2023 Edition 17 (20-10-2023)

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

On Wednesday 18th October, our school was Officially Opened. It was a special day for our school community and was shared with a large number of special invited guests. It was an honour to show our school facilities to the Hon. Grace Grace MP and Jennifer Howard MP. Our students are to be commended for how they modelled our EPIC Values on assembly and as they transitioned through our school while there was a tour occurring. This was a momentous occasion for our school and wider community and creates a small piece of history for our school.

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick| Principal

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

At Ripley Central State School, we firmly believe that strong ties between our school and the wider community are essential for holistic student development. Such connections not only enrich the learning experience of our students but also instil a sense of belonging and responsibility towards the community they're a part of.

A testament to our commitment was evident last week when our young talents from Prep to Year 6 proudly represented our school at Ripley Valley State Secondary College's Annual Showcase. A heart-warming spectacle was our Prep and Year 1 FISAF Dance team, who charmed everyone present with their adorable performance. Not to be outdone, our Year 2 to Year 6 Cheer students showcased exceptional skill and teamwork, leaving the audience in awe. A huge thank you to all staff and parents involved.

However, our journey in community engagement doesn't end here. We're always on the lookout for opportunities that allow our students to be a part of community events, representing not just our school but also the spirit of unity and growth.

If you're organising a community event and believe our students can add value, or if you have specific skills or expertise, you'd love to share with our vibrant school community, we're eager to hear from you! Please reach out to us at dp@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au

Ms Petra Yager |  Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal's Message - Mrs Ward

This Term our Prep-Year 6 classes are immersed in captivating English units centred around poetry, where students are delving into the art of expression through verse and creatively sharing their ideas.

Prep

Our Prep students are empowered to become "Poet Detectives," giving them the tools to explore and decode the world of rhyme and poetry in relation to disgusting, dangerous, and dazzling themes. They will create and showcase their own rhyming sentences, culminating in a feature film presented at Limelight Cinemas in Week 9. By blending literacy skills with creative expression and technology, we're turning students into confident, multi-talented communicators who can captivate an audience. 

Year 1

Our Year 1 students are designing their own authentic trading cards complete with rhyming character descriptions. These student-crafted cards will become part of a living display in the school's Curiosity Centre. Alongside this, students also embrace their roles as Poetry Detectives, diving into the world of rhyming literature to analyse and decode its elements. The unit invites students to be both creators and investigators, grounding their educational experience in real-world applications and meaningful displays of their own work. 

Year 2

Our Year 2 students are creating personalised, self-designed 'Perfectly Imperfect Pets' and diving deep into language, rhythm, and digital animation to bring their visions and poems to life. This magical blend of literature, technology, and personal creativity sets the stage for young learners to become not merely consumers, but imaginative creators in a vivid and ever-expanding world. 

Year 3

Year 3 students are empowered to foster a deep connection to their local surroundings and cultures. By integrating photography, poetry, and multimedia presentations, students will not only cultivate language and technology skills but also gain a valuable sense of agency and civic responsibility. This multidisciplinary approach allows them to express their personal perspectives and creativity in a tangible way, as they produce work that will be shared and celebrated within the broader community. Through this process, students learn that their voices matter, and that language can serve as a powerful tool for engagement, awareness, and change. 

Year 4

Year 4 students are engaging in authentic learning opportunities that fuse the joys of creativity with practical language skills. By exploring various forms of poetry and engaging in meaningful discussions, students will develop a personal connection with language. The Open Mic Night serves as a real-world application of their skills, encouraging them to articulate their thoughts in a public setting, thereby bolstering their confidence and communication prowess. This multi-faceted approach ensures that learning is not just confined to the classroom, but extends into a lifelong appreciation for the written and spoken word. 

Year 5

Our Year 5 students are empowered to create their own anthems. It underlines the transformative experience that comes with understanding, interpreting, and eventually crafting anthems—a process that allows students to invoke a sense of hope, pride, and unity among their student community. By engaging with and deconstructing existing works, students will be equipped with the tools and inspiration to amplify their own voices and messages, thereby contributing to a greater sense of shared identity and belonging. 

Year 6

Our Year 6 students are empowered to explore, understand, and express themselves through different poetic forms. By offering students the choice between the traditional form of ballads and the modern art of Slam Poetry for their final task, the unit emphasises the power and versatility of the poetic voice as a means of storytelling, advocacy, and personal expression. It encourages students to take ownership of their learning and their narrative, offering them a platform to amplify their voices on topics that interest or concern them. Through this unit, students are not only learning the technical aspects of poetry but also understanding the emotional and social implications of using one's voice effectively—making it a truly empowering educational experience. 

