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Principals Report Week 1 Term 1
Dear Parents and Friends,
Happy New Year! I extend a very warm welcome to all new families and staff members who have joined the Rosary community and an equally warm welcome to returning families. The whole school started together on Monday. Our new students, including Kindergarten, showed great excitement as well as a few ‘butterflies’ and settled in very quickly to the new environment. The first day was a calm, harmonious and productive start to the term. It was lovely to greet all the smiling children at assembly and to see how much they had grown over the holiday period! I wish all our students every success and much happiness at Rosary and hope all our families will enjoy belonging to the Rosary community.
In the week prior to the children’s return, the staff worked hard to complete a number of professional learning days. One day was spent working with a facilitator, Andrea Dean, to learn more about Celtic Spirituality. Our staff partnered with the staff from St Joseph’s and St Vincent’s to learn more about the Achievement Standards of the Australian Curriculum. This day was facilitated by Tracey McAskill and Susan Barton-Johnson who are experts in the field. In addition, time was dedicated to first aid refresher training and an administration meeting to prepare for the year ahead. I take this opportunity to thank everyone on staff for their hard work, including administration and cleaning tasks, in the days leading up to the start of the term and for ensuring that the children had a wonderful first day.
Opening School Mass
We will welcome in the new school year with a whole school Mass which is scheduled for tomorrow – Friday 8th February at 10.00am in Rosary Church. We welcome all family members who may be able to join us at this Mass.
Parent Questionnaire
A Parent Questionnaire is being sent out along with this newsletter for parents to fill out and return to the class teachers as soon as practicable. The questionnaire will provide important information for the teachers to help them get to know your child and put appropriate supports in place should they be needed.
Parent Information Night and Welcome BBQ
The Parent Information Night and Welcome BBQ will take place next week on Tuesday 12th February. There will be two information sessions held in classrooms prior to the BBQ which will be held in the quad. Some staff members will provide supervision for children on the junior playground whilst parents are attending sessions. The first information session will commence at 5.00pm and the second session will begin at 5.30pm (repeat of first session). The BBQ will commence at 6.00pm in the quad. From this time, staff will no
longer be responsible for the supervision of children. Please come along to welcome in the new school year amongst friends. We would love to see you there. Food service will take place between 6 and 7pm. There is no cost for food but drinks will need to be purchased. Please note that this is a ‘family affair’ and is a non-alcoholic event.
Reminders & Important Information
- Starting time is 9.00am sharp. Students arriving after this time will need to be signed in at the Front Office by an accompanying adult.
- Supervision commences at 8.30am and no student should be at school before then. Students arriving before 8.30am are not supervised.
- Parents are requested NOT TO SEND ANY NUT PRODUCTS TO SCHOOL such as Peanut Butter, Nutella, nut based or topped muesli bars, etc. Please understand bringing these items to school may be life threatening to some other students.
- Students who have asthma medication at school are required to keep it in the classroom, in their school bag or on their person.
- Correct School Uniform is to be worn at all times.
- If a student’s hair is longer than shoulder length, it must be tied back in an appropriate school-coloured band.
- No jewellery is to be worn to school - only plain studs and watches are acceptable.
- Please ensure that all school items are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
- 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 assisting at the school must have a WWVP card on their person and are also asked to sign in/out at the Front Office.
- Please ensure that the school always has up to date parent and emergency contact details for your child.
- Please ensure that any notes/envelopes sent to the front office are clearly labelled.
WWVP (Working With Vulnerable People)
Any adult who volunteers to help in the school or with coaching, driving children to excursions, canteen, etc. must have a
registered Working With Vulnerable People card and be able to show it upon request. The card also needs to be presented at the front office for a copy to be made and filed for the school’s records. When a card is renewed, it must again be sighted by the front
office and a copy made for the file. Please be aware that the card now needs to be sighted at the front office on every occasion that a parent volunteers in the school regardless of it being recorded on file.
The Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 (WWVP) took effect in the ACT on 8 November 2012 and it is now essential that all volunteers at schools be registered in accordance with the WWVP. Registration for volunteers is free and you will find the registration application on the Office of Regulatory Services website at:
www.ors.act.gov.au/community/working_with_vulnerable_people
When registering for the WWVP you will need to complete the application form then take your accepted forms of ID, together with the application, to an ACT Shopfront or the Office of Regulatory Services to complete the registration. Your photograph will be taken when you register and this will be on your WWVP Volunteers Card which you will receive upon completion of your
registration.
Please note that on page 5 of the application form it asks for details of your Employer or Organisation. As a volunteer at Rosary
Primary School, you simply need to fill out the name of the school, the address (Fleming St Watson ACT 2602) and the school phone number (6248 0010) and leave the other fields blank.
