Dear Parents and Carers,

The last two days have proven to be a great start to the term. The children have come back to school ‘Ready to Learn’. I am most appreciative of the time and effort it takes to ensure that the children are wearing the correct school uniform and that their equipment - pens, pencils etc - are replenished. Whilst it seems like a minor organisational task it works to create a smooth start to each lesson as the children feel, and know, they are organised. 

The beginning of a new term always brings a freshness to being back in the routine of school life. Last term saw the Semester One reports written and distributed as well as the opportunity to speak with your child’s teacher about his or her learning. This term is about working to achieve the goals that may have been set during this time. 

I am a strong believer in making sure that students take a part of the responsibility for their learning. Children need to know what it is that they are good at as well as what it is that they need to improve upon. Feedback, delivered in a positive and supportive way, is essential for academic and social growth of all of us, particularly our students.

At the Good Samaritan Award assembly last term I spoke to the children about the story of the Good Samaritan. Often we focus on the theme of compassion within the story, which is certainly strong and very much a part of what we take away from the parable. I challenged the children to look further into the actions of the Good Samaritan. He supported the Innkeeper in ensuring that he had what he needed to be successful with the injured man. 

My reflections on this parable have led me to parallel our roles as educators to that of the Innkeeper. We are given the resources needed to work with the students and targeting their needs academically, socially and spiritually. The Good Samaritan didn’t leave the Innkeeper without reassuring him that, if needed, he would return to further support. This is what we do as parents and educators. We support our children and our students letting them know that we will be back with further support, if need be. 

This leads to another way to look at how we can develop resilience in learning for our students. Being Ready to Learn also means that I am ready to have a go, make some mistakes, learn from my errors, bounce back and try again!

Sounds easy! If only it was. Many children are Ready to Learn  in this way every day, for others it is just on some days and for some it can be hard every day. The trick for us, as parents and educators, is being attuned to what it is our children and students need at the right time. And we don’t all get it right all the time - but we give it our best shot consistently each day.

I look forward to the term ahead, journeying together with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal

SPB4L:

To ensure consistency of processes and practices across the school community, aspects of the Parent Handbook (currently under revision) will be published in each week’s newsletter.

School Uniform Policy

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. 

All items of uniform must be purchased from the Good Samaritan Uniform Shop.

Introduction of new student information management system

This term Good Samaritan has introduced a new student information system called Compass that will impact parent communication with the school. It is most important that all parents have a very good understanding of this system. This management system has been rolled out across all Wollongong Diocesan Catholic primary schools 

Below is some further information about Compass.

What is Compass? 

Compass is a Student Information System that allows you, as parents, access to your child(ren)’s records. 

The Parent Portal allows parents/carers to:

• monitor your child(ren)’s attendance, and enter explanations for late arrivals or absences
• update your family details - mobile and email address
• download and view your child(ren)’s semester reports
• view ‘My News’- a news feed of school announcements, alerts and updates
• view your the school calendar
• book parent-teacher meetings
• provide consent for events and excursions.

How can I get access?

Access can be gained following this link:

https://gsfmdow-nsw.compass.education/

• Every parent will have a separate account to log into the Compass Parent Portal

What can I get access to?

• The student's profile page 
• Attendance pages where notes/approvals can be entered
• Full record history of the student’s attendance
• Academic reports for the student
• School Calendar
• Parent/Student/Teacher Conference bookings

What is ‘My News’?

The ‘My News’ section displays any applicable reminders or notifications which may include:

• outstanding absences or late arrivals that require a note or approval
• parent/Student/Teacher Conferences that are available for booking
• semester Reports that are available to download
• excursions or Events that require consent and/or payment
• news Feed items that have been targeted to you as a  parent will display. 

The next section deals with how you manage your child’s attendance at school.

Compass Parent Information - Attendance

Attendance

If your child has to be absent from school, arrive late or depart early, it is important to tell the school and provide a reason for your child’s absence. To explain an absence, parents and carers may:

• log into the Compass parent portal and enter an explanation
• send a note, email to the school
• telephone the school 
• visit the school

All absences must be explained to the school. Schools are legally required to keep an accurate record of attendance. The New South Wales Department of Education and Communities may take further action in cases where children of compulsory school age have recurring numbers of unjustified absences from school.

Adding a Note or Approval

You can enter notes and approvals in advance, if you know your child is going to be absent from school. To do this go to your Home page and click on the 'Add Attendance Note/Approval' link listed underneath the name of the relevant student. This will take you to the Attendance screen, with a pop-up window to enter details of the note or approval. You can then select the applicable date range.  If the leave is greater than 5 days you will still require Principal approval.

