2023 Edition 19 (17-11-2023)

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

This year, we have worked with our P&C and school staff to develop effective ways to communicate together as a community. It is captured in a document called ‘Communicating with our school’ and is accessible on our school website. 

We have identified three main reasons for communicating

• providing feedback,
• raising a concern,
• expressing gratitude or thanks.

Please see our website for details for each of these and how you can go about connecting with our school about it (also shown in images below). 

Mobile phones in schools

You may have heard in the media about schools moving to mobile phones and wearable devices being 'away for the day' in 2024.

We are already working together to reduce the distraction of mobile phones and wearable devices to provide optimal learning environments for all students. Our school procedures already see these devices handed into the office in the morning and collected again after school. This will remain in place for us as the state transitions to 'away fron the day' next year. 

Thank you to all of our parents and students who already see value and importance in this and support us daily to create a learning environment free from the distraction of texting, social media, photos, YouTube and the like. 

2024 class structures

As we start to prepare for 2024, we consider class structure and planning of student groups. Due to the nature of our fast growing school, you will not find out your child's class this year. You are invited to our school on Friday 19th January between 1pm and 2.30pm to look at our class lists and visit your child's classroom/s. If you are not available on that day, class lists will also be on display on the first day of school, 22nd January. 

In planning our classes, if there is anything you would like us to consider, please email Mrs Meyrick principal@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au  This may include friendship groups, who your child might work best away from or other matters for conisderation. 

These considerations may not be possible, but will certainly be reviewed and considered as we form classes for 2024. 

All families are reminded that if our school experiences rapid growth, class restructuring may occur at any time during the year. Help set your child up for success by talking to them about how at school sometimes classes or teachers change. In the event that this may need to happen in 2024, we will provide you with notice to continue these conversations to support any change. 

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick| Principal

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

As the academic year progresses, we take note of the exciting journey our Year 6 students are about to embark on as they transition to secondary education. To assist in this significant phase, we have gathered key information regarding the transition processes for our local High Schools, Ripley Valley State Secondary College and Bremer State High School.

Ripley Valley State Secondary College

Ripley Valley State Secondary College will be hosting their Year 7 Orientation Day on Friday, 1st December. It's important to note that this event is accessible via invitation only, which will be provided following your child’s enrolment at the school. This day will offer an invaluable experience for our students to acquaint themselves with the new school environment.

Uniform Shop Hours: To prepare for the next academic year, the uniform shop at Ripley Valley State Secondary College will be open during the following times:

• Mondays: 8.00 am to 10.30 am
• Tuesdays: 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm
• Thursdays: 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm

Please be aware of potential extended hours, which will be communicated via the school's social media platforms.

https://ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au/facilities/uniform-shop

Bremer State High School

Bremer State High School’s transition process begins with an online application for enrolment. Following the application, you will be invited for an interview with a member of the school’s Leadership Team to finalise your child's enrolment. An orientation day for enrolled students will be scheduled in the upcoming weeks.

Uniform Shop Schedule: The uniform shop at Bremer State High School will be operational at the following times:

• Mondays & Wednesdays: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
• Tuesdays & Thursdays: 8:15 am - 9:15 am
• Closed on Fridays

Additionally, the shop will be open on Saturday, 11th November 2023 (9:00 am - 12:00 pm) and on Thursday, 30th November 2023 (8:00 am - 10:00 am), which will be the last trading day for 2023. The shop will reopen from Monday, 8th January 2024 to Friday, 19th January 2024 between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm.

https://bremershs.eq.edu.au/facilities/uniform-shop

Ms Petra Yager |  Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal's Message - Mrs Ward

Our Koala Joey’s sessions have finished for the year and marked an important milestone for our youngest members of our Ripley Central family, our 2024 Prep students. These sessions were designed to provide our Joey’s with a gentle transition into school life while giving them the opportunity to meet some new friends and get to know some of our current Prep teachers. It was heart warming to witness our little ones embrace this experience with enthusiasm and curiosity.

Our Koala Joey’s loved engaging in hands-on activities; from painting to making green sheep, from crafting to listening to stories, our young learners were immersed in a world of imagination and learning. These activities not only fostered their creativity but also helped develop essential social and emotional skills.  

As we bid farewell to our Koala Joey’s sessions, we eagerly look forward to having our youngest members of our Ripley community join us for Prep in 2024. The foundations they have built during these sessions will undoubtedly serve them well as they embark on their formal education journey with us.

Mrs Tammy Ward |  Deputy Principal

Business Manager's Message - Mrs Van Der Zee

Finalisation of school accounts

As we head to the end of the year it is important your child’s financial account is all finalised. If you still have money owing on your child’s account, please visit our office on Tuesday or Thursday, or pay via BPoint on the invoice. All accounts should be finalised before the end of the school year.

Thank you to all of our families that have paid their accounts by due dates this year. 

Mrs Van Der Zee |  Business Manager 

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. 

