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- Principals Report Week 1 Term 3
- Religious Education News
- Library News
- Athletics Carnival - POSTPONED
- Veritas Awards
- Rugby - Congratulations Harley Reid
- Dates for Your Diary
- School Counselling Service
- Clothing Pool Open during School Hours
- Rosary Community Council 2021
- Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
- 2021 Term Dates
- Action Tae Kwon Do
- Blackfriars Lecture - Homer among the Health Workers: metis, culture and closing the gap, a personal reflection - free event
- Girl Guides
- Girls Programming Network - Sunday 15 August
- Bloc Haus - BIG Challenge Sponsor
- Cambrelle's - BIG Challenge Sponsor
- Little Sandpiper- BIG Challenge Sponsor
- Parentline ACT Free Telephone and Face-to-Face/Zoom Counselling Services
- Hand Washing Poster
- Coughing and Sneezing Etiquette Poster
- SZapp Download Instructions
Principals Report Week 1 Term 3
Dear Parents and Friends,
Welcome back to school and the start of Term 3 – the beginning of the second semester! I do hope that you enjoyed some special family time during the holidays. It was lovely to see all the children back at school looking so smart in their Winter uniforms and showing their beautiful smiles. We are most fortunate to be able to welcome the students back to on-site learning given the current escalation of health concerns around the country. We’ve had a very settled start to the term and we welcome the new families – Barajo, Burleigh, Le, Lynes, Neighbour, Waddon and Wilson – who have just joined us. We hope they will enjoy many happy years of association with Rosary School.
We are still fortunate in the ACT to have no new cases of the coronavirus. However, we cannot afford to be complacent and must continue to adhere to safe physical distancing and hygiene protocols. This term, we are having to be somewhat more strict about certain procedures given the cases of COVID-19 in the Sydney region during the holidays and the fact that many Canberrans have visited the area over the break.
In light of this, I am requesting that parents:
- drop off students in the morning and leave again as quickly as possible
- wait for students at dismissal time by keeping a 1.5m physical distance between adults, including staff, at all times
- leave as quickly as possible with your children once they have been collected at the end of the day
- do not enter the building unless absolutely necessary
- ask the front office staff to call for your child and wait in the foyer if you need to pick them up during the day and drop them off again at the front office when returning your child to school
- do not send your child to school if they show any symptoms of illness.
At school, we will be maintaining our additional hygiene protocols including thorough hand-washing with soap, using hand sanitiser and cleaning high-touch areas on a daily basis.
Students do not need to physically distance at school but staff and parents do need to physically distance from one another. Masks are not required.
The school calendar will be constantly reviewed in light of the increased risk in the community and in line with Catholic Education protocols and advice from the ACT government and health authorities. Parents will be notified as soon as possible of any changes that need to be made.
I thank you for your attention to these important matters and for your cooperation in ensuring that our community remains a healthy and safe place for all.
Confirmation
Please keep the students who will be making the Sacrament of Confirmation this term in your prayers. The Formation Evening will take place on Thursday at 5.30pm in Rosary Church for parents and candidates.
Kinder Enrolment Acceptances Due
Please note that acceptances for enrolment in Kindergarten next year are due in to the front office next Friday 23 July.
Absences
Please email the front office or send a SZapp notice if your child is absent from school so that the school is informed as to your child’s whereabouts. A written and signed note, email and SZapp messages are all acceptable forms of notice in terms of meeting legal requirements.
The BIG Challenge
The BIG Challenge was a mighty success and I thank the whole community for the commitment and generosity displayed in supporting the school’s fundraising efforts. We will be holding the reward ‘Super Hero’ dress up day later this term and the students will receive a free sausage sizzle lunch on this day and ….. Wonder Woman will be making a repeat appearance!
Yr 6 Camp
Our Year 6 students are getting very excited about their upcoming camp. They will enjoy a few days of fun and exciting challenges as part of this leadership development experience. The Camp will take place at the NSW Sport and Recreation Centre in Berry from 19to 21 July. The three Year 6 class teachers, Mrs Hanratty and I will accompany the Yr 6 students on their Camp. I take this opportunity to wish all the campers a happy, safe and enjoyable time. I am sure the teachers will have a wonderful time getting to know the students better in a completely different environment. I am certainly looking forward to the opportunity to learn a little bit more about each child and to participating in some special, adventurous activities. During my absence, Mr O’Brien will be leading the school with the support of Mrs Higgins and Mrs Godfrey. I’m confident that all who remain at school will also enjoy a wonderful few days in their very capable hands.
