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Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,
With the season of Lent underway the children have been thinking about the purpose of Lent in our Church’s year. This season is when we prepare for the greatest event of the Church’s calendar - Easter.
Stage 3 students were challenged on Monday to take the meaning of Lent to another level. Rather than just giving up chocolate or soft drink they were challenged to think about how Lent may change the way they speak to each other, the way they may make judgements of others and how they might notice more about other people - their feelings, their interests and their talents.
We always speak to our children about how they can become better people but how often do we challenge ourselves to do the same? When do we make an effort to go out of our way for others, even in the ‘busyness’ of our lives?
Maybe, this week, it’s time to think about and pray for the strength to make a concerted effort to go out of our way to help another person even though it may mean running a few minutes late.
Maybe, just maybe, we need to challenge ourselves more often.
As we journey through this week, together, with Jesus,
Toni Sillis
Principal
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Working Together to Protect the Health of a Vulnerable Student
I wish to advise all that there is a child in the school community who is currently receiving medical treatment for a blood disorder.
As a consequence of the treatment this student’s ongoing health is at risk if he comes into contact with infectious illnesses, in particular chicken pox, shingles, measles, mumps or whooping cough.
If your son or daughter is suspected to have any of these illnesses it is very important that they do not attend school. It is also important that whilst your child is unwell he/she remains home until he/she no longer is contagious. Information on infectious conditions can be found on national health websites e.g www.health.gov.au or alternatively contact your local GP.
If your chIld has chicken pox, shingles, measles, mumps or whooping cough or is suspected of having illnesses please contact the school immediately. This will allow the school to assess the probable contact and therefore minimise the exposure of our student to the disease. Notification can then be given to the parents and medical specialists.
As a school community we value your support in relation to the well being of all our students. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions.
I will be taking Long Service Leave from 9 March through to 10 May. My daughter will be married on 17 March and then I will be travelling with my husband to London where he will participate in the London Marathon. During this time Mrs Cath Hailstone will take on the role of Acting Principal and Mrs Natalie Shelley will take on the role of Acting Assistant Principal. I am most grateful that both Cath and Nat have taken these roles on. Our school is in very good hands.
A short recruitment process for Acting Religious Education Coordinator is currently underway.
Explict Teaching of Reading
One of the great things about working at Good Samaritan is being able to celebrate student learning. In this video Carlie helps to highlight the success of our improved approach to the teaching of reading. How wonderful it is to be able to celebrate the gift of reading.
Pupil Free Days
Mark your calendars for this year’s Pupil Free Days. Students do not attend school on the following dates.
Thursday 6 April: Staff Spirituality Day
Monday 24 April: Staff Professional Learning Day
Monday 17 July: Staff Professional Learning Day
The 2023 school year will conclude for students on Friday 15 December.
Naplan
Students will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 15 and 27 March 2023.
Year 3 and 5 have started preparing for the NAPLAN assessments and becoming familiar with the test format, functions and tools of the online tests in a test environment.
Students will use the public demonstration site at school to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests. They can also access this at home.
Please note that when you view the Public Demonstration site you do not require passwords, just press NEXT both times to gain access. See below:
Harmony Week
This year our school community will acknowledge and celebrate Harmony Week. We continually aim to build a Kindness Culture to promote inclusiveness, respect and community belonging in our school. Harmony week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. Diversity is promoted and celebrated at Good Samaritan.
Students are invited to wear orange on Tuesday 21st March to show their support and highlight that everyone is welcome at Good Samaritan Catholic School. Orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations.
WELCOME BBQ - Kindergarten and Year Six
During Week 9 we will host our Welcome BBQ for Kindergarten and Year Six students and families. We look forward to this community event on Monday 20 March. This event is a chance for Kindergarten parents to meet more friends and meet their child’s Year 6 buddy and parents.
Update from Kindergarten
The Kindergarten students have made a great start to their time at Good Samaritan. We can see that they have come to school ready to learn. Over the past few weeks, the Kindergarten students have begun their reading journey through explicit teaching of letter sounds and are already finding it exciting to read their first words!
We have also been exploring the properties of numbers between 1-10 and maths in our natural world.
In Religion, we have been learning about being part of God’s family and coming into the season of Lent, learning how to be like the Good Samaritan. Also, we have started training for our very first cross country and always love our weekly visits to the library and art room. It is pleasing to see the children making so many new friends.
First Week of Lent
(Week beginning Monday 27th February)
We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Laxmi, a 16-year-old girl living in Jajarkot, a remote district in Nepal where almost half of the population live below the poverty line. Tragedy struck when Laxmi was 10 years old and her father passed away. Her father worked hard to pay for his children's education and, after losing him, Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty.
With the support of our partner Caritas Nepal, Laxmi joined a child's club at her school where she was encouraged to resume her education. Through the child’s club, Laxmi developed the skills and confidence to become a leader, advocating for clean water taps at her school.
