🍰Bake Sale at the Welcome Picnic - Info

Cardboard trays and bags will be available at the office for all of the yummy goodies from Monday 16th February.

REMEMBER - every item must have an ingredients list attached for us to be able to sell, they are with the packaging in the office.

You can drop off your items on either Monday the 23rd February or Tuesday the 24th February to the office. Please add your name, contact number and what you have baked to the list in the office.

And just a reminder, we cannot sell items that need to be kept refrigerated - for example items with fresh cream or Cheesecakes.

Thank you for helping us with our Bake Sale, we can't wait to see and try all of the delicious creations!

🎉 Guess what, Rippers? The Legionnaire Hat is on sale right now at EduThreads! 🎉

If you’re after a no-fuss hat that’s perfect for playing hard and staying protected, this is it.

☀️ Why the Legionnaire Hat Rocks (Second Only to a Classic Slouch Hat):

Maximum Sun Protection – The extended neck flap keeps the back of your head and neck shaded when you’re out on the oval, at recess, or on excursions.
Hassle-Free Comfort – Lightweight, breathable fabric that doesn’t get in the way when you’re running, kicking or laughing with mates.
No-Fuss Design – Easy to wear, easy to adjust — no fiddly straps or awkward fits.
Ideal for Active Days – Whether you’re playing footy or hanging at lunchtime, it stays put and keeps the sun off.

👒 Best Alternative to a Slouch Hat:If you love the protection and style of a slouch hat but want something even simpler to wear and play in — the Legionnaire is your go-to.

👉 Play without the fuss — grab yours now while it’s on sale!

🎁Even better: Deliveries are free if you order by the 17th of February!

How it works:

Orders can be placed by families at any time before midnight on the above day. The free delivery option will be available for them to select at check-out.
Each order will be pre-packed and labelled - this will include name and order reference to assist with distribution. Families will receive a notification when their order is completed and a reminder of the date for collection and school/kinder.
Includes FREE exchanges where the replacement will be sent in the next free delivery. Alternatively, the new items can be sent immediately to a nominated address using paid delivery.

Please ensure we have up to date contact information and addresses - we want to ensure your packages get to you. You can check and update addresses by emailing us or using the below form:

Email - contact@eduthreads.com.au Update details HERE

Save the Date: Parent Workshop – Supporting Our Kids to Thrive - Wed 4th March

We are pleased to invite Ripponlea Primary School families to a virtual parent workshop in Term 1 titled:

Supporting Our Kids to Thrive

This evening session will focus on practical, compassionate strategies to support children’s wellbeing, emotional regulation and participation at home and school. It is designed for parents and carers of children across all year levels and will offer both expert insight and the opportunity for guided discussion and questions.

We are delighted to be joined by Hilary Koolstra from Building Blocks Therapy, alongside Alicia Coehn, author of Mainstream Primary Schooling Your Special Needs Child, who will share their expertise and respond to parent questions throughout the session.

The session will explore:

Building strong connections and relationships with children
Coaching children through emotions
Understanding sensory processing differences and how these can impact participation
Creating supportive physical environments
The role of routines and predictability
Practical, everyday strategies to support children’s wellbeing and regulation

Proposed dates:

Wednesday 4 March

⏰ Time: Evening session (approx. 7:00–9:00 pm)

💻 Format: TBA

This will be a supportive, inclusive session with time for guided discussion and open Q&A, allowing families to ask questions and reflect on strategies that may work best for their own children.

Further details, including the confirmed date and registration link, will be shared soon. We encourage all families to save the date and join us for this important and empowering conversation.

🎶 Australian Girls Choir – February Open Day

What it is: A free Open Day where girls can learn to sing, dance and perform in a fun, dynamic environment with the Australian Girls Choir (AGC). It’s a great way to try a class, meet the tutors and experience what choir training is like. Girls develop confidence, performance and presentation skills while making friends.
Who it’s for: Girls attending school in 2026 from Foundation (first year of school) through Grade 6.
Where & When: Open Days are held at selected venues around Australia in February, including multiple locations in Melbourne (e.g., Balwyn on Feb 14 and other suburbs on Feb 21).
Cost: Attendance is free, but spots are limited and registration is essential.

👉 Register / get more info here:🔗 Australian Girls Choir Open Day registration page

📌 Flyers will be available outside the school office with more information and registration details.

