Principal Team Message

We hope our students enjoyed the extended long weekend and a little break away from morning wake-up and the cognitive load of daily learning. We also hope parents/carers were able to manage some time away from work and perhaps spent some time exploring the wonders of Victoria. 

Our staff spent last week working with Mathematics professor Peter Sullivan. Peter has had a long career combining research into task design, developing teacher support resources and classroom trialling. 

He was the author of the Shape of the Australian Mathematics Curriculum, a paper commissioned by the National Curriculum Board to lay the foundation of the Australian curriculum. 

Joining our team we had teachers from Carnegie and Tucker Road Primary Schools. There was a lot of learning throughout the day, especially on how to enable and extend students' understanding of number and algebra concepts, supporting students to complete challenging tasks and developing mathematical stamina and persistence when challenged with students. Maths learning is not what we experienced when we were at school, remembering the long and boring sums we had to complete and multiple sets of worksheets. 

Try some of these open-ended and challenging tasks with your children (F-2)

Task 1: On a farm, there were some hens and sheep. Altogether there were 8 heads and 22 feet. How many hens were there?   

Advice for parents: encourage your child to have a guess first and then get them to record their thinking. They could draw pictures of the animals or if they have farm animals at home they can use them to help them organise their thinking.   

Possible questions you could ask your child: What are some ways you can work this out? Why did you work it that way? Can you tell me how you got that answer?

Task 2: What if you had to use a calculator to work out 2000-143 and the zero button was broken? How could you do it?  

Advice for parents: encourage your child to think about different ways they could solve this problem and to record their thinking. Encourage them to think of more than one way to find the answer.   

Possible questions you could ask your child: What are some ways you can work this out? Why did you work it that way? Can you tell me how you got that answer? Can you think of a different way to find the answer? 

Task 3: I did a subtraction task and the answer was 215 but I cannot remember the other numbers. Find as many solutions to this subtraction as possible.   

Advice for parents: encourage your child to think about different ways they could solve this problem and to record their thinking. Encourage them to think of more than one way to find the answer.   

Possible questions you could ask your child: What are some ways you can work this out? Why did you work it that way? Can you tell me how you got that answer? Can you think of a different way to find the answer? 

Friday was also a very productive day for our PLC teams as they were able to start mapping curriculum overviews and developing planners in preparation for Term 3. 

Just thinking of Term 3 is already making us feel genuinely excited as we know how much our students are looking forward to performing at the School Production. 

TOMORROW NIGHT - DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR CARLY & MARTY MCGAURAN ADDRESS ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FACING FAMILIES

The majority of our families preferred for this session to be online, so please register.

• those that have registered already, have been emailed the webinar link directly
• those who are yet to register and would like to join the webinar, please register at the new link: 

https://bit.ly/ripponleawebinar

PARENT, STUDENT AND TEACHER CONFERENCES 

Parent-Student-Teacher conferences, along with a child's written semester report and progression of learning, form a valuable opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and for our teachers to connect with families and share important information regarding the individual progress of each child across all key curriculum areas. 

The conference involves the student, teacher and parents/carers coming together to celebrate success and discuss goals achieved and to discuss future learning goals. Through this partnership, we can all demonstrate the value we place on students’ views and opinions by positively supporting their learning. 

What will a Parent-Student-Teacher Conference look like? 

Each conference is 15 minutes long. 

Parents/carers may opt to use the full 15-minute appointment for the conference with their child present or to use the first 5 minutes with their child and the remaining time with the teacher without their child being present. 

For appointments occurring during regular school hours, students will need to be collected by parents/carers from the classrooms prior to meeting the teacher in the Barrbunin.  For meetings outside regular school hours (after 3.30 pm), please have your child attend with you.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” Benjamin Franklin

REPORTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW & DOWNLOAD ON COMPASS - MONDAY 19th JUNE 

Families will receive their child’s personal report via the COMPASS portal. Please share this report with your child and celebrate their many achievements over this current semester. We would like to congratulate all students on their individual progress. It was so pleasing reading their reports, identifying what they have been learning, their strengths, and achieved goals. 

