8 March 2024

LEADERSHIP 

The importance of leadership cannot be overstated in various aspects of life, including business, politics, education, and community engagement. It is crucial for fostering growth, driving change, and creating positive outcomes across a range of facets of life and living. Effective leadership, shapes the trajectory of individuals and organisations which ultimately contributes to a more prosperous and sustainable future. 

Here at RJ, we want our students to understand leadership, to take hold of the responsibilities that come with being a leader and learn skills that help them lead not only others, but themselves as individuals. Leadership opportunities and learning how to navigate challenges is woven in to the very fabric of our college culture. As such, our Senior School held a leadership training day for all those students with leadership portfolios; from members of the student forum through to our College Captains, over 60 students took part in activities and workshops aimed at developing their understanding of leadership.

Our Junior School leaders will also have opportunity to explore leadership as they take part in their GRIP Leadership Day at Homebush for Junior School Leaders later this month.

COMMUNITY

Parent involvement is one of the other hallmarks of our College community. Whether this be parents volunteering to help with supervision on Junior School excursions, assisting the Canteen, being part of the Mothers’ Day market stall, attending parent information evenings or the RJ Community Connect nights, we want you as parents to be immersed in all that our college has to offer. 

Research consistently shows that students perform better academically when their parents are actively involved in their education. Parental involvement can lead to improved attendance, higher grades, better behaviour, and increased motivation to learn. When parents are involved in school life, students feel a stronger sense of belonging and connection to their school community, and this sense of belonging contributes to higher levels of student engagement, self-esteem, and overall well-being. As we move through the year, I encourage all of our parents to find ways to engage with our college and be a part of all that we do.

FAMILY

Lastly, when was the last time you as a family had ‘family night’? It doesn’t have to be an expensive occasion, but spending time enjoying each others’ company and finding ways to connect. When my children were younger, this may have looked like a walk to the park for some time playing on the playground equipment or setting an afternoon or evening aside to play some board games. At other times it was driving through McDonald’s drive-through for a cheap soft serve cone or watching Cheaper by the Dozen for the 5th time together.

Whatever it takes to enrich the connection you have with your children, let me encourage you to set the time aside and do it. Nothing is more important in life than having connection with others and ultimately connecting with our Creator!

God Bless...

Mr Alan Dawson | Principal 

Throughout the day it was encouraging to see both the passion that the Senior leaders of our School have for the RJ Values and the passion that they have for raising up the next generation of leaders. It was also encouraging to see so many of our leaders being profoundly engaged in absorbing the wisdom that was shared with them. Our students were also encouraged to “do the work” on themselves that helps them to grow and become better versions of themselves. This aligns with our value of Excellence in encouraging students to continue to incrementally improve each day so that they can achieve great things.

A big thank you to Mr Dawson, Mrs Scrimshaw, Mr Millard and Mrs Viatos for giving up their time and wisdom, for the excellent behaviour of our students and for the staff and the students who assisted with serving lunch. We really are blessed as a community to have staff and students who adopt an attitude of service without any request or requirement to do so. 

CHILD SAFE STANDARDS

Standard 3 – Families and Communities are informed and involved

The Child Safe Standards Guide gives clarity about this important standard by describing it as:

Staff in child safe organisations understand that parents, carers and other important people in a child’s life have the primary responsibility for raising their children. A child safe organisation talks to, consults with and invites the participation of families, caregivers and the broader community to promote the rights of children.

What is interesting about describing this standard in this way is the clear partnership required by Schools and the families with which they work. At RJ, we believe this is absolutely paramount to the success of working with young people. As much as we value and care for our students, we remain committed to ensuring families are the primary carers and supporters of their children. For all of our students experiencing challenges or requiring additional support, we see the family as fundamental to supporting ongoing success for their child. This is why partnership in these situations is necessary. We often talk about “triangulating” in this context: the student, the family and the College. Consultation and collaboration in this space is necessary for the partnership to be necessary. It is especially important that on many occasions any one of these “sides of the triangle” can be an advocate for a young person.

Our Community Connect evenings are another valuable connection point for our Community. Consultation and participation of families in these evenings is incredibly valuable. We often find that the information shared, both by the Staff and by the families, is a launch point for further discussion and potentially for seeking solutions to concerns and opportunities for growth. This is also true on the many parent information evenings, parent-teacher-student conferences, subject selection evenings and more that allow students and their families to actively engage in making a difference for the students at RJ.

