Dear Parents and Carers,

Over the weekend I came across this quote on my Twitter feed:

‘Gratitude is the healthiest of all emotions. Be grateful and you’ll feel better, have more energy and grow stronger. When gratitude goes up, anxiety goes down. It’s tough to be grateful and unhappy at the same time.’

I had never even thought of gratitude as an emotion. This led me to thinking about how often do I actually look around me or reflect on my day/week and really identify that for which I am grateful. So, I then started to search for what gratitude actually means. We have all heard that we should have a ‘gratitude journal’ or that we should have ‘an attitude of gratitude’. I think that sometimes this becomes tokenistic because we all know that we are meant to do it but if you’re anything like me you’ll be asking yourself the question: Where do I find the time to do that?

Then I came across a blog post that told me to get real about your gratitude practice. This interested me because I thought I was being pretty realistic! This made me start to think about the habits in my daily life. It’s a habit of mine to make sure I get my coffee every morning, so why can’t I make sure that I dedicate a short period of time to identifying, really identifying, what I am grateful for? 

As I continued to read and reflect, I thought about an occasion last week where the story of Blind Bartimeaus was referred to and the question was asked What am I blind to? Maybe my ‘blindness’ has been my lack of realising what I am grateful for. 

One writer suggests that focusing our gratitude on people for whom we’re thankful rather than circumstances or material items will enhance the benefits we experience. Another adds that practicing gratitude means paying attention to what we are thankful for to the degree of feeling more kind and compassionate toward the world at large.

Ok, obviously I am grateful for my family. Dig a little deeper and my gratitude goes beyond just knowing that they are there each day when I wake up, when I get home from work. It becomes more about being grateful for the way that they challenge my thinking, the way they engage with each other and the way in which they support me in my world view.

This leads me to how do we lead our children to be grateful individuals? What model are we giving them other than just saying ‘thank you’. How do we help them to identify that gratitude is an emotion that helps to build their energy and keep anxiety in check? I think this can come from asking questions. Helping them to Notice - Think - Feel - Do about their experiences. 

NOTICE: What happened today that you are thankful for? Who was involved

THINK: Why are you thankful for this experience/person? Do you think this

person expected something in return?

FEEL: Did you feel happy during this experience with this person? What does that

feel like inside? These questions help the child connect the positive feeling to the experience.

DO: Is there a way you want to show how you feel about this person? Does thefeeling you have about this experience with them, make you want to share that feeling by repeating the experience? Prompting children after experiences of gratitude in order to motivate acts of gratitude, whether they be acts of appreciation or paying it forward, may help children connect their experiences and actions in the world.

So, the challenge for us as adults this week might be to answer the question: What am I blind to? and then to know that we are identifying our moments of gratitude. Let’s work to make it a habit!

Have a great week as we journey together towards Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal

Thank You!

On Monday we enjoyed a great carnival. Many thanks has to go to our parents who were able to come along and enjoy the day. We were blessed with a beautiful day. We had many parent helpers who offered their expertise and time to support the events. And we had many who came along to cheer the children as they competed. Particular thanks must go to Mrs Trish Foster who prepared the initial carnival and also to Mrs Louise Corby who picked up the organisation for Monday. I continue to be impressed by our students who participate in these events with great respect and responsibility. What a fabulous community to be a part of!

Student Illness:

As the term has begun many students have come down with vomiting bugs and have shown symptoms of the ‘flu. To prevent these illnesses spreading further to students and staff please keep your child at home until they are well enough to return to school. If your child is persistently coughing, or appears generally unwell, the school will call you to come to collect him/her.

Compass: Student Management System

This term Good Samaritan has switched over to Compass allowing the school to come into line with all Wollongong Diocesan Schools. This is a new system for communication between the school and parents. It will replace the Skoolbag app that has been previously used so it is very important that all parents and carers know and understand how to use Compass.

This newsletter has further information about Compass. A repeat parent information session will be held this Friday, 9 August, following morning assembly.

Year 6 Parents - CLAIM THE DATE!

