RPS Chatter February (2) 2023

It has been wonderful seeing all the smiling, happy faces as the students came through the gates every morning! I have thoroughly enjoyed chatting with so many students these past few weeks, both in the classes and outside, and by the sounds of all the stories I heard, a lot of our families had a wonderful holiday break and have settled back into the routines of school.

Please come up and say hi if you see me in the yard both before and after school, and if you need a bit longer to chat or have something that you would prefer to sit down and discuss, please feel free to chat pop in or make a make a time to come in and see me. I am here to support you and your child in any way I can. You can also contact me via Compass, or by sending an e-mail to the office which will be passed on to me.

I urge you to have the Compass App on your phone and have notifications on as it is the quickest means for us to communicate with our family’s important information, events, and announcements. Other ways communication happens is, on the school website and through our parent reps.

Our students have been spending time engaging in activities in their classes and with a focus on establishing clear expectations and routine. This offers all students and teachers the opportunity to form positive and respectful connections.

We focus on:

• Students getting to know their new classes and the daily routines
• Establishing positive, engaging learning environments where each child feels valued
• Developing clear, shared expectations and processes for classrooms and learning teams
• Encouraging a sense of responsibility and active involvement in decision making
• An awareness of the behaviours that demonstrate the values we hold
• Support for self-directed learning

Take care, and have a really good week,

Nerida

This week, parents will have a chance to meet their child’s teacher. Our ‘You Tell Us’ pastoral care discussions are a very important sharing opportunity and are primarily on Wednesday 22nd February. These are either via zoom or face to face. These pastoral care type meetings are an opportunity for parents/carers to meet with their child’s teacher to share information to begin the partnership of supporting your child as a learner. When parents and teachers work together, the educational outcomes are always better for the children. The benefits of a strong parent-teacher partnership also include maintaining the wellbeing of children, parents/carers feeling more connected to the teaching and learning process and teachers feeling very supported by parents.

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found in the the Policies section in our school website.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

This year, the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is being held from Wednesday, 15th March until Wednesday March 22nd with a catch-up period following for students who may be absent. These assessments are for students in years 3 and 5 only. Our school has a suite of assessments that inform teaching and learning programs throughout the year. NAPLAN is just one of these and presents a snapshot in time. It does not, however assess your child’s effort, growth-mindset, creativity or talent in a multitude of other areas. We use NAPLAN to look at trend data, triangulate student results and set some Annual Implementation Plan goals.

A NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers is available at https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf.

If you have concerns about your child sitting these assessments or believe that they may need adjustments due to a disability, please let Nerida know. Some adjustments require pre-approval from the VCAA and must be lodged by the school by March 8th.

NAPLAN is completed online except for the year 3 writing assessment which is handwritten.

The planned schedule is;

• March 15 -Writing
• March 16 -Reading & Language Conventions
• March 17 – Numeracy
• March 20-22 – Catch Up

 

Foundation:

• Feddy M – For having a fantastic first week in Foundation. He has been so helpful and kind to everyone in our class.
• Jett M – Congratulations Jett for settling in beautifully, trying your hardest and showing resilience.
•  Boudica S – For settling in really well to her first week of school. She has been a caring member of the class and has been a great friend to others. Well done Boudica! 

Year 1/2:
 

• Ella D – For being a kind and inclusive classmate and making everybody in her class feel like they belong.
• Freddie F – For his incredible start to his writing in Grade 2. Well done Freddie for being so descriptive in your writing pieces. Keep it up!
• Lulu G -For your descriptive holiday recount. Well done Lulu, on your beautiful letter formations and time connectives. Keep up the great work!
• Elijah C – For your incredible start to Grade 2! You have worked well with others, contributed in class and tried your best! Keep it up, Elijah!
• Filip S – For always helping out his classmates an taking pride in his classroom and everything he does. A fantastic start to the year, Filip!
• Jack F – For always supporting and encouraging his classmates by telling them all the things they are good at, and celebrating everyone! Awesome Attitude, Jack!

Year 3/4:
 

• Alex CS – For being such an ambitious and excited learner. I have loved hearing your ideas during our reading lessons. Congratulations Alex!
• Hudson B – For his spectacular enthusiasm to learning. You have jumped straight into 2023 with great leadership, always being open to more challenges. Amazing Huggy!
• Harrison D – You have settled so well into Year 3 and have continued your great work from 2022. You approach all learning experiences with an open and curious mindset. Well done!
• Claudia S – Claudia your love of learning is infectious, you bring a wonderful energy to the class and set a fantastic example for your classmates everyday. Keep up that amazing enthusiasm!
• Ben C – Ben, you always come to school ready to learn every day. Your ability to block out distractions and focus on your work is admirable. You have made a fantastic start to Grade 4, well done!
• Joel G – For a wonderful start to Year 3 and being a kind, considerate and thoughtful classmate always willing to help others.

Year 5/6:

 

• Lennox B – For your excellent start to the year, showing role model behaviour and putting in your best effort. Well done Lennox!
• Thomas R – For a fantastic start to the school year. Thomas has displayed responsible and respectful behaviour by following our classroom and area expectations. Well done, Thomas!
• Harry M – Harry has had an excellent first two weeks at school and is adjusting really well to being a Grade 5 student. I have been extremely proud of his creativity and effort towards tasks and look forward to seeing what he can achieve this year!

This is a friendly reminder that we do not ride bikes or scooters in the playground, including before and after school. We thank you for your support in maintaining a safe school environment.

 

District Swimming Trials

On Wednesday the 15th, selected RPS students competed in the RDSSA Swimming Time Trials.

It was a successful event and the students had a wonderful time!

 

What did the ocean say to the shore?

Nothing. It just waved.

 

 

Please see the below list of activities that you can enrol your child into for Term 1:

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 flyers below for further information.

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