2022 Edition 9 - 18/11/22

Important Dates

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

This fortnight I have been busy planning some of the Health, Safety and Wellbeing aspects of our new school.

I have been developing our Emergency Procedures such as Lockdown and Evacuation alongside our School Emergency Response Plan (for larger scale events).

Our first aid room signage, products and plans are all ready to support any instances of illness and injury, including emergency medications, a defibrillator and wheelchair.  

Our staff wellbeing resources are ready to support our staff and Ms Swadling and our HPE teacher, Mr Schirmer, are working in the background on our Student Wellbeing Program.

Ensuring our school is a safe and supportive culture is an important part of our planning and this fortnight’s focus has reflected this. 

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick | Foundation Principal

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

Remembrance Day

On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month, the staff of Ripley Central State School paused for a minute’s silence to pay tribute and remember those who died in the line of duty. Together, we visited ANZAC Place at Ripley Valley State Secondary College to walk through the rosemary gardens and reflect at the monument. Lest we forget.

Instrumental Music

Last week, our Regional Head of Department for Instrumental Music, Matthew Chambers, visited our school to prepare all of our instruments ready for Term 1 2023. We were thrilled to hear that our Strings and Band teacher have been allocated and we look forward to welcoming them both to our school in 2023. You can find out more about our instrumental program on our website - https://ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au/extra-curricular/music-activities

Ms Petra Yager | Foundation Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Swadling

Mathematics

We have been working through our Mathematics Curriculum Planning to ensure we are offering our students engaging learning activities that empower them to take ownership over their learning.  We will offer students opportunities to work together to solve problems, and learn how to work as a team to complete a task. Based on the work of Trevor Muir, this kind of collaborative learning is a skill that is taught and scaffolded over time. The benefits of collaborating in a group adds to their problem-solving skills on so many levels, including academically as well as, socially and emotionally.  We also had our Maths resources arrive this week and we have begun the process of setting up our class kits.

Ms Fiona Swadling | Foundation Deputy Principal

Business Manager's Message - Mrs Van Der Zee

New staff

This week we welcomed Mr Chris Jones as our Schools Officer - Grounds and Facilities. Chris has spent the week sorting and checking orders, learning details of our build and plans and labelling our resources. He also went of a site visit with Mrs Meyrick. We are excited to have Chris join our team as he brings with him a passion for grounds care and maintenance and we know you will love chatting to him at the gates in the mornings. 

Centrepay

This week we have set up our Centrepay account, allowing families who need to set up automated payments through Centrelink will be able to. We know this payment option will be helpful for some families and are working to have it ready for your SRS (Student Resource Scheme) fees. 

Mrs Danielle Van Der Zee | Foundation Business Manager

Employment Opportunities

We have some new employment opportunities that are detailed below.

You can expect to see advertisements on Smart Jobs shortly. One position is for another permanent Teacher Aide to join our team. We will also advertise for an A03 with two roles (part time A03 Administration Officer / part time A03 Executive Services and Marketing Officer. Both of these positions will be on Smart Jobs. https://smartjobs.qld.gov.au

We are also locally recruiting for a temporary/casual A02 General Administration position. If you are interested in temporary (short term contract in peak times or to replace leave) and/or causal A02 General Administration work (in the event of staff absence) please send your resume and cover letter to bsm@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au as soon as possible. We are initially seeking a short-term contract for 4 weeks at the commencement of the year (week beginning 16^th January) to assist with the peak office administration time of opening a new school. The ideal applicant will have prior school experience, be familiar with One School, Pass tab, One School roll marking and general administrative tasks in a school office. They will be able to work in a team and also work independently, show initiative and strong time management skills. The will show care and compassion in working with families and students and have highly efficient communication skills.

If you are interested in casual or temporary Teacher Aide hours (to replace leave or absences), please send your resume and cover letter to bsm@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au

The ideal applicant/s will be local, available at short notice (sometimes called on the morning of absence) and share the same passion and purpose as our school. Interested applicants should send their details ASAP for consideration as the successful applicants will receive induction and training as well as support to obtain a Blue Card. No formal qualifications are required to apply, however people with qualifications and experience in schools may be selected over those who do not.

Our cleaning team recruitment is almost complete, through the transfer process, and we look forward to introducing them to you. 

The advertisement for the Senior Computer Assistant has closed and the panel are processing the applications. 

We will keep you updated! 

