A message from the Principal

Harmony Day and Colour Splash - Fri March 20

I'm thrilled that this year the Year 6 students have elected to run a whole day of fun and activities celebrating Harmony Day. This is as part of our Term 1 CBL Big Idea: Peace and Justice.

Assembly will be held in the morning (9.15am) on the day with whole school activities run by the Year 6 students from 11.30am-1.30pm and the whole school Colour Splash (a colour run) from 2.30pm.

Students will need to wear a white t-shirt (the older the better) with a splash of orange (for Harmony Day) on the day.

The Colour Splash is a great way to welcome our new Preps into the community as they run with their buddy and get to share a special day with the whole school.

A fundraising platform will be communicated for students to raise funds to support the school. It is a little different from last year in that there are no prizes connected to it but a much smaller commission so you support the school and not a company.

Having discussed this with the Parents' Club (PFA), they were keen to ensure that parents didn't feel pressured into making significant donations. We have the festival later in the year, which is our major fundraiser, but if you have grandparents, aunts/uncles, neighbours etc. who would like to contribute, we have set a modest target of $5 per student.

In 2020-2021 all funds raised will be supporting landscaping works around areas affected by the new building.

Parent Involvement at School

I know at the start of the year there seem to be a flood of requests for help, volunteering, signing up to groups and committees ... I know for some parents it can seem overwhelming and frustrating, as they want to help but know it's not feasible to be part of everything.

The reality is, there is a lot that happens in schools that is outside the classroom. And the bigger the school, the more that is happening. For students, this is a great thing, for staff it can be taxing and for parents it can be exhausting, confusing and overwhelming. It is especially tough if there are only a handful of parents trying to do it all.

The important thing to remember is that in every request we are speaking to a community of more than 700 parents. Not just you. If you can identify a way in which you can help, however big or small, that's awesome. You shouldn't feel obliged to be part of everything that is advertised in the school. But every little bit helps. And if a lot of people do a little bit each, then all the great things can happen without the kids missing out.

So, the requests we currently have for volunteers are as follows:

School Council

You will have received a Compass NewsFeed regarding School Council Nominations. We require a few new faces to play a role on Council. School Councils are a vital and mandatory component of school governance in Victoria.

Nominations close next Wednesday, March 4 and the first meeting will be on Tuesday, March 24 at 7pm.

RNPS Parents Club (PFA)

The Ringwood North Parents and Friends Club (PFA) will hold its AGM on Thursday March 5 at 7pm in the Staffroom.

This group of parents plays a critical role for running fun events that help to build our sense of community and connectedness.

Membership is FREE and great FUN!

Colour Splash, Billy Cart Grand Prix

Parent volunteers will also be sought for these upcoming events on the day. Colour Splash requires about 20-30 parents who like to spray kids with colour and a few parents are required to help out serving coffee and hot cross buns to other parents at the Grand Prix.

Class Representatives

Parents in this role act as a conduit between the classroom and the home. They help to remind parents about what's coming up, communicate useful messages, organise the class roles at the Festival, and lots more. Contact your classroom teacher, Fiona Davis or the front office if you're interested.

Parent Helpers in the Classroom

Parent helpers are encouraged. Often, parents will assist in the mornings with literacy, sometimes working directly with children and sometimes helping complete tasks around the room to support the teacher.

Speak to your child's teacher about helping.

Big on Books

This is a volunteer helper role focused specifically on reading 1 on 1 with children throughout the week. Parents, grandparents, university students ... anyone with patience and a Working with Children's Check is welcome. Contact Fiona Davis.

Ringwood North Family Festival

The Festival Committee are now looking to work with parents who will be helping on Saturday September 12. Whether it's setting up, gathering donations beforehand, running a stall ... whatever your talents and knowledge, we welcome your input. Contact Rana Newland (details on Festival page).

IMPORTANT: PARENT SURVEY RE: PORTFOLIOS

You will have seen posters around the school encouraging parents to respond to this survey. It is really important that we get as many perspectives as possible about what parents value and expect from student portfolios. If you would be upset to see certain things change, it's important you have your say. This input will be a key reference for us in designing portfolios going forward.

Link to survey

Parent Resources

The following information sheet is part of a subscription we have for the parent resources that appear in this section. These webinars are held throughout the year, focus on relevant parenting topics and are free for parents from RNPS.

Tik Tok

Tik Tok is one of those apps that we hoped would disappear and die a quiet death but has exploded and become super popular. As educators, we have serious concerns about some of what students get drawn into and exposed to when using Tik Tok. There have also been some serious concerns around privacy and the use of information raised that are yet to be addressed adequately.

See the following link for more information from the Cyber Safety Project:

https://www.cybersafetyproject.com.au/blog/what-is-really-happening-on-tiktok

Update: Corona Virus

Please see the following information sheet from the Department of Education regarding the novel Corona virus outbreak in China.

Please note that we take these events seriously and will try our best to ensure that students are safe as always but limiting the spread of viruses requires strong cooperation from a community. Monitoring student health, visiting the GP when required and following the advice of authorities is really important. As always, please don't send your child to school if you know they are sick.

OBAN ORACLE

Issue 3 · 28 Feb 2020

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