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- Principals Report Week 1 Term 1
- Religious Education News
- Library News
- Dates for Your Diary
- IMPORTANT: Students catching bus 53
- IMPORTANT: Medical Conditions and Medications
- Compass - Parent Portal
- 2022 Class Contacts and Fundraising Coordinators
- School Communications
- OSHClub - Before and After School Care
- Chess Club - registrations open
- Carpark
- Canteen
- Clothing Pool Open during School Hours
- Whole Day Absences - please submit via Parent Portal
- Introducing our new School Counsellor
- School Counselling Service
- OSHClub Newsletter
- Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
- 2022 Term Dates
- Hand Washing Poster
- Coughing and Sneezing Etiquette Poster
Principals Report Week 1 Term 1
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome Back for 2022!
I offer a very warm welcome to you all for the start of the school year. It is good to be back at school and provide face-to-face teaching for our students. Week 1 is off to an excellent start and students and staff are getting into routine. Unfortunately, parents and carers are unable to come into the school and classrooms at the moment, but I can reassure you that the students have settled well and the classrooms are full of colour and life. There are big smiles on student’s faces.
I offer a particular welcome to new students and families. Our Kindergarten students have had two good days at school so far and they are enjoying this new experience with Mrs Watson and Mr Read. We have also had over 20 new students start school this week in Years 1-6. It is lovely to have these students and families join our community.
Welcome to our new staff in 2022:
- Mr Rob Read (Kinder Nagoya)
- Miss Karen Green (Year 2 Barcelona - Wednesday to Friday)
- Mr Chris Evans (5 Panama)
- Mr Brendan Drake (Classroom Support Assistant Tuesday and Wednesday)
- Mrs Hilde de Raadt-Abma - CatholicCare Counsellor (Wednesday and Fridays).
I would like to thank the Rosary community for the way in which you have welcomed me to the role of Principal. I have briefly met some of you at drop off or pick up time at a distance and I do look forward to the time when we can meet more formally. As a way of introduction, I have come from two recent contracts as Principal, most recently at St Anthony’s Wanniassa 2013-2021. Prior to this I was Principal at St Clare of Assisi Conder 2006-2012. Interestingly, I was Assistant Principal here at Rosary in 2004-2005, a time I remember fondly.
Naturally, Rosary has changed since this time but the school continues to exhibit a Catholic identity where Christian values permeate our interactions and learning. There is a wonderful sense of community spirit and people have pride in their school. The school’s facilities have been updated and our contemporary learning spaces are bright and colourful. I look forward to working with staff and members of the community to further improve the school and enhance the learning and development of each student.
2022 School Calendar
Yesterday our hardcopy school calendar came home with the eldest child in each family. Thank you to Mr O’Brien and the staff for putting this publication together. Obviously you will need to make the appropriate changes to events that will be postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19. We will try to keep you updated of the changes well in advance.
Unfortunately most Term 1 events will be cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. In particular there will be no opening school Mass in the church and no welcome back BBQ for the community.
School sports carnivals, whole school assemblies and gatherings, excursions and non-essential school activities where student cohorts mix will not take place this term. The only upside of this situation is that there is a good opportunity for students to have some quality learning time in the classes. We will endeavour to ensure that some extracurricular activities go ahead and there are plenty of opportunities for fun at school too!
Term 1 Curriculum Year Level Overviews and School Information
As we will be unable to meet families at our usual back to school BBQ, teachers will send home all relevant information electronically on Friday 11 February (Week 2). This information will include content to be taught this term, specific class and year level information and any other important school information.
You are encouraged to contact your teacher if you do need to clarify anything or discuss your child’s start to the school year. It is preferred these meetings are held via telephone or online in TEAMS, rather than in person. Urgent meetings may be able to be held in person, again please contact your class teacher in this regard.
Reminder about No Nuts Policy at Rosary
In 2022, we have a number of students that may suffer serious anaphylactic reactions to nuts and other food products. Nuts usually pose the greatest risk to these students, hence our no nuts policy. Where possible, class teachers will monitor students eating lunch but your support in this practice is appreciated.
All students in the school will be encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water after eating their recess and lunch food, providing another level of safety for any students prone to serious anaphylactic reactions.
COVID-19 Updates
As you may be aware from previous correspondence, the school will keep you updated regularly about the COVID-19 safe requirements and any relevant information to keep our students, staff and members of our community as safe as possible.
