Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Guardians

Every day I continue to discover what a great community Good Shepherd is.  My goal is to connect with as many families as I can so please reach out if you want to touch base.

As I mentioned in our last newsletter our theme this year is New Beginnings.  Today I am going to explore the concept of Change as a key component.  In the words of Mahatma Gandhi - Be the change you want to see.  As Principal I will continue to explore and review structures and processes at Good Shepherd in partnership with you all. Early next term I will be offering opportunities for parents to participate in sessions to explore what is working well and what could be improved at Good Shepherd.  I value your involvement and input.  

More information will be shared by the end of this term.

Parents and Friends 

What a fabulous community night it was last Friday as the Parents and Friends hosted the Outdoor Cinema night.  It was so wonderful to see so many families there and I enjoyed the opportunity to connect with many of you.  

Please take some time to read the Parents and Friends news as there are many exciting things happening and view the photos taken on Friday night.

Parish mass 

On Sunday many of us gathered at the 11am parish mass for Fr Andrews Induction mass.  Archbishop Peter Comensoli led the mass and spoke of the importance of being part of God's church.  Our partnership will continue to grow with St Justins Wheelers Hill as Fr Andrew leads both communities. 

Our school choir sang beautifully and I thank Karen DeWilde for her gifts and talents.  A big thank you to the following students who sang in the choir; Alyssa P, Maya D, Yevin P, Matilda S, Jayla M, Emmelyn S, Sahan D, Sienna C, Menaarah P, Daenerys Y, Sansa S, Natalia E, Lucas W, Victoria J, Kate F, Sienna P, Kaylee W and Amanda S. 

Camps

Our Year 5 students have had a fabulous time at Camp Rumbug (Foster) this week and our Year 6 students head off to Camp Campaspe Downs (Kyneton) next week.  It was great to spend the day with our Year 5 students yesterday.  

The administrative and compliance demands of camps are quite complex so I thank you all for your support in relation to this.  This has included additional staff needing to attend camp, processes for balancing time in lieu and open communication in ensuring we have all the documentation needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. 

I would like to thank the following staff for attending our school camps this year; Steve Mondon, Donna Nugent, Steven Zgudka, Bill Peperkamp, Bridget Wilson, Natalie Beech, Nilani Fernando, Samantha Beach, Andrew Thomson, Isabella D’Atri and Rufina Kim.

More will be included in our Week 9 newsletter about Year 5 and 6 camp experiences.

Some important reminders

• Subway lunches are no longer available 
• Could all current families who have a child starting Prep/Foundation in 2025 have their enrolment forms in by the end of this term as we would like to ensure we have enough spaces for both current and new families. 
• School fee payments for Term 1 are due now.
• It is important that students arrive at school in the morning no later than 8:50am

Upcoming events

• NAPLAN commences for Year 3 and 5 students next week
• Year 6 Camp next week 
• Harmony Day - Thursday 21 March
• School Tours for prospective enrolments (dates advertised on our website)
• Holy Week (last week of term)

Our 2024 school captains Natalia, Aaron, Alicia and Hugh are so excited to lead this year and have written all about themselves further in the newsletter today. I feel honoured to be their mentor.

I will be on leave for the last week of this term from Monday 25 March to Thursday 28 March.  I have a holiday planned in Sydney with some close friends.  Ferial Davis will be Acting Principal in my absence.  Our next newsletter will be in Week 9 which is the last week of this term.  Students finish at 1pm on Thursday 28 March.

Have a great weekend

Jacqui Marshall

Principal