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, 

Over the last week Mrs Hailstone and I have had the privilege of welcoming new families and students into our school community through the Kindergarten 2024 interview process. The interviews are the beginning of the relationship that is built between the school and families.

It is quite humbling to listen to parents as they express what they feel Good Samaritan will be for their child. I’d like to share with you some of those thoughts:

‘I will be a very proud parent if my child is as confident and as well mannered as the students I met at the Open School Twilight in March’

‘I find the school very well organised’

‘My friends children go here and they speak very highly of the school’

‘I am really happy with the way my child is progressing’

‘Good Samaritan has a good reputation’

‘I really like the shared values of the school. They are what we share as a family’

‘The school includes and welcomes everyone - it just has a very welcoming feeling’

As you can imagine I am very proud of our school and the students who make it such a wonderful place to be. This comes from their home environment and the example that is given to them through you, their parents and families.

I am grateful for the support that our parent community consistently offers the school because this is what makes a student’s experience from Kindergarten to Year 6 positive. I am able to confidently say in the interviews that we have a strong parent community who look forward to welcoming more families as they enter Good Samaritan.

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

Toni Sillis

Principal

Next week is Good Samaritan’s Screen Aware week. This is an opportunity for both school and families to check in on being safe, respectful and responsible digital citizens.

Here’s some Tech Tips for families:

Establish Rules

Time Limits

Acceptable language

Tech used in common spaces only (eg: never in bedrooms)

Agree which games/sites are permitted

Know what to do if something concerning happens

Keep Up To Date

What devices in your household connect to the internet

What games/sites is your child/ren using?

Parents as Decision Makers

Parents decide what, where, when & who with the technology that is used

Take Control

Use programs that limit or block (i.e: the school wifi has a filter - does your home internet?)

Ensure downloading apps requires a parent/carer to enter a password 

Healthy Communication

Discuss technology around the dinner table or on the way to/from school

Take note of your child/ren’s mannerisms/behaviours/facial expressions when using technology

REMEMBER: Technology is a fabulous learning tool but needs simple rules and boundaries!

It may take a few attempts over the course of a week or two, but start switching up your questions from "How was your day?" or "How did school go?" to more open-ended questions. These require your child to mull over their day and put a little thought into their answers, and provide you with something more informative than the usual "I don't know" or "nothing."

 Examples of Open Ended Questions to try:

• What was your favourite part about school today?

• Tell me one new thing you learned at school today and I'll tell you one thing I learned at work/home.

• Who or what made you laugh today?

• What's your favourite thing about your teacher?

• What project are you working on in Art/Science/History?

• What skills are you working on in PE/Sport?

• What book(s) did you read today? Tell me a little bit about the characters/story.
• What does your teacher have planned this week/tomorrow?

• What are you looking forward to at school tomorrow?

• What has been your most favorite activity this year (ask this at various points throughout the year)?

The school gates do not open until 8:20am. Some students are being dropped at the gates well before this time. 

Please consider using carlines as the line moves very quickly. Carlines is a safe way for students to enter the playground each day. OOSH is also available for those who need to drop children off earlier than 8:20am.

Student academic reports will be sent home on Friday, 23 June for Years 1-6. These will be made available via COMPASS.

Parent and Teacher Interviews will take place in Week 10 -26 - 30 June for Kindergarten - Year 6. These interviews will provide you with an opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher(s) and celebrate the achievements in learning as well as to set goals for areas of growth. 

These interviews will be a choice of face-to-face or via a phone call. Bookings can be made via COMPASS and will be made available closer to the date.

Mrs Cath Hailstone 

Assistant Principal

Acts 1:1-11

“When they had gathered together they asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority."

Sunday 21 May marked the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord. We celebrate Jesus’ last bodily appearance on earth before he was taken up to heaven. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as the Acts of the Apostles recount the event which occurred on the Mount of Olives near Bethany outside the walls of Jerusalem. Traditionally celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter, the feast is commemorated on the following Sunday in Australia.

When Pentecost came, the believers were gathered together. Suddenly they heard a powerful wind and it filled the whole house. Then they saw tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages. People from every nation were amazed to hear them speak in their own language.

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

We have been very busy in Amaroo Gold this term.

In Religion we have been learning about what happened during the 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead . We have enjoyed the Bible story ‘The Breakfast at Lake Galilee’ (John 21:1-17). Our favourite part of the story is when Peter jumped into the water and swam to the beach to see Jesus! The rest of the disciples followed with a net full of fish behind them.

For art in Term 2 we have been creating some Easter artworks. We have been exploring some techniques such as blending colours and using pastel crayons and water paints.

We have been busy in Mathematics practising writing numbers and learning number combinations to 10 and 20.

We have also been learning how to compare mass using hefting and scales.

In Science we are learning about the difference between living and non-living things.

Amaroo Gold also enjoys going to PE with Mrs Olima and learning how to run and  jump over hurdles. We are getting ready for our Athletics Carnival.

This week, Amaroo Blue are exploring and making 3-D shapes out of their nets to finish off their math unit on 3-D shapes. Before every math session, we are also practising our mental multiplication strategies. We are using a multiplication grid and moving towards using a conceptual approach such as recognising patterns and doubling up strategies.

Students in year 6 will continue their leadership programme this week by taking part in group activities with other year 6 students. The year 6 boys look forward to the leadership program with enthusiasm.

During science we are investigating forces. We are exploring gravity and finding ways to prevent a balloon from falling to the ground.The Class enjoyed this activity so much that we have now included balloon games into our movement breaks.

Canteen will be open Wednesday,Thursday and Fridays.

The Good Samaritan Cross Country team had a great day in Nowra on Tuesday for the Diocesan Cross Country Championships.  It was a crisp start to the day but the sun came out and it was beautiful conditions for a cross country run. Congratulations to all of our students who ran on a tough course. We are very proud of your efforts. Congratulations to Callum C - 1st, Sophie B - 5th, Annie P - 7th, Edward P - 8th, Milla E - 8th on their results. Good luck to you all at the NSWCCC Cross Country Championships in Sydney next month. 

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Car Park Safety

Safety within the Parish car park is everyone’s business. Students, parents and staff can only be kept safe if everyone is vigilant about their actions when using this space. It is every parent/carer’s responsibility to exercise safe actions within the carpark. This includes using the car park as indicated below:

• Parents are not to park on school or Parish grounds during drop off (8:20am-8:45am) or pick up (2:30pm-3:20pm) times
• When arriving prior to dismissal at Car Line Pick Up parents are asked to turn engines off once the car is stationary
• A safe speed of 10km/h when driving into the car park
• Do not exit your vehicle when dropping off or picking up students
• Ensure that children are well within the school gate when dropping off before moving off
• Children only exit vehicles when the vehicle is at the front of the queue
• Ensure students have safely entered the car and closed the door when picking up
• There is no pedestrian access to the carpark when car lines have begun in both the morning and afternoon
• Gates into the school are closed and locked from the Parish car park following the morning bell to go to class at 8:45am.

 Thank you to those parents who continually exercise the utmost care when accessing the school via the Parish car park. Every child’s safety is everyone’s concern.

Diary Dates & Reminders for the week ahead:

https://greenarrow.health.nsw.gov.au/ga/webviews/4-0-432-14741-16029-0-ev63dd040b