Week 11 Term 2 2024

Dear Rosary School Community

This week we have had Year 4 and Year 5 camp. School camps offer numerous benefits for students, educators, and the school community as a whole.

Camps encourage social interaction and collaboration among students.Through team-building activities and shared experiences, students develop co-operation skills, empathy, and the ability to work effectively with others – listening and compromising.

Camps challenge students to step out of their comfort zones and take on new responsibilities. This can lead to increased self-confidence, resilience, and independence as students navigate unfamiliar situations and overcome obstacles.

School camps provide a unique setting for students to form bonds with their peers and teachers outside of the classroom. These relationships can enhance the school community, leading to greater collaboration, support, and a sense of belonging.

I love school camp for all the reasons above. On the Year 5 camp this week, I was impressed by the way children supported each other through challenging physical activities. The Year 5 children were delightful. There were very few occasions where teachers were required to intervene in peer interactions. They were respectful of instructions and boundaries.  An absolute highlight was their behaviour at night – after the busyness and physicality of each day, all the children settled well in the evenings – perhaps the earliest night I have ever had on a camp!

We are on track to move into the building over the term break. We will send out information over the term break around access to the school and where classes will be located – please check SeeSaw messages before the commencement of school on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.

We have come to the end of Term 1. The students and staff of Rosary School will undoubtedly look forward to this upcoming holiday with great excitement and the opportunity to spend lots of time with loved ones.

We have had a wonderful term and achieved a great deal across all areas of school life.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
We had a beautiful liturgy at Our Lady of the Rosary Church on Thursday, April 4. Forty-four Rosary students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the presence of their families and teachers.

We thank Fr Paul Rankin for leading us in our liturgical celebration and we also thank Fr Ben, Fr Peter and Fr Kieran for assisting Fr Paul on the day.

Project Compassion
I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all Rosary families for their incredibly generous support for Project Compassion 2024.

There are donations still being made by Rosary families. The total amount that we will be passing onto Caritas currently stands at $3460.34.
The heart of our community is strong, thank you.

Faith and Social Justice Leaders
For the last edition of our Newsletter in Term 1, I asked our Faith and Social Justice to reflect on the work we do together in this group. Here are some of their reflections.

"As a member of the Catholic Church and a Year 6 student in 2024, I have been appointed to take the role of one of the Faith and Social Justice leaders in 2024. So far this year we have been focusing on Project Compassion, Vinnies, Lent and our Easter Liturgies and the best ways of serving people. Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet at the Last Supper and that was showing kindness by taking on a role that other people would not take on and that is the example that we want to follow. It is great that we have almost doubled our donation to Project Compassion from last year." - Maxx

"I am a year 6 in 2024 and have been selected as a Faith and Social Justice Leader. Being a Faith and Social Justice leader comes with lots of responsibility, such as roles in masses and liturgies, making posters for events and participating in fundraising events. We meet every 2^nd Wednesday for group meetings to focus on events coming up and how we can support them. Every year we dedicate a time to focus on donations to Project Compassion, Vinnies Appeal, Hut Street donations and many more." - Matilda

"In the last few years Rosary School has been very focused on Project Compassion. Last year I was involved in the Hut Street walk and our school will support Hutt Street again this year. We made posters to encourage people to join and donate to the homeless shelters while we walked around Prospect. Every year Rosary also supports Vinnies’ Winter and Christmas Appeals where we donate food such non-perishable food items. We can also donate a beanie or a scarf for all the homeless during the Winter Appeal. We look forward to families supporting us in Term 2". - McKenzie

"Being a Faith and Social Justice leader is really important at Rosary School and it is fun for me. Our group meets every second Wednesday. We are in charge of encouraging the younger students of Rosary School to donate to Vinnies Winter/Christmas appeal and Project Compassion, amongst other things. We are also in charge of making posters around the school, for example for Harmony Day.

Being a Faith and Social Justice leader is important to me because first I have been a Faith and Social Justice for the past 2 years. I have chosen to be this leader because I enjoy encouraging our younger students to donate to Vinnies Winter/Christmas appeal and Project Compassion. I also enjoy helping the Vinnies’ volunteers that bring all the donation baskets to the people in need. I enjoy helping them carry the baskets full of food to show our support of their work".   - Ashlee

"Over the last couple of year as a Faith and Social Justice Leader, I have contributed to the celebration of Sacraments by Rosary students. In addition to this, last year I donated food to Vinnies’ appeal and encouraged others to do the same. I have also made posters to encourage support for Hutt Street posters and Clean Up Australia Day. All of these things are important for Faith and Social Justice at our school. Last year we raised two thousand dollars for Caritas, and this year we are so proud to have raised so much more". - Caterina

"I have been chosen to be in the Faith and Justice Leadership Group in 2024. We get together every second Wednesday and discuss topics such as the Vinnies’ Winter and Christmas appeals, Project Compassion, Harmony Day and our support for the Hutt Street Centre. One of the highlights for me from last year was participating in the walk for Hutt Street. We encouraged people to donate to the homeless people in our community by walking along Prospect Road holding posters, that sought to make people aware of the issue of homelessness". - Mary

Stephen Campion / APRIM

Year 6 Leaders for 2024

As we reflect on Term1, we acknowledge the outstanding leadership displayed by our Year 6 students. They have truly embodied our 2024 theme of “Loving Service to all” and embraced their roles as leaders with enthusiasm and dedication.

