Dear Parents and Carers

What a busy week or two it has been at school!  Lots of school events, camp, activities and visitors. 

Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea 

What a beautiful afternoon our students and staff were able to share with our mothers, grandmothers and other special family members last Friday.  The late Autumn weather, which has been so beautiful, was certainly on show again on Friday. The quad was full of many visitors and the 45 minutes or so everyone had together was very special. The afternoon tea was Rosary’s way of saying thank you to our mothers and other special people who support our students.

Thank you to our Year 2 parents, including many of our dads, for the planning, setting up and serving the afternoon tea.  Thank you to our Community Council parents for continuing to explore ways to engage our parents in the life of the school. 

Mother’s Day Poem - read by Year 6 students on Friday:

Smart Watches

Is important that I highlight the Rosary’s expectations that smart watches must not be worn in school hours at school. This was also mentioned in Term 1. Unfortunately, we are still having incidents where students use smart watches to access the internet or communicate with their parents in school time.  Other smartphone features like recording audio, video and photography are also a concern and if used would breach confidentiality and privacy legislation. 

Smart watch use also has the potential to adversely affect the social cohesion of students at school.  

Students are to take off any smart watches when they arrive at school and put them in their school bag and not touch them during the school day and until they leave school premises.

It is important all communication or change of arrangements for their children goes via front office staff. The school has a duty of care to all students when they are at school. We also have to support our staff and teachers and ensure they are able to manage the care of students. 

Please note, smartwatches are brought at the student’s own risk.

Students are welcome to wear a watch without this capacity. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Thank you for understanding in this matter 

Year 5 Camp Success

Congratulations to the Year 5 students and the teachers that attended camp last week in Jindabyne. The 3 day/2 night camp was a huge success and the first overnight camp or stay away from home for many students. The program was full of outdoor activities and team challenges which the students managed to navigate and work together on well. I was able to visit the students for the day program on Thursday and witnessed how well they interacted together, their team synergy and the positive effort they put into the activities.  They were blessed with some lovely Autumn weather which helped make the camp more comfortable. I heard students and staff praise the quality of the food at camp! What a bonus.

The experiences of camp should benefit the cohort for the remainder of the year. .

I'd like to offer a huge thanks to the staff who attended the camp including Mrs Nicole Mogan, Mrs Naomi Scott, Mrs Emily Holgate and Mr Chris Evans.  They gave up their own time away from their own families to support and encourage the students on camp. 

New Zealand Delegation visit Rosary and other Catholic Schools

On Tuesday this week Rosary hosted a delegation of 15 principals from the North Island of New Zealand, along with two members of the Catholic Education Office in Canberra.  Their visit was to observe our teachers and students engaging with High Impact Teaching Practices. Our Catholic schools have been on this journey of evidence-based explicit teaching for over three years now and it was wonderful to be able to showcase our learning,  pedagogy, instruction and assessment to these principals.  Our staff shared lunch with the New Zealand visitors and swapped stories about their schools and their systems.  The New Zealand visitors presented the school with some lovely books and a token (artefact) from New Zealand to say thank you. 

Rosary Cross Country

We had a very successful Cross Country carnival on Monday which included all students from Kindergarten through to YEAR 6. It was great to see the students test their endurance by competing in the distance relevant to their age group. They all tried really hard and earnt points for their prospected house. 

A huge thank you to Mrs Fryar and all the Rosary staff, and parents and carers who volunteered to help at the carnival. It was great to see the Rosary Spirit on display. 

Ribbons were presented at the Friday assembly this week for students who placed first to fourth place in their race. Some of these students in the older age groups will now progress to the regional carnival and represent Rosary on Monday the 26th May.

We also congratulated Gold Barton on winning the carnival with the most points.

I am privileged to be able to attend an upcoming faithful formation experience In the form of a Catholic pilgrimage.  I am taking part in a “Footsteps of Saint Paul” pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey.

The pilgrims on the trip are principals and teachers from Australia, New Zealand and USA.  The group meets in Athens before embarking on the pilgrimage through mainland Greece, the Greek Islands and then onto Turkey. 

We will travel where St Paul and his companions courageously preached the word of God and kept the early Christian communities vibrant and alive in faith.  We will walk in the footsteps of the Church’s greatest evangelist.

I will also have the opportunity while in Turkey to visit Gallipoli and the surrounding areas, which is very significant to Australians and New Zealanders. 

During this time Mr John O’Biren will again be Acting Principal, Mrs Liz Higgins Acting Assistant Principal and Mr Chris Evans Acting Religious Education Coordinator.  

I thank them for stepping up in these roles, as they've done so admirably all year. Thank you for giving them your full support. 

Wishing you a great week ahead.

God Bless

Greg Walker

Religious Education News: Term 2, Week 3

Habemus Papam! We have a Pope!

 It was my great privilege to announce to the Year 5s while we were away last week on Camp that the Conclave of Cardinals had seen fit to elect Pope Leo XIV as the new Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church! Across the school, our students have been learning a bit about the process of the conclave, and what the Pope does for the Church. Now we join with them in welcoming our new Pope and praying for his success and that he will continue in the footsteps of Pope Francis to make the Church a place for “Everyone, everyone, everyone!”.

 Part of the process of making the Church a space for ‘Everyone, everyone, everyone’ is by welcoming new members. This is a critical aspect of the faith, as we attempt to follow Jesus’ instruction to “...go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

 The Catholic Church welcomes new adult members through the process of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Vivian, one of our parents here at Rosary School, has recently completed the journey of formation offered through the RCIA. She was kind enough to write about the process and how she found the path to becoming Catholic.

