Dear Parents and Guardians

On Monday 17th February we held our Commencement and Commissioning Liturgy. It truly was a wonderful celebration to start the year and the participation and enthusiasm of our students was outstanding.  All staff, students and parents received a special blessing from Father Suresh for our school year. Our Grade 6 students in School and House leadership positions received their badges and a special blessing from Father Suresh.  Thank you to Mrs Libby Piesse for her organisation and coordination of this very special celebration.  

Our Grade Level Parent Handbooks have been sent home via the Compass Parent Portal. There is a significant amount of information that is relevant for all parents. We encourage all parents to spend time reading  the relevant handbook and keep it handy as answers to many questions over the year may well be found in these books. We always welcome any feedback in relation to the links and information we send home.

Thank you to all parents who committed to attending the Student / Parent / Teacher Goal Setting Interviews this week.  The process of setting goals allows students to choose where they want to go in school and what they want to achieve. By setting goals students can: improve their academic performance, increase their motivation to achieve, increase pride and satisfaction in performance and improve their self-confidence.   

Bernadette Brooks

Principal

ASH WEDNESDAY AT HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

On Wednesday 26th February we celebrated Ash Wednesday. Our Grade 3s – 6s gathered together to celebrate Mass with our Parish Priest Fr Suresh at St Bernard’s Church.

 Fr Suresh visited our Kinder, Prep, Grade Ones and Grade Twos where our students received ashes on their foreheads and a blessing.

 This period in the Church is a time when we think about how we have been called into a special relationship with God and other people. It is also a time where we give thanks for the good things that God has given us and remember that these blessings are not just for us. We must share them and use them to help other people in the world who do not have enough food, clean water and healthcare. The blessed ashes that marked our foreheads on Ash Wednesday are a sign that during Lent we are growing to be more like Christ and a reminder that just as Christ gave of himself for others, we need to share what we have with others, too.

Fr Suresh blessed us whilst saying "Believe in the Gospel and follow Jesus."

Over the six weeks of Lent, our school invites each family to contemplate the face of Christ and support Project Compassion. Every family is receiving a Project Compassion Box and you are kindly asked to display it in a prominent place as a reminder to donate money during this Lenten season, so that we can help to build a more humane world and a brighter future for everyone. In helping the poor and marginalised in our world we are following in the footsteps of Christ where he showed loving compassion for the poor.

Project compassion boxes will need to be returned by Friday, 3rd April.

Mrs Libby Piesse    

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Each fortnight in our newsletter this year we will be focusing on different aspects of our commitment to learning and  teaching and sharing these with our school community. Described below is the 2020 Staffing Structure. Further information can be found in our Grade level handbooks.

STAFFING STRUCTURE 2020

At Holy Rosary Catholic School we are committed to meeting the needs of our students through additional teaching and support staff across Grade levels.

CO TEACHING   Co teaching involves two or more teachers who share instructional responsibility for a single group of students primarily in a single classroom or workspace for specific content or objectives with mutual ownership, pooled resources and joint accountability.

Students at all academic levels benefit from alternative arrangements and greater teacher attention in small group activities within a co-teaching model. Co-teaching allows for more intense and individualised instruction in the general education setting. All students have a greater opportunity for continuity of instruction from teachers operating within an environment of collaboration, professional support and exchange of teaching practices, skills, knowledge and interests.

FOCUSSED INTERVENTION TEACHERS   During the 2019 school year, we looked into the most effective ways to implement inventions and extensions for individual students and groups of students at Holy Rosary. Our research showed that targeted intervention completed with a designated teacher will produce larger effect sizes than universal interventions done at a class level, as they identify and address the specific areas in which individual students and groups of students need support.

Based on this research, during the 2020 school year we have allocated three teachers to run highly targeted interventions based on the identified needs of students from Grades 1 - 5.  These teachers will work to complete various screeners to highlight the areas in which students are not making expected progress in areas of Literacy or Numeracy. In accordance with current research, these areas will then be targeted through teacher-led frequent and intense interventions in multi-age and individual programs.

SUPPORT STAFF    At Holy Rosary Catholic School our support staff are integral in supporting all we do in Learning and Teaching across the school. Our support staff provide general classroom support, especially in the areas of literacy and numeracy, as well as specific support to students who may have specific learning needs. In 2020 our support staff have been assigned to a specific grade in order to ensure continuity and relationship building with our students.

