9 November 2017

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dear Parents, carers and friends,

We have had an action packed fortnight with so many great opportunities for our students to participate in a range of learning and sporting activities.

I would like to thank our School Association for organising and supervising a successful Halloween Disco. The students had a great time dancing in their amazing costumes. The mid-week timing of the disco was a little problematic at school the following day, so I am asking our community to consider that discos be held at the end of a school week. If you have any suggestions, please use the suggestion box in the foyer of the school or email our school office for ideas.

I would like to thank Mr Harry Pearce for his time with us this year. Harry has been our AFL sports trainee and has won a position with a football team on the Gold Coast. We wish Harry all the very best. His support with PE lessons and lunchtime sport has been wonderful.

10 of our grade 5 & 6 students prepared and had lunch with some of the older Risdon Vale residents at the neighbourhood centre on Friday. It was such a great experience for everyone concerned.

Our whole staff participated in professional learning on the Friday after show day. We spent the day with 180 other teacher and teacher aides from other schools. We all studied how the brains of children develop and how children who have experienced traumatic early lives learn to cope. We learnt about supporting children whose behaviours need to be treated as signs of distress. It was brilliant learning for supporting our most needy children in a positive way that will help them develop into healthy teenagers.

Thank you to Mrs Jacqui Cruse who has organised this term’s ‘3 for me’. It was wonderful to see parents and carers visiting classrooms. Parents and carers shared in the learning of their children and took home ideas about how to support learning outside of school. Soon we will host our next ‘Meeh-an-Dad’ event on the 27th of November. These are just some of the ways we are partnering with families to support children’s learning.

We have now finalised plans for the re-development of the P-2 toilets. The designs allow for basins in every cubicle, with a bright, fresh and airy space for children to use. The outside doors will also create a new entry into the school that will improve the look and function of the external entry near the LiL playground. We are also awaiting quotes on a new roof. Things are really going ahead with our infrastructure as a school.

This week one of our Aboriginal students, Seth Cooper-Hanfling will do the welcome to country at the principals’ forum. This is a gathering of over 100 Department of Education leaders at Wrest Point. I am so proud of Seth who will represent not only Aboriginal people but also our school. this is a great recognition of the work we are doing as a school in working with our Aboriginal community.

Some of our classes have been practicing for the 24 Carrot Garden Spring festival at MONA this Friday. MONA has been the patron of our school garden and until recently funded our kitchen and garden program. MONA continues to support our school kitchen and garden program through training and events. Our school now self-funds the garden through grants and excellent partnerships with our local community. It is a rich source of learning for our student across the curriculum.

I would like the thank Mr Miller and Ms Katie Andrikonis for their hard work in ensuring our student were well organised and able to participate in this year’s inter-primary swimming carnival. The students were very well behaved and all of them did their very best. Any event such as this requires a great amount of extra work so if any parents, who have their WWVP card, would like to volunteer time to help before and during these events that would be great. Just contact the school and offer your time.

With a number of staff out these past few weeks for a variety of reasons (some utterly unforeseeable) we have had many classes with relief teachers. Our relief teachers have been amazing, often being very flexible, always immensely well prepared and caring of our students. I have to say that I am proud that our students had taken these recent changes of teachers in their stride and have on the whole been respectful, and continued to be responsible learners.

Deb Bryan, our school chaplain, is continuing to take grade 6 students on regular, small group visits to high schools they are attending, particularly Rose Bay High. This program is designed to ensure our students are ready to attend high school.

This term we are preparing to have our K-2 water orientation program and our triathlon. Mrs Pamela Mears is working with the staff to organise these events. Information will be available very soon. We are also looking forward to having pool rewards for older students who have consistently demonstrated our Hi 5 values and who have made progress in class and in the play-ground.

Recently myself and two other principals were awarded a Hardie Fellowship. Myself, Bill Jarvis and Ben Richardson will study at Harvard University in Boston, USA, during June and July 2018. We are really excited to be studying about how to support all our students to aspire to having exciting futures. I feel very grateful and excited about this opportunity and I will work hard to ensure that my study has a positive influence on our school.

