What a busy Week 10 it has been to finish off Term 1! Rosary hosted the ACT Girls Primary Chess Championships, Kenny Koala visited for the Kinder and Yr 1 Think U Know session, Students participated in the KidsLit Quiz Competition and we held our Holy Week Liturgies.

Staffing

Mr Walker will be back at school from the beginning of next term. Welcome back Greg!

At the start of next term, I will be taking a couple of weeks leave. During my absence Mrs Liz Higgins will continue as Acting Assistant Principal and Mr Chris Evans as Acting Religious Education Coordinator.

Chess Competition

On Tuesday Rosary hosted the ACT Girls Primary Chess Championships. Our team played with enthusiasm and skill! They all thoroughly enjoyed the healthy competition and meeting other chess-loving girls from all over Canberra.

Thank you to Mrs Vincent for supervising the day with our students and to Mrs Dawson for organising the event and her continued work with our Chess Club students each week.

KidsLit Literature Competition

Congratulations to the Year 5 and Year 6 students who participated in the ACT KidsLit Literature Competition at Merici on Tuesday.  Our students competed well and used their knowledge of literature and team collaborative skills to perform well. Thank you Mr Evans for your time and commitment to lead this event.      

2026 Enrolment Period – 28 April 2025  - 30 May 2025

It is hard to believe that we are starting to plan for next year already!  Please spread the word about the upcoming 2026 enrolment period for Catholic Schools. Dates for open school sessions are listed below and we look forward to welcoming prospective students and their families to Rosary. 

Rosary Open Days:

Tuesday 6 May - 9.30am - 11.00am

Monday 12 May - 9.30am - 11.00am

Tuesday 20 May 3.30pm - 5.00pm

Thursday 22 May - 9.30am - 11.00am

Wednesday 28 May 9.30am - 11.00am

Holy Week Liturgies

Our thanks to the students and teachers for their beautiful contributions to this week’s Easter liturgies. Your reverence and reflection truly brought the Easter story to life.

A special thank you to the parents and carers who were able to join us—it was wonderful to share these moments of faith and community together.

Thank you to our wonderful students, staff, and families for your energy, support, and enthusiasm throughout the term.

As we enter the Easter season, may we all take time to reflect on the hope and joy that the Resurrection brings. We wish you a safe and restful holiday break, and a very Happy Easter.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for Term 2, refreshed and ready for more learning and fun.

John O'Brien

Acting Principal

Religious Education News: Term 1, Week 10

Congratulations on reaching the end of the term!

We have had a wonderful term with a great many occasions to join in prayer, these many Masses and liturgies were crowned off yesterday by our school’s celebration of the events of Holy Week! This year our liturgies were split up over the day to allow teachers and classes to undertake dedicated lessons to learn and share with students about Holy Week.

Thank you to the many families that were able to join us for some or all of these liturgies, and thank you to the staff and students who made them such wonderful events!

I would also like to celebrate many of our students who have successfully completed their preparations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and had the opportunity to be reconciled to God this past Saturday. This was a beautiful liturgy, and I thank the families involved for the reverent way they participated and the outstanding example of faith that they set for their children.

As we end our school term, we come into the most important part of our liturgical year, the events of Holy Week and the Triduum (The Last Supper, Good Friday and the Resurrection). These events are at the heart of our faith, and I would encourage everyone to make time, in whatever way you possibly can, to attend and hear the saving message of our Lord’s passion and resurrection. I have included below the Mass times for Holy Rosary Parish, if you live in another parish, you will be able to find Mass times on the Parish bulletin or website.

Next term we will be beginning our preparations for children in Year 4 and older to partake in the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time. This sacrament is open to those who are Baptised Catholic and have made their first Reconciliation. If you are interested in your child being a part of this programme or have questions about our sacramental programme, please reach out to me.

This is our school’s last week of collecting for Project Compassion, thanks to all those who have donated, we have done a wonderful job with our fundraising! If you would still like to make a donation please consider making it online through our !QKR link

I pray that you will all have a happy and holy Easter and that you and your family have a wonderful break!

