John 10:14-15

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Dear SoGS Families,

Welcome back to everyone! We are all so excited to have you back after a long break. The students have all come back ready to share their summer holiday experiences and to see their teachers and friends once again. A very WARM welcome to our new prep families and students. It was wonderful to see them come together last Friday and experience their first day as a School of the Good Shepherd student. There were lots of smiles, hugs and photos of this momentous occasion. We wish our prep families and students a wonderful year ahead as they form positive relationships within our school community. We also welcome our new families in years 1- 6 and wish them all the very best this year as they form connections with our community.

A very big thank you to our staff who have been in and out over the Summer holiday, preparing spaces for our students, so that our students come in feeling that they belong and are ready to learn. Coming into a brand new space can always feel a little daunting. It was a great opportunity for our students to have a 1 on 1 meet and greet last Thursday and Friday with their teacher, making the transition a little smoother. Thank you parents and carers for committing to these times and bringing your children in.

EXTEND

Our out of school hours provider is EXTEND. Information on how to register for this service can be found on their website. When dropping students off in the morning or picking them up in the afternoon, please use the library door. There is a doorbell for you to ring to let a staff member know that you are there, alternatively there is a phone number to call if the students and carers are outside. EXTEND website

All new students & prep students to the program will be collected from their classrooms.

WHOLE SCHOOL MASS

On Friday morning we will be celebrating mass as a whole school. In the past this has been held on a Wednesday, however we wanted to include our prep students. Mass begins at 9:15 on Friday and all family members are more than welcome to attend. Just a reminder from Fr Dishan that phones are to be turned off or put on silent for the celebration. Our year 6 Student Leadership badges will be blessed on this day also. Next Wednesday 14th February is Ash Wednesday, therefore all families are invited to attend mass at 9:15am.

SHROVE TUESDAY

On Tuesday 13th February, our students will be involved in learning about our Catholic Tradition of Shrove Tuesday, otherwise more popularly known as Pancake Tuesday. Students will be involved in either making pancakes or sharing ready made pancakes with their class. We will be catering for students who have allergies to various foods as per the medical management plans that have been sent in.

BIRTHDAY CAKE POLICY

Everyone loves celebrating a birthday and we are no different! We are in the process of discussing our birthday policy regarding birthday cakes and bringing in lollies, toys, gift bags etc. For the moment, we ask that you do not send any birthday cakes or lolly bags to school while we are discussing how this will look at our school. As a staff we have been discussing the various issues around birthday celebrations: affordability for parents, inclusion of students with allergies, classes having different levels of expectations etc. As soon as our policy is finalised, we will seek parent feedback and then will share it with the community. Thankyou for your understanding while we work through this.

SCHOOL CAR PARK

To ensure the safety of all of our families and students, we ask that you please be patient when driving in and out of the church car park. Parents who are waiting in the Kiss and Drop line, please remain to the right of the lane so that parents who are intending to park can still work their way through. When walking to pick up your child at the Kiss and Drop area, please walk in front of the yellow Kiss and Drop box rather than through the cars that are waiting. If we work together, we can maintain safety at all times. The photos show the process for BOTH pick up and drop off times.

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS

For those parents invited to a PSG, Term 1 PSG interviews will be held between weeks 5-8. The classroom teacher has been assigned an interview day that cannot be changed. Please note that this day has been allocated taking many factors into account and when organising these meetings we have to work around the enterprise agreement, planning times, specialist classes and lessons in which the classroom teachers need to be present We are using this system to avoid the teacher being in and out of the classroom during the four week period. This allows for minimal disruption to your child's learning and your understanding and cooperation with this matter is greatly appreciated. Interview times will be open from Wednesday the 7th of February at 8am to allow time to organise your work/personal commitments. Please note that we are unable to ask teachers to stay back after 3:45pm on non meeting days. Phone interviews are welcome as we understand it is hard for some to make it on site. Interviews are strictly 30 minutes and spaces are limited.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Parent/Carer involvement is so important and there are many opportunities to be involved at School of The Good Shepherd:

Parish School Advisory Council: The Parish School Advisory Council provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where parent voice and community perspective are available to inform and support the decisions made by the principal and parish priest as the custodian of mission for the good of school and parish where students’ wellbeing and outcomes are paramount. We thank our appointed Parish School Advisory council members from our School of The Good Shepherd community: Nicole, Matthew and Fiona and we look forward to working together with you.

Parent Association (Previously known as Parents and Friends): If you would like to be part of the Parent Association, please email me at cdamato@sogsgpark.catholic.edu.au . We will then send you the Parent Association policy, outlining roles and responsibilities. The Parent Association is a great way to foster the intellectual, cultural, social and spiritual interests of their members, and provide opportunities for the development of community spirit among the staff, parents, parish and wider community. Our first meeting will be on Friday 23rd February at 2pm.

Parent Helpers in the Classroom: More infomation regarding what times classess require parent helpers will be communicated via seesaw.

Helpers in the school canteen: Information can be found on Audiri regarding contacting Gloria to help in the school canteen.

We hope you have an absolutely amazing week ahead!

Carmela D'Amato

School Community News