17 July 2024

From the Desk of the Principal

Week 2 , Term 3

Wadda Mooli, 

I am very pleased to introduce myself and share with you my first impressions as the new Principal of Good Shepherd Catholic School.  

My name is Mrs Majella Lynch-Harlow (please call me Ms Majella) and I’ve recently returned to mainland life after spending seven years as the Principal of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School on Waiben and Kirriri (Thursday Island and Hammond Island) in the Torres Straits.  The journey of school improvement at Sacred Heart and the opportunity to be immersed in language, culture and community have been incredible highlights and blessings in my life.  

My husband and I were drawn back to Townsville to be closer to family and take up the opportunity to explore new challenges and adventures. I’m excited to return to work with Townsville Diocese, having previously served as Assistant Principal at St Francis (Ayr) and Canossa Catholic Primary (Trebonne, near Ingham).  

Over the last week and a half, I have experienced an overwhelming sense of welcome and kindness from our Good Shepherd students, staff and families.  I have been very pleased to observe how calm and focussed the school is during learning time and the wide range of play spaces and alternative activities offered during break time.  I have loved visiting classrooms and hanging out in the shed.  When I’ve asked students what makes our school special, their most common responses are “our teachers”, “caring friends” and that this is a “respectful school”.  

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Maxine Nolan (Acting Principal for the past year), Rebecca Kershaw (APRE) and Rebecca Rowan (Acting APPL) for their excellent communication and organisation for the start of Term 3.  Next week, we farewell Bec Rowan as she returns to her substantive role with Townsville Catholic Education Office as Advisory Visiting Specialist EALD. For the past year, she has been assisting our teachers with curriculum development, planning and teaching approaches. Her warmth and strength in leadership will be greatly missed!    

We are all looking forward to our NAIDOC celebrations during our Deadly Day Out on Friday!  I hope to meet as many parents and carers as possible, so please come along and say hello! 

God bless,

Majella Lynch-Harlow

Principal

mlynchharlow3@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Acting Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning

Talofa lava parents, carers and students!

Please see below for what’s happening around our school this fortnight.

Curriculum News 👩‍🏫

Farewell from the Acting Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning

To the Good Shepherd School Community,

It is with mixed emotions that I write to inform you that my time as the Acting Assistant Principal - Pedagogy and Learning is coming to an end. As I prepare to conclude my time in this role with my final day being Monday 22nd July, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and pride for the journey we have shared over the past 15 months. It has been a privilege to serve this wonderful community, and I am deeply grateful for the support and collaboration
from everyone I have encountered along the way.

Firstly, to our incredible students, your enthusiasm, curiosity, and dedication have been a constant source of inspiration. Watching you grow and thrive academically, personally and spiritually has been one of the greatest joys of my role. Your commitment to learning and your resilience, especially in times of change, have truly been remarkable. I have particularly loved the opportunity to work with students, supporting their participation in various school and interschool events, such as the inaugural Townsville Catholic Schools Spelling Bee, Readers Cup, Quest for Knowledge and NAPLAN writing focus groups. Witnessing you grow, overcome challenges and achieve your goals has been a privilege.

To our wonderful parent community, your support and collaboration have been invaluable. Thank you for trusting us with your children's education and for your active involvement in their learning journey, whether through attending school events, volunteering or simply being there to support your child's learning at home. Your partnership has made a significant difference, and I am grateful for the open communication and shared
commitment to our students' success.

To our extraordinary teachers and school officers, words cannot express my gratitude for your hard work, passion, and commitment. It has been an honour to lead and learn alongside you. Together, we have made significant strides, including the familiarisation and implementation of the new Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. Your enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication to continuous improvement has been truly commendable
and I thank you for your openness and engagement in planning meetings, staff meetings and various professional learning sessions I have led during this time.

One of the highlights of my time in this role has been the development of the Early Years Reading Professional Learning Community (PLC). Through this initiative, we have established best practices in teaching and assessing reading in the early years, ensuring our youngest learners have a strong foundation for their educational journey. Thank you especially to Sharon Griffey, Alyssa Romano and Jessie Fraser for their ongoing commitment to the work of the PLC and to their year level colleagues in Prep to Year 2 who have been open to
change, challenge and learning.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I have cherished the opportunity to provide pastoral care to both students and teachers. Supporting the well-being of our school community has been paramount, and I am grateful for the trust and openness you have shown. Helping each other through challenges and celebrating our successes together has strengthened our bond and made our school a truly special place.

As I step back from this acting role, I am confident that the foundations that have built together over time will continue to flourish under the leadership of Majella, Maxine and Rebecca. I am excited to witness the ongoing growth and success of our school community.

Thank you once again for the opportunity to serve you. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to Maxine and Rebecca and our front admin team of Sheridan, Lisa and Brea for the amazing support you have extended to me during my tenure. I walk away with countless memories and a deep appreciation for the unique and vibrant community that is Good Shepherd Catholic School.

I look forward to seeing you all around the school and continuing to support our wonderful
community when I return to my substantive role at TCE.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Rebecca Rowan

School Events 📅 

Have a wonderful week ahead and please come and say talofa or hello when you see me around!

Rebecca Rowan

AAPA

rrowan6@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Religious Education

Pope Francis has proclaimed the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated on the 4^th Sunday in July each year – July 28^th this year. It is marked near the feast of St Joachim and St Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

Let us pray this Sunday for our grandparents, whether they are with us or not. Let us also pray for the elderly in our society, especially those who feel lonely or are unwell.

