Dear Parents and Carers,

Think U Know

Rosary Primary School will be hosting a ThinkUKnow presentation on 31st March 2025 at 6pm in the Rosary Primary School Library and all parents, and carers are encouraged to attend. This session is designed to help parents and caregivers better understand the digital world our children are navigating, and to provide valuable tools for keeping them safe online.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about young people and the online environment, and how you can help them to be safe and responsible users of technology.
For more information, you can visit www.thinkuknow.org.au.
 
Due to some of the content in the presentation, children are not allowed to attend the Parent/Carer Presentation. Families that require care for their school aged children who attend Rosary, can have them supervised by a teacher for the duration of the presentation in an adjoining room. These children will be watching a G rated movie and will be required to be signed in and out from Egypt. It is essential that you inform the Front Office if you require this supervision for your child by close of business, 27^th March.

Attendance

Every school day presents an opportunity for children to learn, grow, and build a foundation for future success. While we understand that there are times when absences are unavoidable due to health or other personal reasons, it’s also important to recognise that missing school frequently can affect a child's learning. When students miss too many days, it can be harder for them to catch up with their work, stay engaged with their peers, and feel connected to their school community. Absences can quickly add up. For instance, if a child misses one day every two weeks, by the end of the school year, they will have missed 20 days of learning - almost half a school term. Over time, these gaps can become difficult to bridge.

We deeply appreciate your efforts in ensuring your child’s consistent school attendance. 

Year 5 Mass

Today Year 5 had their Grade Mass. A big thank you to the parents and family who were able to attend and to the Year 5 teachers, Mrs Nicole Mogan and Mrs Naomi Scott, for their preparation of the students. Well done to the students for their respectful and reverent participation.

Best wishes for the week ahead.

John O'Brien

Acting Principal

Religious Education News: Term 1, Week 8

As we begin to approach Easter, we are called to deepen our faith through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This preparation time of Lent invites us to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and grow in our commitment to love and serve others. Lent is not only a time for personal spiritual renewal but also an opportunity for us to unite as a community in acts of compassion and charity.

One of the ways we can live out our faith during this season is through our ongoing support of Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten appeal. As a school we will be supporting this important project by taking part in the Walk for Water next week. This is an opportunity for us to learn about the struggles that millions face around the world to get water, something that we are so often able to take for granted. The Walk for Water will be a chance for our collective efforts to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who are experiencing poverty, injustice, and hardship.

I encourage each of you to consider how you can contribute to this important cause, whether through prayer, reflection, or fundraising activities. Your generous support helps fund vital programs that provide education, healthcare, and sustainable resources to communities in need. Let us remember that even small acts of kindness can create lasting change!

At this time I would call you to keep the students and families of St Edmund’s College in your prayers after two of their students were struck by a car on this morning.

Kind regards,

Christopher Evans

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Important Dates coming up:

Year 3 Liturgy - Friday Week 9 (April 4th)10 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Saturday 5th April 10 am

Holy Week Liturgies Wednesday Week 10 - 9th April

Eucharist Faith Formation Night - Week 1, Term 2 - 1st May

Third Week of Lent

Irene lives in a remote village in the Kongolo Region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Life hasn’t been easy for Irene. After losing her father in a war, Irene and her family were forced to flee their home. Life became even more challenging when her husband left, leaving Irene to raise her 2 children alone. Without finishing her education and with few job opportunities in her village, she struggled to provide even the basics for her family.

Things began to change when Irene joined the Youth Capacity Strengthening Program (YCSP), run by Caritas Kongolo with the support of Caritas Australia. Through the program, Irene learned sewing skills and was provided with a sewing machine and fabric. Irene also gained farming skills. Now, she grows enough food to feed her family and even shares her sewing knowledge by mentoring other women in her community.

“Before, women depended on men's income, but now, with our sewing skills, we can take care of ourselves,” Irene said.

Your support of Project Compassion helps women like Irene to create brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Watch Irene’s story here.

(For secondary students and parents)

Will you stand in solidarity with people like Irene this Lent?

