Term 4 Week 6

13th November 2023

When deciding on the composition of classes for any school year, we attempt to obtain as much information as possible to ensure that, given the resources of the school (number of teachers, classroom availability, number of children etc.), we place the children as best as we can. With this in mind, we would like to know of any factors that could affect the placement of your child in the 2024 classes. While I cannot assure you that we will be able to meet your requests, I can guarantee you that I will listen to your thoughts and, if possible, find a satisfactory placement.

Please send a note to me via the front office staff (or email me directly at paul.cuthbertson@det.nsw.edu.au) and have your envelope marked “Mr Cuthbertson – Confidential”. I will accept your notes until Friday 24^th November. Please be aware that requesting specific teachers for your child without sound reasons is very flattering but often inappropriate.

If you know or think that you may be moving/changing schools for next year, please either drop in or call the office to let us know. Similarly, if you know of any families moving into our area, please encourage them to contact the school.

Welcome to our new families for 2024! You will notice lots of new children (and parents) getting to know our school and teachers over the coming weeks as our incoming Kindergarten 2024 children visit for their orientation.

School Satisfaction Surveys will go home with the eldest students in each family later this week. I thank you in advance for your feedback on what we do at Russell Vale Public School. This survey is different to the Tell Them from Me Survey that was distributed last term and it is required that we address it in our Annual School Report. If you do not receive a copy, please inquire at the office. In particular, I am very interested to receive your feedback regarding how we can better engage you both as parents and community members. Now that we seem to be past the pandemic and its restrictions, it is a great opportunity to hear about the areas in which we have done well, and also about the areas in which we can improve. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. 

As you are probably aware, at Russell Vale Public School we have a Bring Your Own Device program for Years 3-6.  As a Year 2 parent/carer, you may have questions regarding which devices are suitable. While there is an allowance for ipads to be used, a Windows or Mac laptop is preferred. Chromebooks will work on our wifi network but are not always reliable. Samsung or Google Play tablets are not compatible with the Department of Education wifi. 

It is my recommendation that families do not over spend on a new device. The majority of the use at school will be cloud-based, meaning that there is no need to install any programs or word processing applications. If your child will be using it for different activities at home, you may need to consider a computer with greater storage or processing speeds. 

If you require any further information, please contact one of our current 3-6 teachers, or me. 

Woonona High School is providing a gateway experience program for Year 6 2024 students to gain authentic experiences of our HPGE program, including CAPA, sport and leadership. Students may apply for one or multiple programs as they will run fortnightly on alternative weeks.  This program aims to enrich students' knowledge and skills across various subject areas through a range of bespoke experiences.

These experiences will suit students who are seeking to access HPGE specialist programs in their local high school as they will enjoy the social and emotional benefits of local school attendance, coupled with the peer effect benefit of participating in learning with students of the same interests and abilities.   

Applications and further information can be found at: https://sites.google.com/education.nsw.gov.au/hpge-experiences/home?pli=1

An information evening regarding the program will be held on Tuesday 14 November from 5-6pm in the Woonona High School Library.

The date for the Talent Quest has changed to Friday 24^th November, which is the same day as the 'Jump Rope for Heart' Jump Off. The Talent Quest will occur from 10:00a.m. till 11:00a.m. in the school hall.  The Jump Off performance and skipping activities will commence after recess. The Talent Quest Finalists will receive a note this Friday 17^th November with further details. We are looking forward to an entertaining, fun Friday! 

Congratulations to Mrs Bryant, the successful applicant for the permanent Assistant Principal position at Waniora Public School. Mrs Bryant has taught at Russell Vale PS for 13 years. She has been the relieving Assistant Principal at Waniora PS this year and has gained permanency through open merit selection. I wish her all the best in her new role and thank her for her tireless commitment our students and community during her time here.

Thank you to Woolworths for their donation through the grant process for our Straw Bales, A Sustainable Way of Growing Crops project. The aim of our project is to use straw bales to grow crops sustainably for our animals and to produce food for the canteen. The children will be involved in creating the bales, planting seedlings, harvesting the crops and cooking the fresh produce. We look forward to sharing more photos as the project grows (pun intended).

Paul Cuthbertson

Principal

Over the past 25 school weeks, 240 students, from Helensburgh to Kiama Public Schools, have participated in our HPAG Extend classes. These weekly classes have been conducted across eight host schools throughout the Illawarra and Shoalhaven Regions. Our primary objective with these sessions is to nurture the spirit of curiosity, encourage discovery, and stimulate creativity among High Potential and Academically Gifted students.

This year, it is with immense pride that we acknowledge the commitment and dedication of the following students from Russell Vale Public School – Lilah C, Bailie W, Alex W, Charlie W and Archie C.

To mark the culmination of this year's program, we celebrated with the Curiosity and Creativity Exhibition where students had the opportunity to share some of their learning. The afternoon commenced with our presentation highlighting our areas that we have been working on such as Computer-Aided Drafting, 3D printing, Future Cities Pitches, building digital escape rooms, writing mythology-based stories, and sharing our diabolical shard.

After the presentation our guests then had the privilege of exploring an array of exhibits that had been meticulously crafted with creativity, driven by a continuous thirst for knowledge, and organised with thoughtful precision. The exhibits encompassed a wide spectrum of learning experiences, including crafted stories and scripts, digital escape rooms, lithium atoms, Pi Artworks, digital and hand drawn games encompassing the periodic table of elements and delving into artificial intelligence, why supernovas are so important, to name just a few examples.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to these exceptional students for their courage in embracing a new and challenging learning environment, not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well. We commend their efforts in grappling with concepts that extend far beyond the typical Primary School curriculum. They have ventured into the realms of the universe's evolution, delving into topics like the Big Bang Theory, star formation, the emergence of elements, and even mathematical concepts typically introduced in Years 7-9. They have also explored the intriguing world of mythology and cuneiform's and solved some very out-of-the-box thinking challenges.

Thank you to all the participating students, our wonderful host schools, and the dedicated team of school executives who have played an integral role in making this entire program possible. We can’t wait for next year!

Heike Roberts

HPAG Teacher & Lifelong Learner

Mason WB, Verity L, Levi M, Charlotte H

Nash J, Blake D, Zara W, Dimitrios P, Evie S, Charlotte H, Kennedy W, Angus  M, Oaklie S, Hendriks S, Tyler M

Kim P, Sebastian N, Mason G, Caitlin S, Jai W

Hudson C

Kade M, Lux P, Billy K, Jesse D, Rose A, Alby G, Lola M, Jack J, Ebany A

Jeremy E, Louis C, Malikai F, Rosalie M, Rylee D, Sunny K, Aston A, William H, Will N, Max L, Jesse D, Rebel D, Dylan H, Willow D, Noah P

Nixon M, Monty B, Kade M, Trung T

Indi P

• 16th   Kindergarten Orientation Session
• 17th   PSSA Dragon Tag Years 3-6
• 23rd   Kindergarten Orientation  and Information Session
• 24th   Jump Rope for Heart - Jump Off
•             Talent Quest
• 28th    Woonona High School Year 6 Orientation Day
• 30th   Kindergarten Orientation Session

• 4th     Kindergarten Excursion
• 6th     Stage 3 Camp
• 7th     Stage 3 Camp
• 8th     Stage 3 Camp
• 12th   Presentation Day/Reports home
• 14th   Year 6 Graduation/Farewell
• 15th   Party Day
• 15th   Last Day for Students
• 18th   Staff Development Day
• 19th   Staff Development Day

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.

02 4284 4396

Email: russellval-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.russellval-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russellvaleps 
Terania Street, Russell Vale NSW 2517