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- Principals Report Week 2 Term 3
- Religious Education News
- Dates for your Diary
- Veritas Awards
- Book Week is Coming !!
- Olympics Green and Gold Dress Up Day - Wednesday 7th August
- Important Health Notice - Covid / Cold and Flu Season / Illness
- Rosary Rugby 60th Birthday Celebrations
- School Counsellor
- Whole Day Absences via Parent Portal
- Clothing Pool Opening Hours
- Car Park Safety Reminder
- Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
- Rosary Canteen Menu 2024
- artKids @ Rosary
- Block Crafters Tuesday Now Added
- Action Ta Kwon-Do @ Rosary
- ACT 2024 STUDENT ATTENDANCE DATES
Principals Report Week 2 Term 3
Dear Parents and Carers
Rosary School Compliance Review
This week Rosary Primary School undertook a Compliance Review of the Registration Standards that Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) schools in the ACT schools must comply. Compliance Reviews of Registration Standards are conducted every five years in every school. The requirements are based on the ACT Non-government Schools Registration Standards.
A successful review, that meets the standards, provides ongoing registration of ACT Non-Government schools in accordance with the Education Act 2004 and Education Regulations 2005. There are also extra specific obligations that Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn CECG sets for its system of schools with which our schools must comply.
The initial feedback provided to the school this week by the reviewer has been very positive. The full compliance report will be provided later this term to the school.
St Dominic's Day - Rosary Primary School Patron Saint
St. Dominic's Feast Day is celebrated on August 8th. St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order (Order of Preachers), is honoured on this day for his contributions to the Church and his commitment to preaching and teaching. As St Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day is also 8 August, Australians celebrate St Dominic’s Feast Day on 3 August. You are invited to join us for our school feast day mass this Friday 2 August at 10.00am in Blackfriars Parish Church.
Brief Story About St Dominic
St. Dominic de Guzman (1173–1221) was a Spanish priest and founder of the Dominican Order, also known as the Order of Preachers. Born in Caleruega, Spain, he was educated at the University of Palencia and initially pursued a career in the secular clergy. He became deeply committed to combating heresy and spreading the Christian faith through preaching and teaching.
Dominic's approach combined rigorous study with a simple, itinerant lifestyle, which helped establish the Dominican Order as a major force in the Church's intellectual and pastoral work. The order was approved by Pope Honorius III in 1216 and became known for its commitment to preaching, education, and poverty.
Dominic was a man of remarkable character and vision. He had the deepest compassion for anyone suffering. He was in constant search of the truth about God and God’s presence. He was faithful to the Gospel and during the day and no one was more community-minded and pleasant towards his brothers and sisters. During the night, no one was more persistent in prayer.
Dominic travelled extensively in Europe, establishing houses for his order in major cities and promoting its mission of scholarly and pastoral work. He was canonized as a saint in 1234, just over a decade after his death. His legacy endures in the Dominican Order’s continued focus on education, preaching, and social justice.
St Dominic’s love for prayer, study and community gave him the joy to move on to preach to all peoples. As a school founded by the Dominicans in 1963, we strive to emulate these values and virtues at Rosary.
St Dominic's Encounter with Mary and the Prayer of the Rosary
It is widely believed that in 1214 St. Dominic had a vision of Mary. She is said to have presented him with the rosary, both the beads and the prayers to be prayed. Dominic had a tremendous devotion to Mary and the rosary, which he promoted wherever he travelled to preach. He encouraged Catholics to gather in small groups to pray together what was an early form of the rosary together. Hence, our school was named Holy Rosary Primary School upon foundation in 1963.
Year 5 Wakakirri Success
Congratulations to the Year 5 students on their wonderful Wakakirri performance on Monday evening. Everyone is talking about how clear and powerful the storytelling of their version of ‘Robin Hood’ was through their performance, dance, music score and visual effects backdrops. The students at school have been talking about how exciting it was to be on stage and how they enjoyed the experience, with many having the confidence now to be involved in performing arts in the future.
Thank you so much to Mrs Mogan, Mr Read and Mr O’Brien for supporting the students on the Wakakirri journey and for giving up so much of their time to make the event a success. Special thanks also to our choreographer, Chantal Fleming, who did an amazing job inspiring the students and teaching them their actions and dance.
Each year a new cohort of Year 5 students select a new theme and story to present, so no two years are the same. This will be a unique experience for the students that they will remember for many years to come.
Year 3 and Year 4 Assemblies Coming Up
There are a number of year level assemblies this term, starting with the Year 3 this Friday 2 August 2.20pm. Then followed by the Year 4 assembly, next Friday 9 August 2.20pm. We look forward to celebrating their learning and presentation at these times.
