From the Leadership Team

Book Week

This week we have been celebrating the importance and joy of reading. We had an amazing showcase of student passions and interests on display this morning and no doubt an awful lot of effort by parents to pull something together. 

I would not describe myself as someone who looks forward to dressing up in costumes, but as a primary school teacher it is obviously par for the course. So you learn to work with your team and do something fun for the kids. In the process, everyone gets to enjoy that feeling of being part of something bigger. Smiling, having fun and being silly in a large group is freeing, and lovely to share with the children. 

I think sometimes Book Week gets some pretty harsh treatment on social media and in the media, with people focusing on the effort or inconvenience and forgetting that feeling of collective, good-natured fun. Check out the photos on the Book Parade page to bring a smile to your face. 

As well as the parade today, students attended a performance last week that was very well reviewed by students and staff. The performance included messages about inclusion and difference, too, and appear to have been very impactful for students. 

Of course, the point of Book Week is to celebrate and promote reading for pleasure. One of the things we have noticed over the last decade in schools is the dramatic decline in 'reading for pleasure' at home. Where previously it may have been expected that it was the main way both adults and children spent time at home, there are obviously so many more pressures on time and options for other activities. We have started discussing as a staff what we can do at school to promote reading as an activity but, realistically, it is something that is cultural and influenced by society more broadly. 

For many children as they grow up, reading becomes the thing they're forced to do, either for school or in order to get your screen time. The benefits of reading as a method for sparking creative thoughts, exploring or discovering their hobbies or interests and as a mindful activity, are lost when it becomes a forced 10-minute activity with a timer running. Something we would love to work with the broader community on is rebuilding the practice of reading for pleasure into our days and routines. The benefits for school and beyond are significant and something we should all care about.

Remember, we have two libraries full of books that students visit and are encouraged to borrow from each week. If your child claims they have nothing interesting to read, that's one option available to get something in their hands quickly. As for building routines at home or making space in hectic lives to stop and read ... watch this space! 

Parent and Caregiver Survey

A reminder to please complete the Parent and Caregiver Survey for RNPS. This is a state-wide survey that schools invite families to participate in as part of our broader investigations of how we're going. 

The survey is open to families this term only. 

School Review

Over the next two weeks, there will be a number of external visitors to the school undertaking our 4-year School review. 

Panel members for the review will be: 

• Jeremy Ludowyke (Reviewer, Former Principal of Melbourne High School)

• Andrew Moore (DE Acting SEIL - Senior adviser to network schools)

• Chris Short (Principal, Berwick Chase PS)

• Anita Elliott (Principal, Heathmont East PS)

• Scott Nixon and Elspeth de Fanti (President and Vice-president RNPS School Council)

The review will look at all aspects of Student Learning and Wellbeing, interviewing parents, students and staff, interrogating our documentation and student learning outcomes, observing classes and trying to understand deeply how we work. 

In the end, the review panel will help provide recommendations for the school's next strategic plan and our direction for the next 4 years. It is always a really intense process but a satisfying and productive one to be part of. We look forward to reporting back on the process following the receipt of the report from the reviewer later this year.