2025 Edition 43 28.02.2025

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

Passion Projects  - We are excited to invite you to our Term 1 Passion Project Fair on the last day of term, Friday 4^th April. The fair will start at 12.30pm and you can enter via front gates at Gazania Street or via Gate 7 at Binnies Road carpark.

See attached information about our Homework Policy, so you can learn more about Passion Projects. You might also like to use the planning sheet with your child. In preparation for the fair you may like to assist your child with how to answer the example Q&A, and if you visit, these are questions you could ask students too.

You are then invited to stay for a P&C sausage sizzle (more info to come) followed by our Easter Hat parade in the hall at 2pm (more info to come).

We look forward to students showcasing their passions in our Passion Project Fair. If as a parent you are interested in showcasing your own Passion Project too, please email principal@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au for more details.

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick| Principal (and Year 2)

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

I am thrilled to congratulate our 2025 student leadership team on successfully gaining a position and stepping into their new roles with pride and purpose! Every student who applied for a leadership position should feel incredibly proud of themselves. By putting themselves forward, they showed that they are empowered and willing to take risks in their learning. They truly embodied our EPIC values of being Empowered, Polite, Inclusive, and Careful.

Last Monday, we celebrated our new leaders with a special induction assembly. It was a moment of pride as parents proudly presented their children with their leadership badges. Our student leaders then pledged their commitment to their new roles before the entire student body, marking the beginning of their exciting journey as leaders of Ripley Central State School.

Congratulations to all our 2025 student leaders! We are confident you will lead with passion and purpose, making a positive impact on our school community.

Ms Petra Yager |  Deputy Principal Year 3-6

Deputy Principal's Message - Mr Geeling

As we approach the halfway point of the term, it has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm and engagement of our students in their learning. Many classes have been working towards and celebrating their class rewards, demonstrating the values of our EPIC learners. It is always a pleasure celebrate the efforts and achievements of our students.

A particular highlight this term has been the creative and flexible approaches our Prep – Year 1 teachers have taken to extend learning beyond the traditional classroom setting. This week, Prep E embraced hands-on learning as they ventured outside to plant their seedlings, exploring concepts of growth in a real-world context. Meanwhile, 1C stepped into the Koala Kitchen to put their procedural writing skills into action, making sandwiches while following step-by-step instructions. These experiences provide valuable opportunities for students to apply their learning in meaningful and practical ways.

We look forward to seeing more of these engaging experiences throughout the remainder of the term. Keep up the great work, everyone!

Mr Alex Geeling |  Deputy Principal Year P-1

HOD Curriculum - Mrs Ward

2025 NAPLAN

Year 3 and Year 5 students will be participating in NAPLAN in Week 7 and 8 of this term. NAPLAN is a national test that checks how well students are learning essential skills in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) and numeracy. It helps parents and teachers understand how students are progressing compared to national standards.

• Online Tests: All NAPLAN tests will be completed online, with the exception of Year 3 Writing. This week students have engaged in a practise test to familiarise themselves with the online features and tools.
• NAPLAN Timetable: The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday 12 March 2025 and finishes on Monday 24 March 2025. See our school timetable below.  

Later in the year, parents and carers of Year 3 and Year 5 students will receive an individual report showing how their child did in each test area. The results will show their achievement in one of four levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing, or Needs additional support.

If you have any questions or need more information about NAPLAN at our school, feel free to contact Mrs Ward, your NAPLAN coordinator at HODC@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au.

Mrs Tammy Ward | HOD Curriculum

NAPLAN

NAPLAN 

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will commence for all students in years 3, 5,7 and 9 on 12 March 2025. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. Further information is available at the below link.

Business Manager - Ms Mitchell

REMINDER

DUE BY DATES FOR PAYMENTS

2025 is going to be a wonderful learning experience for your children.  Extra-curricular activities have been offered to students who have expressed their interest and some of these are now locked in for 2025.  Such as Year 5 /6 Camp and FISAF and CHEER.  It is important that payments are made by the due dates to avoid confusion and ensure maximum participation. Invoices for Camp will be sent by Tuesday 4^th March.  FISAF families should have their invoices and SRS has been invoiced to families at the beginning of term and for our new families they have been invoiced on Enrolment.  As always, our preferred method of payment for all invoices is via BPOINT online or QPARENTS.   

Thank you so much for your continued support of Ripley Central State School.

Ms Karen Mitchell | Business Manager

HOD Student Engagement - Mrs Ashby

A Positive Start for an EPIC Day!

