Filter Content
- Principals Report Week 1 Term 1
- Religious Education News
- Dates for your Diary
- Canteen News
- Canteen - please update your child's class on Flexischools
- Library News
- Clothing Pool Opening Hours - UPDATED
- Class Contacts and Parent WhatsApp Group Links
- Whole Day Absences via Parent Portal
- Financial Assistance for Extracurricular Activities
- Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
- Rosary Netball News
- Hayfever Season
- Dads of Rosary Social Group
- Action Tae Kwon-Do
- artkids @ Rosary
Principals Report Week 1 Term 1
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to the 2023 school year at Rosary. It is great to be back together as a school community. I hope that you and your family were able to have some quality time together and a bit of a summer break.
I would like to offer a special welcome to our new families and students starting at Rosary in 2023. Please support them in any way they need as they settle in.
New School Staff in 2023
I would like to warmly welcome 4 new staff joining the Rosary community this year.
Mr Damien Hinds - Year 2 Classroom Teacher
Damien joins our staff from Holy Family Primary School in Gowrie. Damien is an experienced teacher who knows our school well and has undertaken some casual work here in recent years.
Miss Nuri La - Year 1 Classroom Teacher
Nuri is a graduate teacher from the University of Canberra with lots of interests and talents. Nuri is also an ex-Rosary student who is very excited about returning to the school in a teaching capacity.
Mrs Meg Millband - Classroom Support Teacher
Meg has been successful in this position, one that she has held at her two previous schools, Holy Trinity Curtin and St Thomas Aquinas West Belconnen. Meg brings experience in planning and implementing strategies to meet the needs of students of all ability levels.
Damien, Nuri and Meg have all participated in professional learning with our staff during the past week and I look forward to the opportunity to introduce them to you early in the term.
Alanna McGee - CatholicCare Counsellor
Alanna has been appointed to Rosary for 2023, replacing Hilde as our counsellor. The time allocated for this role is about 2 days per week and I will provide more information when I know more and Alanna starts her role.
Staff in New Roles
Mrs Kath Watson will continue to teach STEM in 2023 with the role extending to 2 days per week. Mrs Watson will also teach our E.A.L.D. students and support other students in their learning.
In 2023 Mrs Elisa Pavlic will be teaching classes when their teachers are released for Literacy and Curriculum Development.
Mrs Janet Hanratty will be teaching in a casual capacity at Rosary in 2023.
2023 Rosary Staff
I am proud to announce their year levels and classrooms:
Classroom Teachers:
Kinder Nagoya: Miss Karen Green
Kinder Paris: Mrs Ann-Maree Hinds
Year 1 Vienna: Miss Nicole Rich
Year 1 The Hague: Miss Nuri La / Mrs Beth Campton
Year 2 Dublin: Mrs Julie Godfrey/Mr Damien Hinds
Year 2 Barcelona: Mrs Elizabeth Fryar
Year 2 Osaka: Mrs Liz Higgins/Mrs Beth Toole
Year 3 Copenhagen: Miss Rachel McKerrow
Year 3 Casablanca: Mrs Sharon Stiffle
Year 4 Cairo: Ms Emma Hillsdon
Year 4 Bangkok: Miss Diandra Blom
Year 5: Washington: Mrs Nicole Mogan
Year 5 Panama: Mr Rob Read
Year 6 London: Mrs Mara Pangallo
Year 6 Athens: Mr Chris Evans
Specialist Subject Teachers:
Music: Mr John O’Brien (Tues - Thurs) / Mrs Beth Campton ( Every second Tuesday)
Indonesian: Mrs (Ibu) Jacqui Ramesh
Library: Mrs Sandy Vincent/Mrs Jodie Dawson
STEM (Science, Technology, English, Mathematics): Mrs Kath Watson
Curriculum Release: Mrs Elisa Pavlic (Wednesday, Thursday)
EALD/Extra Support: Mrs Kath Watson
Sport: Mrs Elizabeth Fryar
Aboriginal/Torres Strait Island Contact Teacher: TBC
School Office:
Ms Rebecca van der Sanden (Monday - Thursday)
Mrs Colleen Welsh (Wednesday and Friday)
Classroom Support Teacher: Mrs Meg Millband
Classroom Support Assistants: Mrs Kathy Brokenshire, Mrs Colleen Welsh, Miss Rachel Webb, Mrs Nicole Arndt, Miss Clare Henman.
School Janitor/Maintenance: Mr Paul Mogan
Canteen: Mrs Melissa Thornton (Canteen open Tuesday to Friday)
Rosary Sports Role 2023
I’m pleased to announce that Mrs Elizabeth Fryar will oversee the sports events and carnivals for Rosary in 2023. Mrs Fryar is passionate about sport and has previously assisted with many carnivals and events in the past. Mrs Fryar teaches Year 2 but will release time as required to attend sports administration. Mrs Godfrey, who also teaches Year 2, will provide this release to Year 2 Barcelona on these days.
