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Dear Parent/Carer,
Despite the uncertainty of life at times, especially in our current circumstances, it is always reassuring to reflect on some of the small things that make a big difference in our lives. It was with great honour last week that we witnessed the swearing in of our new student House Captains, and Student Representative Council. While these students were appointed in Term 2, it was such a pleasure to officially welcome them into these important roles as they seek to promote a positive, caring and productive school environment. It was also a pleasure to see so many parents and invited guests attend to witness this historic occasion.
Following this inaugural event was our Semester 1 Parent/Teacher interviews and I thank both the staff and students for their flexibility in changing from a face-to-face to phone format at short notice to ensure that these valuable conversations and feedback can occur. If for some reason you were unable to speak to your child's teacher or you were unable to book an interview I would encourage you to make contact with your child's teacher via email or phone to discuss your child's progress. Once again, it is great to see so many parents invested in the wellbeing and development of their child and parent teacher interviews provide a great opportunity to obtain this type of feedback.
Unfortunately, due to recent COVID-19 developments I have had to regretfully postpone the planned School Tour which was to occur next Tuesday the 11th of August. Instead, we have opened up another student/parent enrolment information session at the same day/time. Two identical Enrolment Information sessions will occur on Tuesday the 11th August at 3.30pm and 5pm in the M block Sports Hall. Parents are encouraged to park in the undercover carpark off Botany Drive for this event and to pre-register by completing a 2021 Enrolment Expression of Interest (EOI) form. Strict social distancing and hygiene requirements will be followed for this event, however I am looking forward to meeting future students and parents face to face on this important occasion. Further enrolment information sessions will be held later this term but we encourage all future students both in and out of catchment to lodge their EOI form ASAP to prevent disappointment.
This term we welcomed Chappy Kristian to our school community and he currently works in our school every Tuesday. Chappy is looking to hold some lunchtime activities and breakfast club and is available to help and support students as desired. Currently Kristian's hours are funded through grants, donations and sponsors. If you would like to support our chaplaincy initiative through volunteering you can contact Kristian at katki121@eq.edu.au or financially by the link: https://www.suqld.org.au/donate/ripley-valley-state-secondary-college-tax-deductible/
In other news, it is also worth noting that the deadline for the students/parents/businesses to purchase a Foundation Paver as part of our inaugural year and celebrations is closing fast. Paver orders must be submitted and paid by Friday the 14th August. Orders and payment can be made through the uniform shop during normal uniform shop hours or alternatively online through the order form at: https://ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au/our-community/pandc
Alternatively, parents can contact the P and C Association directly via email at PandC@ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au
Students across the school have been busily designing patterns and images for the school's time capsule which will also be incorporated within the Foundation Park paved area and re-development due to occur later this term and unveiled in October.
With so many events, activities and deadlines approaching, time seems to be flying by and I am sure it won't be long until we are celebrating the end of our first year of schooling. Once again, I want to thank you for your contribution and support in making our school the great school it is and making sure it gets even better with age.
Yours sincerely,
Brendan Krueger
Foundation Principal
Subject Awards
In Term 4 we will be holding our first Awards Ceremony. On the night we will be acknowledging our students in many different areas. In recognition of Academic Excellence, we will be awarding a Subject Award to the student with the highest academic achievement in each subject for their year level. This will progress each year until we are awarding a Dux of the College in 2024! Stay tuned to future newsletters for further information about the different ways we will acknowledge our students at the Awards Ceremony.
Student Assessment Summaries
Last week, your child received their Term 3 Assessment Summary. This contains information about all of their upcoming assessment in Term 3. We encourage you to place this document in a visible area of your home. Further copies can be printed or downloaded directly from the Daymap Parent Connect Portal.
The Assessment Summary refers to the type of assessment and a set date and due date. The set date is when teachers share the task sheet and marking guide with students. They are then able to work towards the completion of their assessment until the due date. The due date is when the assessment task must be submitted on Daymap by 4:00pm at the latest.
The assessment task type tells you what form the assessment takes, eg. Examination, Report or Investigation. There are many different task types that students complete, all except for examinations/tests are able to be completed over the period of time between the set date and due date. An examination/test will have a set date and due date on the same day as the exam is completed during one lesson.