As an important part of their preparation for moving to high school, the Year 6 children will take part in the ‘Get Set For High School’ workshop on the Thursday 26 September. This will be facilitated by Jenny Atkinson. Jenny has 30 years’ teaching experience and is the author of the award winning book for parents, ‘High School Rocks: Make Starting High School An Awesome Experience.’ 

The activities focus on how high school works, coping with change, getting organised and developing essential skills for handling the high school workload. During this interactive program, Jenny Atkinson helps take the ‘unknown’ out of moving to high school so that the children are more prepared and confident to manage this important transition.

At 7.00pm on Thursday 26 September, Jenny will present a session for the Year 6 parents, ‘How to Help Your Child Cope With High School’. She will explain the challenges children face in adjusting to high school and you will take home practical strategies for supporting your child. Some of the issues covered include: supporting your child through their transition, navigating technology and cybersafety, managing the increased homework load, getting organised and dealing with changing friendships. Permission notes and RSVP for your attendance will be sent home closer to the date.

Year 6 Parent Action: Mark the date in your calendar!

SPB4L:

This week we are remembering to value:

Inclusion

We can do this by:

- Being a welcoming class member
          - Including others in games and activities
             - Accepting others’ differences and cultures

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.

What do I do if I have a concern regarding a student/s who is not my child?

At times parents may become concerned about the behaviour of other students and, in an effort to resolve the situation, approach the student concerned. However, under no circumstances are parents to approach other students when trying to resolve an issue. Always seek assistance from the school. Incidents such as this can very quickly lead to reportable Child Protection matters that have to be investigated and reported.

It is also good practice to seek assistance from the school when you have a concern rather than approaching other parents about school related matters.

Always think about what you would do, or how you would feel, if another parent approached your child or confronted you about a matter where you were not fully informed of the details.

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 as it will replace the Skoolbag app and will be the primary method of communication with the school. This includes accessing student academic reports next semester and parent validation of student absences from school.

This management system has been rolled out across all Wollongong Diocesan Catholic primary schools 

Below is some further important 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 this Friday, 9 August, following assembly.

Parent access for Compass will open next Monday, 12 August.

The plovers (birds) are nesting in the Parish carpark so parents need to be mindful in the carpark that they will swoop as they are quite an aggressive bird.

Soccer Gala Day

On Friday the 2nd August, students from Year 4 and Year 6 attended the South Coast North Soccer Gala Day. The Gala Day was held across two venues at Woonona and Unanderra. These Gala Days are non-competitive days which promote the enjoyment of the sport, the promotion of exercise and a positive sporting experience. It was a great day at both venues. With the students displaying what it means to be a good sport by being ‘Respectful, Responsible and Safe’. Also a big thankyou to our parent supporters and helpers on the day.

South Coast Athletics

Congratulations to the following students who will represent our School at the South Coast Athletics Carnival held on Tuesday, August 13. We wish these students luck!

Xanthe, Abbey, Sarah, Madeleine, Savannah, Gabriella, Ava, Gemma, Lucia, Bonnie, Millie, Georgia, Laila, Matilda, Alina, Georgie, Ella, Ivy, Hana, Axel, Cooper, Lucas, Zac, Lucas, Cruz, Ben, Hamish, Luke, Hayden, Tom, Edward, Matthew, Christopher, Nate, Oliver, Mitchell, Joshua, Zane, Johnathon, Oliver

The age group champions for the Athletics Carnival will be announced at the assembly on Friday morning.

Book Club - Orders close 12 August

The students took home their Scholastic Book Club brochures for Issue 5 last week. The deadline for all orders is Monday 12 August.

Please be reminded that Good Samaritan accepts online Book Club orders ONLY through Scholastic's LOOP site. We do not accept any orders and cash payments through the school office. Simply go to scholastic.com.au/LOOP and follow the prompts. 

There is no need to return any paper forms to the school. Your child's books will be sent to their classroom when the orders arrive.

Uniform Shop normal opening hours are:

Monday 8.30am - 9.30am

Thursday 2.15pm - 3.15pm