2022 Rosary School Community Council
Rosary has a very successful Community Council model in place. In the coming days I will give you an update on the purpose and functions of our Community Council. There may be opportunities for some parents to join the Community Council in 2022 to support the school governance and engage in initiatives to enhance our students’ learning and their experiences at school. Parental engagement is very important in our school and I look forward to working with our Community Council and all of our parents and carers.
Prayers Please
Please keep Victoria Lysenko, in Year 6, and her family in your prayers and thoughts. Victoria's grandfather passed away recently and the funeral will be later this week. May he rest in peace in God's hands.
Again, welcome to the 2022 school year. If you have any specific questions please contact your child’s teacher or contact the front office at office.rosaryps@cg.catholic.edu.au
I wish you and your families all the best for the next week. God Bless.
Greg Walker
Principal
FIFTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
Year C | Sunday 6 February | green
“They left everything and followed Jesus.”
Click on the link below to go to the readings and activities for this Sunday.
Peace and best wishes
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Coordinator
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; although we do have a limited number of Rosary Library bags for sale in the front office for $5 if you would like to purchase one.
Library days for this term are as follows:
Tuesday - 6 London, 6 Athens, 5 Washington, 5 Panama, 2 Barcelona
Wednesday - 1 Vienna, 1 Hague, 3 Cairo, 3 Bangkok, 2 Osaka
Thursday - 4 Casablanca, 4 Copenhagen, Kinder Paris, Kinder Nagoya
Feel free to contact us at any time to support your child/ren in their reading selections!!
Returning families would know that we sustained some serious damage form a storm in November. The building works are just about completed and we have nearly all the insurance replaced titles ready to catalogue and put back on the shelves. If there are any parents, grandparents or guardians that are confident book 'coverers' we would love for you to let us know so we can get these new books back into the hands of the students where they belong! Thank you in advance!
Ms Sandy Bigna, one of our RPS mums, has generously offered to co-ordinate Bookclub again this year. Thank you so very much Sandy!!! Brochures will come home in the coming week for families to look at. All orders are then placed and paid for online. Sandy then disseminates the order to the students' classrooms when the books arrive at school.
Reading is important because, if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything.
Tomie De Paola
Kind regards, Sandy Vincent and Jodie Dawson
Due to current restrictions, there are no events planned for the following two weeks. If any events are able to proceed, information will be provided via Compass.
IMPORTANT: Students catching bus 53
If your child will be catching Transport Canberra bus route 53 after school, they may need to leave at 2:50pm and will therefore require parental permission.
Please notify the school via an email to the front office, including the days your child is expected to catch the bus.
IMPORTANT: Medical Conditions and Medications
We ask that all parents ensure the school has current medical information and necessary medications onsite for your child /children.
It is essential that we have the appropriate medication and action plans onsite should we need to administer first aid to your child during school hours.
Please note the following general information with regard to medical conditions and medication dispensing at school:
All medications need to:
- Be provided to the Front Office in their original packaging
- Include prescribing doctors contact details (if prescription medication)
- Include dispensing information (dosage instructions)
- Include signed “Request to Dispense Medication” form from parent (available from school website Communication Tab / Notes and Forms)
- Include any action plans signed by a doctor related to the child’s condition
Asthma
If your child has asthma, a relevant asthma plan or medical plan signed by a doctor and a signed “Request to Dispense Medication Form” must be provided to the school. Children who are able to administer their own asthma medication may keep their asthma puffer in their school bag, but must ensure they inform their teacher if they use the medication during the day. Children who require assistance administering their asthma medication are asked to leave their medication at the Front Office and alert their teacher should they require treatment. Teachers will then seek assistance from Front Office staff. All other forms of medication (including antihistamines) that need to be dispensed during the day must be under adult supervision.
If your child has Asthma you are required to:
- Send in a clearly labelled new Ventolin Puffer (or equivalent), including a spacer if not already provided, in its original packaging, including dosage instructions to the Front Office.
- If your child keeps their asthma medication (Ventolin puffer) in their school bag we ask that you check the expiry date of medication and replace them if necessary.
- Should your child also require antihistamines these also need to be supplied. Please ensure they are clearly labelled and include dosage instructions. Antihistamines are to be kept at the Front Office not in school bags.
- Provide any updated / revised action plans for your child to the school. Please include a current photo of your child on the plan.
Allergies / Anaphylaxis
Should your child have allergies or be anaphylactic, please ensure the school has up to date action plans, parent contact details and medication onsite to manage their condition.
