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Dear Parents
When I commenced my teaching career 35 years ago it was most certainly not my intention to become a Principal, my aim was to become the best teacher I could be. As the years progressed I moved first into curriculum leadership but still maintained a classroom teaching role until I was fortunate enough to be appointed to St Aloysius Catholic College as Campus Director then Holy Rosary Catholic School as Principal. As I reflect on my journey there are so many things I have had to learn in the past years that fell well out of my teaching and learning skill set and that I continue to learn.
On Friday as part of Principals Appreciation Day our Prep students shared with me their thoughts on 'If they were Principal for a Day' and I feel that I indeed have still much to learn especially in relation to dirt bike riding and chocolate fountains. I certainly don't have the capacity to purchase lamborghinis and ponies to take our students to and from school but I do have the capacity to ensure that every member of our community feels valued, respected and provided with the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Thank you to our staff and students for making Friday such a special day for me, I am grateful and privileged to be in the position I am in at Holy Rosary, surrounded by exceptional staff and the best students in the world.
Thank you to the parents who have been able to attend our parent teacher meetings with teachers this week, after so many months of being unable to meet face to face this has been an excellent opportunity to have conversations about students.
We continue to keep families suffering in these challenging times in our thoughts and prayers, so many of us have family members that we are unable to see and are missing deeply and it is times like this that we need to remember to be kind to each other and ourselves.
Kind Regards
Bernadette Brooks
'Whatever troubles may be before you, accept them cheerfully, remembering whom you are trying to follow.– St Mary MacKillop
We all face troubles in life. Many difficulties are cracks in our path that trip us up; others are crater sized problems that are trickier to navigate. Life often challenges us with struggles we’re not always prepared to overcome.
But for Mary MacKillop to ask us to bear our troubles cheerfully? That request seems a bit too much. To understand Mary MacKillop’s words, we can look to the Benedictine monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast and his teachings on prayer and gratitude.
In an interview with the American Public Broadcasting Station (PBS), Br David says, ‘The root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. Count your blessings and you will find them to be countless, even in the midst of adversity and tragic circumstances’.
Br David explains that when we are grateful for every little thing such as our ability to see or hear, it’s then we can view life with the wonder of a child. If we are missing one of our five senses we can be grateful for the ones we have left. Delighting in God’s creation and gifts transforms our worries and concerns into joy and allows us to bear all things cheerfully.
St Mary MacKillop knew what it meant to bear troubles joyfully. An industrious and educated young woman, she began teaching in her teenage years to support her family, even opening schools in her early 20s. She carried her love for teaching and serving the poor throughout her life. Co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites), she almost lost her life’s work and her religious community, standing up against a sexual perpetrator. Even in excommunication, she didn’t give up her faith or joy.
In 2010 at her canonisation Pope Benedict XVI described Mary MacKillop’s courage and joy in the face of troubles. He said, ‘Despite many challenges, her prayers to Saint Joseph and her unflagging devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to whom she dedicated her new congregation, gave this holy woman the graces needed to remain faithful to God and to the Church.’
As we face struggles in our lives, may we remember St Mary MacKillop’s unwavering courage and let charity be our guide.
Prayers of petition:
Father, we pray for children workers everywhere, who like St Mary MacKillop, have to work to support their families and themselves. We pray that one day children all over the world will be able to enjoy their childhoods. Lord hear us.
May we pray for the forgotten and uncared for in our society and those who remember and care for them. Lord hear us.
May our Catholic communities remember, like Mary MacKillop, that Catholic education should not only be available for the privileged but for all. Lord hear us.
May we bear our troubles cheerfully remembering that obstacles are an invitation to trust in you. Lord hear us.
We continue to make progress with our many building projects. On completion of the Canteen, Library, Student Hub and second bank of toilets construction will commence on the new Learning Support Spaces, Meeting Rooms and mapali (our sensory space). I have attached the floor plan and coloured images in order to provide parents with some idea of what is coming. The disruption to 2020 has been immense but the spirit of what makes us such an incredible community can be seen everywhere; in our students ability to cope with reduced play spaces, our staff’s ability to make any space an inviting and welcoming learning space and our families ability to understand the disruption and support us fully.
Good news!
CBCA Book Week 2020 will now be held in October.
OCTOBER 17-23 2020
These later dates will apply in 2020 only, recognising the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBCA is committed to remaining relevant and dynamic in a very challenging business, arts and community environment.
At Holy Rosary our Book Week celebrations will take place during October.
Could all parents please assist us in ensuring that students are wearing the correct uniform on the correct day. We have a number of students in Grade 3 to 6 who continue to wear their sports uniform on days when they do not have sport. Students in Grade 3 to 6 must also wear their formal school shoes with their formal uniform, not sports shoes.
A note from a parent is required for any variations to the uniform expectations. It is also advisable for students to have a raincoat.
IF YOU DO NOT PRE-ORDER there will be no guarantee that all uniform items will be available.
There will be a limit of one item off the shelf per customer with further quantities going on back order for all purchases on QKR, via the uniform shop or order forms returned after the due date of 21 August 2020. Please be aware that some of our designed uniform pieces have a twelve week production time frame.
Pre-ordered uniforms can be paid for when you place your order, OR before the end of term 4 OR on the allocated collection days via the office.
Further information will be provided regarding uniform shop appointments/opening later in the year.
Nominations close this Sunday at midnight
(students can't vote for teachers that haven't been nominated)
| Friday 31st July to Friday 18th September |
Grade 5/6 Football & Netball Roster |
| Tuesday 11th August to Thursday 13th August |
Optional Parent Teacher Meetings |
| Monday 17th August |
Kinder Reptile Rescue Snake Display |
| Monday 17th to Friday 21st August |
National Science Week |
| Wednesday 19th August |
Grade 5 Taster Day |
| Thursday 20th August |
Feast of St Bernard's Kinder G and Grades 5 & 6 Free Dress Fundraiser |
| Friday 21st August |
Free Dress Fundraiser |
| Friday 4th September |
Dominic Sports Day |
| Sunday 6th September |
Father's Day |
| Please refer to the Website Calendar for WHOLE SCHOOL events and your Compass App for individual class events. These can be downloaded onto your smart phone and then viewed through the Browser or through your computer. These calendars are updated on a regular basis. |
NOTICEBOARD
Grade 5 & 6 Football & Netball Roster, Various Locations
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