A note from Mr Jackson
Welcome Back
A welcome back to everyone. I hope families have had an opportunity to spend time together in new and refreshing ways. We’re looking forward to the term and both the challenges and discoveries ahead.
Holiday Facilities Upgrade
While families have been enjoying time together over the holidays, there has been significant activity at Rosanna Primary School. This period has provided an opportunity to complete a range of improvements to ensure our learning spaces reflect the rich learning taking place both inside and beyond the classroom.
Key infrastructure upgrades include the replacement of broken stormwater drains beneath the driveway, as well as the removal and renewal of cracked and uplifted concrete. A step-off platform has been added at the top ramp to improve safe access to the playground (already in good use), and the three flagpoles have been reinstated in the top garden.
The ramping works look to be winding up by the end of the next few days. The installation of handrails and fencing as well as the removal of temporary fencing and materials will conclude the accessibility upgrades that have seen the Department invest over $500 000 in the school. We are grateful for the works that have made it easier for a number of our students and parents to access the site.
One of the most exciting developments has been the recarpeting of the administration building. This has included the Year 1 classrooms, hallways, storerooms, art room, and library, significantly enhancing these shared learning environments.
These improvements represent important investments not only in our school’s infrastructure, but also in supporting a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning environment for all members of our community.
Curriculum Day Update
Monday 20 April
While students were absent on Monday this week, staff went to school to learn (as they do everyday)! They gathered to reflect on the latest strategies that shape highly engaged learning for all within the classroom. Such strategies included ongoing checking for understanding and responsive teaching, ensuring that all students are thinking deeply and attuned to the focus of lessons. It included the importance of minimising distractions and really sharpening the focus of intentional teaching with clearly predictable learning routines. Staff reflected on the instructional model and noted the importance of ongoing reviews of learning, to ensure that knowledge and skills were embedded.
These high expectations of learning have raised the demands for teachers and students to engage more consistently with the learning focus. It has also provided a predictable and safe space for students to affirm their new understandings, master new skills and venture towards new learning.
2027 Prep Enrolments Open
Enrolments are now open for our 2027 Prep cohort. If you have a child ready for school next year, or know neighbours with children approaching school age, please complete the enrolment paperwork or pass it on at your earliest convenience. Prospective families are encouraged to join our weekly school tours and Come and Play sessions to experience Rosanna Primary first-hand.
We will be holding a Prep Information Morning on Saturday 30 May. This will be a repeat of the morning held last term and an ideal opportunity to learn more about our curriculum, meet staff and see our classrooms in action. Flyers and enrolment information are available from the office. Please contact us if you would like to book a place or need further details.
Breakfast Club Fills Stomachs and Warms Hearts (Mondays and Thursdays)
A lively group of students have been gathering on Thursday mornings during term 1 and starting the day with a meal together. Some drop by for a piece of toast while others stay for some cereal and fruit. All are welcome to join this positive start to the day down in the meeting room near the Prep space. It has become so popular that it has been extended to both Mondays and Thursdays! All are welcome.
Students Extended in the Upper Years
We’re thrilled to have 11 students in Year 6 chosen to be part of the Victorian High Ability Program this term. They will be meeting over a period of eight weeks with an online teacher extending their skills in English.
5/6 Macleod College Taster
Wednesday 22 April
On Wednesday, students in the 5/6 Learning Area had a taste of life and learning at high school. This local excursion saw students walk to Macleod College and take part in a range of engaging and fun lessons in science, drama, digital technology and PE. Thanks to the team at Macleod College for supporting all our students as they begin the transition towards secondary education.
1/2 Learning Area CERES Excursion
Friday 24 April
Students in the 1/2 Learning Area will visit this unique environmental space focussing on Restoring Earth’s Ecosystems. They will explore living and non-living things and learn what makes a healthy environment. Through hands-on activities around CERES Park, students will investigate how plants and animals work together to create healthy ecosystems and identify the needs of different animals and their habitats. Students will also develop their observation skills while learning about caring for the environment and the importance of looking after local ecosystems and Country. They will all certainly have some stories to tell!
Coming Up Soon …
ANZAC Day
Saturday 25 April
We are proud to announce that our school captains will represent Rosanna Primary at the local Anzac Day ceremony this Saturday, laying a wreath at the Watsonia Cenotaph on behalf of students, staff and families. This is an important moment to honour the sacrifices of so many and to reflect on our shared commitment to peace and community. We thank the captains and their families for their participation.
Assembly Invitation
9:00am Monday 27 April
We look forward to celebrating the first assembly for the term next Monday morning shortly after 9:00am. All are welcome to join us!
Shaping a New Play Space Together
3:45pm Monday 27 April
Exciting plans are underway to rejuvenate the western side of the oval with a creative play space. Thanks to a grant from the North East Link Community Fund, students have already been invited to share ideas that will inform the design. Parents are warmly invited to walk the site with us next Monday after school (meeting on the oval) and contribute feedback, or to complete the short survey (Nature Space Community Voice Survey – Fill in form). We appreciate your ideas as we create a space for imagination and play.
Yrs 3-6 Cross Country Carnival
Tuesday 28 April
For those who are a little bit older I suggest starting to limber up now! Sometimes even watching students bend and flex can cause a twinge in a muscle! Next week we look forward to wearing our House colours, heading down to the Rosanna Parklands and enjoying the annual Cross Country Carnival. A special thanks to the organisers who pull the day together and for the parents that provide supervision as students complete the course!
Respect: A Key Value for Us All
Thursday 7 May
This term we’re celebrating the school value of Respect. On our upcoming Respect Day, students, staff and families are invited to wear shades of green to mark the occasion and reflect on the behaviours that show respect in our community. Classroom activities will explicitly teach and reinforce respectful words and actions so our whole school can continue to foster a positive, inclusive learning environment. If you are an Op Shop visitor, start keeping an eye out for GREEN!
Further Proposed Industrial Action
Thursday morning 28 May
As noted last term, the Victorian Government Schools Agreement (an industrial agreement that sets the pay, working conditions, and rules for staff working in Victorian government schools) is presently being negotiated between the government and staff of government schools. The Australian Education Union have foreshadowed further industrial action on the morning only of Thursday 28 May. I look forward to informing parents and our wider community about the impact that such action will have on Rosanna Primary School as soon as it is available.