Richmond Primary School Newsletter 22nd November 2023

Principal's Address

Dear Families,

The school year is racing to a close, with only four weeks remaining and much to be done.

Please check the calendar dates to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Bicentennial Choir

We have a dedicated group of students working with Sally Vance from the Rosny Children’s Choir to prepare several songs for the Bicentennial Parade on Sunday, 10 December. I certainly hope that many of our families will be able to attend. Not only have our students been practising their singing, but many have worked with Mrs Jan Ross and Mrs Ros Hey to prepare the banners that form a central feature of the day.

Last week, we put the call out to families to register to carry a banner!   This is a once in 200 years - once in a lifetime community event.  

Join the parade along Bridge Street and over the river from 10 am to 12 noon on Sunday, 10 December. Make it a family affair – dress up, carry a banner, and walk in the parade – so please encourage the people in your family to participate. See the attached flyer to register your interest.

The External School Review

Last week we had our External School Review – held over two days. I thank those parents, students and staff who contributed to the review, which when the report is complete will set our work for the coming four years. I would also like to thank Mrs Sally Gill and Mrs Tracey Johnston, experienced principals, for the time and effort they have put in.

Once the report is written, it is sent to the Department for Education, Children and Young People to be ratified and returned to the school. Seeing as the review was conducted so late in the year, it is unlikely to be produced till 2024, and I will share the recommendations with the community then.

Early Years Athletics Carnival.

On Thursday we had a wonderful Early Years Athletics Carnival at the Richmond Football Oval.

It is a brilliant venue and the students fully participated in the events on offer. It was also very exciting to see some very impressive running styles developing in our young students. Equally as exciting was seeing those children learning to manage their dissapointment and showing great resilience.

We also had lots of parents join in the parent race and our smallest community members in the toddler race. It was a delightful day and the students should be commended on their engagement.

Thank you to Mark Nichols for organising the carnival, to Kate for the programs and to our staff for your support in helping the carnival run so smoothly.

Free Dress Day

On Friday, 24 November, we will have a free dress day for students, to gather donations for the School Association Christmas Raffle. Please send donations of food and /or Christmas-themed items to add to the hampers.

Regards, 

Clare McVilly

Principal

1/2 A & B

1/2A and 1/2B enjoyed a day out at Clarence Plains nature playground.

We built cubbies and fortresses, played in the mud kitchen, ran though the sprinklers, and jumped in muddy puddles!

Students made their own damper and roasted marshmallows by the fire.

It was amazing to see students working together and problem solving while having lots of messy fun.

Thanks to all our amazing parent helpers for making the day a great success.

Richmond's got Talent

We enjoyed some fabulous singing and dancing and laughed along to some brilliant jokes this afternoon at our Richmond's got Talent Show. 

Congratulations to Riley for coming 1st, Stella for placing 2nd and Mary J and Emily for coming 3rd. 

We have some amazingly talented students at Richmond Primary, well done to all of our participants.

Lisa Ford Resilience Parent/Carer Seminar - 30th November

Assembly Awards Week 6

Animals on school grounds

Dogs and other pets are not permitted to come onto the school grounds, they need to be kept outside the school fence on a lead when dropping off or collecting students. 

Animals that children would like to share with classmates, need to be approved by the class teacher first before entering the school grounds.

We thank families for their understanding of the school implementing this policy. It is our duty of care to ensure that children's safety comes first at all times.

Parenting in an unsteady world

Information about the BRAVE Program

The BRAVE Program is a free online program that provides children and adolescents with information and skills to help cope with worries and anxiety. BRAVE is an acronym for the strategies covered in the program and each letter refers to a different strategy:

Body Signs - Training in the detection of the physiological symptoms of anxiety

Relax - Calming down one's body signs using relaxation techniques.

Activate Helpful Thoughts - Training in coping self-talk and cognitive restructuring.

Victory Over Fears - Incorporating strategies for overcoming fears using exposure and problem solving.

Enjoy Yourself - Learning about positive reinforncement and self-reward.

For more information or to register for the program, follow the below links:

https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/child-program For ages 3 - 7  

Designed for parents/caregivers to complete.

https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/child-program For ages 8 - 12

Option for both a child lead program and a program for parents/caregivers to complete.

https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/teen-program For ages 12 - 17

Option for both teenager lead program and a program for parents/caregivers to complete.

Student News

During the last week of term 3 Ryan L and Ryan M represented Tasmania at the Inline Hockey National Championships held in Queensland. Competition was fierce but both battled hard and won a bronze medal.

The team played so well and were only one point away from playing the Gold medal game.