From the Principal's Desk

Welcome to Week 8, Term 3!

We are loving the beautiful sunshine and happy Spring days at Rocky River. As this is my first Spring season at our school, I am truly enjoying seeing our gardens come into bloom. Each morning I am met with new colours, scenery, insects and visiting birds, which is such a delight. We are so lucky to work and learn on such scenic grounds.

Congratulations, Ivory!

I was pleased to present Ivory with the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee Regional finalist runner up certificate for the junior division. Ivory was presented with a gift bag containing a dictionary, thesaurus and stationary items which were sent in from the NSW Arts Unit.

NSW Infrastructure Meeting

Last week the P&C executive, Matt Hobbs (Director Educational Leadership) and myself met with Joe Warman (Director, NSW Infrastructure) regarding the knock down and rebuild of Building A. A good discussion was had and the process for our school was discussed. Joe reassured us that what we currently have will be replaced, as per our school resourcing allocation, and they will provide as much as they can with the budget they are given. Moving forward, a project manager will be assigned, and we look forward to entering the consultation and design phase. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact NSW Infrastructure directly:

EV Submission

Last Tuesday I met with an External Validation panel (with the support of Matt Hobbs), to speak about our evidence sets and discuss the themes within The School Excellence Framework, detailing how our school is working towards "Excelling". We engaged in rich conversation involving processes which occur at our school, and what makes Rocky River the fabulous school that it is. The panel provided us with praise on the work of Brad Hunt and my continuation of that work, in leading a school which values relationships, and every student truly feeling known, valued and cared for. I have attached our EV Panel Report which will inform the new School Improvement Plan over the next few years.

Garden Day

On the last day of Term, we will be holding a "Garden Day" for staff and students to dedicate some well-deserved time towards our vegie gardens. Ms C has obtained a $200 Bunnings voucher (donated from the Armidale store) to support our garden program. Students have already started planting new vegie seedlings which are cared for daily, with the plan to transfer into the garden beds at the end of Term. 

Thank you, Mrs Bishop

Mrs Bishop is our Itinerant Hearing Teacher who works at our school each morning until Recess. After over 40 years of dedication to public education, Mrs Bishop has decided to retire at the end of this term. Outside of her support role, Mrs Bishop delivers Auslan lessons to the school once a week, and upskills staff in Auslan resources and updates to assist in our knowledge, to better support our students. We thank you for your work at our school, and wish you all the best on your new chapter ahead, Mrs Bishop!

Year 6 Fundraiser

Our Year 6 students have begun selling Quelch fruit ice blocks as a fundraiser for them to purchase a gift for the school at the end of the year. They will be available for purchase at $1 each at lunchtime on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They won’t be available on Thursdays as students can purchase icy poles or ice cream from the canteen on this day. Thank you in advance for your support of our Year 6 class in their fundraising efforts.

Festival of the Bands

Students who are part of the Tillbuster Wind Ensemble will be performing at the new Band Festival on 21st September 2024. Please see the details attached on the poster below.

North West PSSA Primary Athletics 

Congratulations to Harrison C, Phoebe, Naomi and Cailey who represented our zone at the North West PSSA Primary Athletics Carnival. The team came 4th in their relay and overall had a fantastic day. Well done to these students and their supportive parents on their attendance at what we've heard was a very long day!!

A Day in the Dale

Our Aboriginal students had a blast last Friday at the "A Day in the Dale" NAIDOC celebration at the Aboriginal Culture Centre and Keeping Place. For our students, this was a day of celebrating culture and exploring how each student recognises and celebrates their Aboriginal heritage. We were so proud of our students' engagement with the broader community and we received many compliments about the confidence and collaboration displayed by our Rocky River cohort. One of the many student reflections on the way home included "I just can't stop smiling, I've had such a great day".

Light Sculpture

We have received this photo of our fabulous school light sculpture on display at Armidale Regional Council's War Memorial Library. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to pay the library a visit and take a look before the end of the month!

Days off School

As we get to the end of term, I will be closely reviewing attendance data. Students who have fallen below 85% attendance will receive a note home to families. If you require support to motivate or encourage your child to come to school, please contact us. There are so many reasons for our students to be excited about coming to Rocky River, so please don't hesitate to reach out.

Every Day Matters for your child’s learning

Attending school every day allows your child to get the most out of their learning and improve their career and life options.  This includes attending school on rainy days, sports carnivals, Fridays, birthdays and the list goes on. Regular school attendance can help expand your child’s learning and create positive relationships with their peers. It's important to support and encourage healthy daily routines which encourage your child's attendance such as a wind-down routine at night, and a reasonable bed time for the necessary rest children need. 

Read more about the benefits of regular attendance on the department website.   

Kindest regards,

Dani Clyde-Smith

Principal