Rylstone Review Term 4, Week 3, 30th October 2025

Moving the play to Term 3 has given our students more time to rehearse and perfect their performances without the usual end-of-year rush. This shift allowed for a more relaxed and focused preparation period, which was reflected in the outstanding quality of the production. Teachers and students alike embraced the extra rehearsal time, leading to improved confidence, teamwork, and creativity on stage.

Parents and family members also welcomed the change, as the Term 3 timing avoided busy holiday schedules and allowed for greater attendance and support. The increased audience engagement added to the excitement and motivation for our young performers.

Overall, the successful transition of the Annual Play to Term 3 has enriched the experience for everyone involved — from students and teachers to and families. Rylstone Public School looks forward to continuing this tradition in Term 3 and building on this year’s success.

Thank you to all who contributed to making this change a positive and memorable one!

We had 15 responses to the survey that was sent out to all families on Class Dojo after the play. Some survey feedback:

• The play was amazing! The script was cleverly written to incorporate the class names. Costumes were incredible and it was very evident that a lot of thought, creativity, time and effort went into them. A highlight was seeing all the students smiling and actually enjoying themselves on stage! Congratulations RPS!
• Loved not getting home too late!
• Time I think was fantastic. Allowed all family members the opportunity to attend including parents, grandparents and siblings that attend high school etc.
• Allows working parents to attend and still finished early enough to get home and kids to bed at normal time.
• Honestly I always loved the end of year play/presentation but if it can't be that way going forward, I was really happy with the way it went last night. Was so very happy that it was moved to the evening, so it gave everyone the opportunity to attend. The children all seemed so happy and to enjoy themselves!! Thankyou to all the RPS staff for your amazing efforts putting it all together.
• Students seemed fresher and really energetic because they didn’t sit through presentation first and it wasn’t as hot, which made it more comfortable. The play itself was fantastic!

Although 60 % of surveyed parents felt they would not need a matinee, we think we may still do one for the community members who missed out due to the seating constraints…so watch this space!

As always, I’d like to thank the amazing staff at Rylstone Public School, who gave up their time for no extra pay to present the performance. I am mindful that most of my staff are themselves, working parents who must organise alternatives for their own families so that they can attend out of hours productions or evening activities for our school community.

Captains Speeches - Change to Policy

Recently I tabled a slight change to our current school captain and prefect policy at our P&C meeting. In the past the first boy and girl with the highest votes become captains and the next 2 students with the next highest votes, regardless of gender, become prefects. After discussing with both staff and our P&C representatives, we are going to ‘flip’ it so as of this year the two highest vote recipients, regardless of gender will become captains and then the next highest vote for boy and girl will be prefect. Successful candidates will be announced at our Annual Presentation Assembly.

Presentation Assembly

This year our final presentation assembly will be held on December 12th at 11am in the Rylstone Memorial Hall. As this is the first year we will be doing this format, our finish time will be approximately 12:30-1:00pm. Everyone is then invited back to school for lunch. We will then hold our annual parents vs Year 6 T-Ball game at 2pm.

Year 6 Farewell Disco

Our Year 6 Farewell disco will be held on the evening of Friday 12th December. ALL children from Kinder to Year 6 are invited. The disco will start at 6pm. Year 6 presentation will begin at 7:30pm and finish approximately 8:00pm. We ask that all children stay for the presentation as that is the ‘formal’ part of the evening. All students MUST be signed out by an adult and no students will be permitted to walk home alone. If students are to be collected by someone other than their parent, we must have a letter giving permission. Students will be required to stay in the hall for the duration of the disco and will not be permitted to walk around the school grounds.

Rylstone Successes

Rylstone PS students have been receiving accolades from all areas recently, what with Wyatt and Lucy being superstars at State Athletics, Alice a football champ and Rebecca being chosen to represent the district in Poetry. Our seniors being praised for their conduct on a recent excursion to Hill End and the whole school getting praise from Musica Viva for their behaviour. All these opportunities would not have been possible without the work of our teachers, ensuring that although we are a small rural school, the opportunities for our students to succeed and thrive are mighty!

Rylstone Public School truly is a place where everyone can achieve their individual success, and I am so proud of every single student.

Our school prides itself on providing a rich and diverse range of opportunities that empower every child to succeed and thrive.