You may notice that your child has 2 or 3 assessment tasks due on one day. Our Heads of Department always try to ensure that your children will not be completing multiple exams in one day. It is possible that other types of assessment will be due in on the same day as your child has been working towards completing them over a number of weeks.
All of your child’s assessment information (including the summary) is available to you via the Daymap Parent Connect Portal.
If your child is experiencing difficulty in meeting assessment due dates, they can apply for an extension before the due date. Extension applications are made to the student’s House HoD. The Extension Request Form is available on our website here. Our full Learning Policy that outlines expectations during teaching, learning and assessment cycle is available on our website here.
Please contact teachers directly for any further information about specific assessment.
Emily Prenzler
It has been an amazing start to Term 3 beginning with our first Student Investiture and the running of activities hosted by the Creative Industries Department last week.
Student Acknowledgement
Raptor Awards
We want to maximise the opportunities for all students to experience success. On this note, we have introduced the Raptor Awards as an holistic way to celebrate student achievement.
There are three levels of Raptor Awards, Gold Silver and Bronze. These awards will be based on 4 main criteria:
GPA (Grade Point Average), Attendance, Stamps (collected for positive behaviour) and Culture (participation and commitment to extra-curricular programs and events). Students that receive Gold Raptor Awards will receive their awards at the Awards Evening, Silver awards recipients will be acknowledged on Parade and Bronze Awards will be presented during Access Classes.
Ripley Vault
Due to popular demand from the students, the House Coordinators have moved the Ripley Vault to Foundation Park. There has been a real buzz surrounding the Vault with students eager to redeem a range of prizes as a reward for demonstrating our College values of Respect, Responsibility and Perseverance.
Awards Evening
Planning for our first Awards Evening which will be held in week 4 of Term 4 (Wednesday the 28th August) is well underway. Further information about the Awards Evening will be provided in future newsletters.
Subject Selections
Current Year 8 students will complete their subject selections for Year 9 in 2021 next week through OneSchool. Subject Selections will open next Tuesday morning the 11th August at 9.00am and close the following Tuesday afternoon the18th August at 3.00pm. Please speak with your child about their subject selections before next Tuesday. Students will receive further instructions about how to complete their Subject Selections over the next week.
School Photo Day
Student School Photo's will be held on Wednesday 12th August, 2020. By now you should have received your students envelope to order online. If you are new to Ripley Valley State Secondary College this term we have blank forms in Administration. Please visit the Student Services end to collect.
- It is an expectation that devices come to school 100% charged each morning. Please remind your child to put their laptop on charge after school, or overnight. If students devices are less then 25% charged when they come to school in the morning, they could receive a detention for not being prepared for class. Your help in setting up a consistent routine to ensure that this can be achieved is highly appreciated.
- We also have advised students not to have their laptops out of their laptop case when walking around the school, or walking to / from school. If not in use, laptops should be in their laptop case. When they are using their laptops, they are to be seated at a table; preferably inside.
- To help our parents control screen time and game play at home, we have made the blanket rule to have NO games installed on their school laptop. The only exception to this is our year 8 students currently have Minecraft Education installed on their device for their Geography Assessment. Some students are finding ways to install games on their computer without permission. If your child has a game on their computer they have broken the school rules, and in some cases have used illegal software to do this. We are conducting spot checks on devices daily, and if your child is found to have done this consequences will apply.
- Students are prohibited from touching other students devices, at any time. If your child touches another students devices without permission and they damage the device, you will be informed and required to pay for damage. This is a strict rule, however your support in reinforcing this would be appreciated.
- Some students have been sharing their passwords with their friends. This is not allowed. Giving passwords out is giving access to email accounts, learning place, school documents, assessment submissions etc. Although we are teaching the importance of keeping passwords private, some students are failing to see how important this is. Students using other students details to log in to computers etc can be suspended.
HOD - Digital Technologies | English | Humanities
Angela Waugh
Email: awaug24@eq.edu.au
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
• 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.