Some Upcoming School Events Dates:
- Green and Gold Olympic Dress Up Day - Wednesday 7th August
- St Mary of the Cross Feast Day Thursday 8 August
- AFP ThinkUKnow Cyber Safety Sessions (Yrs 3-6) - Tuesday 13 August
- First Author Visit - Tuesday 13 August - Sue Whiting
- Year 4 National Museum Excursion - 11.30am Tuesday 13 August
- Second Author Visit Wednesday 14 August - Amelia McInerney
- Rosary Track and Field Carnival - Friday 16 August
- Book Week Monday 19 August to Friday 23 August
- Book Fair Sales - Tuesday 20 August to Friday 23 August
- Book Week Dress Up Day and Afternoon Assembly (2.20pm) - Friday 23 August
- Father’s Day Stall - Friday 30 August (Year 4 parents organising).
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
God Bless
Greg Walker
Principal
Thank you to all the families who attended the Faith Formation session last Thursday at Holy Rosary Church. During the session, we considered our faith journey as Catholics and Fr Renoir gave some theological background information about the sacrament. The registration information, commitment card, home booklet, fee and letters were also explained.
Please return the following by 30 August:
- Resource fee
- Registration Card and copy of Baptismal Certificate
- Parent and Sponsor letters
COMMITMENT MASS REMINDER
Candidates, please ensure that you attend a Mass throughout the month of August. Introduce yourself and hand your signed Commitment Card to Fr Renoir after Mass.
Holy Rosary Mass times: Saturday 5pm or Sunday 8am, 10am and 5pm.
If your child is in Year 6, is baptised Catholic, has received the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, and still wishes to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, but did not attend the Faith Formation session last week, please email liz.higgins@cg.catholic.edu.au
ST DOMINIC’S FEAST DAY MASS
St Dominic’s Feast Day Mass is on this Friday 2 August @ 10am, Holy Rosary Church. All welcome!
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Year B| Sunday 4 August| green
“Work for food that gives eternal life."
Click on the link below to go the readings and activities for this Sunday.
August 4 - Sunday 18 ORD - PRAYING WITH CHILDREN YEAR B 2023-2024 (yearbprayingwithchildren.org)
THE ROUND TABLE SERIES
Exploring topics of faith, life and mission in our Church
As part of the current Year of the Holy Spirit and leading into an Archdiocesan Assembly later this year, please consider joining others from across the Archdiocese for a time of prayerful dialogue in the spirit of synodality (walking together). You can do this by participating in one or more sessions of a Roundtable Series that is currently underway.
Upcoming Topics:
- The Voice of the Child: Safeguarding the Gift of our Children and Vulnerable (4 Sept).
For more information and to register, go to https://www.cgevangelisation.org.au/roundtables/. If you would like to connect with others in the inner north community interested in the Roundtable topics, please contact Emily at emilykathrynhall@gmail.com.
Peace and best wishes,
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Coordinator
- St Dominics Mass - Friday 2nd August - 10.00am Holy Rosary Church
- Year 3 Assembly - Friday 2nd August - 2.20pm School Hall
- Hats Back On - Monday 5th August
- Green and Gold Dress Up Day - Wednesday 7th August
- St Mary of the Cross Feast Day - Thursday 8 August
- Year 4 Assembly - Friday 9th August - 2.20pm School Hall
- Author Visit - Sue Whiting - Tuesday 13th August
- Year 4 Excursion - National Museum - Tuesday 13th August
- Think You Know Presentation Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - Tuesday 13th August
- The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mass - Thursday 15th August - 10.00am Holy Rosary Church
- Rosary Athletics Carnival - Friday 16th August - Dickson Playing Fields
- Book Week - Reading is Magic - Monday 19th August - Friday 23rd August
- Rosary Book Fair - Monday 19th August - Friday 23rd August
- Book Week Assembly and Dress Up Day - Friday 23rd August - 2.20pm - School Hall
- Father’s Day Stall - Friday 30 August (Year 4 parents organising).
Kinder Nagoya - Jocelyn C, Sebastian G
Kinder Paris - Ada R
1 Hague - Benji G-P
1 Vienna - William W
2 Barcelona - Willow G-M
2 Osaka - Poppy M, Louis Y
3 Bangkok - Kiera T-M
3 Casablanca - Finn F, Luke W
3 Cairo - Archie C, Audrey J
4 Dublin - Quley T
4 Rome - George Y
6 Athens - Emma W
6 London - Lachlan K
This year the Children’s’ Book Council of Australia’s Book Week Theme is READING IS MAGIC! 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 Five of Term Three (19th -23rd 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 23. 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 19th and open from 8.30am - 9am and again at 3.10- 4.30pm every day until Friday 23rd 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.