Pop Up Enrolment Office (out of hours)

Need to complete an enrolment, bring documents or sight birth certificates? Join us in our out of hours enrolment pop up on Thursday 23rd November between 3.30 and 4.30pm. Visit the pop up enrolment stand near our adminstration. 

New enrolments to start day 1 - 2024

Moving to the area? Looking to enrol for 2024? Live in our catchment? To ensure you child is guaranteed a day 1 start next year, your enrolment application must be received in full by 17th January 3.15pm. For the enrolment to be completed in full we require;

* enrolment form complete in all sections and signed (in person or digitally)

*proof of residency documents (rates/tenancy agreement AND utilities bill)

*if new to Qld state school (prep enrolment or from interstate/private education) your child's birth certificate will also need to be sighted. 

Enrolments after this date may not be guaranteed a day 1 start, and may start in our next weekly enrolment commencement. 

Please contact enrolments@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au or visit our office as soon as possible if you are seeking an enrolment for 2024. 

We look forward to having you join our school community. 

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. 

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.

Athletics Carnival - Save the Date 

We are excited to invite you to our Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 29th of November. 

Years 3-6 : 9:00-10:45 

Prep-Year 2 : 12:00-1:15 

We will monitor the weather forecasts and make decisions closer to the date about any changes that may need to be made. Athletics Carnivals are normally held in cooler times of the year. We would love to provide the opportunity this year for our students (now we have our oval), however health and safety of our students and staff will be our first priority. 

Night of EPIC Learners - 4th December

On Monday 4^th December, commencing at 6.15pm we will host our first annual Night of EPIC Learners . This is an invitation only special event, that will celebrate the students receiving Academic Awards and EPIC Star Awards.  

We will be presenting our highest achieving academic students in Prep to Year 6 for each learning area an award (example - the highest achieving student in English in Prep, Maths in Prep, Science in Prep and so on). We will also present our Dux Award to the overall highest achieving Year 6 student.

Our EPIC Star Awards are by year level. There will be 4 students in each year level recognised for their commitment to our school values of Empowered, Polite, Inclusive and Careful. Nominations from all of our school staff have been accepted and are now under review.

Not every child is able to walk across the stage and that is ok. This event is for our highest achieving students and for us to celebrate their successful year with their families. Throughout the year, all students, regardless of their academic levels, are eligible to receive EPIC Post cards, EPIC Certificates and Koala Dollars. It has been exciting for them to shine in these areas this year and we look forward to celebrating and recognising our students this way again next year. 

Into the future as our school grows, we will also add our Night of EPIC Sports Stars and Night of EPIC Artists to our calendar. 

Passion Project Fair - Term 4

Has your child started their Passion Project for Term 4?

We will email home an optional planning sheet you can help your child with if they are having trouble generating ideas for their Passion Project. We will also email a copy of a Q&A sheet that they might like to consider to help them be more confident and prepared in talking with others about their Passion Project. 

Connect with your child's class teacher if you need any support or ideas. 

The Arts

Our Preps and Year 1s have been practicing their drama skills in preparation for their English assessments. They have been taking on different character roles and how their character would move, talk, interact. We have a new stage in the Dance & Drama studio and the students have been embracing the different levels for their movements.

Our year 2s have been doing stop motion for Media Arts and focusing on combining the actions with the voices and sound effects.

The year 2s have also been bringing the writing to life and filming their writing prompts and then editing their work, getting feedback from each other, having rich discussions around the language, settings and actions to support their learning.

Year 3s have been using hand puppets to tell stories and have been enjoying exploring voices to use.

Christmas Concert

On Friday 1st December, our school will host a Christmas Concert event on our oval. We would love you to join us!

All year levels will perform a song each and we will have other classic Christmas tunes to sing along to as well. We will also have some whole school performances of Christmas songs in Auslan and a special staff performance too. 

Our P&C will be selling candles (battery operated) and BBQ food and drinks from 6pm. The performances will commence at 6.30pm. Our P&C will also have some lucky door prizes and will be selling raffle tickets for their Christmas raffle. 

Children are invited to wear Christmas clothing and accessories. School uniforms are not required. Christmas shirts and Santa hats or headbands are encouraged by all attendees. 

Please bring your own picnic rug or chairs. Family members (grandparents, older siblings etc) are all welcome to attend. 

This is a non-alcoholic and no smoking event. You are welcome to bring your own soft drinks and snacks, however we would love you to support our P&C if possible. 

Our oval has easily accessible toilets for adults and students. There will be no access to other areas of our school during this event, including our playgrounds.

We ask you to stay seated with your children and provide supervision for them in the audience area during the performances to allow others to see and enjoy. Each year level will be called to an assembly area prior to their performance. 

Please enter via Gate 7 at the Binnies Road carpark. Please park in designated parking spaces or out in the street network. Please do not park in the bus set down area. The carpark at Gazania Street will be closed. 

This is a school event for our school community and we ask all members of our community to follow our Parent and Community Code of Conduct during this event. We are excited to celebrate with you all and cannot wait to share this end of year moment with you all. 

