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A Wonderful Start to 2025!
Dear Good Shepherd community
Welcome to the 2025 school year! It has been a truly wonderful start, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to all parents and carers for preparing your children so well for their return. Your support ensures that our students arrive ready to learn, grow, and thrive in our community.
We warmly welcome all our new families from Years 1-6 and especially our Kindergarten families who are joining us for the first time. It is a joy to see our community continue to flourish, and we hope that you feel a strong sense of belonging and connection here at Good Shepherd. A special welcome also to our new staff members – we are grateful for the expertise, enthusiasm, and care you bring to our school.
Teaching and Learning
This week, our teachers have been explicitly teaching routines and behaviours to set up every child for a successful year of learning. Establishing clear expectations early on helps ensure that all students feel confident and engaged in their classrooms. We appreciate the patience and cooperation of families as we guide students through these foundational routines.
Morning line-up procedures
With our growing student numbers, we have had to make some changes to our morning line-up procedures. Thank you for your patience as we implement these adjustments. Ensuring a smooth and orderly start to each school day is a priority, and we appreciate the support of families in reinforcing these changes with their children. If parents choose to wait until the lines go into class, we ask that you wait, away from the class line under the gazebos, rather than in the walkways - especially near the Year 1 classrooms.
Pick-up/drop off arrangements – carpark procedures
To assist our many new families, we remind everyone to follow the established pick-up and drop off procedures in the front and rear (church) carparks. Please refer to the attached map and instructions to ensure a safe and efficient process for all. Your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines is essential for the safety of our students and the smooth operation of afternoon dismissal.
There is always chaos at the commencement of the school year, however, to assist us with moving almost 800 children in through the gate and to ensure all children are at school on time, it is appreciated if you can “kiss and drop” your child at the gate in the morning and if you can continue to circle the carpark in the afternoon rather than creating a static car line - this will ensure the traffic bottle neck is eased. It is recommended if you are picking your child up via the car line that you wait until at least 3:20pm before joining the line.
A beautiful Opening Mass
Our school year began in the most meaningful way with our Opening Mass. We extend a heartfelt thank you to Fr. Troy, our Parish Priest, for his beautiful homily and for leading us in prayer as we embark on this new year together. It was a truly special occasion, and we are grateful to all who participated.
School uniform – pride in presentation
We also want to extend our appreciation to parents for their attention to detail regarding uniforms. Our students look exceptional, and we hope they continue to wear their uniform with pride. A well-presented uniform reflects the values of our school and fosters a strong sense of identity and community among our students.
Once again, thank you for your ongoing support and for being a vital part of the Good Shepherd community. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead, filled with learning, growth, and shared experiences.
Warm regards
Trazel
Our school focus this year is: “Anchor your hope in God and be pilgrims of hope for others.”
Together, as the ‘heart of God in Amaroo,’ we will be joining millions of schools, organisations, and Catholics all around the world in supporting Pope Francis’ mission to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ We will learn all about what it means to be a pilgrim and how, as pilgrims, we can be ‘beacons of hope for others.’ We will also deepen our understanding of what it means to ‘anchor our hope in God.’
Last year we focused on the Holy Spirit and the charisms (spiritual gifts) within each of us that are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, so that we can make Jesus known and loved in the world. This year we are encouraged and challenged by Pope Francis to step forward in faith, hope, compassion and goodness to bring to bring to others reasons to live with hope.
In the words of Pope Francis we want to help build a promising, hope-filled “By our actions, our words, the decisions we make each day. Our patient efforts to sow seeds of beauty and kindness wherever we find ourselves. We want to sing of hope and reawaken in every heart the joy and the courage to embrace life to the full.”
Let us pray together…
Dear Lord
Lord, we thank You for being the anchor for our souls, the firm foundation that keeps us secure in the midst of life’s storms. When the winds of uncertainty blow and the waves of difficulty crash around us, remind us to hold tightly to You, knowing that You will keep us safe and steadfast.
Amen.
We began our new school year with a wonderful whole school celebration of Mass. We took time to reflect on the fact that God is our anchor and our hope. In the Book of Hebrews, the image of an anchor is used to describe the confident hope we can have in God. When a boat is in open water, away from a dock, nothing can keep it in place but an anchor. The anchor keeps the boat from drifting off in any direction. In the same way, God is our anchor. No matter what life brings, God is firm and steadfast, keeping us safe and secure.
Thank you to everyone who attended and celebrated with us, especially our families and Parish friends. It was wonderful to begin our 2025 faith journey with you.
If parents/carers miss a phone call from the school, they are asked to please listen to the voicemail message before phoning the school back. Every call made by the school rings out on the one central phone number (6255 7888), but the phone call could have been made from anywhere in the school. Staff members will always leave a voicemail if they are able to do so. Please call the school back with the name of the staff member who left the voicemail message.
Parents and carers are reminded to please pack forks/spoons in their child's lunchbox, if what they have for lunch requires them. Please be reminded to pack a drink bottle for your child, daily.
Please label all items of your children's school uniform. If labelled lost items are handed in to the front office, they are sent back to the student's classroom via the notebags.
Welcome!
On behalf of the Community Council, we welcome new and returning Good Shepherd families to the 2025 school year! We look forward to meeting many of you at one of the events or fundraisers we host during the year. If you would like to get involved in the school community, please reach out at gscouncil1@gmail.com.
Community Council Survey
We want to hear from you! We will shortly be sharing a survey via Compass to help inform our calendar for 2025 - we would like you to share your views on events, fundraisers, associated costs, preferred timing etc. Keep an eye out for the survey, it won't take long to complete.
Reminders
Canteen services have kicked off this week. Cash purchases of snacks can be purchased during lunch on Wednesdays - small notes/coins only please. Pre-ordered lunch orders are available on Fridays. Order via the Qkr! app before 1pm each Thursday.
Second Hand Uniform Shop opens each week. Come and see the team in the Wellbeing Room between 8:45-9:30am on Friday of odd weeks and Wednesday of even weeks. Donations are always welcome! If you have good condition uniform items at home that no longer fit your children, please drop them into the Front Office.
Christie Bibo, Community Council Chair
2025 Vacation Care Dates
Autumn - School Holidays: Monday 14 April 2025 - Monday 28 April 2025
Winter - School Holidays: Monday 7 July 2025 - Monday 21 July 2025
Spring - School Holidays: Monday 29 September 2025 - Monday 13 October 2025
Note: Vacation Care will not operate on Public Holidays
WANT TO BE PART OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL-BASED CHEERLEADING SQUAD?
Come along to the GSPS Cheerleading information session on Friday 7th February, 5-6pm at the Good Shepherd gazebos, or email GSPScheerleading@gmail.com for information and registration details.