Things To 

Know

TAX TIME – THINKING ABOUT A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION

Ripponlea Primary School has two funds which can receive tax-deductible donations, the Library Fund and the Building Fund. 

Our Library Fund is currently healthy however our Building Fund is a particular priority at present as we desperately require:- 

Ongoing maintenance of the school buildings and fixtures/fittings across the school

We would love to paint the LOTE/OSHC room, change the old carpets in the Year 1/2 classrooms and fix the fence along Carrington Grove. 

If you have not already done so, please consider making a donation via Qkr, Bpay, or direct bank transfer.

Payments that have been received in the 2022/2023 financial year have had receipts emailed out over the last month. If you are still waiting to receive these letters for either fund please contact the office so we can follow this up. 

ILLUSTRATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL ATTENDANCE & ACHIEVEMENT 

WHY EVERY DAY COUNTS UNLESS ILL/SICK BUT IT'S ALSO NOT OKAY TO BE LATE

It is crucial that children and students develop habits of regular attendance at an early age. Poor patterns of attendance place students at risk of not achieving their educational, social and emotional potential and are disadvantaged in the quality of choices they are able to make in later life situations. When students arrive late to school their learning can be affected.

Students who are late:

• miss out on organisation time, for getting their belongings from their tubs and out onto their tables
• miss out on roll marking
• miss out on hearing what’s happening and the learning intentions for the day
• are often unsure about what they have to do in the lesson
• can arrive at their classroom to find that their class has gone to a specialist lesson and they do not know where to go
• find learning becomes disjointed and difficult
• are failing to take responsibility for their learning
• tend not to see being late as a problem
• distract other students when they arrive.
• miss out on playing with other children before school
• develop the lifelong habit of being late – bosses are less supportive than schools.

Parents are reminded that all students arriving late to school must be signed in at the school office by a parent or guardian. If you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child to school on time, please discuss the matter with your child’s teacher. 

RPS 'SOFT START' TO SCHOOL ROUTINE  

Do you all remember a time, when our school corridors were buzzing with students and parents all making their way inside our buildings and even our classrooms? This was referred to Ripponlea's Soft Start to School from 8:45 to 9:00 am. Our teachers have been discussing the opportunity to return to this lovely routine as we did pre-COVID. 

Commencing in Term 3, that is exactly what we are going to trial, but would like to remind our students and families regarding the expectations of a soft start routine. 

1. Students may begin entering the school grounds/building only when the teachers on yard duty arrive at 8:45 am.
2. Students may enter any gate they please even the Foundation gates and make their way directly to their classrooms. 
3. Students can also remain to play outdoors supervised by our yard duty staff. 
4. Students who wish to remain outdoors need to take their bags inside and come back outside. 
5. Any family member can walk their child into class if they choose to do so. 
6. For students experiencing separation anxiety, we encourage a quick goodbye or to maintain the current routine on the school grounds or just outside the classroom. 
7. All teachers will be in their classrooms supervising students. 
8. Students can begin some soft start activities provided by the teacher. These include changing take-home books, getting organised, setting up their desks, and practising any skills advised by their teacher.
9. The music will play for students to pack up their soft start activity or to start making their way inside from play. A trip to get a drink or toilet first thing avoids interruptions to learning. 
10. We would love to see parents and carers enter our classrooms and feel connected to our learning communities, but advise that this is not an opportunity to meet with the classroom teacher for any formal discussions about your child. These soft starts are designed to support student and teacher organisation, and preparations and help them ease into the start of the school day. 
11. Please be mindful that some parents and carers across the school have communication plans in place that require a verbal exchange in the mornings, these are agreed upon in Student Support Group meetings and are not a formal discussion with a teacher.
12. Parents and carers will be required to exit as soon as the music begins to play to enable the teachers to begin the first learning session of the day promptly at 9:00 am. 

FREE ADMISSION TO VICTORIAN ZOOS FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16 YRS AGE 

TERM 3 AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS 

We are have a unique opportunity to partner with a growing business in our local area, Skill Samurai in Elsternwick. They offer After-School Coding & STEAM Classes, as well as School Holiday activities for kids aged 6-16.We have been offered an exclusive timeslot and price for Term 3, 2023. Level 1, 401 Glenhuntly Rd Elsternwick. Tuesdays @ 4pm for an hour. 

Please check out the attached EOI flyer for details and email us at the office to join the list:

Next term we have the following after-school programs on offer again. Please see the Community Classifieds page for more information about each program and the holiday programs available! 

THEIRCARE UPCOMING EVENTS AND HOLIDAY PROGRAM 

Hey Everybody! My name is Izzy and I am taking over from the wonderful Hannah as the Ripponlea Theircare Coordinator! A bit about me: I’m 21 years old and I have four years of experience working with children. I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in film studies and in my spare time I love reading and building LEGO sets. I’ve loved working at Theircare for the past few months alongside Hannah and getting to know all your lovely faces. I’m super excited to be a part of the Ripponlea community!

TheirCare are hosting a wide range of activities this school holidays for students from F-6. 

Please see the itinerary below for more information.