Young Entrepreneurs Shine in Economic and Business HASS Unit

We're excited to share the accomplishments of our Year 5 and 6 students in their Economic and Business HASS unit. This term, they've taken significant strides in understanding and practicing entrepreneurial skills.

Our Year 5 students delved into the basics of resource allocation and consumer choices. They learned to interpret data and trends, which aided them in making informed decisions – a crucial skill in the business world.

Building on this foundation, our Year 6 students explored deeper aspects of business, including various roles and ethical considerations. They engaged in debates, discussing different perspectives on business challenges, which sharpened their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

This weekend, these learnings were put into practice as students brought their business plans to life, selling their unique creations and engaging in skill-based ventures. The interaction with our local community was a highlight, bringing joy to both the students and the locals.

Their efforts resulted in an impressive profit of over $800, which will be reinvested into our school's entrepreneurial program for future endeavours. This experience has been invaluable in teaching real-world skills like budgeting, decision-making, and understanding business basics.

Defence School Mentor News

Our Remembrance Day assembly was held on Monday 6/11 on the school oval. Despite a light shower early on, the weather cleared so that we could come together to mark this commemorative occasion. Thank you to all involved including students, staff, our onsite Camp OSHC, special guest speaker and attending guests for contributing to the success of our first outdoor assembly. 

Our students also had the opportunity to participate in the Draw to Remember activity to create some reflective artworks using chalk to signify what Remembrance Day means to them. This activity was attended by members of the Ipswich RSL Sub Branch who were very impressed with the contributions made by our students. It was very encouraging to see our future generations 'remember'.

Thank you to all who purchased a poppy or badge ahead of Remembrance Day and thank you to our students and staff who manned the table and did a great job of taking care of the sales. All sales were very much appreciated with the proceeds going to the RSL Sub Branch Welfare Program.

Congratulations to our students who were recognised and awarded a Child of the ADF medallion at a ceremony held at Ripley Valley State Secondary College on the 8^th November.

With postings now underway, please inform our Admin team if your family is preparing for an upcoming move.  

The Defence Member and Family Helpline is the first point of call for Defence families seeking support, information or connection with their community and can be contacted on 1800 624 608.

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

P&C News

Bunnings BBQ

The P&C will be running a community sausage sizzle at Bunnings West Ipswich on Saturday the 18^th November from 8am to 3pm. This is an opportunity to generate substantial funds for our 2023 fundraising goals for the school. Please spread the word amongst family, friends and the community, and stop by to purchase a sausage to show your support.

Christmas Concert

Join us at our schools first annual Christmas Concert on Friday 1st December.

The P&C will be running a sausage sizzle with a number of yummy treats available for purchase.

Candles and glow sticks will also be available and a Christmas raffle with some great prizes will also be conducted on the night. Hope to see you all there.

Disco

The P&C would like to express our sincere gratitude to the entire school community for supporting our first school disco. Your support not only enabled the students to have an amazing night but we managed to raise $1100 towards our fundraising goals for 2023.

A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who helped on the night and to all our families who donated goods. We greatly appreciate all contributions and thank you for your continued support.

Donations and Volunteering

If you are interested in volunteering at the Christmas Concert please sign up using the online form by clicking this link Ripley Central State School P&C Volunteer Register or contact us directly by email at pandc@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au.

If you are unable to volunteer your time we are calling for donations of the following items: Oil, Tomato Sauce, BBQ Sauce, American Mustard, Long Life Milk, Paper Towel, Napkins, Foil Trays, Bottles of Water, Poppers, cans of Soft Drink and Lollies.

Events

Bunnings BBQ 18^th November

Christmas Concert 1^st December 

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 21^st November 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

Stay up to date with P&C messages, celebrations and reminders, by liking our newly created Facebook page by clicking this link: Ripley Central State School P&C.

If you require any further information about the P&C 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.

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

Christmas in the Valley

Join us for Christmas in the Valley, a free community event in the Ripley Valley. The afternoon, beginning at 3.30pm, will include food and fun for the whole family, including lawn games, petting zoo, craft activities, sausage sizzle, plenty of food and drinks vendors, Christmas market stallholders. You can enjoy live music all afternoon from the local Ipswich talent. We’ll then host a twilight Christmas Carols from 6.30pm, finishing the evening with fireworks at 7.30pm. For more info follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Secret Santa Needs You!

A message from Jennifer Howard MP

My office is a drop off location for the STAR Community Services 'Becoming a Secret Santa'. STAR Community is looking for gifts for a person over the age of 65 years old.

Christmas is a time that can highlight the loneliness of vulnerable elderly people. The aim is to show them that they are not alone and that someone cares about them. The gifts will be collected by STAR Community Services, made into hampers and given to elderly in our community who are alone at Christmas.  

Make sure to drop off any gifts to my office by 15 December.

Mayor Teresa Harding's 2023 Christmas Card Competition

Does your child start school or Kindy in 2024?

Does your child start school or Kindy in 2024. If school, please enrol now. Visit our office or our website https://ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au/enrolments

If your child starts Kindy, connect with your choice of kindy now. 

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.