RSS Newsletter Week 6 Term 3 2021
From the Principal
Principal Congress + North Queensland Principal Meeting
On Monday 30th August I will be attending the Principal Congress meeting with a small number of Principal’s from around the state, led by Mr Peter Kelly our Deputy Director General – State Schooling. Following this North Queensland Region is hosting our Termly Principal Meeting (which has not occurred in recent times due to COVID) in Townsville. I look forward to sharing key messages with you upon my return.
Explicit Improvement Agenda – Master Classes
As part of our Wellbeing and Australian Curriculum focus for 2021, our staff, in consultation with our PBL Team have established the overview for our Semester 2 Master Classes. The purpose of the 2-day event is to provide a range of exciting opportunities for our students to engage in activities with staff and community members to develop 21st century learners. The theme for the event is “Growth & Gratitude”.
Students will sign up for their selected activities during their PBL lesson in Week 9.
Athletics - Sunset Carnival
We wish all of our students who are competing at the Sunset Athletics Carnival in Longreach this weekend the best of luck in their chosen events. We look forward to hearing about your achievements upon your return. Please travel safely.
Student Free Day
Friday 3rd September is a designated Student Free Day. Throughout the day our staff will be engaging a wellbeing activity at the lake, revisiting team objectives based on the work of James Clear-author of Atomic Habits, and engaging in curriculum planning for Term 4.
Head of Department-Curriculum
Supporting your child’s reading in Year 5 and 6
Learning to read is not just a focus for the early years of school; it begins before school and continues well into adulthood as we all continue to be lifelong learners. This fortnight we will look at supporting your child’s reading in Year 5 and 6.
In Year 5 children will:
- choose words that help an audience to develop understanding
- make and use new words by adding meaningful beginnings or endings (un, pre, dis, ness, ful)
- carry out research using a range of reading material
- provide proof from the reading material to support opinions
- discuss main themes and perspectives
- read out loud with effective speed, expression and accuracy
- read for 20-30 minutes at a time
- remember information from their readings
- find information within short chapter books
- read real-life stories, poetry, artistic and electronic reading material
In Year 6 children will:
- use new words for concepts that they know
- use words associated with digital technology
- develop an understanding of word origins
- design creative personal responses to reading material
- create oral, dramatic and written presentations
- explore a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive reading material
- demonstrate fluency with a wide range of reading material
- read for 20-30 minutes at a time
- read longer chapter books
- read subject-specific material
- read real-life, contemporary and digital electronic material
Ways you can help your child’s reading in Years 5 & 6
Continue reading aloud - While ‘bedtime reading’ is usually reserved for young children, it is still very useful for older children to hear effective reading models. It is also enjoyable for most children to be read to. Don’t forget to chat informally about it afterwards.
Read between the lines - Talking about stories and poems helps your child make crucial links between what is read and what they have experienced in life. This helps them to create meaning and new understandings about complex issues and events, and to be able to articulate them with a growing vocabulary.
Allow choice - Allow your child to show a preference for what materials they like to read for pleasure.
Patch the gaps - When your child is struggling, help them by taking over the reading or reading with them until they start to enjoy it again. Remember reading with your child should be enjoyable.
Express yourself! - Use a device to record your child’s reading, have them listen back to it and reflect on their fluency, expression, pace and accuracy. Have your child incorporate their own feedback and record again.
Mrs Pattel and I are always available to discuss ways that you can support your Year 5/6 child’s reading. Please talk to us if you have any questions or concerns. Alternatively, you can access more information from the Queensland Governments Reading and Writing Centre: https://readingwritingcentre.education.qld.gov.au/resources/guides
Our Improvement Agenda
Achievements & Awards
Positive Behaviour for Learning
At Richmond State School we explicitly teach our behaviour expectations following parade each week. The PBL team selects a Focus of the Week that targets these expectations. This week’s focus is Transition Calmly and Promptly. The purpose of this focus is to ensure that students are entering the learning environment in the correct head space and ensure that the learning time is maximised in each and every day. When students are seen demonstrating these expectations they are rewarded with a Happy Voucher. These Happy Vouchers are compiled on a database and can be used to unlock tiered rewards. The rewards are broken into two categories, individual and class rewards. Last week, the high school students unlocked their milkshake reward. As you can see in the picture below, our high school students were very pleased with their reward.
The PBL team is currently working on a parent, carer and community booklet that explains how PBL works at Richmond State School, keep an eye out in the coming weeks for further information.
Around our school
Didgeribone
Science Week
P & C Updates
Dear Richmond State School Community,
Recently each child attending school received a pre order uniform form for 2022. We would like to thank our school community for working together with us to have this completed in a very short time frame. With the uncertainty of factories staying open due to COVID-19, we have been advised to submit our order to be sure we receive the new uniforms in time for next year. So again – THANK YOU!
To add some clarity to the situation I’d like to explain that the order forms were to predominantly give us an idea on quantities to order. Please note that extras of each size have been ordered and will be available to purchase once stock has been received. In light of the new uniforms being introduced we have reduced the current school uniform shirts to just $10!! The current uniform will still be available until stock has run out and as a part of the phasing out period the current uniform can still be worn until 2024.
The P&C would like to thank the MMM Hub for the very generous donation of one school shirt per child attending Richmond State School in 2022. Thank you MMM Hub, your support to your school and P&C is wholeheartedly appreciated.
Diggers Day! What a success we had running the canteen for the fantastic family fun day! Thank you to everyone who supported us, volunteered and made baked goods donations. Without the continued support of our community we would not be able to achieve such a fantastic outcome. We were able to raise a total of $1331.28!
Kind regards,
Charlie Jones.
R.S.S. P&C President
Community Information
