Things To 

Know

HELPING OUR KIDS THRIVE

Supporting emotional regulation and behaviour 

An online evening session for parents, carers, families on Wednesday at 7:30pm

RPS is proud to partner with Lize and Hilary from Building Blocks Therapy to host an online evening session for parents who would like to learn about strategies that may help build connection with your child and support their emotional regulation and participation in daily life. 

The seminar-style event will involve a presentation from Hilary and Lize, and include the participation of Alicia Cohen, RPS parent and School President Tarryn Holland. The event will run from 7:30pm to 9:30pm on Wednesday 4 March and all parents, guardians and grandparents in our community are welcome to attend.  To help us gauge interest and attendance, please RSVP via a quick Google Forms registration.

About Lize and Hilary 

Lize is the founding Director of Building Blocks Therapy, a family-owned paediatric Occupational Therapy clinic with a big heart and a clear purpose: to support families and empower children to thrive. With more than 17 years experience in paediatrics, Lize is passionate about helping children develop the skills they need to fully participate in their communities — understanding that this looks different for every child and family. She believes every child deserves the chance to chase their dreams, no matter the obstacles they face.  Lize is also a mum to three beautiful kids, wife to Sean, and a foster carer.

Hilary worked in a number of OT roles prior to moving into paediatrics in 2017. She loves

 working with children and their families to help children thrive in the different roles and activities in their lives.  Hilary has a number of roles at Building Blocks Therapy including providing individual occupational therapy support, leading Building Blocks Therapy's Family Connections program (that focuses on emotional regulation and behaviour), and supporting schools with inclusion. Outside of work, Hilary loves to spend time with her husband, two children Joel and Maddie, and their dog Winnie.  

When: Wednesday, March 4

Time: 7.30 - 9.30 pm

RSVP: Register HERE

Join the Session: ClickHERE or scan the QR Code to join. 

SCHOOL COUNCIL 2026 - EXPRESSION OF INTEREST & ELECTION PROCESS

At Ripponlea Primary School, our strength lies in our community. When families, staff and leadership work together, we truly live our motto: Care. Create. Connect. Being small in size, big in impact is only possible because of the dedication of those who step forward to support the governance and future direction of our school.

As we begin preparations for the 2026 School Council process, we invite parents and carers to consider becoming involved, either by nominating for the first time or by re-electing for a further term.

Continuing Members – Thank You

We are incredibly grateful to our current School Councillors for their commitment and thoughtful leadership. School Council plays a significant role in:

• Endorsing the School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plans
• Overseeing school finances and resource allocation
• Supporting major building and grounds projects
• Reviewing and endorsing policies
• Strengthening community engagement and fundraising initiatives

If your term is concluding this year, you are warmly invited to consider re-electing. Continuity of knowledge and experience is invaluable, and your ongoing contribution helps ensure stability and strategic focus for our school.

New Members – We Welcome You

For parents and carers who may be considering joining for the first time, School Council is a meaningful way to contribute to your child’s education and the broader school community. No prior governance experience is required — simply a willingness to collaborate, ask thoughtful questions, and act in the best interests of all students.

Council meetings are typically held twice per term in the evening, and the environment is collegial, respectful and focused on achieving the best outcomes for our students.

Further details about nomination timelines and the election process will be shared shortly. In the meantime, if you are interested in nominating or re-electing and would like to discuss what the role involves, please feel free to contact me directly.

Thank you to those who have served, those who will continue, and those who may be considering stepping forward. Together, we shape the future of Ripponlea Primary School.

Curriculum Learning Updates 

At Ripponlea Primary School, we know that when families understand what is happening in the classroom, students feel more confident, supported and successful in their learning.

As part of strengthening our communication processes and helping families connect more deeply with their child’s learning, we are introducing fortnightly Curriculum Learning Updates across all year levels, beginning in Week 6.

What Families Will Receive

Each family will receive a fortnightly year-level newsletter outlining:

• Key curriculum focus areas in English and Mathematics
• Upcoming concepts within our Units of Inquiry
• Connected learning across other curriculum areas
• Suggested ways families can support learning at home
• Clear home learning expectations for that year level

This will provide families with prior knowledge of what is coming up in the classroom and practical ways to engage in meaningful learning conversations at home.

Home Learning Expectations

At RPS, home learning is purposeful and designed to build independence, responsibility and strong learning habits over time.

Foundation – Year 4

• Students use a Home Reading Diary
• Families are asked to support nightly reading
• Please assist your child to record their reading log and responses

Years 5 & 6

• Students use a School Diary to log reading and tasks
• Tasks may be set in Google Classroom
• This prepares students for the routines and expectations of high school homework

Across all year levels, we ask families to engage with homework routines.The routine itself builds responsibility, organisation and self-management skills — skills that become increasingly important as students grow older and begin to manage tasks independently.

My Numeracy Portal

Students in Years 1–6 have access to the My Numeracy Portal, where teachers will assign tasks aligned directly to:

• Current classroom learning
• Assessment data
• Individual student needs

These tasks are targeted and purposeful, supporting growth and consolidation of key skills.

Important to Note

• We do not provide traditional worksheet-based homework.
• Home learning is aligned to current classroom learning.
• Suggested activities are meaningful and connected not busy work.

For further clarification, please refer to our Home Learning Policy on the school website which will be updated to reflect these new changes for 2026.

