RSS Newsletter Issue 8 2023

From the Principal

Staffing Updates

Head of Department - Cheryl Phillips

At the conclusion of Term 3, we will unfortunately be saying farewell to Ms Cheryl Phillips.  Cheryl has been recalled to her permantent position as Head of Department @ Thuringowah State High School in Townsville by the Principal.  We are so grateful for the time that we have had working with Cheryl and for the support and leadership that she has provided during her time as part of the Richmond State School Team.  She will be missed! 

I am currently working with our Regional Human Resource Team on a possible staffing solution to ensure a positive and well supported conclusion to 2023 for the students and staff of Richmond.  

Acting Principal - Weeks 9 & 10

I will be taking Long Service Leave (LSL) during Week 9 and 10 of Term 3, 4th September to 15th September inclusive.  During this time Liz Bailey will be appointed as Acting Principal to ensure a positive and successful end to Term 3.  Please feel free to introduce yourself to Liz during her stay in Richmond. 

Thankyou

I would like to thank our dedicated and hard-working P & C Team for recognising Principal Day on Friday 4th August, this was a very thoughful gesture and was one of the many highlights of my week.  

Acting Principal - Weeks 9 & 10

I am very honoured and excited to be joining Richmond State School and the community for weeks 9 and 10 of Term 3. I have always valued and enjoyed working with the staff in my role at Mount Isa Centre for Learning and Wellbeing and look forward to the opportunity to continue the great work that is occurring at Richmond State School.

Regards,

Liz Bailey

Wellbeing Professional - Kelly Hansen

During Week 5, we welcomed Ms Kelly Hansen to the Richmond State School Team.  Kelly is a qualified social worker who will add to our Student Support Team to ensure positive wellbeing outcomes for our students. 

Whilst Kelly will be based at Richmond, she also supports Julia Creek, Hughenden, Cameron Downs and Prairie State Schools.  

We are exctied to have her wealth of knowledge and experience and look forward to co-designing her role to suit our school and community.  

A formal referral process and more information regarding the role will be shared with families in coming weeks.  No doubt you will see Kelly around the school grounds and see her in classrooms throughout the remainder of 2023.  

Head of Department - Curriculum

How does our school compare?

We are so proud of our Richmond State School staff and students! When you have a look at our data compared to not only the North Queensland Region, but also the rest of Queensland you will be too! Our students are consistently achieving higher grades than the rest of the Region and in some areas the whole of the State. It just goes to prove what we have all known all along, Richmond State School really is a GREAT SCHOOL and is providing great opportunities for our students and setting them up for their futures.

Elective Subjects at Richmond State School

Did you know that Richmond State School offers a range of elective subjects for years 9 and 10? The Australian Curriculum mandates that we must continue to teach the core learning areas of English, Maths, Science, Health and Physical Education all year and at least 1 semester of History a year in years 9 and 10, but the rest of their timetable the students get to choose learning areas that interest them. How good is that? This year, the Year 9 students elected to study Food & Fibre Production (which some of you may know as ‘Ag studies’), Food Specialisation (Hospitality) and Materials and Technologies Specialisation (Manual Arts or Industrial Design and Technology – ITD). They have definitely enjoyed having a say in what subjects they study and have thrived with the hands-on learning opportunities that they have chosen, especially in the workshop.

In the coming weeks, our current year 8 students will be given the opportunity to select the elective subjects they wish to study in Years 9 & 10. They will have a choice of the following subjects:

• Industrial Technology and Design (Materials and Technology Specifications)
• Agricultural Science (Food and Fibre Production)
• Hospitality (Food Specialisations)
• Digital Technologies
• STEM (Science, Technology Engineering & Mathematics)
• Visual Arts
• Dance
• Drama
• Media Arts
• Geography
• Civics and Citizenship
• Economics and Business
• Japanese (delivered via online lessons)

Student Achievements

Congratulations to all award recipients. You have been recognised for your hard work and dedication to learning & our school.

Term 3 Week 4

Term 3 Week 5

Term 3 Week 6

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Positive Behaviour for Learning

Over the next four weeks, students will focus on enacting the school’s expectation of Be Safe: Know and play by the rules and Be Responsible: Negotiate and resolve conflicts. Each week, an expected behaviour is selected to be the PBL Focus of the week. The focus of the week is taught during the PBL lesson each Monday. The staff have designed special posters that are used as a visual prompt for students. These posters are displayed around the school, on social media and the school sign. All staff, parents and community members are encouraged to take every opportunity to teach, prompt, and reinforce the focus of the week with the students.

The students are currently 65% of the way to their shared goal of reaching 70 000 Happy Vouchers by the end of the term. If the students can achieve this goal, they will be rewarded with an opportunity to wear free dress on Friday the 15^th of September. Parents and carers will be notified on Monday, 11^th of September if the students have been successful. The staff and community representatives are busy preparing to run Master Classes during the last two days of this term. More information about these Master Classes will be made available in our Week 9 Newsletter.

