Principals' Page
R U OK? Day
Yellow certainly lit up Great Ryrie this week as we recognised R U OK? Day.
Our teachers planned some great activities with students to talk about what it means to check in with someone, listen and genuinely care about how they are feeling. It was a lovely reminder that looking after each other is something we can do every day.
Our teachers were also treated to a morning tea, followed by a lovely afternoon catch up catered for by our one and only Milk and Wine Co. It was a chance to have a chat, share a laugh and enjoy a coffee or warm drink together. After a busy term, these little moments matter too.
There were lots of smiles and plenty of yellow around the school, and the photos of our beautiful students certainly captured the joy and happiness we love to see.
Have a look at our Wellbeing and Engagement page for more photos and information about our R U OK? Day activities.
Swimming success
After two weeks of swimming, we are happily exhausted from all the physical activity. There is certainly something about two weeks at the pool that makes everyone ready for a good lie down.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, swimming is such an important life skill and it has been wonderful to see the progress our students have made. Some have achieved big steps while others have taken much smaller but equally important steps, such as putting their face in the water, having a go at something they were unsure about or simply becoming more confident in the pool.
A huge thank you to the team at Ringwood Aquatic Centre for such a well organised program. The staff and teachers were fantastic and made the experience such a positive one for our students.
I also want to say how proud we were of our students. Their respectful behaviour, enthusiasm and engagement at the pool were fantastic to see. They represented Great Ryrie beautifully.
Father’s Day
I hope everyone enjoyed their Father’s Day celebrations and the opportunity to enjoy a special family day together.
A big thank you to our wonderful parents and to Miss Clarke for organising and running our Father’s Day stall. There was a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure our students had something special to take home.
I hope all of our dads, grandfathers, father figures and special people enjoyed their gifts and, most importantly, enjoyed some lovely family time together. It was a beautiful day to celebrate the important people in our children’s lives.
An Amazing Achievement for Lola
We also have a wonderful achievement to celebrate with Lola Penny, who has been selected for the cast of Finding Nemo JR with the MDMS Theatre Company.
More than 60 children auditioned for just 25 places, with Lola one of the youngest performers selected. This is her first theatre production and she has been working hard with rehearsals, music and choreography.
It is fantastic to see Lola having a go at something new, building her confidence and taking on such an exciting challenge.
We are very proud of her and wish her all the best for the show.
If you would like to support Lola, you can find more information and tickets here: Finding Nemo JR at MDMS Theatre Company More links on the Performing Arts Page.
Playground News
There has been a lot of planning and discussion over the past few months as we have worked with our Junior School Council, Great Ryrie students and staff to plan our new Junior Playground.
The result is going to be a very exciting and creative new playspace, with castles, a pirate ship, new climbing and play areas, three trampolines, a Great Ryrie Bear Pirate and even a little shop area.
We did try very hard to get the unicorn across the line, but sadly it didn’t quite make the final cut. You can’t win them all!
Our current playground has certainly been a very good friend to us for the past 25 years, but it is time for a new generation to enjoy something different. One thing we are particularly pleased about is saying goodbye to the dreaded monkey bars and introducing more inclusive play areas where more children can participate, explore and enjoy the space in different ways.
There has been a great deal of planning and work behind the scenes to get us to this point, and I would particularly like to thank Jackie for all of her work with the playground companies and the many conversations, emails and decisions that have happened along the way.
Work is scheduled to begin in the second week of the school holidays, with fingers crossed that our new playground will be ready by Week 3 next term.
We are very hopeful that the children won’t have to wait too much longer before they can explore their new space.
And yes, I think there may be a few very excited children waiting at the gate when it finally opens.
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend with your family and friends
Warm regards
Karen Rouda Principal
Jean Maxwell and Jess Steer Assistant Principals