The Kindergarten children have brought with them a sense of wonder and joy as they begin their learning adventure with us at Holy Rosary. The children have experienced the wonder of God’s gifts to others as they explore the qualities of their peers through play and felt the Joy of God’s love transferred to them from their educators and their friends. 

In the midst of this incredibly challenging and changing time we continue to make progress with our building program. The support we have received from CET, Adam Mulcahy our Facilities Manager, Maveric Builders and Bence & Mulcahy our architects has been incredible. I personally would like to thank and acknowledge Sue Reardon, our Business Manager who attends all site meetings and manages our school site in such an exceptional way

Stage 1- The Grade 1 block is now finished and students will commence using this space from Week 2. Mrs Hannah Fitzpatrick and Mrs Mandy King are to be sincerely thanked for setting up  these spaces in such an inviting way in a time when they are still managing to support our Learning@Home Program. 

Stage 2- Maveric Builders have been awarded  the contract for the refurbishment and build of the fire damaged Grade 2 and 3 classrooms. Stage 2 now consists of  Grade 2 and 3 learning spaces, the Canteen, Library, Student Resource Hub, Toilets, Learning Support, Therapy Rooms and Mapali, our Sensory Space. It is hoped this Stage will be completed by the end of September.

Stage 3- Is the redevelopment of the EYC for the 3 year old program. The very early plans that are being developed at this moment include the present Kinder and Prep spaces becoming the 3 year old program,  4 year old Kinders and 3 to 5 year old care provisions for days when 3 and 4 year olds are not attending the program. We are currently investigating what the plans will look like for a new Prep space to be built. 

We thank families for taking the time to respond. Students will be unable to access Digital Technologies and ICT at Holy Rosary Catholic School in 2020 unless the Student Digital Technologies and ICT Google Form has been signed. If you are having difficulties accessing the form or need assistance please contact the school office. Our Technology Handbook will be available on the website and has been sent home to parents via the Compass Portal.

Click on the link below to download the Agreement if you are unable to access it electronically.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1U4nondgAaOzc41LvDC7qU1wlIxnazNxCqAlcl6inOfs/edit

The Holy Rosary Catholic School Parent Circle is a group of motivated parents, who in a voluntary capacity, hold events to build community and engagement between school and home.

The group runs regular events such as the Easter raffle, Mother and Father day stall, disco and any other events parents may wish to plan. Last year the Parent Circle fundraising contributed nearly $20 000 to our new play equipment which will be installed next month. 

 The group meets once a term where everyone is welcome to attend with ideas big or small and to offer any amount of assistance you wish to support the school, the group and ultimately our students.  Please keep an eye out on our Holy Rosary Catholic School Parent Circle Facebook page for our upcoming meeting. We desperately need parents to join us in this group.

Our Parish Community are hosting a fundraising evening on St Patrick's Day, Tuesday March 17th.  Come along and celebrate a night of LIVE Irish music and food.  Tickets are available from St Bernard's and at Claremont Post Office.  Tickets are $20 per person and this includes a hot main course and dessert. They can also be purchased by clicking on the link below

https://www.trybooking.com/BIQCS

Ticket to Play provides vouchers up to $100 in value towards club membership for children aged 5-17 years and listed on a Centrelink Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card or in Out of Home Care. 

For information and to apply for a voucher go to https://www.communities.tas.gov.au/ticket-to-play.

Dominic College Year 7 2022 Information Evening

Grade 7 enrolments for 2022 (current Grade 5) close during Term 3 2020. Vacancies may also be available at other secondary grade levels.

Opportunities also are available to tour the College at 2020 Principal’s Tours which are conducted from 9am-10.30am on Friday May 22 and Friday June 19.

For all Open Day and Principal’s Tours information or to complete an online enrolment please visit the website www.stvirgils.tas.edu.au or email mnugent@stvirgils.tas.edu.au  to arrange a tour at a time that suits you.

Mount Carmel College Open Day

 Football

Austism Workshop

Helping Children with Autism aged 0-6 years

FREE

Community Workshop About Autism