Dear Families,

Term 1 has certainly been a great one here at Good Shepherd. We have seen our students shine in their learning and display our theme of Together We Can in many aspects of school life. This has been very evident with our Year 6 students on school camp completing many team based activities and supporting and encouraging one another to achieve their best.

An important reminder that school finishes for Term 1 this coming Thursday 3 April at 3:05pm. Friday will be a school closure day as staff are engaged in Professional Learning in the area of Religious Education. Students return for Term 2 on Tuesday 22 April (just after Easter Monday public holiday)

ANZAC Day badges

As per tradition, our Year 6 students will be selling ANZAC Day badges to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of our service members. The badges will be available for purchase after lunchtime. Prices range from $1 to $5. If your child would like to purchase a badge, please ensure they bring the appropriate amount.

School Advisory Council

Our SAC met recently and discussed the importance of implementing a swimming program at Good Shepherd. Early next term we will be engaging with all our families to gather some initial data related to the level of water confidence for our students. We are hoping to run a program later this year for a specific cohort and then to grow the program into 2026. The Swimming in Schools Program is a Victorian Government initiative for the delivery of quality of quality swimming and water safety education for students. I will send out more information about this early next term.

Parents and Friends Association

Thank you to those who are leading and support the wonderful initiatives in our school community. Please take the time to read and volunteer for some upcoming events on the P & F page further in the newsletter.

2026 Enrolments

Our school tours for prospective enrolments have been going very well this term and we are receiving a good number of enrolments. A final reminder to our current families that if you have a child due to start Prep next year to get your enrolment in by the end of this term so we know how many spaces we can offer for new enrolments.

2025 School Fees

A friendly reminder that Term 1 school fees are due by the end of this week. Additionally, Year 5 & 6 Camp fees must also be paid by the same deadline. Teresa will follow up with any families who have outstanding payments. If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the office. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Instrumental Program Levy

Thank you to all our families who have enrolled their child in the instrumental program this year. It certainly has been a big task setting up the program for this year and I thank Laura Roussos for leading this work. Communication will be sent out to families in the program before the end of the term in relation to the administrative levy and how it will be invoiced. This levy covers the cost of hire and use of instruments, maintenance of instruments and various administrative tasks such as scheduling lessons, liaising with teachers and other tasks.

Our Year 3 students led a wonderful assembly this morning sharing with us all how we are all unique and come from many different countries with rich traditions and stories to share. We also launched our 2025 school concert today at assembly which will be Aladdin and will take place in late October (28 and 29 October)

Term 2 begins on Tuesday 22 April. It promises to be action packed with our Year 5 students heading off on camp, excursions for other year levels, sporting events, Parent-Teacher meetings and many other opportunities for parents to be part of the learning with our students.

I would like to wish you all happy holidays and a blessed time over the Easter period.

Thank you for your ongoing support and please know you can reach out to offer feedback or discuss matters with me.

Jacqui Marshall

Principal

Camp Australia