RPS Chatter September 2026

RPS Chatter – A Jam-Packed Edition!

Well… where do we even start?! It has been an absolutely jam-packed time at RPS, and we have a LOT to squeeze into this edition of Chatter. Productions, rock concerts, BBQs, conferences, Halloween preparations, holidays, farewells and a few important reminders — we’ve certainly been keeping ourselves busy!

Recently, Sarah Devine, Megan and I also had the opportunity to head down to Geelong for the VPA Conference. It was a fantastic couple of days of learning, connecting and sharing ideas with other schools, as well as meeting a range of suppliers and organisations supporting Victorian schools. We heard from an incredible line-up of speakers, including Dr Jill Hicks, Luke Darcy, Anthony Laye and dual Paralympian Dr Jess Gallagher, among many others. It was a great opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, hear some different perspectives and return to RPS with plenty of ideas to think about!

So grab a cuppa, settle in and get comfortable… there’s plenty to get through!

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone, and enjoy the final week of Term 3 and your September break!

Russell

What an incredible couple of nights at Melbourne Girls’ College for our production of Unless! Our students were absolutely fantastic and did an amazing job on stage. There was singing, dancing, acting, costumes, lights, microphones and enough backstage activity to make even the most experienced theatre professional reach for a lie-down!

A huge thank you to Kath for her producing, stage managing and for giving up so much of her time to make the production happen. We honestly don’t know when she found time to sleep!

A massive thank you also to Karen for her prop making skills and our 5/6 teachers for attending both nights, supporting rehearsals and helping everything run smoothly.

And thank you to all of the Richmond staff, student teachers and education support staff who volunteered their time, helped behind the scenes, came along to performances and supported our students throughout the whole process.

It really was a huge team effort, and we couldn’t be prouder of our students. Well done, everyone!

Some families were curious knowing the songs performed at the production. Please see the list of songs below.

 

What an amazing night we had at the Corner Hotel last night for the Parent Battle of the Bands! 🎸

The talent was impressive, the volume was… appropriate, and Rage Against the Canteen absolutely brought the house down! A massive thank you to everyone who came along, rocked out, danced, cheered and generally behaved like they hadn’t spent the day doing school drop-off and pick-up!

And in the end… RAGE AGAINST THE CANTEEN WERE THE WINNERS!!! 🏆

A huge congratulations to the band on their outstanding performance and incredible ticket sales. For a school of our size, engaging over 40% of our community through ticket sales is an amazing achievement and a record!

Well done, Rage Against the Canteen! You absolutely rocked it!

There were some very happy faces around RPS this morning as we welcomed dads and families for our Father’s Day BBQ.

It was lovely to see so many families enjoying a bacon and egg roll, a hot chocolate and some quality time together before the day really got underway.
There was also plenty of talk about the fact that quite a few people were apparently heading straight from the BBQ to the big NFL game at the G. We hope the BBQ was a sufficient enough pre-game meal!

A huge thank you to Maryke Bishop and her wonderful team of volunteers for making the morning such a success. We really appreciate the time, effort and early starts that go into these events.

 

The infamous RPS Halloween Fete is fast approaching, and we’re calling on our wonderful school community to help stock one of our most popular stalls — Tombola!
Now is the time to grab a glass jar and fill it with Tombola goodness.
Think:

🍬 Lollies
🍫 Chocolates
👻 Halloween treats
⭐ Stickers and stamps
🎨 Craft goodies
🧸 Little toys
🎃 Anything colourful, creative and fun!

Basically, if it would make a child say “Ooooh, I want that!”, it probably belongs in a Tombola jar.
Please drop your filled jars into the school office.
The Tombola stall is always hugely popular, so the more jars, the better! Let’s make this year’s Tombola the best one yet.

Please also see the attached information for more details about the Halloween Fete coming up next term.

Megan on Long Service Leave

Our Principal, Megan, is currently enjoying a warm and hopefully relaxing break in the Maldives and will be on Long Service Leave until the end of term.

We’re sure you’ll join us in wishing Megan a wonderful holiday.

If you have any pressing questions or matters that need attention while Megan is away, please contact Russell.

 

Farewell (for now) to Hayley

As many of you will be aware, Hayley will be finishing up at the end of this term to begin her maternity leave.

We’d like to wish Hayley, Brendan and their little bubba all the very best as they embark on this very exciting next chapter.

We can’t wait to meet the newest little member of the RPS community!

We will certainly miss Hayley around RPS, but we’re incredibly excited for her and her growing family.

Before everyone heads off for the holidays, it’s time to get those Term 4 dates into the calendar:

Monday 5 October – Start of Term 4
Monday 2 November – Curriculum Day (no students at school)
Tuesday 3 November – Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
9–12 November – Year 3–5 Swimming Program at Richmond Recreation Centre
16–19 November – Foundation–Year 2 Swimming Program
Tuesday 8 December – Year 7 Orientation Day
Tuesday 15 December – Year 6 Graduation Evening

A quick reminder that next Friday is the final day of Term 3.

School finishes at 2:00pm, so please make sure arrangements are in place for students to be collected at this time.

Yes, it’s somehow already the end of another term. We’re not quite sure where the time went either.

A reminder that the school grounds are off limits between 3:45pm and 5:30pm each afternoon.

Students should not be playing or remaining in the school yard during this time.

Thank you for helping us ensure this arrangement is followed each afternoon.

Chess is more than just a game! Kids Unlimited Chess helps students develop problem-solving, concentration, strategic thinking and decision-making skills in a fun and engaging environment.

Through friendly games and challenges, students build confidence, learn to think ahead and develop resilience – all while making new friends and having fun.

Whether your child is a complete beginner or already knows their way around the chessboard, Kids Unlimited Chess is a fantastic way to learn, grow and be challenged outside the classroom.