Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

Term 4 is well underway. Last week we celebrated Book Week and, albeit a little bit different to our regular celebrations, it was a terrific day with lots to celebrate. Thank you for the effort that was made in the costumes that the children wore. We saw everything from Audrey Hepburn and Jesus’ mother Mary to the wonderful Green Sheep! The children (and staff) had great fun celebrating all things books!

Dressing up in childhood is a wonderful thing to do as it takes children to places of imagination and play that soon become lost as they grow and change into young men and women. Dressing up and playing someone else helps us to come to know ourselves a little better. It helps us to develop our own personalities and to come to know our own true values - those thoughts and feelings upon which we base our lives.

As a child, I recall dressing up to be just like one of my favourite aunts - I even rolled up a bit of paper to look like I had a cigarette just like her! I developed a love of crochet and knitting from her as I would sit next to her and try to work my needles as fast as she did hers. As an adult (and non-smoker) I think it is through these experiences that we come to know our true selves. 

Contemplation, in a spiritual sense, is the ability to create an inner dialogue with God. I watch our children develop their relationship with God in our classrooms, through our RE lessons, prayers and in liturgies. This is the foundation of the ability to be a contemplative person. At Good Samaritan we further encourage this through our mindfulness opportunities and meditations that take a Christian focus.

Contemplation shouldn’t be used to spiritually bypass what is real, harmful, or unjust in our lives or the world around us. However, with steady practice it will eventually give us the ability to stay present to what is, and meet it with wisdom, compassion, and courage. All the major world religions at their more mature stages recognise the necessity of contemplative practice in some form and under different names. 

Our children need to have these opportunities to be able to come to know who they are - they have to discover their inner selves so that when they experience chaos in their lives they are able to dig deep into their soul and reemerge with the values they have learnt to hold as true to themselves. Most often, our children’s values will reflect those of ourselves so that is why our own contemplative practice becomes so important.

Dressing up for occasions such as Book Week become so much more important when we think of how these experiences from our children into the adults of the future.

Enjoy the week ahead,

Toni Sillis

Principal

World Teachers Day: 

On Friday we celebrate World Teachers Day. This is a day to acknowledge the continued commitment and work that teachers across the globe put into their work everyday. This year, despite major challenges, teachers have made sure education continues across the country. It’s reinforced the significant role teachers play in the lives of children and students, their families and communities.

Below are some card options that you may choose to download and print for your child to colour and to say a big thank you and celebrate the bright future of teaching.

House Cup - Mini Mufti Day:

On Friday the children from the House with the leading score to be winners of the House cup will participate in a Mini Mufti Day. The winning house will be able to wear their house colour T-shirt and a pair of Crazy Socks. 

How does a house win the House Cup?

Students collect coloured tokens for their commitment to our weekly values and focus as well as their positive interaction with each other on the playground. Teachers distribute coloured tokens regularly whilst on playground duty. The tokens are added up and the House Cup is awarded to the winning house.

The Mini Mufti Day aims to encourage the positive student participation across our school playgrounds.

Lost Property:

Each week any Lost Property marked with students’ names will be returned to them. Any lost property without names will be washed and donated to the Clothing Pool. We’re aiming  to have no lost property at Good Samaritan. 

Parent Action: Please check your child’s clothing and belongings to ensure that they are labelled with their name.

PDHPE: Years 4-6 Health, Wellbeing and Relationships

Throughout 2020, we have been implementing the new NESA PDHPE syllabus. A key component of the Health, Wellbeing and Relationship strand is the unit Growing, Changing & Valuing Me. This unit will focus on providing students with information in relation to the changes which occur during puberty, whilst focusing on the whole child and respectful relationships within our Catholic context.

The following content is designed to inform parents of the content to be covered across Years 4-6 in PDHPE units ‘Growing, Changing & Valuing Me'. This is designed to inform and support parents in discussing with their children how they are growing and changing. Parents from Years 4-6 will receive more detailed information your child will be learning. 

Year 4 NESA Syllabus: How can we manage change? 

Mandatory Content Focus: exploring strategies to manage physical, social and emotional change, including puberty; body changes; physical and emotional changes to girls and boys.