Each Monday, on parade, the two students with the highest tally of Happy Vouches, for the past week, are acknowledged on parade. These students are given a golden ticket to attend a special morning tea with the Principal. I have included a picture from our last Golden Ticket Morning Tea, congratulations to our winners. 

School Nurse-Elle

Raising competent children
Helping our children to do well at school so that they can get a good job or go onto further studies can be very challenging. It is hard to know how to best encourage them to make the most of their time, and as they enter secondary school it can become difficult to know what your teenager will find interesting and rewarding. Parents might find this more difficult if they have fixed views about what they think is best for their child. Sometimes a teenager will have no clear idea of what they want to do and although it may be frustrating that your child has no set interest and goals, it is important not to confuse this with lack of motivation. Establishing routines, developing self-discipline, being a good problem solver, having supportive friends, following school rules and getting involved in school activities are six of the most important things for your child to do to become a competent young adult.

• Establishing routines can help with making the household run more smoothly and can help to avoid or prevent conflict. It helps children manage their time and promotes self-discipline. With your children, create routines around key activities and times. When creating a routine; explain the issue with your child (e.g. getting up on time or homework), ask for their ideas and do not dismiss their suggestions, write down the routine and trial it. Make adjustments to this with the help of your child.
  
  
• Self-discipline involves taking responsibly for making things happen and helps teenagers to become independent. Teenagers need to have the ability to make their own decisions. It can be difficult to navigate the handing over of this responsibility. So, start with less important issues, make suggestions and offer your opinion but encourage your child make the final decision and prompt them to think of any consequences of their decision.
  
  
• Making good decisions requires good problem-solving skills and is closely linked to developing self-discipline. It is difficult for a child to become independent of their parents if they don’t learn how to solve problems. If your child comes to you with a problem, this is an opportunity to coach them; help them clarify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, look at the ‘pros and cons’ pick a solution and then reflect on the situation.
  
  
• Having supportive friends is important as children become more independent from their parents. Parents should remain part of their support network but encouraged their child to find other people who can provide them with additional support and advice.
  
  
• Learning to follow school rules enable children to learn about being part of a community and has a positive outcome for building respect for laws. If your child finds it difficult to follow school rules, consider a reward/consequence contract to withhold privileges and help with motivation.
  
• Getting involved in things in addition to their classroom studies fosters stronger sense of belonging. It also creates opportunities for new learning experiences, meeting new friends or creating stronger friendships and for positive interactions with school staff. Encourage your child to try activities they may not be interested in and provide lots of praise if they do. It may take a few weeks before your child experiences the benefit of the activity. If they are still not enjoying the activity, find out the cause and encourage problem-solving.
  
  

HASS -Year 3/4

3/4 students have been on excursion in Week 5 to identify the natural and man-made features found at the Lake, Bobby Murray Park and the Lion’s Park. We discussed the difference between tourist and residential use of these areas. The students loved having a lesson outside of the classroom. Here are some of the photos taken during our journey.

 Miss Oliver

Noosa Film Academy

Lights, Camera, Action.

Noosa Film Academy visited during week 5, students learnt the steps to making a film and were able to make their own film. 

Science Week

Mr  Theodore, Mr Marshall and Miss Grundy organised fun and very interesting activites during the week to encourage children to pursue their interest and possible career opportunities in the field of Science.  

The week ended with staff dressed in lab coats with clues to great Australian inventions. Student were challenged to identifiy what the invention was. It was so much fun, not only for the students, but for staff as well.

Science Week Fun

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Dance North

On Thursday of week 6,the team from Dance North visited to facilitate dance workshops with the students. The trees outside of the Resource Centre were the stage for the wonderful and talented students to refine thier movement techniques. The sound of music and laughing could be heard throughout the school.

Thank you Dance North team for giving our students this oppurtunity. 

Dance North

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RSS Alumni - Ready for the Future

My name is Terry Carrington, I am a past student of Richmond State School. I was a bush kid that started grade 2 in 1974 and attended R.S.S until finishing grade 10 in 1982.
I have many fond memories of R.S.S, but probably the most memorable is all the friends  I made and am still friends with today.
I’m proud of the fact there has been a long list of Carrington’s attend R.S.S., my three children and now the third generation, my grandchildren.  Also my 2 brothers, my sister, plus nieces, nephews and cousins.

Since leaving school I have had a variety of jobs.  I am a qualified butcher, was a shearer for 12 years, cut timber and turned it into charcoal. I currently manage a cattle property, which i have done for the past 11 1/2 years.
I have lived in and around Richmond most of my life and feel that I’ve done ok with my life.  Part of that is because of my education at R.S.S.

In closing a big thank you to Mrs Stainkey who taught nearly all of us!

Book Week

Book Club -Issue 6 is out now.

Catalogues were sent home with students at the begining of week 6. If you did not receive one, there are copies in the library.

P & C Information

We invite all parents and community members to a Special Meeting being held on Monday 28th of August @ 2:30pm where we will invite nominations for a P&C President and any other subsequent executive positions.  

This special meeting will be follow by our general meeting.