Shepherd Spy 7 T H F E B R U A R Y W E E K 1 T E R M 1

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1 Shepherd Spy W E E K 1 T E R M 1 7 T H F E B R U A R Y Dear Parents & Carers Good Shepherd Catholic School Amaroo is a companion school to Holy Spirit School Nicholls, and Mother Teresa School Harrison. Together we serve and are served by Holy Spirit Parish Gungahlin. Parish Mass is held every Saturday 6.00pm Sunday 8am; 9.30am and 5.30pm All are welcome to join us. School website office.goodshepherd@ cg.catholic.edu.au Phone Fax Parish Home (Fr Mark Croker and Fiona Wilkinson) A very warm welcome to the 2013 school year! A special welcome to new staff, students and families who are joining the Good Shepherd community for the first time. I hope everyone s time at Good Shepherd will be exciting, rewarding and happy. STAFF 2013 Attached to the Newsletter is the full staff for I would like to acknowledge the dedication of all staff during the last couple of weeks. There have been endless hours of planning programs, updating information and preparing classrooms to ensure that your children have a smooth start to the 2013 school year. Staff have also been involved in professional development, reflection and dialogue to identify learning priorities for this year. A HUGE thank you! NEWSLETTER Please ensure that the Front Office has your most up to date address. Once all s have been updated the Newsletter will only be available via or on the School Website. CALENDAR The 2013 Calendar is available online through the School Website. Having it online will ensure that it is current and always up to date. The Newsletter will continue to highlight up coming events too to ensure that parents and families are fully aware of what is on. SCHOOL UNIFORM Thank you to the many parents who have made that extra effort to send their children to school with the correct school uniform. It is great to see the students wearing their uniform with pride. SCHOOL FEES Information regarding 2013 School Fees was sent home last year. The information is also available on the School Website under the Our School link. FEE REMISSION When families are experiencing financial difficulty, they sometimes approach the school for assistance with the payment of school fees. The school is happy to assist in most genuine cases for a short period of time. To initiate this process we ask you to complete the Application for Fee Remission Budget Sheet (available on the Website) indicating your current financial situation. Each claim must be supported by appropriate documentation. The information must be returned to school as soon as possible. The provided documentation helps the Finance Committee make a determination about appropriate financial assistance. The Good Shepherd Finance Committee, comprising the Principal, Parish Priest, and Community Council Treasurer, will then assesses the information and consider your request on its merits. The application is not shown to anyone else. You will then receive written advice of the outcome of the application. Please note, remissions remain in place only for the school year in which they are arranged. Application must be made each year for a remission request.

2 To be together... A FEW REMINDERS FOR THE START OF THE YEAR! Starting time is 8.55am sharp. Students arriving late will need to be signed in at the Front Office. Supervision commences at 8.35am and NO STUDENT should be at school before 8.35am. Students arriving before 8.35am are unsupervised. Please use before school care if necessary. A student s hair should be cut off their face and, if longer than shoulder length, it must be tied back in an appropriate school coloured band. Hair should also be of natural colour and extreme haircuts are not encouraged. No jewellery should be worn to school and only plain studs, small sleepers and watches are acceptable. No bracelets, bangles, sparkly ear rings, nail polish, make up, etc is allowed. Good Shepherd is a NUT FREE School. Good Shepherd has a NO HAT NO PLAY Policy. Students without a correct school hat will be asked to sit in the Gazebos. Black jogger type school shoes and boots are not part of the school uniform. The only school shoes allowed at Good Shepherd are the traditional or formal leather school shoes. Students with Mobile Phones are asked to switch the phone off and leave it in their bags. If mobile phones are heard or sighted during school time they will be confiscated. The School takes no responsibility for mobile phones. Students who are collected by their parents during the day for appointments must be signed out/in at the Front Office before and after the appointment. Parents visiting the school to assist are also asked to sign in at Front Office and receive a Visitors Badge. Please ensure that the School always has up to date contact and emergency details for your children. Please drive slowly and be vigilant in the carparks. Families with 2 or more children use Drive Thru in the front carpark. 1 child families use Drive Thru in the Church carpark. Disabled parking - please leave the disabled car spaces free for those who need them. Walkers/Bike Riders - Students are to wait at the exit near the Kindergarten block until the teacher on road crossing/bus duty collects them and walks them across the roads. No student should be walking their bikes across the road in the afternoon without supervision Have a good week. Brad Gaynor Principal brad.gaynor@cg.catholic.edu.au Community Council Meeting Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 26th February at 7 pm in the School Staff Room. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to come together as a School Community to discuss how we can improve the school environment for our children. 2 Shepherd Spy

