Dear Parent/carers

This Sunday is Pentecost, a special day in the Christian calendar that takes place 50 days after Easter. It celebrates the moment the Holy Spirit came to the disciples, filling them with courage and inspiring them to share the message of Jesus. Pentecost is often seen as the beginning of the Church and reminds us of the hope and new life that Easter brings

Year 1 Liturgy

Congratulations to our Year 1 students for leading such a beautiful and thoughtful liturgy last Friday. Their singing, prayers, and reverent participation made it a truly special event. Thank you to Mrs Holgate, Mr Hinds, Mrs Godfrey and Mr Evans for their preparation of the students.

Thanks also to our Year 5 classes for coming along to support their buddies, and to the families who joined us, your presence helped make the occasion even more memorable.

Kids in Space

Last Friday and today, our Year 6 students proudly presented their Kids in Space projects to classmates, teachers, and visiting parents. The students had been preparing these projects as their major focus in STEM lessons.

The Kids in Space program is a fun and engaging educational initiative that introduces students to the wonders of space and the science behind space technology. It encourages curiosity and design thinking skills by exploring space technologies.

Each presentation was packed with well-researched, accurate information, and students impressed everyone with their confident speaking skills, creative displays, and thoughtful answers to questions. It was clear how much hard work and enthusiasm had gone into preparing these projects.

A huge thank you to Mrs Watson for making the event such a success. Her support and encouragement helped students bring their learning to life and share it in such a memorable way.

Well done, Year 6 - we’re incredibly proud of your achievements.

Rosary 2025 School Photos - Tuesday 10 June (Week 7)

Reminder that School Photos will be Tuesday 10th June, students will need to be in full winter school uniform on this day, regardless if this is one of their sports days. Teachers will adjust school sports days or lessons this week if needed.

Religious Education News: Term 2, Week 6

This week marks an important anniversary in the history of the Church! On Saturday, we celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the introduction of the Nicene Creed! This impressive milestone is a testament to the depth of history that the Christian faith draws on for its teaching. This history and the teachings of so many wise and holy women and men help shape our Church and give it the richness of tradition that we share today.

To mark this important event, Archbishop Christopher has organised a walk through Telopia Park to St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. This ecumenical event will celebrate the long shared history of the Christian community and help promote Christian unity!

If you can come along, please do join in at 10 am at St Christopher’s Cathedral for prayers, followed by the walk and refreshments! As the Archbishop says, “It’ll be a great day, it’ll be a walk in the park!”

This weekend also marks the Parish pilgrimage to Penrose Park in NSW. This is a chance for people to undertake a pilgrimage as part of the Jubilee year, and to see the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy, including their reproduction of the famous Black Madonna (Our Lady of Czestochowa). I was privileged to see this icon in Czestochowa in Poland, when I attended World Youth Day there in 2016. This icon is associated with a substantial number of miracles and has a long and interesting history, and I and the other pilgrims look forward to seeing its reproduction, brought here by the Pauline Fathers - the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit.

It is wonderful that there is so much going on to celebrate the Jubilee Year and its theme of Pilgrims of Hope! If you are aware of events that are taking place that the school or our students, staff, and families might be interested in please do let me know so that I can share them with the community!

Important Dates:

Jubilee Pilgrimage                  - Saturday 7th June

Ecumenical Walk                    - Saturday 7th June (10 am, St Christopher’s Cathedral)

First Eucharist Retreat Day    - Week 8 (Friday 20th June)

First Eucharist                         - Saturday 21st June (5:00 pm)

                                              - Sunday 22nd June (time changed to 10:30 am)

Year 4 Mass                            - Week 9 (Friday 27th June)

In honour of the anniversary of the Nicene Creed, which is professed by nearly all denominations of Christianity, I have included below a prayer for Christian Unity taken from the Prayer Book for Adults - St Paul’s Press

Prayer for Christian Unity

Almighty and eternal God,

You gather together what has been scattered,

And keep in unity what has been gathered:

In your mercy,

Watch over the flock of your Son

And grant that all who have been consecrated to you

In the one sacrament of Baptism

May be brought together

In unity, faith and companionship.

Through Christ our Lord

Have a wonderful week, and please remember that this Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church!

Kind regards,

Christopher Evans

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)

• Year 2 Assembly - Postponed
• Sovereigns Birthday Public Holiday - Monday 9th June 
• School Photos - Tuesday 10th June - Full Winter School Uniform to be worn
• ACT 12 & U Cross Country Championship (Mt Stromlo) - Friday 13th June
• Year 4 Assembly - Friday 13th June - 2.20pm School Hall

Rosary Reads launched last week as a way for children from Years 2-6 to recommend books to fellow students. Congratulations to our students who have already completed reviews. Reviews are displayed, fittingly, outside Mr Read’s office. As part of their book review, students share an idea or some words they could borrow (‘magpie’) for their own writing. A year 5 writes: I learnt that stories can be sad because life is sometimes really sad, so it sort of fits. Another Year 5 writes: I don’t want to spoil it, but in the first book when the twins are separated, it gives me so many ideas because twins have to find their way back to each other. It also has lots of interesting words to use in my writing like ‘mechanics, miniature and asylum’.