Wakakirri
Our Year 5 students will be performing their item for the Wakakirri Story-Dance Competition at the Canberra Theatre next Monday evening. Everyone has been very busy preparing the story line, dance moves, costumes, props, make-up and hair designs. The Year 5 teachers and Mr O’Brien have put such a lot of effort into making sure everything is perfect for the performance and I take this opportunity to thank them and all the other assisting staff members and parent helpers for the wonderful work that has been done in the background to do the myriad of things required to bring this show to life. As it’s bad luck to say “break a leg” as is customary in ‘show biz’, I will follow Wakakirri protocol and say “Chookas”!
Works Commence on Creating Connected Outdoor Learning Spaces
Following receipt of a Better Schools For Our Kids Program grant from the ACT Block Grant Authority to finish the Master Plan of the School by constructing Connected Outdoor Learning Spaces along the length of the junior wing, work has commenced. This is a shared project and some costs will be borne by the school and Catholic Education.
I was informed on the middle weekend of the holiday break that a construction company had been engaged and that the works would commence on Monday July 5. Having returned from a few days away, I could see that works were in full swing!
The works are expected to be completed by the end of the September/October school holiday period. Just in time for use over the Spring/Summer period!
The gravel bay outside the junior wing will be almost completely enclosed to house the work site/sheds, workers' amenities etc. so there will be limited car parking available. Staff overflow parking will be in the small gravel bay just outside the hall and on the courts in the long stay parking area adjacent to the hall immediately to the left of the entry gate.
The footpath alongside Higginbotham Street will still be free for pedestrian access and the entry to the hall foyer will be unencumbered. Students catching buses to rural destinations will continue to have access to the bus bay outside the hall and will continue to be supervised by the duty teacher.
The works during the first week involved demolition - all external. This was the noisiest and most difficult part of the project. The students will likely be somewhat distracted by what's going on outside during the first few days and the teachers will manage this. However, no works will interfere with the internal spaces.
The workers do not require access to internal spaces as they are completely self-contained in their cordoned-off site office area.
Exciting changes ahead with a little bit of pain for, hopefully, a whole lot of gain!
NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week 2021 takes place from Sunday 4 July to Sunday 11 July and is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the oldest continuing cultures on the planet.
“The NAIDOC 2021 theme – Heal Country! – calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction. Country that is more than a place and inherent to our identity. Country that we speak about like a person, sustaining our lives in every aspect - spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally. NAIDOC 2021 invites the nation to embrace First Nations’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage and equally respect the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders as they do the cultures and values of all Australians.” (From https://www.naidoc.org.au/news/2021-naidoc-week-theme-announced-heal-country)
Floriade
With thanks to Mr Andrew Liso, one of our wonderful parents, Floriade has come to us! Andrew put in a community expression of interest in having some garden beds planted at both the school and the church and he was successful in that application. Our Year 6 students are involved in this community project and enjoyed planting the bulbs and seedlings at the end of last term. They will continue to be responsible for maintenance of the garden beds. Andrew is the inventor of a unique garden edging system called Edglit and was inspired to involve a landscape architect in the design of the Floriade gardens. The final design is bee-shaped floral designs with ingenious additional lighting and attachments to make them look all the more real!
Please click on the link below to see all the action:
https://www.facebook.com/Edglit/videos/849346382686716/
Condolences
I express sincere condolences to Mrs Beth Toole on the sudden passing of her dear sister, Anne, during the holiday break. Anne will be sorely missed by every member of the family and I ask that God grant them all strength during this difficult time. May they take comfort in the fond memories they share and may Anne rest forever in peace in the loving arms of our dear Lord.
Thought for the week:
“It’s not what you do but how much love you put into what you do that matters.”
Mother Teresa.
CONFIRMATION
The Faith Formation Session and enrolment information for all those students wishing to prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation is on this Thursday at 5:30pm, Holy Rosary Church. There is an expectation that the student and one parent attends.
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 18 July 2021 - Year B
“They were as sheep without a shepherd."
Click on the link below to go to the readings and activities for this Sunday.
Peace and best wishes
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Coordinator
Welcome to the many new students we have had the pleasure of teaching for the first time this week! We trust you will love our school Library as much as we do!!!
