2025 Edition 47 09.05.2025

Principal's Message - Mrs Meyrick

This fortnight has seen students continue to learn (and re-learn) our EPIC Values and the EPIC Routines that support them.

To help our students learning styles we are forming a new 'Skit Squad' that will present short skits on assembly each fortnight. This visual learning from peers will help many of our learners revisit and reinforce learning they are undertaking in class. 

If your child is keen to join me on stage each assembly, is confident to project their voice (with no microphone) and is willing to practice at least one lunch time per week, then this newly formed club might be of interest to them. Please email principal@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au if your child is keen. 

Mrs Wuanita Meyrick| Principal (and Year 2)

Deputy Principal's Message - Ms Yager

Partnering with Parents - Strengthening Our School Community

At Ripley Central, we believe that education is most powerful when it’s a shared journey between school and home. When families are actively involved, students see learning as valuable, meaningful, and connected to the real world.

There are so many positive ways parents and carers can get involved in our school community - beyond just the traditional events. Whether it’s nurturing their child's interests through their Passion Projects, supporting class routines, or simply showing interest and asking questions about their child’s day, these everyday interactions help shape positive attitudes to school and learning.

We also love when parents bring their own passions and interests into the school! If you have a skill, hobby, or area of expertise - like music, chess, esports - Rocket League, photography, robotics, gardening, or storytelling - we’d love to hear from you. Some of our families already join Rock Band sessions to jam with students, and we’d love to expand these authentic learning partnerships across other areas.

If you’d like to get involved in any way, please reach out to dp@ripleycentralss.eq.edu.au 

For all other questions and enquires about your child's education, your child’s classroom teacher is always your first point of contact. They are best placed to support your child’s learning and wellbeing, and we value the ongoing conversations between teachers and families.

Together, let’s continue to build an EPIC learning community - Empowered, Polite, Inclusive, and Careful - where every student can succeed.

Ms Petra Yager |  Deputy Principal Year 3-6

Deputy Principal's Message - Mr Geeling

I hope all the mothers and mother figures in our school community enjoy a happy and memorable Mother’s Day on Sunday. It was wonderful to see so many of our students excitedly choosing gifts at the Mother’s Day Stall.

A huge thank you to our P&C members and the volunteers who helped make the stall a success. Events like these are only possible through the support of our community, and they provide valuable experiences for our students.

Last week, our 1E students were empowered learners. They dove into a world of imagination and creativity for their English unit, with a passion for learning. The students planned, painted and prepared castles for their fairy tale persuasive writing area. 1E are keen to get into character and work on their persuasive skills. This term they will be convincing audiences of their favourite fairy tale character. Well done 1E, you are EPIC learners!

Mr Alex Geeling |  Deputy Principal Year P-1

HOD Curriculum - Mrs Ward

Big Ideas, Small Entrepreneurs!

Our Ripley Central Entrepreneur Club has hit the ground running! This term, the team has been working on solving real-life problems they’ve noticed right here at school. One of their first missions? Tackling waste—starting with poppas!

Thanks to the creative minds of Noah in Prep and Finn in Year 4, we now have Poppy the Recycling Clown and Porta Bin leading the charge in poppa recycling. The club is calling on all students to do their part by recycling their empty poppas this term.

But they’re not stopping there! The team is already thinking big for next term—with plans to visit the local markets to design, make, and sell their own products. We can’t wait to see what our young changemakers come up with next!

Mrs Tammy Ward | HOD Curriculum

HOD Student Engagement - Mrs Ashby

Gratitude Grows at Ripley Central

As part of our recent Know, Grow, Glow interviews, students were invited to reflect on what they’re most grateful for at Ripley Central State School—and their responses were heartwarming!

From caring teachers and fun learning experiences to supportive friends and exciting playground adventures, it’s clear our students feel a strong sense of belonging and appreciation for their school community.

At Ripley Central, we know that taking time to reflect on what we’re thankful for helps us grow as kind, mindful learners. We’re proud to see our EPIC values in action through such thoughtful student reflections.

Outdoor Classroom Day

On Thursday 8th of May, Ripley Central students stepped outside the classroom and into nature to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day. Across the school, classes took their learning outdoors, turning the natural environment into an inspiring and hands-on learning space.

Students engaged in a range of curriculum-based activities that encouraged curiosity, collaboration, and a deeper connection to the world around them. The day provided opportunities to think creatively, move more, and enjoy the fresh air while still learning in meaningful ways.

As always, our EPIC learners showed they were Empowered, Polite, Inclusive, and Careful while enjoying the outdoor environment.