Koala Joeys

This week was our last Koala Joey’s.  We had a great time exploring what we could create from a box.  While doing this, parents were asked to assist, but not fix.  We used ‘Wonder’ questions, like; “I wonder how you could stick that to the box?” or “I wonder what you could use as a wheel?” or “I wonder what you need to do so you can move around in your car/boat?”.  ‘Wonder’ questions help with problem solving and encourage children to come up with a solution themselves, a valuable life skill.  They may still need your assistance, at a young age, to follow through with their solution, however, as they become more independent and confident they will learn to do this on their own.  We also did some of our favourite activities from the previous weeks.  A couple of planes laid to rest on the rooftop, we are hoping for a big gust of wind to get lift off again.  Thank you to all the families that attended it was such an enjoyable 5 weeks connecting with you all and your amazing children.  We look forward to seeing our Koala Joeys and all of our 2023 Prep Students in their new school uniforms in 2023.

All 2023 Prep students and their families are invited to our Lawn Picnic. This is an opportunity to meet new friends for next year and say hello to Mrs Meyrick, Ms Swadling and Ms Yager. 

Enrolment Messages

When submitting your enrolment application, please include all supporting documentation. Your application is only processed when we have all the details we require. This includes your proof of residency, legal documents, health plans and sighting of your child's birth certificate (if required). Please help us to help you. Your attention to detail allows us to quickly process your child's application and is appreciated. 
You can visit our pop up enrolment office on Wednesdays 9-11am at Ripley Valley State Secondary College to complete any of the above. We will be all set up in the Community Hub, just follow the signs from the main entry gate. 

Uniforms

UMS, our uniform supplier, is currently establishing their online portal for our school. This will include images and prices of our uniform items. They will host uniform fitting and ordering days on Wednesday 30th November and Thursday 1st December, based at Ripley Valley State Secondary College Community Hub. There will also be an option to order directly online, if you are comfortable with size choices. 

Uniforms will be available for pick up in January, with more details to follow about where and when this will occur. 

Every student will require the school hat and school bag, these are compulsory items in our Student Dress Code.

Prep students do not require a formal uniform.

Plain black shoes (all black, no colour or white) can be purchased from your own choice of retailer. White socks will be available at the uniform store, however you can also purchase from any retailer.

You can learn more about our uniforms in our Student Dress Code, available in the related links of our website enrolment page. https://ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au/enrolments 

In your upcoming enrolment information sessions, we will unpack the Student Dress Code and provide you with a chart to take home for easy reference. 

UMS was the successful tender for the design, supply and sale of our uniforms based on their experience, quality, cost and value for money. We look forward to partnering with them to reach our standard of excellence. 

OSHC - Outside of School Hours Care

We are excited to introduce our partnership with Camp Australia, our new OSHC provider. Registrations and pre -bookings ARE NOW OPEN for 2023. Download the Camp Australia Parent Portal from the App Store or Google Play to access. You can also do via Camp Australia website www.campaustralia.com.au 

Any difficulties registering or booking, contact Camp Australia on 1300 105 343 between 5am - 9pm, 7 days per week. 

Camp Australia encourages every family to register, and then just those families who require planned bookings to go to the next step of booking. In the event of an emergency or casual booking next year, your child will need to be registered. By registering now, you are prepared for the unexpected next year. 

Licencing provision does have an enrolment limit, so do not delay, register and book as a matter of urgency. 

Our partnership with Camp Australia will be a long and positive one, with them now having an agreement with us for nine years. They are excited to be an extension of our school day, teach and uphold our school values and expectations and work with us to provide opportunities for our EPIC Learners. We welcome them as an integral part of our Ripley Central State School team. 

Public Meeting to form a P&C

All future parents and community members are invited to our upcoming Public Meeting where the only agenda item is to form a P&C. At this meeting the attendees confirm their intention to support the school operating a P&C and then the election of interim executives is undertaken. The date and time of the first P&C meeting is then set. There will be information available for parents and community members to learn more about each of the executive roles and what their responsibilities are. 

Interested in nominating for one of our executive positions?

Learn more about each role here and attend the Public Meeting for more information.

President https://www.pandcsqld.com.au/the-info-place/role-of-the-pc-president-treasurer-secretary/president/

Secretary https://www.pandcsqld.com.au/the-info-place/role-of-the-pc-president-treasurer-secretary/secretary/

Treasurer https://www.pandcsqld.com.au/the-info-place/role-of-the-pc-president-treasurer-secretary/treasurer/

Join us on Tuesday 22nd November at 5.30pm. We will be at the Community Hub of Ripley Valley State Secondary College. Find out more on our website https://ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au/our-community/pandc 

How to contact us this year

At this stage, you can contact us by phone, email or Facebook message.

Email – principal@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au  OR enrolments@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au 

Phone - 0499 818 125 (between 8.30am-3.30pm Monday to Friday *you may need to leave a message for later attention

Facebook message – via our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RipleyCentralStateSchool

Enrolment questions can be in person on Wednesdays during Term 4.  One of our staff will be at Ripley Valley State Secondary College's Community Hub between 9-11am. 

As our team is currently small, please allow a reasonable response time. Your patience is appreciated.