We warmly encourage you to connect with us if you can see a need or concern, or even an opportunity to reflect on great things that have happened. This feedback is really important to us in ensuring we effectively serve the RJ community.

Mr Scott Roby
Deputy Principal

LITERACY EVENING  

Last Tuesday we held our Literacy Evening information session for parents with children in Years K-2. The elements of literacy were outlined along with teaching methods used at RJ and associated hints for parents to promote literacy development at home. A special thank you to Miss Ross, Mrs Pinney, Mrs Wells and Mrs Roe for their input. A summary handout of information shared on this evening is available. Please email me if you would like to be sent a copy. kshannonduhigg@rj.nsw.edu.au

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART                                                                                                                     

Mr Mitchell has been busy organising our School’s Jump Rope for Heart program this Term. Video links from the Heart Foundation have been played for the students explaining how the money currently being raised will be used to assist medical advances into the field of heart disease – a major cause of death in Australia. Already over $2000 has been pledged from our RJ Community. Our students have been practising and honing their skipping skills in PE lessons each week readying themselves for Jump Off Day in Week 11. The big question is, will the teachers maintain their crown and win the ‘Miss a Loop’ competition this year or will a student team take it out in 2024?!

WEARING JOGGERS AT SCHOOL                                                                                                                                                                            

A reminder that students only wear joggers to School on their allocated Sport day (Years 3-6 Wednesday). PE lessons with Mr Mitchell on other days throughout the week require joggers to be brought to School to get changed into, so school shoes are worn to and from School as normal. Black joggers cannot take the place of school shoes and uniform infringements will be sent home.  

EARLY ARRIVALS AT SCHOOL                                                                                                                                                                                

A number of children are being dropped at RJ at or even before 7:40am which is very early. From 7:45am Senior School teachers supervise students who must sit quietly in the Canteen area until 8:15am when the Junior School morning duty teachers come out. Prior to this, students cannot play. A great time to drop your child at the College is from 8:15am when the play areas are open and children do not have to sit and wait.

1-2 SWIM FUN DAY 

Our Stage 1 Swim Fun Day was held last week at The Little Fishes Swimming Centre in Oakhurst. The students were supervised in small groups while practising pre-swimming skills with noodles, kickboards and balls. A small water slide added to the fun. A special thank you to Mr Guardia, Mrs Ribbons, Ms Reid and Ms Williams for their wonderful assistance on the day and Mr Mitchell and Mrs Roe for their organisation.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN commences for Years 3 and 5 on Wednesday 13 March. Writing is the first discipline followed by Reading on Thursday 14 March, Language Conventions Friday 15 March and Mathematics on Monday 16 March. There will be some catch-up days on 17 and 18 March for any students who were absent. Practice NAPLAN tests are being carried out at School to help prepare the students.

NAPLAN 2024 Information for Parents/Carers

RESPECT AND CARE DAY

On Friday 15 March we will be celebrating ‘Respect and Care Day’ to raise money for our Compassion sponsorship children in each Stage while reflecting on our College values. We are asking Junior School students to wear the colours of the rainbow – a different colour for each grade and bring in a gold coin for the mufti day. Care activities such as card writing and pavement chalk decorating will be held throughout the day.

K-red, 1–orange, 2–yellow, 3–green, 4–blue, 5–indigo, 6-violet

STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING CHARACTER IN YOUR CHILD 

DIARY DATES

• Tuesday 5 March | Literacy Information Evening K-2 - Parents only in the School Hall at 6:30pm.  
• Wednesday 13 March - Wednesday 20 March | Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN.
• Friday 15 March | Respect and Care Day - Dress in a rainbow colour mufti. Gold coin donation. 
• Friday 22 March | House Meetings - Students wear House Shirts. 

Enjoy the rest of your week, 

Mrs Karen Shannon-Duhigg
Head of Junior School

HOUSE MEETINGS 

Senior students have the opportunity to get involved in their House on Friday 22 March during the House Meetings in Period 4. Students are to wear their coloured House shirt as part of their Sports Uniform to and from school that day.

REMINDER: GUM AND LIQUID PAPER

Students were reminded during the recent Senior School Assembly that they are not permitted to bring gum or liquid paper to the College. Due to the potential damage and associated cost of cleaning/repair any student found with gum or liquid paper will see these items confiscated and be issued a lunch detention. It is sad and frustrating to see a new wall panel and a section of new carpet need to be removed and replaced due to damage caused by liquid paper in a classroom that was only renovated in January this year.