Thank you to all staff and students who made the day a success—we can’t wait to do it again!

Walk Safely to School Day – Thursday 15th May

Walk Safely to School Day is coming up next week on Thursday 15th May! This national event encourages all students to build healthy habits, reduce traffic congestion, and care for the environment by walking safely to school with their families. It’s also a great chance to learn about road safety, stay active, and enjoy a fun morning together.

Grab your crew, lace up your shoes, and make it a walking adventure to school!

As EPIC learners, we remember to be Polite and Careful—using crossings, staying alert, and showing kindness to others on our way to school.

To help everyone arrive safely:

• Always use the green man crossings at traffic lights.
• Cross at the pedestrian safety curb on Sunrise Street—this is located between the Kiss and Go area and Gazania Street.
• Do not walk through the Kiss and Go area—this is for cars only and not a safe place to cross.

Let’s all take part in this fun and meaningful event by stepping out, staying safe, and walking together as a community!

Supporting Emotional Wellbeing Through the Zones of Regulation

At Ripley Central State School, we are committed to helping students thrive not just academically, but socially and emotionally too. One way we support this is through the Zones of Regulation – a framework that helps students build awareness of their emotions and develop strategies to manage them.

The Zones of Regulation uses four colours to help students identify how they’re feeling in the moment:

• 🟦 Blue Zone – Sad, tired, sick or bored
• 🟩 Green Zone – Calm, focused, ready to learn
• 🟨 Yellow Zone – Frustrated, worried, silly or excited
• 🟥 Red Zone – Angry, out of control, extremely upset

No zone is “bad” – all emotions are valid! The aim is to help students notice what zone they’re in, name it, and then choose helpful strategies to get back to learning.

Staff model and teach strategies such as deep breathing, movement breaks, mindfulness, or seeking help from a trusted adult. We also have our calm spots both inside and outside the classroom for students to reset when needed.

By embedding emotional literacy into daily routines, we are empowering our students to be EPIC learners both inside and outside the classroom.

Together, we’re growing self-aware, emotionally resilient learners.

Mrs Kirsten Ashby | HOD Student Engagement

Arts News

Week 2 – Egypt

In week 2 the students were looking at shapes in art. The students were creating the Egyptian pyramids using triangles and square bases while building. With the Lego, some of the students were designing the mazes from inside the pyramids, while others were creating the camels and pyramids. Students were using watercolour to create silhouettes of the pyramids with a sunset background. Some students also looked at the hieroglyphics and were making them on playdough.

Week 3 - India

Rangoli is a type of art that started in India. A Rangoli design is made up of beautiful, coloured patterns. Rangolis are usually seen at the Diwali festival, other festivals, weddings etc. The Rangoli design is thought to bring good luck. During Diwali, the Rangoli patterns are created at the entrance of people’s homes to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi. Many Rangoli designs are symmetrical and often include geometric shapes as well as lots of curves and straight lines.

HPE news

District Cross Country

Congratulations to those students who went and competed at District Cross Country last week. We had 2 students finish in the top 20, Harry placing 12^th out of 97 runners and Arok placing 18^th out of 84 runners. Well done!

Gala Day

We have our Gala Sports Days coming up in week 6, 7 and 8. Invoices have been sent home and due Thursday 22^nd May. Trainings will begin next week. Please return permission forms to the office. Please note this is for students in years 4 – 6 only.

Save the date

Senior Sports Day – Year 3 – 6

Week 9 – Wednesday 18^th June 

EPIC Routines - Week 3 & 4

CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY

As part of our investigations into being EMPOWERED learner’s, students made ‘Thank You’ cards to give to the people in the community who help us.

Students said thank you to the doctors, nurses, fire fighters and police officers who help us out in the community. The local heroes at Ripley Fire Station and Ripley Satellite Health Centre accepted these cards very graciously.

RESPECTING OTHERS' RIGHT TO LEARN AND PLAY

Students in prep and year 1 were investigating being POLITE leaners. They looked at how we can respect one another when we are in the classroom or in the playground. Students made paper bag puppets to work in groups to practice being polite to one another. Prep D did a great job demonstrating being polite learners with their paper bag puppets.

WEEKS 4 & 5 - INCLUSIVE AND CAREFUL LEARNERS

Over the next fortnight students will be investigating being INCLUSIVE and CAREFUL learners. Students will look at how we can include others so that we belong. We will examine how we can all make careful and considered choices in the classroom and in the playground.

Canteen special - Thursday 15th May

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)