From the Principal's Desk
Swimming Carnival Success!
Congratulations on a fantastic effort at our Small Schools Swimming Carnival. It was wonderful to see so many students go beyond their comfort zone to compete in so many events. I sincerely thank our staff for their effort in making the day such a success and thank all of our parents who helped in so many ways. Congratulations to our successful PSSA Zone competitors who will compete at the Zone Swimming Carnival in Armidale tomorrow.
School Photo Day - Claiming the Date!
We have confirmed our school photo day for Friday 3rd May. This is the first Friday in Term 2. Photos will be taken here at school from 9am. Please mark this date in your calendars. Our photos will once agian be taken by MSP Photography based in Armidale.
Ordering information will be provided to our families later this term.
Sports Carnivals Coming Up
Rocky River will coordinate this year's Cross Country for our Thunderbolt's Alliance of Schools. Cross Country will be held on Thursday 11th April at the Uralla Sporting Complex. This is the second last day of Term 1.
The Athletics Carnival will be coordinated by Kelly's Plains and Kentucky Public School and will be held on Friday 10th May.
Calendar Updated and Absences Form on Audiri App
I have now updated as many events as possible on the Audiri app for your information. We plan to make this a priority when events are confirmed, so please keep an eye on the "Events" tab at the bottom of the home screen when using the Audiri app.
I have also listed every event that I know of, in the Dates for Your Diary section of this newsletter.
We have added a form on the app where you can go in and update and submit any contact details that may have changed for your child, please do this if you believe there are any changes that we haven't yet been informed of.
When your child is absent you can let us know through the app by completing the absentee form which is located under the "Forms" tab at the bottom of the home page.
Assembly Next Week
Our first assembly for 2024 will be held next Friday from 2pm. As always, we welcome all parents and members of our school community to come and join us. Our assemblies are celebrations of learning and we use these opportunities to showcase some of the great learning occurring at school and also reward students for outstanding effort and achievement.
Principal Meetings
I am currently in Sydney today at a Primary Principals meeting and will return to school on Friday. We also have an Armidale Principals Network Meeting on Tuesday that I will need to attend. At all times, when I am away at such events, my class will continue to work on their programs so there is continuity in their learning.
STEM Program with UNE
We will be commencing a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program with the University of New England commencing next week. Brendan Jacobs from UNE will deliver hands-on STEM based lessons for our students and staff. He will work with Lower Division and Upper Division each fortnight. We trust this will be a wonderful learning opportunity for our students as we utilise expertise and resources from our local university.
Rocky River School Orchestra
Last Friday, Paul Marshall from the New England Conservatorium of Music (NECOM) demonstrated a range of instruments used to form an orchestra in the hope that some of our students may be inspired to learn one of these instruments here at school. I am keen to begin the process of creating our own school orchestra (if we have enough interest) and I will utilise teachers and resources from NECOM to help us achieve this. This is a program for all students K-6. Our school offers so many opportunities for students in a range of subject areas and I hope this additional opportunity is embraced by those who may be interested. We hope to be able to showcase some of our work later in the year.
Upper Division Excursion to Coffs Harbour
I have confirmed a booking for Upper Division students to attend a two night camp at the Coffs Coast Adventure Centre from Monday 9th to Wednesday 11th September 2024. This is for those students who wish to be a part of our trip. We will provide further information when we have been able to confirm all bookings. This is a camp designed especially for students from small schools. Students from Kentucky, Kingstown and Kelly's Plains will also be attending the same excursion. Please book in these dates on your calendars! More information to come.
Addressing Occupational Violence in Schools
This term, you will notice new posters around the school that aim to help support a safe and respectful culture at our school.
These posters are part of a NSW Department of Education initiative to remind everybody to treat our hard-working school staff with kindness and respect.
Every school community around the state is very different. While most schools are respectful and harmonious, violence and unsafe behaviour in any form is not acceptable in schools. School staff and students have the right to learn and work in safe and respectful learning environments.
With that in mind, I encourage you to join everyone at our school in getting behind this important work. We value our partnerships with you to support our students to learn, grow, and belong. It is up to us (the school and parent-body) to be good, respectful role models to our students. Together, we can create a safe and harmonious environment for our students and staff.
I hope you will support this initiative. What do you need to do? It's easy! Please treat our students and staff with kindness and respect, at all times. We are here to help you.
I invite you to contact me if you have any questions.
Have a great fortnight!
Brad Hunt
Principal