25 May 2022

From the Desk of the Principal

Tomorrow is National Sorry Day. Every year on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’. It is the day before we begin commemorating National 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. This year's theme is "Be Brave. Make Change" and challenges us all to be brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can make change for all.

Due to many of our students participating in the Bill Nettle Rugby League and NQ Netball challenges on Friday we will holding a Reconciliation Week Liturgy on National Sorry Day. We hope you can all join us in the Community Centre tomorrow from 9:00am. Our students will also be participating in a range of Reconciliation Week activites next week.

Townsville Catholic Education is working with all schools within the Diocese to improve the education experience provided to our students. As a way to gain this feedback, all staff and families within our school communities have been sent a survey to shape the future directions of our schools. Your responses are very important in this process as we continue to strive to provide the best educational, social, spiritual and emotional resources and environment for our children. The surveys were distributed via email on Friday 20 May and we ask that they are completed by Friday 10 June. If you have children and/or work at more than one Catholic school, you will receive a survey for each school. Thank you in advance for providing feedback and assisting us to improve our school.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Glenda Scrase

Principal

gscrase1@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Religious Education

The Ascension of the Lord – Sunday 29th May

This Sunday we will be celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. The word "ascension" means "going up". According to the story told in the Bible, Jesus ascended (went up) to heaven. This was seen by his apostles. The holiday is celebrated forty days after his resurrection. The story tells that Jesus' body went to heaven, and that in heaven he sits at the right-hand side of God the Father.

This celebration is meaningful for all Christians because it tells the story of Christ’s entrance into heaven and foreshadows our resurrection and glorification as believers. 

It also looks forward to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and beginning of the church. The Ascension is a big moment worth celebrating!

Reminders

Rebecca Kershaw

APRE

rkershaw@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Administration

Respectful Language
One of the challenging behaviours parents and schools deal with is swearing and other disrespectful language. Often as parents, carers and educators, we are horrified and wonder “where they heard that”.
According to SchoolTV, it is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language around them. It is becoming more common for them to hear derogatory terms or offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music. Proliferating the use of such language can sometimes normalise, glamorise and sanitise their impact, taking their meaning out of context. Words can be misconstrued to be hurtful, racist, homophobic, misogynistic or even discriminatory. Using disrespectful language is considered socially unacceptable, and if not addressed early, can become a serious problem.
The use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is actually a form of verbal violence. It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity. Therefore, many schools enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to such language. Parents and carers also need to play an important role in enforcing this approach by proactively monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to and discussing the use of words or their origin. This can help prevent inappropriate or disrespectful language being used in the classroom, school yard or other situations.
Whilst some students may use swearing or derogatory terms for attention seeking purposes, others may use it simply because they are still learning how to moderate their language. As young people develop their language skills, it is important for them to have a clear understanding of the impact of their choice of words on others and how their words can impact other people’s perspective of them - an important and essential skill to learn as they progress in their personal and professional development.
For more information on how to encourage respectful language, go to SchoolTVs special report on the topic by clicking the below link, or from the Students tab on the School website.

Parent Portal
As mentioned previously, the Compass Parent Portal has now been opened to parents of Good Shepherd Catholic School. Each parent is issued with an individual login name and password for the parent Portal. Please contact the school office if you have difficulty logging on to the Parent Portal. It is important to have access, as from this semester, student report cards will be made available on the Portal, and not provided as a hard copy.

Maxine Nolan

APA

mnolan@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

What's Happening In Our Deadly Learners?

Learning about Indigenous culture has been a great way for all our students to understand identity and culture. The big focus this term has been around the importance of recognising, commemorating and celebrating significant Indigenous events.

In our classes, we have been learning about the many events that occur throughout the year including Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day. This week marks the start of National Reconciliation Week. The theme this year is ‘Be Brave, Make Change’. It is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.
In the coming weeks, we will explore Mabo Day and Naidoc Week. Tomorrow we will be holding a Reconciliation Liturgy in the Community Centre at 9.00am. You are all welcome to attend.

Awards For The Week

Birthdays Being Celebrated This Week

~Elloise(PrepB)~Calum(2C)~Lachlan(2C)~Romeo(3A)~Jaxon(4C)~Ally(5B)~Melanie(6A)  

Assembly

3C & 4B will be presenting our Assembly this Friday in the BBC at 8:40am.

Our lucky Praise Note winners last week were: Mason(PrepA), Willow(1C), Maddison(2A), Beau(3A), Angelica(4C), Cooper(5B), Hayden(6B), Piper(6B).  

The Good Shepherd Way

This week our Good Shepherd Way Gospel in Action value is Justice where we make right choices.

Our Justice 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: At The Library.

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.

Parent Portal

Parent Portal

Each parent is issued with an individual login name and password for the parent Portal. You should have received an email with these details. 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. 

Library News

Eisteddfod 2022

The Townsville Eisteddfod, held each year in September, is a great way for children of all ages to showcase their talents. 

Students who enjoy writing, art or photography are encouraged to enter one of the following sections: Poetry, Creative Writing, Functional Writing, Visual Arts, Media, Photography (Digital). 

Entry Fee is $8 per entry and is due Wednesday, 1st June.  Finished work is not due until Wednesday,  3rd August. If you are interested, would like to enter or want more information, please see Geraldine Feaver (4A).

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.

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. 

Environmental News

By using a reusable bag, you are not only reducing the amount of non-renewable resources necessary to produce plastic bags, but you’re also reducing the amount of money your community spends on clean up costs each year. Their durability also prevents them from ripping or tearing.

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