From the Principal Team

Term 4 - We have lift-off

It has been wonderful having students back at school the last 2 days, reconnecting with their friends and teachers and finding their groove again. Speaking to students there has been the usual mix of holiday experiences, with many spending a bit of time at Mum or Dad's work while others were lucky enough to be enjoying some time away. 

We have a big term as always but Term 4 is always a bit of a marathon. This year we are expecting the kids to be pretty tired by the end of term: it is 12 weeks long, which is 1 or 2 weeks more than usual on top of the fact that it is the first full year of in-person school students will have completed since 2019. 

So, while their energy levels are up we will make hay while the sun shines and slow down with transition activities and celebrations as we near the end of term. 

Mrs Knoll has started preparing students for our major event at the end of the year, Carols on the Green. We are crossing fingers and toes that we manage to avoid a massive thunderstorm this year and get to enjoy the gentle dusk vibes that make it such a beautiful evening. 

Year 6 students are gearing up for camp in the 3rd week of term, with an epic journey to Warrnambool on the cards while Year 3 students prepare for the sensational adventure of Camp Gundiwindi.  On top of all that our Year 2 sleepover and our Year 1 dinner are fast approaching, providing students with a wonderful opportunity to become acclimatised to the social challenges of eating and sleeping away from home. 

I was fortunate enough to be able to join the Year 5 students and teachers on their camp in the last week of Term 3. We had a great time in Beechworth, exploring the historical sites, learning about Ned Kelly and the Gold Rush era, as well as enjoying a beautiful bike ride along the rail trail. 

I want to take the opportunity to once again thank the staff for their exhaustive efforts on camps. They do such an extraordinary job of adapting to the students, learning their quirks, and trying to find ways for them to enjoy success - whatever that might look like for each student. 

I can't wait to hear stories from this term's adventures and see how the students grow and evolve from their experiences. 

NAPLAN Results

We are so proud of our Year 3 and 5 students this year who completed NAPLAN. It has been a trying year and it can be very confronting to undertake testing like this for the first time. However, they did amazingly well and demonstrated once again not only how their learning has been improving this year but how well they managed to keep moving forward during periods of remote learning. 

The students and teachers should be very proud of their efforts and the strong growth that can be attributed to hard work over many years. Well done! 

Construction

Please see yesterday's Compass newsfeed regarding details of the current construction works. These are part of the 'Accessible Buildings Program' and are aimed to improve access across the whole school site for those who have limited mobility and disability. I am so proud of how we have been able to transform access across the school on such a challenging site. One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at RNPS five years ago was the difficult nature of the grounds for people to navigate safely. While the many levels of our grounds mean it will always present some challenges, it is wonderful to see how much more easily people can move around the school with prams, walking sticks, crutches and wheelchairs. 

It is pleasing to know that the Department of Education is able to take measures to run such an important program in schools.