RSS Newsletter Issue 8 2022
From the Principal
A moment of pause to celebrate and acknowledge our students and the multitude of ways that they are enacting our school values each and every day:
- The growth and maturity of our 2022 Preps as they welcome our Pre-Prep students for their first RSS Visit
- Our Year 6 students who have written letters to their Prep buddies
- Those students who have inproved the academic achievement and or met their learning goals
- The Year 8, 9 & 10 students who are representing our school with pride and overcoming some big emotions to participate in a careers camp in Townsville
- Our Year 3-6 students who have re-written and are following the updated Handball Court Rules
- 1/2Y, 3/4O, 5/6P who have all achieved 100% attendance during Week 9 - demonstrating their commitment to learning
- Our rising Rugby League Stars who particpated at football on the weekend
- Students who have participated in representative sport.
The list could go on! Keep up the AMAZING work Richmond State School.
Parent & Community Code of Conduct
As a staff, we work hard to ensure that we have open and regular communication with parents, via phone, email, letters, schoolzine, facebook, meeting times (including parent/teacher interviews) and daily communication throughout the school grounds. For the communication to be effective and ensure we are meeting the needs of both students and parents, it is essential that we regularly review our communiation protocols and have two-way communication.
Recently, staff have consulted on a new RSS Parent and Community Code of Conduct that specifically looks at communication. This document has also be shared by P & C and endorsed at our most recent P & C meeting.
We invite all parents to review the document which will also be uploaded onto our school website.
Head of Department - Curriculum
End of term 3 is upon us and I am flabbergasted that it has been 12 months since I ventured out to Richmond State School to backfill Ms Sinden while she was on leave. I have seen, heard and felt the highs and lows of being part of a rural remote community and have to say Richmond is a fantastic, unique little town with the most beautiful, well behaved children I have ever worked with. Big shout out to the school and broader community members contributing to this.
During the last two weeks of this term, teachers have been released from class to undertake beginning of moderation sessions. In these sessions, teachers collaborate to further understand and clarify the Australian Curriculum intent and share teaching and learning ideas. Teachers leave these sessions with a very clear, consistent understanding of what the students need to know and how they will demonstrate what they have learnt. Teachers then share ways of teaching and learning the knowledge and skills described in the curriculum, to best suit the learning needs of children at Richmond State School. Research indicates when teachers are clear in the curriculum expectations and their instructions, students learn more! Your child/childrens’ teachers are doing amazing work to ensure they are clear about what the students need to know and be able to do, and planning a logical sequence of engaging lessons.
Next term, we welcome back Mrs Stainkey from leave. Mrs Stainkey will be continuing the students learning of music and dance in the primary years. She will also be taking groups of year two students for focused teaching of writing.
A reminder to please let the office know if your child will not be attending their allocated homework centre session. Homework Centre - learning beyond the bell will continue in the last week of this term and recommence in WEEK 2 of next term.
Happy September/October holidays! Enjoy spending the days ‘hanging out’ and chatting with your children.
2023 Prep Information
Student Achievements
Congratulations to all award recipients. You have been recognised for your hard work and dedication to learning and our school.
Weeks 7,8 & 9
Sporting
Students have had the opportunity to receive some golf instructions from Mr Marshall as an after school activity.
Afternoon Golf
Outback Sunset Athletics Carnival
A huge shout out to the group of students that attended the Outback Sunset Athletics Carnival in Longreach, some representing the Mid West team for the North West trials and others representing Richmond’s Athletics club. All students did an amazing job competing, the majority of them came home with a medallion for at least one of their events. Dustin Lanskey achieved age champion for the 10 years boys at the carnival. All students had a huge smile on their face the whole weekend and were great sportsmen and sportswomen! Richmond State School are super proud of each and every one of you. Keep up the hard training over the next year and we look forward seeing what you can all achieve in the future.
Miss Murray
Queensland Opera
QLD Opera visited during week 6 unfortunately one of the members became unwell, this meant we were not able to experience the whole show. The other members came and did a modified show, which was very enjoyable.
