Richmond Primary School Newsletter Wednesday 26th March 2025
Principal's Address
Dear Families,
On Friday, 21st March, we celebrated Harmony Day. This significant event highlights the beauty of Australia's cultural diversity and the values of inclusiveness and respect. It is remarkable to consider that nearly half of Australians have a direct connection to other parts of the world.
The theme "Everyone Belongs" is particularly fitting, as it underscores the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for everyone, regardless of their background. It is commendable that our school's learning inquiry aligns with this theme, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of diversity among students.
Our students and staff dressed in orange and enjoyed a wide range of activities across the day.
Water Awareness Program Prep to Year 2
In week 10 our Prep to Year 2 students will be undertaking the Water Awareness Program. Living on an island it is important to develop a positive attitude towards water from a very early age, build trust, and to ensure that our students experience in these lessons are friendly, enjoyable, rewarding, and focused on success.
For our beginner swimmers the instructors will provide careful guidance, demonstrate the correct methods and allow everyone to progress at their own pace.
At this early stage the students are introduced to the water through a progressive series of water orientation skills. These include:
- Free movement in the water
- Face wetting
- Submersion, including eye opening and exhaling (mouth and/or nose)
- Buoyancy, including floating on the front, back, and variations
- Gliding
- Propulsion using legs, arms, and a combination of both
- Sculling
These initial stages are not rushed as beginners need to progress at their own pace according to their abilities and confidence levels.
PP Reports
On Friday you will receive your child’s term one report which focuses primarily on the student’s application to learning including the students personal and social capability as negotiated within their class and the wider school community. If you wish to discuss this report, please contact the school office on 6260 2191 and make an appointment with your child’s teacher.
Last year, our parents and students had the opportunity to work with Lisa Ford, a Clinical Psychologist, who addressed strategies for helping children face and manage their problems. If you are interested in arranging another session with Lisa on a topic that concerns you or your child, I recommend raising this through the School Association. The School Association has previously funded Lisa's informative sessions, making it a suitable channel for such requests.
Phones and Smart Watches in School.
We are seeing an increasing number of students arriving at school with phones and smart watches. Since Term 2 in 2020 the DECYP has had a policy in place for student devices. Our school and the DECYP takes the safe and responsible use of digital technologies, student wellbeing and the development of social and emotional skills very seriously. We live in a technology rich world where mobile phones and smart watches are an important tool for life and work. However, research and consultation with the Tasmanian community has found that mobile phones and smart watches are a distraction from learning and impact the development of positive personal relationships at school.
At Richmond Primary we follow the same guidelines set out in the policy:
- Phones are to be handed to the class teacher on arrival and will be returned to the students before departure. The class teacher will securely store them during the day.
- If a student has a smart watch – effectively a phone, then the watch must be switched to school mode, which allows the student to use the watch application but not the phone during school hours.
- If the watch doesn’t have this option, then the watch must be handed in to the class teacher, just as a phone must be handed in.
- All communication from families with students during school hours must be through the school office.
Dogs and School Grounds: Ensuring Comfort and Safety for All
While many people adore dogs and consider them part of the family, not everyone shares this sentiment. Some children and adults may feel uncomfortable or even fearful around dogs. By restricting dogs from school premises, we aim to respect these feelings and ensure that everyone can feel at ease.
Beyond emotional comfort, there are practical health and safety reasons for this policy. Dogs, even well-behaved ones, can be unpredictable in new environments. Their presence can lead to accidental injuries, such as bites or scratches, especially in a bustling school setting. Additionally, some individuals may have severe allergies to pet dander, which can trigger asthma attacks or other allergic reactions.
Ultimately, the policy of not allowing dogs on school grounds is about respecting boundaries and ensuring that everyone feels safe and comfortable. While dogs bring joy to many, it is essential to recognize and accommodate the needs of those who may not feel the same way. Therefore, we kindly ask for your cooperation in adhering to this policy.
Regards,
Clare
Term 1 in Prep
To foster a sense of belonging, our Prep children drew pictures of their families. We then created a vibrant backdrop to showcase these wonderful drawings.
In science this term, we are exploring Living and Non-living things. This has involved sorting items into categories and then venturing around our school to draw the Living and Non-living things we discovered.
1/2B News
In 1/2B, we've been excited to have university student Clare Jones join us to run some engaging, hands-on science lessons. So far, we’ve explored fascinating concepts like gravity and buoyancy. Students predicted whether objects would sink or float, then designed and created their own floating boats, complete with labelled diagrams.
We’ve also had fun creating paper helicopters and timed how long it takes for them to fall to the ground. We spent time practicing and learning how to use the stop watches.
Last week, we celebrated Harmony Day by enjoying lunch with our Buddy Class. It was a lovely time to reflect on inclusion and connection.
Assembly Awards
| Class | Achievement Award | Merit Award |
| Prep | Ellira H - Courage Brodie B - Growth Remi C - Responsibility | |
| 1/2A | Isobel B | Joe K - Growth Macey M - Respect |
| 1/2B | Stella B | Travis M - Growth Evie G - Growth |
| 3/4A | Gabe S Georgia W | Georgia B - Respect |
| 3/4B | Amelia M | Bailey W - Responsibility Bella W - Growth |
| 5/6A | Grace M Archie P | Loche B - Courage |
| 5/6B | Sienna C | Makayla S - Responsibility Zander G - Courage |
Upcoming Events
| 27th March | School Association AGM, 6pm at the Richmond Arms |
| 28th March | Reports coming home, Prep - 6 |
| 31st March - 3rd April | Growing Up Program, Kinder - 6 |
| 31st March | Division C Inter School Athletics Carnival - selected students |
| 1st April | FREE DRESS - Donate an Easter item to our Easter Raffle |
| 3rd April | Primary Leaders Conference at Huonville Primary |
| 7th April - 11th April | Swimming and Water Awareness Program, Prep - 2 |
| 9th April | SCHOOL PHOTO DAY |
| 10th April | Easter Raffle drawn SUSHI LUNCH DAY |
| 11th April | Champions Athletics Carnival - selected students Last day of term! |
The Growing Up Program 31st March - 3rd April
The Growing Up Program (GUP) is Tasmania’s leading relationships, sexuality and protective behaviours’ program for students from kindergarten through to year 6.
It is facilitated by an experienced team of Family Planning Tasmania educators, and is age and developmentally appropriate, sequential, and evidence based.
The program is mapped to the:
- Australian Curriculum
- Early Years learning Framework
- Respectful Relationships Teaching and Learning Package
By clicking the link below, parents are able to access information about their child's program:
The Growing Up Program (GUP) for Parents/Carers - Family Planning Tasmania
