A Wonderful Start to Term 2

Dear families,

We’ve had a brilliant start to Term 2 at Good Shepherd! It’s been wonderful to see our students return with energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to dive into their learning and school life.

Our lunchtime clubs have proven to be a huge success, with strong student participation across a range of interests. As the weather grows cooler, we encourage all students to make the most of these warm and welcoming activities during the break times. There truly is something for everyone!

Thank you to all families who supported the Good Shepherd Working Bee last Friday! Mums, dads and kids all assisted with spreading mulch and sand to make our playground space beautiful, and nothing celebrates hard work like a sausage sizzle afterwards! Thank you to the Community Council for organising this supportive activity to keep our playground looking sensational.

We are looking forward to celebrating with all families, Mother’s Day this Friday morning with a special Mother’s Day Breakfast hosted by the Community Council, followed by a Prayer Service in honour of Good Shepherd Feast Day. Our talented choir of 80 students will be performing a beautiful tribute to all our mums and significant carers – a heartfelt moment not to be missed!

A Mother’s Day gift stall will also be available during the breakfast for those wishing to purchase a special gift, at a cost of $5. If you're unable to attend the breakfast, the stall will reopen during lunch break so your child can still select something meaningful provided they have the funds to purchase. Please note, no gift bags will be sent home this year.

We are also excited to announce that our enrolment period for 2026 is now open. Our Open Day Tours will be held in the morning and afternoon on Wednesday 7/5/25 and Monday 12/5/25. These tours are a wonderful way to see teaching and learning in action. Even if your child is already enrolled at Good Shepherd, we warmly invite you to attend and experience the vibrant learning taking place.

Looking ahead, we invite you and your child to a special Information Seminar on Wednesday 14th May from 5.30pm–6.30pm in the Year 6 Breakout Space, focused on transitioning to high school. The session will be hosted by the Year 6 teaching team, myself, and Dr Craig Wattam, Principal of John Paul II College, as well as a Good Shepherd parent with a child who has recently moved to high school. Together, we will share insights into how we are preparing our Year 5 and 6 students for high school, and what lies ahead—regardless of which secondary school you choose for your child.

A few important reminders:

• If your child is late to school, please ensure they are signed in at the front office;
• If your child needs to leave school early, please email the classroom teacher and, cc: office.goodshepherd@cg.catholic.edu.au. While we understand not all appointments can be planned, early notice helps us manage transitions more smoothly.

Finally, we offer our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Mrs Katie Lewis, who finishes at the end of this week to pursue a new role outside of teaching. We welcome Ms Tarasa Barbaro who will be stepping into Mrs Lewis’ role. We also extend a warm welcome to our new Classroom Support Assistants: Ms Shekinah Minto, Mr Ed O'Brien, Mrs Monika Figelova, and Ms Teegan O'Connor. We are thrilled to have them join our Good Shepherd community.

We look forward to seeing many of you throughout the week at our events and tours. Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,
Trazel
Principal

This week we celebrate our Good Shepherd Feast Day on Friday 8 May at 9:15am. Our Feast Day is a special day for our school. We remember and celebrate that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who loves, guides and protects us always.

At Good Shepherd School we strive to make Jesus’ mission and vision central to our lives. We aim to follow in Jesus’ footsteps to live lives of love, respect and action. At our school we hope to have inspired minds, connected hearts and be flourishing students.

We each strive to be like Jesus the Good Shepherd, to be God’s light in the world by compassionately caring for others. This year, just as the late Pope Francis called us to, we especially focus on how we can be a source of hope for others.

Three key symbols that we will focus on this term as a school are Jesus our Good Shepherd, Jesus our Anchor and the boat that weathered the storm.

The shepherd and anchor remind us that Jesus is our protector and guide. He is also our safety, hope and refuge. We can always anchor ourselves to him and depend on him.

The boat reminds us of the Bible passage where Jesus calmed the storm. We know Jesus will always be there for us to help us navigate life, overcome difficulties or struggles, and challenge us to be our best.

You are each warmly invited to our Prayer Service at 9:15am this Friday and we look forward to seeing you there.

You are also warmly invited to any of our four Parish Masses this weekend which Celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday. Please see the Parish website or bulletin for details. https://www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au/

We continue our prayers for the Late Pope Francis, may he rest in peace and be enjoying eternal hope and joy with God. We remember and appreciate that the Late Pope Francis led us on our shared pilgrimage towards God’s mercy, love and salvation. We also pray for all our religious leaders at this time, particularly the Cardinals who, as the Conclave, are meeting to pray, deliberate and elect our new Pope.

For a great insight into how the new Pope is elected please visit our Archdiocesan Catholic Voice Magazine and read the informative, clear, succinct description from our Archbishop, Christopher Prowse. https://www.catholicvoice.org.au/choosing-the-next-pope-ancient-vatican-rituals-begin-as-cardinals-gather/

Some reminders:-

Change of address or phone contact numbers, including emergency contacts
Parents and carers can make changes to their mobile phone number and email address through the COMPASS Parent Portal.  Please notify the front office of any other changes to personal details such as home addresses, work contact numbers, medical conditions, emergency contacts and permissions.

Medical information
If there is a need to administer medication to your child during school hours, parents must provide written consent by completing the appropriate form and providing the necessary information and medication. These forms are available from the school front office or the school website. Medication cannot be administered without this authority. Medication must be supplied in its original packaging. Parents/carers must also provide to the school an Asthma Action Plan and/or an Anaphylaxis Action Plan signed by a medical doctor.

Medication is not to be stored in students’ bags or desks. Lockable storage is provided at the front office where a record is maintained of all medication administered. Class teachers must be made aware if any students need to visit the front office to take medication.

Is Your Child Being Robbed?

Our Resilience Project survey uncovered a surprising and worrying trend—53% of Year 5 and 6 students are using devices between 10pm and 6am.

This late-night screen time is quietly robbing children of the sleep they need to thrive. Lack of rest affects focus, learning, mood, and overall wellbeing. As parents, setting clear device boundaries at night is one powerful way we can protect our kids from being drained by the digital world. Let’s help them rest, reset, and build true resilience.

For more see: Safe on Social     Geekheads