RPS Chatter February 2024

Two weeks in and it feels like we have never been away!  Hope you enjoyed the holiday break and were able to spend some time with the people you care about the most; I know I did….It’s been great seeing everyone and hearing the laughter and excited voices from our students… the only negative is that my feet aren’t coping with wearing proper shoes again after so many weeks either without shoes at all OR just thongs. Now we are back into the swing of things, with lots of exciting things happening around the school, I’m going to jump straight into it.

Firstly, I would like to officially welcome the new students and families to the RPS community.  We also have two new staff members joining us this year; Harley Joss has joined our 5/6 Team, Gemma Baggio has jointed our 3/4 Team, and James Troutbeck and Sarah Golin have joined our 1/2 Team. The start of the school year has been smooth and positive…. with a buzz of excitement in the air.  I’m looking forward to seeing what adventures await us this year!

I had the pleasure of visiting the 5/6s on camp yesterday.  Students, staff, and parent volunteer are all in great spirits and having a great time.  The weather has been perfect and there will be some tired bodies when they arrive back here at school later today…and possibly smelly! (I’m sure some of the students were wearing the same thing they had on when they left on Tuesday!).

Next week we will be conducting our “you-tell-us” interviews.  This is a great opportunity for you to meet your 2024 classroom teacher, and tell us everything we need to know about your child….their likes/dislikes, habits, quirks, hobbies, etc.  Everything that makes your child the individual they are.  All information regarding how and when you book your interview time was sent out earlier in the week from Russell via Compass.  This is yet another way we are strengthening our home/school partnership.

Speaking of Russell, he has stepped into the role of Acting Assistant Principal with ease.  Every day is different and unexpected, and he still has a smile of his face (and a joke or 2 to share).  It’s only been 2 weeks, so I hope he is still smiling by the end of term!

For all the latest news and important dates to remember, always make sure you check our website, read the RPS chatter and Compass notifications…and if you are ever in doubt, please call the school directly.

Other than that, enjoy our first Chatter for 2024.  I look forward to seeing you around the school grounds.

Be safe.  Be healthy.  Be happy.  Be kind to yourself and others.

Megan

As many of you are aware, we have a school uniform policy.  This policy aims to:

• Foster a sense of community and belonging and encourages students to develop pride in their appearance.
• Supports RPS’s commitment to ensuring that our students feel equal and are dressed safely and appropriately for school activities.
• Reduce student competition on the basis of clothing; and
• Enhance the profile and identity of the school and its students within the wider community.

Items that are not approved school uniform include:

• RJFC jumpers/tops/jackets
• Non-school hats
• Large Dangly earrings
• Coloured nail polish

Students who purchase regional/divisional tops at school sporting events are able to wear these as part of their uniform only the following week after they have participated.

Our full policy is available on our website.

Are you scratching just thinking about it?  Head lice (a.k.a. nits) do not discriminate on who they attach themselves to…. They don’t care about the postcode you live in, how clean or dirty your hair is the cleanliness of your home, or even the season we are in…. they NEVER go away!!

If you find live nits or their eggs, you must treat your child’s hair with the appropriate treatment, and then slowly and carefully (and sometimes painfully) comb your child’s hair with a lice comb.  Chances are you probably miss an egg or two.  That’s why it’s important to re-treat the hair one week later.

If you can’t face going through the long and frustrating process, there are also some hairdressers who specialise in nit treatments.

Whatever the cause, here at school we notify the parents of a child if we find live head lice, we request that the hair be treated before they are returned to school.  We also inform the year level that a case of head lice has been detected and for all parents to check their child’s hair.

To help minimise the outbreak of nits, all shoulder length hair should be tied up, use a little bit of hairspray, do a weekly hair check at home, and let the school office know if you uncover any of the nasty little critters.

Who doesn’t love a birthday celebration?  We do.  Some of our families like to provide the class a treat on their child’s birthday.  Like previous years, so that learning spaces are not disrupted if one class receives a treat, we have a plan so that the message is the same for everyone.

If you would like to provide treats for your child’s birthday, let your class teacher know and they will arrange a meeting point at 3:20pm (i.e. the end of the day) so that you can distribute the treats.  Treats need to be individual and be mindful of any allergies in the class.  If you are unsure of any allergies, please check with your class teacher or class rep.

Ideas for treats include:

• Fruit kebabs
• Slices of watermelon
• Stickers
• Novelty masks
• Cupcakes
• Cookies

Our schools’ Personal Mobile Devices and Mobile Phones policies reflect the Ministerial mobile phone policy and requires that:

• Students who choose to bring mobile phones (including Smart-watches) to school must have the switched off AND securely stored during school hours.
• The school will manage non-compliance in accordance with our existing Students Wellbeing and Engagement, Personal Mobile Devices policies and ICT agreements.

Policies and ICT agreements related to the use of Mobile phones, digital technologies and personal devices can all be found on our school website.

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

Our Privacy Collection Notice Policy [Policies | RichmondPS], describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 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

Please see the below list of extracurricular activities that you can enrol your child into for 2024:

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