Principal Message

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all in the Good Shepherd community for

a wonderful first year as your Principal.  It has been an honour and privilege, to be your Good Shepherd.  

I would like to thank our wonderful students. You have worked hard, shown kindness and self belief throughout the year. Each day, you’ve come to school with open hearts and minds, ready to learn, grow, and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world around you. Whether it was through a friendly smile, helping a classmate, or doing your best in your learning, you’ve made a difference in our school community. 

I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff. Your commitment to nurture the hearts and minds of our students is truly inspiring. You not only teach but also instill the values of love, compassion, and respect. Your hard work and care has made a lasting impact, and we are so fortunate to have such a dedicated team here at Good Shepherd.  I would like to acknowledge Ms Davis and the leadership team for your guidance and support this year.  Together we have achieved so much in the area of school improvement and I am excited about the future.

To our parents and families, thank you for your support. You play a vital role in helping our school to flourish. Your encouragement and involvement make a world of difference in the lives of our students. Together, as a community, we are able to create an environment where faith, learning, and love thrive.

Thank you Fr Andrew for your guidance and support this year. We are certainly blessed to have you as our parish priest.  We thank you for sharing your time with us, being with our students in their classrooms and leading us in our sacramental journey.  

We had our Year 6 graduation last Friday and wished both our Year 6 students goodbye and also many families whose time at Good Shepherd.  Please know our community will miss you all and thank you for all you have contributed.

Staff news

We Congratulate Sarah Murphy and her husband Jack on the safe arrival of their beautiful baby boy Heath, born on 1 December.  We send our love to the Murphy family and we can't wait to meet Heath.

Leaving staff

This week we say goodbye to a number of staff leaving Good Shepherd School.

As you are all aware Karen De Wilde will be retiring after 27 years teaching at our school.  

Please read all about her farewell further in the newsletter.

Bridget Pinney will be taking a year's leave to work in a school in the Northern Territory.  

We look forward to seeing her back in 2026.  Bridget would like to extend her gratitude for the generous donations of pencils and pencil cases for her students next year.

We have 3 Learning Support Officers finishing up at the end of this year.  Bella D’Atri, Abbie Tiong and Kiara Seneviratne.  We thank them all for their service to our school and the support they have given to all our students and wish them well in their new adventures.

Thank you

I would like to thank the parents who have given their time this year to be part of the School Advisory Council and Parents and Friends.   We have appreciated your active participation to support our school.  The staff appreciated the individual gift given to all to us today by the Parents and Friends to thank us for all we do.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Klara Baka for her many years of service and dedication to the School Advisory Council as Chairperson.  Klara has written a report further in this newsletter.

School accounts

Tomorrow an email will be sent to all families in relation to the 2025 Family Tuition Fees and Student levies.  Please take the time to read it carefully as it explains how things will be managed next year.  There is no action required at this time, however we will be asked to set up a payment plan option when school returns.  If any families are experiencing financial difficulties, we are here to support, so know you can always reach out to Teresa Packwood or myself.  

New school website: 

We are very excited to announce that our new school website is now live.  

2025

We look forward to seeing all our 2025 students back at school on Thursday 30 January.  

I wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas and holiday period with your families.

I am really looking forward to what 2025 has to offer.

I encourage our families to gather together at celebrate Christmas at one of our parish celebrations.  The Parish Christmas Schedule is included in this newsletter.

Jacqui Marshall

Principal