Security
To assist us in keeping everyone safe, we ask that parents and any other visitors to the school enter the building through the front office and sign in. External doors will be locked during the day. In the event of an emergency, it is imperative that we know exactly who is in the building.
Mobile Phones
I understand that it is sometimes necessary for a child to carry a mobile phone for use before or after school. Should this be the case for your child, he/she must keep it in their school bag during the day. The school takes no responsibility for mobile phones. Please be aware that students will only be permitted to use these devices, both in the morning and afternoon, when they are off school grounds. Communication from parents to students and vice versa must go through the front office during school hours.
Collector’s Cards
This is a gentle reminder to parents that we do not allow students to bring collector’s cards to school. The reason for this is that they create issues on the playground. Children will often intend to ‘lend’ a card but the borrower considers it a ‘swap’ which is for ‘keeps’! Also, cards can be lost or damaged which causes some distress. Please ensure that your children keep their card
collections at home.
Lost Property
Please label everything and ask your child to check lost property as soon as a particular item is not brought home.
Dogs at school
If you are walking to school and taking your dog out for some healthy exercise at the same time, please leave the animal tied up
outside the school grounds. Some children have a terrible fear of dogs and others have allergies that are exacerbated by pet hair. If your child wishes to bring in a pet for ‘news’, please see the teacher first to find out whether this is appropriate for the particular group of students in that class. Thank you.
Where to find information
There are a number of ways in which the school communicates with parents. If you are seeking information about a particular event or want to know what’s coming up, please check the following sources:
¨ the Skoolbag application that is a free download for your mobile phone
¨ your email account if you have notified the school of your email address
¨ your child’s bag for hard copies of notes and the newsletter should you not have access to email
¨ the school website for the calendar and digital copies of notes sent home and the newsletter
¨ For Your Diary (showing a fortnight at a time) included in the school newsletter.
The Skoolbag app is an immediate form of communication that alerts parents to upcoming events and any changes to plans. It also has a number of other handy features such as the notice of absence and correction to contact information. Please download it as soon as you can to keep in touch with what is happening for your child at our school and to keep in contact with us.
School Fees
The school relies on the commitment that parents make, when enrolling their children, to pay fees to support it. School fees for this term are due at the end of week 5. Prompt payment of fees is appreciated. If you are experiencing difficulty paying fees, please
contact me so that appropriate support structures can be put in place. All matters are handled in strict confidence. Many families make use of the direct debit system. If you wish to set up an account, please contact the front office.
School Counsellor
I am pleased to advise that Gretel Burgess, the Catholic Care school counsellor, will continue to work at Rosary each Friday this year. Should you wish to make contact with Gretel, please do so through the front office.
Staffing
Nicole Nolan : Kinder Rome
Tess Harveyson : Kinder Dublin
Elisa Pavlic & Julie Godfrey : Year 1/2 Tokyo
Sharon Stiffle : Year 1/2 Nagoya
Diandra Blom : Year 1/2 Paris
Melissa Nisbet and Elizabeth Fryar : Year 3 Barcelona
Liz Higgins & Beth Toole : Year 3 Osaka
Rachel McKerrow : Year 4 Athens
Kath Watson : Year 4 London
Ann-Maree Hinds : Year 5 Washington
Nicole Rich : Year 5 Panama
Tim O’Brien : Year 6 Bangkok
Fron Garrett-Rumba : Year 6 Cairo
Sandy Vincent : Library
John O’Brien : Music
Jo Chilver : Indonesian
Principal : Vicky van der Sanden
Assistant Principal : John O’Brien
Religious Education Co-ordinator : Liz Higgins
Co-ordinator : Julie Godfrey
Classroom Support Teacher : Janet Hanratty
Classroom Support Assistants : Kathy Brokenshire, Colleen Welsh and Rebecca van der Sanden
Learning Technologies : John O’Brien
Front Office : Yvonne Morris and Colleen Welsh
Janitor : Peter Ederle
School Counsellor : Gretel Burgess
YWCA ROSACS Director : Alexandra Wale
I thank the Lord for the wonderful, settled start to the year and ask God’s favour in, once again, richly blessing our school
community in 2019.
Kind Regards
Vicky van der Sanden
Principal
A Celtic Blessing for the year:
Circle this place by day and night. Circle it in winter, circle it in summer.
Look down on it with your smile; lift it up with your strength.
Keep it far from all that harms. Keep all that’s good within Christ’s arms.
May this place be fragrant with the presence of the Lord.
May this place overflow with the gratitude of God’s people.
May this place echo with the sounds of joy.
May clouds of God’s presence envelop it; God’s peace here and in those who dwell here.
Let us enjoy God’s presence.
Amen.
Sacramental Programs
At Rosary, students receive the Sacraments in the following grades:
Year 2 Reconciliation
Year 3 Eucharist
Year 6 Confirmation
As part of the preparation for any sacrament, the candidate and his/her parent/s are expected to attend all sessions. Please prioritise the following dates on your calendar.
