IMPORTANT DATES!
PRINCIPALS’ REPORT
We are already more than halfway through our term, and it has been quite a whirlwind. On Tuesday our Year 3-6 students had the athletics carnival and there were so many wonderful tales. Darren put considerable hours into making sure everyone had some success during the carnival and from my perspective it was great to see how well that was received by all the kids.
We also had a series of activities for International Mathematics Day with a wonderful parent turnout to celebrate learning. Our students are loving that we are pretty much back to normal with activities at school.
Many classrooms also celebrated International Women’s day. I do love it when everything tends to happen at the same time.
Annual General Meeting
On March the 30th at 6:30pm we will be holding our Annual General Meeting. This meeting is held every year and is an open meeting for our community. During this meeting we present our Annual Report to the School Community. The 2022 report is presented at that time and will then be uploaded to our Website so that our entire community can access it.
Junior School Council and Environmental Leaders
Next Friday the 17th of March at 3:00pm, we will be running a special assembly on the basketball court to distribute our badges to the JSC and Environmental Leaders. Our students are very keen to get to work and support our learning program, but one of the best parts of being a leader is the badge ceremony. If you get a chance to drop in a little earlier than pick up it would be wonderful to see you.
School Camps 2023
I am sure you would have read during the holiday period and the early parts of this year that school camps have become a little bit more difficult to manage for schools. I am delighted to inform you that RGLPS will still be able to run a camping program in 2023. The COVID interruptions did give us an opportunity to reflect on our programs and ensure that we were going to run activities that would benefit the learning, wellbeing, and engagement of our students.
Our 2022 camp working party had many considerations when thinking about camps. Here is a summary of the considerations needed to reset and rejuvenate our camping program.
- 1) RGLPS has grown significantly over the last few years. In the past, we were able to run composite camps, however, with cohorts of over 150 it is becoming increasingly difficult to book sites with the capacity to house all of our children.
- 2) In the past we were running camps that were only recreational camps. It meant that students were not getting variety of experience over their camping programs. We have worked to incorporate different experience and include learning objectives for both learning and wellbeing.
- 3) Last Year we had a 3-4 camp that was fabulous for the most part. We did have several Year 3 students who found the evenings very challenging on an emotional level, with homesickness a genuine issue.
- 4) We also found that the distance from Rosanna to campsites does impact. Last year we had some challenges in our
- 5-6 camp that was a little over 3 hours drive from Rosanna.
- 5) Finally, the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement has instituted time in lieu (TIL) for staff. While this is a wonderful alteration to working conditions for our staff and we are happy to ensure our hard-working staff are no longer volunteering their time during school camps, there are a few hiccups that we are trying to iron out. For example, we are unable to charge families for the TIL that is accrued during camps and this new condition has not been funded.
As you can tell it is a balance to make sure we get things right for our students. The following camping experiences are set for 2023.
Year 3 – Big Day out
Year 4 – Lady Northcote Camp, incorporating a school experience at Sovereign Hill
Year 5 – Lake Dewar adventure camp
Year 6 – City camp incorporating parliament house and government learning
As you can see, there is a variety of experiences with traditional elements of the camping experience maintained throughout. We look forward to our 2023 camping program with a continuation of the variation through 2024 and beyond.
Take care,
Kirrily Lamers
Principal
STUDENT OF THE WEEK
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Clubs
At times students are looking for activities and things to do during the break times here at school. Our ‘Clubs’ have been developed for this year and will begin to start as of next week. Clubs can support students to find new friends and develop particular skills and interests. Have a chat with your children over the weekend and see if any clubs interest them.
At times we will need to limit the number of participants in some clubs. Teachers will make these decisions in the coming weeks. However, please encourage your children to speak with teachers to join.
Our clubs will run on the following schedule:
The Resilience Project - Gratitude
This week’s presentation from The Resilience Project focuses on Gratitude.
Gratitude is paying attention to the things that we have right now, and not worrying about what we don’t have. We practise this by noticing the positives that exist around us.
Research shows that practicing gratitude rewires our brains to overcome the negativity bias (which can lead to anxiety and depression) and see the world for what we are thankful for. It is also shown to broaden thinking, and increase physical health through improved sleep and attitude to exercise.
View Part 2 of the series here:
Part 2 – Gratitude: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/
There are many ways in which you can practise gratitude, including starting a gratitude journal. You can simply use a notebook to list three things that went well for you each day, or use a more comprehensive Wellbeing Journal, like those created by The Resilience Project.
Source: Psychology Today
For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Mistakes Help Us Learn!
Persistence is one of our RGLPS school values. Many children (and adults) find it difficult to persist with challenges when things become difficult. Neuroscientific research shows that these moments of struggle is when significant learning is occurring in our brains. Magnetic Resource Imaging scans (MRIs), reveal heightened brain activity when we make a mistake. If we are aware of our errors, multiple areas of the brain are activated to try and make sense of the mistake. Our brain strengthens its connections and neural pathways for improved learning in the aftermath of an error. It is therefore important, as teachers and parents, that we encourage and celebrate making mistakes and recognise them as opportunities for deeper learning.
