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- Principals Report Week 5 Term 1
- Protective Behaviours – Networks
- Religious Education News
- Veritas Awards
- BEST Awards
- Swimming Carnival - TOMORROW 4th March 2021
- Swimming Carnival - Order of Events
- Absence Notes
- Disco - Friday 26th March
- Dates for Your Diary
- Clothing Pool Open during School Hours
- Rosary Community Council 2021
- Rosary Rugby
- Extracurricular Activities at Rosary
- Action Tae Kwon Do
- Rosary OSHClub
- 2021 Term Dates
- Girls Programming Network - Sunday 21 March
- Merici College Enrolling Now
- St Clare's College
- Positive Partnerships
- School Counselling Service
- Parentline ACT Free Telephone and Face-to-Face/Zoom Counselling Services
- Hand Washing Poster
- Coughing and Sneezing Etiquette Poster
- SZapp Download Instructions
Principals Report Week 5 Term 1
Dear Parents and Friends,
My section of the Newsletter this week is mostly about safety in different aspects of school life. Rosary School is part of a system of Catholic schools that work hard to provide the safest possible environment for all our students and staff. The safety and welfare of students remains our absolute top priority. The child safety approaches administered by our dedicated staff assures we are held to the highest professional and regulatory standards. They are embedded in organisational governance, policy, procedures, practice and culture. It is a key responsibility for everyone who works or volunteers in Catholic education.
Our system undertakes training on a regular basis in areas of child protection such as reportable conduct, mandatory reporting, privacy and confidentiality, detecting and responding to trauma, conducting investigations and how to identify signs of harm and facilitate child-friendly ways for children to express their views, participate in decision-making and raise their concerns.
The existence of the Child Safety Advocate role supporting every systemic Catholic school in the Archdiocese, consolidates the commitment to child safety and protection from all sources of abuse. This commitment to child safety in every aspect of school life will continue in 2021.
Car Park Safety
Please be aware that the speed limit in the car park is 5k/ph. If you do not plan to accompany your child into the school quad in the morning, please use the drop off zone. The purpose of the drop off zone is to allow students to alight safely from vehicles directly onto school grounds without having to cross the car park. In the afternoon, the drop off zone is not in use as it impedes pedestrian safety as parents and students make their way to parked vehicles on the asphalt.
Students who leave vehicles which are parked in marked bays need to be accompanied across the car park by an adult to enter through the gates to the supervised space in the morning. Likewise, when parents park in marked bays in the afternoon, students need to be collected from inside the quad and accompanied by an adult to the vehicle.
I ask all drivers to be mindful of the car park rules and to adhere to them on every occasion for the safety of the children and all others in our community. Please take note of the sign which is located on either side of the entry to the courts and which I have copied for you here. There is also a stop sign at the exit gate to remind drivers to stop and look out for persons who may be crossing there.
Bicycle Safety
Please ensure, for your child’s safety, that a bicycle helmet is worn – and buckled up – to and from school if he or she cycles. Please speak to your child about bicycle safety and making sure their bike is in good working order before they start their ride. They may need some instruction to show them what to check and how to perform basic maintenance.
Cyber Safety
This is just a gentle reminder to parents to be aware of, and to check in with, what your children are doing in the online environment and to have regular conversations with them about safe and respectful use of online technologies. Please be aware that no child under the age of 13 should have a social media account. If you need some support and advice regarding cyber safety, a good place to start is the following government website: www.esafety.gov.au
Year 4 Camp
As you looked through the school calendar for this year, you may have noticed that the Year 4 Camp does not appear. The Year 4 Camp was introduced a good number of years ago as it aligned with the curriculum at the time and it was thought that it would be good to get the students used to a night away from home prior to attending a 2-night camp in Year 5 and 6. However, the Camp no longer aligns with the curriculum and we have found, over the past few years, that sleeping away from home at this young age causes great anxiety for many students (and consequently their parents and teachers). We could not attend last year due to the timing of the camp colliding with COVID-19 restrictions. We are conscious that many parents have been adversely affected by COVID-19 and hope that removing the camp will ease the financial burden on families given that students attend camps in both Years 5 and 6 and then again when they start high school in Year 7. I know that some students will be disappointed but they will have Year 5, 6 and 7 Camps to look forward to and we feel that, on balance, the positives outweigh the negatives in this case.
I hope that everyone will enjoy a wonderful, restful and refreshing long weekend celebrating Canberra Day!
Thought for the week
“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” (Anon)
Protective Behaviours – Networks
Dear Parents,
As part of the Protective Behaviours program, students will be learning about personal networks.
A network is a group of adults, chosen by the child, who can provide them with support, assistance and, if necessary, protection. The most important factor when discussing safety with your child is keeping the communication channels open, letting your child know they can talk with you about anything. It is also vital that you help your child identify a ‘safety network’ of trusted adults with whom they can talk.
Discussing an ‘emergency network’ is also important, identifying who your child could go to if they felt unsafe in a place where their usual network of people may not be available. This may be someone who works in a shop, someone in a uniform or a mum with small children. It can be helpful to do a ‘practice run’ with your child and coach her or him on what to say to the emergency network person if they are lost.
It is important to understand that as children grow older, the situations in which they become involved will change, but their right to feel safe will never change. By using ‘teachable moments’ in your everyday lives and planned activities, children understand that they have the right to feel safe at all times.
What can I do?
- Talk with your child about other adults in their lives. Who do they like talking with? Who could they talk with if they needed help?
- It is best if the child can identify an adult to talk with in all the different places they spend time, e.g. school, sports, dance class, church.