New Students
If any students (Baptised Catholic) have come to Rosary in the higher grades not receiving these
Sacraments, and wish to do so, please let me know.
Opening School Mass
The whole school will participate in Mass tomorrow, celebrating the start of a new school year. This will be at Holy Rosary Church at 10am.
Parents and friends are most welcome!
Rosary Community Family Mass
Rosary Community Family Masses aim to promote a sense of belonging within our parish community. There are four Rosary Community Family Masses throughout the year. On each of these Sundays, the parish will organise a free sausage sizzle after mass especially for us. This is always popular with the children and provides a great opportunity for families to catch up. It would be lovely to see as many people as we can being active in our faith and participating in community building opportunities.
Term 1 |
Sunday 24 February |
Holy Rosary Church
|
10:00 am Come along! All welcome!
|
Term 2 |
Sunday 2 June |
||
Term 3 |
Sunday 25 August |
||
Term 4 |
Sunday 24 November |
Peace and best wishes
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Co-ordinator
DATE | EVENT | TIME | LOCATION |
Sunday 24th February |
Rosary Community Family Mass |
10.00am | Holy Rosary Church |
Monday 25th February |
Swimming Carnival Years 2-6 |
9.00am | Dickson Pool |
Tuesday 26th February |
Gelato Day |
|
|
Wed 27th Feb—Friday 1st March |
Year 5 Camp |
8.45am |
Jindabyne |
Wednesday 27th February |
Rosary Rugby ‘Come and Try’ |
3.30pm |
Rosary Oval |
Wednesday 6th March |
Ash Wednesday Mass |
10.00am |
Holy Rosary Church |
Friday 8th March |
Year 6 Cairo Assembly |
2.30pm |
School Hall |
Monday 11th March |
Canberra Day Holiday |
|
|
Thursday 14th March |
Year 4 Grade Mass |
10.00am |
ACU Chapel |
A very special welcome to any new families to our Rosary community!! We wish you a long
association with our school. You will only need to talk with our current families to know what a special place our school is! Just a few house-keeping things to remember. All students are
expected to bring a library bag to and from school to protect our valuable and expensive books. Even a short stint in a school bag with a cold drink bottle with condensation can render a book destroyed. Any bag is fine; we do have a limited number of Rosary Library bags for sale in the library for $5 if you would like to purchase one.
Library days for this term are as follows:
Tuesday- 3 Barcelona, 3 Osaka, 6 Cairo, 6 Bangkok, 1/2 Paris
Wednesday- 1/2 Nagoya, 1/2 Tokyo, 5 Panama, 5 Washington
Thursday- 4 Athens, 4 London, Kinder Dublin, Kinder Rome.
Feel free to contact us at any time to support your child/ren in their reading selections!!
It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations - something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own. - Katherine Patterson
Kind regards,
Sandy Vincent and Jodie Dawson
Indonesian @ Rosary
Selama
t kembali tahun baru 2019 | Welcome back for 2019
I hope that you have all had some rest and relaxation during the summer holiday period and are ready to go now the new school year is underway. I have enjoyed seeing everyone again and meeting our new
students. In our Indonesian lessons this week we have been recalling greetings and useful phrases for the classroom. This involved lots of ‘mingling’ and speaking Bahasa Indonesia.
I have included a couple of notices below for your information.
National Multicultural Festival: 15 – 17 February
At this year’s festival the Indonesian Embassy will host a
Reog dance troupe, who will perform at the weekend’s
festivities. This is an amazing performance to witness –
dancers holding huge masks in their teeth – I am yet to watch one live!
In case you know any older students who may be interested in learning about Indonesia.
Performing Indonesian - A Politics and Culture Course at ANU – open to Year 11 and 12 students
This year the 3rd largest democracy in the world will vote for a new president. Indonesia is a fascinating
hotbed of cultural and political movements, which are little understood by everyday Australians. In this course we use key Indonesian words to gain an insight into the culture and politics of our huge northern neighbour.
Applications Close on the 16th of February.
Courses run on a two-year cycle
- 2019 - Year B - Unit 2: Political Performance
- 2020 - Year A - Unit 1: Youth, Media, and Performance
This course is open to:
- students who have never studied Indonesian before
- those who have studied or are currently studying the language
- those who have a heritage knowledge of the language
The course involves attending weekly 2-hour classes, plus 1 full-day workshop at ANU. Classes typically involve web-based translation demonstrations, guided research sessions, performance-based
activities, discussions of set readings, and guest lectures. Please visit http://extension.anu.edu.au/ for
detailed information about the many benefits of completing an ANU Extension course. Note: Students who have recently lived in Indonesia for a significant period of time are not able to take the course.
Ibu Chilver
Indonesian Teacher
NOTICEBOARD