FROM THE PRINCIPAL

A message from the Principal

Give them a 'huge' round of applause

Each week when Mr Wright has worked his way through the cheers, claps and hilarity of the weekly awards, we all join together in congratulating all of those awardees together. As this term draws to a close, I think it seems fitting that we ask all the parents, students and staff to take a moment to indulge in a clap of congratulation. 

There have been a huge number of things happening through the school this term, with students shuffling from one exciting thing to the next. It's not over, of course: tonight we have our annual PFA Disco, next week we still have Year 5 camp, Year 1 dinner, Year 2 hoop time ... it's all very busy and thrilling. And we can't attribute any of that success to one person or group of people, it has been the collective effort of our community that allows for such an exciting agenda to become a reality. 

So when you've waded through it all and you reach Friday afternoon next week, please, take a moment to look in the mirror and say, 'Well done'. You deserve it. And hopefully someone is there to put lots of stickers on your certificate, too. 

Have a wonderful Spring break, wherever you choose to spend it, and come back refreshed and ready for the final round of 2019. 

Epilepsy Smart School

I'm thrilled to be able to announce that Ringwood North PS has now met the requirements to become an Epilepsy Smart School by the Epilepsy Foundation. 

The accreditation comes after a fortuitous pairing with Michele Barry, General Manager - Marketing for Epilepsy Foundation, as part of the Principal for a Day (PFAD) program run by ACER. PFAD is a wonderful program that links leaders from the corporate and political sectors with school leaders to encourage cross-pollination of skills and ideas, and to promote the role of Principals and schools in the general community. 

Michele proved a wonderful visitor, visiting all the classrooms, talking to students and teachers and getting a great idea and appreciation for RNPS. Michele's feedback from the day was short but, I think, very accurate: "Your school is amazing." 

The students helped Michele feel right at home and we shared wonderful discussions about caring for students with medical conditions, engaging with the broader community and many more interesting cross-overs. 

At assembly, Michele was able to deliver a short presentation to all students to increase awareness and understanding of epilepsy, helping us achieve our final requirement for the accreditation. 

Parent Resources

Below are a couple of very different articles for your consideration. 

The first looks at the idea of the erosion of rituals and rites of passage for youths. As community groups lose their place of importance in society, it is evident to educators that children tend to lose those short-term goals and achievements of 'growing up'. Often we see kids who grow up way too quickly, or kids who remain in a perpetual limbo, never quite being expected to take the next step. This article discusses that idea and there is also link to a webinar (there are recordings for past sessions) that RNPS families can access for free that discusses the topic in more depth. 

The second article looks at the bane of many parents' and childrens' lives, the issue of cyberbullying and just reminds us of some of the best practices in trying to limit our children's exposure. I have also included a link to an article that looks at Internet restrictions you can set from your router. It's perhaps more technical than some people will be comfortable with, but it lays out what I believe is something that should be more common in homes: completely restricting Internet access after certain times at night. If you are struggling to keep devices out of the bedroom, this might be one way to at least limit the damage that can be caused when they're in there. 

And remember, if your child ever does see something that upsets them in a conversation or elsewhere: 

1. Screenshot the whole conversation. 

2. Do not respond. 

3. Share with a teacher.

Rites of Passage - Link

Helping with cyberbullying - Link

Using router settings to limit Internet access - Link