RSS Newsletter 2025 Issue 8
Principal Report
What a fantastic time we had celebrating Book Week! The excitement around the dress-up day was contagious, with students and staff alike joining in the fun. This year many of our staff dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz – the students loved seeing the parents and teachers dressing up! Days like these remind us how important reading is – it sparks imagination, opens up new worlds, and sits right at the heart of learning. A huge thank you to Miss Julie and Miss Ybema for organising such a wonderful week, and to Miss Clare for her help in making it such a success.
There’s also plenty of excitement as our Year 5–10 students prepare for Konomie Island Camp! Camps are such a special opportunity – a chance to try new things, build friendships, and create lasting memories. A big thank you to Megan in the office for her hard work in organising everything to make the camp possible.
We’d also like to congratulate our students who are proudly representing our school in sport this term. Your dedication and teamwork are fantastic to see – well done!
Our school is fortunate to be supported by wonderful regional staff. Mrs Ann Whalin (Guidance Officer) and Ms Yadanar Tut (Speech Language Pathologist) provide invaluable support for our students and families, and we are so grateful for their expertise and care.
A special thank you also goes to our incredible Teacher Aides, who always go above and beyond in supporting our students’ learning. Your commitment truly makes a difference each and every day.
And finally, a big shout-out to Mr Darren Graham, who has stepped in to keep our school grounds looking tidy and welcoming. Your work helps create a safe and beautiful environment for everyone.
What a wonderful community we have – thank you to all who make our school such a special place!
Until next time,
Rebecca
From the Deputy Principal Desk
From the Deputy Principal’s Desk
We’ve reached Week 6 of Term 3, and it’s been a full and rewarding few weeks across the school.
It’s certainly been a busy time, with many students and staff away unwell. Despite the challenges, it’s been great to see students returning to routine and staying focused on their learning.
This week, we’re celebrating Book Week, and it’s been great to see the excitement building around the school. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s costumes on Friday — it’s always a fun way to bring a bit of colour and creativity to the week while celebrating the joy of reading.
We’ve recently welcomed Officer Braden, who spoke with our high school students about respectful behaviour.
Our PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) focus this week is: Use technology appropriately.
In Week 10 of Term 3, our Year 9 and 10 students will be taking part in Work Experience. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore different industries, build their confidence, and gain insight into the working world. We encourage families to have conversations with their child about their placement and what they hope to learn from the experience.
Looking ahead, in Week 1 of Term 4, all high school students will participate in Careers Week, leading into the Richmond Regional Jobs and Community Expo on Saturday. We’re currently in the process of organising a program that will give students the chance to engage with a range of providers and learn about possible career paths. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic week of learning and inspiration. More information will be provided closer to the date.
Finally, I’m looking forward to heading off on camp next week with our Year 5–10 students. Camp is always a valuable experience where students can challenge themselves, build friendships, and learn outside the classroom. Thank you in advance to all staff involved and to those supporting the school while we’re away.
Thank you again for your continued support of Richmond State School.
Warm regards,
Scott Jeffery
Deputy Principal
Awards
Student awards are given to students who have followed the 4 school rules and gone above expectations to develop their learning skills.
Congratulations to all of our Award Winners in Weeks 4, 5 and 6.
Sport
Reagan proudly represented the North West Region at the QLD School Touch State Championship held in Roma from 14th -17th August 2025. This championship brought together athletes from across Queensland, showcasing the talent and spirit of young players. The North West Team is the largest geographical sporting region in Queensland, spans over 1 million square kilometres and includes 52 schools. Our boundaries stretch from Mornington Island in the north to Birdsville in the west, Prairie in the east, and Blackall in the south. This vast area reflects the diversity and strength of the athletes who call it home. Despite only having one day to train together, the Northwest team demonstrated remarkable improvement and resilience throughout the tournament. Each player brought their A-game, and the camaraderie that developed in such a short time was truly inspiring. Over the course of four days, the team played 11 games, and their unwavering spirit ensured that no loss could dampen their enthusiasm. A note to Reagan from her coaches: You are the youngest player on the team, but your heart and determination shine brightly.
Cowboys Clinic
Tuesday afternoon our Year 3-10 students had 4 representatives from the North Queensland Cowboys and NRL come to facilitate a range of drills and skills. Students learnt that the 3 key values at the Cowboys are Respect, Gratitude and Compete which students demonstrated across the afternoon.
