1 September 2020

I was able to assure Year 12 of the School Executive’s determination to enable a postponed Graduation Ceremony after the HSC Exams (rather than at the end of this Term) and a Formal on the School’s premises (rather than at the intended venue which is unable to proceed as planned, due to COVID-19 restrictions). These are crucial occasions for our Community and a ‘rite of passage’ for Year 12. I told the students that, despite the significantly increased costs and the extra time involved to make the Formal happen in another way, they deserved to know we are devoted to their well-being.

Some events were recently postponed to Term 4 and several others had to be cancelled. Please note the various revised calendar dates in this edition of RJ Review. The Executive continues to juggle the goal of supporting students’ mental well-being with the intention of maintaining health guidelines. It’s difficult to always achieve a good balance and we appreciate the encouragement we’ve received from so many parents. Thank you. Our modifications this Term to the Primary and Secondary Sports Programs are indicative of achieving a good balance, by being conducted at local venues in Stage or Year groups. I congratulate the respective Sport Co-ordinators and the staff for making this possible for our students – well done!

Due to the forecast of much warmer daytime temperatures from tomorrow, the commencement of the period of Winter or Summer Uniform being worn has been brought forward to Wednesday 2 September. From tomorrow students may wear either Winter or Summer Uniform, but not a combination, until the end of Term, then only Summer Uniform in Term 4.  

Student enrolments for2021 are very strong throughout both Campuses. I trust that current RJ families have made sure they’ve applied for all siblings. It would be a shame to miss out on a position. New enquiring families have made it very clear that RJ has a good reputation in the region.

The financial impact of COVID-19 may have placed particular pressures on your family. Please be aware that Operations Manager, Mrs Ghali and myself are prepared to dialogue with any family, in a confidential and supportive manner, where needed.

There’s an excellent Bible passage which provides us with a Godly perspective on ‘money’, ‘treasures’ and ‘worry’, with the following verses really challenging our priorities:

“I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who, by worrying, can add a single hour to their life?” (Matthew 6: 25-27)

Mr Paul Cockrem
Principal

CO-CURRICULAR MEDALLION AWARDS UPDATE

The School Executive recently met to review the impact that COVID-19 has had on the numerous co-curricular activities and events that our students would normally have become involved in throughout the year, such as Sports Carnivals, Zone and State representations, Gala Days, interschool sports and Duke of Edinburgh hikes, as well as cultural competitions including Debating and Public Speaking, Music ensembles and performances.

Participation in these activities would normally contribute points towards the Medallion levels, as highlighted at Presentation Nights. Due to the cancellation of the majority of these activities and competitions and the inequity for students to be able to access points towards the Medallion Awards, the School Executive has regretfully withdrawn the Co-curricular Medallion Awards from this year’s list of accolades for both Primary and Secondary sections. This special Awards system will resume as normal in 2021. 

COLOUR RUN – FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER (SECONDARY EVENT)

The Secondary Colour Run is happening this Friday 4 September at Hanna Reserve during Periods 5 & 6. The Colour Run is designed to raise funds for the Headspace Group and to also give our students the opportunity to get out and get physical as a benefit to their own mental health. Funds raised by students so far have reached over $8,700 with time still left to hit the $10,000 mark. We encourage Secondary students to open their online account, as outlined in the Colour Run booklet distributed to every student, and help raise as much money as we can in this last week of fundraising.

Students are reminded to wear Mufti clothes on Friday and also bring their $5 Mufti donation which will be collected from Wednesday during Home Group time. The guidelines for wearing of Mufti clothes is stated in the Secondary Diary on page 137 for your reference.

For those wanting to take part in the Colour Run, they should bring an old white t-shirt to wear for the run/walk so the colour takes great effect. Students who take part in the run/walk but do not want to be hit with a splash of non-toxic colour, can wear colourful clothing to indicate this or simply go through the ‘non colour’ channels on the day. Goggles or sunglasses should be worn when participating as well.

R U OK? DAY – FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER

On Friday 18 September is R U OK? Day.

R U OK? is about being mindful and supportive of others and how they might be feeling. By following a simple four step process using the acrostic of ALEC (the name of the young boy used in the R U OK? promotional material), students can learn to approach their friends in a supportive way to offer their assistance.

A – Ask, R U OK?

L – Listen without interrupting.

E – Encourage them to get help from an adult (mum, dad, teacher etc) that might be able to help.

C – Check in with them in a couple of days to see if they got the help they needed.

As part of this day, Student Forum will be selling soft drink spider drinks at lunch time. Drinks will be $1 each.

As adults, it’s also a great way for us to check-in with our family, friends and work colleagues and to offer our support to them. So why not remember to ask those close to you, particularly in this COVID-19 climate, R U OK?

Mr Alan Dawson
Deputy Principal

Our Friday Assemblies are currently being held in the Courtyard area in two sessions. Presenting classes have been taking us through the biblical account of Joshua and his leading of the Israelite people after Moses. It has been wonderful to be reminded of the faithfulness and awesome power of our God and how He helped the Israelite people to be victorious in overwhelming circumstances. The creativity of our Primary Staff never fails to amaze and the students love being up on the stage! If your child’s class is presenting, it will be filmed and available for viewing on Seesaw.

This week we will also be presenting the next of our Principal’s Awards in Assembly. Video and photos will be made available for parents to see this significant achievement. 

