Wellbeing & Engagement 

Farewell to our Year 6s

At the time of this newsletter being published, we have three days of school remaining for 2023. It is amazing how quickly the year has flown by!

As we near the end of another school year, we say goodbye to an entire cohort of students. Our Year 6s are finishing up their time at Rangeview next Wednesday, and as a school, we will be farewelling a wonderful group of students. It has been an absolute pleasure watching the Year 6s grow and mature across the year; they really have been great role models for the school and have set a strong example for the younger students. 

I have loved working closely with the Student Leaders this year. This group of 33 students has really felt like my own 'class' this year - and I am so proud of how they have led the school. We have had a lot of fun in our Monday morning student leadership meetings, and in many other events across the year. 

The Year 6 Graduation ceremony on Tuesday night was a fantastic event to celebrate this cohort's time at Rangeview. Thank you to all the parent helpers who ensured the event was memorable and to all the teachers and ES staff who put the time and effort into preparing our students for the night.

To all of our departing Year 6s - I would like to wish you every success for the future. We can't wait to hear about the next steps on your personal journeys!

Student Leadership

At last week's assembly, we announced our new student leadership team for 2024.

Whilst a small group of students have received 'formal' leadership positions, we value all Year 6s as student leaders for the year. The entire cohort will have opportunities to show (and further develop) their leadership skills, and this is an important and genuine message to any students who might have missed out on a leadership role. You are all leaders, and we look forward to a great year from all of you.

Holiday Screen Time

Over the break and without the structure of school from 9:00am - 3:30pm on weekdays, many children will no doubt beg and plead for more time on screens at home - this is only natural (and I am expecting it from my own kids, too!). 

Managing (and limiting) screen time can have a hugely positive effect on overall wellbeing. We would encourage you to discuss agency here with your children; screen time is absolutely okay, but work with your children on balance and moderation. Discuss with them expectations before they get on the screen; set time limits, or even introduce a reward system - for example, children might 'earn' screen time, after spending an hour outside, or after going on a bike ride, or participating in some arts and crafts to promote creativity and problem solving. 

Building a consistent system will help limit any issues or arguments over screen time. Set clear rules and expectations, and most importantly, monitor what your children are viewing. Despite all the wonderful work classes have completed in the 'eSmart' space this year, we are still seeing students make poor choices online. This is all part of their learning; but setting strong examples at home is the best way to help young children learn how to behave online.

Rangeview Carols

What a night!

Goodbye for 2023!

What a year it has been! 

I would encourage all of our parents and carers to take a moment and reflect on what went well across the school year. What were the special moments? The highlights? The small things that had your child coming home from school smiling? 

We have so much to be thankful at Rangeview and modelling gratitude to our students is so important to the development of their own mindsets and approaches to life. Gratitude can take practise, but all it takes is a few minutes a day. Do this every day over the school holidays and you'll find it then naturally becomes part of your life!

I am thankful for our wonderful school staff. Despite challenges that any workplace experiences and heavy workloads, we have a strong school culture and our staff always supports each other through any situation.

I am thankful for students who are willing to give everything a go. Effort is everything. We don't expect expertise or students to master every skill; but we do expect students to try. Showing a growth mindset, having a go, learning from mistakes - and we see this every day. Congratulations to all of our wonderful students for the efforts they have made this year. 

I am thankful for the wider school community we have here at Rangeview. Our parents and carers are, on the whole, very understanding and know that we have each students' best interests at heart. Our Parents and Friends Committee, our School Council, our volunteers each day in classrooms reading, the parents who gave up their own time to come on camps and excursions - the list goes on! Thank you to all of the members of our wider school community who make this place what it is.

I hope you all have a very safe and relaxing school holiday period. Enjoy your Christmas and New Years, and we will see you back here at the end of January next year!

Liam Sommers

Assistant Principal

Wellbeing and Engagement