WELCOME

Welcome to the start of the 2020 school year.  A special welcome to our new students and their families, especially our Year 8 students who have joined us for the beginning of their secondary school journey. 

STAFFING

We are also fortunate to welcome some new staff members to our team: Teacher Matt Gove (Design and Technology, and Mathematics), teacher Sam Owens (Mathematics), and SSO Connie Schrapel (Classroom Support).  Amy Evans is re-joining us as Director of Student Inclusion after her leave in semester two.

MEET THE TEACHERS NIGHT

It was fantastic to see families who took the opportunity on Monday this week to meet new staff and to catch up with familiar faces.  Meeting the teachers is a great way to make those initial contacts (or reaffirm existing ones) which make it easier to follow up on during the year.  As I said last night, please let us know if there are any concerns about your young person's learning during the year - it is much easier to get any concerns addressed early on. 

Last's night's event was also an opportunity for those parents and caregivers who hadn't seen our new STEM space yet to check it out.  Our next formal opportunity to talk to teachers are the three way discussions (parent/teacher/student interviews) in week 10 and 11, but please don’t wait until then to make contact if you have anything to discuss.

SITE UPGRADES

The construction of air conditioning in D block that began in Term 4 of last year continued in earnest in the holidays.  We have some classrooms back in use and are expecting the rest in about Week 6.  The new ceilings and lighting in these classrooms look great and the rest of the works are expected to take place in June this year into early next year.  Our new fence is also here and construction has begun this week. 

 REMINDERS

• The standard of the uniform has been fantastic on our return to the school, please keep this up.
• Because student attendance is an important factor in their success at school, the beginning of the year is a great time to set in place the habit of being at school on time each and every school day.
• Students are not permitted to leave the school to go down the street at lunchtime.  This is in the interests of the safety and wellbeing of our students. Students who truant from school (or from school off-site activities) put at risk their ability to participate in opportunities such as excursions and camps.
• DAYMAP is an important method of communication with families and we encourage all parents and guardians to make use of this service.  Instructions on accessing the DAYMAP program are attached to this newsletter, are available on our Facebook page and can be collected from the front office.  

NEWSLETTERS

RHS Newsletters will be published in electronic form directly to your email and the newsletter app (SZapp) every 3 weeks. They will also be made available to view via DAYMAP or on our Facebook page. If you would like to receive a hard copy, please let us know and a printed version will be sent home with your student. 

I am looking forward to working with students, staff, families and our community as we continue to make our fantastic school even better throughout this year.

Regards – Mat Evans