest in their actions and they acted unselfishly in their work and their play.

Together we will work towards another successful term for the children - one where we finish knowing that we have listened to the Easter call that Jesus has spoken to each and every one of us.

Enjoy the term ahead, as we journey together, with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal

GSFM Pupil Free Day 

Monday 9 May 2022

Students do not attend school on this day.

This day is a day of Professional Learning for staff.

Thank you to all parents who have supported the uniform policy with the students returning to Term 2 in full school uniform. It is also very much appreciated that students have haircuts according to our policy guidelines. This certainly allows students the opportunity to take pride in their own appearance and also their school.

Having replenished school supplies within pencil cases also supports the children to be ‘Ready to Learn’ each day. 

At Good Samaritan, the Winter Uniform is worn the week following Mother’s day through to the Friday prior to Father’s Day each year. This year Winter uniform is worn from Tuesday 10 May - remembering that Monday 9 May is a Pupil Free Day (Staff Development Day - students do not attend school on this day).

Parents may use their discretion for the week on either side of these dates based on the weather.

While many pre-teen students and most teen students enjoy using TikTok and the ‘fun’ associated with it, recent investigations and research indicate that it presents a number of dangers that in many cases the students themselves (and parents and carers) are unaware of and, even when aware, can find difficult to address.

In recent years, and particularly during the lockdown periods of the pandemic, TikTok use seems to have grown exponentially and the App seems to have taken on a ‘life of its own’, impacting many students’ wellbeing, mental health and learning. In this article we look at many of the issues associated with TikTok and suggest what schools may be able to do to seek to counter some of its negative effects.

TikTok, formerly known as Musical.ly, is a social media platform that has become increasingly popular since its rebranding in 2018. It hosts a myriad of content types, with the top category "Entertainment" receiving 535 billion views.

TikTok is primarily a video sharing service that uses an algorithm to create targeted ‘for you’ pages and it provides a seemingly never-ending stream of content. The minimum age requirements are 13 to have an account and 16 to host a public account (which enables direct messaging between users). However, users don’t have to be logged in to see content and to use the ‘search’ function.

TikTok has already overtaken Facebook and Facebook Messenger as the most downloaded social media app in the world. It is especially popular with children and young adults. According to Social Media Perth, 41% of TikTok users in 2020 were aged between 16 and 24 years old, and the USA-based company Backlinko states that, in 2021, 25 % of TikTok users in the U.S were aged between 10 and 19. A study conducted in October 2020 by marketing company, Roy Morgan, found that TikTok was used by 746 000 children born between 2006 and 2020.

The Cyberbullying Research Centre praises TikTok as “a fun and engaging way to stay connected with each other about the things they love". Some of the platform’s positive impacts on young people are that it:

• is de-stigmatising mental health issues
• provides communities with a platform to connect
• is a creative outlet that doesn’t require editing skills
• is user friendly and an easily accessible platform.

TikTok’s popularity continued to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the platform providing an opportunity for connection and entertainment during lockdowns.

There are currently two ways to restrict content shown to children on TikTok:

• the “Family Pairing” setting
• the “Digital Wellbeing” setting.

“Family Pairing” allows a parent to attach their child’s account to their own, see the direct messages that their child receives and set usage time limits. “Digital Wellbeing” allows a user to set their own limits on usage on their account.

However, these controls have not prevented dangerous trends and behaviours, predatory actions and privacy issues arising as a result of children and their parents being unaware of the consequences of using social media. It is not difficult to imagine that a tech savvy child could avoid these controls by starting up a different account to the one that is linked to/has limits set by their parents. Other children may not have any parent controls on their use of TikTok.

Further information can be found in the eSafety Commissioner’s Guide to Tik Tok.

With students returning to school for Term 2, it is timely for a reminder about buses. It is important for all stakeholders of a school community to be aware of what is needed to ensure the safety of all on school buses. By raising the awareness of being safe around buses we help to reduce the risk of injuries and facilities.

Dear Families and Friends of Lumen Christi Parish,

At the Angelus Address in St Peter’s Square in Rome, on 14 March 2021, Pope Francis announced that on “Friday, 19 March, Solemnity of Saint Joseph, the Amoris Laetitia Year of the Family will open”. Pope Francis explained that it would be “a special year to grow in family love.” He then called “for a renewed and creative pastoral drive to place the family at the centre of the attention of the Church and of society.” It was his prayer “that every family may feel in its own home the living presence of the Holy Family of Nazareth, that it may fill our small domestic communities with sincere and generous love, a source of joy even in trials and difficulties.” Every family needs to be aware of this living presence of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their home as a way of remembering their vocation to live for God and for each other in mutual love and service.

In response to this invitation to reflect on the vocation and mission of Christian families, this Sunday (1 May 2022) we will be praying as a parish for all our families. To give a tangible expression to this prayer, an icon of the Holy Family will be placed before the sanctuary in St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong, and be blessed by Bishop Brian during the 10:30am Sunday Mass. One of our families will then light a candle before the icon to remind us that Christ, the Risen Lord, is the centre and support of the Christian home. This icon will be fixed to one of the walls of the Cathedral as a devotional focus to contemplate the virtues of family life and to find consolation in times of darkness and sorrow.

