Dear Parents & Guardians,

Well done to the Grade 5/6 students who participated in the Southern Primary Schools Basketball Tournament. They played with skill, determination, resilience and sportsmanship. We were very proud of their efforts over the weekend.

The boys team competed in Division 3 and played four games. They came out with two wins and two losses.

The girls team competed in Division 2 and were very strong contenders throughout. They won all five games and got through to a Grand Final playoff against Mount Carmel College - coming away victors by four points.

Thank you to our super coaches - Craig Grace and Tim Hughes. We also appreciate all the organisation and keeping the teams on track from Jodie Johnson. We are looking forward to watching our Grade 3/4 teams this coming weekend. Good luck!

Selected Grade 5 & 6 students have been practising for a long time to participate with other schools in Marimba Mania. Last Friday they travelled to Kingston to join in the event. Check out our Facebook page to see them in action. Thank you to Claire Williams for your preparation of the students. Their skills were amazing and we were so proud of them!

It was wonderful to welcome our 2024 Kinder families to their Parent Information Evening last Wednesday. This is a great opportunity to meet staff, and other parents and learn about the year ahead of them. We are excited about these new families becoming part of our school community.

The Interschool Catholic Athletics Carnival was held at the Domain on Friday. Congratulations to all students who were selected to participate in their nominated events. We have a write-up and some photos from the day later in the newsletter. Great work to the organisers, Mr Johnson and staff who assisted our students on the day.

Thank you to Mackenzie Berry for showing initiative in organising a Book Stall fundraiser to support the ‘Ride for Rob’ - Rob Bearham charity. The stall managed to raise $231 for the charity. Thank you to everyone who supported the book stall.

Kind regards 

Susan McGann

Each of your child’s learning spaces at Holy Rosary Catholic School have a prayer space for all.

One of the best ways to help your children grow in faith is to teach them to pray.

There are many ways to pray as a family, and it is good to have both regular routines and variety.

Many families find it helpful to establish a prayer space in their home. This can be a small table, a shelf in a bookcase, a mantlepiece or even a tray which can be moved around the house.

Items which can be placed in these spaces can include a crucifix or image of Mary and Jesus, a candle and the Bible. In our learning spaces at HRS we have different coloured cloths which we change to coincide with the liturgical season. 

Other items which you may like to include on different occasion could be;

• Rosary beads
• Songs and hymns
• A vase for flowers
• Photos of loved ones
• Mementos
• Prayers written by members of your family.

Why Pray?

Relationships thrive on good communication. To grow in love and friendship we need to communicate, not just openly but often!

When we pray, we express our desire to grow closer to God. Through prayer we can praise, thank, ask, cry, argue and express many emotions.

We can speak, listen, sing, chant, dance, smile, embrace or just sit with our God.

Speaking from the Heart - meaning what we say.

God knows what we want to say before we even say it! You might ask, “Then why do I need to pray?” Well, prayer is not just about saying words, it is spending time with God and opening our hearts to Him.

Prayer is about concentration on what we want to say, so that we mean what we say or think. Sometimes, we can’t find the right words to pray with when we are distracted, so your child can use some of the reflections and prayers (and songs) we share in our Holy Rosary prayer spaces to share with your family.

Why “Amen”?

The word ‘Amen’ was often spoken by Jesus and means ‘so be it.’ When we say ‘Amen’ at the end of a prayer, it is as if we say: I agree, this is true.

In Grade 3 we have been learning about Frida Kahlo, she was a Mexican artist famous for the vibrant colours in her paintings and her colourful life. She was the queen of the self-portrait long before the photo selfies of today.

Friday the 3rd of November, a day not famous for much (except Dolph Lundgren's birthday), saw the cream of Holy Rosary's elite athletic talent attend the annual SCPSSA Athletics Carnival at the Domain Athletics Centre.

As is expected in November in Nipaluna it was Jacket on/jacket off/jacket on/jacket off. Mild winds, sleety rains and intermittent bursts of flesh burning UV were all used by mother nature to deter our athletes. But rising to a challenge is what we of The Rosary do best.

Despite the environmental challenges our athletes performed exceptionally well! A swag of ribbons flooded the tent as the day wore on. Ava Lindquist leading the way on the track, putting a gap in them in both the 800m and 400m. All in all, our team represented HRCS with great spirit and determination! Well done to all!  

I would like to thank Mr Riza and Mr Taylor for setting up the tent, Mr Clark for his efforts at the entry gate, Mr Bourke for his well refined crowd control ability and Miss French and Billie Nelson for their fashion advice throughout the day. 

Next up Kinder athletics and our P-2 Athletics Carnival at Abbotsfield Park! 

Mr Johnson

Last Friday, 19 students from grades 5 and 6 had the pleasure of performing at Marimba Mania, held at the Kingston Hub. This event sees students from various Southern Tasmanian Schools, come together to perform marimba music.

Students who performed at Holy Rosary Catholic School included Freia, Ruby, Ashley,
Rebekah, Thomas, Benjamin, William and Melah from grade 6 and Anna, Lauren, Bonnie, Cai, Poppy, Amber, Indiana, Jack, William, Harriet and Savanah from grade 5.

Gerard Van de Geer, Lecturer in Communication and Arts conducted and accompanied the large marimba ensemble on guitar. Gerard has been directing this event for 25 years now and has also composed several songs included in the Marimba Mania repertoire. Our students had an amazing time, showcasing their many music talents and hours of hard work in lead up to this special day.

As we lead up to the end of the year online scams and malicious online activities tend to become more prevalent.

The eSafety Commissioner's Office has recently provided information to help remind our school community of online safety.  You can find help and resources available via the eSafety Commissioner's Office website.

Please remember that each family will need to complete the Payment Arrangement Form that was sent out via Compass and return it to the school by 1st December 2023.
 
While our preferred payment method for fees is BPAY if you are paying via Direct Debit a Direct Debit form can be collected from the office, downloaded from the school website or alternatively we can email one out to you once requested.