2025 Edition 44 14.03.2025

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

Thank you to all of our families for your understanding as we navigated our school closure and to the kind families who checked in, offered to assist with clean up and checked in our staff who lived in highly effected areas. We are Polite at RCSS and are compassionate, considerate and courteous. 

Our P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Tuesday 25^th March at 4:30pm in the RCSS Community Hub. All staff, parents and citizens of the Ripley community are invited to attend. Please park in the Binnies Road Carpark and enter via gate 7. The community Hub is located through the double glass doors of the A3 (yellow) building on your way from the carpark to the canteen under covered area.  

A reminder that our Student Dress Code requires plain black shoes and also outlines information about watches. When students arrive in incorrect uniform items they are supported at the administration to change into loan items. Please ensure your child is in the correct uniform each day. Any form of smart watch is not appropriate for school and if required for out of school hours travel, is handed into the office the same way we run our mobile phone policy. Students are able to wear normal analogue or digital watches if they would like to know the time during the day.  Thank you for your attention to this. 

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick| Principal (and Year 2)

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

Easter Hat Parade - 4th April at 2:00 PM in the School Hall!

Our students from Prep to Year 6 will be proudly showcasing their creativity as they parade in their handmade Easter hats, which they will be crafting in class as part of a fun, festive project.

This year, we’re adding a special touch—you’re invited to join in the fun! Parents and younger siblings are welcome to create their own Easter hats at home and take part in a special parade after our students complete their showcase.

Come along, celebrate with your child, and enjoy this wonderful tradition with our school community. We can’t wait to see everyone’s egg-cellent creations!

• • • • • • Date: Friday, 4th April
          • Time: 2:00 PM
          • Location: School Hall

 See you there for a hopping good time!

Ms Petra Yager |  Deputy Principal Year 3-6

Deputy Principal's Message - Mr Geeling

Over the past week, our students have demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of challenging weather conditions. Despite the disruptions caused by the recent cyclone, they have returned to school with a positive attitude, eager to engage in their learning. Their ability to adapt and persevere highlights the strength and empowerment of our young learners, and we commend them for their efforts.

Looking ahead, we are excited to host our annual Cross Country Carnival in Week 9 on Wednesday 26th March. Students have been preparing during their PE lessons, building their endurance and skills. This event is a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase their abilities, and we look forward to seeing their enthusiasm on the day. Further details will be shared with families soon.

As we approach the end of the term, we encourage all students to continue upholding our EPIC values in learning and behaviour. Let’s finish the term on a strong and positive note.

Mr Alex Geeling |  Deputy Principal Year P-1

HOD Curriculum - Mrs Ward

Updated Naplan timetable

Due to our school being closed for several days this week, we have updated our NAPLAN timetable with all Year 3 and Year 5 tests commencing Monday the 17^th of March. Please ensure that your child comes to school each day with their device charged and ready to go. Year 5 families, please ensure you have the locked down browser downloaded and ready – see below for further information.

NAPLAN is a national test that checks how well students are learning essential skills in reading, writing, and numeracy. It helps parents and teachers understand how students are progressing compared to national standards.

• Online Tests: Most NAPLAN tests are done online, which makes the experience more engaging and gives accurate results. The questions adapt to your child's answers, so they might find some questions challenging—this is normal! Next week students will engage in a practise test to familiarise themselves with the online features and tools.
• Year 3 Writing Test: Year 3 students will do the writing test on paper.
• Year 5 Locked Down Browser:  Parents will need to download the Windows Locked Down Browser from the following link. https://www.assessform.edu.au/naplan-online/locked-down-browser
• NAPLAN Timetable: See attached.  

Your child will be tested on:

• Writing
• Reading
• Conventions of Language (spelling, grammar, and punctuation)
• Numeracy

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

Business Manager - Ms Mitchell

REMINDER

DUE BY DATES FOR PAYMENTS

Reminder to families that your child’s Student Resource Scheme is due now.  Your SRS will need to be paid to ensure you can participate in any of the other extra curricular activities in 2025 such as Cheer and FISAF and Camp.  Invoices for Camp will be issued on Monday. 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

Empowered for Success: Cultivating a Growth Mindset

What does it mean for students to be truly empowered? At its core, empowerment is about believing in their ability to grow, learn, and overcome challenges. One of the best ways to cultivate empowerment is by adopting a growth mindset—the belief that intelligence, talents, and abilities can be developed through dedication and effort.

