Principal Team Message

AFFIRMATIONS FOR THIS FORTNIGHT 

A positive mind finds a way it can be done.

 A negative mind looks for all the ways it can't be done. 

Open yourself to positive thoughts and habits.

-Napoleon Hill

ATTITUDES TO SCHOOL - STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS

At the end of last term students in Years, 4 to 6 completed the department’s annual student opinion survey. This framework allows us to break down factors that lead to successful student outcomes in learning and well-being as well as set data targets to achieve throughout the life of our school's Strategic Plan. 

There are several domains that students respond to that help break down the questions and seek student opinions. 

Learning Domain: Effective teaching practice for cognitive engagement 

Description: Teachers prepare students for learning, use class time effectively and provide useful feedback.

Description: Students are challenged and supported at the appropriate level (differentiated learning). 

Description: Teachers are making students interested in learning. 

Domain: Teacher-student relations 

Description: Teachers and students have high expectations for success

Description: Students are participating in class and are encouraged to put in effort.

Domain: Learner characteristics and dispositions 

Description: Students are confident in their ability to learn.

Description: Measures students’ level of perseverance, their capacity to manage, recover and move on from challenging events.

Description: Students show an interest in and are motivated by what they are learning.

Description: The extent to which students prepare themselves for learning.

Domain: Social engagement (experience at school)

Description: Students perceive they are heard and have a say at their school.

Description: Students have a sense of belonging at their school. 

Description: Primary students have a sense of inclusion at their school.

Our current Strategic Plan has a strong focus on Student Voice and Agency, which we aim to improve over the next three years. It's interesting to note that students feel they have lower levels of resilience and perseverance when overcoming challenging events.  

BOOK WEEK CELEBRATIONS

The creativity and love of books was certainly evident last week at RPS. Staff and students dressed up as their favourite fictional characters from their beloved novels and picture story books. Parents activated their powers of imagination and creativity by designing costumes and bringing their child's most cherished book to life. 

The book swap was a fabulous opportunity to swap a favourite book in exchange for another to promote reading and help raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. From the book fair and scones morning tea, to the Where's Wally hunt and the Story Quest performance, this year's Book Week celebrations was a highlight for many. 

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the parent volunteers that donated their time to help make the day a success: 

• Francesco Rota
• Eli Greig
• Megan Blake
• Melissa Laity
• Bronwyn Weingott
• Jess Asz
• Monica Hugo
• Miria Kostiuk
• Lee Brennan 
• Louisa McDonald
• Roghina D'Silva

We appreciate the helping hand from the morning tea to the book swap and everything in between! 

BUILDING WORKS & PERGOLA 

We are pleased to report that our small Capital Works project is progressing very well. These new facilities will include five toilets, an accessible toilet with a shower and change room, a first aid room, a cleaner's storeroom, and a teacher's resource hub.  

We had an opportunity for a small walkthrough last week and found all the surrounding walls have been erected, including the completion of all the major plumbing. In addition to the progress of these amenities, we've had the pergola finally installed outside the Barrbunin. 

This pergola comes just in time for the warmer months of the year permitting our students to seek shelter from the rain, wind and sun. It was lovely to see many parents join us on the deck to watch Year 3/4A run the assembly. 

We invite all families to attend our assemblies now sitting in comfort under the new pergola. Thank you to Bec Parker, Colin Smith and Isabel Lasla who supported the design of this project through the VSBA Shade Sail grant. 

SCHOOL DRESS CODE/UNIFORM IS COMPULSORY @ RPS

We are noticing a large proportion of students not wearing the correct school uniform. 

School Council has developed a dress code that provides a range of durable and easy to wear clothing choices for students and is cost effective for families.

The Student Dress Code aims to:

• foster a sense of community and belonging and encourages students to develop pride in their appearance 
• support RPS’s commitment to ensuring that our students feel equal and are dressed safely and appropriately for school activities 
• reduce student competition on the basis of clothing 
• allow for the easy identification of RPS students and enhance the profile and identity of the school and its students within the wider community. 

Please remember:

1. All pants/skirts/shorts/skorts/track pants and leggings must be dark Navy Blue NO black items are permitted. 
2. Runners/sneakers are the recommended footwear, not boots or lace-ups such skechers or converse as they do not protect the foot adequately or provide comfort throughout all activities. 
3. If your child cannot wear the appropriate uniform on a particular day/s, can you please inform the school or teacher via email. 

