Dear Parents and Families,

It was amazing to see so many families at mass last Sunday for our Year 3 Family mass. Thank you for being there to pray with us, sing with us and listen to God’s word. We hope that many families are able to join us at the Year 2 Family mass on Sunday at 11am. Unfortunately I won’t be there as I am attending my nephew’s Confirmation, however, I’ll send prayers to our Parish community.

Over the last few weeks our Junior classes have been engaging with our school community as well as their own grandparents to learn a little about the past. Our Year 2s spent some time with some of our parishioners and asked them questions and our year 1s invited their grandparents to ask questions. There was a lot of dialogue happening around these questions between grandparents and grandchildren!

What did you do if you wanted to talk to someone who didn’t live near you?

How did you find out what was happening in the world or in your town?

Can you tell me about a time you sent or got a letter?

How did you talk to your friends after school or on the weekends?

We look forward to reading and learning more about the past and how it has helped shape our future!

Parents' Association

A big Shepherd Shoutout to our Parent Association for organising a spectacular trivia night. It is our very first trivia night and we can only go up from here. The amount of work that went on behind thes scenes was incredible and ensured a successful night for all. Congratulations to all the prize winners from the evening!

Coming up this term, we have:

Father’s day Stall on Monday 1st September
Father’s day raffle at our Father’s day breakfast on Friday 5th September
Special A1 Bakery lunch on Thursday 18th September
50th Anniversary Commemorative teatowels

All fundraising goes towards the purchase of two more charging stations for our prep rooms and adding to our playground

Bullying. No Way!

Next week is Bullying. No Way! Week, a time when students across all year levels, from Prep to Year 6, will engage in important learning around what bullying is and what it is not. Lessons will be guided by resources from the Bullying. No Way! website, a platform created for educators, families, and students to raise awareness about the ongoing, deliberate misuse of power in relationships.

More and more, we are noticing that issues arising online, particularly during after-school or weekend gaming, are having a real impact at school. Hurtful and unkind comments made in these digital spaces often carry over into the playground, affecting student wellbeing and relationships.

We kindly ask families to continue monitoring their children's online activity. Where possible, please disable chat functions, and if chat is enabled, ensure your child is using it in a shared space where you can hear or see what is being said.

By working together, we can help our children understand the lasting impact that unkind words and actions can have on others. Our shared goal is to make school a safe and supportive environment where every student feels respected, valued, and ready to learn.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Parent Code Of Conduct

Just as we strive to make school a safe and respectful space for all students, we also want to ensure that it is the same for our parents and carers. Following on from previous messages about WhatsApp and similar group chats, we kindly remind our community to refrain from speaking or posting about others in ways that are unkind or hurtful. Our children look to the adults in their lives as role models, when they hear negative talk about other parents or families, they are more likely to mirror that behaviour with their peers.

When enrolling in a Catholic school, all families agree to uphold the expectations outlined in the MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) Code of Conduct. This Code helps guide us in living out the values that underpin our school community: Belonging, Compassion, and Growth.

We encourage parents and family members to come forward if they witness any such behaviour so that we can continue working together to model these values for our children and one another.

A Reminder About Our School Uniform Policy

A big thank you to all the students who continue to wear the correct school uniform with pride! We have noticed many students not wearing the correct colour, style or length of sport shorts in particular. Wearing the proper uniform fosters a sense of belonging, unity, and school spirit.

We kindly ask all families to take a moment to review our Uniform Policy to ensure students are dressed appropriately. Here are the key uniform options:

👕 Everyday Uniform: Red polo top with blue shorts (suitable for all students), School dress

❄️ Cooler Weather Option: Red long-sleeve polo top with long blue pants (suitable for all students), School pinafore with white skivvy or red long-sleeve polo top.

We will be undertaking a School Uniform Blitz in the coming weeks so please ensure that all students have their correct uniform.

For your convenience, uniform items can be purchased online through Top Schoolwear (link included below). Additionally, our Uniform Shop will be open for in-person purchases. New and Second hand uniform sales will be advertised via the parent portal.

Sincerely,

Carmela

School of The Good Shepherd

BELONGING, COMPASSION and GROWTH

Issue 12 · 08 Aug 2025

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