It’s been a wonderful return to work for me after a fabulous trip to the UK. We were fortunate to experience the joy and beauty of exploring new places with family and this will provide treasured memories for years to come. Long Service Leave provides an opportunity not only for travel, but also for rest and renewal, and I am extremely grateful for this time.

Last Monday I had a session with the Leadership Team to hear the Holy Rosary events over the past weeks. Schools are incredibly busy places, and this was reinforced by the considerable handover we had. I thank staff for their ongoing commitment and dedication, and particularly the Leadership Team; Maria, Ant and Sarah for picking up the additional workload and for continuing to work in the best interests of all.

Holy Rosary Day

This year our Holy Rosary Day celebrations were held over two days. On Monday, students participated in an incursion with Professor Bunsen, and various classroom activities focusing on the traditions of our school and faith. (You may have noticed the rosary beads around the necks of some children). On Tuesday morning there was a whole school prayer service to celebrate Holy Rosary Day and the announcement of the recipients of the Mercy Spirit Award.

Each year, we call for nominations for the award from our students and staff. I am always incredibly impressed by the quality of nominations. Students don’t just see the gifts of friends or siblings, but the qualities of students in different classes and year levels; students who are light to those around us.

This year the Mercy Spirit Award recipients are Cooper Greenham and Estella Mu. Both students have been acknowledged by their peers and teachers as students who follow school expectations, demonstrate a strong work ethic, show Mercy hospitality and welcome to others, and care and consideration for their peers. We congratulate Cooper and Estella and their families on this recognition of their qualities and thank them for the contributions they make to the Holy Rosary School community. Cooper and Estella were given certificates and badges and their names will be added to our perpetual trophy which is displayed outside the library.

Professor Bunsen

Earlier in the year, I was at a family function when one of the children there excitedly shared the joy of a recent school activity. Hearing his enthusiastic endorsement prompted our Holy Rosary Day incursion from ‘Professor Bunsen, a teacher and scientist.’

The purpose of Professor Bunsen’s visit was to help students see that science is all around us, and to inspire and spark student interest and passion for science.

He held a session with each year level; relaying stories, engaging in experiments and demonstrations that captivated our students. He definitely nurtured curiosity and enthusiasm, and made the learning fun. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the session I attended was excellent. We hope your children were also excited by their learning.

Bishop’s Visit

This Friday Bishop Martin Ashe will visit us at Holy Rosary. Our Student Representative Council, with the Leadership Team will attend our Parish Mass at 9:15am along with St Brendan’s staff and students. After Mass they will escort the Bishop on a school tour and then enjoy a shared morning tea. In the evening, I will join the Parish Pastoral Council for dinner with the Bishop and Father Thang. Then on Sunday 27 October, we will celebrate Holy Rosary Day as a Parish. At this Mass our choir will sing our school song, written by Sarah Keating. Families are warmly invited to Mass at 10:30am followed by refreshments in the school hall.

Learning Diversity

Learning Support Officers (LSOs) are an integral part of our staff here at Holy Rosary. Alongside teachers, co-educators support our children, and implement adjustments and strategies, to ensure the achievement of personalised learning goals. We are very proud and acknowledge the work of our co-educators and celebrate the fact that they have all undertaken training to Certificate IV. This has involved additional study over a twelve month period with co-educators from other schools under the guidance of a certified facilitator. We congratulate them on their achievements and celebrate them as part of World Teacher’s Day.

Class Placement 2025

We will soon begin preparing class lists for 2025. This is a comprehensive process that involves staff working collaboratively to consider the best blend of students within a class to ensure academic, social and wellbeing needs have been considered. Students are involved in the process by nominating other students with whom they work most positively. We make every effort to include one of the students they nominate. However, in helping our students to develop their resilience, it’s important that while we set them up for success, we also allow them to stretch themselves by experiencing a range of staff and students throughout primary school. We use our professional judgement and knowledge of students to determine these lists and the process is rigorous.

Parents are only invited to share critical information for consideration. This does not include friendship or teacher requests but it is reasonable to request that your child is not placed with siblings, cousins, close neighbours and family friends. Our Holy Rosary staff have experience working with students who have a range of academic, social and wellbeing needs and are supported by highly credentialed leaders in Ant, Sarah and Maria.

The final decision for class placement rests with the Leadership Team and information provided by parents may guide a decision but may also be disregarded as we work for the best possible solution for all students. Sometimes parental requests negate requests from other parents, staff or the students themselves. Information from previous years is not considered as children grow, change and mature each year. Friendships and working relationships change too. Therefore, if you believe you have critical information, even if you have submitted this in the past, please submit it again.

Critical information for class placement should be presented by completing the GoogleForm here or by making an appointment through the office, with a Leadership Team Member by 1 November. Please do not email this information. Late information will not be considered and when classes have been finalised, they will not be changed.

World Teachers’ Day 2024 - Hats Off to Teachers!

World Teachers’ Day is this Friday when we will celebrate the wonderful teachers and co-educators at Holy Rosary. Your children have already been provided with a blank hat template and instructions, asking them to write a sentence describing the special qualities that make a teacher. It is not a personal message for a specific teacher but a reflection of all the incredible qualities that teachers at Holy Rosary display every day. We will use these hats to create a school display. We ask you to support this activity, by talking with your children about the qualities they notice and appreciate in Holy Rosary staff. Hats should be cut out and decorated, and returned no later than Thursday 24th October.

Maths Olympiad

Students who participated in the Maths Olympiad competition this year will be presented with their certificates of participation at assembly on Monday 28th October.

The Wonder Of Living

We will be hosting The Wonder Of Living Evening for our Year 5/6 students and parents on 31 October in the 3/4N and 3/4S classrooms beginning at 5:30pm.

Carols Change of Date

We have been alerted that a number of Year 6 students will be unable to attend our Christmas Carols event due to their orientation program at St Aloysius. We have capacity to move the date so carols will now be held on Thursday 5 December at 9:30am.

Planning for 2025

We are planning for 2025. It is critical that we employ the correct number of staff and ensure these teachers are the highest quality candidates. To help us to achieve this goal, 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.

Gardening club

Lucy Hegan hosts a Garden Club every Friday at 1:50 pm (during second break). The children love learning how to cultivate seedlings and care for plants and vegetables until they’re ready to harvest. If you’d like to join her in leading the group, please let us or Lucy know.

Have a wonderful week,

Christine

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