CYBER SAFETY - KIDS HELPLINE 

We cannot stress the importance of keeping our students safe online and teaching them to make appropriate decisions when using the internet, gaming or social media. The only dilemma we face is the number of incidents we find that are not within our immediate control, especially when these occur in the home setting. 

Parents are encouraged to follow some simple guidance from Carley McGauran - Mum and Psychologist from Inform & Empower. Here are some valuable resources from Carley 

10 simple steps you can start TODAY so your children can be safer and healthier online.

1. Make sure devices are used in communal areas of your home and NO devices in bedrooms. 
2. Ensure there is active supervision when kids are on devices (means an adult must be present and checking in regularly). 
3. Set parental controls on all devices, games and apps. Parental controls are usually found in the settings. They can be enabled and password protected to ensure your child is playing the safest version. For example, Roblox can be made significantly safer by enabling the simple setting called “restricted mode” (designed for under 13s). 
4. Remind your children often that it is never safe to talk or message people they do not know in real life (even if they seem really nice). 
5. Reduce the risk of exposure to inappropriate content on YouTube by using theYouTube Kids app as long as possible and if allowing access to YouTube ensure that restricted mode is enabled. I also recommend, where possible, to cast YouTube to a TV for better adult supervision. 
6. Delay kids having any social media accounts of their own! If you are looking for a messaging app for under 13s, then consider Messenger Kids (by Facebook). 
7. Any time your children come to you with a problem, stay calm, take a few deep breaths and be curious instead of furious. Remember this is a teachable moment, an opportunity for your child to learn to make more healthy decisions and even more important than that….learn to trust that they can come to us. 
8. Be firm when setting boundaries and even when kids say “everyone is on Snapchat” or “all my friends are playing it”, make your decision in line with what they need and not what they want... which can be very different! Don’t give in! 
9. Visit Kids Helpline with your kids before there is a problem so they are comfortable doing so when they may need it. 
10. Download the free, parent-friendly Beacon app to help with all things digital.

Children are vulnerable to even their peers who try and manipulate them online, simply because they can hide behind the screen. Snapchat has become a very popular platform for many young users. 

Snapchat makes it possible to send photos and videos to anyone in the world, but do we want just anyone to contact our children through Snapchat? Definitely not.

Snapchat Users & Sexting

The heaviest number of Snapchat users is increasing to even primary-aged children who submerge themselves in social media and are pretty addicted to their smartphones. Because Snapchat photos self-destruct automatically, a big trend has emerged: sexting via Snapchat.

Kids are taking or sending provocative photos to their friends using Snapchat, and they feel more liberal about doing it because they know that those photos get deleted after a few seconds.

Saving Snapchat Screenshots

Snapchat messaging sure seems like it's private when you're only messaging one other friend, and the disappearing effect makes users feel a little more daring. Unfortunately, their controversial photos and videos can still end up somewhere on the web without their permission.

The general rule of Internet sharing goes something like this: if you put it on the web, it will be there forever — even if you delete it later. It’s reassuring to know that Snapchat content is automatically deleted soon after it’s been viewed, but there are still ways to capture that content and save it… forever.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW ARRIVAL 

We are excited to announce that a new Ripper baby has come into this world safely.  Ms. Dom and her husband Robbie welcomed the birth of their son Dashiell 'Dash' Andrew Dunnell last week. 

Baby Dash is doing extremely well and so are his parents. Everyone is simply besotted with the new arrival and we cannot wait to see Dom and Dash come and visit us soon. On behalf of the whole school community, we send our best wishes and congratulate these new parents. 

We think you would all agree that baby Dash is very cute and a peaceful sleeper too!

HAPPY FATHER'S & SPECIAL PERSON'S DAY 

Did you know that in many ways, Father’s Day is an American holiday that was first conceived and popularised during the early twentieth century?

The cynical view of this holiday is that it was promoted in the US for purely commercial reasons along with the modern Mother’s Day which was also being popularised around the same time. It’s easy to have this impression when visiting any shopping centre around this time of year.

Today, Father’s Day is significantly a consumption-based observance but also a celebration that many families take seriously as an opportunity to let any special member of their family including dads know that they are loved and valued.

So on this note, we hope all our Ripper 'special people' get acknowledged this Sunday in some special way!

Until next fortnight!

Natalie Rose             &                          Marta Campbell 

             Principal                                    Acting  Assistant Principal