FROM THE PRINCIPAL

A message from the Principal

Learning to be 'me'

Good afternoon everyone. What a tumultuous week of weather and assorted dramas we've enjoyed this week! 

I was one of the lucky staff who attended the Year 3 camp at Gundiwindi Lodge and look forward to having a nice shower and a sleep in my own bed, as I'm sure the staff and students who attended are, too. 

Our camping program is obviously something that has been integral to RNPS for a long time and plays an important role in your childrens' education. We see camp as a way for students to apply a lot of what we teach them over the years. A small percentage of the learning that occurs over 7 years at primary school is written into the curriculum and assessed through tests like NAPLAN. But there is so much more that we are working with the children on throughout every day they are with us: how to handle discomfort; how to speak to others respectfully; how to share, not just belongings but space, time and opportunity; how to care for each other; and how to understand yourself - your feelings, your anxieties, your limits, your potential. 

What we see on camp is students who are constantly being challenged. For some it is the obvious challenges: going to the top of the giant swing or stepping off the ledge on the flying fox. But for others it can be more subtle. For some students, it is the first time they have slept away from family - this is scary and it takes a lot of courage and self regulation for a child to make it through the night and allow themselves to settle down enough for sleep. One thing I witnessed on camp which made my heart warm, was observing three teachers sitting patiently in doorways, with the door slightly ajar, soothing students who were trying to work through this challenge. At other times, a team of students gathered around to calm and support a student missing home. 

Then of course there are the other challenges, managing friendships, remaining social, polite and self-regulated despite being hot, exhausted, tired and frustrated. Children make mistakes at these times - as we all do - but they learn, make amends and improve for when they are feeling a similar way next time. 

We know, as do you, that our students are capable of so much but sometimes, even as parents, it feels like stepping off the flying fox all over again to let them go through this discomfort and challenge. 

So thank you to the parents for being part of this experience for your children. Sometimes stepping back can be the hardest but the most important thing to do. 

In this photo gallery, I have included a few photos that I managed to capture but there are obviously more where this came from - look out for the famous camp video in the near future! 

Our new building

We were excited to view the recently approved designs for our new building at School Council last week. The project remains on track for us to move into in late Term 2 next year. We can't wait to see our trusty old Year 1 and 2 building get transformed into this amazing structure. It will contain 6 classrooms, 4 student toilets, a disabled access toilet and an instrumental music room. Our 2020 Year 1 and 2 students should be very excited, I know the teachers are!