5 October 2022

From the Desk of the Principal

Welcome back to the final term of 2022! I trust you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday break .

We have had a hive of activity taking place at school over the break with some exciting projects beginning and coming to an end. Temporary fencing has been erected around our Year 5 classrooms (I Block) as an additional classroom is being constructed and the two existing classrooms are refurbished. Our Year 5 classes have relocated to the stage area of the BBC for the remainder of the year while this work is carried out. It is anticipated the work will be completed for the commencement of the 2023 school year. Our groundsman Jason and his band of helpers have also been working on creating an additional play space adjacent to the Shelter Shed. This area will include some additional handball courts and play spaces and is anticipated to be completed in the coming weeks. Our Junior Playground is almost here too! Temporary fencing will be erected on 13 October with installation to commence on Monday 17 October. It is anticipated installation will be completed within the week. 

Mrs Donna Moate advised us over the break that she will not be returning this term. Mrs Sharon Griffey will be teaching 6A for the remainder of 2022. This week we also welcomed Mrs Michelle Weaver as our new Prep-Year 4 Teacher. 2023 planning and allocation of class teachers is well and truly underway. We will be communicating this information later this term.

This week we are celebrating Good Shepherd Day. Parents and Friends are invited to join us for our Liturgy, Rainbow Run and Missions Fete. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Glenda Scrase

Principal

gscrase1@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Religious Education

THE ROSARY

October is the month of the Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on the 7th October. The word Rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolise the Virgin Mary. The Rosary is a devotion in honour of Mary. The Holy Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the awesome story of our salvation. With the Rosary in fact we meditate the mysteries of joy, of sorrow and the glory of Jesus and Mary.

For a guide to saying the Rosary please check out –

https://cam.org.au/catholic-faith/prayers/how-do-i-pray-the-rosary/

The month of October is devoted to the Missions. During this time, we have an opportunity to act in solidarity through fundraising, prayerful support, awareness and advocacy.  Catholic Mission is one of the organisations that our Diocese has chosen to support.

SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER is MISSION SUNDAY. It’s the one Sunday in the year when the entire global Church comes together to support mission. And every single donation from these worldwide Masses goes to support churches, hospitals, schools and vocations in countries where the Church is new, young or poor.

Every Catholic community, in every country, sends a powerful message of faith, hope and love on this special day.

What’s happening at GSCS?

• Friday 7 October – Mini Fete 1:30 to 2:30pm in the shed to raise funds for Catholic Mission
• Friday 7 October – Good Shepherd Day Liturgy in the Community Centre at 9am

Class teachers will be in contact with parents soon regarding the Mini Fete and which stalls each class will run. Children are encouraged to bring $5.00 to spend on the day if they can and maybe a bag to put their items in. Parents are welcome to attend the Liturgy and Mini Fete.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD WAY

The Good Shepherd Way is our Gospel in Action here at Good Shepherd Catholic School. It encourages students to live out the following ten values by thriving to follow the action associated with it:
•    Community - I connect and engage
•    Compassion - I show care and concern for others
•    Endeavour - I challenge myself to do my best
•    Hope - I see good all around me
•    Inclusion - I involve and accept others
•    Justice - I make right choices
•    Love - I share my good heart with others
•    Reconciliation - I am fair, forgiving and respectful
•    Service - I help and respond to the needs of others
•    Stewardship - I care for all of creation
Each week we focus on one of these values and an award is presented at assembly to a student in each class who has demonstrated the value that week.

This week we are focusing on Community. 

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them..” Matthew 18:20

Rebecca Kershaw

APRE

rkershaw@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal Administration

Welcome Back
Welcome to Term 4! This term is only 9 weeks long and is jam-packed full of exciting learning experiences and activities for our students. Highlights this term will include Good Shepherd Day, Mini Fete and Rainbow Run this week; Book Fair; Year 5 camp; swimming lessons for our Prep to Year 2 students in weeks 5 and 6; and Life Education for our Year 5 and 6 students. Annual celebrations such as our Semester 2 Awards Ceremony, Christmas Concert and Year 6 Rite of Passage will also be significant events in the calendar.
While it promises to be a busy term, I encourage you to also take the time to relax a little, spend quality time with your children (read a book, play a game, or just sit and stargaze), and enjoy the next few weeks.
Online Gaming
The latest online game and what level they’ve achieved is a common topic of conversation among
students. Young people might have a lot of fun playing online games, but parents and carers need to make sure they empower their child to make wise decisions and help them manage the risks.
Numerous games can help your child become more coordinated, adept at problem-solving and
multitasking, and help them develop social skills through online interaction with other players.
However, its also critical to comprehend what may go wrong and what might be harmful to your child. Carers need to play an active role in understanding and being aware of what their young
person is playing online and who they are interacting with. That can be easier said than done, especially if you consider yourself not to be very tech-savvy, or you are not involved in gaming yourself. SchoolTV has recruited a number of experts in psychology, internet addiction, gaming and child development to discuss a range of issues around online gaming. To see their special report, click here or look for “online gaming” on the SchoolTV page (accessed via the Students tab on the GSCS website).

Maxine Nolan

APA

mnolan@gstsv.catholic.edu.au

What's Happening In Our Year 6 Classes?

At the end of Term 3, our Year 6 students were working very closely with compound words. They have been identifying the simple high frequency words that they can often find inside the larger more complex words they have been learning. Students have also been focussing on the changing of suffixes and prefixes. The students played a matching game where they changed different suffixes and prefixes and noted  how changing them can often alter the meaning of the base words.

Awards For The Week

Birthdays Being Celebrated This Week!!

~Kail(3A)~Lacey(3A)~Logan(3C)~Annabella(4A)~Liam(4A)~Harriet(4C)

~Bryton(5B)~Ethan(6A)~Jarrod(6A)~Jordie(6B)~Jonathan(6B)         

Assembly

This week we are celebrating Good Shepherd Day. There is no Assembly. Parents and Caregivers are invited to join us for our Good Shepherd Day Liturgy in the Community Centre at 9:00am.

The Good Shepherd Way

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

Our Community 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: Before School, Pick Up Zone.

Library News

Rainbow Run - Parent Letter

Our Rainbow Run will be held this Friday. Please find attached the information letter about what your child will need to bring. Only return the bottom section if you do not wish your child to participate.

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

If you have any problems accessing please send an email to the school office at rsmssn@tsv.catholic.edu.au or call the office on 4774 0477.

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.

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

Weeds destroy the environment by displacing native vegetation and replacing food sources and habitats for native animals.  Aquatic weeds choke waterways and wetlands.  Weeds can destroy our enjoyment and recreational use of natural areas. Be a Weedbuster and stop the invasion.

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