Ripley Valley State Secondary College eNewsletter

Head of Inclusion

Student Support Services

Our team have been busy over the last few weeks. New programs will be starting up soon! We are also looking for volunteers:

Over the past month, I have had the fantastic privilege to get to know the staff and students here at Ripley Valley State Secondary College. I’ve done this by having walkway conversations with students, joining in a game of handball (which most of the time I miss hitting the ball back) helping out at homework club and one on one pastoral care conversations. The one thing I have come to love about the school is that it is full of potential brought about by a great sense of community. This is something I am excited to put my energy towards to see that potential released.

For the remainder of this term, I will be focusing on getting the Breakfast Club program started. This is an excellent way for the school community to come together and hang out and grow together. Another initiative that will hopefully begin during this term is the Arcade Game room. No this isn’t full of classic arcade games like Pacman, but it is going to be full of giant games. This too will help bring the students together as we achieve our school’s motto which says ‘Achieving Excellence Together.’ I believe this is done by community which the Breakfast Club and the Arcade Game space will help develop.

Looking ahead for Term 4, I hope to initiate a wellbeing course in some format. Watch this space as more details get released!

If you are interested in helping out with the Breakfast Club program, please don’t hesitate to contact me at kristiana@chappy.org.au.

I want to end with saying thank you for allowing me to be a part of the school community here. I look forward to continuing this journey with everyone in the years to come.

Kristian Atkins- Chaplain

Good morning to all the ADF families of Ripley Valley State Secondary College.

By now, your children will be settling back into fairly normal school routines considering the upheaval of home-schooling over the past two terms. It is great to see students back at school and engaging with their lessons and their friends.

As this is week four, I thought I would reintroduce myself as the new Defence School Mentor for both the Ripley Valley Primary and Secondary Campuses.

My name is Tracey Cooper. I am a resident of Providence, a wife to a RAAF serviceman and mother to three boys aged 14, 16, and 22. I officially took over this role at the beginning of this term. Amber has done a wonderful job laying the groundwork for the Defence School Mentor program and it is my aim to pick up where she left off. I am still finding my way as this is my first time in this role, but I see it as an important programme to support ADF students as they transition in and out of our schools and also in integrating into the school community.

It is my plan to organise weekly activities at second break for both schools. Last week I hosted my first Defence Lunch at RVSSC where I met a few of the students. I was able to get some feedback from them as to how they would like spend this time. Some ideas were music, more board games and ping-pong. I will be discussing their ideas with the Principal to see what I can organise for future lunches. I will also be popping into classrooms periodically and of course conveying any concerns you may have with staff.

An important part of this programme is the communication between students, family members, staff and the Defence Community Organisation. Open communication about any issues, positive or negative, means everyone is on the same page, which in turn will help foster better learning outcomes for your children. So if you feel there is an issue you would like to raise with me regarding your children, please feel free to contact me either by mail or phone. I would love to hear your feedback so I can continue to create a programme that will enhance your child’s learning.

It is important to note that my hours are Wednesdays 9am – 2.30pm at Ripley Valley State Secondary College. I have attached a document from the Defence Community Organisation that outlines my role so you have a better understanding of the aims of this programme

I am really looking forward to meeting you all over time (if only through emails and phone calls initially due to the current Covid climate) and to ensuring your children’s time at our schools are enjoyable, productive and meaningful.

Tracey Cooper- Defence School Mentor

NCCD- Census on Friday 7th August

It is that time of year again where we count the number of students with a disability requiring adjustments at our school. Known as the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). The aim of the NCCD is to provide the Australian Government with the number of students with a disability requiring adjustments to access and participate at school.

This a 12 month process for schools to collect data and evidence on the reasonable adjustments for students at school. At Ripley Valley SSC, we collect this data from various sources including academic data, Personalised Learning Plans, Support Meetings, meetings with external agencies, Support Plans, and Support Programs.

We are required by law to provide the following information:

your child’s year of schooling
the category of disability that best describes your child’s difficulties (one of four categories is chosen by the school team to reflect your child’s greatest area of need: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional)
the level of adjustment your child receives at school (one of four levels is chosen by the school team to reflect the type of support your child requires: quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary adjustment, substantial adjustment, or extensive adjustment).

Schools identify which students will be counted in the NCCD. They base their decisions on the following:

• adjustments provided for the student (after consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians and carers)
• the school team’s observations and professional judgements
• any medical or other professional diagnoses
• other relevant information.

School principals must ensure that information for the NCCD is accurate.

If you are a parent or guardian of a child with a disability, your child will be counted in the census. While it is not possible for schools or families to ‘opt out’ of the NCCD, the privacy and confidentiality of all students and their families is treated with utmost importance. Data is collected within each school, and personal details, such as student names and other identifying information, are not provided to local or federal education authorities.

You can find more information about this from the website: https://www.nccd.edu.au/for-parents-guardians-and-carers

Homework Club

We have seen a great turn out in the last few weeks from students! It is fantastic to see students taking ownership for their learning and working together on their homework.

Assessments are starting to come up so it is a great time to remind your student that if they need extra help, to ask their teachers and attend Homework Club.

Schedule Tips:

Unfortunately, being organised does not come naturally to all of us and we have to practice strategies to stay organised.

One way is using a Schedule. Creating a schedule can be a great way to stay on top of work and tasks.

Here is a template that may be helpful to support your student in planning their time and preparing for the Assessment period:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
7:30am
8am
School
School
3:15pm		Homework Club
3:45pm	Homework	Homework Club		Homework
4pm
4:30pm	Homework	Homework		Homework
5pm
5:30pm	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner		Dinner	Dinner
6pm
6:30pm
7pm
7:30 pm	Bed	Bed	Bed	Bed	Bed	Bed	Bed
8pm
8:30pm

Once it is created, keep checking in with this each week to make sure it works for you!

Rhiannon Kemp

Head of Inclusion

Rhiannon Kemp -
Phone: 3819 5319 Email: rxtoo0@eq.edu.au