YEAR 10 CAREERS TESTING 

Our Year 10 Cohort will undertake Careers Testing in Week 6 this Term. This will help build the profile of each of our students, assisting them in considering potential career paths and Stage 6 subjects. More information will be shared with the Parents/Carers of our Year 10 Cohort after the testing has taken place.

NAPLAN

Our students in Years 7 and 9 will complete the NAPLAN tests in Weeks 7 and 8 in the Hall during the morning. All students will be in the Hall from 8:30am until recess at the latest. This will take place from Wednesday 13 March through to Monday 18 March, covering the four individual NAPLAN tests. Students will need to have their laptops with them, fully charged each morning, and a pair of headphones, as the NAPLAN tests are conducted online.

During Week 6 the NAPLAN browser will be installed on student laptops and they will complete a trial of the NAPLAN test to ensure it functions properly in preparation for the NAPLAN testing in the following week.

Naplan Tests:

• Wednesday 13 March - Writing
• Thursday 14 March - Reading
• Friday 15 March - Conventions of Language
• Monday 18 March - Numeracy

The College will be running NAPLAN catch-up sessions through the end of Week 8 for any students who are absent across the days outlined above.

If any student is sick during the NAPLAN tests please contact the college via the RJ App to advise of their absence. 

Please see NAPLAN 2024 Information for Parents/Carers

RJ APP

I do hope that the Parents/Carers within the RJ Senior School have installed the RJ APP and seeing the RJ Attribute Tokens that are being given to the students by their classroom teachers. It has been pleasing to see many students being recognised for displaying one of the following attributes that we hope to see in all our Students. Courteous and Kind, Courageous, Resourceful, Connected, Reflective, a Critical and Creative Thinker, a Positive Contributor and a Willing Learner.

Additionally, some Parents/Carers may see entries reflecting a student arriving late to school or late to class. If this is the case please speak with your child, particularly if there are several entries stating that they were late to class, as this may reflect a casual approach to moving to lessons at the end of recess or lunch.

INFORMATION NIGHTS AND COMMUNICATION

It was pleasing to see many Parents/Carers and students attend the information nights earlier this Term. It is hoped that the information presented helps both the students and their Parents/Carers. The encouragement remains, if you have any questions or concerns please contact the College earlier rather than later. The first point of contact is the students' Home Group Teacher and they will be able to assist or seek the support of other staff to help answer your question or address your concerns.

HALFWAY THROUGH THE TERM

It is Week 6, we are halfway through an eleven-week Term. The Easter long weekend sees Good Friday fall in Week 9 and Easter Monday at the start of Week 10. The last day of Term is Friday 12 April. For some students, after six weeks they may be looking forward to the downhill run to the end of Term. At this point, I would like to congratulate our Year 7 students for settling into Senior School so quickly and navigating the changes from being in Year 6.

For some of our Senior School Students six weeks into a Term sees the need to get a haircut to ensure that they continue to meet the College Uniform and Presentation Policy. For all students "hair must be clean, kept tidy and well-groomed. Hair should not hang/fall across the face or eyes". For boys, it must be above collar length, for girls shoulder length or longer needs to be tied back. Please remember when getting a haircut the clippers need to be no. 2 blade or above and that skin fades or similar are not permitted.

While it would be unfortunate to see this happen, students who do not follow the College Uniform and Presentation Policy will not be permitted to represent the College. This could be due to incorrect hairstyle and/or uniform and would potentially impact their participation in the Senior School Assembly as well as excursions and similar events.

REFLECTIONS ON OBSERVATIONS FROM STAFF

It has been pleasing to see students being acknowledged for their service of others within the college community. From simple offers of help to staff and their peers to giving up some of their lunchtimes to help set up for events and meetings, it is a great encouragement to see students be such willing helpers. My hope and prayer is that all our students will have the wisdom and willingness to step up and be courageous in offering to serve the RJ community with an attitude of selflessness that is seen in the life of Jesus Christ, whom we strive to acknowledge and honour at RJ. 

Mr Brad Maxwell
Head of Senior School

Extensive research studies support the fact that singing and playing a musical instrument can be a highly effective way of boosting learning outcomes at school with the additional social well-being and increased cognitive capacity benefits being widely documented. 

At RJ we are committed to a comprehensive music and performance palette of opportunities for our students. This week brings highlights from the Instrumental Tuition Program, which provides RJ students with the unique opportunity to learn from two of our highly specialised tutors to hone specific skills of mastery for their chosen instruments.  