Auhtor Visit
We are excited to announce that we are lucky enough to have Sue Whiting visiting Rosary on Tuesday 13th August. Sue Whiting is an award-winning children’s and YA author and editor and former teacher, who has worked in publishing for twenty+ years. Sue was senior commissioning editor and publishing manager for Walker Books Australia for many years before leaving in 2016 to concentrate on her writing. Sue has written numerous books for a variety of age groups, from picture books through to YA, including the bestselling Missing, the acclaimed The Book of Chance and a number of CBCA Notable Books. Sue’s latest books are Tilda, a historical novel for readers 10+ and Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan, the second book in her new junior fiction series. As a storyteller and schools’ performer, Sue has informed, inspired and entertained thousands of kids across the country. Sue is passionate about the power of story and is an advocate for reading and writing for pleasure (Whiting, 2019).
Students in Years 3-6 will have the opportunity to listen to a presentation by Sue and learn about Below is a flyer, should you wish to pre-order one of Sue's books that she will sign on the day.
Olympics Green and Gold Dress Up Day - Wednesday 7th August
Next Wednesday 7th August is Olympics Green and Gold Dress Up Day!
To support our Australian athletes students may come to school dressed up in Green and Gold (or Olympic Themed clothing) to celebrate the Olympics!
Important Health Notice - Covid / Cold and Flu Season / Illness
Covid and Cold and Flu season are now upon us. To assist in preventing the spread of illness, we seek your co-operation keeping children at home if they are unwell and regularly reminding children about basic hygiene practices including:
Hand Hygiene: frequent washing of hands with soap and water. Using hand sanitizer where apporpriate.
Coughing/Sneezing Etiquette: covering of the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, disposing of the tissue in the bin and washing hands. Alternatively, coughing into the elbow.
We thank you for your cooperation with this important health and safety matter.
The School Counsellor is at Rosary all day Mondays and Tuesdays during each school term.
How to make an appointment
If your child was seen by the School Counsellor last year and you would like them to receive support in 2023, we require you to complete a new counselling registration form. Please either contact your child’s class teacher or Greg Walker- the Principal for further information.
Similarly, new referrals and requests can be made by contacting your child’s class teacher or Greg Walker- the Principal for further information.
Parent consent for counselling continues to be required for all primary school students and will be sought and provided via email. Where parents are separated, we require the written consent of both parents. Once the referral has been received by myself- School Counsellor- I will make contact with parents on my next day at Rosary to further discuss the referral.
More about School counselling/how to access school counselling at Rosary Primary School
As part of the pastoral care program for students at Rosary, students have access to a Student and Family Counselling service provided by MaryMeadCatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn (MCCG). MCCG are contracted by the CEO to provide a counselling service to students and their families on site. There is no fee to access this service. The service offers short term counselling support (roughly up to six sessions per referral issue) to children and their families – the counsellor can also provide referrals for more complex issues requiring intensive or long term therapy/support.
The role of the counsellor is to focus on the emotional, social and educational well-being of the students. Counsellors welcome contact with students having difficulty with some part of their life, the problem does not have to be a big one. It is better to seek help sooner rather than later. Some typical
concerns that counsellors work with include: anger, anxiety, behavioural problems, low mood, family changes/separation, grief and loss, learning and educational challenges, parenting challenges, peer and other social relationships, school avoidance, stress and study skills. As well as individual sessions with students, counsellors can run groups, consult with parents and teachers and make referrals to other services and supports.
Student and Family Counsellors subscribe to a set of professional ethics that include duty of care and respect for the individual rights to privacy and confidentiality. The counsellors’ obligation is to ensure the safety, well-being and confidentiality of the student they are working with. All counsellors are mandated to report any disclosure or sign of abuse (including self-harm) or neglect to Child Protection Services. Outside of our mandated requirements, all counselling sessions are confidential and the details will not be discussed with other parties unless written consent is given by the client.
Sarah Foley- is onsite at Rosary Mondays and Tuesdays during term.
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.
Access to the clothing pool will now be as follows:
Monday - 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.
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 - 5.00pm
- 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 - Tuesday and Wednesday Week 2 - Coding and Robotics After School Programme for interested students aged 8-12 years
- Dance Club - PLAY - The Dance Agency - Tuesdays at Lunchtime from Weeks 2-10 - Kinder to Year 4
Please contact the school if you require further information.
ACT 2024 STUDENT ATTENDANCE DATES
2024 | TERM BEGINS | TERM ENDS |
---|---|---|
Term 1 | 31 January | 12 April |
Term 2 | 30 April | 5 July |
Term 3 | 23 July | 27 September |
Term 4 | 14 October | 16 December |
NOTICEBOARD