At the beginning of the term, our Year 6 leaders participated in a special Leadership Formation Day, where they engaged in a variety of fun and interactive activities aimed at further developing their leadership skills. From team-building exercises to problem-solving challenges, the day was filled with opportunities for our students to collaborate, communicate, and think critically. These activities not only helped strengthen their relationships but also equipped them with invaluable tools to lead and inspire their peers. The enthusiasm and energy displayed by our Year 6 leaders throughout the day was inspiring, demonstrating their commitment to being a Student Leader at Rosary School in 2024. 

Continuing their leadership journey, our Year 6 students had the privilege of attending a team-building excursion to AFL MAX, where they developed their communication skills, teamwork, and resilience. Through a series of team challenges and activities, our students learned the importance of effective communication and collaboration in achieving common goals.  They also embraced the spirit of resilience, pushing past obstacles and supporting one another throughout the experience.

As we look ahead to the rest of the year, we have no doubt that our Year 6 leaders will continue to inspire and lead by example. Their dedication, passion, and willingness to make a difference serve as a source of inspiration for all of us.

• “I learned to never give up when things are challenging” Melissa
• “I have developed trust, teamwork and to have a growth mindset” Joshua
• "Today I learned the CAR acronym to help with my communication (clear, appropriate, regular) This will help me as a leader back at school.” Jake
• “I will always help my peers when they are struggling because that is what teamwork is all about” Malaika

Dear Rosary Community,

I would like to introduce and congratulate the following Year 6 Digital Technology Leaders who will supporting the teaching and learning of Digital Technologies this year. Joshua B, Cooper T, Jacklyn H, Charlotte R, Antonia L, EthanN, Jayden K and Ilija S.

The students have expressed their innovative ideas and excitement to share updates about learning in Digital Technologies with our school community.

Maria Boccaccio / Leader of Digital Technologies.

To the Rosary Community,

We are proud to be part of the Digital Technologies Leadership group this year and we can’t wait to help students and teachers use different technology and learn new things.

So far this term, we have been helping the Reception students learn how to use their iPads in an appropriate way. We have also been supporting them to login and navigate the IXL Maths App. We have found this a challenging, but rewarding experience, because the Reception students are still learning how to type and use the iPad.

In Term 2, we are really excited to support Ms B in setting up our very own Digital Technologies Hub where students can go to learn and use the technology we have at school, to support their learning.

Stay tuned for our upcoming news and photos in the ‘Digi News’ section of our school newsletter!

We hope you all have a wonderful term break!
Joshua and Cooper, on behalf of the Digital Technologies Leaders.

Parents and Friends’ Committee Meeting

We welcomed the following new members: Zrinka Jukic (1AD), Sarah Renna (ROC), Bec Parris (RAR), Cat Parris (1EE), Amy Oh (5HA) and Bobby Truong (1AD, 3CW) to our second P&F Committee meeting this year. Bobby Troung has also volunteered to be the P&F  Secretary.

Hot Cross Buns Fundraiser 2024

Thank you to all the families in our community who took part in our Hot Cross Bun Fundraiser for Easter 2024! 

We had a huge response with orders, and we thank the generosity of the Pham Family from Baker’s Delight Norwood (and our Rosary School Community) who supplied the delicious baked goods! 

A special thank you to parents who helped with distribution on delivery day, and Miss Basile and our Year 6 Leadership Team who made short work of distribution to all the classes. 

Mother's Day Stall Thursday the 9th May

The P&F are co-ordinating a Mother's Day Stall for children to purchase a gift for a special person on Thursday the 9th of May. Tickets can be purchased via QKR for $7.

If you would like to volunteer for the Mother's Day stall, please email the P&F: rosarypandf@rosary.catholic.edu.au  All volunteers are required to be a registered volunteer and have a Catholic Clearance. The stall usually runs between 8:30am and 1pm.

Mother's Day Breakfast Friday 10th May

The P&F Committee will be hosting a Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday 10 May 2024.  Breakfast will be served to mothers, grandmothers and mother-figures from 7:45am.

Please RSVP using the QKR App. Breakfast is free, however RSVPs are required for catering purposes prior to Wednesday the 8th of May.

If you are willing and available to volunteer for the  Mother’s Day Breakfast, please email rosarypandf@rosary.catholic.edu.au.