What an incredible school community we have. There is no doubt that with so much going on there are many people doing extra hours or working very long days. It is incredibly motivating and inspiring when people contact us to say how well our students did or to recognise the success of a student or event. Helpful feedback is also very useful. It is very rare for someone to barrel into our school to complain in a way that is not useful but I notice that the very few people who do this are also very rarely available to help, if ever. So, I’m proud of our school community and the way we support each other to do great things every week.

Regards, Libby

Assembly 6th November 2017

Hi 5 Awards presented at Assembly Monday 30th October

Hi5 Awards presented at Assembly Monday 8th November

Green card Rewards presented at Assembly 6th November

Home reading certificates presented at assembly

Home Reading

Congratulations to these students, who received Home Reading Certificates at assembly this week.

Grandparents come to visit Kindergarten

A big thank you to all the wonderful grandparents who attended our Kinder Grandparents’ afternoon. The students were thrilled to be able to perform their songs, show you their portraits they painted of you and to do a special activity with you. Some grandparents ‘adopted’ a student whose grandparents could not attend, which was greatly appreciated.

Inter school swimming carnival

On Tuesday 7th November the 24 strong swimming team competed in the Division G Inter School Swimming Carnival at the Hobart Aquatic Centre.

Competition from the other schools was strong but we matched their efforts admirably,.

The “Teams” behaviour was excellent at the pool and they should be proud of the way they represented our School. well done!

Final Scores were

1st 233 East Derwent Primary
2nd 200 Campania
3rd 183 Warrane
4th 165 Collinsvale
5th 157 Risdon Vale
6th 127 Collinsvale

WORD OF THE WEEK

Transition

What is Transition?

The definition of a transition is a word or group of words that relate something that came before to what comes after. An example of transition is using the word however in a sentence. Transition is a passing from one form or stage to the next.

Transitioning from Primary to Secondary School

For children and young people, the most significant transitions occur when they start school, move from primary to secondary school, and from secondary schooling to adult life. It is a process of change that for some students may require substantial preparation, planning, adjustment and support.

The principles and intentions that guide effective transition planning are shared for all children and young people, including those living with a disability. What may differ is the need for transitions to be clearly planned over a longer duration, and for schools to recognise the impact that such changes may have on the student, and also on their parent/guardian/carer(s), siblings, peers and teachers.

Transition Planning

Transition planning draws together information from a range of individuals and settings beyond the primary school, in order to plan coherently for a student’s transition. Good practice programs that help with the transition of primary school students with complex needs to secondary school work well when they:

• begin well in advance of the point of transition
• are person-centred and personalised to the individual needs of students
• are collaborative and involve the student and parent/guardian/carer(s) as vital partners

The Transitioning from Primary to Secondary School resource transition provides suggested steps and a sequence for overseeing the transition of students with additional or complex needs that arise from disability from primary to secondary school, including timelines and templates.

What Risdon Vale is doing for Grade 6 Transition?

Youtube clips about Grade 6 Transition

Nursery Rhyme

Two little Dickie Birds

Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall
One named Peter, one named Paul
Fly away Peter, fly away Paul
Come back Peter, come back Paul

Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall
One named Peter, one named Paul
Fly away Peter, fly away Paul
Come back Peter, come back Paul

Hobart show

News from the Kitchen

The big Fundraiser Effort for Grade 6’s

News from the Office

The new School dress for our girls is now available from the uniform shop at a cost of $50.00

News from the School Association

UNDER THE EDUCATION ACT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS GIVEN US 2 WEEKS TO COMPLETE A NEW CONSTITUTION OR UPDATE THE SAMPLE ONE BELOW.

PLEASE READ THE PAGES BELOW AND NOTE ANY CHANGES YOU WOULD SEE FIT TO SUIT OUR SCHOOL.

WRITTEN RESPONSES BACK TO OFFICE IN 1 WEEK AND A SPECIAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON

THURSDAY 30th November 3pm

In the staff room and is open to everyone.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS