From the Principal Team

Breaking News: Flannelette Sales Surge in Ringwood

It was a raucous night in Ringwood North last Saturday, with parents getting together in a huge community event that was a lot of fun for all involved. 

A massive thank you needs to go out to the PFA (especially Donna Johnston, Belinda Goodwin, Jodie Murphy, Karina Gallace and Jo Witheridge) for their efforts in pulling the night together. The last amounts of money are still trickling in for silent auction purchases and donations, but the event has raised thousands for the school and gave many of us a much-needed night reconnecting with our community and having many good laughs. 

Costumes were outstanding, dancing was sensational the humour was broad and for those who ended up playing cricket at the end of the night, there were some sensational catches at short cover.   

Thank you again to the community for turning out and making it a great night, celebrated in the best spirit, all for a worthy cause.

Parent Helpers and Employees

When I started at RNPS five years ago, I initially implemented a preference for not employing people who were currently parents in the school. There had been a few issues that had cropped up where information had been shared, and I preferred to try and avoid the complexities of being in both roles. However, since then a number of teachers have opted to enrol their children at the school and it certainly aids with the return to work and workforce participation of our female employees in particular. 

As a result, we have been forced into a rethink about our recruiting policies. 

Below is a draft version of the 'Parent-Employee and Parent Helper Code of Conduct' for RNPS, which addresses the concerns related to these roles and outlines how we balance the responsibilities and interests of everyone involved. 

You may have seen through Instagram we promoted some recent vacancies and, moving forward, would like you to know that there will be no preference regarding current parents i.e. you are welcome to apply for a role if it matches what you are looking for. 

However, it is important to remember that it is my job to try and ensure that the most suitable people for the role fill each position. Applicants for jobs cannot rely on 'knowing the community' as being sufficient to succeed in an application when there are qualified and experienced candidates you are competing with. As with any job application, there is a stronger chance that you will be unsuccessful than successful and I only ask that parents applying for roles are prepared to handle that disappointment without ill feeling. 

Mr Burley and I are also always happy and willing to talk with parents looking at applying for jobs in any school to give you some tips on how to navigate the process effectively.   

Please note that we are now welcoming parents back into classrooms as Parent Helpers. We ask that parents provide a copy of their Working with Children's Check (apply here) and sign the code of conduct before contacting your child's teacher to help find a common time when you can assist in the classroom. 

World Teachers' Day

On behalf of all the staff at RNPS, I would like to express our gratitude for the kind packages distributed across the school on World Teachers' Day (October 28). It was such a lovely surprise for everyone to receive such thoughtful packages filled with goodies courtesy of Eastland and Cafe 23. 

I would also like to express my gratitude and admiration to educators at the school for their efforts this year. There's no doubt that in many corners of society we all had high hopes for this year. But the reality of workforce shortages, exhaustion, ongoing illness and significant mental health challenges across society has made it a really challenging year. We spoke about a 'new normal' but for many that meant expecting '2019 normal' and when we didn't get that, it was a huge disappointment. 

As teachers have worked through their own struggles and illness, they have also tried their best to support students and families through a vast array of emotions. 

It's a unique and special position to be in, feeling a sense of responsibility for another person's child, and it's what we sign up for and relish - but that doesn't mean it's easy and I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of staff, this year in particular and reiterate our gratitude to parents for recognising this. 

Parent requests 2023

We are deep into planning for next year and teachers are now working on class formations for next year. Next year, all year levels will continue with the current number of classes, but with 4 Prep classes we will actually be increasing from 20-22 classes. This, combined with a couple more pregnancies (congratulations to Mia de Jager and Caitlin Chandler!) and a couple of teachers moving onto other positions, will mean that there will be a number of new faces on staff. We can also confirm that Mr Davatzis will be stretching his legs and pursuing his passion of the law and will be teaching VCE legal studies next year at Mill Park SC. His stay has been brief but we wish him all the best for 2023 and beyond. 

We are still recruiting now, so teacher allocations have not been confirmed. 

When forming classes, teachers take extensive consideration of all factors impacting on all children and try to create the best learning conditions for the following year. Students will be asked to nominate 5 friends and they are guaranteed placement with at least one of those friends. The more restrictions we put on who can be together or who needs to be separated, the harder it is to form classes and the less flexibility we have. Please only submit requests if you feel it is essential for your child. 

Teachers will collaborate and suggest separation of students who distract each other frequently or who display signs of unhealthy friendships. They will also aim to partner students who display healthy friendship behaviours together or encourage each other in their learning.

If parents wish to make a request related to your child's needs, please do so directly to myself via email before Monday November 14: kenneth.chatterton@education.vic.gov.au

Requests will be considered but are not guaranteed for the following: 

• Separation from no more than 3 other students with whom your child has previously had serious issues or family issues that may distract from their learning. 
• For highly anxious students (currently engaged with professional help), pairing with one other student who provides emotional support. In cases where this request is considered detrimental to learning, alternatives will be considered. 
• For students who are diagnosed with a neuro-divergent condition, requests related to the classroom environment or location will be considered.  
• Very occasionally, there may be qualities or approaches of a teacher that have worked well for your child that are useful for us to know - however, please do not make requests for specific teachers as you are most likely going to be disappointed.