From the Principal  

Dawn Service 

It was an honour to be at the ANZAC Dawn service hosted by the Ringwood RSL on the 25th of April. 

The School Captains were called upon to lay a wreath to honour the fallen at the base of the tower. The sound of the bugle playing the last post was mournful and brought a tear to many, as we silently remembered those who died, who are now at peace.  Thank you to the community members who attended such an important service. 

The School Captains were asked to lead the whole school assembly on Friday with their own commemoration to the ANZACs. 

Thank you to Ryan for writing an honourable tribute to share, and Harrison, who read The Ode of Remembrance. It was a solemn affair as we took a minute silence to reflect, finishing with the Australian Anthem. 

Lest we forget

URStrong 

Creating a kinder world by empowering kids with friendship skills

Last night, the Year 3 and 4 children presented some great activities, strategies and information about the URStrong Program to the best aaudience of all ...their parents. 

What is the Program I hear you say?

URStrong teaches children what’s normal in a friendship and the difference between healthy and unhealthy friendships. In short, we teach our students how to become Friendship Ninjas.

Friendship Ninjas know how to put out common Friendship Fires and how to use Quick Comebacks when someone is Mean-on-Purpose. Friendship Ninjas can get their friendships back into the green zone on the Friend-o-Meter by working their way through the Friend-o-Cycle. They know how to Talk-it-Out, but they also understand that friendships change…and that’s okay.

Parents as Students 

Edwina Ricci and Andrea from the Project Management Team – Maroondah Positive Education Network, presented the program to the parents to enable them to use the same language with their children at home.

Some of the important messages for parents included:

We’ve got your back!

We know how heart-breaking it is to watch your child struggle with friendship issues and we’re here to provide support and answers to those tricky questions.

Kids’ language for kids’ problems

Our kid-friendly approach creates a common language to open those lines of communication, helping you feel closer to your child while building trust.

Practical skills and effective coaching techniques

You will gain confidence to support your child through friendship dramas. Gone will be the days of resorting to saying, “Just ignore it!” or “Suck it up!”.

Empowering kids with friendship skills

You will learn how to empower your child to make healthier decisions in their friendships and put out Friendship Fires® (resolve conflict) in a respectful way.

We are very proud of our Friend-o-Leaders and the URStrong program as we believe that Friendology inspires children to feel empowered, develop a strong sense of self, and love themselves while learning to manage the most important thing to them…their friends.

Pupil Free Days

Professional practice days or pupil free days provide teachers with release from their scheduled duties, to focus on the improved delivery of high-quality teaching and learning.

At the recent School Council Meeting, the members highlighted the importance of communicating the days in a timely manner to enable to be arranged. The following dates were approved for the remainder of 2023 as pupil free days:

Friday 9th June 

Monday 6th of November

Friday 15th December 

The work undertaken on these days will be consistent with Departmental and school priorities including planning, preparation, assessment of student learning, collaboration, and curriculum development.

We have also notified Team Kids to ensure that a full day program can be delivered for your convenience. 

Have a wonderful weekend with your family and friends.

Karen Rouda 

Principal