From the Principal's Desk

The final week of Term 2...

It has been an eventful twelve months since first commencing in my substantive principal position at the start of Term 3 last year. I have experienced such joy in getting to know the children of Rocky River; their talents, their interests, celebrating each student's birthday with a combined school 'happy birthday' song and supporting each individual child through their own trials and tribulations, watching perseverance, grit and determination shine through every time. Moreover, I have had the honour of sharing this journey, working shoulder to shoulder with what must be the most dedicated teaching team and school support staff in the Northern Tablelands! We come together day in and day out, to make the best possible schooling experience for each and every child. In addition to this, our supportive parent community and P&C members who work tirelessly to ensure their children have the best options available to them through our school. With a year down, and countless years ahead, I thank the Rocky River community for welcoming me in with open arms, and I look forward to continuing to lead with the pride and joy that each day at this nurturing school environment brings. The best place in town to wear my dressing gown on PJ mufti day!

Heritage School Photos

With school photos for 2025 recently being sent home, Mr Ridley shared some photos that were given to him by his mother. These photos are from 1947, when she was a student at Rocky River Public School. The class photos had no names attached - if you are able to identify any of the students or teachers we'd love for you to let us know, so we can add this information to our archives.

Spelling Bee 

Congratulations to our avid spellers who aced the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee challenge this year:

Junior winner: Ivory

Junior runner up: Romy

Senior winner: Anna

Senior runner up: Charlie

Our winners will go ahead to compete in the regional competition held early next term. I'd also like to commend every student who participated in the event; spelling in front of an audience can be quite daunting. Such a high participation rate demonstrates the confidence and enthusiasm our wonderful learners put forth in all opportunities presented to them - well done!

School Open Day

We are excited to promote our school open day which will be held on Wednesday 23rd July (the second day back at school next term). With lots of fabulous happenings occurring that day, we look forward opening our doors to prospective families to come and see what Rocky River has to offer their child. Please see the flyer below for information about the day. We can't wait to see you all there!

                                                                                                                  An Evening with ACOS

We are apart of the Armidale Community of Schools (ACOS) which holds the biennial event 'An Evening with ACOS'. This night of entertainment is a public education initiative, showcasing the wonderful talents of our students in the Creative Arts. Rocky River Public School Years 3-6 students will be involved in the massed choir performances, and selected students will be involved in the combined orchestra. 

This event will be held in Week 6, Term 3 on Thursday 28th August. Mr Hunt at Uralla Central School has kindly offered to run a similar set up to the 2023 formation, where students met at Uralla Central School for pizza in the afternoon, before venturing on a combined bus ride into Armidale Secondary College with teacher supervision. Parents will need to take home their own child at the end of the event.

Tickets will be going on sale early next term. We will share the ticket purchase link as soon as it becomes available - we look forward to seeing you there!

Student Reports and Interviews

Reports

Semester One student reports were electronically sent out through the School Bytes Parent Portal on Monday afternoon. We were pleased to share formal feedback on student progress this semester, and look forward to supporting students through their learning journeys in the semester ahead. So far, our new reporting format and information sharing through the School Bytes app has seemed efficient and parent-friendly. If you had any trouble accessing your child's report, please contact the school for assistance so we can continue to improve this process for the next reporting period ahead.

Three-Way Interviews

Our school will be holding three-way interviews on Monday of Week 3, next term (4th August). Meetings will occur between 3pm and the P&C meeting start time of 5pm. Families will have a ten minute timeslot available to book in, for teachers, parents and students to sit together and work on personalised learning plans for Semester 2. Individual plans will be informed by the next steps in learning detailed in student reports, setting new goals for the remainder of the year. We look forward to working in partnership to help your child reach their full potential.

New Building Update

We are expecting a formal project update this week which will include 3D renders of the concept design for the new school building. I will share this electronically when we receive it, and would also like to share any additional discussion around the building at the next P&C meeting on Monday 4th August, next term. As always, if you have any questions regarding the project, please contact school infrastructure through the phone number or email address below:

Chook Enclosure

Mr Hine has finished phase one of the chicken enclosure renovation. The cage is now strategically positioned to allow the chooks to access the lovely morning sun whilst still in their enclosure. The fencing has been tidied up and the entire enclosure has been raised, with additional branches to roost on. We also discovered our chooks have started laying again this week - they must be very happy hens! Phase two includes a beautification project, adding some decorative plants and signage to the front. Thank you for your hard work Mr Hine!

Honour Board

Our new honour board is up with school leader names on display for 2025! Thank you to the wonderful Uralla Men's Shed Inc. for working with us to create this masterpiece. The aim was to replicate a similar style to the original school honour board, which was made elsewhere in the state, many years ago. We were proud to keep this project local and fund the work with the donation received from the Uralla Bowlo bingo fundraiser last year. The production took lots of liaising, school visits, measurements and colour matching from the wonderful Bruce and Roland. I'd like to also thank A.O.K. Signs Armidale for adding the finishing touches with the completion of the recent sticker work. Our students are extremely excited about seeing their names up on the board!

Stage 2 and 3 Major Excursions

We kindly ask that all parents of Stage 2 and Stage 3 students please indicate by the end of this week if their child will be attending their major excursion next term. This can be done by signing the consent form on the parent portal, and paying the deposit. More information will be coming out at the beginning of next term for both excursions.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2026

We are now enrolling for Kindergarten 2026. If you are thinking of enrolling your child to start school next year, or know someone who is interested, please contact our school office (02) 6778 4122 or pop in for a visit any time! We will be releasing some transition to Kindergarten dates and times soon for all students planning to enrol at Rocky River next year and look forward to welcoming lots of smiling, new faces!

Next Assembly & Book Week Parade

Our next assembly is Week 5 Term 3, Friday 22nd August at 2:15pm. This will be our book parade in addition to our regular assembly.  We look forward to seeing families there to celebrate the learning of our students and to enjoy the book week dress up excitement!

Attendance

Reasons for absence

Thank you to all who are prompt in notifying the school of their child's absences both full day and partial day, including the justified reason of why their child was away. It is important that this communication comes through to the school via the correct channels:

• Absence submission through the School Bytes app (preferred method)
• Phone call to the school office: (02) 6778 4122

• Email to the school email address: rockyriver-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au 

   

Extended leave

Please remember to complete the extended leave or travel form if you are planning to take your children on holidays during the school terms. This must be completed prior to the planned travel.

I hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy holiday break! School resumes for students on Tuesday 22nd July 2025. We look forward to seeing everyone back in Term 3!

Kindest regards,

Dani Clyde-Smith

Principal