Kind regards,

Christopher Evans

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

Important Dates coming up:

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

Mother’s Day Events - Week 2, Term 2 - 9th May

Year 1 Liturgy - Week 3, Term 2 - 16th May

• Pupil Free day - Friday 11th April
• Pupil Free Day - Monday 28th April
• Term 2 Commences - Tuesday 29th April
• Rosary Primary Open day - Tuesday 6th May 9:30 - 11am
• ACT 12&U Swimming Championship (AIS) - Tuesday 6th May
• Year 5 Camp - Wednesday 7th May - Friday 9th May
• Mothers Day Afternoon Tea - Friday 9th May 
• Rosary Primary Open day - Monday 12th May 9:30 - 11am

Congratulations to the following students who received a BEST Award:

Kinder Nagoya - 

Kinder Paris - Demi Y

1 Hague - 

1 Vienna - Sebastian A 

2 Dublin - Henry H

2 Rome - Louise P

3 Barcelona - Billy B

3 Osaka - Archie B

4 London - Jesse C

4 Washington - Noah W

4 Athens - Edith L

5 Copenhagen - Josephine M

5 Casablanca - Ram R

6 Cairo - Ljubie P

6 Bangkok - Darcy B

Think U Know Parent Evening

Together, we can help support a safer online environment for everyone.

I’m proud to share the recent Think U Know information night was a great success, with over 40 parents attending! Thank you to everyone who came along and engaged in the important discussions around online safety. The Think U Know program provides practical advice about topics such as social media use, online grooming, privacy, and security. It empowers families to have open conversations about online safety and make informed choices. If you couldn’t attend last Monday, or if you would like to learn more, you can access a range of helpful resources on the Think U Know website https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/about

Kenny Koala Cyber Safety Talk- Kindergarten and Year 1

This week, our Kindergarten and Year 1 students enjoyed a special visit from Kenny Koala, who spoke to them about staying safe online.

Kenny shared important messages in a fun and engaging way, helping our younger students learn:

-How to keep personal information private

-What to do if something online makes them feel uncomfortable

-The importance of speaking to a trusted adult

-Safe ways to use the internet, apps, and games

It was a wonderful session aimed at building early awareness of cyber safety. We encourage families, to continue these conversations at home to reinforce safe online habits.

Older students will have the opportunity to hear from the AFP presenting regarding online safety next term.

Exciting News! Author Visit Early Next Term!

I am thrilled to announce that Kate and Jol Temple, the authors of numerous well-known titles such as “The Bin Chicken’, ‘The Underdogs’ and ‘Frog Squad’ series, will be visiting Rosary next term! This special event is for our students in Kinder to Year 4 and I can’t wait to hear all about the amazing stories and inspiration behind their books. If you would like further information about Kate and Jol Temple check out their website at https://katejoltemple.com/.

If you would like to purchase a book and have it signed by Kate and Jol, please find the attached information on how to do so. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet these authors and get a personalised signed copy of their favourite book.

Kinder to Year 2

Date: Wednesday 14^th May

Time: 2.00-3.00pm

Years 3 and 4

Date: Friday 16^th May

Time: 2.00-3.00pm

I hope your child will be as excited as I am for this incredible experience!

Friendly Reminder- Book Club

Just a quick reminder that all Book Club purchases should be made online via the Scholastic Loop website. It’s wonderful to see so many people supporting our Book Club, and we’re so excited for the students to enjoy their next reads!

If you wish to place a book order, please follow the steps for the online Scholastic Loop website https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent.aspx

Thanks again for supporting our Book Club- happy reading!

ACT Girls Primary School Chess Competition

On Tuesday, fourteen students attended the ACT Junior Chess League's Girls' Competition held in our Rosary Hall. Six schools from Canberra and even St Mary's from Young, were challenged with seven games over the course of the day. I was very proud of the skill and welcoming manner of our girls.

Our girls performed really well, however Sienna S, Tenzin D, Julia L and Robyn F pulled great scores by the end to secure an overall 2nd place! We were all so surprised and proud of their results!!

Mrs Dawson and Mr Mogan put in a huge amount of work organising and setting up for the 100+ students and adults who attended. We are so lucky having energetic and dedicated staff who want to provide extracurricular events for our community.

It is obvious that chess is highly valued here at RPS ♟️.

Sandy Vincent

Relief Teacher

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 - 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.