Principal's News

The ‘100 days of Prep’ is celebrated in many school communities to recognise and celebrate the wonderful achievements of the school’s youngest children. Recognising that they are 100 days brighter, the Preps proudly dressed in their brightest outfits, participated in a range of activities around the theme of 100, enjoyed a Glow dance party, and wowed us all at assembly. It was a day of highlights for all. Thanks Megan and Emily for all your efforts, to families for their support, and to Preps for being so joyous in their celebrations.

Staff News

Our Year 3/4White students have transitioned beautifully to their new teachers, and Ruth and Vicky are filled with praise about their class and their positive attitude to learning.

As you know, Michaela will soon take personal leave to welcome her precious new baby. Loved for many years as a classroom teacher, Michaela has also been a fabulous addition to the leadership team. Her commitment to her role, and to our team, and her passion for student wellbeing means we will miss her but we’re so delighted that she and James will soon welcome their baby to the family. We wish them every joy as they embark on their journey as parents and look forward to sharing their baby pics with you.

Staffing

We have made a number of minor changes to accommodate Michaela’s absence. Firstly, Ant will now work Monday-Thursday and Sarah will work Tuesday-Friday. Trist has been appointed to take on the Wellbeing role and to support Ant until the end of this year. He will undertake this role each Monday and Tuesday, while maintaining his Japanese teaching each Wednesday and Thursday.

We have appointed two staff to take on the STEM role, vacated by Alina. On Wednesday, Lisa Gloster will be teaching STEM and Meeka Smith will teach STEM on Thursdays. Both Lisa and Meeka are known to our students. Meeka worked as a CRT last year and recently. She also works at another Catholic primary school in the STEM role. We are delighted to welcome Lisa and Meeka to the HR community.

Confirmation

We offer our congratulations to the Year 6 students who will make their Confirmation this weekend. This sacrament allows individuals to affirm their faith and to be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It highlights a deepening personal commitment to living as a faith filled Catholic.

Prep Enrolments

We have committed to two classes for Prep in 2025. At this time, we still have some vacancies, so if you or your friends have yet to enrol we urge you to get in touch this week to organise a tour or to complete the necessary enrolment forms. Tours are still available for all families considering enrolment at Holy Rosary in 2025. This week we will also be undertaking our ‘Meet and Greet’ sessions for our new Preps and their parents/guardians where we meet to say hello and welcome. It’s always a wonderful time to be officially meeting our new Preppies and their families.

Students off to Camp

Year 5/6 students head off to camp at Phillip Island this Wednesday with their teachers Baraa, Tarquin and Allison, and Andrea, Trist, Emily, Rika, Mary and me. Check these names.

We wish them a safe journey and a terrific camp with lots of brilliant activities that will provide them with opportunities to learn and grow, and provide them with many happy memories.

Vinnies Winter Appeal

This year we are going to support the Vinnies Winter Appeal with a school disco. On Thursday 15 Aug at first play, we will have a disco in the hall, open to everyone. We ask that students donate a food item that will go to people in our community living rough this Winter. We are asking for non-perishable items such as packet soups, hot chocolate mixes and tea/coffee.

Science Talent Search

Well done to Olivia and Zoe who presented their science projects, in person to the judges on Saturday, for the Science Talent Search. Well done also to the other participants of the STS this year, who completed the set requirements and submitted their work online to be judged. The time and effort put into these projects is evident, students have done a wonderful job and we wish them all the best as their projects are judged. We will find out the results later in the year.

Help Us Plan for 2025

It’s that time of the year when we begin planning for the new school year. An important part of this cycle is the employment of staff. It is critical that we employ the correct number of staff and ensure these teachers are the highest quality candidates. To achieve this goal, we need to accurately estimate our student population in a timely manner. Under employing and then attempting to find quality candidates at the last minute is extremely difficult, especially in this time of teacher shortage. Likewise, overemploying seriously reduces our available funds for day to day operations. It’s like walking a tightrope. The optimal outcome for your children is for us to employ the right number of staff for full classes. Therefore, we ask you to support us in these two ways:

If you are leaving Holy Rosary in 2025, please let us know as soon as you know. Even if you think leaving is a possibility, please tell us to assist with our planning. Please let the office know.
Please promote Holy Rosary in the local community. Classes that have optimal numbers ensure the best learning opportunities across the board.

Well done Ava in 12S, Addie Mae in 34S and Bridie in 56S for completing the challenge.

Challenge ends on 6 September 2024.

https://run-for-strength-2024.raisely.com/

Christine