Rosary Reads is seeking student recommendations for narratives and information books. Students complete these in their own time. We can only display work that is easy to read. We recommend students write a rough copy before completing their Rosary Reads sheet in pen. Anyone whose work is displayed goes into the draw to win a $20 book voucher from The Book Cow. The first draw will be at the end of Week 6.

Rosary Reads sheets are available from Year 2-6 class teachers and the front office. This program will continue all year.

Happy reading!

Karen Green

English Lead

Whole Day Absences

If your child is absent from school for a whole day or longer, please submit details of the absence via the Parent Portal. This should be completed within 7 days of the absence.  There is no need to adjust times for whole day absences.

If your child will only be absent for a partial day, the absence will be recorded as your child is signed in or out via the kiosk at the front office. You do not need to add an early pick up or late drop off via the Parent Portal.

Unexplained absences for your child will be displayed on your homepage when you log in to Parent Portal.

If an unexplained absence appears that you believe to be incorrect, please send an email to the front office for investigation.

Access to the clothing pool will now be as follows:

Monday - Friday - Before and after school only

Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who maintain the space for our community.

Please note: All donations of preloved uniforms (in good wearable condition) are welcome at the front office.

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 - Wednesday 8.00am - 9.00am (beginner) from week 2
• Italian Lessons - Friday 8:00am - 9:00am (beginner) 
• Action Tae Kwon-Do - Monday 6.30pm Children class / 7:30pm Adult class
• Chess Club - Tuesday 3.10pm - 4.30pm (Weeks 1-9)
• Zanshin Martial Arts - Tuesday 6.30pm Junior class / 7:30pm Senior class
• Artkids - Thursday 3.10pm - 5.00pm
• Musicorp (various instruments) / Piano Lessons - Friday 8:20am and during class time throughout the day
• Block Crafters - Tuesday and Wednesday from Week 2 - 3.15pm - 5.00pm Coding and Robotics After School Programme for interested students aged 8-12 years 
• Dance Club - PLAY - The Dance Agency - Tuesdays at Lunchtime from Weeks 2-9 - Kinder to Year 4

Please contact the school if you require further information.

Just a few reminders about the car parking and drop off / pick up arrangements:

• The speed limit is 5 km/hr in the car park and all road rules apply.
  
  
•  Pedestrians always have the right of way. 

• Park only in the designated parking spaces, facing forwards towards the university. 

• The white markings relate to traffic flow and parking (coloured markings relate to the children’s playing spaces.) 

• The area closest to the Peace Gates is reserved for Set Down Only in the mornings. Parents can stop in the marked bays long enough for children to alight from the vehicle on the quadrangle side and then enter the school through the Peace Gates. 

• For pedestrian safety there is no parking or stopping against kerb near Peace Gates after school. 

• Please note that no reversing is allowed from the bays marked on the courts. 

• Please follow the white arrows and drive in and drive out again in a forward direction only. This is to reduce the risk to children who cannot be seen by reversing vehicles. 

• Due to the spacing of the bays, parallel parking is only available in the area adjacent to the shade shelter on the oval. This area should be used by larger vehicles and trucks wherever possible. 

• Parallel parking is not available adjacent to the university grounds as this space is needed for vehicles to exit the parking area in a forward direction. 

• Parking on the courts is not permitted between 9:15am and 2:45pm as they are used for play at recess and lunch and by classes for sport throughout the day. 

• There is ‘Long Stay’ parking available in front of the hall for parents who spend time at the school after 9:00am. (This is the only area in which reversing to exit is permitted.) This ensures that the courts area is free for classes to use for sports lessons. 

• After school, some parents may need to see teachers or the front office staff. If this is the case, please leave your cars outside in the bus bay or behind the hall on Higginbotham Street as the gates are locked at 3:30pm. 

• All students travelling home by car are to wait in the quad until collected by a parent/carer. 

• Parents waiting for their children after school are asked to move well into the quad to assist access. 

• When children arrive at school, they are to enter via the Peace Gates in the quadrangle. Children are not to enter through the front office foyer. Likewise, children are not to leave through the front office at the end of the day unless catching a route bus. 

• No child is to meet a parent/carer anywhere other than the quadrangle area at the end of school. 

• The children must be supervised in the car park – they are not permitted to go to a parked vehicle without a parent/carer with them.

Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn has communicated to schools regarding reporting to parents/guardians. CE has advised schools that general comments will not be required on Semester 1, 2025 reports, but to prioritise Parent/Teacher Conferences for every family. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, their strengths, challenges and future areas of focus. A Semester Report will be sent home as in previous Semesters, providing A-E grading, work habits and attendance information.

CE has advised schools that Semester 2, 2025 reports will have a general comment for all children as in previous years. This general comment will provide a summative comment for the year, areas of achievement and areas to focus on for the following year. A-E grading, work habits and attendance information will remain as normal.

We would encourage all parents/guardians to engage regularly with their child/ren’s learning, connecting with their class teacher/s regularly to discuss learning progress.

Classes run every Tuesday in the school hall after eating break. 

Use the link below to register.

2025 Term 2 - SCHOOL PROGRAM ROSARY PRIMARY SCHOOL • Play