RPS Chatter August 2023

PPD Day – 9th of August

Wednesday the 9th of August was our whole staff Professional Practice Day. These days are designed to upskill and build capacity within our staff and schools. Teachers met in their curriculum action teams (Literacy, Numeracy and Inquiry) and below is a small description of what was achieved on the day.

Literacy

The English Action Team spent our day making our school library resources more accessible for both staff and students. We have implemented a new genre sticker system to make it easier for our students to identify books that will interest them as they can choose specific genres from the sticker on their spine. This will help students to find good fit books and help foster their love of reading. We also began reorganising our ‘Big Books’ which are amazing resources for class read alouds.

Numeracy

The Maths Action Team visited Caulfield Junior College on Wednesday. We were hosted by Gerard Maher, Numeracy Curriculum Leader and Prep Teacher, who was very informative about CJC’s journey in implementing the emc3 instructional model for teaching Mathematics.  We also observed part of a lesson based on Peter Sullivan’s pedagogy, which generally features a launch, exploration, summary/review, (re)launch, (re)exploration and (re)summary/review.  This is coupled with the continual anticipation of mathematical misconceptions and seeking of opportunities for enabling and extending students.  It was a very illuminating experience and we came away with a better sense of the direction in which we are headed.

Inquiry

The Inquiry Action Team went to Wales Street Primary School to learn about how they engage students’ voice and agency through Inquiry-based learning while still meeting the Victorian Curriculum. We saw lots of great ways to enhance our students as learners and improve how we teach transferable skills across all learning areas.

 

Student Led Conferences

This week also saw the return of Student Led Conferences for our Year One to Six students as well as Parent Teacher interviews for our Foundation families. Below are some student reflections on the experience:

• Rosie W (3/4) – “Me and my friends felt very prepared and we knew our parents would be proud of us even if we made mistakes.”
• Sophie M (3/4) – “I thought it was good to be included in the conversation.”
• Charlie A (1/2) – “My mum said after the interview she really liked it. My parents were able to learn what I did at school.”
• Jemima B (1/2) – “My dad wouldn’t stop talking about how good it was.”
• Will S (5/6)  – “I really enjoyed showing my parents my work from my point of view and how I’m becoming a better learner.”
• Erik M (5/6) – “It gives students more confidence. It also allows parents to hear about their class work from their opinion.”
• Minnie P (5/6) – “It was a new and fun experience to showcase my work.”

Have a great weekend!

Russell Sivewright

Acting Assistant Principal

The GREAT Primary School Mystery!

Last term our whole school production was a HUGE success.  Now you can relive the experience of The GREAT Primary School Mystery?

USB’s of the show can now be purchased via Compass. Please log into your Compass account and click on the Course Confirmation/Student Payment notification on your dashboard. From there, you can click on Whole School Production USB Sale and can place an order.

$25 per USB and both performances will be included.

Orders will close on Friday 25th August

ORDER YOURS TODAY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!

Please note: You do not have to purchase a USB for each child, one USB contains the whole production.

 

In 1 / 2 we have been learning about division and sharing. We have been using real life problems and using arrays and sharing plates to help understand the concept.

 

Foundation:

• Charlie S –For working hard in our Writing sessions. You have created some incredible, imaginative narratives! Well done!
• Edison K – Congratulations Edison on your sense of humour, for contributing lots to class discussions and for keeping the yard clean and tidy!

 

Year 1/2:

 

• Lior T – For your excellent growth mindset and focus in Writing this week. Congratulations on publishing a well written rhyming poem. Well done Lior, keep up the good work!
• Parker S – For his outstanding narrative. Well done Parker on using so many interesting adjectives in your writing and capturing the reader’s imagination!

 

Year 3/4:

 

• Hirono S – For her fantastic effort and growth mindset this Term. Love your work Hirono!
• Leo A – Leo your growth mindset and willingness to explore new concepts is an inspiration to the class. You energise the class with your questions and are constantly looking to learn new things. Keep building that amazing mindset and asking questions!
• Koko S – For her persistence in understanding all things fractions. You have worked so hard and displayed a growth mindset in every lesson. Keep on popping, Koko!!
• Tori L – You have made amazing changes in your learning and taken ownership of your learning. Keep it up!
• Aurash N – For a fabulous start to Term 3. We are all very proud of how well you are managing your emotions. You are a star!

 

Year 5/6:

 

• Louis K – For settling into the class with such great interest and enthusiasm. You have been a wonderful addition to our 5/6 cohort, and we have all enjoyed getting to know you. Well done, Louis!
• Chloe H – For your dedication towards your learning. Well done, Chloe, for always working diligently and challenging yourself, whether it be in the classroom or on the netball court!
• Arabella M – Bella showed determination and a growth mindset in Maths this week when learning how to apply percentage discounts. Well done Bella, keep up the good work!
• Rose C – For demonstrating a growth mindset during our percentage maths this week. You worked hard to improve your understanding and Rose to the challenge. Keep up the great work!

 

 

Why did the scarecrow win an award?

Because he was outstanding in his field!

 

 

Please see the below list of activities that you can enrol your child into for Term 3:

Drama lessons: Thursdays, Lunch Time

Music Lessons: Individual Bookings

Tennis Lessons:  Wednesdays & Thursdays, 8:10AM – 8:50AM

Dance Lessons: Wednesday’s, Lunch Time

Chess Club: Fridays, 8:00AM – 8:50AM

If you are interested in any of the above activities for your child, please see the links below for further information.

• Drama Lessons
• Music lessons
• Tennis Lessons
• Dance Class
• Chess Club