25 October 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

Welcome back for Term 4. It will certainly be a busy term and we urge parents to read our fortnightly newsletters and keep an eye on our Facebook page, SchoolZine App and Website to ensure that you don’t miss any important information.

Last week we celebrated Holy Rosary Week and it is certainly a time to remember and give thanks to our Parish. We acknowledge that we are part of the faith journey of our Parish community and that this journey will continue well on into the future. We were founded in 1961 with a view to providing a Catholic education to the children of the St Bernard's Parish Claremont. The Dominican Sisters were commissioned to take charge of the new school and so it was that Sr. Gabriel (Principal) and Sr. Catherine Mary arrived in Tasmania, and with little in the way of resources and finances began to educate the children of the Parish of St. Bernard’s. The mission of the Dominican Sisters continues to underpin the purpose of our school. Our mission statement echoes the Dominican values with all involved in the school seeking to create an environment that enhances learning, nurtures young people and empowers them to live the Catholic faith in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

This Friday 27th October in Australia we celebrate World Teachers’ Day, a day on which we celebrate the extraordinary role teachers play in the lives of our students. World Teachers' Day acknowledges the efforts of teachers throughout the world. However, when thinking about World Teacher’s Day in the context of our school there is no doubt we should be celebrating World Staff in Schools Day. Teaching in an increasingly complex, highly technical and ever-changing world, can certainly be a challenge. It is a challenge that is shared by our Administration Staff, Teacher Assistants, Utility and Canteen Staff. With all working together in our school we continue to support and nurture our students to develop their ‘wholeness’ through spiritual, academic, social, emotional and physical formation. All our staff at Holy Rosary Catholic School share a special role and make a lasting contribution for all our students.

This week we farewell Mrs. Natalie Cockburn who will be commencing maternity leave. Natalie joined us at the commencement of this year in Grade 3 and quickly established relationships with students, staff and families. We sincerely thank Natalie for all she has given to our school community and wish her all the very best as she commences this new and exciting journey in her life. We warmly welcome Miss Tracey Fletcher who will be commencing in Grade 3CM on Monday 30th October.

This week we also welcomed our newest members to our community- the 2018 Kindergarten classes as they commenced their pre-Kindergarten program. What a special time it is for these children and their families as they begin their educational journey and how privileged we are that they have chosen Holy Rosary Catholic School. We also welcome to our school community Cillian Cullen who has joined our Grade 2R class.

Bernadette Brooks
Principal

Prayer and Reflection

I discovered a new author recently and I’m making my way through her books. In the latest read I was surprised so much fuss was made of a character’s Catholicism, and, sorry, it didn’t ring true. I kept wondering why it was there at all until the resolution of the plot turned on Rosary beads. It worked but it wasn’t well done. But it set me to thinking on what the Rosary means in the Catholic tradition so over this month of October we’ll try to explore this practice so identified with our tradition.

You all know what a Rosary looks like as movie directors introduce one when they want to point to the Catholic. It is that string of beads, formed in a ring, with a few extra beads and a crucifix hanging from one side. And when you see a person praying the Rosary, they look like they are mumbling the same words over and over…they are! The words they are saying are the prayers of the Our Father, the Hail Mary and Glory Be: one Our Father and ten Hail Mary’s and the Glory be in each set, usually called decades. During each decade the person praying is supposed to be meditating on an aspect of the life of Jesus. Confusing, yes and no. Can you get lost, or mixed up praying it? Yes, of course. And strange to say that is the point. The prayer takes us beyond ourselves into the presence of God. The purpose of the boring repetition is to wind down, relax, let go and just be loved.

And why is Mary related to this prayer – the tradition is that she taught it. It is under her care that we are lead to rest in God’s love.

So for the concluding prayer just try one decade: If you haven’t got Rosary beads, use your fingers to count off the Hail Mary’s. Find a quiet spot, relax, consider the mystery of Jesus’ birth and begin with the Our Father, then say ten Hail Mary’s and conclude with the Glory Be. If you aren’t familiar with those prayers, here they are:

Our Father

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and ever will be. Amen.

PIPS and PAT Assessments

During the coming weeks our students in Prep will be taking part in PIP’s assessments and students from Grade 1 to 6 will take part in PAT Assessments. These assessments help provide valuable data on student growth and to help us personalize learning to meet student needs for the coming year.

Class Combinations 2018

Staff spend countless hours organizing class lists and take into consideration a myriad of factors. As advised in a letter sent home last week, requests for class placements must be submitted in writing or by email to the Principal by Monday 30th October. We do state that this process does take us considerable time and discernment, therefore any parent requests received after 30th October will not be considered.

Requests must be submitted on an annual basis, following consultation with your child’s teacher. Please note that only those requests based on sound educational or social reasons that are the result of a teacher consultation will be considered. Staffing for classes for 2018 is still in the process of being organized, however we will be having single grade classes from Kindergarten to Grade 6. There will be two of each class for Kindergarten, Prep, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 5 and Grade 6. There will be three Grade 4 classes.

If parents know that they will not be continuing enrolment of their child/children at Holy Rosary Catholic School in 2018 please let the Office know as soon as possible. The realities around budgets in schools rely heavily on maintaining the right numbers of students. It helps our school out immensely with maintaining staffing, allocating resources and balancing classes whether any students will be moving schools.

Uniforms

Thank you to those parents who have ensured that their children are immaculately presented every day in their proper school uniform. My only disappointment is that a number of students are wearing sandshoes to and from school with their formal uniform. It is an expectation that school shoes are worn to and from school with the formal uniform. Students are welcome to change into sports shoes during the day if needed.

