RIPPONLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Principal's Message

We hope you are all managing the current circumstances that these ever-changing times bring us. We hope you have been kind to yourself in this lockdown period and focused on what is most important and what is in your control. 

 

Last year we attended a seminar that highlighted that people who cope best in a crisis worked hard to re-invent ways of doing things and continue functioning. Competent People Cope by Compromise tells us that whilst we experience a lot of stressors, we can make a series of adjustments to focus in on what we have to do to deal with these successfully; we then make adjustments to deal with the stress. 

 

It is also important to remember that, as adults, we are every child’s role model; they are constantly observing our reactions, conversations and coping strategies. For that reason, it's timely to reflect on what children are learning from us during these times. Please look at the article by Adam Voigt in Monday's Herald Sun which delves into the perspectives of children during uncertain times.

 

We are excited today to hear the positive news from Premier Daniel Andrews today regarding the end to this lockdown and proud to be part of broader community that saw 40,000 Victorians volunteer to be tested in this last 24 hours - awe-inspiring! Nevertheless, we are also mindful that events of this nature may occur again and, as a school, we have used this period to reflect on what a return to remote and flexible learning could look like. Our staff have deeply reflected on our past practices and how these need to be adapted to suit the changing needs of our community.  

CURRICULUM DAY HIGHLIGHTS

Last Friday the staff enjoyed an excellent opportunity to work with Tracey Ezard who is helping us develop “The Buzz” – Tracey’s term for a thriving and collaborative staff learning culture. We explored how teams work best when provided with a compelling environment where members bring a growth mindset and are open to authentic dialogue. Central to this is the need for teams to go beyond co-operation and move into the bounds of co-creation, collaboration and collective capacity. In times of change, evolving can be difficult for even the most resilient people. Tracey gave us tools to help us embrace change as ‘answering a call to courage’. We look forward to working further with Tracey throughout this year as we will no doubt need to call on these tools and strategies as we face challenges that may lie ahead.

MS CLOVER - SEE YOU SOON

In just a few weeks Ms Lucy Clover and her fiancé Daniel will welcome their first child into the world. This Friday the 19th will be Ms Clover's last day and it is safe to say we are all going to miss her. We are looking forward to Lucy and Daniel sharing their exciting news in the coming weeks.

 

 

WELCOME TO OUR NEW STAFF MEMBER 

 

Next week we welcome our new LOTE teacher Ms Danielle Merlino. Danielle has worked across many private and public schools in the local area. Last year she taught Italian to students at Tucker Rd Primary School and is very excited about meeting our students. We deeply thank Mrs Patrizia Kelly who supported our program over the last few weeks. We are not saying goodbye to Trish by any means as she is always a welcomed member of the Ripper community. 

YOU TELL US INTERTVIEWS

Thanks to all families who attended these meetings with our teachers who especially welcomed the opportunity to meet face to face and get to know your family. We are also pleased that parents/carers finally entered our buildings and could meet in your child’s classroom. Your partnering with your child’s teacher can make such a big impact on your child’s development and learning over the year. 

 

Substantial evidence exists showing that parent-school engagement benefits a child’s learning and school experience. This can include increased motivation for learning, increased confidence, fostering an enjoyment for learning, more regular attendance, a more positive attitude to school and can raise their academic achievement. 

 

Building a strong culture of parent engagement is a key focus for our school this year. We have learnt that families value knowing what their children are learning at school and how they can support this in the home environment. This year we will review a range of measures that include communicating our curriculum programs, home learning strategies, consistency and frequency of feedback on a child’s progress at school and collaborating with our community to strengthen our school programs. 

STUDENT LEADERSHIP AT RPS

This year we have redeveloped our Student Leadership model and have a number of staff undertaking the role of mentors. Students will have the opportunity to undertake various roles as part of committees. 

 

School Captains will collaborate with teams of students in a leadership capacity, whilst actively promoting and upholding the school values at all times. School Captains will work closely with the RPS Leadership Team and Members of the 2021 School Council. They will lead a committee and group of Student Councillors who nominate to be part of a committee. 

 

House Captains build house spirit and pride and will work together with other student leaders including the School Captains and Student Council. House Captains will also support and organise the following activities: House sporting carnivals, assemblies, lunchtime House activities, House music and any other student suggested events. 

 

The role of Student Council involves organising, coordinating and participating in a range of activities related to various committees. Student Council members actively participate in decision–making and representing the opinions and beliefs from a wide diversity of students across the school. The committees are as follows:

  1. Student Health & Wellbeing supports the organisation of mental health and wellbeing initiatives across the school and advocates for the Positive Behaviour Support framework (PBS) as student representatives.
  2. Sustainability is a new student action team which manages sustainability initiatives, including aspects of the Resource Smart School’s program and related projects like the kitchen and gardens and the outdoor learning deck. They will be mentors to the younger students and lead their peers to engage, connect and interact with sustainability through practical experiences that will benefit all students and the wider community (and our precious planet!). Later this year, students from Years 3-6 will elect to join this committee for additional support.
  3. Fundraising/Activities/Events support the implementation of activities, events and fundraising initiatives that benefit the students, school and the wider community.
  4. Student Representative Council conducts classroom circles, forums and surveys in order to seek opinions from all students across the school. They inform decisions and communicate through a range of digital tools and collaborate with other committees.

This Friday, we will welcomeJosh Burns - Federal Member for MacNamara to present our student leaders at our official badge ceremony. This will be a virtual assembly for all members of our school community, apart from families of student leaders who will come onsite under strict conditions as visitors. 

Until next fortnight!

                                                Natalie Rose                              Jess Grey

                                                   Principal                         Assistant Principal