Acting Principal’s Message

Student-Free Days Term 2 - Thank You

Our sincere thanks to our School Council and families for allowing for two student-free days in quick succession this month - the one just gone last Friday and also our upcoming Curriculum Day next Tuesday 14th of June. With time for Professional Learning and Collaboration severely limited by the hustle and bustle of the regular week, these days to work together are treasured by our staff and leadership. We also understand that there is an accompanying burden placed on many families finding care for the day, for which we remain grateful.

Last Friday saw our staff working diligently throughout the day on important literacy and numeracy assessments, with teams also participating in 'moderation' sessions where writing samples are rigorously compared to the curriculum to ensure accuracy when reporting to parents and the Department of Education and Training. Despite the lure of switching to relax mode for the weekend, it was early evening before the last staff members locked up and left for the day.

On Tuesday our focus switches to no less important matters. We are going to begin by looking at our school values (the words on the bottom of the photo at the top of this page!). Is it time for a change? Do we still connect with all of these words? Are they living in our classrooms? Stay tuned for further updates and opportunities for feedback on our values as the year progresses towards our DET school review in term 4.

Second item on the agenda is a literacy focus looking at the DIBELS assessments of various aspects of phonics knowledge and mastery - an essential building block in learning to read.

Finally, we will be looking at our approaches to mathematics planning, teaching and learning; focusing on an instructional technique known as CRA: Concrete, Representational, Abstract.

Again, thanks to all families for making alternative arrangements for students for the day.

A reminder that TeamKids will be providing a program on our Curriculum Day next Tuesday. Please contact TeamKids directly: 1300 035 00, https://teamkids.com.au/venues/roberts-mccubbin-primary-box-hill-south-oshc/ or info@teamkids.com.au

2023 Foundation Enrolments

A reminder for any families with children starting school in 2023 to enrol your child as soon as you can. Foundation enrolment numbers impact upon a wide range of planning and structural decisions, with early enrolments always a great help in this respect.

Similarly, if you know of a friend, family member, colleague or neighbour who is considering an enrolment in our wonderful school, please encourage them to contact the school office or visit our website to sign up for a tour.

Assembly - Live Audience Welcome!

As mentioned in recent newsletters and Compass alerts, we were delighted to welcome our first assembly audience for a very long time at our assembly two weeks ago. All parents and carers of students presenting or students receiving awards or certificates are welcome to attend. Check the "Student of the Week" page of the newsletter to see who our recipients are this week. On non-newsletter Wednesdays we will publish these names via a Compass message.

Managing Illness - Keeping Others Safe

As per the last newsletter, a reminder about managing illness.

To help protect our school and the wider community, we ask that unwell students stay home, given the impacts of flu and colds on our school community.

To help reduce the spread of flu, colds and COVID-19, students are encouraged to;

wash and sanitise hands regularly
avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
get tested for COVID-19 if feeling unwell and follow the current Department of Health isolation requirements if a positive result is shown
if unwell (COVID or other illness), stay at home until symptoms pass.

Face masks are available in all schools and can be worn by any staff or students who wish to do so, including those who are medically at risk.

Vaccination remains the best protection against both COVID-19 and flu, and we encourage you to get your child vaccinated. Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs and pharmacies, many of which can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations.

If your child does become sick while at school, please also ensure that we have correct emergency contact details for yourself. This is so we can get hold of you as quickly as possible.

We are aware that these are challenging times and we thank you for your understanding and support.

Introducing another member from School Council - Jennifer Buxton

Roberts McCubbin has been a large part of my family since 2014 when my eldest son, Will, started prep. I also have Xavier, 56K and Zac 34R. I enjoy catching up with friends, watching my boys play their multitude of sports, holidays (never taken for granted again!), listening to music and gardening.

As I work full time in HR/People, I joined RMPS School Council as a way to be involved with the school and to contribute to the way my children connect with their peers, teachers and school community. Learning is so important to our family on all levels; but it takes a village to nurture our children to be strong, grounded and respectful people. Robbie Mac has provided a great environment for this and for my children to learn and grow. I am grateful I can give back, supporting the school and its staff.

Enjoy the rest of Term 2 and have a safe, happy break. I look forward to meeting you throughout the coming year!

Kind regards,

Peter Watson

Acting Principal

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