The Power of a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset encourages students to see setbacks as opportunities for learning rather than failures. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do this,” a growth mindset shifts their perspective to, “I can’t do this yet.” This small change in thinking fosters resilience, determination, and confidence—qualities that empower them to achieve great things.

How to Foster a Growth Mindset

1. Embrace Challenges – Stepping outside of their comfort zone can be intimidating, but challenges help students grow. Instead of avoiding difficulties, they should face them with curiosity and determination.
2. Learn from Mistakes – Mistakes are not roadblocks; they are stepping stones to success. Students should reflect on what went wrong and use that knowledge to improve.
3. Stay Persistent – Progress isn’t always immediate, and success takes time. Encouraging students to keep pushing forward, even when things get tough, helps build resilience.
4. Seek Feedback – Constructive criticism is a valuable tool for growth. Instead of fearing feedback, students should welcome it as a chance to improve.
5. Celebrate Effort – Success isn’t just about results; it’s about the journey. Acknowledging the hard work and perseverance it takes to improve fosters motivation and confidence.

Empowerment Starts with Students When students embrace a growth mindset, they empower themselves to take control of their learning and their future. They stop seeing limits and start seeing possibilities. Every challenge becomes an opportunity, and every mistake becomes a lesson.

As they move forward, it is important for them to believe in themselves, stay committed to learning, and keep striving to be their best. They are empowered, and their potential is limitless!

Know Grow Glow Interviews

We value strong partnerships between home and school, and our Know Grow Glow interviews are a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and learning goals.

📅 Date: Monday, 28th April (Term 2, Week 2)
🕒 Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 Location: School Hall

Bookings will open on Wednesday, 26th March at 9:00 AM and will close on Wednesday, 2nd April at 8:30 AM. We encourage all parents and carers to take advantage of this opportunity to connect with teachers and support their child’s learning journey.

Mrs Kirsten Ashby | HOD Student Engagement

Head of Inclusion - Ms Walas

Hello Parents and Carers,

On Friday the 21^st of March we celebrate Harmony Day. At Ripley Central we will celebrate Harmony Week; this is a time to celebrate that Australia is one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world. It is about inclusiveness, diversity, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. During the course of Week 8 we will have many teachers and some students leading activities that represent many of the vast cultures in our school. This week will culminate in a Parade of Nations on the recognised ‘Harmony Day’ being Friday. Below is a timetable of different activities being run for students throughout the week. 

Ms Kylie Walas |  Head of Inclusion

P&C News

Easter Raffle

The P&C will be running a free Easter raffle where every child will have the chance to win.

We are calling for voluntary donations of any Easter Products big or small to help support this event. Donated items can be dropped into the basket at the admin building from Monday 17^th March. All donated items are greatly appreciated. The raffle will be drawn during the end of term festivities.

P&C Membership / Volunteering

Looking to connect with your school community? 

Why not join the Ripley Central State School Parents and Citizens Association. The P&C works closely with the principal and school staff on behalf of the student families to foster an interest amongst parents in educational matters as well as fundraising to provide additional resources to the school.

If you don’t have the availability to join the P&C you can contact us to volunteer at our upcoming events. Your participation, no matter how big or small, will help us to achieve the best outcomes for our students. Our next upcoming event will be an end of term BBQ. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering at this event please contact the P&C using one of the options below. 

Meetings

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Tuesday 25^th March at 4:30pm in the RCSS Community Hub. All staff, parents and citizens of the Ripley community are invited to attend. Please park in the Binnies Road Carpark and enter via gate 7. The community Hub is located through the double glass doors of the A3 (yellow) building on your way from the carpark to the canteen under covered area.  

At the AGM there will be a call for memberships for this year, the endorsement of the 2024 Auditors Report as well as nominations and elections of the 2025 Executive Committee positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.    

Directly following the AGM will be our regular monthly meeting which will conclude by 6pm. 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 Facebook page by clicking the below link.

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.

HPE News

HPE news

Health Incursion

Starting in week 8, classes in year 1 – 6 will have a visit from Life Education. Life Education Qld is the largest non-government provider of health and wellbeing education to children in Queensland and their content is aligned with the Health and Physical Education Australian Curriculum. The age-appropriate content is consistent to national standards to improve learning for all young Australians. The session will be delivered alongside the classroom teacher in a classroom space.

The cost for this incursion is $13 per student. Letters and invoices have been sent home. Please see note for payment due date.

District Sport

Congratulations to Hudson from 6A who made the Central Comets Rugby League team. He will now attend the Met West regional trials. Good luck Hudson!

Cross Country – Save the date

Wednesday 26^th March

More information to come

What is happening in the classroom

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)