Dear Parents and Friends,
Our Year 2 students are preparing to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time next Monday evening. The Sacrament will take place in Holy Rosary Church at 5.30pm. Due to the current health restrictions, only the candidates and their immediate family members are permitted to attend so as not to exceed limits allowed in the church. However, you can support the children by praying for them on this special occasion in their spiritual lives. I thank Miss Fron Garrett, our Acting Religious Education Coordinator and the Year 2 teachers, Mrs Toole, Miss McKerrow and Mrs Higgins for preparing the children so well to receive the Sacrament. I thank the parents too for their role in partnership with us in developing the children’s faith understanding and preparing them for this important step in the journey of their spiritual lives. I pray that the children will return to this Sacrament often to receive the Lord’s blessing of forgiveness and renewal.
NAIDOC Week
Next week is NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. The theme this year, Always Was, Always Will Be, recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.
System Leaders’ Days
Last Thursday and Friday, I met with members of the Catholic Education Office and all Principals in our Archdiocese. We gathered to pray, to hold regional Principals’ meetings and to learn about changes being made to structures within the Catholic Education Office and the System Priorities for the coming year. As well, we farewelled and welcomed colleagues. I extend my thanks to our Catholic Education Directorate for offering valuable opportunities, such as this, to its school and system leaders.
Remembrance Day
On Wednesday next week, the school will gather at the Lone Pine Memorial Garden to commemorate Remembrance Day. At 11.00am we will hold a minute’s silence to pay our respects to those who lost their lives in the fight for peace in our world. The ceremony will not take its usual form this year due to COVID-19 health restrictions where we would normally have parents and special visitors and Defence Service personnel attend. However, students and staff will respectfully commemorate the occasion and pray for continuing peace in our country and for peace across the world.
Remembrance Day – 11th November
In Flanders Field
In Flanders Field the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders Field.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die.
REPEAT NOTICES:
Classes for 2021
The process of allocating children to classes for 2021 starts now. The allocations are based on the following considerations:
- Friendships
- Learning abilities
- Balance of gender
- Behavioural considerations
- Personalities
- Religion – so that a balance of Catholic and non-Catholic children is achieved especially in Sacramental years.
As part of the process of allocating children to classes, the children are given the opportunity to nominate 5 friends with whom they would like to share a class next year. They are guaranteed to have at least one of these friends with them. These nominations are based purely on friendship and not on any other factors and are the child’s decision to make. The ‘Friendship 5’ lists will be completed by the children at a suitable time, in class, in the next few weeks.
My firm belief is that teachers are in the best position to decide a child’s placement because they know all the children in their classes and have a view of the ‘big picture’. However, I invite parents to inform me of anything that you feel needs to be considered, for your own child’s well-being or development. There is now 2 weeks’ time in which to notify me of your concerns, in writing. After the cut-off date of Friday 20thNovember, it will not be possible to take further wishes into account.
Information needs to be provided each year as circumstances can change. I will do my best to accommodate your wishes but will not promise anything! Please be aware that requests for particular teachers will NOT be considered.
Students leaving Rosary at the end of the year
Please ensure that you have informed me, in writing, if your child will not be returning to Rosary in 2021. Obviously, this does not apply to students in Year 6. It is imperative, for planning purposes, that I have accurate information with regard to enrolment numbers. I also need to know the destination school as part of system accountability requirements. Thank you to those who have already provided this information.
John O'Brien
Acting Principal