Year 5-6 NESA Syllabus: How can I manage transitions and challenges? 

Mandatory Content Focus: examining changes and investigating resources and strategies to manage transition and challenges, including puberty; body changes; physical and emotional changes to girls and boys; media influence; how our bodies work and why we are made this way; female reproductive parts; male reproductive parts; sexuality.

The students will begin this unit in Week 4, where the boys and girls will work in separate groups. Mrs Shelley will be supporting the Year 6 students. 

Choices Media is the resource which will be used to support Sexual Health Learning in PDHPE as it has a Catholic perspective.

Celebrating Halloween:

The information was put together some years ago by Bishop Peter Ingham regarding the history of Halloween and its significance to Christian communities. It is good information to consider when speaking to your children about the significance of the occasion without focusing on the commercial ‘Trick or Treat’ aspect.

Halloween is growing in popularity but its roots are lost on most people. It is observed on 31 October, the "een" or "eve" of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day) on 1 November. 

‘Hallow’ occurs in the Lord's Prayer – "hallowed be thy name" (may God's name be held holy) – so to celebrate Halloween without connecting it to All Saints Day would be like celebrating Christmas Eve without a Christmas Day. 

If you take away the Saints from Halloween, along with our Christian beliefs about the dignity and destiny of human beings, then all you have left is a pre-Christian Celtic celebration held at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere. As days shorten and winter nights lengthen, the spirits (goblins and ghouls) have more dark time to be mischievous and haunt. The pagans appeased them with treats so as not to suffer their tricks. The “trick or treat” tradition comes from people disguising themselves as evil spirits, both to fool them into leaving them alone, as well as to steal the treats left by people to appease the evil spirits.

When Christianity came to Ireland, they wisely baptised “Halloween,” sifting out what was true and disposing of the superstitious. We Christians believe in a spirit world of angels and saints. All the baptised, both on earth and who have gone before us in faith, belong to the Communion of Saints. So, the old pagan custom of appeasing the spirits became a Christian holy time of remembering them, of being connected with them in love, and not being frightened of them. 

In time there developed (it seems in Ireland) a feast of the spirits who intercede for us, not frighten us. This became the celebration of All Saints at the end of the northern summer and sometime later evolved All Souls Day to pray for the spirits on the way to God but who needed help. 

All this reminds us, despite our modern day individualism, of the unbelievable connections we have in the family of God – on earth, in purgatory and in heaven. So these days of Halloween, All Hallows (All Saints), All Souls celebrate what we believe and name the “Communion of Saints.” 

Fr William Bausch says dressing up for Halloween ritually connects us and symbolically joins us to the community of the invisible world. He says that the scary masks (witches, skeletons, etc.) from a Christian point of view, are a symbol of human disfigurement brought on by sin, betrayal, sickness and death. But faith reminds us that eventually those masks, by the grace of

God and our faith, will be removed and we shall be made beautiful as ugliness dissolves, sin is cleansed and even the last enemy, death, falls before the everlasting mercy of Christ.

Jack-o-the Lanterns, roaming forever between heaven and earth, holding his pumpkin lantern high, is a one-man morality tale associated with Halloween. Jack is smart enough to outwit the devil himself, but it is not enough to get him into heaven. Jack was so self-centred that he never helped another human being. He used his giftedness only for himself. While Jack knew about faith and the power of the Cross, he failed to take up his cross and follow Jesus. 

Fr Bill points to the irony of our modern world which really discounts faith, the interior life and organised religion, yet plays this cultural game of secular Halloween. But the spiritual, in fact, sneaks in, as secular people flirt on Halloween with the possibilities of another world and, as Fr Bill puts it, Halloween “scratches a growing spiritual itch without losing face.” He says it shows that our very one-dimensional secular world still needs fulfilment and peace – something deeper. 

Halloween, like Christmas, is becoming very commercial. As a result, we do not even come close to thinking of it in terms of faith and religion. To help us make the connection, Fr Bausch suggests: 

First, before going out “trick or treating,” why not gather the family to offer a prayer for deceased members and friends, people of our past who meant something to us and whose influence is still with us. 

