Week 8 Term 4 2023

Dear Rosary Community

As we approach the end of the school year, I have spent some time reflecting on the many achievements, growth, and cherished moments that have made this year so special. I am overwhelmed by all that has been achieved with the support of wonderful staff and families.

As a community grounded in faith, our students have participated in various religious activities, liturgies and masses, and community outreach projects that reflect the core values of compassion, empathy, and service to others. Their commitment to living out the teachings of Jesus is truly inspiring.

I congratulate our students for their hard work, dedication, and academic accomplishments throughout the year. Our teachers and staff have provided a nurturing and challenging learning environment, fostering both intellectual and spiritual development and I thank them for all they bring and give to our school community.

Our sense of community is what makes Rosary School truly special. This year, we have come together for numerous events and celebrations. The support and involvement of our families have been vital in creating a sense of community and wonderful learning opportunities for all. In the past couple of weeks, we have celebrated our Volunteers, held a Carols night, a Become Expo, Colour Run, Netball and Basketball Presentation Evening, and school excursions. We still have a couple of significant celebrations planned for Week 9 – Year 6 Graduation and final Assembly, End of Year School Mass and Staff Farewells.

As we wrap up this school year, I eagerly anticipate the opportunities and challenges that the future holds. I am excited to embark on another year of leading Rosary School in 2024.

I wish you a joyful and restful summer break. Wishing you joy and peace this Christmas season.

Susan

Seva Maitianos has been appointed as Acting REC at St Joseph’s School, Hindmarsh for the 2024 school year. This is a wonderful opportunity for Seva and I congratulate her on her leadership appointment. Annabel Parletta and I will work together to finalise an appointment prior to the commencement of 2024.

The beginning of the church year arrives yet again. After a year of many personal and world challenges, Advent arrives just on time. 

Advent is a season in which we meditate on the coming of God.

From the Latin adventus, which is the Latin translation of the Greek word "parousia," a word frequently used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ, Advent asks, How does the original coming of God to earth and the future coming of God inform our experience of God's coming here and now?

If God wishes to come into my life today, what does that mean? What does it look like? What will I have to do? Will I recognize his coming? Will I actually welcome it? Will I be found distracted when he comes or faithlessly, anxiously protecting my life from any divine interruption?

Advent reminds us that God does in fact arrive. In Christ he arrives to a first-century peasant girl promised in marriage to a carpenter. In the Spirit he arrives to a hundred and twenty of the most unlikely bedfellows, gathered on the day of Pentecost. And through the hands and feet of his people, he arrives here and now, in this time and place, to you and to me.

The season of Advent, then, is an opportunity to reckon soberly with the actual condition of our lives. It is likewise an opportunity to discipline our hearts and minds, our bodies and our wills so that we might become, together, a people who wait for God’s coming with hope.

So, yet again, may we anticipate with faith the unpredictable manner of Christ’s coming in our lives. May we welcome his coming into the tired and painful places of our lives with courage in our hearts. And may we together welcome his coming with joyful anticipation for all that he shall yet do in our lives—even in this trying and troubling year.

I wish all members of the Rosary community a blessed and peaceful Christmas.

Stephen Campion
APRIM

For 2NS, Term 4 has been an engaging and eventful end to a wonderful year of learning. Our class highlights for this term are our excursion to the Central Markets which was an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the value of money and experience spending cash, receiving change and making decisions about how to spend money, and our Digital Technology lessons on creating Claymations.

Central Market Excursion
Marco - I loved spending money on marshmallows and dragon fruit.
Reigan - I enjoyed working out how to spend the money and the change with my group.
Josh Gr – I loved going to the Central Market and getting a fresh orange juice.
Zakariah – My favourite food was the chocolate marshmallows from the chocolate fountain.
Julia – I had never been to the Central Markets before, so I really liked seeing all the different foods.
Lily – I liked the murals on the wall because the artists had chosen different colours for each fruit in the paintings.
Christopher – I liked when my group bought chocolate covered strawberries.
Charlotte – I liked trying dragon fruit. It didn’t taste how I thought it would.
Mia – We bought Mrs Nowosilskyj chocolate eggs with some of our spending money.
Ayva – I liked when we came back to school and cut up the mango and the dragon fruit to eat.

