Term 2 Week 8

9 June 2026

NSW Public School Parent Surveys

In Term 2, we are also inviting parents and carers to participate in the NSW Public Schools Parent Survey. The survey gives you the opportunity to share your experiences at our school, including communication, inclusion, wellbeing and how your child’s learning is supported.

Hearing directly from our parents and carers will also help us understand what is working well and where improvements can be made. Participation in the survey is optional, your responses are anonymous, and it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. You can access the survey at: https://surveyme.education.nsw.gov.au/sc/bF_DtT1yrWXRL5wg7JbumQ2

P&C Meeting

Our next P&C meeting will take place Monday 15th June, 7:00 pm at Woonona Bulli RSL. It’s pleasing to share that we are getting repeated large turnouts to this meeting. If you have not attended previously, new members are always welcome!

Semester 1 Student Reports and Parent-Teacher Interview Bookings

As we approach the conclusion of a highly productive semester of learning, teachers are currently finalising student assessment data and academic reports.

Semester 1 Student Reports will be sent home with students on Tuesday 23rd June. These reports provide a comprehensive overview of your child’s achievement, effort, and social development across all Key Learning Areas (KLAs) throughout the first half of the school year.

Parent-Teacher Interview Bookings
Partnering with our families is vital to supporting student growth and attainment. To discuss your child's progress, goals, and next steps in learning, we will be hosting parent-teacher interviews.

• Booking Availability: Our online booking portal will open prior to the reports being sent home, allowing families ample time to secure a convenient session. The booking system will remain open after reports are distributed for any final scheduling. Detailed instructions on how to access the portal will be sent out via School Bytes in the near future.

Interview Timelines and Variations
While the majority of our parent-teacher meetings will take place during Week 11 of this term, please note the following necessary schedule variations due to prior school and personal commitments:

• Stage 3 Classes: Due to the upcoming Stage 3 Canberra educational excursion occurring late this term, parent-teacher interviews for 5/6B, 5/6R and 4/5E will be held early next term. This ensures our Stage 3 teachers can give their full focus to our students during this important experiential learning trip.
• Class 1JW: Due to a period of planned staff leave, interviews for class 1JW will also be deferred until early next term. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility in accommodating these scheduling needs.

We highly value these opportunities to connect with you. If you have any immediate questions regarding the reporting process or booking portal, please do not hesitate to contact our front administration office.

Celebrating Our Public Speakers!

What a fantastic achievement! We extend our warmest congratulations to all the brilliant students who recently delivered their speeches in our public speaking competition.

Developing confident communication skills is a vital part of the NSW English K–6 Syllabus, and standing up to speak before an audience requires immense courage, critical thinking, and dedication. Every single one of our representatives spoke with clarity, passion, and insight, beautifully demonstrating our school values.

To our students, we are incredibly proud of your hard work and the articulate way you shared your ideas with the community. Well done to all of our wonderful participants!

Congratulations to the following winners:

Kindergarten - If I Had a Magic Wand… 
Winner – No permission to publish
Runner Up - Rhys D

Stage One - Surprise!
Winner - Isla B
Runner Up - Lily P

Stage Two - Teachers Should be Replaced by Computers.
Winner – James M
Runner Up – Imogen S

Stage Three - I Wanted to Scream at the Top of My Voice!
Winner – Piper S
Runner Up – Millie M

Each of our winners will have the opportunity to present his or her speech to our school community at our Education Week Assembly in Week 3 of next term (Tuesday 4th August) and then again at a Community of Schools assembly at either Woonona East PS, Woonona PS or Woonona HS. Our Kindergarten winners will present at Russell Vale PS when we host the other schools, as part of the showcase.

Building Connections: Our Thursday Morning Playgroup in Action!

At Russell Vale Public School, we firmly believe that building strong partnerships with families before formal schooling even begins is vital for successful long-term educational outcomes. It is within this spirit of collaboration and community that I am absolutely delighted to share some wonderful highlights from our weekly school playgroup initiative.

Every Thursday morning between 9:15 am and 9:45 am, our school grounds come alive with the sounds of laughter, exploration, and discovery. Our playgroup provides a warm, welcoming environment where our youngest community members - and future students - can engage in high-quality, play-based learning that seamlessly aligns with the principles of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

As you can see from the beautiful photos captured recently, our playgroup sessions focus heavily on sensory exploration, creative arts, and social connections. The children have been deeply engaged in immersive experiences including:

· Nature-Based Art & Sensory Play: Exploring textures by painting directly onto large cardboard canvases using banana leaves, bark, and natural elements to foster fine motor development and creative expression.

· Loose Parts & Imaginative Construction: Utilizing open-ended wooden resources, figurines, and architectural miniature homes to stimulate early mathematical thinking, spatial awareness, and storytelling.

