From The Principal

Hello Everyone,

I am excited to be writing to you, I am anticipating an amazing 2026 school year and am so looking forward welcoming our students and families back to school next Wednesday 28th January, and our Foundation students the following Monday 2nd February.

Today I welcomed back all of the staff to this year of growth and learning.  I shared with them a prayer that I carry in my heart for them and our school community this year.

I constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worth of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.

2 Thessalonians 1:11

This prayer and many others prayed by our church community and those outside of our community are a blessing to us here at Good Shepherd.  Thank you if you are one of those who pray for us in Jesus' name.  We begin our school year with worship which will start at 9am, providing students with the time that they need to settle into their new classrooms which will open at 8:30am.

New Staff 

We welcome the following staff who join our school to support the students in their learning and development.  Ms Cece Emery will be taking a Stage 2 class, and we also welcome Mrs Rofida Refaat and Mrs Laura Lawrie to our team of Co-Educators who will be working predominantly in the Junior Primary classrooms.

New Leadership Structure

Moving forward Mrs Claudia Deanshaw will be the sole Deputy Principal leading the following leaders as the Primary Management Team.

Ms Karen Leese                  Teaching and Learning Leader

Mrs Kate Burton                  Junior Learning Leader

Mrs Therese Abraham      Senior Learning Leader 

Mrs Anne Carter                 Learning Enrichment Leader

This team will be there for students, families and staff in a day-to-day capacity supporting with the growth of learning and behaviour across the school.  You will find this team in 'The Den' - the office next to the Library.  More detailed information about how this team will support your child will be shared at our Parent Partnership Night (PPN).  

Parent Partnership Night - From 6pm February 17th 2026

This evening is an opportunity to hear from your child's teachers about the expectations in their classrooms, socialise a little, and have an opportunity to complete the face-to-face Volunteer Training at the end of the evening.  This is a child free event, so we ask that you begin planning care for your children.

6pm          Stage 1 families meet with teachers

6:30pm    Refreshments for everyone

7pm          Stage 2 - 4 meet with teachers

8pm          Volunteer Face to Face training

Roll out of Playberry program 

For the last few years Good Shepherd Learners have experienced the benefits of a structured literacy program of phonics and other literacy rules and skills - as of 2026 we will be moving to Playberry. 

The Playberry program is a structured literacy program designed for primary school students, focusing on phonics and spelling. It follows a synthetic phonics approach, teaching children the relationship between letters and sounds to develop reading and spelling skills.

As a school, we have been implementing the Playberry Tier 3 program as a one‑to‑one intervention within Learning Enrichment. We will now be using this program to support learning in the classroom and in smaller groups during blocks of uninterrupted learning times throughout the day. Both teachers and Co-educators have been trained in the program and as staff we will revive ongoing high-level support from the developers and put the data that we collect into meeting the needs of each child.  

This, in conjunction with our conceptual learning, play and wellbeing focus, will support your child's wholistic development as they journey through Good Shepherd.  More information about what this will look like in each Stage of learning will be shared at our Parent Partnership Night. 

Use of After School Play Spaces

We continue to welcome families to use the Junior Primary play space as an afternoon wind down space.  We request that the children only use the Junior Primary equipment that is under shade.  Please do not move beyond the swings on the side play area, and as our office and first aid support closes at 4:00pm, we ask that you have moved toward home at that time.

So many reasons to PARTY!

Please ensure that you keep reading though this first communication of the year as there are some important dates for your calendars!

Many blessing for this year ahead and I cannot wait to see you all next week!

Evie Stevens