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Silent Auction:
A Silent Auction will be running over the course of the next week. This has been made possible by our generous sponsors.
Place a bid on this form before the evening.
Funds raised from our 10 Year Gala Event will be contributing to the school’s ability to:
- upgrade classroom audio visual equipment
- purchase playground equipment
- maintain a consistent renewal and replenishment of English & Mathematics resources
- upgrade play and garden areas of the school, including a prayer garden
- redesign and landscape the school’s pedestrian entrance from Cabbage Tree Lane
The contributions will also support the P&F to continue their work in supporting the learning and improving the school environment for students.
Dear Parents and Caregivers of Good Samaritan,
Our 10 Year celebrations have begun today with a beautiful mass celebrated with the Bishop this morning.
We have so much to be grateful for within our community. The children have enjoyed a fun day following the more formal part of the day. This is only made possible by our committed staff and our supportive P&F.
I hope today has been a day that our students will remember for many years to come. For all of us, there are some events or times that we remember from our primary school years. Today was one such time.
Our students continue to make us so proud with all that they give to the school. We are consistently amazed at how they display our school motto - Moved to Compassion in their daily lives. This is what creates a community of belonging. St Paul said: Always consider the other person better than yourself. This is what we see in our students every day - young people growing to understand the uniqueness of themselves as individuals but also to understand the gifts and talents that others bring into the community.
As a principal, I could not be more proud of our students as I am today. Their exploration of compassion as children, will allow them to grow into adults who view the world through the eyes of Jesus. A view that enables them to see the deep humanity that exists in those around them.
Thank you for all you have done to support Good Samaritan as we begin to journey into the next ten years of the school’s history.
Until next time,
Toni Sillis
Principal
Year 5 parents who are considering Holy Spirit College as the high school for their child in 2024 are being asked to ensure that enrolment forms are lodged as soon as possible.
The information provided each week allows for discussion about the content covered in Personal Development lessons each week.
The content covered in Session 8:
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Kindergarten students are practising skills and strategies to keep them safe. Question to discuss with children: What would you do if an unknown adult came up to you in the park/supermarket/beach and told you that mummy and daddy asked for them to take you home in their car? |
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Year 1 students are learning the importance of asking for permission so that we are respectful to others. Question to discuss with children: What can you do if someone doesn’t ask for permission to touch you? Use the No-Go-Tell strategy |
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Year 2 students are practising actions and help-seeking strategies to stay safe. Question to discuss with children: Oliver’s children are going out for dinner and Oliver’s babysitter is coming over to look after him. Last time his children went out the babysitter touched Oliver’s private parts. What would you do if you were Oliver? |
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Year 3 students are learning to identify changes that will occur to their bodies so that they know what to do when it starts to happen. Question to discuss with children: Why is it important to know and use the correct names for the private parts of the body? |
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Year 4 students are learning to identify types of abuse so that they can appropriately respond to situations and be safe. Question to discuss with children: What is the difference between an accident and abuse? |
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Year 5 students are learning to plan behaviours, and actions that protect so that we can promote health, safety and wellbeing. Question to discuss with children: What are some strategies that could be used if a person was being abused. |
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Year 6 students are learning to practise safe and supportive upstander behaviour. Question to discuss with children: Why is it important to be an Upstander. |
A Prayer for Families
Dear Jesus,
As our family gathers together, bless us with your presence. We are thankful that we are together as a family, but sometimes we don't always get along as we know we should. Help us to love one another as you have loved us. Bless us with strength that will meet all of our needs.
Amen.
The Dragons join Stage Three For Breakfast!
Stage Three enjoyed a nice early, healthy breakfast with the Dragons last week. Many thanks to Chloe Olima (Year 6) and her winning art competition, who enabled the morning to happen. Students were excited to receive a hat, get signatures and play some games with them until recess.
News from Year 1
Year One has had a fun and busy Term Three learning and celebrating with the Year 6 students at the Good Samaritan mini science fair. Students enjoyed moving around the Year 6 stands and experiencing a variety of science experiments.
We also visited our Year 5 buddies and enjoyed trying out their Science experiments
What a fantastic day it was! We started our day with story time rotations and then a special performance from all of the teachers of GSFM! After this we had our parade, we had so much fun parading our costumes and showing our families and friends.
In Week 7, Year One were very excited to go on their first ever excursion. Year One went to Symbio and we started the day with a very exciting bus ride. For some of us it was our first time on a bus. We then had a wonderful day learning about all of the animals, including some we had learnt about last term in our Science and Technology unit- Living things and written information reports on in English. The rangers also taught us information about this terms Geography and Science units- natural and built places, how and why people change places. We identified how people interact with the environment and map reading. We had a wonderful but exhausting day!
For Father’s Day we were so very lucky to share our long anticipated library lesson with our dads and special people. Our fathers were even privileged to see our faces and roar of cheer when we were told that we were able to borrow chapter books!
What a great experience it was to have you come and share our library lesson. We loved having you there and we hope you liked our special way of showing you how much we care and appreciate you!
Last week we dressed in yellow and learnt how to support our friends and ask RUOK and participated in our PB4L day.
News from Year 2
A few weeks ago, Year Two enjoyed a fantastic excursion to the Science Centre in Wollongong. The children began the day in the planetarium where we were taken on an exciting journey through our solar system.
