From the Principal's Desk
Welcome to Term 3, Week 2!
Welcome back to school! We hope you all had a refreshing break and are ready for an exciting term ahead. Our School Development Day provided a fantastic opportunity for our dedicated teachers to collaborate with colleagues from the Thunderbolt Alliance, focusing on explicit teaching practices designed to improve student outcomes.
You will notice that all classrooms have a LISC wall, where we detail the Learning Intention and Success Criteria for a lesson. This approach helps explain the what we are learning, the why we are learning about it, and how students can achieve the learning outcome. Teachers will engage in teaching rounds through this semester where we will showcase our practice, as well as visit our alliance schools to see how they are implementing LISC in their lessons. We also have lots of new offerings and exciting events planned for this term, providing our students with even more opportunities to engage and grow, and look forward to sharing the wonderful activities we have already delivered!
Congratulations Elyse!
I'd like to congratulate Elyse in Year 2 on running 5th in the Multi-Class State Cross Country event held at Horsely Park in Sydney last week. Elyse's family travelled down to support her and we even had the chance to video call Elyse after the race where she updated us on how she went. She's been all smiles since!! It is so wonderful to see Elyse achieving such amazing things so early on in her school sporting journey. Congratulations Elyse!
Work Experience
Welcome to Annie from Uralla Central School who is completing her work experience at our school this week. We are grateful to have been chosen for Annie's placement, and are excited to have her experience school life from the teacher's lens this week; hopefully inspiring a young future teacher in the years to come!
New Building Update
The latest project update regarding the new incoming school building was released on Thursday 24th July. I shared this with our parent community and on social media. Incase you missed it, please see the update below.
Welcome Mrs Kirkaldy
As our Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction (APC&I) role remains unfilled, this term we welcome Mrs Kirkaldy who will be working across the school on a Tuesday to allow for me to work in the APC&I space as I wear my instructional leader cap, collaborating with our staff to improve our practice. I'm looking forward to working shoulder to shoulder with our staff in this capacity.
Book Donation from NAWIC & Richard Crookes Constructions
I am pleased to share that our school was selected to participate in a wonderful initiative led by the National Association for Women in Construction (NAWIC). As part of this initiative, we received a selection of books that focus on the roles of women and girls in construction. This generous donation aimed to inspire and empower our students by showcasing the diverse career pathways available in this field. We are appreciative for the support from NAWIC and look forward to incorporating these valuable resources into our learning environment.
NAPLAN results sent home to families
As we continue to support our students' learning journeys, NAPLAN results for students in Year 3 and Year 5 were sent home last week. Please keep in mind that NAPLAN provides a snapshot of student learning at the beginning of the school year and is just one of many tools we use to assess and support your child's progress. We encourage you to review these results with your child and celebrate their achievements while considering these results as part of a broader picture of their educational development. Thank you for your ongoing support in fostering a positive learning environment for your child.
Speech Pathology Offering
This term, we are excited to announce the delivery of school-funded speech pathology services for our students through experienced practitioner Jenny Friend.
Speech pathology plays a crucial role in the development of school children, serving as a foundational element for all learning. Effective communication skills are essential for academic success and social interactions, and speech pathologists help identify and address speech, language, and communication challenges early on. By providing targeted interventions, they enhance students' abilities to express themselves, comprehend language, and engage in classroom discussions. This support not only fosters confidence and self-esteem but also lays the groundwork for lifelong learning and positive relationships, ensuring that every child can thrive in their educational journey.
We know the struggle to access this type of support in regional towns, with long wait lists and the additional financial burden this brings, so we are glad to be able to offer this service in an equitable way to our school community.
New Mower
We are pleased to have received the wonderful zero-turn ride on mower from Nowendoc Public School. As Nowendoc school is non-operational, this resource has been passed on to Rocky River to assist with the maintenance of our grounds. Thank you to Red from Uralla Central for lending us their trailer and ramps, which assisted Mr Hine to travel out, collect and return with this asset.
School Open Day
We had a fun-filled school open day in our first week back this term. I would like to express my gratitude to our wonderful P&C for providing a delicious BBQ lunch for everyone to enjoy. The warm sausages were particularly appreciated on such a cold and rainy day.
Despite the weather, the UNE Discovery team did an outstanding job adapting their activities and conducted engaging workshops for our students inside our classrooms and under the cover of the COLA. I encourage you to take a look at the photos showcasing the hands-on investigations that took place throughout the day in our 'Whole School Activities' section. Our Stage 3 students proudly led our break time initiatives by making and serving hot chocolates with marshmallows, cheese toasties for breakfast club, and jelly cups in the afternoon, ensuring that everyone was well-fed and happy. We also celebrated Elyse's achievements in the State Cross Country with a special cake made by the talented Moons Bakery, courtesy of the Swilks family. Overall, it was a wonderful day filled with exciting indoor activities at Rocky River.
If you were unable to attend and would like to learn more about our school, please call the office to book a tour (02) 6778 4122
Jeans for Genes
On Thursday 7th August our school will be participating in Jeans for Genes Day.
Students are invited to wear Jeans or mufti to school on this day and bring a gold coin donation to assist with our fundraising OR You can visit our official fundraising page via the link below to make an online donation if you wish.
RRPS Jeans for Genes Fundraising Page
A message from the Jeans for Genes team:
"Your support and dedication are what make research into genetic diseases possible. You’re helping to pave the way for treatments and cures for over 6,000 genetic diseases and birth defects affecting 1 in 20 Aussie kids."
Thank you in advance for your support.
An Evening with ACOS
Tickets are now on sale!
PLP Meetings
We are looking forward to meeting with parents and students next Monday afternoon to review student's Personalised Learning Plans (PLP). The online booking system was set up on School Bytes last Friday for a 10 minute time slot to review your child's PLP with their classroom teacher. We look forward to the opportunity to sit with yourself and your child to discuss their goals and targets for the semester ahead.
Please contact our staff if you have any difficulty booking in using School Bytes.
Stage 2 and 3 Major Excursions
Keep an eye out on the School Bytes app for necessary communication around your child's major excursion this term. We are looking forward to these exciting adventures!
Kindergarten Enrolments 2026
We are still 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.
Kindest regards,
Dani Clyde-Smith
Principal