We are quickly approaching the half way mark of the term, and indeed the year! Learning new knowledge, concepts and skills is slowly making way for practice and consolidation with assessment’s being released already, or very soon. You can support your child through assessment by encouraging them to be organised, prioritising work to be completed, and accessing support when necessary. English Homework Club will re-open again very soon for the assessment ‘season’, and will run every first break in J1.21 and J1.22. All students are welcome to attend. Keep an eye on Daymap, and our social media platforms for more information.

Our teachers work so very hard to design engaging and meaningful lessons to get the best possible work from their students. I had the privilege of watching Ms Marks Year 7 English class develop their creative writing skills last week, exploring mood and atmosphere in the dim light of battery powered candles. Ms Marks chose the perfect, rainy day, to plunge her classroom into darkness, stoke up a flickering fire on her interactive screen, and set her students the task of writing eerie, mysterious and sometimes creepy narratives. I am so grateful that students at our school get to experience the joy and passion of learning from dedicated teachers like Ms Marks!

This year students from Ripley Valley will once again participate in the Cancer Council's Write a Book in a Day. A 12-hour writing competition where students plan, write, edit, and plan a story using an individual set of parameters. This year we have five teams who are wanting to participate in this wonderful event. If anyone would like to join, we still have a few more spots available - please email Miss Champs (tcham77@eq.edu.au) for more information. We are also seeking sponsors for our five teams, allowing them to enter their published books into the competition. If any businesses or individuals are interested in sponsoring our Write a Book in a Day team, please email Miss Champs (tcham77@eq.edu.au) for more information. 

The Community Open Day was a brilliant success for the students of Japanese to share their work, art and origami. Many parents of the students learning Japanese visited the new classroom and were impressed. They had the opportunity to catch up with me, sip on some green tea, make origami and view a green screen recording. Lorelei, Jayla and Lexi came to the classroom to meet families and shared their experiences of learning Japanese.

Our Year 8 Japanese students have the opportunity next week, to attend an excursion to the Nerima Gardens – the Japanese gardens of Ipswich. Students will have the opportunity to experience authentic Japanese gardens and traditions including the Peace Bridge, the Tsukubai Stone Water Basin, and the Tea House; a special building designed for holding Japanese tea ceremonies. The garden has an important function in preparing guests for the Japanese tea ceremony, and our students will have the opportunity to experience the tea ceremony as well. The keen Year 8s can take photos for their assessment which is a bilingual e-brochure for visiting Japanese tourists.

In the near future, all Japanese students will go online via Teams straight to Japan, talking with Japanese peers from the co-educational Boyo Junior High School in the city of Yamatake, prefecture of Chiba. The students are very excited as some of them will have the opportunity to speak in Japanese and as an exchange, the students from Japan will speak in English. We will sing a song and share some of the Zen garden designs that students from both Year 7 and 8 have prepared. This is one of three schools in Japan that we will continue to talk with to find the best sister school for Ripley Valley SSC.

‘Friyays’ have become popular for all our learners of Japanese providing the students opportunities to choose to create Japanese art, games and making sushi. ‘Hats off’ to the Year 8 class for decorating the classroom – they are the leaders for language at the school and are vibrantly stepping up to more responsibilities. The students in 7A initiated an excellent suggestion to make sushi to share as a way to meet the Year 8's. Jayla suggested to make gifts in return. The Year 7 classes are ready to make sushi in our kitchen.

The paper crane count is growing to more than 500 for the school.  The students are reminded that the cranes represent peace and hope in all conflicts.