To foster our reflection on married and family life, Pope Francis has recommended a renewed study of his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love). This Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, published in 2016, reflects on nine key ideas:

1. Family life in the light of God’s Word
2. The current experiences and challenges of families
3. Jesus’ teaching on marital love and marriage as a Sacrament
4. The growth of a married couple’s love through the various stages of life
5. The welcoming of new life into a marriage and care for children
6. Formation for couples before marriage and during their married life
7. Developing ways to better educate children
8. Pastoral mercy and discernment for people in morally difficult situations
9. The spirituality of marriage and family life as love, care, and consolation

As Lumen Christi parish we want to place our families at the centre of our attention. No matter where your family is situated or what struggles presently challenge you, you are loved by God. It may be the case that life in your family has been difficult and painful, or that there has been a breakdown in marital or family relationships. Whatever the circumstances, whoever is possibly at fault, God is with you, helping you to see the way forward according to the truth, mercy, and peace of Christ.

This week I will be commencing a nine-week series of reflections on Amoris Laetitia.

The first meeting is on Wednesday 27 April 2022, 7pm at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in the Monsignor Rigney Meeting Room. To follow the talk, please purchase a copy of Amoris Laetitia from the parish office. Copies can also be purchased before the meeting starts.You are most welcome to attend.

Thank you to all our families for your beautiful witness of faith, prayer, and commitment. You remind us of an essential aspect of our Catholic religion, that God is Love and faithfully cares for us both in good times and when the storms of life are against us.

May God bless you and your children with hope and joy.

Fr Bernard Gordon

26 April 2022

Cross Country 2022  

Today we finally managed a morning with no rain to hold a competitor's only cross country carnival. The students all ran hard and put in 100% effort on a very different track than usual. Congratulations to you all on your efforts, you should all be very proud of yourselves. 

Special thanks to Jye C for his help in setting up the course and all the parent helpers for their support this morning. 

Congratulations to the following children who have been selected for the Good Samaritan Cross Country team to compete at the Diocesan Carnival in Nowra on Tuesday May 3rd (further details to follow). 

* Ribbons will be given out prior to the Easter Hat parade on Friday. 

Central to the teaching of St Benedict was a Love of Learning. Our children already know what it means to be Ready to Learn and we continue to instil in each of them a Love of Learning by recognising that learning happens all the time. We can learn in our classrooms, on the playground, when we make mistakes, when we interact with other people and the list goes on.

The Mission Behaviours help us to recognise the actions of others, and ourselves, when we are together in community. The students are also coming to know these behaviours and what are being taught the actions that can identify the behaviours. 

Understanding the Mission Behaviours also provides an opportunity for us to love learning. Our PB4L values are aligned with the Mission Behaviours. 

If you have a sibling that will be ready to begin school in 2023 contact the office for an enrolment pack.

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE (PRC) 2022

PRC is back again.  From Monday 21 March, students will be able to borrow any books from their respective challenge group (3-4 or 5-6).

Those students doing the PRC can check in SORA and find one of the Premier's Reading Challenge categories matching the right challenge level.  If students are having trouble, they can download the reading log from the PRC website (https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html) to keep a track of what has been read.  We will assist them to enter their data.

Students from Yrs 3-4 need to log 20 titles in which 5 of them are free choices.  Yrs 5-6 need to log 20 titles of which 5 are free choices. Students from K-2 will do the Challenge (K-2) as a classroom.

The last day to log PRC titles is 19 August 2022 for students.

Mrs Medina

2022 

April

Thursday 28 April 

Confirmation Enrolment

Friday 29 April

Year 2 Easter Craft Morning 

Easter Hat Parade 1.30pm-2.45pm

May

Wednesday 4 May

6:30pm Confirmation Sessions begin at SJV 

Thursday 5 May 

6:30pm Confirmation Session at SJV 

Thursday 5 May

11.45am: Mother's Day Liturgy & Morning Tea  

Friday 6 May 

Mother's Day Stall 

Monday 9 May 

Staff Development Day (Pupil Free Day)

Tuesday 10 May

Winter Uniform

Friday 20 May 

School Athletics Carnival 

Monday 30 May -3 June 

Screen Aware Week

June

Friday 3 June 

7pm Confirmation 

Saturday 4 June 

2pm & 6pm Confirmation

Sunday 5 June 

Pentecost Sunday

Friday 10 June 

PB4L Day

Tuesday 21 June 

South Coast Netball Gala Day

July

Friday 1 July 

Whole School Run & Picnic

Friday 22 July

Grandparents & Great People Day 

September 

Friday 2 September

Father's Day BBQ Breakfast & Stall

Wednesday 14 September

Feast of the Holy Cross - Feast Day 10 Years of Good Samaritan 

18-25 September

UCI 2022 Road World Championships- Wollongong