Dear families

What a joy it was to gather last fortnight for our Mother’s Day Breakfast! The school was filled with smiles, laughter, and the wonderful buzz of connection as we celebrated the special women in our lives. A heartfelt thank you to the Community Council and all the volunteers who gave so generously of their time to help prepare, serve, and support the event. Your contributions made the morning such a welcoming and memorable one for our whole community.

We also celebrated our Feast Day of Jesus the Good Shepherd, a moment of deep significance for our school. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, reminds us of the importance of compassion, care, and guidance. Just as a shepherd knows each sheep by name and lovingly watches over them, we are reminded of God’s attentive love for every one of us. This feast is a beautiful opportunity to reflect on how we can be good shepherds to one another - offering kindness, support, and inclusion in our school and beyond.

Thank you to all involved in the Walk to School morning last Friday. It was overwhelming to see the number of children, parents, grandparents and staff involved in walking to school.

A reminder that Kindergarten 2026 enrolments are now open. If you have a child who will be starting school in 2026, we encourage you to submit an enrolment form as soon as possible. Early planning helps us ensure a smooth and welcoming start for our new families.

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make our carpark a safer place for everyone. Thank you to those who have been mindful during pick-up and drop-off times. As part of our service program, the Year 5 students are placing the bollards out each afternoon, and we ask all families to remember not to park in unapproved areas. Parking on the red gravel does block the line of sight between children and moving vehicles. Your cooperation in keeping traffic moving around the central carpark, not queueing in front of the bollards, prevents traffic back up and helps us maintain a secure environment. Please also note that the carpark speed limit is 5km/h.

We warmly invite families to attend the Year 4 Showcase this Friday afternoon. Our Year 4 students have prepared something truly special to highlight their learning so far this year, and they are excited to share their creativity, knowledge, and talents with you.

Finally, we ask families to remain attentive to online behaviour at home. We are noticing an increase in after-hours group messaging among older students, which can sometimes lead to unkindness that carries over into the school day. As always, we are committed to supporting students' wellbeing, but the partnership between home and school is vital. By working together, we can guide our children in using technology positively and respectfully.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in the life of our school.

Warm regards,
Trazel

Volunteers needed
The Community Council is in need of volunteers to join our second hand uniform pool roster. We are looking for helpers from 8:30am - 9:30am on Fridays of odd weeks and Wednesdays of even weeks of the school term. You will assist with filling orders and supporting families in their shopping for second hand clothing items. 

If you’re able to volunteer your time on a regular or as needs basis, please email us at gscouncil1@gmail.com. 

Every year at Good Shepherd we ask for volunteers to knit Good Shepherd Bears for pur new kindergarten students. Each child receives a Good Shepherd bear as a welcome to the school. Each bear is different which helps to signify the uniqueness of each one of our new Kindergarten students.

If you would like to knit some Good Shepherd Bears, please contact Taryn Ahern
taryn.ahern@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Patterns are below:
https://gspsamaroo.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/3397/bears_photo_.jpg

During June and July in Canberra, UV radiation levels are low (below 3), and therefore sun protection measures are not necessary. The ACT Cancer Council recommends no hats at school in June and July. Sun hats can be put away but children may wish to wear navy blue beanies, which are most welcome.

What is FREE, FUN and GOOD for the whole family?

Mindful movement—such as yoga, stretching, and mindful walking!

Winter can have a profound impact on our mental health, especially for children, as the shorter days and lack of sunlight often lead to feelings of isolation, sadness, and can bring challenges like increased anxiety or difficulty focusing.

Staying connected to our bodies and minds can make a world of difference to our wellbeing.

So, get the family together and try this Mindful Movement activity.

Getting your child ready for school in the morning can be stressful – school lunches, forgotten permission slips, packing schoolbags – but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 5 tips to help you and your child get a great start to the day!

Early to bed, ready to rise
When your child gets enough sleep, they are more likely to wake up cheerful, energetic and ready to learn at school. If you have to drag your child out of bed in the morning, they might not be getting enough sleep. Check out the Raising Children Network’s great information about sleep for children.

Helping hands
Encourage your child to get themselves ready as much as possible. Instead of doing everything yourself, teach your child to do tasks like brushing their teeth and hair, packing their bag and making their bed. They may not be as fast or as good as you at the beginning, but keep encouraging their independence and responsibility – it will free up time for you to do other things!

Be prepared
Take the pressure out of the morning routine by getting prepared the night before. Anything that doesn’t need to be done in the morning can be done the night before – for example, making lunches, packing bags and reading/signing notes. Remember to encourage your kids to do some of these tasks independently too, such as packing their schoolbag and getting their clothes and shoes ready before they go to bed.

Keep it simple
Try to keep your morning routine as simple as possible on school days. Save non-essential tasks and chores for evenings and weekends when you have more time – folding the laundry and mopping the floor can wait! Try to keep breakfast simple too – quick nutritious options like wholegrain cereals, fruit and yoghurt are great. If the breakfast things are in easy reach, you can encourage your kids to make their own breakfast (and even clean up afterwards!).

Make a plan
Some families find it helpful to develop a morning schedule that puts all these ideas together. It often works well if you involve your children in making the schedule –making a list of the morning tasks, who needs to do what, and what time things
need to be done. Turning your schedule into a chart can help keep your child focused on the things they need to do and encourage them to feel responsible for getting to school on time. You can make your own chart together, or download one from the internet.

Once your child gets into the swing of things, you should find you’ll need to remind less, and praise a lot more – a much more pleasant start to the school day!

For more great tips see https://www.learningpotential.gov.au/

Free pop-up influenza vaccination clinics for young children

The ACT Government is running pop-up influenza vaccination clinics around Canberra in May and June for children aged six months to under five years.

Flu vaccine flyer.pdf

Pop-up influenza vaccination clinics for young children - ACT Government