You can also approve your child's unapproved absences or late arrivals. You will receive an alert on your Compass home page letting you know that your child/ren was marked late or absent and there is no note/approval on the system for it. Clicking on this notification will allow you to add a Note or Approval for one or more absences.

On this screen you will see a list of unexplained absences for your child. Check the box next to the absences that are to be explained and choose to explain with note approval. 

Choose the absent reason type from the dropdown list and a comment or further details. Please note that you cannot edit the notes or approvals once they've been saved, and you will need to contact the school if changes need to be made.

Parent Action: A hands on introduction to Compass will be conducted next Wednesday evening at 6:30pm prior to the P&F meeting. Please join us in the Library to learn how to use Compass. There will be an additional meeting on Friday 9 August following assembly.

Parent access for Compass will open on Monday 12 August.

Important Dates for Term 3:

This term we look forward to some exciting events at Good Samaritan. Please mark these dates in your calendar!

August: First Holy Communion

Throughout August children enrolled for the sacrament of First Holy Communion will begin their preparation sessions. Watch our school newsletter for any updates. Our Religious Education Coordinator, Mrs Jennett, will publish further information about the program.

29 August: Father’s Day BBQ

This year we plan to celebrate Father’s Day with a breakfast BBQ. All dads, grandfathers and other significant father figures are most welcome to come along. Watch upcoming newsletters for further information.

30 August: Father’s Day Stall

Our P&F are again organising the Father’s Day stall. Students will be able to buy gifts on Friday 30 August. Upcoming newsletters will have more information.

16 September: Pupil Free Day - Staff Spirituality Day

This year our Staff Spirituality Day will be held off site. No staff will be on site on this day. The day will focus around Educating with a Mission Lens and will also include reflection on our mission statement and the establishment of a Benedictan charism for our school.

Building Work Update:

During the holiday break the windows of the Year 1/2 building were replaced. This has made the rooms much brighter for the students. We have also installed an electronic gate at the McGrath St pedestrian entrance. Please be patient with us as we iron out a couple of glitches with the installation. Please note that this gate will be programmed to open at 8am and will be locked at 9:10am automatically. It will reopen again at 2:45pm in readiness for dismissal.

In addition, there is a new door between the student and parent foyers. This is to ensure further security of the site throughout the school day. Also, the basketball backboards are being replaced. The boards have come down and will be replaced with new backboards in the near future. The shade sail is currently being remade and will be installed over the coming weeks.The date of installation will be communicated when we are advised.

Thank you for your support and patience as we make these adjustments to our school.

Year 6 Berry Camp was all about cooperating with teachers and classmates. We did lots of activities which were challenging and all about communication.

The activities we did were the scavenger hunt, challenging ropes, archery, the dark maze, canoeing and a cookout. Our favourite activity was canoeing. Canoeing requires communication and cooperation.

The canoes need three people to work together as a team to navigate the river. Our instructor set up meeting points which we had to stop at and raft up. Rafting up is when everyone in each canoe grabs hold of one another’s canoe, this creates a raft.

We paddled upstream and met at all the meeting points that we were told to stop at. At the last meeting point we turned around and had a race back to the pier. We hopped out and helped pack up the canoes. Once we packed them all away we were all aloud to jump into the river.

(The water was FREEZING)

Year 6 camp was an extraordinary experience and we will always remember it.

Year_6_image_2019_T3W1.pdf

Year 2R watercolour painting of flowerpots. Well done Finn, Evie, Marissa, Lillian, Jia and Austin.

Mrs Susan McAlister

Art Teacher.

Due to the postponement of our Athletics carnival, it will now be held on Monday August 5 at Beaton Park Athletics track. This is a whole school event, which focuses on fun and participation. 

All students will be required to return the new permission note by Monday 29^th July. The pervious permission note is no longer valid however, no additional cost is required.

All 200m and 800m nominations will remain valid for this carnival.

We require lots of parent helpers to assist on the day, in particular ‘time keepers’. If you are available to help, please return the parent helper note asap. There will be a parent helper meeting at the track at 8:45am on the day.

Please ensure your child has all their food, warm clothes and sun protection for the day, as there are no canteen facilities at the venue.

We hope and pray for a beautiful day, if the weather looks poor, please see the Skoolbag app.

On Tuesday, July 2^nd, 9 teams of boys and girls from years 3-6 participated in the Netball Gala Day at Berkeley. All the children had a fantastic day developing their netball skills and meeting new friends. The children displayed excellent sportsmanship and represented GSFM extremely well. Thank you to all the parents who assisted in managing the teams.  Special thanks to the high school siblings of our students who assisted in umpiring games in their school holidays. We appreciate all the support from our families to enable the students to participate in this wonderful sporting event.

Uniform Shop normal opening hours are:

Monday 8.30am - 9.30am

Thursday 2.15pm - 3.15pm