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- Principals Report Week 1 Term 3
- Religious Education News
- Dates for your Diary
- Veritas Awards
- Library News - Book Week is Coming!
- Personally yours Update - Rosary School Ties in Stock
- Project Dust Dance Project - Noah and Zoegrace Fleming
- Dance Club at Rosary - Thursdays at Lunchtime - Kindergarten to Year 4 Enrolling Now
- OSHClub Newsletter
- School Counselling Services
- Car Park Safety Reminder
- Parentline
- Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
- Road upgrades near Rosary Primary School
- Clothing Pool Opening Hours
- Whole Day Absences via Parent Portal
Principals Report Week 1 Term 3
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome Back for Term 3
I hope the students are all well and rested after the winter school holiday break and that families may have had some extra time to spend together. Term 3 promises to be an exciting time for learning, activities and events.
NAIDOC Week in Schools
This week we celebrate NAIDOC Week in our schools. Classes undertake various activities and lessons in relation to the theme and the meaning of this important week, in the context of our education all year. Thank you to our Aboriginal Contact Teacher Miss Rachel McKerrow (Year 3) for her work in this important role.
They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones. Our loved ones who pick us up in our low moments and celebrate us in our high ones. Who cook us a feed to comfort us and pull us into line, when we need them to.
They guide our generations and pave the way for us to take the paths we can take today. Guidance, not only through generations of advocacy and activism, but in everyday life and how to place ourselves in the world.
We draw strength from their knowledge and experience, in everything from land management, cultural knowledge to justice and human rights. Across multiple sectors like health, education, the arts, politics and everything in between, they have set the many courses we follow.
The struggles of our Elders help to move us forward today. The equality we continue to fight for is found in their fight. Their tenacity and strength has carried the survival of our people. It is their influence and through their learnings that we must ensure that when it comes to future decision making for our people, there is nothing about us - without us.
We pay our respects to the Elders we’ve lost and to those who continue fighting for us across all our Nations and we pay homage to them.
Source: National NAIDOC Committee Website
2023 - 60th Anniversary of Rosary Primary School, Blackfriars Parish and the Australian Catholic University
This year Rosary Primary School Watson, the Australian Catholic University Watson (originally Signadou Teachers’ College) and Blackfriars Parish Watson are all celebrating their respective 60th Anniversaries. The Dominican Order is also withdrawing from Canberra in November after 60 years of service and the archdiocese is taking over the operation of the parish.
What is planned so far:
Celebration Mass - 12.00pm Wednesday 2 August (Week 3)
This is a joint ACU and Rosary School mass at Blackfriars Parish Church Watson to celebrate their respective 60th anniversaries (the day before St Dominic’s Feast Day).
You are warmly invited to attend the mass with our students and staff. Special guests from Rosary School, ACU and Catholic Education will be in attendance. Students will be having a special lunch on their return to school after mass.
Thank You and Farewell Mass - Sunday 3 December
This is the official thank you and farewell mass for Fr Mannes and the Dominican Order, to be celebrated on Sunday 3 December by Archbishop Chrostopher Prowse. The mass is to be celebrated at Blackfriars Parish Church Watson (Time TBC). This is a great opportunity for us all to show our gratitude and thanks for all of the spiritual and pastoral guidance and support members of our community have received over the past 60 years.
Rosary School Community 60th Anniversary Celebration
A formal cocktail party is being planned for our community by our Community Council parent sub-committee for later this year. This will be a great opportunity for our current and past parents, staff and students to celebrate this milestone. The date, venue and details will be confirmed shortly and communicated to you.
Two Rosary Staff to Attend World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon Spain
I am pleased to announce that two Rosary staff will be attending the upcoming World Youth Day gathering in Lisbon, Spain from 2 - 6 August 2023. Mr Chris Evans (Year 6) and Mrs Shannon Evans (Classroom Support Assistant) have been selected as part of a Canberra Goulburn Catholic Archdiocese contingent of 20+ people to attend the event. The experience will include retreat time, faith formation, the official WYD Mass celebrated by Pope Francis and other cultural experiences.