 “The best decision I have ever made in my life was to become involved in the RCIA process - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is a course designed for adults who have never been baptised in the Catholic faith. I started my RCIA course in August 2024 and attended a one-hour session, once a week during the school terms up until Easter 2025. It has been such an amazing journey of faith. The friendship bond which I have with my wonderful Catholic Educators and my classmates have been so worthwhile and an enriching experience in my life. There is so much to learn about the Catholic faith, through the Gospels and attending Mass. My son and I recently got Baptised, had the Holy Communion and Confirmation. It was a beautiful and memorable experience at the Easter Saturday Vigil. My son and I feel extremely blessed to be able to experience this wonderful and valuable celebration together.”

 Rosary School and Parish are privileged to have people like Vivian who are willing and able to witness the wonderful role faith in Jesus can have on our lives! If you are interested in learning more about the RCIA process or are already Baptised but are interested in becoming Catholic, please feel free to contact me, and I will be happy to provide you with information about what is involved!

Important Dates:

Year 1 Liturgy (New date after postponement) - Week 5 (Friday 30th of May, 10:00 am)

First Eucharist Retreat Day - Week 8 (Friday 20th June)

First Eucharist                - Saturday 21st June (5:00 pm)

                                    - Sunday 22nd June (10:00 am)

 Year 4 Mass                   - Week 9 (Friday 27th June, 10:00 am)

 Prayer for the Pope

 Almighty Father,

You have called our Holy Father the Pope

To be the chief bishop of your Church,

And the teacher and leader

Of all of us, your children,

In all that concerns our service of you

And the salvation of our souls.

Help him, by your love and your grace,

To teach us truly and rule us wisely.

Give him courage when times are difficult.

Grant that all would listen to him.

And may he always have the happiness of knowing

That we are loyal and obedient to him,

and, thereby, to Christ our Lord

Whose vicar on Earth we believe him to be.

Amen

- Taken from the Prayerbook for Adults - St Pauls

Kind regards,

Christopher Evans

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

• Rosary Primary Open day - Tuesday 20th May 3.30pm - 5.00pm
• National Simultaneous Story Time - Wendnesday 21st May - 12.00pm
• Rosary Primary Open Day - Thursday 22nd May - 9.30am - 11.00am
• Kinder Assembly - Friday 23rd May - 2.20pm School Hall
• North / Gungahlin SSACT Cross Country - Monday 26th May - Mt Stronlo Running Park
• Rosary Primary Open Day - Wenesday 28th May - 9.30am - 11.00am
• Year 3 National Zoo and Aquarium Excursion - Friday 30th May
• Year 1 Liturgy - Friday 30th May - Holy Rosary Church 10.00am

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.

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 - Wednesday 8.00am - 9.00am (beginner) from week 2
• Italian Lessons - Friday 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 3.10pm - 5.00pm
• Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - Friday 8:20am and during class time throughout the day
• Block Crafters - Tuesday and Wednesday from Week 2 - 3.15pm - 5.00pm Coding and Robotics After School Programme for interested students aged 8-12 years 
• Dance Club - PLAY - The Dance Agency - Tuesdays at Lunchtime from Weeks 2-9 - Kinder to Year 4

Please contact the school if you require further information.

Classes commence next Tuesday 6th May in the school hall after eating break. 

Use the link below to register.

2025 Term 2 - SCHOOL PROGRAM ROSARY PRIMARY SCHOOL • Play

Just a few reminders about the car parking and drop off / pick up arrangements:

• The speed limit is 5 km/hr in the car park and all road rules apply.
  
  
•  Pedestrians always have the right of way. 

• Park only in the designated parking spaces, facing forwards towards the university. 

• The white markings relate to traffic flow and parking (coloured markings relate to the children’s playing spaces.) 

• The area closest to the Peace Gates is reserved for Set Down Only in the mornings. Parents can stop in the marked bays long enough for children to alight from the vehicle on the quadrangle side and then enter the school through the Peace Gates. 

• For pedestrian safety there is no parking or stopping against kerb near Peace Gates after school. 

• Please note that no reversing is allowed from the bays marked on the courts. 

• Please follow the white arrows and drive in and drive out again in a forward direction only. This is to reduce the risk to children who cannot be seen by reversing vehicles. 

• Due to the spacing of the bays, parallel parking is only available in the area adjacent to the shade shelter on the oval. This area should be used by larger vehicles and trucks wherever possible. 

• Parallel parking is not available adjacent to the university grounds as this space is needed for vehicles to exit the parking area in a forward direction. 

• Parking on the courts is not permitted between 9:15am and 2:45pm as they are used for play at recess and lunch and by classes for sport throughout the day. 

• There is ‘Long Stay’ parking available in front of the hall for parents who spend time at the school after 9:00am. (This is the only area in which reversing to exit is permitted.) This ensures that the courts area is free for classes to use for sports lessons. 

• After school, some parents may need to see teachers or the front office staff. If this is the case, please leave your cars outside in the bus bay or behind the hall on Higginbotham Street as the gates are locked at 3:30pm. 

• All students travelling home by car are to wait in the quad until collected by a parent/carer. 

• Parents waiting for their children after school are asked to move well into the quad to assist access. 

• When children arrive at school, they are to enter via the Peace Gates in the quadrangle. Children are not to enter through the front office foyer. Likewise, children are not to leave through the front office at the end of the day unless catching a route bus. 

• No child is to meet a parent/carer anywhere other than the quadrangle area at the end of school. 

• The children must be supervised in the car park – they are not permitted to go to a parked vehicle without a parent/carer with them.