Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

Last week our Year 6 students celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation. The ceremonies were such a sacred time where the students had the opportunity to feel the fullness of the Spirit, and come to acknowledge the work of the Spirit in their lives.

By preparing our children for the sacraments and allowing them to celebrate their faith through the reception of the sacrament, we are giving them a lifetime of opportunity to come to know their faith and to develop a deep and personal relationship with God. At the moment, the children are very much maturing into their faith by developing a level of simple theological understanding as to what it all means. As adults, we can better understand how to recognise the Spirit at work in our own lives - if we allow the Spirit to show itself.

Confirmation reminds me of an old hymn that has the lyrics: 

Spirit in my life I see, 

You are God who walks with me

You hold my life in your hands

Close beside you I will stand

I give all my life to You

Help me Spirit to be true

The Holy Spirit dwells within each of us and around each of us. Recognising where the Spirit is at work is the hard part. When we trust that the Spirit is at work we can name where God is walking with us. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan monk and theologian, has written a Litany that imagines the many names and movements of the Spirit as divine healer and comforter to awaken the presence of the Spirit within and around us. Some of these may speak to you or you might be able to name some of your own…

Pure Gift of God; Promise of the Father; Life of Jesus; Peacemaker; Always Already Awareness; Compassionate Observer; Inner Breath; Seething Desire; Truth Speaker; Flowing Stream; Sacred Wounding; Will of God; Great Compassion….

John’s Gospel helps when he says: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter and Helper to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth. . . . You know this Spirit, for it abides with you and will be in you. (Jn 14:16-17)

As we renew our Confirmation commitment thinking alongside our Year 6 students, may we come to understand and identify the work of the Spirit in our lives. May I also pray with thanks for you, the parents, who continue to treasure the sacraments. 

As we journey together with Jesus,

Toni Sillis

Principal

This week our classrooms are recognising and celebrating NAIDOC Week. The rich history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture of the Dharawal people spans the thousands of generations the our First Nations people have cared for this land.

NAIDOC Week is a chance for our students at Good Samaritan to embrace that history, to promote Reconciliation and heal the wounds of the past.

A reminder to parents that school supervision begins at 8:20am. Under the NSW & ACT Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement, unless a staff member has been rostered for before school supervision (8:20am) the normal starting time is no less than 15 minutes before the start of the first scheduled teaching activity. 

Historically, teachers have been on site in all schools well before the first teaching activity. This time is generally used for planning and preparing for the teaching day or for scheduled staff briefings/meetings.

Afternoon supervision concludes at 3:20pm following the conclusion of car lines. 

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.

Catholic education has teamed up with CatholicCare to produce the information below. This has been in response to the year we have had with the disruptions and uncertainty of COVID-19. 

Attached to the newsletter this week is the Formation of Classes Policy and Procedure. This policy is used to direct the process of class formation each year. This is a lengthy process that works towards ensuring that every child’s needs are considered. The process begins throughout Term 4. It is important that parents are aware that the teachers know the students within the school - classroom and playground - environment exceptionally well and always put the best interests of every child first.

Please take time to read the policy. This will give you some indication of the process. Whilst parental requests are considered, there is never a guarantee that they will be granted. If you plan to make a request, particularly about your child being placed within a friendship group, please be aware that there may be circumstances surrounding such requests that prevent it from being granted. 

Often there can be experiences where children are placed in classes with friends upon parental requests. The children have then encountered difficulties with the friendship causing awkward situations for all involved that could possibly have been avoided. In addition, parents have requested that their child not be with a particular child/ren and the concern rests more with the adults than the child/ren involved. 

Please remember that, first and foremost, Good Samaritan is a place of learning. Learning involves academic achievement as well as learning how to work effectively with a range of people including peers, teachers and school support officers. 

As this term progresses the children will become excited about the approaching Christmas season. It is very important that the children remain focused and settled throughout Term 4. When the children begin to bring Christmas cards, candy canes and the like to school too early they tend to ‘tune out’. It is for this reason, and the fact that waiting is a part of our Catholic Christian tradition with the season of Advent, that the children may begin to bring Christmas cards, candy canes etc for their classmates from the end of Week 9 – Friday 11 December. 

Please begin to speak to your children about appreciating the card, gift or candy cane that they receive no matter who it is from and that when they give something they shouldn’t always expect something in return. 

As we approach the end of the school year, we need to take time to reflect on the good that the year has brought to our school community. Below is a video that recaps many of the Good Sam Moments. Take some time to view the video. I would appreciate some feedback about our school year and ask that you complete a short survey. Click here to access the survey. 

The survey will close on Friday 13 December.

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-8:50am) 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 morning assembly.

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.

If you pick your child/ren up from over the road please ensure that you have parked your car at the kerb rather than calling your child/ren to a car that is standing in traffic or is stopped at the pedestrian crossing. This is not safe for you child/ren nor is it a good example of being a responsible road user.

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

Remembrance Day

God give peace,

Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world, and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm. As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future; for you are the source of life and hope, now and forever.  Amen.

We will respectfully acknowledge Remembrance Day with a school liturgy via zoom on 11th November at 9.30 am

Natalie Shelley

Religious Education Coordinator

Year 5 Classroom Teacher

The Value for this week is: 

Collaboration 

Collaboration means when we are:

• being willing and consistent helpers
• trying hard to work well with others
• contributing our talents to the welfare of the group
• working together to reach a goal

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 
• 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. 

TERM 4

Canteen is only open on Wednesdays,Thursdays and Fridays.