Mornings set the tone for the day, and a smooth, positive start can make all the difference in helping children transition happily into school. Ripley Central, we encourage students to begin each morning in a way that supports an EPIC (Empowered, Polite, Inclusive, and Careful) mindset!

Here are some simple ways to create a calm and focused start to the school day:

🌅 Get Enough Sleep – A well-rested child is ready to learn and engage positively with others.
🍎 Eat a Healthy Breakfast – Fuelling up with a nutritious meal helps with concentration and energy.
📅 Follow a Morning Routine – Having a predictable routine, like packing school bags the night before can help reduces that morning stress.
🚶‍♂️ Arrive on Time – Being on time allows students to settle in, connect with friends, and start the day feeling ready.

By starting the morning with good habits, students can transition smoothly into the classroom and make the most of their learning. Let’s work together to ensure every child has an EPIC day at school!

Mrs Kirsten Ashby | HOD Student Engagement

HPE News

Expression of interest – Term 2 and 3 Gala Day

In term 2 and 3, students in years 4 – 6 are able to participate in Gala Sport days. These days are held on 3 consecutive Fridays during the term where students will travel via bus to a sporting venue where they will compete against other schools.  Teams will play a minimum of 3 games each week.  There will be a cost involved to cover the cost of buses and entries into the competition. Approx cost is $50 per term but this will depend on how many teams we have.

The sport options for term 2 are:

Netball - Springfield Central Sporting Complex – 44 Sportstar Drive, Springfield 4300

Soccer – Westminster Warriors S.C., Redbank Plains Recreation Reserve, Moreton Ave, Redbank Plains.

Dates:

Day 1: Friday 30^th May – Week 6

Day 2: Friday 6^th June – Week 7

Day 3: Friday 13^th June – Week 8

Catch up day if needed: Friday 20^th June - Week 9

The sport options for term 3 are:

Basketball – Boys: Silver Jubilee Park, Russell Luhrs Way, Spring Mountain. Girls: Woodcrest State College, Nev Smith Drive, Springfield

AFL – Springfield Central Sporting Complex – 44 Sportstar Drive, Springfield 4300

Touch - Boys: St. Augustine’s College, St Augustine’s Drive, Augustine Heights. Girls: Springfield Sports Complex, Sportstar Drive, Springfield Central

Details:

Day 1: Friday 15^th August – Week 5

Day 2: Friday 22^nd August– Week 6

Day 3: Friday 29^th August – Week 7

Catch up day if needed: Friday 12^th September – Week 9

If you wish for your child/student to participate in the excursion, please complete return the expression of interest form to the administration office or by email to admin@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au  by Friday 7^th March.   

The Arts

Week 4 – Scotland

To understand the dances, we have been looking further into the cultures where the dances come from. We looked the highland games and tossing the caber. We looked at the tartan kilts and the bagpipes. We looked at Disney’s Miranda and looked at how it depicted the Scottish culture and also looked at the details in the animation. The students experimented with how they could dance over and around the ‘swords’. They tried different speeds, movements, partnerships and directions.

Week 5 – Greece

We had a look at the Parthenon in Athens and had a look at the different Greek Gods. We had a look at Disney’s Hercules and how it represented the Greek culture.  We looked at a flash mob of the Zorba and observed how the dance was able to be done by people of any age and how it brought the community together.

What is happening in the classroom

Koala Dollar Rewards

Prep D students have been EPIC Learners (Empowered, Polite, Inclusive and Careful). They exceeded their goal of 150 Koala dollars and earned a well-deserved movie session as a reward. Prep D also had a few students who joined from 2B for their reward.

1C saved up 200 Koala dollars for a chocolate cake.

Canteen Menu

Second Hand Uniforms

As children grow, or families move from the area, families have the opportunity to sell their second-hand uniforms via a Facebook page created by our P&C. You can join via Facebook on the below link.

  You are also welcome to donate any uniform items to our school and we support families who are in need.

Student Departure

If your family is leaving our school, please email admin@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au with departure date and new destination school. This allows our administration staff to commence processes to support your departure. This includes ensuring books and musical instruments are returned, checking your family’s financial status with the school and also updating your child’s class teacher so they can prepare to send home their books and belongings. While we are sorry to see you go, we also want to help make the process smooth for you.

Reporting Student Absences

Please be reminded that the way to report student absences is 
* by phone 3819 5777 (you can do this before office hours and leave a message).
* via QParents (if you have not yet registered for QParents, please contact administration).
* in person at administration (especially if you know a date in advance). 
Please do not email absence notifications. Our school receives a large volume of emails and your message may be missed as we process absences each morning. You may then receive a text message that you will need to respond to. 

Community News

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)