Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Carers,

I would like to welcome everyone back to Term 3.  We hope all of our students and families enjoyed a relaxing and refreshing holiday break. It has been wonderful to see our classrooms buzzing with excitement as everyone returns ready to learn, grow, and reconnect with friends. This term promises to be a busy and rewarding one, with many exciting learning experiences and special events to look forward to.  Some of the special events are inlcuded below.

• We wish our students participating in the AFL open team, AFL girls team, Soccer girls team, Teeball girls team and Baskeball open team finals the very best of luck as they represent our school with pride. 
• Our Year 4 students will celebrate their First Holy Communion Masses on Sunday, 2nd August, an important milestone in their faith journey. 
• We will also look forward to our School Review on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th August, providing an opportunity to celebrate our achievements and reflect on our continued growth.
• As a Catholic school community, we look forward to celebrating the Feast Day of Saint Mary MacKillop on Friday, 7th August, and the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Friday, 14th August at the 9:15am Parish Masses.  
• Please note that Monday, 17th August, will be a School Closure Day as our staff participate in professional learning focused on Explicit Instruction in Literacy, including a visit to Westmeadows Primary School.
• Later in the term, we are excited to celebrate Book Week with this year's theme, 'Symphony of Stories', along with our Father's Day Stall and Breakfast in Week 8. 

• We will finish the term by holding Parent–Teacher Conversations in Week 10, providing families with the opportunity to discuss their child's progress and celebrate their learning. 

   

  We look forward to sharing these special occasions with our students and families throughout the term.

Thank you to all families

A heartfelt thank you to all our families for your patience, support, and understanding during the roadworks at the front of the school, on South Circular Road, during the second half of Term 2.  We especially appreciate your cooperation with the changed pick-up and drop-off arrangements on the final day of Term 2.  Your flexibility and support helped ensure everything ran smoothly and safely.  Thank you for your ongoing partnership with our school.

nForma Parent Connect App

As per communication sent to families on Monday 13th July, we are pleased to advise that the new nForma CONNECT app is now available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

From Monday, 20th July, parents will automatically be prompted to download and begin using the new app. Please note that the existing nForma for Parents app will be decommissioned at the end of July. To continue receiving important school communications, notifications, and updates, we encourage all families to download the new nForma CONNECT app as soon as they receive the prompt.

For step-by-step instructions on downloading, installing, and using the new app, please refer to the nForma CONNECT App Help Guide: nForma CONNECT App Help Guide.

Year 4 Holy Communion Information evening

We were pleased to welcome our Year 4 students and their families, along with those from St. Carlo Borromeo and Mary Queen of Heaven to the First Holy Communion Information Evening on Tuesday, 14th July. It was wonderful to see so many families gathered as they begin this important stage of their sacramental journey. We extend our sincere thanks to Fr. Samuel for joining us and for sharing his wisdom and insights into the significance of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

First Holy Communion is a special milestone in the faith journey of our Year 4 students. As they prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time, they take an important step in strengthening their relationship with Christ and growing as active members of our parish community. Parents and families play a vital role in nurturing their child's faith, and we thank you for your ongoing support, encouragement, and commitment as you accompany your children during this meaningful time.

As part of their preparation, our Year 4 students will participate in a Communion Preparation Day on Friday, 24th July. During the day, they will also welcome visitors from the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Vocations Team, who will share with the students the many ways people are called to live out their faith through service and vocation. We ask that you keep our Year 4 students and their families in your prayers as they continue preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

School Review

On Monday, 3rd August and Tuesday, 4th August, our school will participate in our 4-year Improvement Cycle School Review. This is an important opportunity to reflect on our achievements, celebrate the many strengths of our school community, and identify priorities that will continue to enhance teaching, learning, and student wellbeing. The reviewer, Donna Bryce, will meet with staff, students, parents, Parish Priest and school leaders to gain an understanding of the wonderful work taking place across our school. We thank our entire community for their ongoing support and partnership and look forward to sharing the outcomes of the review as we continue to grow and improve together.

Sustainability

We are pleased to advise the school community that School of the Good Shepherd has been successful in securing a grant to purchase a number of plants that will be planted along the side of the basketball court garden bed.  We would like to particularly thank Kat Pitt, who spent time organising and submitting the documentation to successfully secure the grant. The planting process will occur later this term, which will be a wonderful addition to this area.  

Student online behaviour

As technology continues to play an important role in our children's lives, we are asking all families to remain vigilant about their child's online activity at home. Recently, the school has become aware of an increase in incidents involving poor online choices, including unkind communication through online games and messaging platforms.

While we work with students at school to promote respectful and responsible digital citizenship, families play a vital role in reinforcing these expectations at home. Regular conversations about online behaviour, setting clear boundaries around device use, and knowing which apps, games, and websites your child is accessing can make a significant difference.

We encourage parents and carers to:

• Keep devices in shared family spaces where possible.
• Monitor the apps, games, and social media platforms their child is using.
• Discuss the importance of treating others with kindness and respect online.
• Remind children that their online actions have real-world consequences.

• Encourage children to speak to a trusted adult if they encounter anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable or concerned.

   

By working together, we can help ensure that all students develop the skills and judgement needed to use technology safely, responsibly, and respectfully. For further support and information, please see our Child Safety - eSafety page. Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us create a positive and safe community both at school and online. 

SoGs baby news!

We are pleased to announce that Melissa Georgakopoulos and husband, Aki, have welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Luca on Wednesday 8th of July at 9:52pm, weighing a healthy 4.16kg.  We wish Melissa and her family health and happiness as they spend their first few weeks together as a family of three.  

Kind regards,

Laura Petrie