3 School Fees 20 % Discount If you have a child attending either John Paul College, St Francis Xavier, Merici, St Clares or Mary Mackillop you are entitled to a discount of 20%. If you require the discount and have not yet completed the Sibling Discount Form please contact the Front Office and we will forward the form to you. All forms must be completed and returned to school no later than Monday, 11th February Term 1 School Fees will be sent home next week. Payment is due on Friday, 8th March. Fees may be paid by EFTPOS, cash, cheque or BPay. Direct Debit for your school fees is still possible. If you want to consider this form of payment for school fees please discuss with Anne at the office....the heart of God. Toys and personal sporting gear should not be brought to school. Accidental damage and loss is too common in schools. Netball If your daughter is interested in playing Netball for Good Shepherd, registration will be held next Thursday, 14th February in the Media Centre from 3.15 pm to 4.30 pm If your child was administered medication last year for ADHD, asthma or allergies and the medication needs to continue for 2013, you are required to complete a new Request to Dispense Medication form which is available from the front office. If you have any questions please contact Joan at the office. Raising great kids, Strengthening families The Catholic Guy Team will be running a session for parents on Friday 15th, February at 11:30am at Holy Spirit Church. Morning tea will be held before the session at 11:15am This session will be repeated on Tuesday, 19th February at the same time and place. This session runs for 45mins-1hr. Children are able to attend the session with the parents. CHEERLEADING or all new and returning cheerleaders interested in signing up for the 2013 Cheer season, please attend our Cheer Registration Day tomorrow, Friday 8th February in front of the school hall. You can come anytime between 3.30pm and 6.30pm to pick up your information packs, fill out your registration forms, chat with coaches and organise payment. GS Green Team The Good Shepherd Green Team is a small groups of staff and parents who are working towards many short term and long term Improvements in the schools grounds. We are starting to discuss plans and options for the quadrangle and some passive, natural play spaces. Our first meeting of the year will be on Thursday 14 th Feb, at 3:30pm in the Media Room. (We aim to be done in half an hour) All interested parents are welcome to come along and participate. Congratulations to Cecilija (5Donnelly) who participated in the National Futsal Championships in January. Well done! Our Used Uniform Shop (which is located in the Staff Room) will be opened every Wednesday 2.30pm- 3.30pm and Friday 8.30am am commencing next week. Swimming Carnival Our school swimming carnival for Years 3 to 6 will be held next Friday, 15th February at Queanbeyan Pool. Information was sent home earlier this week. All permission notes and participation forms must be returned no later than tomorrow, Friday 8th February. Sports Uniform The children are required to wear their sports uniforms this term on the following days:. Kinder: Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: Year 5: Year 6: Monday and Wednesday Tuesday and Friday 3 Shepherd Spy

4 To be together... STAFF 2013 Principal - Brad Gaynor Assistant Principal - Ursula Jamieson RE Education Coordinator - Luke Maher Coordinators - Sarah Corkhill, Alison Graeber, Craig Hart and Penny Vanzwol Front Office - Joan Jones & Sue Hall Finance Manager - Anne McKenna Kindergarten Sonya Huleatt Ana Manenica Penny Vanzwol Year 1 Tracey Kenna Susan Metcalfe Toni Pfeiffer Kirsty Price Year 2 Sally Hanrahan Di Jones Hayley Oldfield Year 3 Erika Tokich &Vanessa Dunstan Jacinta van Meurs Natalie Zarb Liz Zaja Year 4 Sarah Corkhill Jessica Dittmar Craig Hart Kate Whackett Year 5 Marty Capon Christine Donnelly Alison Graeber Year 6 Stephen Bent Angela Kelly Yolanda Kolek Lani Morrell Learning Support Team Melanie Shannon Ursula Jamieson Peta Dennis Anne Smart Robyn Snowball Teacher Librarian Bernadette Aitken Library Assistant Sue Hall Defence Services Transition Aide Libby Willemsen Leadership Team Release Nicole Rous Arts Release Sally Taurasi Hoda Farhadi ICT Release Luke Maher Sarah McGoram Healthy Lifestyle & Sustainability Michelle Weier Nicole Thorne Chaplain Anne Gilfelt School Counsellor Helen Gunter (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) House Colours Brescia - Blue or Purple Just a reminder Drive Thru Pick Up operates from 3.20 to 3.30 pm each day. Those children who have siblings in our school are to be collected from the main car park at the front of the school; children who are the only members of their family attending Good Shepherd will be collected from the church car park. Cavanagh - Green or White Noolup - Yellow or Orange Patterson - Red or Black Please remember that a number of our students have serious allergies to peanuts. We have agreed as a community we will take care of these children and work together for their safety. Therefore, peanut butter, peanuts and peanut related products should not come to school as part of the children s lunches and snacks. This includes Nutella and all hazelnut-based spreads. Thank you for your support in this matter. 4 Shepherd Spy

5 ...the heart of God. Religious Education Term 1 On the Road to the Heart of God In 2013 our theme for the year is On the Road to the Heart of God. In every aspect of our lives at Good Shepherd we aim to be together the Heart of God in Amaroo. Our Prayer Celebrations will focus on Scripture under the headings of Identity, Relationships and Connections. These being the core principles of Good Shepherd. Through Scripture we will reflect on our mission, as disciples of Jesus, to bring God s love to others in the world. Our Lenten Journey Ash Wednesday - February 13. Mass will be held at 10:00am In Holy Spirit Church Palm Sunday - March 24 Good Friday - March 29 Easter Sunday - March 31 Sacramental News Some important dates for Confirmation - Information Sessions - 5 March Enrolment Mass - 9/10 March Spirit Day - 23 May Confirmation Mass - 28, 29, 30 May Term 1 Prayer Celebrations All of our Prayer Focus Celebrations will be held on a Friday at 9:15am. All family members, and friends of the Good Shepherd community are invited to attend. The Prayer Celebrations for this term are as follows: Week 3 - Jesus the Good Shepherd - 4Hart and 3van Meurs Week 5 - The Baptism of Jesus - 6 Kelly and 2Oldfield Week 7 - Jesus Calls the First Disciples - 3Tokich/Dunstan and 4Corkhill Week 8 (Thursday) & Week 9 (Tuesday) - Holy Week Prayer 5 Shepherd Spy

6 To be together... 6 Shepherd Spy

7 ...the heart of God. 7 Shepherd Spy

8 To be together... 8 Shepherd Spy