We also thank our teachers, who spent many hours going through assessment data, tracking the learning of each student and effectively reporting their progress. Each family will have the opportunity to discuss any elements of their child’s report at the conferences. 

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR APPOINTMENT

We would like to officially announce that Marta Campbell has been appointed as the substantive Assistant Principal of RPS. Marta joined our team late last year and offers a wealth of experience in instructional leadership. Marta will lead a substantial portfolio of roles across the school in particular articulating a clear vision and ensuring a whole-school approach to wellbeing. 

With a firm focus on inclusion, she will use her knowledge and understanding of educational theory and practice and will lead all teachers in the delivery of best practices for achieving positive student wellbeing outcomes. She will lead and facilitate the development and implementation of all student wellbeing programs.

 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM 

RPS has a special group of staff known as the school’s SIT or leadership team. The team comprises representatives from across the school with a shared understanding of the role we all play in supporting, driving, and monitoring the improvement of our school. 

All team members lead and build teacher capacity which strengthens the culture of learning. One of our crucial roles is in developing, overseeing, and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) each year. 

Every staff member at RPS is also committed to the goals of the school and collaboratively work on school improvement committees or PLTs- Professional Learning Teams. 

YEAR 3/4 MINIBOSS INCURSION 

ABORIGINAL CULTURE FOR A DAY- WHOLE SCHOOL INCURSION 

During Reconciliation Week, RPS had the privilege of hosting a captivating full-day program facilitated by Cultural Infusion. Comprised of Indigenous Educators, Cultural Infusion brought to life the rich heritage and narratives of Australia's First Nations people. 

The purpose of this engaging day was to foster a deep appreciation and contemplation of what it truly means to be Australian. Students had the opportunity to listen to inspiring stories, partake in meaningful song-sharing, and actively participate in a range of workshops. These immersive experiences served to enhance the student's understanding and knowledge surrounding the First Nations people and their culture.

Below, you'll find a collection of photos showcasing the eventful day. The snapshots capture students proudly displaying their artwork, which was created using Aboriginal symbols to convey profound stories. The workshops themselves incorporated outdoor activities and games, all centred around promoting inclusivity and fostering teamwork among students.

END-OF-TERM CAKE RAFFLE 

As always to end the term, we have a cake raffle online now! The cake this term is a Pizza Cake! Tickets are 0.50 cents each and can be bought on QKR!

The raffle will be drawn on the last day of term 2 in assembly. Please note you must be present to win, as we cannot keep the cake over the holidays. 

SPORT: YOGA AND MINDFULNESS 

This week, Year 2 students at RPS delved into the world of Yoga and Meditation as part of our school's strong emphasis on mindfulness. 

We believe in fostering mindfulness not only within the classroom but also in various aspects of students' lives. By introducing practices like yoga, we aim to equip students with a diverse set of tools to enhance their mental wellbeing. 

Through engaging in activities such as yoga and meditation, we provide our students with valuable avenues to cultivate mindfulness. This serves as just one illustration of how our holistic approach spans across all subjects and disciplines, empowering students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to become the best versions of themselves!!

END-OF-TERM INFORMATION 

School Assembly at 2:00 pm 

School finishes at 2:30 pm

To support 'The Push Up' Mental Health Challenge, students can wear casual clothing (a colour that promotes happiness) and bring a gold coin donation. (Please see the student leadership page)

As the term comes to an end, there is so much to acknowledge and celebrate over this semester, especially given the pace and time constraints on everything. 

June has been a very busy month of special activities and learning for our students. We are so proud of how much they have achieved and hope our families acknowledge this growth at the conferences next week.  

We thank each member of staff, our SIT team, all families of the school and members of the School Council. As a community, we hope to continue to thrive and ensure our students are provided with only the BEST opportunities that a school can offer. They are truly being raised by our exceptional community as role models and as a result, our students continue to shine. 

Wishing you all a restful and safe mid-year break.  

Until next term.........

Natalie Rose             &                        Marta Campbell 

             Principal                                     Assistant Principal