Dear Parents and Friends,
Welcome to the 2020 school year. It has been a very challenging time across our country over the past couple of months and I know that some members of our own community have experienced, first hand, the effects of the natural disasters. Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have suffered in some way and our support is here for anyone in need.
I extend a very warm welcome to all new families and staff members who have joined the Rosary community and an equally warm welcome to returning families. The whole school started together on Monday. Our new students, including Kindergarten, showed great enthusiasm as well as a few ‘butterflies’ and settled in very quickly to the new environment. The first day was, once again, a calm, harmonious and productive start to the term. It was lovely to greet all the smiling children at assembly who appeared very pleased to be at school and amongst friends.
I wish all our students every success and much happiness at Rosary and hope all our families will enjoy belonging to the Rosary community.
In the week prior to the children’s return, the staff worked hard to complete a number of professional learning days. One day was spent working with a facilitator, Andrea Dean, on our response to the disaster situation through our Catholic spirituality. In addition, time was dedicated to First Aid Training and Child Safety as well as an administration meeting to prepare for the year ahead. I take this opportunity to thank everyone on staff for their hard work, including administration and cleaning tasks, in the days leading up to the start of the term and for ensuring that the children had a wonderful first day.
Opening School Mass
We will welcome in the new school year with a whole school Mass which is scheduled for tomorrow – Friday 7th February at 10.00am in Rosary Church. We welcome all family members who may be able to join us at this Mass.
Parent Questionnaire
A Parent Questionnaire is attached to this newsletter for parents to please print, fill out and return to the class teachers as soon as practicable. The questionnaire will provide important information for the teachers to help them get to know your child and put appropriate supports in place should they be needed.
Parent Information Night and Welcome BBQ
The Parent Information Night and Welcome BBQ will take place next week on Tuesday 11th February. There will be two information sessions held in classrooms prior to the BBQ which will be held in the quad. Some staff members will provide supervision for children on the junior playground whilst parents are attending sessions.
The first information session will commence at 5.00pm and the second session will begin at 5.30pm (repeat of first session). The BBQ will commence at 6.00pm in the quad. From this time, staff will no longer be responsible for the supervision of children. Please come along to welcome in the new school year amongst friends. We would love to see you there. Food service will take place between 6 and 7pm. There is no cost for food but drinks will need to be purchased. Please note that this is a ‘family affair’ and is a non-alcoholic event.
Reminders & Important Information
- Starting time is 9.00am sharp. Students arriving after this time will need to be signed in at the Front Office by an accompanying adult.
- Supervision commences at 8.30am and no student should be at school before then. Students arriving before 8.30am are not supervised.
- Parents are requested NOT TO SEND ANY NUT PRODUCTS TO SCHOOL such as Peanut Butter, Nutella, nut based or topped muesli bars, etc. Please understand bringing these items to school may be life threatening to some other students.
- Students who have asthma medication at school are required to keep it in the classroom, in their school bag or on their person.
- Correct School Uniform is to be worn at all times.
- If a student’s hair is longer than shoulder length, it must be tied back in an appropriate school-coloured band.
- No jewellery is to be worn to school - only plain studs and watches are acceptable.
- Please ensure that all school items are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
- Students who are collected by their parents during the day for appointments must be signed out/in at the Front Office before and after the appointment.
- Parents assisting at the school must have a WWVP card on their person and are also asked to sign in/out at the Front Office.
- Please ensure that the school always has up to date parent and emergency contact details for your child.
- Please ensure that any notes/envelopes sent to the front office are clearly labelled.
WWVP (Working With Vulnerable People)
Any adult who volunteers to help in the school or with coaching, driving children to excursions, canteen, etc. must have a registered Working With Vulnerable People card and be able to show it upon request. Please be aware that the card number now needs to be recorded at the front office on every occasion that a parent signs in to volunteer in the school.
The Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 (WWVP) took effect in the ACT on 8 November 2012 and it is now essential that all volunteers at schools be registered in accordance with the WWVP. Registration for volunteers is free and you will find the registration application on the Office of Regulatory Services website at:
www.ors.act.gov.au/community/working_with_vulnerable_people
When registering for the WWVP you will need to complete the application form then take your accepted forms of ID, together with the application, to an ACT Shopfront or the Office of Regulatory Services to complete the registration. Your photograph will be taken when you register and this will be on your WWVP Volunteers Card which you will receive upon completion of your registration.
Please note that on page 5 of the application form it asks for details of your Employer or Organisation. As a volunteer at Rosary Primary School, you simply need to fill out the name of the school, the address (Fleming St Watson ACT 2602) and the school phone number (6248 0010) and leave the other fields blank.
Security
To assist us in keeping everyone safe, we ask that parents and any other visitors to the school enter the building through the front office and sign in. External doors will be locked during the day. In the event of an emergency, it is imperative that we know exactly who is in the building.