MMM Hub Books
Monday Parade week 7, each class was presented with the student books that were very kindly donated by MMM hub . Thank you MMM hub for everything you do for our students.
Positive Behaviour
The most powerful tool we have at our disposal for teaching expected behaviour is the feedback we give students when they do and do not meet behaviour expectations. PBL is about teaching and providing feedback to students about the behaviour that they are communicating to us and each other. Recently our collected data suggested that our students were communicating to us that they were having difficulties negotiating and resolving conflicts and knowing and playing by the rules at break times. The PBL team as created learning experiences and resources to support students to know and follow these school expectations during unstructured play time. We have explicitly taught our students the agreed rules for handball, dodgeball, soccer and touch football. There are now agreed rules for each of these sports located in each game and sport area for students to refer to during play time.
Master Classes
During Week 10, the school will be facilitating our “Master Classes” during Period 3 and 4 on Thursday and Friday. Master Classes are designed to give students an opportunity to engage in alternative curriculum while participating in fun activities. It is also a vehicle for community and external services to provided learning opportunities for our students.
Master Classes will include: slime making, fingerprint and crime prevention activities, pot painting, craft making, woodwork projects, playing musical instruments and cooking. All students have submitted their preferences for these activities. In addition, we are also inviting selected students, who consistently demonstrate expected behaviours, to attend our Gold and Platinum Master Classes. Our Gold Classes include tie dyeing and boxercise activities. The Richmond Shire Council has generously supported our Platinum Master Class called ‘Dig on Dusk’. Ten students have been invited to attend a fossicking activity at the Richmond Fossil Dig site. Look out for further information regarding Master Classes on social media over the next week.
School Based Youth Health Nurse
Let’s CONVERSE WITH OUR SCHOOL NURSE
RU OK? Day is Thursday 08 September. The day aims to remind all of us that every day is a good day to have a meaningful conversation with someone who may be struggling. To promote good mental health among our youth, it is important to guide young people to be aware of their anger and how to convey it in a healthy way. When anger is mishandled, it may present as poor grades, conflict with adults, anti-authority attitudes, aggressive behaviour, and sadly depression and suicide. Anger is always a reaction to another ‘overlooked’ emotion. The list of these emotions is lengthy, and includes embarrassment, grief, sadness, shame, frustration, rejection, trauma, and worry. Furthermore, the teen is also dealing with cognitive, psychological, and physical changes that may lead to stress. Stress may also lead to anger. Reach out to the young person (when they are calm of course) and LISTEN to their concerns. Some ideas to manage anger include:
- Understand the angry triggers and plan ways to avoid or deal with situations prior to event. Role play is fun and effective.
- Get to know your body cues that you may be getting angry eg. feeling hot or flushed, clenched teeth/fists and fast heartbeat. Be proactive with these physical cues and initiate the plan to avoid anger.
- Take a break. Walk away.
- Delay tactics. Count to 10 or maybe 100, bounce a ball or do push ups.
- Connect with nature to calm down the mind and body.
- Exercise is perfect to get the endorphins flowing to help you feel in control and strong.
- TALK IT OVER with a friend, family, teacher, coach, your mob, Elders, SBYHN.
If anger remains a problem and interferes with everyday life, please seek support from a GP. The School Based Youth Health Nurse (Leeanne Honnef) can refer (confidentially) to a specialist in human behaviour, mental health, emotional and conduct concern. lhonn7@eq.edu.au
Book Week 2022
What a wonderful display in the library for book week.
The costume parade on friday morning was the highlight of the week. The creativity was amazing, thankyou to eveyone who came and watched & participated in Friday Breakfast.
Deadly Australians
Marc Dorse from Deadly Australians. His dangerous and some not so dangerous animals came to the school to do a presentation on some of Australia’s deadly animals.
Students got to get up close to the animals whilst some very brave students got to touch a python.
Mr Dorse donated two books to the school library - Snakes of Tropical North Queensland and Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland. Every student in the school will also receive a snake poster.
Deadly Australia Visit