James Nottingham is a globally recognised expert on learning, and he encourages us to embrace what he terms ‘The Learning Pit’. He describes ‘The Learning Pit’ as those moments of intense struggle when we are grappling deeply with new learning and finding it hard. When we persevere and push through a challenge, deep learning occurs and it is in this phase that we make significant learning breakthroughs. I’m sure everyone can all recall a task they persevered with and felt enormous pride when they finally grasped the difficult concept or skill? The frustrating murkiness becomes clearer as we emerge from ‘The Learning Pit’ and we experience that rush of accomplishment and success.
So, what does this mean for teachers and parents? Well, its important that adults accept making mistakes and model learning from them around children. Adults should try and reframe learning struggles as times when our brains are actively learning and working extra hard. Encourage your child to display persistence and become comfortable being in ‘The Learning Pit’. Your child’s learning and overall wellbeing will benefit if they can reframe their learning struggles as a positive, rather than as a personal failure.
NAPLAN 2023
Next week, our Year 3 and 5 students will sit NAPLAN tests. The NAPLAN test period has been brought forward several months this year from its normal time period in mid-May. All NAPLAN tests will be conducted online this year, with the exception of Year 3 Writing which will be completed in a test booklet.
There are four tests in total and students have 45 – 50 minutes to complete each test, dependent on their year level.
- – NAPLAN Reading – Wednesday 15th March
- – NAPLAN Writing – Wednesday 15th March
- – NAPLAN Language Conventions – Thursday 16th March
- – NAPLAN Mathematics – Thursday 16th March
Make-up NAPLAN tests for students absent on a test day will be held up until Friday 24th March. All Year 3 and 5 students are expected to participate in all NAPLAN unless they have signed an exemption due to Program for Students with Disability funding or are withdrawn from NAPLAN tests by their parents.
Our Year 3 and 5 teachers have spent time familiarising students with the NAPLAN format and expectations via mock practice tests over the last few weeks. Teachers are trying to keep the tests ‘low key’ to limit student anxiety as best we can.
We do have a few requests – if your child is participating in NAPLAN next week, please avoid scheduling external appointments on the dates listed above. We also request that your child to get a good night sleep and try to be at school on time on the NAPLAN days.
Good luck to all students participating in the NAPLAN this year.
Maths Olympiad
Evan Butler is taking over from me as the school’s High Ability Practice Leader (HALP) in 2023. As part of this role, Evan will be taking the Maths Olympiad sessions for students in Year 5 and 6 that would benefit from mathematics extension.
For those who are unaware, the Maths Olympiad is a national competition offered to Year 5 and 6 students performing at least 12 months above expected level in at least one of the strands of Mathematics (based on their Semester Two 2022 report). Students will participate in four Olympiads during the year, competing against similarly high achieving peers around Australia. Each Olympiad consists of five question and problems are pitched at lower to middle secondary school level. The first Olympiad will be held on Wednesday 3rd May 2023.
Parents of students offered a place in the RGLPS Olympiad Team will need to provide consent on Compass for their child to participate. Please contact Evan at the school if you have further questions. More information is also available at https://apsmo.edu.au/competitions-programs/maths-olympiad-years-5-6/
I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the long weekend!
Kerron Worsdell
Learning Specialist
MATHMATICS NEWS
AUSLAN SIGN OF THE WEEK
SCHOOL PHOTOS
CAMPS EXCURSION and ACTIVITES FUND (CSEF)
Camps Excursion and Activities Fund (CSEF) - (for parents holding a current Health Care Card)
Applications are now open for 2023 CSEF funding. If you received CSEF in 2022, I have submitted an application on your behalf and nothing further is required from you unless there is a prep student to be added. In this case, please contact me on kaylene.ingham@education.vic.gov.au to confirm I have added your student.
CSEF funding is a government initiative to assist families where a parent or carer is the beneficiary of a financially means-tested card (most commonly a Health Care Card, however please contact me if you require the full list of eligible cards). The funding is to be used for camps, excursions and activities. Please advise the office or chose the CSEF option on Compass when you wish to access the funds for any of these purposes. We don’t do this automatically as some parents prefer to pay smaller amounts themselves and use the funding for more expensive activities such as camps. Any unused funds are automatically rolled over to the following year and are transferred to your child’s next school if applicable.
If you are an eligible parent, and have not received CSEF in the past, please call past the office to collect an application form and present your card.
GARDEN NEWS
CANTEEN
Parent Volunteers
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help in the canteen. Your help is very much appreciated.
Summer Specials (next 2 weeks)
Chicken Sub Roll – chicken tenders served in a long roll with lettuce: $5.00
Extras: Grated cheese: $0.70
Mayo: $0.40
Sweet Chilli Sauce: $0.40
Plant Bases Burger – burger served in a roll with lettuce, tomato and tomato sauce: $7.10
(Burger is Gluten Free) Extra: Pineapple: $0.80
Beetroot: $0.70
Fruit – Grapes $1 per slice
Muffin – Blueberry
We would like to wish all the parents a safe and happy long weekend.
Regards
Margaret
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Disclaimer: Rosanna Golf Links Primary School (RGLPS) does not endorse any product or service advertised in this newsletter. RGLPS takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements or the quality and reliability of products or services offered in the advertisements