PLAYGROUND PALS - PEER MEDIATION PROGRAM (YEARS 4-6)

We are thrilled to announce the return of a much-requested leadership opportunity for our students in Years 4–6: the Playground Pals Program.

Over time, many students have shared their enthusiasm for having more opportunities to contribute positively to our school community, particularly in the playground. In response to this strong student voice, we are delighted to be offering the Playground Pals program again in 2026.

This initiative is designed to empower students with essential leadership skills while fostering a safe, inclusive and positive playground environment for everyone.

As part of the program, selected students will receive training from Stride Education facilitators.

During the workshop, students will learn how to:

identify and respond to minor issues between peers
support students who may be feeling left out or finding it hard to make friends
resolve low-level conflicts in a calm and respectful way
promote our Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) playground expectations by recognising and rewarding positive behaviours with tokens

Through this role, Playground Pals will:

develop strong leadership and communication skills
build empathy, social awareness and problem-solving strategies
learn responsibility and the importance of being a positive role model
grow in confidence as they support others and contribute meaningfully to our school community

We are proud to continue offering this program and look forward to seeing our Playground Pals play an active role in supporting positive, inclusive play across our school.

Workshop details:

📅 Date: Monday 16 February

⏰ Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm (with normal recess and lunch breaks)

👥 Facilitators: Stride Education

📍 Format: Workshop-style presentation during the school day

Students have already approached Mrs Rose to express their interest in the program, and we are now seeking parent/carer consent for participation.

Cost: No cost – this is a school-funded program.

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS HIGHLIGHTS

Last year, we made strong progress in improving our school environment to ensure it remained safe, functional and inclusive for our whole community.

Key achievements included:

Upgraded student toilets in the Barrbunin and Main Building
Secured funding for CCTV, with additional cameras installed across the school
Successful fencing grant to improve boundary safety (with minor finishing works still planned)
Completion of tree audits and playground audits to support ongoing safety and maintenance
Improvements to classroom walls, learning decks and accessibility projects
Installation of a new bike shed to support active and sustainable travel
Completion of the Junior Playground design, with clear costings to support future planning (estimated at 250K)
Creation of internally designed therapy rooms, enabling allied health providers to support students on-site
Development of a new indoor structured play space to support engagement, regulation and inclusive play

These improvements reflected careful planning and a strong commitment to student wellbeing, safety and inclusion.

Looking Ahead – What’s Next

As we plan ahead, our next priorities include:

Upgrading goal posts on the mini pitch and oval, including new safety padding
Replacing the chipped basketball backboard to ensure safe play
Installing new basketball rings and nets to support safe and high-quality play
Adding line markings to the basketball courts and four-square areas to improve safety, organisation and active play opportunities
Replacing carpets across the school to refresh and improve learning spaces
Establishing a sensory room to provide a calm, supportive environment for students who benefit from regulated spaces

We remain committed to continuing these improvements as funding opportunities arise, always keeping safety, inclusion and student learning at the forefront of our decisions.

WHY VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS MATTER AT RIPPONLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Small School. Grand Impact.

At Ripponlea Primary School, we often say: we may be small, but we do things on a grand scale. This belief underpins everything we do for our students.

While government funding provides a basic foundation, it is limited in its capacity to fully support the high‑quality education, wellbeing programs and learning environments our community expects and values. Voluntary financial contributions from families make a profound difference. Nothing feels too difficult or out of reach when our families stand alongside us and truly, every dollar counts.

At a Glance: Where Your Contributions Go

Your voluntary contributions directly support:

High‑quality classroom resources that enhance teaching and learning
Extra‑curricular programs that extend student interests and talents
Targeted intervention programs to support learning growth
Wellbeing and inclusion supports for all students
Clean, safe and well‑maintained buildings and grounds

How Maintenance Fund Contributions Are Used

The government provides schools with only a small allocation for maintenance and building repairs. For a heritage school site that is used every day, this funding is simply not sufficient.

Families who contribute to the Maintenance Fund can see their generosity reflected across the school in very practical ways.

Weekly Grounds Care and Safety Checks

Maintenance funding supports weekly weekend grounds checks and cleaning, undertaken by one of our valued Education Support staff members, Mark.