We wish Chris and Shannon safe travels and all the very best for this pilgrimage and look forward to hearing more about their experiences on their return.
Exciting Excursions and Events to Start Term 3
Year 3 and Year 6 students will be starting this term with respective excursions later this week. Year 6 are heading to the Old and New Parliament Houses and Year 3 are attending the “Are we there yet?” production at the Canberra Theatre.
We also look forward to the Kindergarten Assembly on Tuesday 1 August celebrating 100 days of Kindergarten, and the Year 5 Wakakirri performance at the Canberra Theatre on the evening of Tuesday 1 August too.
Staff Professional Learning Day - Embedding Trauma Informed Practice
I wanted to let you know the type of professional development staff at Rosary and other schools have been undertaking in recent weeks. On Monday this week we used our day to complete a Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) certified course. This training is essential for staff to be well prepared and well informed about best practice and fostering a positive culture within each classroom and in the school environment. Trauma occurs everywhere and people respond to trauma and experiences in different ways and timeframes. Research indicates that 57% of children experience some form of adverse experience or trauma when growing up. Quite a number of these students also experience multiple forms of trauma and also PTSD.
School environments are complex and cater for a diverse range of learners and students at differing levels of development. Through this model we are developing consistent, school-wide trauma informed strategies. All forms of behaviour displayed by children and adults is a form of communication. No one can ever control another person's behaviour but we can control our responses and influence outcomes.
The CPI Safety Intervention Program incorporates trauma-informed and person-centred approaches. The program is the perfect solution for professionals working in health, social care, and education who need to prevent and/or intervene in crisis situations. The focus is on prevention using verbal and non-verbal de-escalation skills and strategies. It also teaches staff non-restrictive and restrictive interventions depending on the environment, safety risk and level of crisis. The goal of our intervention and support is to avoid any form of restrictive practice, unless it is a last resort to ensure the safety of a person or others - and other forms of non-restrictive practice have been exhausted. Restrictive practice is governed by legislation and is reportable to authorities.
The CPI values and principles are based on CARE, WELFARE, SAFETY and SECURITY. Early intervention is crucial in situations of concern or crisis with the ultimate goal of maintaining safety through reducing tension, anxiety and unsafe/risky behaviour. The trauma informed care model is also based on helping people cope in stressful situations. The focus is on fostering caring and respectful relationships, building transparency and trust, encouraging communication and collaboration and empowering students to develop higher levels of self-esteem and resilience.
This course provided school staff with tools that may help reduce levels of violence, abuse and harm in their workplace.
God Bless
Greg Walker
Principal
CONFIRMATION FORMATION EVENING POSTPONED to Thursday 27 July @ 6:15pm
If your child is baptised Catholic, has received the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, and wishes to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, please attend the Confirmation Formation Evening together on Thursday 27 July at 6:15pm.
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Coordinator
- Year 6 Excursion - Parliament House - Thursday 20th July
- Year 3 Excursion - Canberra Theatre Centre - Friday 21st July
- Confirmation Formation Evening - Thursday 27th July - Holy Rosary Church 6.15pm (Please Note Change of Date)
- Kinder 100 Days - Tuesday 1st August
- Kinder Assembly - Tuesday 1st August - School Hall 2.20pm (Please Note Change of Date)
- Wakakirri - Tuesday 1st August - 7.15pm Canberra Theatre
- Celebration Mass - Wednesday 2nd August - Holy Rosary Church 12pm
- St Mary of the Cross Feast Day Mass - Tuesday 8th August - Holy Rosary Church 10.00am
- Rosary Athletics Carnival - Friday 11th August
Congratulations to the following students who received a Veritas Award last term:
Ines Nardi
Qunley Yangdon
Francesca Manu
Charlie Batley
Oliver Bamber
Ben Booker
Elora Morgan
Myles Dahal
Kath Smyth
Sophie Higgins
Anna Stein
Ram Rachakonda
Julian Montero
Joel Lynes
Olivia Mathews
Zane Griffiths
Marko Soldo
Massen Lavado
Sally Janczura
Isaac Gafa
Annabel Montero
Library News - Book Week is Coming!