Mrs Tammy Ward |  Deputy Principal

Business Manager's Message - Mrs Van Der Zee

Thank you

Thank you to all of the ancillary staff who assisted in having our school look amazing for our Opening Ceremony last week.  Our cleaning and grounds team have put in a huge effort over the last few weeks to ensure our school was ready to showcase to the community.  Karen, Jenny, Tracey, Apait, Alek and Chris - thank you!   Ryley and Kristie, thank you also for your efforts in helping to co-ordinate the day.

Collecting students during the day

We understand that on occasions you may need to collect your children early during the day.  If this is the case, please contact the office first thing in the morning and advise a time they will be collected.  The students often move to different areas of the school for learning, so it can be tricky trying to locate them without notice. 

Please try to avoid collecting your children during break times.  We cannot guarantee that we will be able to find them in the playgrounds in a timely manner.  You may need to wait until the end of the break once children have returned to classrooms in order for us to contact them.

Thank you for assisting us with this process.

2024 Prep Enrolments

Prep 2024 Enrolments are now open!

Finalise your enrolment, including birth certificate sighting and residential documents as soon as possible. Invitations for Koala Joeys have been sent to all families with a confirmed enrolment and we would love you to be part of our Prep transition program. 

We are EPIC Learners!

We are EPIC Learners!
I am EPIC! We are EPIC Learners! View some of our students talking about our school. Our students are Empowered, Polite, Inclusive and Careful at Ripley Central and we are super proud of them! Click on the link below to watch a video that showcases our EPIC Students. 

Chess Club!

Chess club has commenced on Thursdays during 1st break with Mr Morrison. If your child plays chess or is interested in learning how to play competitive chess, please email dp@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au

Term 4 School Calendar

Term 4 is set to be an EPIC term. Each week we will publish our calendar so you can keep an eye on what is coming up. More details about events will be emailed home to families (or on our website/Facebook if community related) as the dates approach. Extra calendar items may be added as the term progresses.

Be prepared for 2024. Check out the school term calendar so you can plan your holidays or get-a-ways.

Day for Daniel

On Friday 27th October students are invited to wear a red shirt in recognition of Day for Daniel. This is not a fundraiser, no money is required. This is about raising awareness about child safety and an opportunity for students to learn about the Morcombe Foundation. 

This day will not be a free dress day, students still wear their school shorts/skirt and school shoes please. Only red/redish shirts are appropriate for this day. If your child does not own one, that is ok, they can wear their school uniform in full. 

The Arts News

Ripley Central Cheerettes
The 2023 Competition Cheerettes are going to visiting on Friday the 20^th October to collaborate with the high school cheer team in a workshop. The whole Cheerettes team is then going to be preparing a new routine for the Ripley Central Christmas Concert on Friday 1^st December. Chookas Cheerettes!!!

Health and PE

TERM 4:

Health Topics:

Prep:

This term students will identify what it feels like to be safe and unsafe and understand they have the right to feel safe and to receive help. They will identify family, friends and others who they can trust to help them and practise ways to ask for help. Students will also learn that some body parts are private and need to be covered in public. Students will also identify the anatomical names for private body parts and learn why its important to use the correct names for their body parts.

Year 1, 2, 3:

Students are learning what it feels like to be safe and unsafe and understand they have the right to feel safe and to receive help. Students will identify the meaning of persistence and review the meaning of trust and identify trusted adults from family, friends and the broader community. They will make distinctions between safe and unsafe secrets and practise ways to stay safe and ask for help. Students will review emotional and physical warning signs about body safety and suggest and practise how to stay safe. Students will also learn that some body parts are private and need to be covered in public. Students will also identify the anatomical names for private body parts and learn why it’s important to use the correct names for their body parts.

Year 4:

This term students will discuss how help-seeking and reporting strategies support rights and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and/or peers and understand the ethical implications for bystanders who become aware that support and/or help-seeking are required. They will practise help-seeking and reporting strategies that promote the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and/or peers. Students will understand and demonstrate how to respond positively and be resilient in difficult gendered situations, for example: isolation, bullying, harassment and abuse.

Year 5 and 6:

Students will understand how to recognise, assess and report risky situations in offline contexts and identify preventative strategies for safety in offline contexts, for self and others. They will identify help-seeking strategies including how to access support services in the school, local community and online, about offline issues and practise responding to risky offline situations.

PE Topics:

This term all students will be learning skills relating to athletics. They will learn the fundamental skills of running, jumping and throwing. These lessons will be taught on the oval so it is important that each student has a hat and water bottle.