Our students are very much enjoying our Library literature programme this term, as they are engaging with the Children's Book Council of Australia Shortlisted 2021 picture, novel and non-fiction books. We all LOVE celebrating and sharing high quality literature during our Library lessons, studying the visual literacies of the award-winning books. Bookweek is a highlight for most of our students in third term. Our annual dress up as a Character Book Parade will be held in week seven with a date to be confirmed. Please give some thought to the 'dress-up' or costume that your child will be wearing as it will be a non-uniform day. Our annual Scholastic Bookfair is on the calendar in week seven also. We will confirm details closer to week seven. We are conscious of Covid 19 and are hoping that we can go ahead with these plans...no crystal ball but lots of fingers and toes crossed! ?
Sandy Vincent and Jodie Dawson
Athletics Carnival - POSTPONED
Due to the weather forecast, the Athletics Carnival will NOT go ahead on Friday. It will be postponed however the new date is not yet available.
Please send your child to school on Friday as normal, in their usual Friday uniform.
The canteen will now be open as per usual for lunch orders and counter service on Friday.
We will send out further communication once the new date is known, including a request for volunteers.
Thank you to all those who had volunteered their time.
Congratulations to the following students who received a Veritas Award :
Charlotte Pham
Marcelo Valdivia
Julian Montero
Ella Lipinski
Esther McCarthy
Tomas Spoljaric
Kuenzang Dorji
Nathanael Davidson
Ruby Shelley
Charlie Rinaudo
Kiera Arthur
Simeon Omosigho
Andrew Pham
Rugby - Congratulations Harley Reid
Congratulations to Harley Reid (Yr 6) on his selection to play for the Under 12s ACT Brumbies team in the Southern States Rugby Champs competition during the holidays! What a great acheivement.
We have been able to reinstate most of our events for the 2021 calendar year. However, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, some events may need to change or be conducted differently. If there are changes, we will advise you as soon as practicable.
- Confirmation Formation Evening - Thursday 15th July 5:30pm at Holy Rosary Church
- Athletics Carnival - Postponed, new date TBA
- Year 6 Camp - Monday 19th July - Wednesday 21st July
The school counsellor, Jessica O'Rourke, is available every Monday and until 1pm on Tuesdays.
You can refer your child for counselling by filling in a referral form available on Catholic Care’s website or follow this link: https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form
After you have filled out the referral form you will automatically be sent an email requesting your consent for your child to access the service. In the case of families where parents are separated, consent of both parents is normally required. If this is difficult for you please feel free to discuss with Jessica.
Clothing Pool Open during School Hours
The Rosary Clothing Pool is open to families to purchase second hand uniform items for $5 per piece. Please note that currently only one family is allowed in the room at any one time and hand sanitisation is required upon entry and exit. A key is available from the front office to access the room during school hours for your convenience.
All new uniform items can be purchased from Personally Yours. They are located at 218 Gladstone St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 and can be contacted on 6280 4166.
The Rosary Community Council Representatives for 2021 are:
Council Chair: |
Jackie Brady |
Deputy Chair: |
Libby Reardon |
Treasurer: |
May Kain |
Secretary: |
Kate Roggeveen |
Parent Representatives: |
Lucy Steen Raphaela Higginbotham Rachael Moore Nicole Kee Catherine Garreffa Anna Woodhouse Christine Allard |
Staff Representative: |
Rachel McKerrow |
Ex Officio: |
Parish Priest |
Executive Officer: |
Principal/Assistant Principal |
Should you wish to contact the council please email: rosarycouncil@gmail.com
Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
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 - 4.25pm
- Tae Kwon-Do - Monday 6.30pm Children class / 7:30pm Adult class
- Mandarin Lessons - Tuesday 3.10pm - 4.25pm
- 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 - 5.15pm
- Italian Lessons - Friday 8:00am - 9:00am (beginner) and 3.10pm - 4.25pm
- Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - Friday 8:20am and during class time throughout the day
Please contact the school if you require further information.
The school year is divided into four terms. Term dates for the year 2021 are as follows:
Term 1 (9 weeks) Monday 1 February - Thursday 1 April
Term 2 (10 weeks) Tuesday 20 April - Friday 25 June (Monday 19 April is a system wide Pupil Free Day)
Term 3 (10 weeks) Tuesday 13 July - Friday 17 September (Monday 12 July is a system wide Pupil Free Day)
Term 4 (11 weeks) Tuesday 5 October – Friday 17 December
NOTICEBOARD