Second, bring out the family album for the triduum of Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls; put it on the coffee table with a little lit candle in front of it. This makes a statement to your children or grandchildren that we all come from a long line of people who loved us and that 

Halloween is sacred time as well as fun time, that we are part of their journey as they are of ours. 

Third, on All Saints Day, possibly around the dinner table, have family members research the saint after whom they are named and tell everyone something about him or her.

 Finally, you might bring some of the things you may get by going around tricking or treating to a nursing home or send to the St Vincent de Paul Society. Halloween, All Saints, All Souls: is especially a time of faith but can also have a touch of “trick or treat” fun! [Fr William Bausch “Once Upon a Gospel” Pp 572-574.] 

Halloween also invites us to talk openly about death which is a taboo topic for so many, almost as if it were not a real fact of life! You and I need to press the "pause" button in our crowded lives to reflect on our own mortality, with all the spiritual and practical consequences that go with it. Fortunately, each year the Church gives us two feasts, All Hallows (Saints) and All Souls (the Commemoration of all the Faithful who are departed) to do this.

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

At times parents may 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.

School Staff Save Baby Plover!

As you may be aware our school playground is the home to a nesting Plover family.  On Friday one of the chicks fell into the drain on the playground. With quick thinking (and a fair bit of cheering from the children) Mrs Mangos and Mr Nash worked together to save the baby Plover!

VINNIES CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2020

This year, Christmas will be like no other. With more families facing uncertainty, no one knows what to expect for Christmas day. Family feasts, presents and festive gatherings with loved ones will all look incredibly different for many people this year as we celebrate Christmas. We are asking our school community to commit to donating the following non-perishable items to make Christmas a time to renew hope. To uphold the dignity of those receiving the goods, please ensure that all food items are not due to expire for 6 months and are non-perishable.

Kindergarten- Jam, Custard (long life)

Year 1- Pasta, Lollies

Year 2- Pasta sauce, Sweet biscuits

Year 3- Christmas Cake, Vegemite

Year 4- Long life milk, Christmas Pudding

Year 5 -Pancake mix, Cereal

Year 6- Tea/coffee, Savoury Biscuits

Amaroo/LSC- Milo, Candy canes

God Bless,

Natalie Shelley

Religious Education Coordinator

Reminder to all families that School Fees must be finalised and paid by Friday 4 December 2020 

The Value for this week is: 

Respect

How can we show that we are respectful?

• Following social distancing & hygiene protocols
• Using good manners in all areas including at the Canteen & the office
• Respecting another person’s point of view

Being respectful on the internet is really important. How  can we do  this?

• Act in a way so that you consider other people’s feelings and their wellbeing
• By being courteous, showing empathy and acting with dignity
• Having self-respect and only engage in online behaviours that are helpful, useful and have a positive impact on your online reputation
• Showing respect by accepting individual differences, presenting opinions calmly and agreeing to disagree

Thursday 5 November 

• Confirmation Ceremonies

Friday 6 November

• Confirmation Ceremonies 

Saturday 7 November 

• Confirmation Ceremonies 

Wednesday 18 November 

• St Mary's Star of the Sea Year 7 Orientation Day 

Thursday 12 November

• Year 5 Leadership Day 

Friday 20 November 

• TOPS Day Trip (Year 6)

Wednesday 25 November 

• Ready Set High School Workshop Day

Friday 27 November 

• Activate Fire (Year 6)

Friday 11 December 

• Reports available to Parents via Compass 

• Students may bring Christmas cards to share with friends 

•  Monday 14 December 

• 9.30am Year 6 Farewell Liturgy (students only)

• Year 6 Farewell (Fraternity Club 6.30pm)

 Wednesday 16 December

• Last Day Term 4

In order to manage the physical distancing requirements, parents will continue to make appointments at the uniform shop to purchase uniforms.

This can be done through the Compass. 

If you would like to place an order with the uniform shop an order form has been added to the school website under parents/uniform. Please complete the form and return with payment to the school office. 

These orders will be filled on uniform shop days.

TERM 4

Canteen is only open on Wednesdays,Thursdays and Fridays.