2025 Edition 46 24.04.2025

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

Our Know Grow Glow interviews (Parent Teacher interviews) will be held on Monday in our hall from 3pm to 6pm. We love this opportunity to connect with our families to update them on how their child is progressing in class. Please use Gate 7, Binnies Road Carpark for entry and exit for this event. 

We have a number of Public Holidays this term including Labor Day (Monday 5th May) and the Ipswich Show Holiday (Friday 16th May). Our school will be closed on both of these days. 

All students require a school hat every day as part of their uniform. This is used for HPE lessons, play time and any outdoor learning with their teacher. Named hats are returned to students via our communication boxes, please ensure your child's hat is clearly named. Please support your child to learn to put their hat into their bag and zip their bag up when their hat is not in use. 

Our school has CCTV (closed circuit) that monitors our school security. It is used to support police investigations for out of hours damage or break in attempts and also used if police require for enacting the Hostile Persons Procedure. Our cameras are located in areas that public access, they are not located in classrooms. We do not use CCTV to monitor the daily operations of our school or for behaviour follow ups. Upon entry to our school, you will see signage that advises that these cameras are on our site. 

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick| Principal (and Year 2)

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

I hope you had a restful and joyful Easter break with your families. As we launch into an exciting Term 2, I am thrilled to share a key focus that will be supporting your child’s learning at our school – The Learning Pit.

Imagine learning as a journey. Sometimes it’s smooth, but often we hit a “pit” – a moment when learning feels challenging, confusing, or even frustrating. And that’s a good thing! These tricky moments are where the most powerful learning happens.

Across our classrooms, you’ll now see the Learning Pit displayed visually to help students understand and talk about their learning journey. It encourages them to see struggle as a normal – and essential – part of learning. Students are learning to say things like:

• “I’m not there yet, but I’ll get there.”
• “I learn from my mistakes.”
• “This is hard, but I can do it.”

If you'd like to learn more, we invite you to watch this short video explaining The Learning Pit found at the below link.

We’re excited to see our EPIC learners dive into Term 2 with courage, curiosity, and a strong sense of purpose. Let’s support them to climb out of the Learning Pit, be EMPOWERED learners and soar!

Ms Petra Yager |  Deputy Principal Year 3-6

Deputy Principal's Message - Mr Geeling

Firstly I would like to welcome all of our students, families and staff back for Term 2. I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Easter break and is feeling refreshed and ready to hit the ground running as EPIC learners.

This week, we were pleased to finally hold our NRL Gala Day for our junior students. It was fantastic to see our young footballers demonstrating the skills they have been developing during training. The mini games played on the oval showcased not only their abilities but also their sportsmanship and teamwork. A huge thank you to the staff from NRL for their coordination of both the training sessions and the games on the day.

As we move further into the term, we are beginning to experience cooler weather conditions. We encourage all families to start preparing and ensure students are dressed appropriately for the season. Please ensure your child is wearing the correct school jumper as per uniform guidelines. It is important that all clothing items, including jumpers, are clearly labelled with your child’s name.

For your reference, please see the table below outlining the correct uniform to be worn on each school day:

Mr Alex Geeling |  Deputy Principal Year P-1

HOD Curriculum - Mrs Ward

Persuasive Power in English this Term!

This term in English, our students are diving into the exciting world of persuasion! They are learning how to clearly share their opinions, convince others of their point of view, and back up their ideas with strong evidence. Whether it’s debating real-world topics or stepping into the shoes of a character from a story, our learners are developing important skills in communication, reasoning, and critical thinking.

Students are exploring persuasive techniques such as emotive language, strong arguments, and examples to support their opinions. Through writing, speaking, and creating multimodal texts, they are building their confidence in expressing themselves clearly and thoughtfully.

How you can support at home:

• Encourage your child to share their opinions about everyday topics (e.g., What’s the best family meal? Should bedtime be later?) and ask them to explain why.
• Watch a commercial or ad together and talk about how it tries to persuade the audience.
• Play ‘persuasion games’ where your child has to convince you of something (like choosing the movie or weekend activity!).
• Read persuasive texts or articles together and discuss the techniques used.

We can’t wait to see how our students continue to grow as persuasive, powerful communicators this term!

Mrs Tammy Ward | HOD Curriculum

HOD Student Engagement - Mrs Ashby

ANZAC Day Commemoration at Ripley Central

On Wednesday 23^rd April, the Ripley Central State School community came together to honour the courage, sacrifice and service of our Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women at our annual ANZAC Day Ceremony.

Held on the school oval, the solemn event was led with respect and reverence by our student leaders. Together, we reflected on the ANZAC spirit through the laying of wreaths, followed by a minute of silence to acknowledge the bravery of those who have served and continue to serve our nation.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Leading Aircraftman Balhar Singh, the Goodna RSL, and the Ipswich Railway RSL for joining us today and supporting our school’s commemorative efforts. Their presence provided a powerful connection between our students and the wider legacy of the ANZACs.

Lest we forget.

Let the Garden Grow – Please Don’t Collect the Critters!

Our school garden is full of life—wriggly worms, busy bugs, cheeky lizards, and fluttery butterflies all call it home. Lately, some of these little garden friends have been picked up or taken out of their environment during playtime.

We know it’s super tempting to take a closer look (they are pretty cool!), but it’s really important we leave living things where they belong. Every creature plays a special role in keeping our garden happy and healthy.

Some animals can be dangerous to humans if touched, and sometimes our hands can harm them too—even gentle handling can hurt delicate creatures or disrupt their environment.

We’re asking all students to be respectful visitors in the garden. That means no collecting, no bug jars, and no pocketing little critters—just observing and enjoying from a safe distance.

We’d love your support in having a quick chat at home with your child about why it’s important to leave living things in their environment. A gentle reminder from home can make a big difference!

