FROM THE PRINCIPAL

A Message from the Principal

A positive launch

We had a fantastic evening with parents on Wednesday March 27 for the launch of our Positive Education project. This is such a wonderful initiative, something that will shape how our school works and how we all relate to and support each other. The case for Maroondah City Council choosing to pursue this project is very strong and the implementation of it at Ringwood North Primary School is something I am truly excited about. By popular request it appears that we will be running the session again for parents in a morning timeslot: keep an eye out for that session when the date is confirmed, the popular opinion among parents who attended was that it was very worthwhile. 

It has been a wonderful Term 1 for our school with some genuinely exciting events such as the Colour Explosion and the upcoming Billy Kart Grand Prix. I am certain that the further injection of Positive Education and the C-Hope model in our school will only contribute to an even better experience as the year progresses. 

Support the school

Families who live locally may be contacted in the near future through a campaign being run by our local member, Dustin Halse MP, to secure future capital works funding for the school. You may receive a door knock or a petition in the mail asking for your support. This is the start of the process in trying to secure funding to build Stage 2 of the RNPS Masterplan, specifically, the development of  a 2-storey building with new classrooms. I encourage you to engage with this process when the opportunities arise as it is important to demonstrate community support for the project. Further ways you can assist may be through communications directed to Premier Daniel Andrews or Minister for Education, James Merlino. 

Celebrating diversity

Last week was Cultural Diversity Week, with last Thursday seeing classes celebrate diversity as part of Harmony Day. I believe strongly in the value of welcoming people to Australia and celebrating the diversity of our cultures and backgrounds, as well as the similarities we share with others. 

Unfortunately, the events in Christchurch recently demonstrate the result of allowing intolerance and ignorance to fester and ferment. It is crucial that we support children to recognise the inherent value in others and the most effective way to do this is, as always, to model those values and behaviours for them. I had a parent visit me recently who is working to try and help communities understand Muslim people better. It is important work because the media's portrayal of a group of people can be (and usually is) so different from the reality for so many. It is important as a school community that we recognise the diversity and strength in our members and celebrate this, not just on one day but every day. 

For families who struggled with discussing the events in Christchurch with your children, I found this resource from Parenting Ideas an interesting discussion about how you might try. It may be too late for discussing Christchurch in particular but may be helpful for any future events or scares.                     Link

Good luck Mrs Davis

As you may be aware, Mrs Fiona Davis has an ongoing medical condition that has impacted on her mobility throughout her life. During Term 2, Mrs Davis will be away on leave to undergo a significant procedure to assist with managing this condition. When she returns, Mrs Davis will have a new prosthetic leg that she is hopeful will help her significantly. This will not cure her condition but will hopefully improve her quality of life. At this stage we expect Mrs Davis to return to working with her Reading Recovery students in Term 3 but as with any medical procedure, this will be dependent upon recovery. In the meantime, an experienced Reading Recovery teacher, Mrs Anne Sharkey, will work with students.

We are sharing this information to help you understand the change both for yourself and for your children, in case they speak about it at home. This is another opportunity for us to recognise and help students understand that everybody is different and endures a range of experiences throughout their life. It is also a wonderful example for the students to learn about the power of developing resilience and coping strategies for overcoming the many hardships they will experience. 

(The following website is a good resource if people are interested about learning more https://www.limbs4life.org.au/  Limbs 4 Life Foundation)

As a community we wish Mrs Davis all the very best for the operation and wish her a quick and speedy recovery. 

Active April & 10,000 Steps

Ringwood North Primary School supports the Victorian Government's Active April initiative. I mentioned this at assembly recently, it's a great way that the government is trying to promote healthy activity for everyone. See the attached poster for information on how to install the app, support the school and get active! There are great incentives for families, including discounted/free tickets to places such as the Aquarium, YMCA and Sovereign Hill. 

As part of getting more active in April, why not throw your support behind research for Parkinson's Disease. See the below flyers for details about the Parkinson's 10,000 Steps Challenge and the associated conference. 

Upcoming election

Some parents recently complained about a person outside the school distributing material related to the upcoming election. The person involved was a member of the Australian Education Union and the flyers were related to a nationwide campaign run by the AEU. While teachers will sometimes be involved in supporting campaigns such as this, on this occasion they were not a staff member. 

While I, as Principal, do not have the right to stop a member of the public from being out the front of the school and engaging with parents, I did submit a complaint to the AEU and other authorities about the conduct of the person involved and that I was not directly contacted by the AEU representative as a courtesy, so that it could be done in a respectful way.

There is every chance that there will be continued efforts by political volunteers and union members to engage with parents in the coming weeks. This is a part of the political landscape we will need to be tolerant of, but I hope to work with the volunteers to avoid any parents feeling harassed or troubled in the process.