Cowboys Clinic
Cricket
Declan travelled to Longreach for the North West Cricket Trials, the trials were held on Friday afternoon 15th August and Saturday morning 16th August. Only 9 students were selected from the mid-west to represent the North West District. Declan displayed a high level of skill for the game, unfortunately he was unsuccessful in being selected in the NW team. Congratulations Declan for travelling away for the Cricket Trials and giving it all your best.
Congratulations Declan.
Athletics
Good luck to the students who have travelled to Longreach this weekend for the Sunset Athletics Carnival. If successful in their events students will be selected to compete in the North-West team.
Library
Book Week
What a fantastic week. The costumes at Friday's parade were out of this world. It exceeded all expectations. Congratulations to all our winners.
Thank you to our judges Miss Ann and Miss Yadanar, the task was very hard. There were numerous staff members commenting how glad they were not to be doing the judging.
Parents and playgroup also joined in on the fun. We hope to see you back next year for another Book Week Parade.
Miss Claire hosted a craft activity on Monday and Friday where students helped to create a school treasure map, I wonder if there was treasure to be found?????
Thursday, Mrs Ybema held a book tasting in the library, no students did not get to lick the books and report on the different flavours of text. A book tasting is where you preview the books and write a review others can then read your review and decide if the book is to their taste. Students also enjoyed reading in the garden writing reviews on leaves and placing on the tree in the library.
Wheres Wally????? Wally was hidden around the school in 20 different spots, students from 3 / 4 G helped to hide Wally. Students worked in groups or as individuals, some found Wally very quickly and others took a few days.
Book Fair
Richmond State School library will be the venue for our final book fair for 2025. This fair will be a Buy One Get One Free Bookfair.
If you have never attended one before here is how they work - buy a book worth $10, get up to $10.00 to spend on books. There will be no posters or novelty items.
The fair will run for the first week of Term 4. Everyone is welcome to come along, if you cannot make it before or after school, please contact Julie to arrange a time.
Book week parade
Important Notices
Konomie Island Super Camp
Exciting times are ahead for our Year 5-10 students, have fun. We can't wait to hear all about your adventures.
Thank you to Megan for organising the trip many hours have been spent to make sure it all runs smoothly. Miss Flick, Mr Jeffery, Miss Baartz and Chappy Charlie for supervising the students.
A detailed letter went home with students on 15th August. Below is a brief list of some of the information that was included.
The bus will be departing Richmond State School at 2:30pm on Monday 25th August 2025. If you wish to send your students luggage in the morning, it will be safely stored in the library until packing the bus commences. Students are to be at school by no later than 2:15pm to pack the bus, provide teachers with medications and of course give parents/carers a big hug before departing. The route we will be taking to travel the whole 1,152km is Richmond > Charters Towers > Clermont > Blackwater > Rockhampton > Yeppoon.
There will be two school phones travelling with staff on camp. If you would like to contact a staff member on camp or arrange a time to speak to your child/ren, please message Mr Scott Jeffery on 0472 841 615 or Ms Rebecca Flick on 0467 706 579 and they will arrange for this to happen.
Monday 25th August Depart Richmond SS - 2:30pm
Arrive Charters Towers - 6:30pm Dinner at Lissner Park
Depart Charters Towers - 7:30pm
Tuesday 26th August Arrive Yeppoon - 6:30am (approx.)
Breakfast at McDonalds Yeppoon 48 Park Street, Yeppoon
Arrive at Keppel Bay Marina - 8:00am (for departure of 8:30am) Red Pier Boat is called Gundoo Spirit
Friday 29th August
Arrive at Keppel Bay Marina - 2:30pm
Depart Yeppoon - 3:30pmArrive at Blackwater - 6:30pm Dinner at BlackRock 21 Doon Street, Blackwater
Depart Blackwater - 7:30pm
Saturday 30th August
Arrive in Richmond - 7:30am (approx)
If you would like to look up the activities listed on the itinerary, feel free to go online to https://konomieislandeec.eq.edu.au/ and view the ‘Activities’ tab.
Online Serivces Consent Forms
Online consent forms were sent home for each student with report cards at the end of Term 2. We have not received forms for a number of students. It is very important for students to have consent to access some websites and apps to enhance their learning. If you do not have the forms and would like another copy, please contact the office and a new form will be sent home. During a student's enrolment at Richmond State School there will be new consent forms sent home, this is due to new learning platforms becoming available. We understand this can become overwhelming and will endeavour to keep the forms to a minimum.