Our size is our strength. With smaller classes and personalised attention from our dedicated teachers, each student receives the support and encouragement they need to develop confidence, resilience, and a love of learning. This close-knit environment fosters strong relationships between students, staff, and families, creating a nurturing space where every child feels valued and inspired.

Rylstone Public School offers a broad curriculum that includes exciting programs in literacy, numeracy, the arts, and sports. Our students regularly participate in local events, leadership opportunities, and creative projects that build skills and open pathways for future success.

We believe that success is measured not just by academic results but by the growth, wellbeing, and character of our students. At Rylstone Public School, every child has the chance to shine, explore their talents, and set the foundation for a bright future.

Small but mighty — that’s the spirit of Rylstone Public School!

As always, I’ll sign off by encouraging all families to get involved in our school community. Perhaps offering to help our P&C at StreetFeast? Your support and participation are important for the success of our programs and events. Please keep an eye on our school calendar, Sentral, Facebook and newsletters for updates on activities and volunteer opportunities. Please don’t hesitate to contact me on 6379 1404 or jodee.burcher@det.nsw.edu.au

Kind regards,

Jodee

In the classrooms

K, 1, 2 News

On Tuesday, 21st October, our Infants students took part in a fantastic Infants Sports Day. We had an absolute blast joining our friends from Kandos Public School for a day full of fun and excitement. The event was centred around making new friends, giving everything a go, and including everyone in the activities. It was wonderful to see our Year 5 and Year 6 there to support and guide the younger students throughout the day. Their enthusiasm shone through as they helped with the activities and encouraged everyone to try their best. Thank you to Mrs Newham and the 5/6 students.

Over the past two weeks, all classes have been involved in learning about Remembrance Day. The students have explored the meaning of this significant day, reflecting on the sacrifices made by service men and women throughout history. They have created thoughtful artworks that capture the true spirit of Remembrance Day. These art pieces will be proudly showcased in the shop windows in Kandos from 6-13 November for all the community to see.

On Friday, we had the wonderful opportunity to welcome Musica Viva to our school. Thank you to the Community Charity Shop, whose donation covered the cost of this event. Students from Kindergarten to Year 2 were captivated by the performance and thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was a well-organised presentation that not only engaged the children with fascinating instruments and sound systems but also inspired them to try new things and demonstrate perseverance. During the event, Eliza had a special moment as she became a teacher herself, showing one of the band members how to ride a bike. She was an excellent teacher and a fantastic role model for our school community. Tommy also shared a personal story about a time he experienced failure when attempting a trick on the trampoline but didn’t succeed. This story was creatively turned into a song during the show, providing a valuable lesson for the students about resilience and learning from challenges.

As you can see we have had a busy start to the term, filled with a great deal of learning happening across all classes. As teachers, we have had the valuable opportunity to visit classrooms and observe firsthand the incredible work that students are doing. It is truly remarkable to see how engaged every student is in their learning and how each is being given opportunities to succeed and grow. Although the term will stay busy, we will keep focusing on learning and growth. Our aim is to help all students get ready for the next year.

Mrs Rankin, Mrs Grant and Mrs Mulvaney

Kangaroos

It’s been a very busy and creative start to Term 4 in Stage 2!

In English, we have been exploring the book We Are Australians, focusing on the themes that celebrate who we are as a nation. Students chose one of these themes as the inspiration for their own poem, which they then presented to the class. It has been amazing to see how they shared their ideas and expressed their unique voices through poetry.

In Mathematics, we’ve been focused on strengthening our addition and subtraction strategies. Students have been using the column algorithm, standard partitioning, and non-standard partitioning to solve large problems efficiently.

Our Science lessons have been all about exploring the states of matter. We’ve been investigating solids, liquids, and gases - and even had a few hands-on experiments with non-Newtonian fluids (sorry for the messy clothes that day, but it was all in the name of science!)

This term, Stage 2 has also been working hard to improve their vocabulary through daily lessons that explore new Tier 2 words. Students record each word's definition, synonyms, antonyms, use it in a sentence, and then illustrate it. This routine has been a fantastic way to build stronger vocabulary and deepen word awareness.

Stage 2 has started Term 4 with great energy and enthusiasm — we can’t wait to see how much more we’ll achieve before the year ends!

Mr Langdon

Magpies