Week 2 Term 1 2024

Dear Rosary School Community

My favourite time in a school is the commencement of the school year.  Welcoming new children, families and staff. We had 35 new students join us along with five new staff members, Genevieve O’Donnell (Year 4), Pelle Chiuchiolo (Year 4), Catherine Morrison (Year 6) and Lucia Mitchell (Italian) and Elyse Edwards (Year 1). I also really enjoy seeing the delight of children returning - excited to be with their friends, meet their teachers and begin a new year of learning.

I had many highlights over the school break.  Some time away with friends, visiting family interstate and the joy of grandchildren at Christmas!  One of the other highlights was going to the theatre. I saw a couple of children’s shows at the Dunstan Playhouse and then Miss Saigon at the Festival Theatre. Miss Saigon was particularly special as Sofia Ho, in Year 3 this year, played the part of Nam.  It was lovely to meet with her after the show and share inher excitement and wonderful achievement.

Our first couple of weeks at the start of the year are an opportunity for children, teachers and parents to get to know each other, set up some class expectations, share our personal stories, reflect on our strengths and talents, set learning and wellbeing goals and talk about our hopes for 2024. This is often presented in some beautiful artwork and class displays.

The learning and outdoor spaces are being impacted by the building work being undertaken and I thank the children, families and staff for their positivity and patience as we get closer to completion.  The builders are very confident that we will be in the building at the beginning of Term 2 – the completion of landscaping will continue throughout Term 2. On Wednesday afternoon Ms Basile and Mrs Morrison had a tour of the new Year 6 learning environment – they were very excited about seeing the space available and will work with the Year 6 students to design the layout of their classrooms.

After school drop off tomorrow there will be some work commence at the entrance of the school. I will be very excited to see the dead tree stump removed!

As you are all aware, we have moved to a flexible uniform, inviting children to wear the uniform they feel most comfortable in for learning and play. It is important that children wear the correct Rosary School labelled items available from Campus School and College Wear.  Next week we will send individual reminders home to families wearing the incorrect uniform.

I hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend.

Susan

Loving God, we begin a new year with new hearts and new minds focused on being servants to each other. May we think about the needs of others first, feel true compassion and understanding for them, and reach out with willing hands to help where we can. We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

As Christians, we are called to servanthood, called to look to the needs of others first, called to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Just as St Dominic and saints of the past were examples of justice, compassion and love, so we can be modern saints of service ready to reach out to others with kindness and tenderness.

Our 2024 focus is on the Dominican Pillar of Ministry (Service), and throughout this year we will unpack our Rosary School theme for 2024, ‘Loving Service to All’.

Service is one of the pillars of the early Catholic church.  This refers to the idea that just as Jesus served, so must we.  Service is one of the truest acts of love in the Christian tradition.​​

If we live out the Dominican Pillar of Ministry (Service), we will become the hands of Christ in serving others. 

Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday (February 17), students and staff will receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads. God’s people have used this sign for hundreds of years. This cross of ashes tells friends and neighbours that we are not perfect, and that we know we are not perfect. 

It also reminds us that we are followers of Jesus and our main job is to serve others just as he did. With God’s help we can try to reach out to others with more love and kindness especially in our own families, our school and in our world and think about how we can be servants to God’s people.

The theme for Caritas and Project Compassion in 2024 is “For All Future Generations”. Caritas says that we should aim to create the conditions now to ensure that all people will have their situation in life improved and that these conditions will be better for all future generations. Our mission during Lent, as a Catholic community, is to learn about other people in the world and raise funds so that Caritas will be able to continue working with the poorest people in the world. 

All students will receive a Caritas box at the start of Lent and we encourage families to support their sons/daughters in making sacrifices and raising funds for the poorest people in our community and in our world.

Our school has now commenced our work with 'The Resilience Project' as our School Wellbeing program. The initial feedback from students and colleagues over the first two weeks of 'Flying Start' has been incredibly positive. Our students have enjoyed finding out about the program and the introductory videos outlining the cornerstones of the program.

Through the leadership of the TRP (The Resilience Project) team at Rosary, we aim to foster a shared language around Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM) at Rosary, building that school home connection, and measuring wellbeing at the school through the Resilience Project surveys (and hopefully all witnessing to the positive impact of the program at our school and in the lives of our young people). These surveys will take place with students from Year 3 to Year 6 towards the conclusion of Term 1.

The Resilience Project surveyed 100,000 students across over 1,000 schools in 2023. The results showed that one in four primary school students experience symptoms of anxiety. Our program at Rosary aims to focus on prevention and give our young people a tool kit to deal with these life challenges

The impact of the Resilience project in other schools across Australia shows that it supports young people to form evidence-based habits that will increase their capacity to deal with challenges and changes in the future.

We hope that as parents/carers, you witness to the benefits of the Resilience Project over time and receive positive feedback from your children over upcoming weeks.

There will be a Parent Information Session about the Resilience Project early in Term 2 and I will keep you informed about this.

Stephen Campion

APRIM

We have had a fabulous start to 2024. It has been fun getting to know each other and to see all the changes that have happened to our school over the holidays. 

In class we have been exploring our school theme of  “Loving Service To All” and thinking about how we can serve those in our class and the community.  

Mrs Fiske showed us that we are all equal and washed our feet just like Jesus did to his disciples. 

As part of our “Flying Start Week”, we created our own self-portraits inspired by the book “Elmer”. This story reminds us that we are all unique.  We think they look amazing!

We also decorated a pair of sunglasses that describe our unique gifts and talents. 

2026 seems so far away however interviews for our Reception intake begins this year.

•  a child turning 5 from 1st May 2025 to 30th April 2026 will commence Reception  in T1 2026

and

•  those children eligible to begin in our Mid Year Intake (T3 2025) turn 5 between 1st  May 2025 and 31st October 2026

Applications from friends and family are also welcomed.

Forms are available from the front office or can be downloaded from our website 

http://www.rosary.catholic.edu.au.

Parents & Friends Committee

Welcome back everyone and to the new parents and students who have joined our community. We look forward to a wonderful year of events hosted by the Parents and Friends Committee for you and your children to enjoy.

SAVE THE DATE: WEEK 3, TUESDAY 13th FEBRUARY 7PM

This will be our first meeting for 2024. We welcome all new members to attend and be part of the team. The meeting will be held in the staffroom at 7pm.

We have 2 vacancies to fill. These roles have been held by Teresa Cocca (Treasurer) and Lisa Pannuti (Secretary) for the past 3 years. I would like to thank them for all the efforts and support they have given over the years. Below is a brief description of the roles for those interested:

Secretary

The Secretary is very important to the efficient operation of any organisation. A secretary needs enthusiasm, initiative, and an ability to work with all members of the P&F committee.

Their main functions are:

•  Communication and correspondence
•  Maintaining effective records
•  Ensuring meetings are effectively organised and minuted

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Receive and manage all correspondence
• Record the minutes
• Guide and advise the President
• Write letters in accordance with the instructions of the meeting or the President
•  Maintain a collaborative approach at all times

Treasurer

The Treasurer accounts for and reports on the finances of the P&F. The Treasurer needs to be a person of trust and responsibility.

Duties and Responbilities

•  Must keep accurate financial records of all receipts and expenditure
•  Must issue receipts for all money received
•  Present a mid and end of year financial report – keep the P&F informed
• Arrange for an audited financial report for the Annual General Meeting

These 2 roles will be supported by the President (Anthony Graziani) and other committee members.

I look forward to seeing many new faces this year on the P & F team.

Anthony Graziani
President Parents & Friends Committee