Dear Parents and Carers

The special times and events keep rolling on in Term 3! 

Happy Father’s Day

This weekend Father’s Day is celebrated in Australia.  We would like to wish all fathers and parents/carers in each family who love their child or children dearly.  This is the time that the children can show their love back to you.    

 

Wishing you a nice weekend.  Here are some famous quotes of about fathers:

“When my father didn’t have my hand… he had my back.” —Linda Poindexter

"A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely.” —Emile Gaboriau

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” —Jim Valvano

“My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.” ―Clarence Budington Kelland

“My father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.” —Liza Minnelli

“Average fathers have patience. Good fathers have more patience. Great fathers have an ocean of patience.” —Reed Markham

“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” —William Shakespeare

Father’s Day Stall this Friday

Our Community Council has prepared a lovely Father’s Day gift stall for the students this Friday.  Thank you so much for donating items for the stall that can be picked and purchased with love by our students.  Giving to others is a wonderful feeling and this stall helps our students achieve this.  

Students can bring up to $10 in coins or small notes.  The stall will be open for classes to attend with their teachers between 9.00,am-11.00am. Each student will have an opportunity to buy one gift in the first round, then a second gift if stocks allow.  Thank you to our Year 4 parents who have coordinated this event. 

 

Book Fair Thank You

Thank you to everyone who supported the 2024 Book Fair in the library last week.  It was a huge success with many books and accessories purchased by families. It was great to see the smiles on student’s faces as they came out of the Book Fair with a new book, perhaps a bookmark or another little treat.  

Reading is so important for children so hopefully their new purchases will inspire them to read more, read a different genre or author’s work! 

The school retains a small percentage of sales which allows Mrs Dawson to purchase more books for the school library collection.

 

New 2024 Major Fundraiser - Colour Run on Friday 27 September

This year the Community Council has introduced a new major fundraising event in 2024 -  a colour run!  It will be celebrated in Week 10 on Friday 27 September. 

This week sponsorship cards went home with each student. If you can please assist your child to seek some sponsors to support the event and the school. Students' cards will be checked each Thursday with students being rewarded with a uniform free day each Friday.  

This year we are looking to purchase a range of resources for students to enrich their learning and fun at school.  In fact, we are asking the students and teachers to dream about what they would buy if they could!  It’s a bit like a wish list!

Our goal is to raise $14,000 or more to let this happen and I’m sure the wish list will have some really great things on it to benefit many students.  

More information on the colour run will be distributed each week.

You are reminded that the Year 2 Assembly is now scheduled for 2.20pm 18 September (not Friday 27 September).

 

ANNUAL OPEN COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING - Next Wednesday 4 September

Are you interested in finding out more about what is happening at Rosary? Then come along to the Rosary Council annual open meeting on Wednesday 4 September at 5:30pm in the school staff room. You will have the chance to meet the council members and learn about their roles, discuss fundraising along with improvements to the school grounds. Drinks and nibbles will be provided. RSVPs to rosarycouncil@gmail.com are encouraged.

You may not be aware that we currently have 9 parent representatives on our Rosary Community Council.  Many of these parents found out about the Council by attending an open meeting in previous years. It is great to have such a strong representation of parents on our governance team. 

So you are warmly invited to come along to our OPEN COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING next week - no strings attached!

 Sports Finals and End of Netball and Rugby Seasons

I wanted to wish all of the students in our Rosary Netball and Rugby Union teams all the best for the last games of their season and also for any finals they may be playing in soon.  A huge thank you to our coaches, managers, scorers and volunteers that make it possible for Rosary to participate strongly in these competitions. Good luck to all involved. 

 

Save the Date:  Term 3 Student Learning Journey’s - open classrooms

Parents and carers are invited to visit their child’s classroom and specialist subject rooms on Monday 23 September from 8.30am-9.30am (Week 10). This is a great opportunity for your child to showcase the work they have been doing in Term 3.  All classrooms will be open at this time and you are free to come in and look around.  This time allows families with multiple children to get around to each classroom.   

There are no formal report cards or assessment in Term 3 so we would love to have you visit our classrooms.  

