11 June 2025

From the Desk of the Acting Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are now down to our last two weeks and our school keeps growing from strength to strength. This week I entered our school in the Townsville Catholic Primary Schools Spelling Bee Competition. I visited each class from Years 3 - 6 and gave them a pretest of twenty words to see who would represent our school. We are only allowed to enter 2 students from each year level and it was a very difficult decision. These students will compete at Marian Catholic School on the 14th August.

This Friday we see the start of our Athletics Carnival. We will begin the day with a short  Assembly with Year 1B presenting. We will move onto the ovals for our field events. Please come along if you are available and having spectators certainly adds to the excitement of competition.

Behaviour Management

Last week we rolled out our traffic light system for behaviour management. The major change being that parents are notified when their child may not be following the Good Shepherd Way. Parents are notified of the range of strategies employed by the teacher and school officer to try to cajole the student back to the agreed expectation of the Good Shepherd Way’s behaviour. The email will also document the consequence given for continuing to make the wrong choice. Evidence shows us over and over, that It is not the severity of the consequence, as each situation needs to be investigated and the lead up to the behaviour understood, but the certainty of a consequence.

Consequences range from having a conversation with me the Principal, to moving to another desk and space in the classroom, to a walk and talk with their classroom teacher on duty, missing out on play to spending time in the office with me through to internal and external suspensions.

The aim is to capture and curb the behaviour before it escalates and it is hoped by opening up communication between classroom and home, parents are informed directly and immediately and conversations can be held at home to support and improve a child's behaviour in the classroom, as everyone student has the right to learn, be safe and be included.

Curriculum

As we draw towards the end of the term there are some changes implemented diocesean wide for our report cards. Please see the summary below.

• Learning Area Statements have replaced Learning Area Comments. These statements will outline the key learning undertaken during the semester for each subject area.
• Application to Learning will be reported on a 4-point scale (Needs Attention, Satisfactory, Very Good, Excellent), reflecting your child's effort, response to feedback, and interest in learning.
• Reports will clearly indicate that the "Working With" level (Prep-Year 2) or "C" level (Years 3-6) represents the expected end-of-year achievement standard.
• For Prep students, assessment and reporting will focus on English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, and Religion. While other learning areas are taught, they will not be formally reported on.
• Each report will include one personalised general comment from your child's classroom teacher.

Changes to Prep Curriculum
Beginning in 2025, we are implementing new time allocations for learning areas across all year levels, with a notable change in the Preparatory year: Provided learning areas (taught, assessed, and reported on): English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, and Religion. Experienced learning areas (taught and monitored, but not formally assessed or reported on): Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts (including Music), Technologies, and Languages (if provided).This change aligns with Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) guidelines and allows for a more focused approach to literacy and numeracy development in these foundational years.

Reports will be sent on Friday 27th June at 3.00pm through the Parent Compass Portal. Parent and Teacher interviews will take place in Week Two next term on Tuesday 22nd July and Wednesday 23rd July 3.15 - 5.45pm. These interview bookings will be made through the Parent Compass Portal. You will receive an invitation to make your booking on Monday 30th June - the first Monday of the holiday. If you are having difficulty, please contact the office in the first week of term three and the office ladies will be able to assist you.

A point to remember - Attending school and being on time matters - every day every minute counts!

Religious Education

Pentecost Sunday - Year C  7th and 8th June 2025

The shirt off their back . . . It has been more than a week since her husband’s funeral.  

The children have all returned to their homes; the legal paperwork required has been completed; she’s made headway on the thank you notes.

Now comes the toughest job of all. Cleaning out his closet. She begins packing up his suits and boxing up his sweaters. She puts aside a few ties and sports shirts the boys might want. As she moves through his things, she comes across his flannel shirt. He would wear it around the house on cold days. He last wore it the day before he went into hospital. And so she put it on, holding it close to her. It still smelt like him. And for the moment she feels his arms around her again. Scent can be a comforting and reassuring sense.  Psychologists call it “olfactory comfort.” 

A nurse in Minnesota noticed that a child who was feeling intense separation anxiety was reassured by a garment with his mother’s smell. So the nurse invented a soft shirt that could easily be converted into a blanket. The idea is that mum would wear the shirt next to her skin for a few hours before heading off to work or out for the evening, and the baby, now wrapped in her scent, will be less anxious and upset when she steps out the door.  

Mothers whose children have left for college report going into their old bedrooms, closing the door, and inhaling the smell of feeling close to their absent kids. Such scents can be the assurance that we are loved despite the absence, that a part of the missing beloved remains.

It is the Spirit of God that makes us the Church.  In Hebrew, the word for “Spirit” is ruah, meaning “breath” or “wind.”  Ruah is the constant presence of God, God’s “scent” embracing us in his compassion and mercy, God’s “breath” giving life to our hearts and souls to do the Christ-like work of reconciliation and peace, God’s vision illuminating our perception enabling us to realise God’s presence in everyone and everything. Like the reassuring scent of a beloved’s shirt, the Spirit of God surrounds us in every act of kindness and generosity.  Pentecost celebrates God’s inviting us into the life of his Spirit, drawing us into communion with him, filling our own spirits with the “scent” of his divinity. To be a disciple of the Risen One is to be attuned to the direction of God’s Spirit: the ruah of God within us that animates us to imitate Christ’s attitude of selfless servanthood, bringing the Spirit’s life and love into our broken world.

Act Justly, Love Tenderly and Walk Humbly with God.  Micah. 6:8

Warm Regards, 
Annette Poulsen
Acting Principal 

apoulsen2@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Religious Education

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a religious Christian feast that was celebrated on Thursday June 19th.

Mainly celebrated by Roman Catholics, the feast occurs in either late May or early June, on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday (60 days after Easter).

Corpus Christi, meaning ‘the body of Christ’ in Latin, celebrates the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the actual body of Christ during Mass.

In some countries not only is the feast celebrated in mass but they also parade the streets with the consecrated wafer as a public show that the sacrifice of Christ was for the salvation of the whole world.

Rebecca Kershaw

APRE

rkershaw@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

Library

Story Dogs

A Message from our Finance Secretary

School Fees Reminder

Please be advised that school fees were due on 23rd May. We extend our sincere gratitude to all parents and guardians who have made their payments promptly, as well as to those who have established or continue to maintain payments through a direct debit arrangement. To ensure your account is accurate, we kindly ask all families to verify that any applicable health care cards and multi-school discounts have been correctly recorded and applied.

Support for Families

At Good Shepherd, we recognize that financial circumstances can change, and we are committed to supporting all families to ensure that every student has access to a quality education. If you are experiencing financial hardship or have concerns regarding fee payments, we encourage you to reach out to our school office. Discussions can be arranged to explore a range of assistance options, including flexible payment plans, fee reductions, or other forms of support. Our priority is to work collaboratively with families to find solutions that best meet their individual needs.

Let us remember that as a community rooted in Christ’s love, no family should feel alone or unsupported. Please reach out to arrange a confidential appointment. Together, we can find a way forward in hope and solidarity.

Kind Regards

Danielle Jacobson

djacobson1@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

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 2, Week 9

This week our Good Shepherd Way Gospel in Action value is Service where I help and respond to the needs of others.

Our Service prayer is below:

Term 2, Week 10

The Good Shepherd Way Gospel in Action for Week 10 will be Stewardship where I care for all of creation.

Our Stewardship 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: Moving around the school. 

In Term 2, Week 10 we are focusing on: At assembly and the Community Centre. 

Enrol for 2026

Tuckshop

Dates to Remember

Lost and Found

Teacher Contacts

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:

Community News