Miss Kayla Flaxman – RJ Cello Tutor 

Miss Kayla Flaxman is an accomplished cellist from Western Sydney who has joined us to bring the opportunity of learning cello to RJ students. Learning cello has allowed her to achieve and experience many different things. She has been awarded two scholarships, completed the AMEB grades within 2 years and performed with various famous artists and composers. Kayla has two bachelor's degrees in music and education and has enjoyed working as an orchestral conductor in the past. When Kayla is not teaching or playing cello, she is painting in her art studio and selling her artworks online. 

Cello Fun Facts: 

1. Out of all the instruments of the orchestra, the cello is considered the most like the human voice. The range closely resembles the human voice.  
2. The cello is played using a bow, which is made out of real horsehair.  
3. Ed Sheeran played cello when he was younger.  
4. The most expensive cello is the Stradivarius cello for $20 million. Stradivarius cellos are the best sounding cellos in the world and were made in the 1700’s. No one has been able to replicate their make and sound.  
5. The full name for cello is violoncello. 
6. The plural for cello is celli not cellos.  
7. Cello strings were first made out of real sheep guts which were stretched out to make the string. Strings are now made out of metal.  
8. Today, the cello is used in all sorts of genres of music such as Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock and Film music. 

Mr Tom Andrews – RJ Woodwind Tutor 

Playing the saxophone has given Tom the opportunity to perform all around NSW and Australia at many different venues and festivals. He has performed for thousands of people and done hundreds of gigs as a young saxophonist. Tom has made lifelong friendships and been very fortunate to be able to make his creative pursuit his primary source of income. Some of the most memorable and inspiring moments of Tom’s life have come from playing the saxophone. 

Saxophone Fun Facts: 

1. The saxophone was developed by Adolphe Sax in the 19th century, as a new instrument to join the woodwind family. 
2. There are actually 13 different sizes of saxophone, but the most common types played today are Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone. 
3. The saxophone features predominantly in jazz and wind bands.  
4. Notable saxophone players include Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

RJ has a range of instruments available for loan. If you would like more information on instrument availability, loan conditions and costs, please use the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/395eJGjsvv 

To enquire about Individual Music Tuition: https://forms.office.com/r/FFM68WiyUH 

For any further information or enquiries please contact finearts@rj.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Inés Marrable
Director of Fine Arts

finearts@rj.nsw.edu.au 

This week’s skipping challenge is the Tricky Criss Cross -  video link 

SWIM FUN DAY

It was fantastic to see so many excited faces from Year 1 and 2 students last Wednesday as they enjoyed their Swim Fun Day. They did a range of activities related to water safety in the pool at Little Fishes. The highlight was the slide!

A big thank you to Mrs Roe for organising the day and the wonderful parent volunteers who gave up their time to assist the Year 1 and 2 teaching staff.

SWIMMING CARNIVALS 

Please enjoy some photos from our recent Zone Swimming Carnival. We pray that all of our students who competed in the CSSA State Swimming Carnival had an amazing event last night and hopefully they were able to come away with a personal best time in the Sydney Olympic games pool.

NETBALL TRAINING 

Netball Training has commenced for our WSCS teams at lunchtime on Thursday and Friday. Team lists are on the Junior School Sports noticeboard.

WSCS TRIALS FOR TERM 3 SPORTS

As we have moved into the second half of Term 1, we will now commence trials for our Term 3 WSCS sports. Just a reminder that your child needs to be at School on time each Wednesday as Years 3-6 go to Hanna Reserve in the morning session.

Team lists for the Term 2 sports are located on the Junior School sports noticeboard.

CSSA GYMNASTICS 

If your daughter competes in gymnastics and does the WAG Level 3 or higher, or if your son does any MAG level, please notify Mr Mitchell as there is a competition in Term 2 they can attend. gmitchell@rj.nsw.edu.au  

Mr Gavin Mitchell
Junior School Sports Leader

Next week new rotations will begin. Please check the Sports Noticeboard for sports allocations, as well as bus leaving times. All students are responsible for getting their name marked off and being ready to leave at the right time. 

Year 7 students will continue with their Swimming Program for the duration of the Term, and we are very pleased with the success of this program.  

Mrs Trish Millard
Faculty Leader PDHPE & Sport

Please post any questions on the Kinder Facebook page. If you haven’t joined already, please click here and answer the membership questions.

Year 6 WhatsApp Group

For more information about WhatsApp please view this video.