RIPPONLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Principal's Message

As we head into our last week of the term it has been an absolute joy to see everyone back onsite with a genuine desire to reconnect with each other and get on with the business of learning.

 

We again applaud our students and families who dug deep to draw on skills of resilience and flexibility during the lockdown. We also would like to dearly thank all the staff of Ripponlea for their capacity to pivot, change gears and rise to any challenges set before them. They too experience their own personal challenges yet always put our students first and foremost. They are all exceptional educators and individuals and we hope you can all see how much they care for your children. It is really the partnership we all feel, the teamwork we engage in and our Ripper community ethos that allows us to constantly support the wellbeing and achievements of our students. 

 

We hope you have all taken an opportunity to read the updates on operations for all schools in Victoria. No doubt there will be further changes in the term to come, but hopefully for the better. At least at this stage we can be certain around student-based activities and events. We have much to look forward to in Term 3 with camping experiences, a rescheduled Fun Run, Book Week celebrations and much more. 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS WEEK

SCHOOL REVIEW 

As shared in previous newsletters, we will be having our 4 year school review in Term 3 to support us to plan our improvement journey for the next four years. The review will celebrate our achievements and, most importantly, emphasise continuous enhancements which affirm that every student, no matter their background or circumstances, has a right to learn in a school committed to improvement. The review will welcome community participation with students, staff and families through forums with our panel. We will embrace the input of experts from within and beyond our school.

 

In assisting us to begin the process, we are asking as many families as possible to complete a small survey via the following google form. This will assist us in beginning and opening dialogue about future plans and areas of focus. 

Click here for the Google Form 

IN THE ZONE FOR LEARNING

RPS staff are in firm agreement: student achievement is greatly enhanced when we support student engagement and wellbeing. It’s part of our core business to provide social and emotional learning opportunities to equip young people with the skills to: understand and manage emotions; set and achieve positive goals; feel and express empathy; establish and maintain positive relationships; make responsible decisions; develop resilience to deal with change; create positive gender norms; and contribute to social cohesion.

 

The Student Engagement and Wellbeing Professional Learning Team (SEWB PLT), led by Jo Ritson, has looked at ways we can deliver enhanced resources and strategies across the school to support our commitment to teaching Social and Emotional Learning through the Department’s evidence-based learning materials, Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships. 

 

Jo has introduced a school-wide focus on active classrooms incorporating active breaks, drawing on contemporary research into the multitude of benefits of physical activity. SEWB PLT members Andria Arendze and Jess Grey share some positive praise prompts 

with staff to promote growth mindset. Dominique Wimpole and Danielle Merlino presented ways to use Kimochis in our junior classes to support the development of emotional literacy. Dominique has been using Kimochis for a number of years in the Foundation classroom and showed how these clever characters help children express emotions and develop resilience. 

Kimochis
Kimochis

 

A significant benefit of having new staff join us at RPS is when their expertise enriches our practices. This has certainly been the case with SEWB PLT members, Jordane Hyams, Brenton O’Hoy and Sarah Coughlin, coaching us in the resource, The Zones of Regulation. ‘Zones’ give students the opportunity to develop tools to regulate their emotions to best suit given situations. Over the coming weeks, students in Years 1 to 6 will learn about the zones and develop calming and alerting techniques to regulate their bodies and emotions.

Zones of Regulation.pdf

MID-YEAR REPORTS AND TERM 3 PARENT-STUDENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES 

In 2020, schools across Victoria modified their processes for reporting student achievement due to the impact of Remote and Flexible Learning. These modifications gave us pause for thought at RPS and our staff began inquiry into the purpose and format of written reports. These discussions culminated in a revised approach to reporting at RPS and we are keen to learn from your feedback. 

 

In previous years, teachers have written structured paragraphs to reflect on each child’s progress against the Victorian Curriculum. Our staff considered that their individual report comments related to Personal and Social Capability were meaningful, yet felt that report comments on academic progress were commonly laden with jargon and limited in the scope of skills that could be addressed. As a whole staff, we investigated the approaches of other schools and developed a style that we hope RPS students and families will find to be accessible and meaningful.