We look forward to students participating in many different sports gala days and events, as well as taking part in our main school carnivals and our school swimming program. Parents and carers are needed to assist with coaching, managing and volunteering for all of our events.
Please ensure you have a current Working With Vulnerable people Card (WWVP) so that you can volunteer. These WWVP cards are available from the ACT Government or at
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/s/article/working-with-vulnerable-people-wwvp-registration-tab-overview
You are warmly invited to attend our 2023 Opening School Mass next Tuesday 7 February at 10am at Holy Rosary Church. We look forward to celebrating the start of the school year and praying for the blessing and opportunities that the year provides for our community. Please note the change of date from the one in advertised in the school calendar.
Welcome Back to School BBQ
This is also on next Tuesday 7 February 5.00pm - 7.00pm. Classroom teachers will open their classrooms from 5.00pm - 6.00pm and be available for informal conversations with you. Your child may like to show you their classroom and where they sit. Teachers will also hand-out Term One Curriculum Overviews and other relevant information. They are not doing formal presentations so you are welcome to visit multiple classrooms at this time. If you are seeking a longer time with your child’s teacher, I recommend organising another time for a formal meeting. The BBQ will be available from 6.00pm so families and staff can mingle together and catch up to start the year. Thank you to our Year 6 parents who are organising the BBQ on behalf of the Community Council.
2023 School Calendar
The 2023 school calendar came home yesterday in hard copy form. The calendar has all known dates at the time of printing and is decorated with images of the Rosary students and community at work! It is a great ‘working document’ and one you can add to or change as required during the year.
Thank you to Mr John O’Brien who was the chief editor and organiser for the calendar again this year.
Supervision Times
Please note that the daily supervision of students by school staff commences at 8.30am and finishes at 3.30pm. No child should be on the premises before supervision begins in the morning as they will be unsupervised. Please make private arrangements for the care of your child if your circumstances make this difficult or enrol your child in OSHClub before school care. In the afternoon, if we are notified that a parent will be inadvertently delayed, of course, children will be supervised until the parent takes over their care.
Playground Use After School Pick Up
After school parents and carers often allow their children to have a short play on the school equipment or oval after they pick them up from the Quad/Peace Gates. The school supports this physical play and activity after school. Parents are required to actively supervise their children’s play and interactions and have them in sight. The children need to play and behave in line with our school rules. They need to play safely and be respectful towards others.
No students should be playing after school in this area if their parents or carer has not picked them up and assumed responsibility for their supervision and care.
No student should be climbing on the container near the play equipment. It has come to my attention that this has happened in the past but it is unsafe and not acceptable.
OSH Club do need to use the play equipment and grounds for their program from 3.45pm so I ask that you end your family play at this time.
Thank you for your support and diligence in supervising your child or children.
A few general reminders:
Toys at school: We ask that children leave their toys at home and only play with equipment provided by the school; with the exception of hand balls that are labelled with a name. This is to ensure that ‘personal treasures’ do not become lost or damaged at school. It is also to keep everyone safe as some toys are not ‘playground friendly’.
Long hair: If a child’s hair is long enough to touch the shoulders, it needs to be tied back. This is to prevent the spread of head lice and to keep hair out of eyes as well as to ensure a neat and tidy appearance.
Hats: Children need to be wearing the brimmed uniform hat until the end of May.
Allergies to Nuts
Please remember not to send nuts or products containing nuts to school. Several children are severely allergic to nuts and your cooperation in reducing risks to their health is greatly appreciated.
Again, welcome back to the 2023 school year. The school staff and I look forward to working in partnership with you.
God Bless
Greg Walker
Principal
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Year A| Sunday 5 February | green
“You are the light of the world."
Click on the link below to go the readings and activities for this Sunday.
February 5 - Sunday 5 ORD (yearaprayingwithchildren.org)
OPENING SCHOOL MASS
Our opening school mass will take place next Tuesday, 7 February at 10am at 10am, Holy Rosary Church. Not this Friday as advertised in the calendar). All welcome!
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMS
The Sacraments are offered to baptised catholic students in Years 3, 4 and 6. If any baptised catholic students, new to Rosary, have missed out on the opportunity to receive a Sacrament, and wish to do so this year, please contact me for further information. liz.higgins@cg.catholic.edu.au
Sacramental Program 2023 |
Year 3 Reconciliation Year 4 First Eucharist Year 6 Confirmation |
Peace and best wishes
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Coordinator
- Opening School Mass - Tuesday 7th February - 10.00am Holy Rosary Church - Please note change of date
- Welcome BBQ - Tuesday 7th February
- Kinder Rest Day - Wednesday 8th February
- Kinder Rest Day - Wednesday 15th February
- Year 6 Mass - Thursday 16th February - 10.00am Holy Rosary Church
- Ash Wednessday Mass - Wednesday 22nd February - 10.00am Holy Rosary Church
- Gelato Day - Friday 24th February - Please note change of date
The Rosary 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.
