Principal's Message
As we near the end of Term 3 with only 3 weeks until school holidays we certainly do reflect on an action packed term. We congratulate our Year 6 students who received the sacrament of Confirmation at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday 14 August. It was a beautiful celebration as Archbishop Comensoli spoke to the children about what it means to be a catholic today.
The school was full of energy and excitement last week as we celebrated book week. A big thank you to Kellie Cumming, Mimi Chavarria and the team for all their work in creating a wonderful event for our students.
I encourage our parents to take the time to complete the MACSSIS annual survey which goes live on Monday. There is more information further in the newsletter. I spoke to the Year 4, 5 and 6 students today about the survey as they participate in the student surveys next week. The voice of all in the school community is very important to us.
I would like to thank the Velasquez family (Tyrone, Girlie, Alessandra, Lucas, Ysolde (4AA) and Matthias (3JN) for their very generous gift to the Good Shepherd community. On their recent visit to Rome on this Jubilee Year, they visited the 4 Holy Doors (St Peter’s Basilica, Archbasilica of St John Lateran, Basilica of St Mary Major and Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls) and have framed a cloth that has touched each of these doors. We will hang this up in the office area shortly so please make the time to view it.
Staffing update
We welcome a new Learning Support Officer to our school. Isabella Di Ciero commenced last week and will work 5 days a week.
ACEC Conference
Last week I attended a conference in Cairns. The theme of the conference was Hope, anchored in faith - aligned with the 2025 Jubilee theme Pilgrims of Hope. We began with a large-scale mass led by Bishop Joe Caddy and many other clergy. The mass was attended by over 3000 participants which included school choirs and musicians.
Focus areas at the conference were centred around 3 key priorities - Faith, Excellence and Access covering topics related to Catholic Identity, mission formation, learning, governance, family engagement and more.
I would like to share with you some of my reflections and what I will continue to explore both personally and with the staff at Good Shepherd.
Presenter - Sr Nathalie Becquart (Under-Secretary for the Synod of Bishops)
Her main message centred around the Church’s vision for a future of listening and mutual respect. She shared that Pope Leo XIV is a very deep listener, very rooted in spirituality and he has a mission to build peace amongst us all.
Presenter - Professor Dylan Wiliam (Emeritus Professor, UCL Institute of Education)
Everyone Counts - Responsive, Engaging Education for All.
He shared with us the importance of making shifts in how we think about learning, aptitude, curriculum and instruction to bring about school improvement and opportunity for all students.
Presenter - Dr Steve Constantino (Family Engagement Expert)
Why Families Matter - Understanding the five simple principles to engage every family.
- A culture that engages every family
- Communicate effectively and develop relationships
- Build family efficacy
- Engage every family in decision making
- Engage the greater community
It was a great opportunity to continue my learning journey as both a Faith and Educational leader in Catholic Education. I would like to thank Ferial Davis for leading the school last week.
Coming up
We have a lot happening for the rest of the term so please ensure you take the time to read the calendar at the end of the newsletter.
Our rehearsals for our school concert Aladdin are going well and tickets will go on sale soon.
There is further information in today's newsletter.
We wish all our Fathers and father figures in our school a very special day next Sunday 7 September as we celebrate you. Our students have the opportunity to choose a special gift at our annual Fathers Day stall on Friday. Thank you to our Parents and Friends Association for leading this event.
Jacqui Marshall
Principal