Dear Parents and Caregivers of Good Samaritan,

Term 3 has been full of learning and opportunities at Good Samaritan. We are blessed to be a part of such a vibrant and enthusiastic community every day. As I reflect on the growth of our students I am struck by how they rise to the challenges and high expectations held for them by you, as parents, and the school.

To celebrate all that has happened throughout the term I share with you a video looking back over Term 3.

Our children are, indeed, the Light of Christ,

Toni Sillis

Principal

School Website Event Calendar:

Please be aware that the GSFM Parent Calendar is linked to the school website. This is updated regularly for parents to view upcoming events. Changes to dates are only ever made following careful consideration and will be communicated via Compass.

Christmas Art

Congratulations to these creative students for their outstanding achievement in the Diocese  of Wollongong Christmas Story Art Competition. Their dedication, and ability to convey the essence of the Christmas story through art is truly commendable. 

STUDENTS SELECTED BY JUDGING PANEL AT GSFM:

Sofia S (Yr 6)

Marisa C(Yr 6)

Austin N (Yr 6)

Elizabelle P (Yr 5)

Isabelle O(Yr 5)

Charlotte B (Yr 5)

PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD

Kavai P (Yr6)

FATHER BERNARD AWARD (selected by Father James)

Sofia S

FATHER BERNARD AWARD - RUNNERS UP

Elizabelle P

Isabelle O

Max L

SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO MARISA CONTE (Yr 6), ISABELLE OLIMA (Yr 5) and ELIZABELLE PULOU (Yr 5) who have been successful in progressing to the Diocesan level. Their artworks have been selected to be displayed at the Wollongong Art Gallery in October.

Thank you to Mrs Jancetic for her commitment to ensuring our finalists artworks submissions were prepared and submitted to the highest standard. 

Once again thank you to all our Stage Three students who put their hearts and souls in producing not only creative but meaningful artworks. 

Prayer for the holidays

Dear God, we give thanks for the many blessings you have given us this term. As we celebrate this holiday, please help us to focus on the things that truly matter and to let go of any worries or concerns. Help us to enjoy this time with our loved ones and to make lasting memories. Amen.

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

News from Amaroo Gold

As well as working hard on their reading fluency, Letters and Sounds, writing; and addition and subtraction, Amaroo Gold have been learning about how materials change; how we use our senses and sources of light and sound in Science lessons.

We have also enjoyed participating in Sports Ready in Term Three, which culminated in the group day at Beaton Park last Friday.

News from Amaroo Blue

Earlier in the term we welcomed our families into our Amaroo classroom for Grandparents Day. It was lovely to meet the beautiful families of our students.

In Geography the students have been researching Biomes, the communities of plants and animals suited to environments because of the climate and natural features.They have found many interesting facts  about the various biomes which they have written about and created wonderful visuals for.

Our Stage Three students in Amaroo Gold have been involved in the 2023 Christmas Art unit of work. We concentrated on Luke’s Gospel account of the “The Annunciation,”  as this Gospel  was allocated to all students in Stage Three. The students studied this Gospel in depth, taking on the role of Newspaper reporters in Nazareth in the time of Jesus. They viewed a YouTube clip of The Nazareth Village and observed the colours, and building styles of the time. They planned interview questions and used these to interview Mary (Mrs Hailstone) and took notes about the events surrounding the Annunciation. All of this worked assisted them in creating a newspaper report that went along with their fabulous art works.

Kindergarten

Writing

It has been pleasing to see the children use their knowledge of letters and sounds to write about under the sea animals and what they did on the weekend.

Mathematics

We have been learning about combinations of 10 and counting forwards and backwards. The children have enjoyed using concrete materials like the rekenreks and picture books to see that mathematics is everywhere. 

Last Friday we celebrated International Dot Day. We read the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds which focuses on creativity.

 The Canteen will be open Wednesday,Thursday and Friday

CASH ONLY

Hockey Skills Program

Thanks to Illawarra South Coast Hockey for providing our students with a hockey program on Thursdays over the last four weeks. Students developed a range of skills including dribbling, passing and trapping. Thank you to coaches Imogen, Robert and Ben for sharing your expertise with us. Lot’s of fun was had and new skills developed. 

MacKillop Athletics Championships Congratulations! 

On Monday 18 September, 12 of our students represented the Wollongong Diocese at the MacKillop Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park. Congratulations to all of our students on an amazing performance in the extreme heat. The sportsmanship and effort shown on the day by the Good Samaritan students in particular was a real highlight of the day. The stadium definitely knew when a Good Sam child was racing!!