Sufficient Lunches
Please ensure your child/ren have enough food to cover both breaks. There is an increasing number of students requesting extra food for second break. The school maintains a supply of emergency food items that may not frequently align with individual preferences.
Labelling Student Clothing
We encourage families to write student names on their uniforms and winter wear, as we have a number of clothing items being put in the Lost Property.
Our Lost Property box is overflowing with clothing, hats and lunch containers. If your child/ren are missing items, please come in and check the lost property as we will be taking the items to Red Cross at the end of Term 2.
Hats
Due to the increase in headlice cases at the school, we will not be offering spare hats to students that have forgotten to bring their own hat. All students have been provided with at least one free hat from the P&C, and families that have been here since the introduction of our new uniform would have also received a hat during the transition which the P&C also provided.
Uniforms
The school's Uniform Policy has been developed and endorsed in consultation with the P&C. Whilst we are reviewing the policy for 2026, it is expected that all students adhere to this policy. If you would like to be part of the 2026 Uniform Policy consultation, please keep an eye out for the P&C Meeting & Agenda notices so you can contribute to this process.
Illness
As the cold weather continues, we are seeing an increasing number of students absent due to illness. Included in this newsletter is the timeout poster which includes information about exclusion times to help stop the spread of illness. If you child/ren are not well enough to be engaging in student learning activities due to feeling unwell or presenting with symptoms such as fever, persistent cough or a continuous running nose, please keep them home.
Student Absence
We have completed a review on our student attendance process.
Where students are arriving late, parents/carers must notify the school as to why they are late. Where we have no parent reasoning, we will be following the unexplained absence process.
Reasons provided by students or their siblings are not acceptable when explaining an absence. We encourage parents to contact the office when reporting absences, this can be done via a phone call, leaving a message on the absence line or by emailing admin@richmondss.eq.edu.au
The Department of Education has guidelines in which we must follow.
School opening hours.
We have noticed an increasing number of students arriving before 8:00am. We would like to remind parents and families that school does open until 8:00am. Children that arrive prior to 8:00am, must be seated under the Administration Building. Students accessing classrooms before 8:00am, is not an alternative to sitting under the Administration Building.
If you have any concerns regarding this, please contact the office on 47 686 333.
Chewsday and Friday Breakfast Club
Miss Lyn cooked a very special breakfast for us in week 5 to celebrate the halfway mark. Homemade sausage rolls on Chewsday lunch were a hit with most students having seconds.
In week 7 there will also be an extra special Chewsday lunch, can't wait to see what Miss Lyn has cooked up for us all.
RSS Parents and Citizens
Parents and Citizens' (P&C) associations work in productive partnership with their school principal and the community to promote the interests of the school, and facilitate its development and further improvement, to achieve the best possible outcomes for students.
P&Cs provide feedback and advice on school policies and activities, assist in providing resources to enhance student outcomes and are involved in a variety of school activities including fundraising, school functions.
Here is some of the latest news from the P&C
- Thank you to everyone who has helped out with catering our final caravan park dinner. We sold out in 15 minutes and made $1000.00
- During our last meeting we called for nominations for secretary, thank you to Mrs Emily Naclerio, Emily comes to the P&C with a wealth of knowledge.
- We are always looking for new members to join, the stronger membership we have, the more we are able to offer to the students. Some of the funds we have made have gone to making the Super camp more affordable to families.
- If you are requiring uniforms, please contact a P&C to organise a time to collect. Alternatively fill in a uniform order form and leave at the school administration office. We will notify you when order is ready for collection.
Parentline
Parentline: Support and advice for all Queensland parents and carers
Being a parent can be rewarding—but it can also be challenging. Whether you’re trying to support your child with school issues, friendship challenges, behaviour, or tough moments at home, it’s completely normal to feel unsure about what to do next.
Parentline is a free and confidential service available to all Queensland parents and carers. No problem is too big or too small—and reaching out early can make a real difference.
Parentline offers advice and support on a wide range of parenting topics, including:
bullying and friendship issues
parent–child relationships
parenting strategies and behaviour management
mental and emotional wellbeing—for both children and parents
You can speak with a trained professional by phone or webchat (6am-midnight), seven days a week.
2025 School Calendar
Tuckshop
Community News
If you would like any community events added to the newsletter email -admin@richmondss.eq.edu.au