If there are any changes (short or long term) to your child’s medical condition or medical needs please ensure the school is aware of the changes so we can provide the very best of care for your children.
If your child has Allergies / Anaphylaxis you are required to:
- Send in a clearly labelled, new Epipen (if required), in its original packaging, including dosage instructions to the Front Office.
- Should you child also require Ventolin or antihistamines these also need to be supplied in original packaging, including dosage instructions.
- If your child keeps their asthma medication in their school bag we ask that you check the expiry date of medication and replace them if necessary. Antihistamines are to be kept at the front office not in school bags.
- Provide any updated / revised action plans for your child to the school. Please include a current photo of your child on the plan.
Other Medications
If your child is unwell and needs to bring medication to school, we ask that you please ensure all medication and relevant instructions are provided to the Front Office. This includes a course of temporary medication i.e. antibiotics / pain medication etc. A signed “Request to Dispense Medication Form” will also be required.
Students requiring regular medication will need to provide the school with a medical plan signed by a doctor and a signed “Request to Dispense Medication Form”. Parents must ensure that an adequate supply of medication is supplied to the school in its original packaging with dosage instructions clearly labelled. Parents will be asked to sign the medication in and out as necessary.
Medications (with the exception of Asthma puffers where relevant) are not to be kept in children’s bags or administered without adult supervision.
All relevant forms are available on the schools website under the Communication Tab under Notes and Forms.
Should you have any questions regarding this email please contact the school. We appreciate your support with this matter.
We ask that all parents log in to the Parent Portal as soon as possible to verify details.
Every parent should have received an email with their login details. If you have not received an email, please contact the school.
Please direct all enquiries regarding the Parent Portal to the front office. office.rosaryps@cg.catholic.edu.au
When logging in, you will be asked to confirm your email and phone number. If they are incorrect, please update them.
You will then be asked to change your password.
Please note that it is recommended to use the desktop version for greater functionality.
Please do not share your login details with anybody. Each parent has their own login which provides them access to their child’s records and their own email and phone numbers only.
What to do in Parent Portal?
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View school announcements
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Some school communications will be included within the My News section of your Home Page.
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Submit absences and view attendance record – once Parent Portal is active, this is where you will submit all absences for your child.
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You can submit known future absences. These will appear on the roll, for the teacher, for the specified days.
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If your child has been marked absent on the roll, it will appear as an unexplained absence. You can complete the absence notification to explain it. This should be completed within 7 days of the absence.
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If an unexplained absence appears that you believe to be incorrect, please send an email to the front office for investigation. Please note that during remote learning, the roll may not be marked until the end of the day.
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You will have access to view your child’s attendance record.
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Event Permission – if an event is loaded that requires permission, this can be granted through the Parent Portal
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You can provide your consent for school events via the Parent Portal
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IMPORTANT: payments MUST NOT be made via the portal. Payment options for events will be specified within the event details.
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View details of medication administration
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If your child is required to have scheduled medication administered, and you have completed the Request to Dispense Medication form (available from the website), you will be able to see a record of the medication administered. Please note that this is ONLY for scheduled medications and not for medication, such as paracetamol, that is used as part of a First Aid response.
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Book parent/teacher learning conversations
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Bookings will be made through Parent Portal for all future parent/teacher learning conversations. Please note that this is not for adhoc meetings with teachers, please continue to make these via email directly with your child’s teacher as required.
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View student reports
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Student reports will be available electronically via the Parent Portal only.
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Send emails to your child’s teacher/s
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There is a link to send an email from the Parent Portal. Please note that this will send to the teacher’s email address and any responses will be sent to your email. They will not appear in the Parent Portal.
2022 Class Contacts and Fundraising Coordinators
Thank you to all those families who returned a class contact and fundraising coordinator form at the end of last year.
IF you have not returned a form and would like to be included in the Community Council initiative, please complete a form and return to the school (see link below - also available on the school website).
Please do not complete another form if you have already returned one.
School Communications are sent primarily via Compass. This will usually generate an email and will appear on your Parent Portal News Feed.
The school newsletter (Veritas) is sent weekly on Wednesdays, as a link via Compass. The current newsletter and archives are also available on the website under the 'Communication' heading.
Copies of forms and other communications, such as Term sport days, may be available on the school website. Please head to the 'Notes and Forms' section under the 'Communication' heading. Here you will find information for both the Whole School and for each grade level.
There is also a 'For Parents' heading on the website with links to other information.