Please donate today.

You can support Project Compassion 2025 through donation boxes, envelopes or !QKR

• Think U Know - Monday 31st March - Rosary Primary Library 6PM
• North / Gungahlin SSACT Swimming Carnival - Wednesday 2nd April - AIS Bruce
• Year 3 Liturgy - Friday 4th April - Holy Rosary Church 10.00am - All Welcome
• Merici College School Visit with Year 5 and Year 6 Girls - Friday 4th April - Rosary Primary School
• Sacrament of Reconciliation - Saturday 5th April - Holy Rosary Church 10.00am 
• Annual Girls Junior Chess League Competition - Tuesday 8th April - Rosary Primary School
• The Kid's Lit Quiz - Tuesday 8th April 9:30-12:30 - Merici College
• Year 6 Try Dara Day - Thursday 10th April 
• Last day of Term 1 for students - Thursday 10th April
• Pupil Free day - Friday 11th April
• Term 2 Commences - Tuesday 29th April

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.

Rosary community council update

Thanks to the funds raised from the school’s inaugural Colour Run last year, exciting new equipment is being purchased for the school.

This includes soccer goals, outdoor cushions and portable tables for the playground. Additionally, to support the school's Agriculture Club, a new one-stop-shop will be built.

This facility will provide space for growing crops, storing tools and hosting day visits by livestock.

Thank you to everyone who provided ideas, more items to come!

We look forward to hosting the Colour Run later in 2025.

Rugby Club Update

Training kicked off this week for our Under 8s and Under 9s teams! An enthusiastic group of boys and girls enjoyed getting into some pre-season drills and fun activities on the school oval on Wednesday afternoon.

If you'd like to give Rugby a try, both teams have spots open, we'd love to have you! Registration is through the Rugby Xplorer App.

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

Please contact the school if you require further information.

Just a few reminders about the car parking and drop off / pick up arrangements:

• The speed limit is 5 km/hr in the car park and all road rules apply.
  
  
•  Pedestrians always have the right of way. 

• Park only in the designated parking spaces, facing forwards towards the university. 

• The white markings relate to traffic flow and parking (coloured markings relate to the children’s playing spaces.) 

• The area closest to the Peace Gates is reserved for Set Down Only in the mornings. Parents can stop in the marked bays long enough for children to alight from the vehicle on the quadrangle side and then enter the school through the Peace Gates. 

• For pedestrian safety there is no parking or stopping against kerb near Peace Gates after school. 

• Please note that no reversing is allowed from the bays marked on the courts. 

• Please follow the white arrows and drive in and drive out again in a forward direction only. This is to reduce the risk to children who cannot be seen by reversing vehicles. 

• Due to the spacing of the bays, parallel parking is only available in the area adjacent to the shade shelter on the oval. This area should be used by larger vehicles and trucks wherever possible. 

• Parallel parking is not available adjacent to the university grounds as this space is needed for vehicles to exit the parking area in a forward direction. 

• Parking on the courts is not permitted between 9:15am and 2:45pm as they are used for play at recess and lunch and by classes for sport throughout the day. 

• There is ‘Long Stay’ parking available in front of the hall for parents who spend time at the school after 9:00am. (This is the only area in which reversing to exit is permitted.) This ensures that the courts area is free for classes to use for sports lessons. 

• After school, some parents may need to see teachers or the front office staff. If this is the case, please leave your cars outside in the bus bay or behind the hall on Higginbotham Street as the gates are locked at 3:30pm. 

• All students travelling home by car are to wait in the quad until collected by a parent/carer. 

• Parents waiting for their children after school are asked to move well into the quad to assist access. 

• When children arrive at school, they are to enter via the Peace Gates in the quadrangle. Children are not to enter through the front office foyer. Likewise, children are not to leave through the front office at the end of the day unless catching a route bus. 

• No child is to meet a parent/carer anywhere other than the quadrangle area at the end of school. 

• The children must be supervised in the car park – they are not permitted to go to a parked vehicle without a parent/carer with them.