Next, they explored the many science exhibits within the centre, where students were able to participate in hands-on activities.
After that, the students headed upstairs to the STEM room where they worked in small groups to build a rocket. It was very exciting to watch the rockets fly across the room.
The students concluded their time at the Science Centre learning about energy and forces in our world.
After lunch, they walked around the harbour, observing the many reminders of the past history of Wollongong and the importance of the harbour as a busy port.
It was a great day and a consolidation of our learning in Science and History.
School Basketball
We have been very fortunate to have some coaches from Illawarra Basketball running a skills program in PE lessons with us at GSFM. The whole school from Kinder to Year 6 participated and learnt lots of new skills including dribbling, defence and shooting. If your child is interested in participating in a Basketball School Holiday program, please visit https://www.snakepit.com.au/holiday-camps for more details.
- Show kindness towards others through actions and/or words.
- Use active listening & showing this with your whole body
- Think through what you say before you say it
- Be aware and supportive of those less fortunate
- Value the perspective others even though you may not always agree
- Turn taking when listening and speaking
- Setting expectations for social interactions
- Recognise different opinions and viewpoints are ok
- Speak up when you know or hear something that is not right
From the School Handbook:
Why have a School Newsletter?
The school newsletter/bulletin is the major form of consistent communication between the school and parents/carers. The newsletter is the means by which the school acknowledges all that is done within classrooms at the grade, class or individual level, on playgrounds and within the community.
It is also an opportunity for me, as Principal, to reflect on our community and how we can work toward further improving all that we do. As a Catholic school principal it is most important that this is done within the context of our faith, hence the references that are written to the Sunday Mass readings, theological reflections or information about spirituality. This is one aspect that works toward keeping the Catholicity of our school at the front of our minds.
The newsletter is the place from which the school is able to ensure that parents, and the community, have a good understanding of the processes and procedures of the school. This is done through reminders, excerpts from the School Handbook, publication of School Policies etc. Some may feel that this is unnecessary but in any school it is most important that we maintain as much consistency as possible. This helps to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all within the school.
For some parents the newsletter is the only contact that they have with the school. This may be due to work commitments or to family/personal circumstances so the newsletter has to cover a wide audience hence, some parents may feel that certain aspects of the newsletter may not be needed or be relevant. However, they may just be aspects that are of great relevance to another parent or family.
I continue to encourage parents to read the newsletter regularly to know what is happening within the school.
GSFM P&F
P&F Meeting: Monday 17 October 7pm
The next P&F meeting will be held on Monday 17 October at 7pm. All are welcome to attend face to face in the School Library or via Zoom. (Details below)
P&F Meeting Zoom Details:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:
https://dowcatholic.zoom.us/j/64556102577?pwd=RHJMeE80UUdrYTVSbGt2UTA1eVdFZz09
Password: 531322
The Canteen will be open
WEDNESDAY,THURSDAY and FRIDAY EACH WEEK
Term 3 2022
September:
Friday 16 September
GSFM 10 Year Gala Event
Monday 19-Friday 23 September
Remote Learning
Friday 23 September
Last Day of Term 3
18-25 September
UCI 2022 Road World Championships- Wollongong
Term 4 2022
October:
Monday 10 October
First Day Term 4
Wednesday 12 October
Christmas Art Exhibition Opening Night
Friday 14 October
School Mufti Day- VINNIES
Tuesday 18 October
ERC Performance
Wednesday 19 October
Kindergarten 2023 Information Night
November:
Tuesday 1 November
All Saints Day
Wednesday 2 November
All Souls Day
Thursday 3 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Friday 4 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Thursday 10 November
KIndergarten 2023 playgroup
Friday 11 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Thursday 17 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Friday 18 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Thursday 24 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Friday 25 November
Kindergarten 2023 playgroup
Monday 28 November
Christmas Art Exibition
Tuesday 29 November
Andrew Chin Christmas Concert
December:
Thursday 8 December
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Friday 16 December
Last Day of Term 2022
Save the Date!
Good Samaritan will be holding a Small Steps Anxiety Information Seminar for Parents in Term 4 - Tuesday 18 October. The Small Steps is a program aimed at raising awareness and improving the recognition of anxiety disorders in children.
Topic covered during a Small Steps session:
- Signs and symptoms of anxiety
- Different types of anxiety and how they present
- Evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders
- Referral and treatment options
- Stressors, including COVID-19 and natural disasters
The Small Steps session is run by an independent facilitator. The sessions will be attended by members of the school leadership team and our school counsellor, Kath Walsh.
The sessions run for one hour, with time afterwards for discussion and questions.
If you think your child might have anxiety, you have observed symptoms of anxiety in your child or you are just interested in what to look out for, come along to learn a little more.
Session 1 will be held on Tuesday 18 October 2pm-3pm.
A repeat session will be held from 5pm-6pm.
End of Year Dates:
PUPIL FREE DAY:
Friday 25 November
This will be a staff spirituality day. Students do not attend school on this day.
Friday 9 December
Christmas Carols with Lumen Christi and St Brigid’s Gwynneville
Thursday 8 December
Year 6 Farewell
Friday 16 December
Close of School Year:
Please note that students will finish school on Friday 16 December. Staff will finish for the year on Tuesday 20 December. Staff will complete compulsory training on these two days.
