FROM THE PRINCIPAL
A Message from the Principal
Open Night
We are super excited about our Open Night on Wednesday May 22. All families are encouraged to visit the school from 6.30pm. There will be a range of activities being held throughout the school, all based around the key future skills and dispositions we aim to develop in children: Collaboration, Character, Citizenship, Critical thinking, Creativity, Communication and Curiosity.
We have a number of very special guests helping us this time, with Chief Technology Officers, Chief Operating Officers and Engineers all volunteering to collaborate with our teachers and talk to parents and students about future jobs and careers. Activities run from 6.30pm and a Q&A session for parents and students will start in the auditorium at 8pm, giving you the chance to ask questions and probe our experts about what the future could hold for your children.
As with last year's Open Night, families who complete their activity passport will have the opportunity to go into a draw for very special prizes.
The theme for this year's Open Night is 'Invent the Future'. When we work in education, there is obviously quite a lot of talk about our students' futures and how we might try to help them achieve their aspirations. But the future is a moving object and sometimes it can seem so far away that we put things on hold until everything makes more sense. Of course, it never does make more sense, and so we can find ourselves waiting to see what happens.
At RNPS, we hold the view that rather than trying to fix the past errors of education, and always look over our shoulders at what worked or didn't work thirty years ago, we need to help children be prepared to 'Invent their own Future'. When you consider the upcoming election and the key areas of debate, there has been a lot of discussion about whether or not we should be making decisions with a view to improving the present or preparing for the future. There is no question though, that as your children grow, they will have greater influence to shape the world to suit their needs and beliefs.
So how can we as a school, and you as a parent, help your children to be skilled and ready to shape their world?
What skills and qualities will they actually need?
What will a suitable education actually be? Will a university degree be enough? Will it even be relevant?
And what sorts of work are they likely to encounter? What will a work day look like in 2040?
There is an increasing amount of research looking at the future of work for young people. I encourage you to take a look at some time at these reports from Future Youth Australia and consider what the implications might be for your children.
Fete 2020
It is time for us to start setting dates, booking venues and mapping out our plans for next year's school fete.
I urge anyone who is willing to be part of the Fete Committee to contact me directly (chatterton.kenneth.l@edumail.vic.gov.au) so we can start the ball rolling.
The school fete is our parent community's big contribution to the school's fundraising every 2 years and 2018 saw a number of families who had been involved for over 10 years move on with their eldest children. We need a new crew to take us forward next year, so please contact me ASAP if you are willing to get involved.
We're all buddies here ...
Please find below a few photos I managed to pick up this week. One buddies session with Year 6 and Preps and of course a few from our wonderful House Cross Country on Wednesday.
