School Council

Well what a term it has been! On behalf of School Council I need to start this report by once again acknowledging the dedication and hard work of the entire staff team at RPS during these uncertain and constantly changing times. We know that these times will have been challenging for you all and we thank you for the continued support and kindness you have demonstrated to each and every student whilst ensuring that their learning continued during Term 2. 

I must also put out a special mention to all of the parents and carers of our RPS community. You did it! Never before in the history of Victoria has state-wide remote learning been implemented – we are part of history! Congrats on juggling home life, work life, younger siblings, caring for others, remote learning and managing your own wellbeing. From all accounts the children have transitioned back to school with ease and eagerness. This is in part down to the hard work done by all families in managing this historic event. 

Donika and the team at TheirCare also need a mention. Early Childhood and Out of School Hours Care saw some extraordinary financial reforms during this period and even though this would have caused extra strain, they continued to show up show care and kindness and provide rich and interesting programs for the children who needed it for the duration of Term 2. For that we thank you.  

Even though we have been unable to meet face-to-face School Council has still made the following progress over Term 2 that may be of interest to the RPS community:

• The plan of extending and building the Outdoor Learning Deck behind the Foundation classrooms has been approved and should be completed by December this year
• Work has been done on a new and fresh school website to be launched later this year
• A refresh of all of the playground line markings was approved and have been completed
• New basketball backboards and nets were approved and have been installed
• Plans for our annual Plant a Tree day are in development for a date in August
• We have a newly formed Sustainability Sub-Committee who are working closely with the teaching team around the school’s priorities in regard to Sustainable Practices

It is important to note that this year is a little different due to COVID-19 in that we have been unable to fundraise as much as we would normally. You may have seen a Compass post last week asking for tax deductible donations towards our building fund so we can update our heating and cooling in the F-2 classrooms.  Any donation no matter how small would be appreciated in order to continue to carry out works on our beloved albeit old building. 

I wish everyone a happy and healthy term break and look forward to seeing everyone again in Term 3. 

Warm Regards, 

Tarryn Holland – Council President