Year 5 Wakakirri Success

Congratulations to our Year 5 students on an amazing Wakakirri performance on Monday evening at the Canberra Theatre. I was fortunate to be there to see the wonderful dancing, acting and movement in their Robin Hood based story.  What also struck me were the big smiles on each student’s face as they performed -  they really enjoyed being on stage! The performing arts can do so much to build student’s confidence and self-esteem and we are all so proud of their efforts.

Year 5 picked up a special award for their story being based on the theme of human rights, justice and values in the community. The judge on the night also commented on how beautiful their costumes were and how clear their story/dance was to follow.     

Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped make costumes and support the students.   

Thank you so much Mrs Mogan, Mr Read and Mr O’Brien for preparing this year’s group for their performance. 

 Year 6 ‘Makers Empire’ Teams in STEM Final

All of our Year 6 students have participated in a unique Australian STEM project over the last 2 terms.  It is titled ‘Makers Empire - Kids in Space Project.’  The project has been taught by Mrs Watson in their STEM classes and supported by Mr Evans and Mrs Panagllo in Year 6.  

With support from teachers in their school, students work through the Kids in Space challenge course and design solutions to problems they have identified.  Then some teams are selected for the state/territory final.  One lucky team is then selected to attend the national finals in Adelaide. 

Our Year 6 students have completed their projects in small teams and just this week two Rosary Teams have been selected to attend the State/Territory final at the amazing Caroline Chisholm School Centre on Tuesday 10 September (Week 8).  What a great opportunity this will be! 

As 2024 participants, Rosary School has access to all of the Makers Empire resources and learning materials.  Rosary was also given their own 3D printer which the school will keep after the competition. This is awesome for future STEM work too. 

Here is more information about the project: 

The Andy Thomas Space Foundation and Makers Empire are delighted to announce that Kids in Space, the pioneering national space education program, will be even bigger in 2024.  This year, the Kids in Space program is 45% bigger, with 100+ schools across Australia participating, thanks to new partners coming on board - including iLAuNCH Trailblazer, the Victorian Department of Education, Northern Territory’s Department of Education, Catholic Education South Australia, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools,  and the Milner Road Foundation.

Rosary School is one of only 9 A.C.T. schools to be involved so it is an honour and a privilege to participate.   

Kids in Space is an Australia-first program from The Andy Thomas Space Foundation, project supporter, The Australian Space Agency, and delivery partner, Makers Empire, that engages students in exciting, space-themed STEM learning and design thinking. Kids in Space introduces students to space technology and promotes awareness of job opportunities in the space industry. 

Rosary National Science Week Activities

A reminder students are invited to participate in this new project for 2024.

If you love Science or like animals, plants, birds, insects and living things - then you may wish to participate.  You are invited to research a particular species or living thing that’s existence is threatened or vulnerable and how they are being protected now or can be saved in the future. Be creative - you could make a poster, model, experiment, IT/visual display, prepare a speech or something else.  

Here is the link for more about the theme and to access great ideas and resources: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/schools/

Focus on how Science and human endeavours can try to save one or more of our valued species on Earth.

Science Week launches today Wednesday 14 August (Week 5) at Rosary and your projects or creations are due by Tuesday 10 September (Week 8).  We will give all participants a place to display their project around the school or a chance to present any speech or IT presentation.

This is a home project. Students study a different science theme in class each term or semester.

Please Provide the School with any Parenting Agreements and Custody Arrangements

If your family and children have a particular parenting agreement or custody arrangement in place I ask that you please provide a copy to school for reference. All documents are filed confidentially at school with me (principal). Of particular interest are agreements that use the school as the ‘hand over/swap over’ place or agreements that may limit particular parent or partners access to school or the children on certain days or for events.  Some agreements may also give one parent or partner more parenting responsibilities than the other. These are important things for me and the school to be made aware of. 

Sometimes agreements or court orders do expire and the school does need the current documents to be able to assist students and families.    

Emergency Contacts - it is also very important for the school to have accurate and up to date names and contact details for the person or persons who are your child’s emergency contacts.  

Many thanks.

Split or Combined Classes

In the last two weeks we have experienced more teachers and staff away with illness than usual.  We can often organise a replacement teacher but If we are unable to find an available relief teacher, we have had to split that class for part of a day or whole day to work on set tasks.  We do try to ensure that the same class is not split on consecutive days or too frequently.  If a number of students in that class or cohort are sick as well we might combine classes of the same year level for a session or the day.  This seems to work well and keep the students with their peers.