Let’s help keep our garden wild, wonderful, and full of life.

Thanks for your support.

Hats On!

As the weather cools slightly but the sun continues to shine, it’s important to remind our students and families about the importance of bringing a school hat each day.

Wearing a school hat is a vital part of our school uniform. Not only does it show pride in our school community, but it also helps protect students from the harmful effects of the sun.

Students without a hat during playtimes will need to stay within designated areas, the undercover area near the Canteen for Years 1–6, and the Terrace for Prep students. Hats are also required for PE lessons and any outdoor events or activities, such as excursions or sports carnivals. This ensures all students can participate safely.

Please check that your child’s hat is clearly labelled with their name and is brought to school each day. Hats can be purchased from the uniform shop if needed.

Let’s all work together to stay sun safe and school ready! 🌞

Mrs Kirsten Ashby | HOD Student Engagement

Mothers' Day Stall

On the 9th of May, our P&C will be hosting our annual Mothers' Day Stall. Students can bring cash on the day to purchase from the stall during their class rostered time. The P&C needs volunteers to assist in running the event, if you are available to assist please contact them via email PandC@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au We would love to see you helping our students do their shopping for their special person in their life. 

The Arts news

In term 2, the students are doing visual arts. The students are going to be making visual arts about different countries around the world using different materials to explore and create. Classes that have their lesson in the afternoons, will be dismissed from the Art Studio, with their bags.

Prep to year 2 are looking at the Elements of Arts: Line, Shape, Colour, Form, Texture, Space and Value.

Preps are exploring how and why visual arts are important for people & communities.

Year 1 & 2 are exploring where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience visual arts.

Year 3-6 are looking at the Principles of Design: Movement, Rhythm, Contrast, Unity, Pattern, Emphasis and Balance.

Year 3 & 4 are exploring where, why and how visual arts are created and/or presented across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. 

Year 5 & 6 - are exploring ways that visual conventions, processes and materials are combined to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. 

Week 1 the classes were looking into the Kōwhaiwhai Patterns which represent Māori history recorded by Māori, native people from New Zealand.  Traditionally, Kōwhaiwhai are red, black and white. Red represents warmth, blood and life. White represents purity and promise for the future. Black represents the earth.  The students explored the colours, patterns, lines, shapes through playdough, Lego, colouring and painting.

HPE news

NRL

Last term we were lucky enough to have the NRL out who ran 2 weeks’ worth of oz tag lessons to students in Prep – 2. This week each year level will play in a mini gala day where each class will play against each other.

We were fortunate enough to be asked to play before the NRL game Dolphins vs Broncos game in Brisbane. Despite the constant pouring rain, the students had a blast.

Health Incursion:

In the last weeks of Term 1, Healthy Harold from Life Education came to visit our school. It was great to see so many students from Year 1 – 6 engaged in lessons about the importance of staying active and the benefits of healthy food and energy, functions of the body system and factors that influence physical health.

Term 2:

This term in PE we will be learning and practising athletics skills in preparation for our athletics carnival at the end of the term. Lessons will be outside on the oval and students need to be wearing a school hat.

Gala Day – Term 2

This term, students in years 4 – 6 have the opportunity to participate in Gala Day where they will compete against other schools in either Soccer or Netball. They compete against other schools in our area on 3 consecutive Fridays in Week 6, 7 and 8. Each Friday they play a minimum of 3 games.  Invoices will be sent home soon for term 2.

If you child would like to participate in term 3 and have not yet expressed interest, please email Mrs Tolhurst at mmars183@eq.edu.au

The term 3 sports are Touch, Basketball and AFL.

EPIC Routines - Week 1 & 2

EPIC Values in Action at Ripley Central – Week 1 & 2 Focus

At Ripley Central State School, we are proud to be EPIC learners – Empowered, Polite, Inclusive, and Careful. Each week, our students explore one of these values through meaningful learning experiences designed to grow both character and capability.

Week 1 – EMPOWERED

This week, our focus was on being EMPOWERED

• Taking risks with our learning and asking questions
• Showing agency and ownership
• Connecting with our community
• Being a role model

• Prep and Year 1 students explored what it means to be a role model at school. From showing kindness in the playground to helping friends in the classroom, our youngest learners are already stepping up to lead by example.
• Year 2 and 3 students made meaningful connections with the wider community by writing heartfelt thank you letters to our local Police, Firefighters, Doctors, and Nurses. It was a wonderful way to show gratitude and recognise the real-life heroes who help keep our community safe and healthy.
• Year 4 and 5 students focused on agency and ownership in their learning. Through setting and working towards personal learning goals, they demonstrated what it means to be self-directed and motivated learners.
• Year 6 students took a leap into inquiry-based learning, taking risks and asking big questions as they researched topics of personal interest. This empowered them to explore their curiosity and deepen their understanding through independent exploration.

Across all year levels, students embodied what it means to be empowered learners, showing confidence, initiative, and responsibility.

Week 2 – POLITE

Next week, we turn our attention to the EPIC value of POLITE – focusing on how we work with and treat others. Through class discussions, group activities, and collaborative learning tasks, students will be encouraged to consider how compassionate, considerate and courteous communication can help us build strong relationships and successful teams.

We’re excited to see our EPIC values in action again next week as we continue to grow together as Empowered, Polite, Inclusive and Careful school community.

Koala Dollar Rewards

Prep D students earned their Koala Dollar reward on Thursday (03/04/2025) after working hard during our PLD sessions and reaching 550 koala dollars! To celebrate, we had a fantastic end-of-term class party as requested by the students in Prep D. The class disco was a hit, with games, dance-offs, glow sticks, and Zooper Doopers to top it all off! A well-deserved celebration for some truly EPIC learners in Prep D!

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. 

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)