Dear Parents and  Carers,

What a great week we had last week with all our students returning to face to face learning. A big part of the week was settling back into school routines, ensuring that students were understanding the importance of handwashing and social distancing wherever possible.

Across the school we have taken particular focus on the wellbeing of students. This has included understanding emotions, how to name them and how to regulate them.

What is Emotional Regulation?

Emotional regulation refers to a child’s ability to manage their own feelings, thoughts and behaviour. Emotional regulation forms part of a set of skills required to manage our own emotions and respond to other people’s. These are sometimes known as emotional competences or emotional intelligence. The skills include:

• understanding one’s own emotions and being able to communicate with others about how one feels
• understanding other people’s emotions and being able to identify and interact with others when one or both parties are emotional
• regulating one’s own emotions (including controlling, expressing and modulating emotion) in a culturally and situationally appropriate manner
• the ability to use emotion in one’s life in order to achieve one’s goals.

Why is it emotional regulation important?

Emotional regulation is essential to children's day to day life because it affects their understanding of situations, how they respond, their behaviour and their enjoyment of life. Supporting children to understand and manage emotions also provides them with skills that they will use in adulthood.

The  children have been learning about the ‘Zones of Regulation’. These zones help students recognise the different ways  they can feel throughout the day. Knowing the zones and having the language to describe each zone helps children to self regulate. Self regulation is being able to control emotions and the behaviours our emotions can cause.

The diagram below gives a snapshot explanation of the Zones of Regulation:

Important Information From Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW):

This week parents have received two important information bulletins from CEDoW. The first outlines the action the school will need to take should a confirmed case of COVID-19 be present within the school.

The second is information regarding school fees. Below is a FAQ sheet to assist parents’ understanding of the processes involved should they be seeking a school fee concession. Please contact the school office if you have any questions.

Uniform and Student Appearance:       

Thank you to all parents and carers who have supported the wearing of the correct uniform. The Good Samaritan uniform is often commented upon as being very smart and, when worn correctly, our students are very good representatives of our school.

In addition to the wearing of the correct school uniform, the school requires students to adhere to expectations regarding haircuts, hair ribbons and jewellery. Hair styles which are extreme, outlandish, or attract undue attention are not allowed. Examples of unacceptable styles include what are known as “undercuts”, “layers”, “steps”, “lines”, “mohawk”, “mullet”, “lower than No. 1 grade”, marked contrasts in length or shape, long fringes “rat’s tails”, “blade cuts”. Long hair must be tied back. Dyes in the hair which are clearly of an unnatural colour are not permitted. 

Jewellery should only be small stud type earrings, a simple necklace with cross or crucifix may be worn. Ribbons and hair ties should be of school colours i.e: maroon, navy blue or gold.

 Uniform and appearance expectations apply to both boys and girls.

Lost Property & Labelling of Uniform:

Lost property within schools has long been a concern. Every week many jackets, hats and lunch boxes never make it back to their owners. Why? Because they don’t have a name on them! At Good Samaritan we are aiming to not have a ‘Lost Property’ box. 

Starting next week the ‘Lost Property’ box will be cleared each week and all property with a name will be returned to its owner. All other property that isn’t labelled will be sent to the ‘Pre-Loved’ section of the Uniform Shop where a new owner might be found.

 Please label all of your child’s belongings. Check the labels regularly to make sure that the name hasn’t been washed away. This will help items be easily returned should they forget to pick them up in the playground or within the classroom.

Replacement of Bubblers:

Over the last  week we have replaced all bubblers within the school with push taps for handwashing. Students must now bring a refillable water bottle to school every day.

Semester One Reports:

Reporting in Semester One will be in the form of a written interim report. This report is designed to reflect the engagement in learning that has been undertaken during classroom and remote learning over the course of the semester.

 It is important to note that the interim report is not a progress report or an achievement. Therefore, grades will not be allocated. The reason for this is that given the modes of learning that have had to occur valid assessment of student progress has been challenged.

 Due to the nature of this type of reporting, grade distribution or placement of students’ level of achievement across the class/grade, will not be available.

 Teachers will report on student effort and engagement in the three Key Learning Areas of Religious Education, English and Mathematics. The interim report will be distributed to parents on Friday 26 June and supported by a parent teacher interview in week 10 (29 June - 3 July). 

 Further information regarding the organisation of parent teacher interviews will be distributed in the coming weeks. The approach to these reports (i.e: face to face or phone) will be dependent upon the level of social restrictions predicted for communities at that point in time.

Uniform Shop:

In order to manage the physical distancing requirements, parents must make an appointment at the uniform shop to purchase uniforms. This can be done through the Compass.

Canteen:

FRESH START CANTEENS  have begun to operate at Good Samaritan. Fresh Start will now operate each day. The Canteen will not  be open before school.

Check out the new GSFM website!

After many months of input, drafting and re-drafting our new GSFM website went live this week.

Dear Parents/Carers,

On Sunday the 31^st May we celebrated Pentecost. This is a very special day for us as Catholics. It’s actually the birthday of the Catholic Church. It was at Pentecost that the Catholic Church began.

This also marks the start of Ordinary Time in our Church’s calendar. There’s nothing “ordinary” about Ordinary Time. It is a time set aside for reflecting on and celebrating our call to follow Jesus day by day.

Go Gently,

Natalie Shelley

Religious Education Coordinator

  The Value for this week is:

RESPONSIBILITY:

I can demonstrate RESPONSIBILITY by:

• Caring for the school environment
• Caring for personal belongings
• Being accountable for my own actions 
• Regularly washing hands and being mindful of keeping my social distance

Tuesday 4 August

• School Photos -WINTER UNIFORM TO BE WORN 

Friday 4 September 

• Father's Day Breakfast 

Friday 6 November 

• Grandparent's & Great Friends Day Liturgy & Open Day