Principal's Report

Welcome Back 

The air was filled with excitement as finally all of our students returned to school this week. The return to onsite learning for our students has been remarkably smooth and I would like to thank all of our families and staff for the way in which it has all been handled.

The children were bursting to greet each other with a hug, but with social distancing this was overcome by some classes painting hugs, and some of the foundation students were expressing their joy through smiles and pretend hugs. 

Many of you have spoken to me about the insights you gained about how your child learns and about their academic strengths and areas they require further work. The Great Ryrie teachers are highly skilled in adapting their programs to cater for the varying degrees of learning abilities in their classrooms to enable their programs to be differentiated. The teachers are very pleased to be able to take over from here, and continue with their job of delivering engaging and exciting lessons for your children. 

Semester 1 Reports

For all students, the sudden and significant change created by a remote and flexible learning environment has required a rethink of Great Ryrie’s approach to assessment and reporting. The teachers wanted to be able to acknowledge, that it was difficult for some students to be able to represent their learning accurately through remote learning and that it could be both challenging and difficult depending on the day. Therefore, the reports will look different.

Whilst there are no grades on these reports, there will be clear documentation of a description of the areas of the Victorian Curriculum taught. There will be a succinct descriptive assessment of student learning achievement, based on the Achievement Standards in the Victorian Curriculum. Included will be a comment on how the student has adjusted to the remote and flexible learning environment, with reference to the Personal and Social Capability curriculum. 

Semester 1 Reports will be available to parents via Compass on Thursday the 25th of June.

Due to COVID we are unable to conduct parent teacher interviews this term. We hope to reschedule them for next term if restrictions are eased, or we will conduct them through an alternative virtual platform. 

Drop off and Pick up

Thank you for your patience during the staggered beginnings and endings. Miss Roberts and I are certainly enjoying opening the doors to see the smiling faces in the mornings in the drop off zone. 

Just a reminder that children are not to be dropped off before 8:45am. 

As the teachers are in their classrooms preparing for the day there is no supervision available before 8:45 am. If families require an earlier drop-off time Camp Australia operates a full morning and afternoon program. 

Uniform

The wearing of a school uniform creates a sense of collective and individual pride in our school as well as giving our students a sense of belonging. Equality is fostered by a uniform policy common to all students. Compulsory uniforms assist in eliminating peer group pressure to wear less appropriate clothing, reduces competition amongst children and removes pressure on families to provide “fashionable” items for daily wear.

Students are expected to wear full school uniform each day. A signed note from parents must be sent to school if a student is out of uniform due to unforeseen circumstances. 

If families are experiencing hardship and require assistance with uniform purchases, please contact our friendly office staff as there are many options available to our families.  

Each day is another step forward and by continuing to work together, with a growth mindset, we can look forward to new challenges and learning opportunities that this experience has provided. I am very excited to be able to welcome back our whole student community. 

Enjoy the weekend with your families,

Karen Rouda