Kind regards,
Julie Godfrey
CoordinatorYear 6 Leadership Mass
Last week Year 6 participated in a beautiful Mass at Holy Rosary Church. Fr Mannes spoke to the students about leadership and service and the example they should set as leaders within the school. Thank you to Mara Pangallo, Elizabeth Fryar and Beth Campton for your preparation. Thank you to Fr Mannes for celebrating the Mass and to everyone who was able to attend.
Project Compassion
Every class has a Project Compassion box for donations.
Please give generously.
The theme of this year’s Project Compassion is ‘BE MORE.’ As Saint Oscar Romero said, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”
Every year, countless people turn Lent into a demonstration of faith, love and generosity. You can be a part of this incredible community, who believe that there are simple actions we can all take to “be more” for our world. Taken from: https://lent.caritas.org.au
Year B | Sunday 7th March | purple
‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’
Click on the link below to go the readings and activities for this Sunday.
Peace and best wishes
Liz Higgins
Religious Education Coordinator
Congratulations to the following students who received a Veritas Award :
Maeve Coughlan
Olympia Nardi
Ram Rachakonda
Julia Liso
Imad Khan
Mikayla Ryall
Sally Janczura
Genevieve Groat
Rafe Mooney
Therese Brooker
Anureet Dhaliwal
Ava Rath
Congratulations to the following students who received a BEST Award:
Dorothy Fryar
Annabelle Power
Bilal Kahn
Patrick Peake
Robin Fryar
Henry Pochi
Zander Clarke
Emma Byrne
Olivia Hall
Isaac Steen
Zara Wilson
Sophia Lawson
Sam Flynn
If your child is absent, please inform the school in writing via email to office.rosaryps@cg.catholic.edu.au or using the SZapp, ensuring the following information is included:
- Child's full name
- Child's year
- Child's class
- Date/s of absence
- Reason
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
We have been able to reinstate most of our events for the 2021 calendar year. However, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, some events may need to change or be conducted differently. If there are changes, we will advise you as soon as practicable.
- Swimming Carnival - Thursday 4th March
- Canberra Day Public Holiday - Monday 8th March
- Yr 5 Camp - Wednesday 17th March - Friday 19th March
- School Disco - Friday 26th March 5:45pm - 8:45pm
Clothing Pool Open during School Hours
The Rosary Clothing Pool is open to families to purchase second hand uniform items for $5 per piece. Please note that currently only one family is allowed in the room at any one time and hand sanitisation is required upon entry and exit. A key is available from the front office to access the room during school hours for your convenience.
All new uniform items can be purchased from Personally Yours. They are located at 218 Gladstone St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 and can be contacted on 6280 4166.
The Rosary Community Council Representatives for 2021 are:
Council Chair : | Jackie Brady |
Deputy Chair : | Libby Reardon |
Treasurer : | May Kain |
Secretary : | Kate Roggeveen |
Parent Representative : | Lucy Steen |
Parent Representative : | Raphaela Higginbotham |
Parent Representative : | Rachael Moore |
Staff Representative : | Rachel McKerrow |
Ex Officio : | Parish Priest |
Executive Officer : | Principal/Assistant Principal |
Should you wish to contact the council please email: rosarycouncil@gmail.com
ROSARY RUGBY 2021 SEASON - REMINDER
The 2021 Rugby Season is fast approaching, and the Rosary Rugby Club is welcoming all existing players and any interested players and their families to join our club for the 2021 rugby season!
Rugby gives your children the opportunity to make new friends, stay fit and active, be part of a team and develop life-long skills. Rugby at Rosary is very well regarded by the broader community and has produced current Super Rugby players Mack Hansen and Jordan Jackson-Hope.
In 2021 Rosary Rugby Club will once again field teams in the ACT Junior Rugby Union competition. Games, which are played on Saturday mornings, will commence at the beginning of Term 2. All interested and eligible players are invited to join. Rugby at Rosary includes:
- All boys and girls are welcome;
- NO TACKLING for players in the U7s age group;
- Equal opportunity provided for all players especially beginners in all age groups;
- Fully-supervised training sessions are held on the school oval after school each Wednesday during the season - this means pick-up isn’t required until 4:30pm (wet weather activities take place on rainy days); and
Rosary Rugby Club, established in 1964, is the only stand-alone primary school rugby club in Canberra. A number of our former players have gone on to represent the ACT Brumbies and the Australian Schoolboys rugby teams.
REMINDER On Wednesday the 10th March we will hold a come try day after school at the school oval – all are welcome.
For enquiries or more information, please contact: Eamon O’Donoghue (club secretary) on 0406 566 463 or Dave Dwyer (club president) on 0403 977 575 or Michelle Kowalik on 0411 322 762.
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 - 4.25pm
- Mandarin Lessons - Tuesday 3.10pm - 4.25pm
- Chess Club - Tuesday 3.10pm - 4.30pm
- Tae Kwon-Do - Monday 6.30pm - 8.30pm
- Artkids - Thursday 3.15pm - 5.15pm
- Italian Lessons - Friday 3.10pm - 4.25pm
- Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - during class time
Please contact the school if you require further information.
The school year is divided into four terms. Term dates for the year 2021 are as follows:
Term 1 (9 weeks) Monday 1 February - Thursday 1 April
Term 2 (10 weeks) Tuesday 20 April - Friday 25 June (Monday 19 April is a system wide Pupil Free Day)
Term 3 (10 weeks) Tuesday 13 July - Friday 17 September (Monday 12 July is a system wide Pupil Free Day)
Term 4 (11 weeks) Monday 5 October – Friday 17 December
The school counsellor, Kate Dean, is available every Tuesday and alternate Mondays on even weeks.
You can refer your child for counselling by 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 our 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 with Kate.
NOTICEBOARD