Catholic Education Week

21 – 27 July 2023

Catholic Education Week will be celebrated in Catholic schools in Queensland from 21 – 27 July 2024.

This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.  

The theme for this year’s celebrations is:  Communities of Faith, Hope and Love.

Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

There are 313 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 154,000 students and employ more than 22,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way.

Our school is planning a number of activities during the week including our Catholic Education prayer reflection on Monday 22^nd July.

Rebecca Kershaw

APRE

rkershaw@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

What's Happening in Year 2

Year 2 students have been gathering, analysing and graphing different samples of data. They have investigated topics such as how many people have birthdays in each month, favourite colours and foods, as well as discovering the most common colour car in the staff car park. For their final task they decided on a question to ask their classmates then interviewed each other to gather the data. They collated the information into tables and then graphs, and finished by creating a digital representation of their graph and answering questions about the information they had collected.

Guidance Counsellor

Hi Everyone,

My name is Marissa. I'm the Guidance Counsellor at Good Shepherd and you can catch me here on a Monday, Tuesday or a Wednesday so please drop in to the wellbeing building for a chat.  Each Newsletter I hope to bring a little information about common issues that arise in our schools in the 21st Century and a link to the School TV site which is an amazing resource that I'd recommend that you all make use of.

This week's topic is Trauma. When children experience trauma, it profoundly disrupts their sense of safety and normalcy, manifesting in significant emotional and behavioural changes. This School TV special report helps parents understand how they can help the recovery of their child/ren who’ve experienced trauma.

Library

2024 Challenge Games - SAVE THE DATE!!!!

The Challenge Games are happening again this year on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th July. It provides two days of fun, friendship and participation in a range of sport and fun activities for school students who have a disability. Activities include running, jumping, throwing and team events plus many other fun/novelty activities. Good Shepherd will be participating again this year and we will be sending information home to those families soon.

Story Dogs

TOWNSVILLE EISTEDDFOD- 2024

If your child has entered in the Townsville Eisteddfod he/she needs to submit the finished item  by Monday, 29th July to Ms Bulmer in 2A. Please record the student's name in pencil on the back of the finished item or attach the name on a separate piece of paper. Please keep in mind the following details: 

Visual Arts (Any medium – Maximum size A3. Should be on paper or art board and unframed. No canvas)

Photography- All prints must be mounted on thin cardboard only. Digital (Size : Min 5” x 7” Max 11” x 14”. Photos to be glued on a backing board.  No framed or matted photos. No enhancements) (If you don’t have backing board the school can do this for you.)

All written work should include a word count at the bottom of the piece and can be no longer than 500 words.

Thank you

Jenny Bulmer (2A Teacher)

Breakfast Club and Running Club

Both Clubs will run every morning. Breakfast Club will run from the Tuckshop from 8:10am and Running Club will be held on the Junior Oval from 8:10am as well.

The Good Shepherd Way

Term 3, Week 1

This week our Good Shepherd Way Gospel in Action value is Community where I connect and engage.

Our Community prayer is below:

Term 3, Week 2

The Good Shepherd Way Gospel in Action for Week 2 will be Compassion where I show care and concern for others.

Our Compassion prayer is below:

The GSCS Way

The GSCS Way is our positive behaviour support program here at Good Shepherd Catholic School.

All in our community are encouraged to:

• Give My Best
• Show Respect
• Compassion and Care
• Safe Responsible and Fair

Each week we focus on a different area of our matrix.

This week we are focusing on: In the Classroom. 

In Term 3, Week 1 we are focusing on: Before School. 

Prep Orientation 2025

Environmental Tips

Tuckshop

Wednesday - Thursday - Friday

Please contact the school office or Ann-Maree at Tuckshop with any enquiries.

CUTOFF time to order TUCKSHOP
from FLEXISCHOOLS
is 8:30am.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ORDERS ARE TO BE PLACED ONLINE AT THE LINK BELOW. Please visit the website to set up your account if you are new to Flexischools.

Flexischool How To Guides for Parents and Caregivers
• Online help is available any time at Flexischools via the link below.
• Phone between 8am - 12pm (AEDST) on weekdays or on the parent phone line (1300 361 769). 

How-To Guides for Parents
Flexischool has spent some time over the holidays developing some quick how-to guides for  parents. If you'd like to see these, please click the link below.
They include: 
•    Introduction to Flexischools;
•    How to Register; 
•    How to Top-Up;
•    How to Place an Order. 

Lost and Found

Teacher Contacts

Parent Portal

If you have any problems accessing please send an email to the school office at rsmssn@tsv.catholic.edu.au. 

The Parent Portal allows you to:

View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
View up to date attendance information for your child
Enter details of upcoming absences or explain past absences or late arrivals for your son or daughter
Access your child’s Semester reports
Make bookings for Parent Teacher Interviews
View a news feed of school announcements, alerts and updates
Provide consent for school events/excursions
Communicate by email with your child’s teachers
Update your contact details (email and mobile phone number).

The parent portal is a web-based system that can be accessed by clicking this link:

An app called Compass School Manager is also available for both iPhones/iPads (via the App Store) and Android phones/tablets (via the Google Play Store). When you have installed the app, search for “Good Shepherd Catholic School – Rasmussen”.
The browser version of the Parent Portal contains more features than the app.  Please click the link below to access the Compass website which has an online guide and video for the Parent Portal.

Community News