Principal's Report 

We have had a busy few weeks at Rangeview as we move towards the end of Term 3. Level 1 & 2 attended swimming sessions, our JSC ran a fabulous Spring has Sprung fundraiser, students have participated in chess club, Lego club and coding club, our P&F committee ran the annual Father's Day stall, our 5/6 students all attended two Interschool sports days, our School Council met, select senior students participated in the Maths Olympiad, our 3/4 Book Club met, our School Review Panel had the fourth and final Review Day, and our Principal Class attended the Riversdale Principal network meeting. 

School Review

Our four day school review concluded last week Wednesday with the final panel day. The panel discussed all of the findings – which included feedback from parent, staff and student focus groups, feedback from classroom observations, and documentation audits. 

Draft feedback included strengths in areas such as; 

• Whole school positive culture
• Teacher and ES dedication to strong student outcomes – in learning and wellbeing
• Strong culture of trust from the students towards the adults at school
• Calm and orderly classroom environments
• Strong consistent planning templates and documentation
• Engaged and supportive parent community

Draft feedback also included areas for improvement such as;

• Inconsistencies in delivery of pedagogy and classroom management models, across levels and sometimes within levels
• Requests for more leadership visibility within classrooms
• Requests for clarity around expectations and feedback loops on teaching practice 
• More visible use of student data to guide planning
• Realignment of some units needed to the Vic Curriculum documentation

The next step involves the Reviewer preparing a Review Report which will outline recommendations to guide our practice and whole school structures into the future and also a first draft of our new Strategic Plan. The school will work on this document and it will be presented to School Council later in the year. We will use this to guide our Annual plans for the next four years 2026 – 2029. 

Thank you to the community members who attended focus groups or contacted the Reviewer directly, for your input and support of this Review process – it is such a privilege to be able to take this time to look in detail at our whole school model and consider the improvements we can make to continue to flourish.

Language (LOTE) Proposal

Learning languages in addition to English extends students' literacy repertoires and their capacity to communicate. It strengthens students’ understanding of the nature of language, culture, and the processes of communication. 

All Government Schools must teach a LOTE and any world language can be taught by a Victorian Government School. Victorian Curriculum is available for Arabic, AUSLAN, Chinese, Classical Greek, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Modern Greek, Spanish, Turkish, Victorian Aboriginal Languages, and Vietnamese. 

German language has been offered at Rangeview for over 25 years and this has enabled our senior students to more confidently transition to German language learning at Secondary College, should they choose to. German language is offered at Mullauna Secondary College and Vermont Secondary College currently. 

There is difficulty currently in sourcing qualified language teachers across many  languages. Rangeview has experienced this difficulty and is again facing recruitment for a German language teacher in 2026. 

Rangeview has an ongoing teaching staff member who is fluent in AUSLAN and will return from family leave for 2026. 

AUSLAN Curriculum - VCAA

The formal study of AUSLAN contributes to the overall intellectual and social enrichment of both first language and second language learners by providing:

• opportunities for engagement with the Deaf community and insight into its rich cultural heritage

• opportunities to develop intercultural capabilities, understanding and respect for others, appreciation of diversity and openness to different perspectives and experiences.

This curriculum provides direction for an integrated, inclusive and meaningful approach to language education in AUSLAN for both first and second language learners.

Learning AUSLAN:

• broadens students’ understanding that each language is an integrated, evolving system for the framing and communication of meaning; and encourages understanding of the role of language as an expression of cultural and personal identity and a shaper of perspectives

• contributes to the overall curriculum intent by providing distinctive real-life and intellectual opportunities for students to expand their engagement with the wider world and to reflect on the cultural and social assumptions that underpin their own world view and language use. Such awareness of different perspectives is an integral part of effective communication

• contributes to the development of critical thinking and the ability to adapt to change and equips students with learning strategies and study habits that are the foundation not only for lifelong learning but also for any subsequent language learning.

Language Change Proposal from 2026

Rangeview Primary School to teach AUSLAN and German as the LOTE for students, with variations between levels. 

Rangeview Primary School to continue to celebrate the language and culture of Germany with our school Oktoberfest celebration day and the Oktoberfest themed Fair. 

Rangeview Primary School to further our inclusive practices and celebrate ability diversity through the study of AUSLAN. 

Our School Council has approved the next steps in consultation around this proposed change and we will be seeking community feedback. You will receive an email next week and we greatly appreciate your input into this decision. 

Sports Events

Over the past few weeks, Rangeview has celebrated some fantastic sporting achievements. Both our Boys and Girls T-Ball teams competed at the State Finals this week with our Girls coming third and our Boys taking the win! A huge congratulations to both teams for their stellar efforts. 

Our Boys Netball team also had an outstanding result, finishing 2nd in the Eastern Region out of more than 500 schools. A number of our Level 3–6 students represented the school at the State Downball Competition an annual highlight, we also had 70 students compete at the Nunawading District Athletics, where Rangeview finished 1st overall with 30 students progressing to the next round, a fantastic day of sportsmanship and athletic skill. Last Friday we also had more than 200 of our Level 5/6 students take part in Day 1 of the Nunawading Summer Interschool Sports, representing Rangeview with pride and enthusiasm.

Our thanks go to Mitch Clark and Meg Hubbard for their tireless work in supporting our students to reach their goals.  

Bunnings BBQ

This Sunday our wonderful Level 6 families together with members of the P&F Committee will be running a Sausage Sizzle at the Nunawading Bunnings. Funds raised will go towards our Level 6 Graduation this year. A huge thank you to all of the families who have worked to organise this event, those that are volunteering on the day, and to Josh Godwin for his oversight of the event. 

Hats

Our new design bucket hats are available for Term 4 through the uniform supplier PSW. We will also have some for sale through the general office from next week. There is a crossover period when we introduce new uniform of several years - so we support any families that choose to stay with the old style broad brimmed hat if they choose. Remember when purchasing to select the correct house colour for your child. 

Curriculum Days Term 4

Rangeview will be holding two pupil free Curriculum Days in Term 4. The first is Monday 3rd November - this is preceding the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday, and the second is Friday 21st November. Our staff will be attending professional learning on the new Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and our annual First Aid and Anaphylaxis training. 

Our Before and After School Care provider TheirCare will be open for any families that require care on either of these days. 

We hope you all have a safe and restful holiday period.

Marika Ferguson

Principal