From the Principal's Desk

Welcome to Week 6, Term 2!

At Rocky River, we take great pride in offering a rich and diverse range of opportunities that cater to the unique needs and talents of every student, despite being a small school. Our commitment to both High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) and individualised learning support ensures that all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 are engaged, challenged, and supported in their learning journeys. Over the past fortnight, students have participated in a variety of extracurricular activities and specialised programs that enhance their academic, creative, and personal growth, fostering a vibrant and inclusive school community. All students have engaged in one or more of the following offerings:

• K-2 STEM lessons with Associate Professor Brendan Jacobs
• School Spelling Bee
• Weekly School Sport - Lawn Bowls
• Stage 3 Colour the Earth Art Camp - Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre
• Stage 2 'Fabulous Forest Floor' Art Experience at Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre
• Small Schools Health & Wellbeing Day at Kentucky Public School
• Centrecare Resilient Kids weekly workshops
• Year 6 High School Experience Day at Uralla Central School
• Anaiwan Aboriginal Language Program with Mima Dave
• Armidale Zone Cross Country at Sport UNE
• NECOM weekly music and orchestra lessons
• Weekly in-school speech pathology sessions

• GRIP Leadership Conference for Year 6 leaders

   

It is a pleasure to continue making a big impact for our little learners with day to day learning and additional enriching opportunities which create excitement and lifelong memory making whilst at our school.

Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who has supported our book fair this month, we are delighted to share with you that we sold over $700 worth of books!  Additionally as a thank you for hosting the fair, Scholastic give us $110 to spend and we were pleased to acquire 8 new books to add to our library collection.

Our school receives reward points for our sales from the Book Fair which we can then use to buy books and resources from Scholastic for our students to use. This year we earned $74 in rewards points.

Year 1 Numeracy Screening Check

All Year 1 students have completed the Year 1 Numeracy Screening Check, over the past fortnight. The Year 1 Number Screening Check is a short statewide assessment that tells teachers how your child is progressing in early number sense. Some children find developing number sense challenging, so it is important these children are identified quickly. The main purpose of the screener is to provide your child’s teacher with information which will allow them to plan for your child’s learning and any specific support they may need. The screener is carefully designed not to be stressful, but more as an interactive learning task between the teacher and the student.

Armidale Zone Cross Country 

Congratulations to all students who progressed to the Armidale PSSA Cross Country event, competing at Sport UNE on Friday 15th May. Everyone competed with determination and good sportsmanship, and we celebrate competing at this level for all who represented our school. 

We would like to share a big congratulations to Elyse in Year 3 on her achievements in the Multi-Class Division. Elyse has been selected to represent Armidale Zone at the Regional Cross Country Trials in Coolah on 11th June. We are so proud of you - congratulations Elyse!! 

School Re-build Project Update

The following updates are a summary of the project's progress:

• Site establishment works are currently underway before construction work starts.
• Earthworks are scheduled to commence this week (subject to weather).
• The bird baths will be temporarily located to the vegie garden area until a more permanent space is decided in 2027.
• The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been approved with minor changes to the landscaping.
• The contractor has submitted a few alterations to design for approval (Hydraulic and electrical).
• The earth works are scheduled to commence on Wednesday (subject to weather)
• Neighbour notifications were provided to the four closest mailboxes to the school

• During this construction, NSW Education asks all staff, students and community members to follow the signage that will be located outside the temporary fencing.

   

  Further updates will be provided mid Term 2 2026. 

   

  The department can be contacted by phone on 1300 482 651 or by email schoolinfrastructure@det.nsw.edu.au

   

Community Charter

In the last newsletter, I posted information about The Community Charter, which is a shared commitment between our school, students, families, and the wider community to work together in creating a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment. It outlines the values and behaviours we all agree to uphold, including respect, collaboration, responsibility, and kindness. 

In line with the community charter, I thank all parents and our community members who respect the work we do for our students, keeping improvement of positive student outcomes at the core of all that we do. 

School Photo Day 2026

Our school photo day is next Friday 5th June (Week 7). We ask that all students come to school dressed in full school uniform for this day. We take pride in how well presented our students are each and every day, and would love to capture this well on school photo day. I have included a snippet from the School Information page of this newsletter below which outlines the School Uniform requirements. 

Gabi Gabun - Term 2

We love seeing little ones aged 0-5 attending the Gabi Gabun service at our school. Sessions are held on even weeks this term on Wednesdays between 10am-12pm. The resources from Gubi Gabun are wonderful, we encourage all to take up this enriching and FREE service to all! Please spread the word to ensure everyone can make the most of this fantastic offering.  The next play session at Rocky River School will be on Wednesday 10th June.

Attendance

Please ensure your child's absences reasons are logged with the school. It is important that this communication comes through to the school via the correct channels:

• Absence submission through the School Bytes app (preferred method)
• Phone call to the school office: (02) 6778 4122
• Email to the school email address: rockyriver-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au 

Extended leave

Please remember to complete the extended leave or travel form if you are planning to take your children on holidays during the school terms. This must be completed prior to the planned travel.

Enrolling Now for 2027

We are enrolling now for our 2027 Kindergarten intake. Please contact the school office to chat with Anne or myself or visit our website to complete an online enrolment application https://rockyriver-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/ 

Kindest regards,

Dani Clyde-Smith

Principal