Claymations
Kingston – I liked how our group made the clay characters and worked together to move them.
Sebby – I think it is cool to take all the photos and then see how it turns out once we put the photos together.
Audrey – It was fun making the clay pieces move when we made a Claymation of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Bryson – I liked how we formed the clay to make the pieces for our Claymation and I liked how our group worked together fairly.
Samuel – I liked how my group worked together when we created a Claymation of The Nativity.
Charlie – I liked how we made the very hungry caterpillar come out of the egg in our Claymation.
Isaac – I liked when the Hungry Caterpillar ate the food because it looked like it was taking real bites.
Anastasia – I liked how in our Nativity claymation our characters moved smoothly and we made the doors of the inns open and close.

Today, the Year 6 students participated in their Year 6 Reflection Day at Semaphore Surf Life Saving Club. This experience was an ideal opportunity for students to reflect back on the time they have spent at Rosary School and what their primary school experience has meant to them.

Dear Parents/ Caregivers

We are currently in the process of reviewing all Student Medical Information.
The purpose of the review is to ensure that we have the most up to date evidence regarding your child’s medical requirements.
As part of Rosary School meeting our legal commitments, we kindly request that all Student Medical Action plans be reviewed and updated at the beginning of each year.

Your cooperation in this matter is essential in helping our school to provide a safe and nurturing environment for your child.

2023 Parents & Friends Committee Wrap Up

2023 started on a high for the P&F with a large number of parents joining the committee as members or event / activity volunteers. It was great to see the different year levels represented so well. This really helped set the scene for the year to come with a huge list of events and activities marked on the schedule.

During 2023, the P&F hosted and supported the following events and activities:

•             Rosary Parents and Friends nights at the Cali
•             Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gift stall
•             Mother’s Day and Father’s Day morning BBQ breakfast, with raffle proceeds donated to charity
•             School Disco
•             Ice blocks in Term 1 & 4
•             Kytons Bakery Fundraiser
•             School Quiz Night
•             Showdown Donut day
•             Year 6 Graduation gifts

It has been a huge year with our bi-annual quiz night being the highlight of the year. The funds raised from the event are going to contribute greatly to the outdoor space where our children will play, build friendships and make lasting memories. Thank you again for all the generous donations and for your support of this event.

I am extremely proud to be part of the Rosary Community and I would like to give a big thank you to all the school volunteers and P&F Committee members for all the hard work, commitment and support that they have put in over the course of this year. None of these events would be possible without you.

A special mention goes out to the 2023 Committee members:

Lisa Pannuti (secretary), Teresa Cocca (Treasurer), Catherine Schumacher, Christina Borg, Grazia Larosa, Jake Graziani, Hamish Mckenzie, Lora Papa, Melanie Melino, Nadia Looker, Nic Mertens, Nicole Smith, Paola Buchan, Ricki Lee Briggs, Sally Loader, Sonia Morgante, Susan Hennesey.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Committee Secretary, Lisa Pannutti and Treasurer, Tess Cocca who have supported me throughout the year. After a long four years supporting the Committee, both Lisa and Tess will be stepping down from these roles in 2024.

The Rosary School community is a lot bigger than people realise, and this was shown throughout the year in the generosity of many families who donated goods/ services to support our events. I would like to give special mention to some of our school families who are business owners who have supported the school, especially Baker's Delight in Norwood and the Saluti Project who have been big supporters of the P&F in 2023.

We would like to share the 'Rosary School Christmas Specials' from Belinda and the team from Baker's Delight Norwood. When you place  an order, mention the Rosary 25% discount to the sales staff at checkout.

We look forward to hosting plenty of events in 2024, so stay tuned for further details.

If you would like to become a part of the P&F, the first meeting of 2024 will be in Term 1, Week 3. Hopefully, we will see you then at 7pm in the staffroom. Electing a new secretary and treasurer will take place, as well as ongoing planning for 2024. We welcome all new members.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas with families and friends. Enjoy the summer holidays and we look forward to seeing everybody in the New Year.

Anthony Graziani

President P & F Committee