Laxmi is now excelling in her studies and working towards her dream of becoming a civil engineer. She continues to be involved in the child's club, serving as an advisor and mentoring the next generation of young leaders at her old school.
Watch a short film about Laxmi’s story here.
Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion.
Donation boxes have been distributed to each classroom. The winning classroom will have the Mission Cup in their classroom for a week.
Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday
Many thanks to our parent community for your support for Pancake Tuesday. It was a great success and MacKillop House were the winners of the Mission Cup. All proceeds will be forwarded onto Caritas Australia. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the year 6 students were very responsible helpers, showing great leadership skills.
Caritas Launch - A Message From Holly GSFM School Captain
Last Tuesday, Edward, Mrs Sillis and I went to a liturgy for the Caritas Launch at St Columbkilles. All the school captains from around the Wollongong Catholic Diocese attended the liturgy. High schools came too.
In the liturgy we heard four stories from all over the world. Laxmi was from Nepal and she found her voice can change others’ perspectives.
Thu was from Vietnam and had a disability but he didn’t let that stop him from making an income to help his family.
Priscilla was from Zimbabwe and found it hard to produce crops and make food during drought times. Caritas taught her what and how to grow crops during drought.
Lastly Tereesa is a Gamilaroi woman from Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children.
The liturgy was based on ‘Who Will Speak If We Don't'. If you live in a poor country like Africa with lots of droughts and even kidnapping of children, people don’t speak out. We have a voice, so who will speak if we don't?
Clean up Australia Day
Holy Week Liturgy
Our Holy Week Liturgy will be at 12.00pm in SJV on Wednesday 5 April. Parents and friends are very welcome to celebrate with us the most important time in the church’s calendar. This year we will be focusing on Holy Thursday.
Parent volunteers are required to reenact/ read the Last Supper and the Washing Of The Feet with students and staff. Please email Natalie Shelley via the school office. (No acting experience required). Students may leave with a parent or carer after the liturgy once signed out of the office.
Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It also commemorates His institution of the priesthood. The holy day falls on the Thursday before Easter and is part of Holy Week. Jesus celebrated the dinner as a Passover feast. Christ would fulfill His role as the Christian victim of the Passover for all to be saved by His final sacrifice.
Altar Servers
Father Bernard and Father James have invited Year 5 and 6 students to join as Altar Servers. Students will receive full training and will assist at school mass, liturgies and may be asked to commit to weekend serving when required. Please contact Natalie Shelley via the school office should you be interested in your child learning an important skill and being a part of the school and parish community.
St Patricks Day
St Patricks day is Friday 17 March. Children are to wear something green.
Our Parish
PARISH CONTACT DETAILS:
General enquires
Lumen Christi Catholic Parish, Wollongong
Diocese of Wollonong - PO Box 874 Wollongong - 36 Harbour St Wollongong NSW 2500
Phone - 02 42211 0500
Email - wollongong@dow.org.au
Office Hours : Monday to Friday (9:00am - 1:00 pm)
No Afternoon Car Lines Thursday 2 March 2023
School Photos
Premiers Reading Challenge 2023
News from Holy Spirit College
Canteen News
Reminder Canteen is only open Wednesday - Friday.
Easter School Holidays Activities
Change in Sports Uniform
Please note the change of sport uniform for students in Year 1 and Year 3. We apologise for this change and thank you for your flexibility. This timetable starts from this week. If your child is not in sports uniform on the allocated day below this will not be an issue this week.
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GSFM PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) & SPORT CLASSES Students are to wear full sports uniform on these days. |
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Monday |
Year 1 Year 2 Year 4 |
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Tuesday |
Kindergarten Year 5 Amaroo Gold Amaroo Blue |
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Wednesday |
Year 3 Year 4 Year 2B (Mr Novak’s Class) Year 6 |
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Thursday |
Year 1 Year 2G (Mrs McRobert’s Class) Year 5 |
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Friday |
Kindergarten Year 3 Year 6 |
PB4L - Positive Behaviours for Learning
Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be Responsible
We are safe by keeping our hands and feet to ourselves
We are respectful by greeting peers and adults with a smile and hello
We are responsible by showing the 5L’s and being “ready to learn”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.
Diary Dates & Reminders for the week ahead:
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DATE: |
REMINDER: |
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Thursday 2 March |
9am: Parent Meeting - Benedictine Values (Library) |
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Friday 3 March |
2:10pm: Swimming Awards Assembly (Hall) |
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Saturday 4 March |
✝ SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT ✝ YEAR A
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Sunday 5 March |
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Monda 6 March |
Confirmation program begins in Year 6 Religious Education lessons |
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Tuesday 7 March |
Southern Region Swimming Carnival |
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Wednesday 8 March |
4:30pm-6:30pm: Good Samaritan Open School Twilight |
News from P & F Committee