We look forward to launching this strengthened communication approach in Week 6 and continuing to build strong partnerships between home and school.

WHY VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS MATTER AT RIPPONLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Small School. Grand Impact.

At Ripponlea Primary School, we often say: we may be small, but we do things on a grand scale. This belief underpins everything we do for our students.

While government funding provides a basic foundation, it is limited in its capacity to fully support the high‑quality education, wellbeing programs and learning environments our community expects and values. Voluntary financial contributions from families make a profound difference. Nothing feels too difficult or out of reach when our families stand alongside us and truly, every dollar counts.

At a Glance: Where Your Contributions Go

Your voluntary contributions directly support:

• High‑quality classroom resources that enhance teaching and learning
• Extra‑curricular programs that extend student interests and talents
• Targeted intervention programs to support learning growth
• Wellbeing and inclusion supports for all students
• Clean, safe and well‑maintained buildings and grounds

How Maintenance Fund Contributions Are Used

The government provides schools with only a small allocation for maintenance and building repairs. For a heritage school site that is used every day, this funding is simply not sufficient.

Families who contribute to the Maintenance Fund can see their generosity reflected across the school in very practical ways.

Weekly Grounds Care and Safety Checks

Maintenance funding supports weekly weekend grounds checks and cleaning, undertaken by one of our valued Education Support staff members, Mark.

Each weekend, Mark:

• checks every area of the school grounds
• redistributes softfall in playground spaces
• sweeps paths and play areas
• collects student belongings left across the school
• removes unsafe or inappropriate items

Unfortunately, when older teens or members of the wider community access the school after hours, items such as broken glass, alcohol bottles and rubbish are sometimes left behind. This regular work ensures the school is safe, clean and ready for learning every Monday morning.

Grounds, Trees and Compliance

Maintenance contributions also fund:

• termly mowing and general grounds upkeep
• tree maintenance, particularly where branches overhang laneways and nature strips

This work is essential for safety, presentation and compliance, and helps prevent urgent or costly repairs later.

Clean and Safe Play Spaces

Our ovals are sanitised and cleaned each term, supporting the health and wellbeing of students who love running, playing soccer, kicking footy and being active every day.

Reducing Pressure on Working Bees

Ongoing maintenance funding means that community working bees no longer need to focus on major repairs each term. Instead, they can be used to:

• prepare the school for special events
• support beautification projects
• strengthen community connection

This creates a more sustainable and positive way for families to contribute their time and energy.

Library Fund: Investing in a Love of Reading

Families who choose to make a tax‑deductible donation to the Library Fund are directly investing in a love of reading across Ripponlea Primary School. These contributions support not only the purchase of new books for our school library including award‑winning and high‑interest titles  but also the continued development of classroom libraries.

Thanks to your generosity this year, Mr Howel was able to purchase sets of novels for all Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 students. These novels are intentionally purchased in class sets to support rich novel studies.

Through these studies, students:

• read shared texts together, building stamina and confidence
• engage in deep discussions about characters, themes and author intent
• develop vocabulary, comprehension and inferencing skills
• respond to texts through writing, reflection and creative tasks

Having different novels allocated to different year levels ensures students are exposed to a broad range of texts, while avoiding repeated reading of the same novels year after year.

Looking ahead, if further contributions are received, we plan to expand our investment by purchasing take‑home reading materials for all Foundation to Year 4 classes. As part of our renewed routines at Ripponlea Primary School, home reading and reading diaries will play an important role in strengthening the partnership between home and school and supporting reading growth beyond the classroom.

Every Library Fund contribution helps us nurture confident, capable and enthusiastic readers and ensures books remain at the heart of learning at RPS.

Curriculum Contributions: Learning at Students’ Fingertips

Curriculum Contributions play a vital role in ensuring both classroom and specialist teachers have access to the resources they need to deliver engaging, hands‑on and high‑quality learning experiences.

Thanks to the generosity of families, our students have everything at their fingertips — from learning manipulatives and art materials to high‑quality paper, craft supplies and specialist equipment that bring learning to life.

These contributions have had a direct impact across learning areas:

• Ms Connelly and Sayako Sensei have been able to design and deliver rich, creative projects supported by quality materials
• Mr Rambaran has ensured students have access to all required equipment for his specialist programs
• Mr Martin is excited to further expand our range of musical instruments in 2026, supporting creativity, collaboration and performance

This growth will be made possible through a combination of parent curriculum contributions and funds raised through the Ripoffs win, demonstrating once again the power of our community working together.

Curriculum Contributions ensure learning is not limited by resources, but instead enriched by opportunity supporting creativity, engagement and depth across all areas of the curriculum.

EDUTHREADS - NEW FREE DELIVERY 

Order by 17th March for pick up during week starting 23rd March.

How it works:

• Orders can be placed by families at any time before midnight on the above day. The free delivery option will be available for them to select at check-out.
• Each order will be pre-packed and labelled - this will include name and order reference to assist with distribution. Families will receive a notification when their order is completed and a reminder of the date for collection and school/kinder.
• Includes FREE exchanges where the replacement will be sent in the next free delivery. Alternatively, the new items can be sent immediately to a nominated address using paid delivery.

Please ensure we have up to date contact information and addresses - we want to ensure your packages get to you. You can check and update addresses by emailing us or using the below form:

Email - contact@eduthreads.com.au 

Update details HERE