You can find more information about this from the website: https://www.nccd.edu.au/for-parents-guardians-and-carers
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Rhiannon Kemp
Head of Inclusion
Rhiannon Kemp
Phone: 3819 5319
Email: rxtoo0@eq.edu.au
Health and Physical Education
This week in HPE, Year 7 students are continuing with their learning on: Nutrients, Dietary Guidelines and Food labels. This will see the students exploring the Australian Dietary Guidelines and examining how to read food labels. Year 8 students are learning about the introduction of macro-nutrients. Students will further understand why carbohydrates, fats and proteins are important in balancing a healthy diet.
We had our first trial week for interschool sport and this saw Year 7 and 8 students showcase their skills in gaining selection in the RVSSC Rugby, Football, Netball and Volleyball teams. Team sheets will be available next week outside student services.
Science
National Science Week 2020 is coming! Students have the opportunity to be engaged in many lunchtime activities across the week beginning Monday August 17 through until Friday August 21. We have been fortunate in securing Street Science to come into school on Friday August 21 to present DEEP BLUE - diving into Marine innovation and the future of our oceans. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a school incursion on Friday (Period 3 - Year 7, Period 4 - Year 8).
In other Science news, students in Year 7 and 8 have been working on their chemistry knowledge. Practical activities are in full swing and students are learning all about acids, bases, salts, what solution reacts with what and how to mix things together. The Year 8 students recently melted chocolate and looked at the differences between solids and liquids, whilst the Year 7 students have been investigating what makes a good salad dressing and how does it emulsify.
Maths
Algebra has been the topic of discussion this term for the Year 7 students as they have begun their learning journey on why we sometimes use letters to replace numbers. As part of their homework routine in Maths, we have been asking them to revise their learning from the day and also practise their multiplication tables. These fundamental revision skills will help them with their future study programs and retaining of important information.
The Year 8 students have been working hard on fractions and decimals. They have been able to convert fractions, simply fractions and later this week we are hoping to have our Year 8 student convert some simple fractions and decimals in a muffin recipe. By bringing the real world into their Maths world, we are creating life long learning opportunities for our students to be able to take what we might be learning in the classroom and apply the learning to a different situation. We are looking forward to seeing if they are able to work out the conversions to successfully make edible muffins!
Design Technology Permission Form
Students in 7C, 7D & 8B are participating in Design Technology for semester 2, which will require additional consent to participate in the workshop activities. Please use the link below to complete the form. Please contact Mrs Stiles if you have any concerns.
Creative Week
Lorinda Stiles
HoD Creative Industries
lstil21@eq.edu.au
The English and Humanities Department have a busy semester planned out. RVSSC will be participating in the Readers Cup Challenge until the 28th August, and then we have Bookweek coming up between the 17-23rd October. Our teachers are working hard at organising exciting events for both of these occasions, and we look forward to promoting these events via our Social Media Platforms and upcoming newsletters.
We have put together an update of what our students have been working on in class below for you.
ENGLISH
How socially conscious are you?
What are your thoughts on important issues in our world?
How does the media influence these thoughts and concerns?
These are some of the questions being investigated in English, in Year 7 this term.
Students have been focusing their attention on documentaries related to topical issues and debating with one another on its’ validity and bias. Students have been learning the art of presenting speeches and participating in discussions on how the elements and film techniques of media can manipulate and sway an opinion or view. We look forward to seeing some more socially aware and confident speakers in the coming weeks!
Is it ok to do bad things for good reasons?
This is the idea that has underpinned our learning in English in Year 8 this term. We have been looking at what it means to be Australian and how culture and background defines identity. Students have been reading the novel “Tomorrow When the War Began” by John Marsden and have been investigating this idea of good vs evil.
HUMANITIES
Humanities, this term in Year 7, has been full of discussion around what makes a successful business. Classes have been learning about what is involved in setting up and running a business, how bartering was once an effective form of payment before money was placed in circulation, and how price and demand are intertwined when selling products and services.
Year 8 Humanities, this term, has seen a turn of the tables with the students teaching the teachers the intricacies of Minecraft!
While learning about landforms and landscapes, students have spent time making and explaining these while modelling new worlds within Minecraft.
Leith Montel
English and Humanities Teacher
Positive Parenting
We all know that there is no such thing as a 'perfect parent', however gaining some information on Positive Parenting can be helpful in improving the relationship you have with your child.