Each weekend, Mark:

checks every area of the school grounds
redistributes softfall in playground spaces
sweeps paths and play areas
collects student belongings left across the school
removes unsafe or inappropriate items

Unfortunately, when older teens or members of the wider community access the school after hours, items such as broken glass, alcohol bottles and rubbish are sometimes left behind. This regular work ensures the school is safe, clean and ready for learning every Monday morning.

Grounds, Trees and Compliance

Maintenance contributions also fund:

termly mowing and general grounds upkeep
tree maintenance, particularly where branches overhang laneways and nature strips

This work is essential for safety, presentation and compliance, and helps prevent urgent or costly repairs later.

Clean and Safe Play Spaces

Our ovals are sanitised and cleaned each term, supporting the health and wellbeing of students who love running, playing soccer, kicking footy and being active every day.

Reducing Pressure on Working Bees

Ongoing maintenance funding means that community working bees no longer need to focus on major repairs each term. Instead, they can be used to:

prepare the school for special events
support beautification projects
strengthen community connection

This creates a more sustainable and positive way for families to contribute their time and energy.

Library Fund: Investing in a Love of Reading

Families who choose to make a tax‑deductible donation to the Library Fund are directly investing in a love of reading across Ripponlea Primary School. These contributions support not only the purchase of new books for our school library including award‑winning and high‑interest titles but also the continued development of classroom libraries.

Thanks to your generosity this year, Mr Howel was able to purchase sets of novels for all Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 students. These novels are intentionally purchased in class sets to support rich novel studies.

Through these studies, students:

read shared texts together, building stamina and confidence
engage in deep discussions about characters, themes and author intent
develop vocabulary, comprehension and inferencing skills
respond to texts through writing, reflection and creative tasks

Having different novels allocated to different year levels ensures students are exposed to a broad range of texts, while avoiding repeated reading of the same novels year after year.

Looking ahead, if further contributions are received, we plan to expand our investment by purchasing take‑home reading materials for all Foundation to Year 4 classes. As part of our renewed routines at Ripponlea Primary School, home reading and reading diaries will play an important role in strengthening the partnership between home and school and supporting reading growth beyond the classroom.

Every Library Fund contribution helps us nurture confident, capable and enthusiastic readers and ensures books remain at the heart of learning at RPS.

Curriculum Contributions: Learning at Students’ Fingertips

Curriculum Contributions play a vital role in ensuring both classroom and specialist teachers have access to the resources they need to deliver engaging, hands‑on and high‑quality learning experiences.

Thanks to the generosity of families, our students have everything at their fingertips — from learning manipulatives and art materials to high‑quality paper, craft supplies and specialist equipment that bring learning to life.

These contributions have had a direct impact across learning areas:

Ms Connelly and Sayako Sensei have been able to design and deliver rich, creative projects supported by quality materials
Mr Rambaran has ensured students have access to all required equipment for his specialist programs
Mr Martin is excited to further expand our range of musical instruments in 2026, supporting creativity, collaboration and performance

This growth will be made possible through a combination of parent curriculum contributions and funds raised through the Ripoffs win, demonstrating once again the power of our community working together.

Curriculum Contributions ensure learning is not limited by resources, but instead enriched by opportunity supporting creativity, engagement and depth across all areas of the curriculum.

FUNDING FOR SCHOOL RESTORATION

Did you know that Ripponlea Primary School is over 103 years old? Our school is rich in history, tradition and community pride. With that legacy, however, comes the responsibility of caring for ageing buildings that require ongoing maintenance and thoughtful restoration.

That is why we were absolutely delighted to receive the wonderful news that Ripponlea Primary School has been successful in securing $499,966 through the Capital Works Fund 2025–26 Open Round.

This significant funding will support the replacement of roofing and associated restoration and painting works across the school. The project will be led by the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA), who will work closely with our school to finalise the scope, undertake design work and manage delivery.

This investment is a major step in preserving our beautiful historic buildings, ensuring they remain safe, functional and welcoming for our students, staff and wider community for generations to come.

We are incredibly grateful for this support and thank the Victorian Government and the VSBA for their commitment to maintaining and improving public school facilities.

We look forward to sharing further updates with our community as the project progresses.

Ripper Families

THE RIPOFFS ARE RECRUITING - JOIN OUR PARENTS BAND!