 

This semester, Classroom Teachers have chosen to record observation of your child’s demonstration of the Ripponlea school values: Community, Creativity, Integrity, Open-Mindedness, Resilience and Respect. Given that we, as a school, promote these values and refer to them in our learning, our staff have included this component as a new element to complement their comments related to Personal and Social Capability.

To allow for a more detailed picture of each child’s skill development in English and Mathematics, the academic comment has been replaced with a table of skills related to these learning areas. The benefit in using this different approach is to provide you and your child with an easy-to-read review of progress using the following scale:

  • Beginning - The child is beginning to demonstrate this skill/understanding.
  • Consolidating - The child has demonstrated this skill/understanding in some contexts.
  • Established - The child has demonstrated this skill/understanding consistently in many contexts.
  • Exceeding - The child has mastered this skill/understanding and applies it beyond set contexts.

Another change from previous years is our Specialist Team’s combined approach to recording Work Habits across their four subjects - Performing Arts, Visual Arts, LOTE - Italian/French and Physical Education. As the Specialist Team works collaboratively, they averaged their individual observations to develop an aggregate result for each student’s Effort and Behaviour across the Specialist Program.

 

In Week 2 of Term 3, we will be holding conferences with families to discuss student progress in further detail. Please stay tuned for information that we will release at the beginning of next term to book an appointment. 

 

NB: Reports will go live on Compass this Friday

COMPASS How to view semester reports.pdf

 

At the conclusion of this reporting cycle, we will be seeking your feedback on written reports and our parent-teacher-student conferences. We look forward to discovering how we can continue to improve our practices in these important areas.

Reading Your Child's Report.pdf

CONGRATULATIONS MS JO

Just before our lockdown, Ms Jo was fortunate to enough to make her way to the 2021 Cairns Iron Man Asia-Pacific Championships. The swim course sets off from Palm Cove into the coastal coral sea and then into a spectacular bike course in the world where competitors race along Captain Cook Highway, hugging the coastline from Cairns to Port Douglas.  Then they make their way through the World Heritage rainforest and run along the stunning Cairns boardwalk until the race finishes in the heart of the city. Ms Jo placed second in her age group and fourth overall in the whole competition. What an achievement for our very own PE teacher of the Year 2020! She’s a real inspiration to our students on how dedication and commitment pays off, even in times of adversity. 

SCHOOL READINESS 

If you have a child commencing school in 2022 and you would like to know more on how you can support your child, then please save the date for this wonderful presentation. We have teamed up with Bayside local schools and Kinders to support our families. Register as soon as possible to not miss out. 

PARENT WORKSHOP - Vanessa Hamilton Respectful Relationships, Human Sexuality and Body Safety Presentation

At Ripponlea, we educate our students on many real life experiences to support their personal and social development. A community member highly recommended a special consultant who helps families feel confident about having conversations on human sexuality. 

 

Discover what is appropriate for my family? How much do I need to tell them? At what age should I discuss these topics? More information: http://www.talkingthetalksexed.com.au/

Learn how to tailor conversations with your children about: 

  1. Healthy & Respectful Relationships
  2. Body & Protective Safety
  3. What Is Normal Early Childhood Sexual Behaviour
  4. How Babies Are Made And Born
  5. Puberty Preparation
  6. Internet Safety and Our Sexualised Society

SAVE THE DATE - Thursday 15 JULY

NB: Bookings via trybooking essential https://www.trybooking.com/BRSIU 

We wish all our community a lovely break; enjoy your holidays, reconnect with loved ones when possible, rest and relax with the comfort of a cosy blanket and always stay safe. 

 

If you have the time, grab a cuppa and please have a read of this article: 

New York Times - 'Its Called Languishing'.pdf

 

To our students we wish them lots of fun and a chance to enjoy as much of the outdoors as possible during this winter. Recharge those energy and brain cells and leave the screens and technologies to rest where your temptations won’t lure you back. 

https://getoutwithkids.com.au/school-holiday-activities-melbourne/

 

Until next term!

Natalie Rose Principal

Jess Grey Assistant Principal