Current research has found that a close relationship with an adult is one of the most important factors in the development of young people. Having some practical strategies on how to develop a positive relationship with your child is extremely useful.
"Triple P" is a free online course for parents that can help you negotiate parenting children from toddlers through to teenagers.
Here is the link for the Triple P Parenting Program:
Planning for a Healthy Headspace
These past few months have made it very clear that keeping a healthy headspace is extremely important. Keeping our mental health in check is crucial to our overall wellbeing.
A good way to maintain mental wellness is by making a plan that outlines practical ways that you can improve your wellbeing. Headspace has created an action plan that can help you to work out some ways to make changes to improve your mental health.
Here is the link for the Headspace Action Plan Toolkit:
I encourage you to sit down as a family and work through the Action Plan. The Headspace website also offers some great resources and information on building and maintaining wellbeing, so it is worth checking out.
Here is the link for the Headspace Website:
Take care
Lisa Henderson
Guidance Officer
Early Departures
Please help us to minimise disruption to the classroom and to your students learning.
If your student needs to go home early from school, please arrange with your student before school wherever possible. Send a note to the office, a Daymap message or email admin@ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au.
An early departure slip will then be given to your student which can be shown to the classroom teacher when its time to go.
This will help us arrange to have your student ready to go when you arrive.
Student Resource Scheme (SRS)
Thanks to all families who have made payments, outstanding payments will be followed up starting next week.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact Michelle Mills - Business Manager via email - bsm@ripleyvalleyssc.eq.edu.au or phone (07)3819 5333 to arrange an appointment to discuss payment plan options.
Michelle Mills
Business Manager
This term has been off to an exciting start with our Student Leaders receiving their badges at last week’s Student Investiture. We were honoured to welcome:
- Honourable Shayne Neumann, Federal Member for Blair
- Honourable Lance McCallum-Member for Bundamba
- Ipswich City Councillor Sheila Ireland
- Ipswich City Councillor Jacob Madsen
Our invited guests presented the House Captains & Access Leaders with their badges. The leaders placed their pledge to the school and will wear their badges with pride.
Leadership can be found within every person and at Ripley Valley we will be offering opportunities for every student to find and develop their Leadership skills. This term we have invited guests from Ylead into our school to run a Leadership program with all of our students on the last day of term 3. Ylead offers unique learning experiences that empower young people to be their best and make a positive difference whilst harnessing their leadership skills. More information about this incursion will be sent home in the coming weeks.
As the school year rolls on we will start looking forward to our 2021 leaders. More information including the application process and key dates will be released in the next newsletter.
The SRC is working hard on the Time Capsule which is the key project for our founding Student Council. A competition for the design of the outside of the capsule is currently being run by the SRC and members will vote on the winning design next term.
Our House Captains are currently working on an inter-house touch football tournament that will be running in week 8.
House Spirit is at an all-time high after announcing the 2020 winners of the Cross Country and Athletics Carnival. Congratulations to Flinders who won the Inter-house Cross Country on 344 points and Blaine who won the Athletics carnival on a massive 647 points!
As part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning culture (PBL) students are awarded with stamps for displaying positive behaviours. Students can spend these stamps at the Rewards Vault and collect items such as pens, lollipops, handballs, earphones and Bluetooth speakers. Students have been enjoying the rewards vault which has been out in Foundation Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Remember that any stamps that are awarded to individuals in class time also contribute to the total house points which will result in a house winner being announced at the end of the year.
This week on assembly James and I introduced a new weekly award that goes out to the student with the most amount of stamps from the previous week. We also acknowledged the students with the highest amount of stamps from each Access Class. Congratulations to the following:
8B – Charlotte Coates (Blaine) 82 stamps
8A – Imogen Ralston (Goolman) 124 stamps
7C – Cherie Young (Perry) 179 stamps
7A – Emaan Ismail (Flinders) 199 stamps
7B – Lily Goulding (Goolman) 250 stamps
And a huge congratulations to 7D – Llyle Vorster (Perry) 285 stamps who has won himself a tuckshop voucher.
As always we look forward to continuing to work with our students and school to foster a positive learning environment and house culture.
James Dunn
House & Sports Coordinator (Goolman and Perry)
Jessica Starkey
House Coordinator (Blaine and Flinders)