LEARNING AND TEACHING

Italian Week

In Week 7 of Term 4, the School of the Good Shepherd proudly celebrated Italian Week! It was a fun-filled week dedicated to embracing and honouring our cultural diversity.

Students enjoyed a range of exciting activities, including a dress-up day and parade, and an incredible Italian concert where each grade performed Italian songs and dances.

We also held multi-age Italian activities, where students worked in mixed-age groups and immersed themselves in Italian culture through a variety of hands-on tasks. These included making Carnevale masks, building Leaning Towers of Pisa from paper cups, learning about Renaissance artists and creating Ninja Turtle–inspired masks, playing Italian trivia, making flags, and learning about the Roman Empire.

The Italian incursion was a major highlight. Students had the wonderful opportunity to meet, cook, and dance with Signora Franca Crudo, who travelled from Calabria and took a brief pause from her Australian tour to visit SoGS. Students were delighted to make crostoli and learn the traditional Tarantella dance alongside her.

What a week to remember!

A huge GRAZIE to all staff and parents for supporting our students and the Italian program.

A special thanks to Steven Aloe, Connie Di Maio & all from the Parents' Association for their help with the organisation of the Signora Franca Crudo incursion.

Grazie mille!

Signora Zaffina

PE News

All-Star Junior Girls – Hooptime Regional Finals

The stage was set for a fantastic day of competition. The best of the best had made it through to the Hooptime Regional Finals at Diamond Creek Basketball Centre — a big step up from the Keilor Competition, where our All-Star Junior Girls earned automatic promotion.

The team had been training hard over the past month during lunchtimes with Mel K (a huge thank you for your time, energy and commitment!). Together, they worked on plays, strategies and teamwork that they were eager to put into practice on game day.

SoGS faced some tough competition from Fairfield PS, Glen Katherine PS and Diamond Creek East PS.

The day began with a hard-fought loss to a very organised and competitive Diamond Creek team. The girls quickly regrouped, using the break to recover from a fast-paced and intense start.

In the second game, the girls bounced back brilliantly with a spirited and well-earned win against Fairfield Primary School. It was a nail-biter to the end — SoGS hanging on to win by just one point!

The third match saw another tough contest, this time against Glen Katherine PS. Their disciplined team capitalised on our small errors, sinking some impressive baskets to take the win. Despite the scoreline, the All-Star Girls fought hard and never gave up.

The final game of the day — a rematch with Diamond Creek PS — was arguably the best of the tournament. SoGS dominated the first half, catching their opponents by surprise with sharp teamwork and energy. At halftime the girls led by eight points, but as fatigue and the humidity inside the stadium began to set in, Diamond Creek managed to claw their way back. Our girls were gallant in defeat, eventually going down by eight points in a fantastic display of determination and spirit.

It was a wonderful effort by all — full of teamwork, courage, and positivity. A big thank you to all the parents who came to support, score, and help out on the day (and for keeping me sane on the bus ride filled with seven very excited girls!).

Once again, a special thank you to Mel K (Milla’s mum) for running lunchtime training sessions every Wednesday — your support made a real difference.

This marks the end of the Hooptime Championships for both our Junior and Senior teams this year. I’m incredibly proud of every student who pulled on the SoGS singlet to represent themselves, their families and our school community.

Here’s to another great year of basketball in 2026!

Yours in Sport,

Mr P

Physical Education Leader

🌟Congrats to the Team🌟

Gabriella L

Johanna S

Milla K

Thea S

Magdalena P

Matilda L

Chaniece D

Scarlett and Charlotte Make Their AFLW Debut!

Congratulations to Scarlett (Prep B) and Charlotte (1A), who made their Auskick AFLW debut last weekend during the semi-final between Carlton and Hawthorn.

Speaking to Scarlett after the game, she said, “It was the best game of my entire life.”

Both girls represented themselves, their families, and our school with pride throughout the game, creating lifelong memories in the process.

Well done, superstars!

Mr P

Quinn and Alessandra - Cheering Champions!

Last weekend, both Quinn and Alessandra competed in the AASCF National Championships for Cheerleading at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. This competition is the largest Cheer and Dance event in Australian history, with almost 13,000 athletes competing over five incredible days.

Quinn and Alessandra competed brilliantly in their Junior Level 2 team, representing Southern Cross Cheer, and finished 3rd in their division, which included eight strong teams from across Australia.

Quinn then went on to compete again in her Junior Level 3 team, who were crowned National Champions, taking home 1st place in a highly competitive division of sixteen teams — an extraordinary achievement!

This is one of the highest honours in Australian cheerleading and is truly something to be celebrated.

A huge congratulations to our very own Australian Cheerleading Champions, Quinn and Alessandra! We are incredibly proud of your hard work, dedication, and amazing success.

If your children play sports or compete in activities outside of school, please feel free to email me any results, achievements, or special celebrations.

I am more than happy to share their successes with our school community and highlight the wonderful things our students accomplish beyond the classroom.

Thank you for helping us celebrate the talents and achievements of all our students!

Mr P

Physical Education Leader

Supporting Safe Online Experiences

The eSafety Commissioner has released a range of resources and free live webinars designed to help parents and carers gain the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children in having safer online experiences.

These resources also provide valuable information to help families prepare for the upcoming social media age restrictions, which will come into effect on 10 December 2025.

To access further information, explore resources, or register for a live webinar, please visit the links below:

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD IN THEIR CLASSROOM!