· Tactile Small-World Exploration: Engaging with sensory trays filled with straw and animal figures, which helps build vocabulary and cooperative social play.

· Musical Engagement: Gathering together on the mat to participate in rhythmic music sessions using tapping sticks, set against the backdrop of our beautiful Indigenous mural 'Bubara' (Mountain), grounding our learning in a rich sense of place and belonging.

· Crafting Nature Wands: Binding leaves, twigs, and colourful yarn together, which encourages focus, dexterity, and artistic pride.

This wonderful initiative would not be possible without the exceptional dedication of our community. I extend our formal and deepest gratitude to Micaela and Madeleine, two of our wonderful current Kindergarten parents. Micaela and Madeleine generously volunteer their time, energy, and creativity each week to organize, set up, and run these enriching experiences. Their leadership beautifully exemplifies the vibrant volunteer spirit that defines NSW public education.

We warmly invite all current families with younger toddlers or preschool-aged children, as well as prospective families in the local area, to join us next Thursday morning. Whether you are looking to connect with other local parents, introduce your child to a school environment to support their future transition to Kindergarten, or simply enjoy a morning of structured play, our doors are open.

No prior registration is required - simply sign in as a visitor at the front administration office just after the morning bell, and our staff will happily direct you to the playgroup area.

We look forward to seeing many new and familiar faces next Thursday!

Paul Cuthbertson
Principal

Boys’ Soccer Knockout - A note from Coach Rafferty

I wanted to take a moment this morning to share how incredibly proud I am of our team following their recent match. While the final score may not have gone our way, the players brought an exceptional fighting spirit to the field, never gave up, and were absolutely gracious in defeat. Full credit must go to Bulli, who played an excellent game and deserved the win.

Our players demonstrated the core values of NSW public school sportsmanship, and there were several standout individual performances that deserve recognition:

• Kade: Selected as our Most Valuable Player (MVP) for an inspirational performance on the field.
• Owen: Knew exactly what his role required, and executed it superbly.
• Flynn: Showed fantastic anticipation, reading the play early to consistently hinder the opposition's attack.
• Levi, Sam, and Lachie: Displayed outstanding versatility and a fantastic 'can-do' attitude across both defence and attack.
• Tyler: Led by example throughout the match with his attentive and relentless cover defence.
• Malakai: Displayed anticipation, vision, spatial awareness and his ability to read the game in real time. His addition of speed, strength on the ball and technical ability made him a force to be reckoned with up front.

Most of all, I want to commend the entire squad for their immense grit and resilience. When they were knocked down, they got right back up. There was no whining or complaining; instead, they got on with the job and gave their absolute best until the final whistle.

They were truly outstanding ambassadors for our school community.

A reminder that dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time, nor are they permitted to be tied up near an entry point to the school.

When planning leave which is for more than 5 school days, please complete an Application for Extended Leave. This can be found in the FORMS section of School Bytes. Please do not apply for extended leave under planned absences.

For any absences that are 5 days or less, please go to School Bytes, click on Attendance and create a Planned Absence.

For the safety of students, families and staff, bikes and scooters are not to be ridden in front of school between the marked areas from 8:00 am to 9:30 am nor between 2:30 pm and 3.30 pm

As of 2 June, the uniform shop will be open on Mondays with Bec Emmett and on Tuesdays with Jess Jones.

There will be no changes to the ordering process via Flexischools.

If you need to contact the uniform shop, please email rvpsuniformshop@gmail.com 

Sushi Day will be held on Monday 15 June. Ordering is now open on Flexischools and will close on Wednesday 10 June. This is a pre-order event only, no late orders will be accepted.

• 12   South Coast Cross Country
• 15   Sushi Day
• 26   Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - 2:00 pm to 4:00pm - parents, carers and the community are invited to join us in front of the hall

• 1-3  Canberra Excursion - Stage 3
• 3      Last Day of Term 2
• 20    School Development Day
• 21    First Day of Term 3 for Students
• 30    District Athletics Carnival - Day 1
• 31    District Athletics Carnival - Day 2

Talulah N, Thea S, Bede R, Mackenzie M, Ella D, Rosalie M, Kennedy W

Archie K, James M, Lara F, Tilly J, Camilla G, Elijah P, Killian A, Jesse D, Leah S, Kyra W, Eli F, Amari H, Isaac L, Mason G, Jack B, Alexa M, Kennedy W, Taj S, Ashton A, Ally K, Daisy S, Noah S

Jett P, Caitlin S

Sophie C

Noah, Ally, Darcy

Ruby, Winnie, Angus (Yr3), Brooklyn, Lexi S, Jackson S, Zara, Brodie

Kaea, Verity

Disclaimer: Russell Vale Public School advertises in this column as a service to parents. Russell Vale Public School does not endorse, sponsor or accept responsibility for the management or organisation of the advertised events or services.