Defence School Mentor News

Preparations are underway for our Remembrance Day assembly which will be held on Monday 6 November at 9am on the school oval. We look forward to welcoming any RCSS family that would like to attend. 

Group activities will be commencing in the coming weeks and are scheduled to be held each Monday during first break at 11.05am. Upcoming activities and the location will be provided to students ahead of time. Group activities give your children an opportunity to create, explore new ideas, make connections and develop their social skills. More information to come.

Any donations of usable games, books and craft items that you no longer require would be gratefully accepted for students to use during our group activities.

Posting orders are now out. If your family is preparing for an upcoming move, please inform our Admin team and let me know so that I can provide additional information to assist with the process. 

I am available each Monday and Wednesday between 9am - 1pm. Emails are sent regularly to our Defence community, please see your DSM emails to keep up to date on upcoming events and information.

Kylie Pendergast | Defence School Mentor (Monday and Wednesday 9am - 1pm)

P&C News

Flexischools

Flexischools is Australia’s number one online canteen ordering, payments and communications app for parents, schools and suppliers.

Future P&C events, including our school disco in November, will be utilising the Flexischools App.

If you haven’t created an account already please follow the link below to ensure you don’t miss out on upcoming events.

Disco

Are you ready to dance?! Our very first school disco for current students only (no siblings), will be taking place on Thursday the 9^th November from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.

Tickets are now for sale via the Flexischools App. Buy a single entry ticket for $5 or upgrade to include a meal deal (sausage in bread and a popper) for $10.

The P&C and the Student Council will have additional items for sale on the night.

Please note parental supervision will be required.

Graduation Signature Koala

Families of Year 6 students now have the opportunity to purchase a Graduation Signature Koala. The Koalas are designed for graduates to write messages to each other - words of encouragement, support and friendship as they mark the end of their primary school journey. These Koalas are available for purchase via the Flexischools App for a cost of $25. Orders close the 6^th of December.

Grant Funding

Our P&C were recently successful in applying for the Brothers Helping Others Community Grant 2023.  The grant provides direct funding to support not for profit and charitable organisations in delivering valuable services to our community. Out of 51 applications there were 35 successful recipients of which we were the only P&C awarded.

With the funds received from this grant the P&C will be assisting the school in purchasing new sporting equipment to complement our new oval facilities and a school mascot costume.

A big thank you to the Brothers Leagues Club Ipswich for their support and assistance.

Events

School Disco - 9th November (6.00pm-7.30pm) - tickets available now on Flexischools

Bunnings BBQ -  18^th November - Save the Date

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 24^th October commencing at 5pm and concluding by 6pm.

All families and community members are welcome and new memberships are encouraged.

Children are welcome, parents please bring something quiet for them to do during the time.

If you require any further information about the P&C or would like to volunteer or donate items, please contact us at pandc@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au

We look forward to hearing from you and meeting many more of you throughout the year.

If you require any further information about the P&C or would like to donate items, please contact us at pandc@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au

We look forward to hearing from you and meeting many more of you throughout the year.

Thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoy the school holidays.

Book Fair starts 19th October

Dive into the World of Stories at our upcoming Book Fair from October 19th to 24th in the Curiosity Centre. Open from 8:20 - 9:00 am daily, the Book Fair promises a diverse range of books catering to every reading interest. Students will get the chance to tour with their classes and jot down a wish list of their favourite titles. Parents are warmly invited to join their children of a morning, providing a delightful opportunity to bond over books and make selections together. We believe in the magic of stories and the power they hold to inspire and educate. We hope to see you and your young readers there, ready to discover their next favourite book.

Community News

Ripley Valley State Secondary College

On Friday 1st December, we look forwarding to welcoming all 2024 Year 7 enrolments at our upcoming Orientation Day and providing an opportunity to experience elements of high school at Ripley Valley SSC. It is important that for your child to attend the Year 7 Orientation Day, the following must be completed:

✅All enrolment paperwork must be completed and submitted to administration@ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au by Tuesday 28th November (Week 9)

✅Future students and parents/guardians must have attended an enrolment information session prior to Tuesday 28th November

✅Next enrolment information session: Tuesday 31st October 5:00 – 6:00pm, Thursday 16th November 3:30 – 4:30pm & 5:30-6:30pm  

For further information, please contact administration@ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au

Contacting our School

You can call us on 07 3819 5777   if you need to contact us. Please save the number to your mobile so you know if we are calling you. 

Email – admin_@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au  OR for all enrolment matters please email enrolments@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au 

Phone - 07 3819 5777  (between 8.20am-3.15pm Monday to Friday - or school days) 

Please no longer use the mobile number -  please delete it from your contacts in your phone.