Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

We are now halfway through Term 3 and looking forward to many exciting events ahead.

This term, our staff have been working with the new Vision for Engagement, introduced by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, and reflecting on how it connects with our wellbeing practices and our focus on Wellbeing for Learning. This vision highlights the importance of creating calm and safe classrooms where students feel supported, engaged, and ready to learn. 

From the VISION FOR ENGAGEMENT document: 

Why?

Young people today are facing unprecedented challenges. Evidence now charts declining mental health and resilience, rising anxiety, increased social isolation. Students often arrive at the school gate distracted and preoccupied, holding devices that expose them to distressing disinformation and online predatory and bullying behaviour. These complex challenges demand a purposeful and coherent response from parents and schools, to reclaim classrooms where calm is the norm; where respectful behaviour is not assumed, but taught; where routines are consistent, expectations are shared, and every student feels safe, seen, and supported; where excellence is not reserved for the privileged few, but is expected for all; where our Catholic commitment to excellence and equity for all is not an aspiration, but a lived reality; and where the dignity of every child is upheld, not just in words but in practice.

On Monday 25th August, we will hold a School Closure Day dedicated to unpacking both the Vision for Engagement and the Vision for Instruction, which together sit under the Flourishing Learners framework.

Guided by the theme Flourishing Learners, staff will gather for a day of reflection, collaboration, and practical learning grounded in our values of growth, compassion, and belonging. Teachers will explore how students can flourish in their learning through strategies that strengthen intellectual preparation and planning, engagement in learning, explicit teaching, and the mastery and application of knowledge and skills.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to ensure our students continue to flourish.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Thank you to those families that have responded to our call of ensuring that students are in the correct school uniform at all times. Wearing the school uniform helps us have a sense of pride of belonging to School of The Good Shepherd.  For your convenience, uniform items can be purchased online through Top School Wear (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. 

Top School Wear Online Shop

BOOK WEEK CELEBRATIONS

Our students and staff have all enjoyed the book week activities, kicking off with our Book Fair and followed by the book parade. Thank you parents and carers for the amount of time and effort that went into creating such amazing costumes. The book fair has been a great success and finishes up at the end of today. The students have enjoyed listening to various authors and I know they are all looking forward to our snuggling up and read afternoon. WE LOVE BOOKS, WE LOVE READING!!

Father’s Day Breakfast

This event is for Father (of Father figure ) and son/daughters only, please rsvp via the nportal forms. 

BULLY, NO WAY!

Throughout last week, students engaged in activities and discussions to promote empathy, understanding, and respect for diversity. We encourage families to continue having these discussions as home. 

Questions to Start the Conversation at Home:

• What do you think bullying is?
• Have you seen it happen? How did you feel?
• Have you ever felt unsafe because of bullying?
• Who are the trusted adults you can talk to about it?
• Have you or your friends ever left someone out on purpose? Why do you think that happened?
• Have you ever tried to help someone being bullied? What happened?

Let's all work together to continue to build an environment where all students, staff and parents feel a sense of safety and belonging. 

PARENT ASSOCIATION

Coming up this term, we have:

• our 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

Thank you for your continued support. I wish you all a wonderful week ahead. 

Sincerely,

Carmela