From the Principal's Desk
Published by Rochedale State SchoolSpring Break
Some aspects of the world, specifically around COVID, continue to be unpredictable, however, the passing of time is something we can all still count on. While we couldn’t always anticipate what would happen throughout Term 3, we knew the weeks would still pass by. And now, in what seems like the blink of an eye, we are almost three quarters of our way through the year and commencing the final week of term. While most thoughts are turning towards our Spring break, we must also keep planning our direction forward for the rest of this year. Term 4 is when we finalise our staffing, enrolments and school goals for 2022 and as such will be another busy term; before you know it, it will be Christmas. No matter what happens in Term 4, I can guarantee the ten weeks will fly by. It is just a matter of time before the shops bring out their Christmas decorations!
Staffing Term 4
- Denise Wardle has extended her carer’s leave for the remainder of the year to continue to look after her mother.
- Mr Paul Kelly, Head of Curriculum/PYP Co-ordinator has extended his sick leave into Term 4 and Natasha Floyd will continue to act in this role.
- Our Head of Diverse Learning and Enrichment and Year 2 Sector Deputy Principal, Mrs Jessica Rigby will be taking the first two weeks of Term 4 off on Long Service Leave. Miss Tara Barron will act in these roles in Jessica’s absence.
Details of Tara’s replacement and a couple of other staffing changes will be communicated in the first newsletter next term, once they are finalised.
September means sport
To many September is synonymous with football grand finals – either AFL or Rugby League depending on the code you follow. For us at Rochedale September also means sports albeit in the form of Junior Sports Day and Senior Cross Country. Our recent Junior Sports Day was a huge success and I am happy to announce that after tight and enthusiastic competition, Banksia emerged as the winning house after all the points were tallied. Congratulations to all competitors for your efforts and to the entire Banksia team!
We now turn to the Senior Cross Country which will be held this Friday after parade. To assist with COVID planning, students will come out of their class in age groups, run their race and then return to their rooms so that we do not have large crowds on the oval. We will begin with our youngest age group, the 8 years at 9:45am, followed by the 9 years at 10:00am, 10 yrs at 10:15 am and the 11 and 12 yrs running together at approx. 10:30am. Parents are welcome to spectate but we do ask that you stay back from the student races, maintain social distance while on site, stay away if feeling sick or been to a listed hotspot and complete a COVID declaration form on arrival – these will be located adjacent to the Admin Block. Please note, race times are a guide and start times may vary depending on the time taken by preceding groups.
NAPLAN results - individual reports to go home today
Each student in Years 3 and 5 has been provided with their own ‘Student Report’ for NAPLAN in 2021 - these reports have been placed in an envelope and given to students today. Although NAPLAN results form a useful piece of information, they are not the be all and end all upon which to judge a student’s (or school’s) success. It is important to remember the NAPLAN results represent point-in-time testing over a few hours each May – for only two of our seven year levels. The NAPLAN results are important but are just one of the many pieces of information our school uses to improve learning outcomes for our students and to ascertain report card grades. If you have any questions in regards to the NAPLAN Student Reports, please see your child’s teacher in the first instance and then the Sector Deputy if you need more informtion.
Harmonies on the Hill
Like many things we have re-booted this year, Harmonies on the Hill will take on a different look in 2021 to reflect the current COVID restrictions. Due to the sheer numbers of performance students, we have moved Harmonies to an outdoor setting so that parents can attend. The gym has limited seating due to COVID and is unable to accommodate an audience of this size. A second key change is that we have moved our traditional two Harmony nights into one to maximise the use of the outdoor stage we have hired. Please note in your calendar, Harmonies on the Hill will take place from 6:00pm this Wednesday night. Performance students and families have received more detailed information but the night is open to all. Bring a rug, and dress for the Spring weather and remember everyone is welcome. I look forward to seeing the proud parents and family members in the audience supporting our talented music program students.
Rochedale Performing Arts Kids - RPAK
Following Harmonies, on Thursday night at 6:00pm on our outdoor stage, we are proud to present our dance performance students in A Night at the Movies for your enjoyment. A Night at the Movies will take you on an exciting and colourful journey of dance, choreographed to partner some of your favourite and most popular movie themes. Our performance includes 86 dancers from Years 4 to 6 whose talents will bring these songs to life and showcase the amazing dancers we have here at Rochedale. This show promises to be a toe tapping, entertaining night and a perfect way to end our term. I look forward to watching our students turn their hours of hard work and rehearsal into opening night! Please come and join us.
Learner Profile: Attribute focus for the week – Reflective – students who are reflective, think about how their actions impact on others and make the correct choices to ensure everyone at school can focus on our core business of teaching and learning. Children who need help with being reflective are directed to our Reflection Room as part of the school behaviour management plan. Children who haven't been to the Reflection Room this term qualify for this term’s final learner profile attribute. Students who have achieved all ten weekly Learner Profile attributes this term have earned a Learner Profile Award recognising their outstanding achievement – a Bronze Award if this is their first one, a Silver Award if they achieved an award last term or a Gold Award for students who have already received two awards this year. Well done to these students!
Happy Holidays
Term 3 finishes this Friday and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful and refreshing break. Please note that school restarts on Tuesday 5 October (Monday 4 October is a public holiday). Please help keep our school safe by staying out of the school grounds over the holidays and reporting any suspicious trespassers or behaviour to the police or School Watch on 13 1788.
COVID
Please note: if the COVID situation changes over the holiday period and impacts on our school, I will send a news flash to all families on Monday 4 October with the latest information outlining any changes to school routines/procedures. A lot may happen over two weeks and I won’t just react to changing bits of news and bombard you with updates, particularly if it is the first week of holidays. I will endeavour to keep any messaging clear, concise and accurate to prepare us all for Term 4. I thank you in advance for your continued patience and understanding.
Have a safe and happy holiday and see you in Term 4.
Kind regards
Keith Graham
Principal