Thank you for understanding with this process and the current teacher shortage schools are facing.   

God Bless

Greg Walker

Principal

• Father’s Day Stall - Friday 30 August (Year 4 parents organising)
• Community Council - Open Meeting Wednesday 4th September
• North Gunghalin Track & Field Day (AIS) Thursday 5th September
• Year 4 Mass (Holy Rosary Church) Friday 6th September at 10am
• Fire Education Visit (Kindergarten) Friday 6th September
• Kindergarten Excursion Questacon Wednesday 11th September
• Year 1 Assembly (School Hall) Friday 13th September at 2.20pm
• Confirmation Mass (Holy Rosary Church) Friday 13th September at 5.30pm
• ACT 12 & U Track and Field Championships (Woden) Tuesday 17th September
• Year 6 Mass (Holy Rosary Church) Friday 20th September at 10am
• Kindergarten Assembly (School Hall) Friday 20th September at 2.20pm
• Learning Journeys Monday 23rd September 
• Colour Fun Run Friday 27th September
• Last day of Term 3 Friday 27th September
• Term 4 Commences Monday 14th October 

What an incredible Book week we’ve had! There were many highlights throughout the week for our students. One of which was, our much-anticipated Book Week Parade. Our students truly brought their favourite stories to life, dressing up as characters from many different books, the creativity and enthusiasm on display was amazing. Thank you to all students and families for their enthusiasm and helping their children to have a special costume to share at our parade.

At our special Book Week assembly, the students were treated to a mesmerising performance by a magician, who left everyone in awe with his spellbinding tricks. It was a perfect way to end the week and to celebrate the theme ‘Reading is Magic!’

I would also like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who supported the Book Fair this year. Your purchases helped us to achieve a percentage of sales being returned to the library in books and resources. We are so grateful for your support- it makes a real difference in promoting a love of reading among our students.

I would like to thank our amazing Rosary staff for their efforts in dressing up for the parade and for all their help and support. A special mention goes to Nicole Arndt, Sarah Nascimben, Sandy Vincent, Rachel McKerrow and our dedicated team of library monitors who all helped behind the scenes to make this week a truly magical Book Week celebration.

Jodie Dawson

The Rosary Father’s Day stall is THIS FRIDAY. Please remember to send your child with some cash (coins or small notes) so they can buy a gift for their father/parent/carer. Gifts will be priced at $10 and under.

All proceeds from the stall will go to the Rosary Community Council to put towards improvements for the school such as the current oval works.

Thank you to all families for their help in making this event a success through generous donations of small gifts for sale at the stall. The gifts have been bundled and lovingly presented by our Year 4 parent volunteers. Please note, in the interest of sustainability, most gifts will be sold tied with a pretty curled ribbon. Where possible, the organisers have tried to avoid cellophane and plastic wrapping.

Wishing all Rosary families a Happy Father's Day!

From the Year 4 Father's Day Stall organisers

Wow, what a fantastic response we've had to the launch of this year's major fundraiser! Thank you to all our students and their families who are embracing the Colour Run event idea and are sharing their excitement about all the upcoming possibilities.

We've already had questions about what to name the future Rosary Chickens! We've had donations come in from near and far and are so grateful to our wonderful community. 

A special shout out to Year Six London and Athens students and their families who have fundraised many, many times for Rosary and are STILL getting behind us and showing the school how it's done. Thank you. 

We hope the students enjoy tomorrow's well deserved uniform free day. Four weeks to go! 

Ps. Asking a Favour... If any of our families have access to hay bales that we could please borrow (to help line our Colour Run route on the oval), please email the front office at office.rosaryps@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Thank you.

Are you interested in finding out more about what is happening at Rosary? Then come along to the Rosary Council annual open meeting on Wednesday 4 September at 5:30pm in the school staff room. You will have the chance to meet the council members and learn about their roles, discuss fundraising along with improvements to the school grounds. Drinks and nibbles will be provided. RSVPs to rosarycouncil@gmail.com are encouraged.

Whole Day Absences

If your child is absent from school for a whole day or longer, please submit details of the absence via the Parent Portal. This should be completed within 7 days of the absence.  There is no need to adjust times for whole day absences.