Of the students that completed, congratulations to Maddi T (100m), Jacob D (Long Jump) and Callum C (800m) who were selected for the MacKillop team to compete in the NSW Primary Schools All Schools Carnival in late October.

Junior and Senior Basketball Gala Day

On Thursday and Friday of last week, students from years 3, 4, 5 and 6 participated in the basketball gala day. All students participated respectfully with the other teams and the referees. It was a great day and all the students had a great time. Thank you to all of the parent helpers, Mrs Olima, Mr Cervonaro, Mrs Jancetic, Miss Rae, Mrs Shelly and Mr Bow-Smith and Miss Blunden.

REPRESENTATIVE SPORTS TRIALS

 PLEASE NOTE: FOLLOWING INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF

CURRENT YEAR 4 AND YEAR 5

STUDENTS ONLY.

Representative Sport Pathway Trial Nomination Information 

Throughout 2024, your child will be provided with multiple sporting opportunities within the school environment. These include school sport carnivals such as swimming, athletics, cross country; participation in gala days including netball, soccer, basketball and cricket. These events are opportunities for all students to participate and be involved in, to develop their skills, enjoyment, be part of a team, improve wellbeing and contribute to a positive school culture. 

Through the Diocese of Wollongong Sports Council, some students are provided with the opportunity to trial for Wollongong representative teams, which give students the opportunity to access higher levels of sporting pathways, representation and opportunities to progress into state representation. 

We write to you today to inform you that the nomination form for these 2024 representative pathway selection trials are open and available for you to nominate your child through the given link by 16 October 2023.  Some of these trials for 2024 teams commence in Term 4 2023, therefore it is important that nominations are completed now. 

Criteria for representative sport pathway nominations: 

Please see the reserve side of this document for more information regarding the trials and specific nomination criteria for each sport. In general the representative sport pathway trials are for students who are;

• Skilled and talented players and will be in Year 5 & 6 in 2024 (recommended)
• Experienced in the given sport and may have some high level representative experience or playing at a high grade
• competing at a high level, regular experience  and a background in this high level of competition, with a strong skill based and understanding of the game

Nomination Process and Information for parents: 

If you acknowledge that your child meets the criteria for a  given sport, you are asked to complete a nomination form using the following link:https://forms.gle/BT2yqsWsMj7FJSck7 or SCAN the provided QR code. 

Please note this process is NOMINATION ONLY, once nominations are received and close on 16 October 2023, all individual sports trial nominations will be: 

1. Reviewed and approved by the School Principal and/or delegate 
2. Reviewed by the sports convenor and selection committee based on criteria (students must meet the criteria of the given sport to be eligible)
3. Required in some cases to host a school based trial to determine most suitable athletes to attend the Wollongong representative trials. 
4. After this review, school sport coordinators will be notified of successful nominations, and these students will be provided with a trial information letter by the school and be permitted to attend the 2024 trial date. 

If you have any questions regarding this process please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Testa or Mrs Olima for further information regarding the representative sport pathway trial and opportunities. 

This is a NOMINATION ONLY, and parents will be notified by the school sport coordinator if the nomination has been successful. 

OVERVIEW OF INDIVIDUAL TRIAL NOMINATION SPORTS & PROCESS FOR PARENTS/CARERS 

From the School Handbook

Parents Supporting Student Learning: 

Replenishing Equipment for the New School Term

Throughout the holidays please check your child’s uniform is clearly labelled with their name. Also, if your child needs new school shoes or joggers they must be within the uniform requirements i.e: black school shoes and predominately white joggers similar to the images below.

As we approach Term 4, it is important that the students continue to wear full school uniform until the end of the year. It may be a good idea to check your child’s uniform, including school hat, school shoes and joggers, to make sure that they will all ‘last the distance’. This is particularly important for Year 6 students.

Also, please replenish any school supplies eg: glue sticks, pencils, pens that will be needed to see your child through to the end of the year.

Dear Parents and Careers,

It is that time of the year where we look forward to watching the talented children of Good Samaritan showcase their talents on the stage in the Good Sam Factor. 

This is an opportunity for students from Yr 1 to Year 6 to perform in front of an audience of their peers, teachers and family. 

When: Friday 22nd September 

Time: 11.30am - 1.30pm

We look forward to seeing the talent of our outstanding students 

Miss Ashley Rae and Miss Sunley 

Diary Dates & Reminders for the week ahead:

Mark you Calenders!

Kindergarten 2024 Transition to School Dates: