2 June 2021

From the Desk of the Principal

Over the last week we have been commemorating Reconciliation Week - a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Thank you to Mrs Bell and our Deadly Team for their beautiful liturgy to commemorate this.

On Monday I attended the Safe Persons Training along with Mrs Nolan and Mrs Bell. The agenda included how to identify and respond to sexual behaviours and sexual abuse and indicators and strategies around grooming. It has become more common for grooming to occur in online situations. I cannot stress to you enough to please not allow your children to be on social media sites without adequate supervision and support. The majority of these sites require users to be 13 years of age so our students should not even be on them. Please refer to Mrs Nolan's column for more information.

On Friday this week I will be on Palm Island attending the Obe Geia Rugby League Challenge with our students. A special thanks to two of our Dads - James Tapau and Richie Ryan for their help and assistance in preparing our team. I will also be absent on Monday and Tuesday next week as I will be attending Principal Meetings.  Please be sure to contact Judy Bell (Prep to Year 2) or Maxine Nolan (Year 3 to 6) with any queries you may have during my absence. Thanks and enjoy the rest of your week.

Glenda Scrase

Principal

gscrase1@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Religious Education

GSCS celebrated the start of Reconciliation Week 2021 with a beautiful liturgy.

Congratulations to the Deadly Learners who led us in prayer and song.

More than a word.  Reconciliation takes action.

This Thursday is the Feast of Corpus Christi – a time to celebrate the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the gift of your life;
Your body and blood given for us.
Help us to remember that in the 
blessed bread and wine, 
you are truly present with us.
By joining with you in the Eucharist,
                                                          may we enjoy your presence,
                                                         gain strength, grace and energy,
                                                         and do your will in the world.
                                                        Amen.

Judy Bell

APRE
jbell17@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Administration

TikTok, Discord, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook…we are inundated with social media sites, and our children often know more about them than we do! How do you know who your child is “talking” to online? What if someone is saying inappropriate things to them? Cybersafety is something that all parents should be concerned about, but many feel overwhelmed, uninformed, or just plain confused about how to protect their children online. 
Most social media sites have an age restriction of 13, yet many younger students have their own accounts and can be exposed to inappropriate language, images and discussions, and cyberbullying. The eSafety Commission makes the following suggestions to help if your child is experiencing cyberbullying: 
•    Listen, think, stay calm — talk to them about what happened, try to remain open and non-judgemental, ask them how they feel and ensure they feel heard. 
•    Collect evidence — it is a good idea to collect evidence, such as screenshots, of the bullying behaviour, in case you need to report it later on. 
•    Block and manage contact with others — advise your child not to respond to bullying messages and help your child block or unfriend the person sending the messages. 
•    Report to site or service — many social media services, games, apps and websites allow you to report abusive content and request that it is removed.
•    Report to eSafety — if serious cyberbullying is affecting your child and you need help to get the material removed from a social media service or other platform you can make a cyberbullying report to us. 
•    Get help and support — check in with your child regularly about how they are feeling. If you notice any changes that concern you, get help through a counselling or online support service.

There are also a number of controls that can be put in place to help keep young people safer online. The Federal Government's eSafety Commissioner has some free live webinars around this topic which may be of interest, with one scheduled for 8 June (12.30pm -1.30pm) and another on 16 June (7.30pm-8.30pm). You can register for FREE at the below website:

I would also recommend that all parents take time to explore the eCommision website. It has a range of information for all ages from preschool to young adult, activities, books, tips for having difficult conversations and all things cybersafety. Click on the link below to access the website:

Maxine Nolan

APA

mnolan@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

What's Happening in Our Year 1 Classes

We have been very busy in Year 1 this term. The students learnt all about Mini Beasts and their habitats, and then had to design and create a bug catcher. Thank you to all the parents that were able to join us for our Bug Catcher making.
The Queensland Fire and Rescue team from Kirwan visited the Year 1 students for Fire Education. They went through what to do in a fire: Get Down Low and Go Go Go! If someone was to catch fire, the students learnt they have to Stop! Drop! Roll! Cover their faces. The students also had a turn at using the fire hose!

Awards For The Week

Birthdays For This Week

~ Jasmine    2B                                ~ Jacob     3B                                     ~ Sienna     3B                       

Assembly

1C will be presenting our Assembly this Friday in the BBC at 8:40am.

Our lucky Praise Note winners for last week were: Keeley (PrepA), Maddison (1A), Charlee (2B), Vincent (3A), Lily (4B), Talei (5A) and Dakota (6B).

The Good Shepherd Way

This week our Good Shepherd Way Gospel in Action value is Love where we are encouraged to share our good heart with others.

Our Love prayer is also 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 Give My Best: Oval, Library, Toilet Tuckshop and Office.

Congratulations to Willow, Zac and Noah who were our GSCS Way VIPs last week.

FACE (Family And Community Engagement) Network News

Thank you to everyone who supported and returned our Rotary Raffle tickets.

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 July at 7:00pm in the Staffroom.

Just a Reminder - Service Road

Please do not drive down the service road of our school at any time unless prior permission has been given. This includes driving to and from OSHC. We thank you for your continued cooperation with this matter.

Library News

On behalf of Good Shepherd Catholic School thank you to the school community for supporting the Book Fair held in Week 5.  The total sales allowed the school to earn $1500 in Rewards that will go towards providing students with access to more books and learning resources in the library and classrooms.
“Book Fairs help your school stock up on resources to enrich your children's education.”

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually and every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 21st successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.
This year NSS took place on Wednesday 19 May 2021 with the Preps and Year 1C joining me and Una in the school library to read Give Me Some Space , written and illustrated by Philip Bunting. 
Una dreams of a life in Space. Life on Earth is just so so-so. But how will she get there? And will she complete her mission to discover life in Space? And did she remember to feed Neil the goldfish?"
Philip's work deliberately encourages playful interaction between the reader and child, allowing his books to create a platform for genuine intergenerational engagement and fun.
He believes that the more fun the child has during their early reading experiences, the more likely they will later find joy in reading and learning. 

Mrs Brennan delighted students with her theatrical talent in the library while other classes tuned in to watch astronaut, Dr Shannon Walker read this amazing book from the International Space  Station.

Mary-Anne Cameron

Librarian

Running Club

Running Club is back each Tuesday and Thursday on the oval and is open to all year levels and age groups. Can you help us get to Tokyo for the Olympics?

Have You Enrolled For Prep 2022 Yet?

Students turning 5 by 30 June 2022 are invited to enroll for Prep 2022. Applications are available from our School Office. Alternatively they can also downloaded from our website at https://www.gstsv.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/enrolment-package/

Tuckshop

Wednesday - Thursday - Friday

Please place your order with Flexischool no later than 8:30am on the day you wish to order. You will find a menu on our webpage. If you wish to place an order of cupcakes for your child's birthday please place your order the week before.

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.

Environmental Tips

5th June – World Environment Day 
Each year, 5th June is set aside as World Environment Day. It's a day to remind us of our interconnectedness to the earth and the importance of caring for our earth. As the Native American Indians say, "We do not inherit the earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children".

Upcoming Events

Teacher Contacts

Community News