If your child will only be absent for a partial day, the absence will be recorded as your child is signed in or out via the kiosk at the front office. You do not need to add an early pick up or late drop off via the Parent Portal.

Unexplained absences for your child will be displayed on your homepage when you log in to Parent Portal.

If an unexplained absence appears that you believe to be incorrect, please send an email to the front office for investigation.

Access to the clothing pool will now be as follows:

Monday - Friday - Before and after school only

Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who maintain the space for our community.

Please note: All donations of preloved uniforms (in good wearable condition) are welcome at the front office.

There are many extracurricular activities available onsite for our Rosary Students.  Please note all of these activities attract a fee and are delivered by external providers.  Please see the timetable below for details:

• French Lessons - Monday 3.10pm - 4.20pm (continuing) / Wednesday 8.00am - 9.00am (beginner)
• Action Tae Kwon-Do - Monday 6.30pm Children class / 7:30pm Adult class
• Chess Club - Tuesday 3.10pm - 4.30pm (Weeks 1-9)
• Zanshin Martial Arts - Tuesday 6.30pm Junior class / 7:30pm Senior class
• Artkids - Thursday 3.15pm - 5.00pm
• Italian Lessons - Friday 8:00am - 9:00am (beginner) 
• Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - Friday 8:20am and during class time throughout the day
• Block Crafters - Tuesday and Wednesday Week 2 - Coding and Robotics After School Programme for interested students aged 8-12 years 
• Dance Club - PLAY - The Dance Agency - Tuesdays at Lunchtime from Weeks 2-10 - Kinder to Year 4

Please contact the school if you require further information.

Canteen Menu

The School Counsellor is at Rosary all day Mondays and Tuesdays during each school term.

How to make an appointment

If your child was seen by the School Counsellor last year and you would like them to receive support in 2023, we require you to complete a new counselling registration form. Please either contact your child’s class teacher or Greg Walker- the Principal for further information.

Similarly, new referrals and requests can be made by contacting your child’s class teacher or Greg Walker- the Principal for further information.

Parent consent for counselling continues to be required for all primary school students and will be sought and provided via email. Where parents are separated, we require the written consent of both parents. Once the referral has been received by myself- School Counsellor- I will make contact with parents on my next day at Rosary to further discuss the referral.

More about School counselling/how to access school counselling at Rosary Primary School

As part of the pastoral care program for students at Rosary, students have access to a Student and Family Counselling service provided by MaryMeadCatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn (MCCG). MCCG are contracted by the CEO to provide a counselling service to students and their families on site. There is no fee to access this service. The service offers short term counselling support (roughly up to six sessions per referral issue) to children and their families – the counsellor can also provide referrals for more complex issues requiring intensive or long term therapy/support.

The role of the counsellor is to focus on the emotional, social and educational well-being of the students. Counsellors welcome contact with students having difficulty with some part of their life, the problem does not have to be a big one. It is better to seek help sooner rather than later. Some typical

concerns that counsellors work with include: anger, anxiety, behavioural problems, low mood, family changes/separation, grief and loss, learning and educational challenges, parenting challenges, peer and other social relationships, school avoidance, stress and study skills. As well as individual sessions with students, counsellors can run groups, consult with parents and teachers and make referrals to other services and supports.

Student and Family Counsellors subscribe to a set of professional ethics that include duty of care and respect for the individual rights to privacy and confidentiality. The counsellors’ obligation is to ensure the safety, well-being and confidentiality of the student they are working with. All counsellors are mandated to report any disclosure or sign of abuse (including self-harm) or neglect to Child Protection Services. Outside of our mandated requirements, all counselling sessions are confidential and the details will not be discussed with other parties unless written consent is given by the client.

Sarah Foley- is onsite at Rosary Mondays and Tuesdays during term.

Covid and Cold and Flu season are now upon us. To assist in preventing the spread of illness, we seek your co-operation keeping children at home if they are unwell and regularly reminding children about basic hygiene practices including:

Hand Hygiene: frequent washing of hands with soap and water. Using hand sanitizer where apporpriate.

Coughing/Sneezing Etiquette: covering of the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, disposing of the tissue in the bin and washing hands. Alternatively, coughing into the elbow.

We thank you for your cooperation with this important health and safety matter.