Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

Jesus was a deeply human person. He lived in a time when life was both simple and complex. To many of us today life just doesn’t seem that way. Often we can long for the days when life was a little ‘easier’, when it was ‘like the good old days’. For us, as adults,  those days seem to have all passed. What we do have though is the many stories of Jesus as he lived his life and the deep humanity he displayed has impacted upon our world over time. For example, over the weekend we heard the Gospel of Matthew as he recounts Jesus teaching the crowds the Beatitudes or what we know as the ‘Sermon on the Mount.”

The Church of the Beatitudes sits atop a hill just as Luke describes and Jesus made use of the natural environment around him. The hill, or the ‘mount’, is where the crowds gathered and this area is a natural ampitheatre so we can now understand that Jesus would have been at the bottom of this hill whilst the people would have been on the mount. Using the natural acoustics of the area Jesus’ teaching would have easily been heard by all who were there.

So, it was here that Jesus contrasted the teaching that came through Moses in the Ten Commandments. The commandments were the law of what to do and what not to do, or the ‘wrongs’ to avoid in life. Whereas the Beatitudes teach about the transformation of the inner person. Recently, Pope Francis spoke about the ‘new beatitudes’. He said that as Christian saints have done throughout the ages, Christ's followers today are called "to confront the troubles and anxieties of our age with the spirit and love of Jesus."

New situations require new energy and a new commitment, he said, and then he offered a new list of beatitudes for modern Christians:

• "Blessed are those who remain faithful while enduring evils inflicted on them by others and forgive them from their heart.
• "Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their closeness.
• "Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to make others also discover him.
• "Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home.
• "Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others.
• "Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians."

So as we enter this new year we remind ourselves of the new energy and new commitment that we must give in order to receive the blessings that we strive for in our lives. Our children deserve this as our example of how to live.

Journeying together with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal

Parent Information Evenings:

Next Tuesday 26 February Parent Information evenings will be held Kindergarten-Year 6 across the school. Teachers will conduct 3x20 minute sessions from 7pm. If you have children across the school you will be able to attend 3 classes in the time frame.

• Session 1: 7pm
• Session 2: 7:25pm
• Session 3: 7:50pm

It is aimed that the evening concludes at approximately 8:15pm. Our teachers are looking forward to meeting with you.

Kindergarten parents will be asked to make an individual appointment for their child/ren with the class teacher. Further information will be distributed.

Parent Call to Action: Come along and hear about the classroom routines, expectations and events of the school year. You will also receive a parent information handout.

SPB4L:

Each week the school has a particular focus which helps to maintain consistency of expectation across the school. This year our Year 6 student SPB4L team will communicate how all members of the community can support the focus for the week. This helps to maintain an environment that is conducive to learning. This week the focus is Lining Up. Below are the ways that everyone can support the focus:

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

At times parents 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.

Parent Call to Action: Be familiar with the Home-School Communication structure at Good Samaritan

Enrolling for Kindergarten 2019:                               

Good Samaritan is beginning to accept enrolments for Kindergarten 2019. Open days will be on Friday 15 March 3:30pm-5:00pm and Saturday 16 March 10:00am-12noon.  

Thank You:

Many thanks to all parents, grandparents and carers who were able to offer assistance at last week’s Swimming Trials. Events such as these cannot operate without the generous support you offer. Thank you also to Mrs Foster for her organisation and co-ordination of the trials pre, during and post the event.

The School Day:

The school day at Good Samaritan Primary begins at 8:50am and finishes at 3:00pm. Any absence within this part of the school day must be recorded on the school roll according to the requirements under the Education Act, 1990.

It is up to parents to ensure that students arrive on time safely and this may mean leaving home a little earlier to ensure that there is ease of entering the school premises on time.

ABSENCES AND PART ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL
It is most important that students attend school unless there exists a genuine reason for absence. It is also most important that students attend school for the full school day. Whilst the first 10 minutes of school or the last 20 minutes of the school day may seem unimportant to parents, it is during these times that students are instructed of the essential routines and guides of the school day that help to create productive learning environments. As parents, I urge you to ensure your child/ren arrive at school on time and stay for the complete school day every day of the week.

As a systemic primary school within the Wollongong Diocese, Good Samaritan adheres to the School Attendance Guidelines and Procedures of the Catholic Education Office, Wollongong.

Congratulations to the following students who were captured with their ‘Mess Free Monday’ lunch boxes. To be captured on either ‘Mess Free Monday’ or ‘Waste Free Wednesday’ you need to bring a lunch box without any packaging. The idea is to leave waste at home to try to limit the waste flying around our playground and in our school bins!

Principal's Awards to be handed out to the following students at assembly next Friday morning weather permitting.

Brody M (Amaroo B), Declan P (4R), Cari S (1B),Genevieve G (1G), Max L (1G), Claudia U (1G), Aidan M (1B), Isabella O (1G), Zen N (1G), Ruby A (5G), William E (5R), Atilla Y (5R), Shaye W (4R), Zack R (4G), Julian R (6G), Emily A (5G), Nate P (5G), Matilda M (4B), Ally C (4R)

Congratulations