Acknowledgement of Country:

Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School Fairy Meadow acknowledges and pays respect to the Dharawal and Gweagal people past and present, the traditional custodians of the lands on which our school is built.

Dear Parents and Caregivers of Good Samaritan,

It was great to come back to work after a long period of leave. I was most humbled by the sincere welcome that I received from our children, parents and staff. Thank you for your wishes and blessing of my daughter’s wedding - it was such a beautiful day.

I am also most grateful to Mrs Hailstone, Mrs Shelley, Mrs Palermo for their commitment to their roles during this period of time. The school was certainly in good hands. I also acknowledge our Leadership Team, including Mr Ambrosi, who took on additional work tasks and adapted their roles. Time such as this works to provide others with opportunities to work across the school in other ways hence increasing their capacity and allowing for a greater depth of experience.

Last Friday we had a beautiful celebration for our mothers. I know that our Good Samaritan mothers would have loved their gift from the P&F Mother’s Day Stall. My thanks to all who prepared the stall and also to those who supported it allowing the children that special experience of buying something wonderful for their mum.

This week we begin to interview children and families for Kindergarten 2024. This is always an exciting time as we welcome new families to Good Samaritan. The interview is seen as that first step in building a relationship between the school and the family. It also provides me an opportunity to reflect on all that we do at Good Samaritan as a community. This allows me to highlight the wonderful work, the beautiful children, the supportive parent community not to mention the engaging learning environments that our staff maintain every day.

There is still time to enrol. Everyday is Open Day at Good Samaritan for those looking for a school that is welcoming, inclusive of all and is focused on student growth academically, spiritually and emotionally. Spread the word if you know of families that have children ready for Kindergarten in 2024.

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

Toni Sillis

Principal

We ask for prayers for our Year 6 student, Valentino Quintero, who is currently receiving treatment for Leukemia. Upon a visit to the Children’s Hospital last week, Valentino’s condition was set back as he was not responding to treatment as had been hoped for by specialists.

Please keep Valentino and the Quintero family in your prayers and thoughts during this difficult time.

This week we acknowledge the work of our school support officers at Good Samaritan Catholic School. We thank them for their commitment to the students at Good Samaritan. School support staff play an important role in ensuring students are learning in a safe and supportive learning environment.

Students in Year 3-6 started the PIVOT wellbeing check in this week. Students respond weekly to 5 questions which include: a general wellbeing question; a resilience question; a belonging question; a safety question; and a question asking students how they are going in the areas of family, friendships, health, hobbies, schoolwork and sleep. Data from the pilot will be used to better understand, refine and administer the Pivot Wellbeing for Learning tool.

When talking with students about wellbeing, it is important to remind them that it is normal and healthy to experience a range of feelings and emotions from joy and determination to frustration and fear. Feeling all of these emotions is what makes us human. It is also important to remind students that their wellbeing can change from day-to-day and from week-to-week. 

Mrs Catherine Hailstone

Assistant Principal

The 6th Week of Easter

Look Closer

What would Jesus do?

When faced with moral dilemmas big and small, pause and ask yourself: What would Jesus do? We can be sure that his response would always be based on love, on acting with compassion and generosity towards others. Make a habit of asking yourself this question before you act.

National Walk to School Safely Day- Friday 19 May

Primary school aged children across Australia will make those important steps towards a healthier future by participating in National Walk Safely to School Day on Friday 19 May 2023. National Walk Safely to School Day is a community initiative that aims to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking (especially to and from school) can provide for the long term well-being of our children. Now in its 24th year, the annual event encourages parents and teachers to teach road safety skills and support the importance of regular walking, not just on 19 May, but every day.

PARISH CONTACT DETAILS:

General enquiries

Lumen Christi Catholic Parish, Wollongong 

Diocese of Wollongong 

PO Box 874 (36 Harbour Street)

Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia

Ph: (02) 42 110500

Email: wollongong@dow.org.au

Web: www.lumenchristi.org.au

Office hours: Monday to Friday (9:00am–1:00pm)

Click here to view the Parish Mass Times

Year 1 has been exploring Easter as a season in the Church’s liturgical year. They are learning about the Easter story and how the Resurrection is a key event in the life of Jesus. Luke’s account in the Gospel tells us that the disciples were slow to come to the realisation that Jesus was actually alive and with them. Year 1 has been reflecting and pondering how they too can realise that Jesus is alive and with them. To celebrate the Resurrection, Year 1 has been learning a song with actions - called “Everybody Everywhere”. It has been a fun kinesthetic way to acknowledge and celebrate that Jesus is alive! You can watch us singing the song here.

In Mathematics, Year 1 has engaged in a variety of measuring tasks. In volume and capacity, students had to design and make a container that would hold 30 marbles. The students engaged in this task with enthusiasm. To conclude the activity, the students had to fill the container they made with marbles and then count how many marbles their container actually held.

In English, Year 1 has been working with narrative texts. We read the book Spoon by Amy Rosenthal and focused on the concepts of character, wordplay and dialogue. The students made the characters Spoon and Fork by decorating small wooden picnic cutlery. They enabled their characters to engage in conversation. They then drew this and used speech bubbles to show the conversation. Lastly, they wrote this conversation using talking marks.

It is a busy time in Year 1 and the students enjoy participating in all learning activities.

Year 2 has had another positive and enjoyable start to the term. 

In English, we have been learning about Antarctica and the wonderful adventures that Alison Lester experienced aboard an Antarctic expedition ship. We are learning about life in Antarctica and the students are busy writing information reports about icebergs and animals found in Antarctica.

In Mathematics, the students have been learning various addition strategies to solve mathematical problems and sort, create, recognise and represent numbers and collections up to 100 in different ways.

Leading up to our Mother’s Day celebration last Friday, Year 2 have had lots of fun in Visual Arts, creating beautiful portraits of their mum using a collage technique.

Canteen will be open Wednesday,Thursday and Fridays.

We wish the GSFM Cross Country team the best of luck for the upcoming Diocesan Cross Country Carnival on Tuesday. A reminder that Mrs Gray will supervise the team on the day. Please be at Willandra (Nowra) at 9:00am.

Transport NSW has a complete set of Guidelines for managing school students behaviour on buses. These guidelines unpack the Code of Conduct responsibilities of students, parents and school principals in relation to bus behaviour. The guidelines also indicate the consequences for a breach of the Code of Conduct. 

For your information, the following is taken from section 2 of the Guidelines - Student Code of Conduct.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS ON BUSES 

It is every student's responsibility to behave in a manner that ensures the safety and comfort of passengers and drivers. This includes: 

Behaviour on buses: 

• Use appropriate language not offensive or racist language 
• Fighting, spitting, feet on seats, throwing things in or from the bus is not permitted 
• No eating or drinking (other than water) — unless for medical reasons or the bus operator gives written permission 
• Offer seats to adults including people with a disability, elderly or expectant mothers 
• Do not touch, push or shove other people 
• Do not bully or harass other passengers or the driver. This includes photographing, making lewd or suggestive comments, acting in a manner or participating in activities that may be deemed inappropriate or of a sexual nature. 
• Avoid attracting the attention of the driver except in the case of emergency 
• Do not play music at such volume that it may distract the bus driver or other passengers. 

Parent Action: If your child/ren  catches a bus to or from school please familiarise yourself with these guidelines and speak to your child/ren about their responsibilities on the buses.