Canteen - please update your child's class on Flexischools
As we have begun a new year with children moving classes this can create some confusion with the collection of lunch orders.
A very special welcome to all the 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 month are as follows:
Tuesday - 4 Cairo, 4 Bangkok, 3 Casablanca, 3 Copenhagen, 2 Barcelona
Wednesday - 5 Panama, 5 Washington, 6 Athens, 6 London, 2 Osaka
Thursday - 1 Hague, 1 Vienna, Kinder Nagoya, Kinder Paris, 2 Dublin.
From March, Kinder and Year 6 will swap due to their Wednesday rest day finishing.
Feel free to contact us at any time to support your child/ren in their reading selections!!
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 any newly catalogued books into the hands of the students over the course of the year! 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 by a family member. Sandy then disseminates the orders to the students' classrooms when the books arrive at school.
A book is a gift you can open again and again.
― Garrison KeillorKind regards,
Sandy Vincent and Jodie Dawson
Clothing Pool Opening Hours - UPDATED
The Rosary Clothing Pool is open to families to purchase second hand uniform items for $5 per piece. A key is available from the front office to access the room.
Updated Hours
Due to our STEM classes now taking place in Egypt Tuesday - Thursday please note the updated opening hours for the clothing pool below:
Monday - Before and after school and during school hours
Tuesday - Thursday - Before and after school ONLY
Friday - Before and after school and during school hours
All new uniform items can be purchased from Personally Yours or Lowes Belconnen.
Personally Yours is located at 218 Gladstone St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 and can be contacted on 6280 4166.
Lowes is located on Benjamin Way Westfield Belconnen Shopping Centre, Shop 58, Belconnen ACT 2617
Class Contacts and Parent WhatsApp Group Links
All families will receive an email this week, specific to each year-level, notifying them of their 2023 Class Contacts and providing a link to the 2023 parent WhatsApp group for their year-level. Parents with students in multiple years will receive more than one email.
The WhatsApp groups are the main method of communication between Class Contacts and the parents of each year-level. They can be used to notify parents of important dates and reminders, to coordinate the year-level Rosary fundraising event and other ad hoc things as they arise (for example, organising parent dinners or sporting teams, etc). Parents can also use the WhatsApp group to ask questions as needed.
Please note, it is requested that the parent’s name is shown in the WhatsApp profile (or at least first name and initial) so that the Class Contact can monitor who is in the group. The rules associated with the Rosary WhatsApp groups are included in the ‘Group Description’ section of the WhatsApp group.
As noted in the final Veritas newsletter of 2022, the year-level WhatsApp groups will now operate on an annual basis. The 2022 WhatsApp groups will be closed on 10 February 2023.
Whole Day Absences via Parent Portal
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.
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.
Financial Assistance for Extracurricular Activities
Rosary Community Council has established a fund to support students to participate in extracurricular activities where their family may be experiencing financial difficulty. This fund has been established based on the philosophy of giving a Hand Up to these families through providing funds towards participation fees. If you wish to be considered for support through this fund please access the information and application form at (Website link here). Applications must be submitted and received prior to the end of February 2023 in order to be assessed.
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 (continuing) / Wednesday 8.00am - 9.00am (beginner)
- Action Tae Kwon-Do - Monday 6.30pm Children class / 7:30pm Adult class
- Mandarin Lessons - Tuesday 3.10pm - 4.15pm
- 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 (continuing)
- Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - Friday 8:20am and during class time throughout the day
- Block Crafters - Coding and Robotics After School Programme for interested students aged 8-12 years (currently fully booked).
Please contact the school if you require further information.
Hayfever season has arrived with the weather being particularly windy and the pollen count high. We have had many children coming to the front office with hayfever symptoms. If your child is prone to hayfever please consider the treatment you would like them to receive.
If you would like your child to be given hayfever medication please fill in a Request to Dispense Medication Form and provide the medication to be stored in the First Aid area.
Parents will be contacted prior to any medication being administered. On particularly windy days you may like to consider treating your child before they attend school.
The Request to Dispense Medication Form can be accessed via this link: Request to Dispense Medication and on the school website.
Fathers and carers of all years are invited to attend the 1st DoR’s catch up for 2023. If successful the DoR’s will look to quarterly catch ups throughout 2023.
Friday 17th February - From 5pm
The Cornerstone Pub (Gungahlin)
Please join our WhatsApp Group.
NOTICEBOARD