Mobile Phones
I understand that it is sometimes necessary for a child to carry a mobile phone for use before or after school. Should this be the case for your child, he/she must keep it in their school bag during the day. The school takes no responsibility for mobile phones. Please be aware that students will only be permitted to use these devices, both in the morning and afternoon, when they are off school grounds. Communication from parents to students and vice versa must go through the front office during school hours.
Collector’s Cards
This is a gentle reminder to parents that we do not allow students to bring collector’s cards to school. The reason for this is that they create issues on the playground. Children will often intend to ‘lend’ a card but the borrower considers it a ‘swap’ which is for ‘keeps’! Also, cards can be lost or damaged which causes some distress. Please ensure that your children keep their card collections at home.
Lost Property
Please label everything and ask your child to check lost property as soon as a particular item is not brought home.
Dogs at school
If you are walking to school and taking your dog out for some healthy exercise at the same time, please leave the animal tied up outside the school grounds. Some children have a terrible fear of dogs and others have allergies that are exacerbated by pet hair. If your child wishes to bring in a pet for ‘news’, please see the teacher first to find out whether this is appropriate for the particular group of students in that class. Thank you.
Where to find information
There are a number of ways in which the school communicates with parents. If you are seeking information about a particular event or want to know what’s coming up, please check the following sources:
- the SZapp application that is a free download for your mobile phone
- your email account if you have notified the school of your email address
- your child’s bag for hard copies of notes and the newsletter should you not have access to email
- the school website for the calendar and digital copies of notes sent home and the newsletter
- For Your Diary (showing a fortnight at a time) included in the school newsletter.
The SZapp is an immediate form of communication that alerts parents to upcoming events and any changes to plans. It also has a number of other handy features such as the notice of absence and correction to contact information. Please download it as soon as you can to keep in touch with what is happening for your child at our school and to keep in contact with us.
School Fees
The school relies on the commitment that parents make, when enrolling their children, to pay fees to support it. School fees for this term are due at the end of week 5. Prompt payment of fees is appreciated. If you are experiencing difficulty paying fees, please contact me so that appropriate support structures can be put in place. All matters are handled in strict confidence. Many families make use of the direct debit system. If you wish to set up an account, please contact the front office.
School Counsellor
Due to a change to the allocation of hours, we have been advised that Gretel Burgess will no longer be assigned to Rosary as our school counsellor. I take this opportunity to thank Gretel for the wonderful work that she did within our school to support students and families and for her collegiality on staff. I am pleased to advise that Laura Lamerton has been assigned to Rosary every Monday for a full day. Should you wish to make contact with Laura, please do so through the front office.
Staffing |
|
Sharon Stiffle |
Kinder Nagoya |
Nicole Nolan |
Kinder Paris |
Diandra Blom |
Year 1 Hague |
Elisa Pavlic & Beth Campton |
Year 1 Vienna |
(Donna Gordon & Beth Campton Term 1) |
|
Rachel McKerrow |
Year 2 Barcelona |
Liz HIggins & Beth Toole |
Year 2 Osaka |
Kath Watson |
Year 3/4 Bangkok |
Fron Garrett-Rumba |
Year 3/4 Cairo |
Emma Hillsdon |
Year 3/4 Casablanca |
Nicole Rich |
Year 5 Panama |
Elizabeth Fryar & Julie Godfrey |
Year 5 Washington |
Ann-Maree Hinds |
Year 6 Athens |
Tim O'Brien |
Year 6 London |
Sandy Vincent & Jodie Dawson |
Library |
John O'Brien |
Music |
Jo Chilver |
Indonesian |
Vicky van der Sanden |
Principal |
John O'Brien |
Assistant Principal |
Religious Education Co-ordinator |
Liz Higgins |
Co-ordinator |
Julie Godfrey |
Classroom Support Teacher |
Janet Hanratty |
Classroom Support Assistants |
Kathy Brokenshire |
|
Colleen Welsh |
|
Beth Patterson |
|
Michael Watt |
|
Luzianne Vandezil |
|
Rebecca van der Sanden |
Learning Technologies |
John O'Brien |
Front Office |
Silvia Correia |
|
Colleen Welsh |
Janitor |
Peter Ederle |
School Counsellor |
Laura Lamerton |
YWCA ROSACS Director |
Ally McKinnon |
Canteen / Alpha Catering |
Melissa Thornton |
I thank the Lord for the very settled start to the school year despite all the hardships affecting so many in the preceeding weeks and ask God’s favour in, once again, richly blessing our school community in 2020.
A Celtic Blessing for the year:
Circle this place by day and night. Circle it in winter, circle it in summer.
Look down on it with your smile; lift it up with your strength.
Keep it far from all that harms. Keep all that’s good within Christ’s arms.
May this place be fragrant with the presence of the Lord.
May this place overflow with the gratitude of God’s people.
May this place echo with the sounds of joy.
May clouds of God’s presence envelop it; God’s peace here and in those who dwell here.
Let us enjoy God’s presence.
Amen.