The school has a Facebook page (Rosary Primary School, Watson). Please note this is not a formal communication channel but is used to allow parents, and the community, to see some of the wonderful things we do at Rosary.
As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact the Front Office.
02 6248 0010
office.rosaryps@cg.catholic.edu.au
Chess Club - registrations open
After much consultation, I have been able to secure a new chess coaching team to take over our RPS Chess Club for 2022, following the retirement of our fantastic previous provider. Chess will now resume next Tuesday, the 7th of February and will run until and including week 10. Registration is open to any students from Years 1-6 who would like to attend. The cost is $100 per term and the session runs from 3.10-4.30pm. I supervise the children in the Library for this time period. If you are interested in registering your child/children please contact Sandy Vincent through the school office. I can then talk to anyone interested, through the housekeeping process eg afternoon tea, student collection at 4.30 etc.
The Canteen is independently run by Alpha Catering.
The Canteen is closed on Mondays. Orders can be placed online for Tuesday to Friday lunch orders. https://www.flexischools.com.au/FM/FM.aspx?p=NewUser&nw=1
Registration and app download links for Flexischools are available on our website (within the Whole School section) https://www.rosary.act.edu.au/notes-and-forms
Alpha Catering also offers home catering, available for collection on Tuesdays. Orders are also completed online via Flexischools.
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.
Whole Day Absences - please submit via Parent Portal
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.
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.
Introducing our new School Counsellor
My name is Hilde de Raadt-Abma, and I am the new CatholicCare Student & Family Counsellor at Rosary Primary School.
I have a master’s degree in social work from the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and have worked in the ACT Community Sector for several years in a variety of roles. My most recent position before taking up the role of Student & Family Counsellor was with CatholicCare’s Disability Services as a Program Manager.
I am really excited about the opportunity of working as a counsellor at Rosary and getting to know the fabulous community.
If you feel that your child would benefit from counselling, please contact the front office, the Principal, or your child’s class teacher. You can also refer via the CatholicCare website (School Referral Form (force.com) or contact me directly via email at hilde.deraadt@catholiccare.cg.org.au.
Please note that I work at the school on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
The school counsellor, Hilde de Raadt-Abma, is available every Wednesday and Friday.
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 Hilde.
Hilda can be contacted ia the school or email (hilde.deraadt@catholiccare.cg.org.au) on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Welcome to 2022
To all our new and existing families, guardians, teachers, and community members.
We are so excited for 2022 and cannot wait to see all your beautiful faces return to the service.
Rosary OSHClub achieved some wonderful things last year like our cultural club and learning sign language. This year, we are going bigger and better!
We look forward to introducing Science Club and exploring lots of different ways we can make slime and implementing our quick and easy “fancy” breakfast club with a weekly take home recipe card into our program.
Supporting all our new initiatives is our dedicated educational team. We thought a fun way to introduce ourselves was to answer a controversial question, does pineapple go on Pizza?
Jaysmine (Coordinator), No, Pineapple does not!
Nick, (Educator), Yes, Pineapple is great!
Matt, (Educator), No, Pineapple is not a pizza topping!
Our team bio’s have been updated and are attached for your convenience. Our bio’s are great for families to get to know our team (especially whilst access to our service is reduced due to COVID), and also for any children who are new to OSHC this year.
Covid News
Our management of a safe environment for our children continues to be our highest priority, and we have the following measures in place:
- Team members will complete rapid antigen testing as required in line with ACT school procedures
- A COVID risk assessment is in place, covering matters such as masks, hygiene and cleaning, parent access and outdoor play. We are continuing to follow the health advise and the current CECA COVID guidelines.
- Positive cases will be communicated through our Kidsoft email portal, so please keep an eye out for our emails and continue to inform us if your child does test positive.
- All children who are unwell or display COVID symptoms are requested not to attend school or OSHClub.
Our team can’t wait to see all the smiling faces, and of course, provide wonderful experienced for our children. If we haven’t yet received your bookings for 2022, please confirm your bookings as soon as possible
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 2 - 10)
- 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 2022 are as follows:
Term 1 (10 weeks) Monday 31 January - Friday 8 April
Term 2 (10 weeks) Wednesday 27 April - Friday 1 July (Tuesday 26 April is a system wide Pupil Free Day)
Term 3 (10 weeks) Tuesday 19 July - Friday 23 September (Monday 18 July is a system wide Pupil Free Day)
Term 4 (10 weeks) Monday 10 October – Friday 16 December
NOTICEBOARD