As the adults in the community, as parents, as teachers or supporters of the school, we need to ensure every student is proud to wear the school uniform correctly. We need your ongoing support and I am confident we will receive it as we always do. Thank you

Correct Procedure and Protocol

I remind you again, that parents need to direct their concerns, queries and suggestions to those who are able to listen, provide correct information and possible solutions, that is, with the teachers and Leadership Team. Discussion amongst parents regarding any concerns is not encouraged as information may be ill informed, misdirected or incorrect advice given.

Athletics

On Friday we had such a wonderful day at our Grade 3 to 6 Athletics Carnival. While a double booking by the Domain Athletics Centre resulted in us holding the carnival at school I think all would agree it was an extremely successful carnival. Thank you to Mr. Ben Johnson for his incredible organization and to Mr. Will Atkin, Mr. Scott MacKenlay and Mr. George Simonetis for their assistance. Once again our students excelled in their sportsmanship and support of each other.

Sportsmanship all round

VIEW GALLERY

Sportsmanship all round

Click images to enlarge

Basketball

What a wonderful weekend of Basketball. We had 5 teams competing in the Southern Basketball Championships on the 21st and 22nd October. We are so grateful for the parental support of the teams involved and Ms. Kate Quinn for her organization and coordination of this event. Thank you especially to our coaches and managers; Maddison Quinn, Kate Quinn, Scott Daley, Marcus Cooper, Ross Meredith, Tim Hughes and Tracey Fletcher without whose help these events would not be possible.

So much fun and sportsmanship

VIEW GALLERY

So much fun and sportsmanship

Click images to enlarge

Christmas Shopping Expo

What a wonderful evening we had for our Christmas Shopping Extravaganza on Friday. Many members of our community had the opportunity to come along and share in the many shopping treats on display. As a community we would sincerely like to thank those who committed to displaying and selling their products. To our wonderful helpers on the evening we sincerely thank you for all of your planning and preparation.

To Angela Gunn and Allison Norman who made the evening possible and turned an idea into reality through sheer determination and hard work, we thank you for everything you did to create a wonderful community event and also to raise funds for all of our students

An amazing night of socializing and great shopping

VIEW GALLERY

An amazing night of socializing and great shopping

Click images to enlarge

Congratulations

Congratulations to Peter Montalvan on his appointment to the Tasmanian Catholic Schools Parents Council (TCSPC). The TCSPC acts under the auspices of the Archbishop of Hobart and has been established to promote the mission of Catholic Schools and to foster the true spirit of community. We sincerely thank Peter for his commitment to our school community and his willingness to represent it on the Tasmanian Catholic School Parents Council.

Absences from School

Parents/Guardians are responsible for ensuring that they notify the school to explain the absence of their children on any particular school day. Notification may be provided via email, Schoolzine or phoning the school office, and should be made prior to the start of the school day. Families wishing to take their child/ren out of school during term time are required to write to the Principal to confirm the absence. The school will reply with a written acknowledgement.

The legal obligations regarding enrolment and attendance, as stipulated in Education Act 1994 (Tas) ss 4-11 are:

s 6(3) A Principal must ensure that a register is kept, recording the daily attendance or absence of each school-aged child.

s 10(1) A child is excused from attendance if he or she is prevented from attending because of a reasonable cause approved by the Principal, and the parent has given notification.

s 10(2) If requested by the Principal, a parent must provide a medical certificate for a child who is absent because of sickness.

s 10(3) The Principal may require a student to not attend a school on any day on which the student has an infection or is suffering from an infectious disease.

Social and Emotional Program for Term 4

News from Prep

Throughout the year, and particularly this term, all Prep students have ‘blown our socks off’ with how much they have grown and achieved as learners, friends and individuals. All students have approached their learning with enthusiasm and a drive to grow. They have become more inclusive, caring and understanding of their friends. They have become

independent, resilient and confident members of our Prep community. As we were incredibly proud of all our little champion(s) we celebrated their graduation from ‘The Positive Detective’ program with a fun party where all parents were welcome to join.

Celebrating the work we have achieved this year

Japanese Assembly

Students of the Week

SWPBS Awards

Bronze Award

Congratulations to the following students who have constantly displayed our three expectations of Respect, Safety and Learning and received their Bronze Award for 100 Bernies.

Silver Award

Congratulations to the following student who has constantly displayed our three expectations of Respect, Safety and Learning and received her Silver Award for 150 Bernies.

Gold Award

Congratulations to the following students who have constantly displayed our three expectations of Respect, Safety and Learning and received their Gold Award for 300 Bernies.

Canteen Appreciation Certificates

Uniform Shop

Cyber Safety – Think U Know Parent Session

Catering for Gifted Children

Parent Notice Board

Students Not Returning in 2018

In order to commence planning for 2018 it is vital that we have accurate information regarding student numbers for 2018.

If your child is in a grade other than Grade 6 and is not returning to Holy Rosary in 2018 please contact Ms. Bernadette Brooks as soon as possible.

Lost Property

We invite parents to go through the Lost Property basket located in the school foyer to see if anything belongs to your child. We have many items of clothing and drink bottles with no names on them. Some of these items are non-uniform items of clothing possibly left over from camps or excursions.

The Village

The Holy Rosary Catholic School Birth to 4 program has commenced on Wednesday’s from 9:00am – 10:30am.

Autism Tasmania

Autism Tasmania will be offering a series of information sessions for parents and family members of children on the autism spectrum aged over 7 years. These sessions provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss a variety of autism specific issues in a friendly and supportive environment.

Term 4 Assemblies and Liturgies

Parents and Friends are most welcome and kindly invited to join us for our School Assemblies which are held at 1.45pm and our Liturgies which are held at 12.00 noon on the following dates in the School Hall or St Bernard’s Church unless noted differently.

Upcoming Events