Principal Team Update

SPECIAL PERSONS DAY

Special Persons Day was indeed very special this year!

I don’t think I have ever seen so many visitors in our school at one time. From the moment our special guests arrived, there was a wonderful buzz throughout the school and a particularly warm and positive feeling across our grounds.

It was lovely to see the many different people who are special to our students, as we welcomed grandparents, older siblings, cousins, neighbors, family friends and other important people from our students’ networks. It was a beautiful reminder that children are surrounded by many people who care for, encourage and support them.

Our students and their special people spent time together in classrooms, participating in collaborative activities, sharing conversations and learning experiences. It was wonderful to see the pride on our students’ faces as they introduced their special person to their teachers and classmates and shared a little of their school world with them.

The morning tea provided a lovely opportunity to pause, connect and enjoy being together. Our school felt genuinely full of community, connection and belonging.

A very big thank you to Lee for organising morning tea and to everyone who took the time to join us. Your presence meant so much to our students and helped make this year’s Special Persons Day such a memorable occasion.

5/6 MARKET DAY

Following our Special Persons morning, the excitement continued as our Year 5/6 students transformed the Barbunnin into a bustling marketplace for their Market Day.

Market Day was the culmination of a unit of learning focused on business, entrepreneurship and the skills involved in developing and running a successful enterprise. 

It was fantastic to see our students put their learning into action, with an impressive display of creativity, initiative and business ingenuity. From developing their products and creating eye-catching stalls to promoting their businesses and interacting with customers, our Year 5/6 students embraced the experience with enthusiasm.

Perhaps most importantly, the students were able to use their enterprise to support a very worthy cause. I am delighted to share that over $2,000 was raised for Canteen, a not-for-profit organisation providing support to young people impacted by cancer.

It was particularly heartwarming to see the generosity of our school community. Several community members made donations well above the asking price of the goods on offer, demonstrating that Market Day was about much more than buying and selling. It was an opportunity for our students to experience the impact that their ideas, effort and generosity can have on others.

A huge congratulations to our Year 5/6 students for their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit, and a very sincere thank you to our families and community members for supporting both our students and this very worthy cause.

JAPANESE CULTURAL DAY CELEBRATIONS

Last week, our school community had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Japanese culture with a fun-filled and engaging Japan Day.

Students embraced the spirit of the day, with many dressing in Japanese-inspired clothing and enthusiastically participating in a range of cultural experiences. There was something for everyone, including Judo martial arts, Japanese ink art, Japanese dance and Koto harp performances.

Students also enjoyed an onigiri lunch and learning more about Japan through a Japanese culture quiz, putting their knowledge to the test while discovering new and interesting facts.

It was a wonderful day of learning, participation and celebration, giving our students the opportunity to experience and appreciate different aspects of Japanese culture. A huge thank you to Sayako Sensei for her meticulous planning and to all those who helped make the day such a memorable experience for our students!

CROSSING SUPERVISION - COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

We would love to hear from our school community about your experiences with our school crossing supervisors. These dedicated volunteers play an important role in keeping our children safe on their way to and from school each day.

Glen Eira Council has asked us to gather feedback from families about the crossing supervision service. Whether you have positive experiences to share, suggestions for improvement, or any concerns, we welcome your input.

Please send your feedback to the school office at ripponlea.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

All feedback will be collated and shared with Glen Eira Council.

Thank you to our wonderful crossing supervisors for their continued service to our community!

PLANNING AHEAD FOR 2027

Who can believe that planning for 2027 is already underway? As a school, we are already making a range of strategic decisions that impact staffing, school finances, new initiatives, teacher placements, class sizes, enrolments, events and activities, camps, and future resourcing.

One of the most important factors in our planning is having accurate enrolment numbers. Knowing how many students we have ensures we can be well-prepared and also know whether we can offer places to new families in different year levels.

A THANK YOU FROM LEADERSHIP

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to our student, parent and staff community for their support this term in Mrs. Rose's absence. Mrs. Hoewel and I have felt encouraged,  supported, and very proud of the students and the school we have the privilege of serving. We have truly valued this learning opportunity and look forward to welcoming Mrs. Rose back for the start of Term 4. 

We wish our wonderful community a restful and cup-filling holiday break and hope the spring days ahead bring plenty of sunshine and warm and joyful experiences with family and loved ones. 

Until next term!

                                       Marta Campbell                           Naomi Hoewel 

                                        Acting Principal                    Acting Assistant Principal