TOYS AT SCHOOL

We have noticed an increasing number of toys being brought from home to School. While we understand students like to show these to their friends and play with them at School, there have been incidents of toys going missing plus breakages. Therefore, I would ask that there is a limit of one toy brought from home and this must be small enough to fit in the front pocket of the School bag. Labelling the toy with your child’s name is also recommended. We have a number of skipping ropes, balls and hoops for students to play with here at School.

RETURN AND EARN 

Our Year 6 students have taken the initiative of collecting recyclable containers that are then taken to Return and Earn collection points. The resulting funds are put towards our Nepalese sponsor children. Year 6 students visit all the classrooms during eating time to make this a whole Primary contribution. Well done, Year 6!

FAREWELL MRS BECKMAN 

Our lovely KR team teacher, Mrs Beckman, finished last Friday to commence her maternity leave. We wish her love and prayers as she awaits the birth of her second child.

DRINK BOTTLES 

We still have a number of students coming to School without a water bottle each day. With the warmer weather arriving, it is very important that students remain hydrated. Even though the School bubblers are available, a personal water bottle is preferred. Please make sure that your child brings a clearly named water bottle to School, especially on their Sport day.

SUMMER UNIFORM 

The Spring weather will warm up considerably this week so we are making the option of moving into Summer Uniform available from this Wednesday 2 September.

WHAT’S COMING UP? 

We have Co-curricular and Sport photo day coming up on Tuesday 8 September. Students involved in Sports photos will be notified closer to the day. 

Class photos were distributed at the end of last week.

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”Joshua 1:5

Stay well,

Mrs Karen Shannon-Duhigg
Head of Primary Oakhurst

NESA advised yesterday that HSC students can now have their COVID-19 test results fast tracked to reduce disruption to their studies and exams. Students just need to say they are a HSC student when taking the test.

Year 12 will receive their final School Reports at the end of term but are reminded that these Reports will only show their ranking in each subject, and not their final HSC assessment mark. These are confidentially reported to NESA and we are not allowed to disclose them. The ranking needs to be checked against the official notification from NESA in November.

We have had to postpone a number of events due to the new guidelines for schools from the NSW Government, but we are looking to pick these up again in Term 4, to try and continue student’s experience of School as “normally” as possible. Year 9 will have their Maths Enrichment Day on 10 September, and the Secondary Colour Run will go ahead in Year groups on Friday. Year 12 successfully completed their Trial exams, and Year 11 will commence their final examinations on 11 September. The Year 12 Graduation Assembly has been postponed, but this is because we still wanted to make it a significant event for our students and will do so at the end of the HSC examinations.

Year 8 have also had the exciting opportunity to select two electives for Stage 5. Mrs Scrimshaw had a tremendous response to her presentation, and all students submitted their preferences within the time given. Only a very small percentage of students (less than 9%) have received their 1^st and 3^rd preference, simply because their first two preferences finished up on the same line. Food Technology was probably the most popular choice this year, which may be a reflection of the amount of time families are spending at home and experimenting in the kitchen!

Term 4 will see Year 7 2021 Orientation Day activities and Yearly Examinations for Years 7-10. We know once Term 4 starts, that school life runs very quickly to the end of the year, and everyone is always surprised by how quickly the weeks pass. Our current Year 7 students will suddenly feel like they are “old hands” with how Secondary operates and will be able to share their experiences with our new students!

It has been a year of changes and challenges in so many different ways, but it has been exciting to see smiles on faces and pleasure in a job well done, or a serious improvement that has been made to attitude or behaviour. All these things are done for the benefit of students, to help develop a sense of accountability and growing independence. All will go out into the world of work and the wider community one day, and we want them to be the best people that God intended them to be.

Mrs Jenny Clay
Assistant Principal/Head of Secondary

'Cyberia' is a live theatre experience that addresses mental health, cyber bullying, impulse control and the responsible use of technology.

Anxious and struggling with impulse control, Ruby is in danger of damaging her digital reputation. For Ruby's brother Tim, a lack of sleep and social interaction lead to mistakes, scams and misunderstandings online. He becomes isolated and withdraws into gaming. Tim and Ruby must restore their dignity, privacy and relationships if they are to find their way back from Cyberia.

'Cyberia' is part of our student wellbeing program and has been developed by education and mental health professionals. Real student experiences are woven together to create a compelling narrative and theatrical experience. The performance poses questions about how we treat ourselves and others, both online and offline, and encourages resilience and positive relationships.

If you would like to know more about Brainstorm Productions, you can visit their website: brainstormproductions.edu.au  

Mr Brad Maxwell
Director of Secondary Welfare

Here are some reflections from the students about their experiences last week:

Weeks 6-9 for Years 7 and 9 will be at Hanna Reserve. Hats and water bottles are expected. These Year groups will be split to participate in organised sporting activities.

Weeks 6-7 for Year 8 will be going to either Rock Climbing or Flipout. For Weeks 8-9 the students will be divided up between St Marys Indoor and Boxercise/Fitness.

Weeks 6-7 for Year 10 will be going to either St Marys Indoor Sports or Boxercise/Fitness. Weeks 8-9 the students will be going to Rock Climbing or Flipout. 

Mr David Hyde
Secondary Sports Co-ordinator

Supervisors must: