Week 8 Term 4 2024

Dear Rosary Community

What a wonderful community night the “Let me entertain you. A journey through the decades” concert was this year. Thank you to all – children, families, staff, Ground Force and especially Kimberly Slattery. A wonderful celebration for the end of the year.

On Monday night this week we also had a Netball and Basketball break up sausage sizzle.  Thank you to the coaches, team managers, Jamie Carter, Brenton Campbell and Vanessa Roberts. Extra-curricular sport opportunities are only able to be provided because of the wonderful parent volunteers we have in our school community.

I look forward to a few more community events - Year 6 graduation on Tuesday evening, Staff Farewell Assembly on Wednesday morning at 9.00 am and a Year 6 Assembly at 11.30 am.  All families are welcome to join us for the assemblies. All staff finishing at Rosary School will be farewelled with a special focus on farewelling Mrs Ali Fiske who has been a wonderful member of our community for the past 23 years.

STAFF NEWS

I am delighted to inform you that Mrs Mandy Curtis has been appointed in the role of Assistant Principal – Religious Identity and Mission.

Mandy has spent most of her teaching career in secondary education at Thomas More College, specialising in teaching Religious Education. Mandy has also worked as a primary Religious Education Co-ordinator. I look forward to welcoming Mandy to Rosary School in 2025.

REPORTS

Our teachers are finalising school reports and they will be sent home with your child on Monday next week. I would like to inform you that Health and Physical Education (HPE) grades are now determined  by two distinct components:

• Movement and Physical Activity (50%):

Australian Curriculum taught and assessed by the Physical Education teacher.

• Personal, Social, and Community Health (50%):

Australian Curriculum and is taught and assessed by classroom teachers.

The final grade and the "Approach to Learning" reflect a combination of both these areas.This standardised approach has been adopted by Catholic schools in South Australia.

We are now in the season of Advent. A time of waiting, preparation, and hope. Advent reminds us to pause and focus on the deeper meaning of this holy time. It calls us to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus by living out the values of love, kindness, and service.

As this is my last newsletter for 2024, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and wish you and your families a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Susan

Vinnies Christmas Appeal
A huge thank you to all students and families for the very generous contributions for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. As always, the Rosary School community responds with great generosity on each occasion when we support the wonderful work of our local Vinnies chapter.
There is still time over the next few days if you would like to support us. The Vinnies volunteers will collect all of our contributions next Tuesday morning.
Advent
As we begin the season of Advent and prepare to welcome our Saviour Jesus with great joy,  help us to witness to his love, as we make God's presence known to all people. Our Church celebrates the beginning of a new liturgical year as it transitions into the season of Advent. 
During this season of Advent, I pray that God will continue to prepare all of our hearts in readiness to welcome Jesus into our lives even more abundantly.

On a personal level, I am hugely enjoying my last few days at Rosary School before I depart for Nazareth College in the New Year.
I have enjoyed every day of my two and a half years at Rosary. It is a very warm and welcoming community and I have loved getting to know the students and families who are at the heart of our community.
I look forward to hearing how this beautiful community continues to go from strength to strength over upcoming years.

Stephen Campion /APRIM

This term in Art, we have been exploring the world of Pop Art, focusing on the works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. We learned how they used bright colours, bold lines, and striking patterns to make their art "pop" and grab people’s attention.

We also experimented with primary, secondary, and complementary colours to see how they work together to create vibrant effects. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s food items and Roy Lichtenstein’s comic-style dots, we had the chance to create our own Pop Art pieces.

On Tuesday, Year 4 students had an exciting excursion to AFL Max, where we explored the science behind movement and forces through fun and engaging activities. From rock climbing, to bouncing on trampolines, kicking the footy, and even tackling the inflatable obstacle course, we had the chance to experience concepts such as gravity, friction, push, pull, potential energy, and kinetic energy in action.
 

2024 has been another wonderful year full of laughter, fun and good times for the Parents and Friends Committee (P&F). We achieved key goals, hosted some amazing events and as always have been supported by immensely dedicated committee members and a community of volunteers.

The P&F Committee identified two primary goals for 2024:

1. Increase membership and ensure representation of parents from each year level.
2. Involve a broader section of the school community in P&F events, engaging more volunteers outside of the core committee.

We are pleased to report that both goals were achieved successfully, marking a year of expanded community engagement and teamwork.