Welcome back to all returning students and a very warm welcome to new families attending Rosary for the first time. A reminder that students are required to have a clean library bag when borrowing books to take home. Children know their set library days for this semester and these are now included on our Notes and Forms page on our website for your convenience.
This year the Children’s’ Book Council of Australia’s Book Week Theme is READ, GROW, INSPIRE. The CBCA has been celebrating Book Week annually with Aussie kids since 1945! I would like to alert all Rosary families that this year’s Book Week falls in Week Six of Term Three (21st - 25th August). Book Week is an annual celebration that is a highlight for all students! Each week this term, there will be a literature study on one of the Children's Book Council of Australia shortlisted picture books. By the end of the term, students will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite and find out what the Australian judges have voted as theirs – an interesting discussion in itself! As mentioned in last term's Week 10 newsletter, there will be a dress-up day on Friday, August 25. This event can be as simple as dressing up as a 'normal' character from a fiction book or as detailed as having your child dressed in a costume character from a book. Please be mindful of the suitability of props e.g., swords and ensure students have suitable, appropriate shoes e.g., runners. There is no competition...it is merely a day to celebrate all that is wonderful about BOOKS! The only requirement is that each child needs to have the book their dress-up relates to. Please see me if you are having trouble securing a book that relates to your child's dress-up character.
Our annual Book Fair will be held in the Library from Monday afternoon, August 21st and open from 8.30am - 9am and again at 3.10- 4.30pm every day until Friday 25th August. There will be a large selection of books to purchase for your children with a percentage of sales being returned to the library in books and resources.
Personally yours Update - Rosary School Ties in Stock
Please be advised that Personally Yours in Fyshwick now have Rosary School ties in stock and available for purchase.
Thank you for your patience.
Project Dust Dance Project - Noah and Zoegrace Fleming
An article featured in Mondays Canberra Times highlights Project Dust, a First Nations Dance Group. Noah Fleming (5 Panama) and Zoegrace Fleming (2 Barcelona) are members of the project and are pictured below. The group consists of 48 children from across Canberra of all dance abilities that share their culture through dance. The older children in the group take on a mentoring role with the younger members to gain valuable skills. What a wonderful opportunity for all involved!
Noah and Zoegrace also attended a dance workshop with the Bangarra Dance Company to further develop their dance skills. Well done!
Dance Club at Rosary - Thursdays at Lunchtime - Kindergarten to Year 4 Enrolling Now
PLAY AGENCY
The school counsellor, is available every Thursday and Friday.
You can refer your child for counselling by contacting the school or 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 this with the counsellor.
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 - 4.20pm (continuing) / Wednesday 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 1-9)
- 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)
- Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - Friday 8:20am and during class time throughout the day
- Block Crafters - Wednesday - Coding and Robotics After School Programme for interested students aged 8-12 years (currently fully booked).
- Dance Club - PLAY - The Dance Agency - Thursdays at Lunchtime from Weeks 2-10 - Kinder to Year 4
Please contact the school if you require further information.
Road upgrades near Rosary Primary School
Road line marking and signage improvements are planned near Rosary Primary School. Please find a copy of the designs attached for your information.
The works are expected to be undertaken in the next three months, with the exact timing subject to the contractor’s scheduling. The contractor will minimise the impact on the school community when undertaking the works, including avoiding working during the school peak periods.
Access to the clothing pool will now be as follows:
Monday - All Day (school hours)
Tuesday - 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.
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. 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.
NOTICEBOARD