Events Hosted and Supported by P&F in 2024:

The P&F Committee organised a range of well-attended events and activities, contributing to school spirit and providing valuable services to our community:

• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Gift Stalls
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Morning BBQ Breakfasts (with proceeds donated to local charities)
• Bakers Delight Norwood Easter Hot Cross Buns
• School Disco
• Ice Block Days (Terms 1 and 4)
• Hot Chocolate Days (Term 2 & 3)
• Showdown Donut Day
• Personalised Artwork
• Year 6 Graduation Gifts

Some highlights this year have been:

Blessed with beautiful weather for our Mother’s and Father’s Day breakfasts with high attendance and the opportunity for families to come together and celebrate. Families were also treated to special assemblies that marked the occasions.  We would like to thank all who made generous donations and supported the P&F with our breakfasts and other activities.

Hot chocolates made a much-awaited return in Terms 2 & 3, bringing many smiles and warmth to students having been put on hold in 2023 due to school renovations. This is no easy task and would not be successful without the dedicated people who volunteer each week, from pre-preparing the mixture to pumping out the 150+ orders each week. We also thank the Year 6 Community Leaders who came on board this year with supporting this process.

For the first time since 2019, the Rosary School Disco returned to home soil and was held in the new Jubilee Centre (aka the Gym). This year’s disco was split to accommodate younger students, with a special afternoon session for Receptions and Year 1 students. Special thanks to all the parent volunteers for helping with the event and making it a memorable experience for all.

We extend our gratitude, thanks and appreciation to the 2024 P&F Committee Members for their hard work and commitment:

• Executive Committee: Anthony Graziani (President), Bobby Truong (Secretary), and Cherie Lane (Treasurer)
• Members: Melanie Melino, Hamish Mackenzie, Paola Buchan, Teresa Cocca, Lisa Pannuti, Ricki Briggs, Kelly Martin, Nicole Smith, Christina Pagano, Sally Loader, Nadia Looker, Sonia Morgante, Zrinka Jukic, Sarah Renna, Bec Parris, Cat Parris, and Amy Oh

We would also like to recognise and thank those members who are departing the P&F. Your commitment, dedication and support has been truly appreciated.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to volunteers, Lora Papa (former P&F President, Secretary and Committee Member) and Eleni Choimes who are departing the school this year. Both Lora and Eleni have played a pivotal role in supporting the P&F since they joined Rosary in 2018, with Lora leading some of our most memorable events including Parents & Co Cali Nights, gift stalls and the long-awaited return of our bi-annual fundraiser. And if she isn’t volunteering at Blackfriars, Eleni is volunteering at Rosary with ice blocks or hot chocolates, all of which we are so grateful for.  We thank you both for many years of support to our community.

The first P&F meeting of 2025 will be held in Week 3, Term 1 at 7:00 PM in the staffroom. We welcome all interested parents and friends to join, and we will conduct nominations and the election for a new executive as we begin planning for the upcoming year.

On behalf of the P&F, we would like to thank all committee members, volunteers, and supporters for their contributions.

We wish everyone a joyful holiday season and look forward to another successful year in 2025.

Anthony Graziani / Chairperson
On behalf of P&F Committee

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.30pm

Saturday  9.00am - Noon

Closed Public Holidays and Saturday on Public Holiday Long Weekends

We will be closed for Christmas holidays from the 15th December until the 5th of January. Reopening on Monday the 6th of January.

Uniform Fittings in November, December and January are by appointment only.

You can book an appointment at: https://bookings.campusschoolwear.com.au/retail-store/

Phone: (08) 8346 0830
Mobile: 0431 767 342
Email: sales@campusschoolwear.com.au

Our Vacation Care programs encourage children to be involved in a variety of fun and exciting activities, including art, craft, cooking, sport, dance, and drama. Children also go on excursions to exciting destinations. All bookings will be open once the program is released, which is on Monday week six of every term.

We will be closed from Monday 23 December to Friday 3 January inclusive.

We will re-open on Monday 6 January 2025.

To view the program or make a booking, click on the link below:

Vacational School Care programe 2024.pdf

Due to the high volume of renewals anticipated in 2025; in order to avoid delays with obtaining a renewed WWCC, SAVA are requesting the renewal process commence earlier than usual prior to the expiry date of a current check.
This will assist with the inevitable delays in processing that will occur with DHS as they work through very high volumes of processing applications.

We have been advised by DHS that applications may take up to 3 months to process.
The Archdiocese has no control over DHS timelines which is why it will be imperative to commence the renewal process much earlier. Note:
As per the current Archdiocesan policy;

Expired Checks = No service provision permitted.