From the Principal’s desk
Welcome back to Term Two! We trust everyone enjoyed a restful holiday and had the chance to recharge, spend time with family, and celebrate the achievements of Term One. As we are now nearly at the halfway point for the term, we are excited for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Term Two is always a busy and vibrant time at Rylstone Public School, filled with classroom learning, special events, and activities that foster our strong sense of community. Our students will be diving into new subject areas, building on their skills, and participating in a range of experiences both inside and outside the classroom. We look forward to events such as zone cross country carnivals, assemblies and many other exciting projects, where our students can showcase their talents and grow as confident learners. We are committed to providing a safe, supportive environment where every student can thrive.
NEW LEARNING NORMS
As a whole school we are looking at refreshing some of our school operating and behaviour norms. This includes our expectations around behaviour in different area of the school such as the eating area, corridor and bus lines. We are promoting the 4 Ps of learning that focus on the belief that LEARNING IS IMPORTANT! They are: • PRESENT … are you focused and paying attention. Are you thinking about your learning? • PUNCTUAL … are you on time and where you are supposed to be WHEN you are supposed to be there? • PREPARED … do you have everything you need to get the most out of your learning? • POSITIVE … at Rylstone Public School we can do hard things and have an HAVE A GO attitude to all challenging tasks. These beliefs will be taught explicitly over the next few weeks to all students K to Year 6 and students will be exposed to many different ways they can show and follow these expectations, because at RPS we all believe that LEARNING IS IMPORTANT!
ATTENDANCE
At Rylstone Public School, we believe that regular attendance is fundamental to student success and wellbeing. Every day at school provides valuable learning opportunities, social connections and the chance to develop essential skills that contribute to your child’s growth. Attending school consistently helps students build good habits, stay engaged with their learning and achieve their full potential. We understand that there are times when students may be unwell or have other legitimate reasons for being absent. When this happens, it is important that absences are explained promptly and appropriately to ensure accurate records, and support for your child’s education. Parents and carers are encouraged to notify the school as soon as possible if their child will be absent and to provide a clear reason for the absence. Doctor’s Certificates and DoE Requirements Principals can:
- ask the parent or carer to provide a medical certificate if they have concerns with the explanation provided, or where there is a history of poor attendance or other child protection concerns
- where they have ongoing concerns, can request the parent’s consent for a doctor to provide information about their child’s heath condition. To support the student’s attendance at school, it is essential the school has all relevant information to ensure the student’s learning and health care needs are addressed through the Health support planning and student safety procedures. If the request is denied or the principal is still not satisfied with the reason for the absence, they can record the absence as ‘unjustified’.
LONG ABSENCES DURING TERM
At Rylstone Public School, we understand the value of family time and the special memories created during holidays and trips. However, we encourage families to plan extended vacations during scheduled school breaks wherever possible. Taking long family trips during the term can have a significant impact on your child’s learning, assessment and overall progress. When students miss school for extended periods mid-term, they miss important lessons, class activities and opportunities to engage with their peers and teachers. This absence can lead to gaps in learning that may affect their ability to keep up with the curriculum and achieve their learning goals. It also creates challenges for teachers in accurately assessing student achievement when there are extended gaps in attendance. Student assessments and reporting are based on consistent classroom participation and completed work. Missing school during critical learning periods can limit your child’s ability to demonstrate their understanding and skills, potentially impacting their end-of-term reports. Teachers may not have enough evidence to accurately assess your child’s progress, which can affect feedback and future learning plans. If a family trip during term time is unavoidable, we ask that you communicate with the school office and class teacher in advance. This enables teachers to provide guidance on what your child can do to stay on track and assist with planning for missed work. Whenever possible, we encourage families to keep absences brief and ensure students return ready to re-engage with their learning. Thank you for partnering with us to prioritise consistent attendance, as it plays a crucial role in your child’s educational success. We value your support in making informed decisions that help your child achieve their best at Rylstone Public School. For any questions or support regarding attendance, please contact the school office. Let’s work together to make every school day count!
BUS LINES AND HOME ROUTINES
As our school numbers grow, so too do our bus lines. It is proving quite difficult at times to make sure students are going home in a safe and correct manner. One of the most important ways families can support their children’s wellbeing and safety is by keeping the school informed about any changes to home routines, such as after-school pickups, travel arrangements, or caregivers. Early communication about these changes ensures that staff can respond quickly and appropriately to your child’s needs. It helps us keep your child safe, prevents confusion and worry, and allows us to maintain accurate records. For example, if your child will be going home with a different adult, catching a different bus, or has a change in after-school arrangements, informing the school as soon as possible will help us manage these transitions smoothly. Unexpected changes without prior notice can cause stress for students and staff and may delay staff in confirming arrangements or contacting families. By providing early and clear communication, you give us the opportunity to prepare your child and the relevant staff, ensuring a calm and positive experience each day. We encourage families to notify the school office or your child’s teacher of any changes as soon as you know about them. This simple step helps us support your child’s safety, emotional wellbeing, and sense of security. We also ask that no children play on the equipment or around the playground at home time as it causes confusion and makes it difficult to monitor where students should be. Thank you for your commitment to working closely with us and for keeping the lines of communication open. Together, we create an environment where every Rylstone Public School student feels safe, supported and ready to learn.
PERMISSION AND PAYMENT CUT OFF DATES
The timely submission of notes and payments is essential to the smooth running of our programs, excursions and special activities. We understand that families are busy, but providing a permission response and making payment promptly, helps us organise events efficiently and ensures that every student has the opportunity to participate. When permission notes and payments are returned by the due date, staff can plan ahead, confirm bookings, arrange transport and finalise student groups. This allows us to provide well-organised and safe experiences for all involved. Late submissions can lead to delays, missed opportunities for students, and increased pressure on staff as they try to make last-minute arrangements.
In some cases, strict deadlines are set by external providers or for coordination purposes. Missing these deadlines may mean that your child cannot take part in an activity or event. When notes or payments are not handed in promptly, it can also impact budgeting and resource allocation for the school. If you are ever unable to return a note or payment by the due date, please contact the school office as soon as possible. We are here to support families and can discuss options to ensure your child is included wherever possible.
ANZAC DAY
Thank you to all families who attended the Anzac Day dawn service or march. The day is always one of enormous pride for me as our school students always conduct themselves with respect and pride. Our winter uniform always looks so great, and our students behaviour is a reflection of our whole school expectations of pride and respect.
MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST
Thank you to Mrs Helen Grant for organising and coordinating our recent Mother’s Day breakfast. It was a lovely morning, and although cold, it was enjoyed by everyone. Thank you to the dad helpers who came along to help set up, cook and tidy up. You were amazing!
ZONE CROSS COUNTRY
Tomorrow, Friday 15th our school will host the Zone Cross Country. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Rankin who coordinates the whole event. The zone cross country event brings a huge amount of people to our town and is great publicity for our local area. Our P&C use this day as a major fund raiser for our school by organising and running the canteen. It is an enormous effort from all involved and I thank you all in advance of what I am sure is going to be an awesome day! As always, any concerns or questions, please reach out on PH: 6379 1404 or jodee.burcher@det.nsw.edu.au Jodee
In the classrooms
Kinder Bananas
We are off to a fantastic start in Kindy Bananas! The students have returned eager to learn and excited to see how they can improve their skills. We began by reminding everyone of the classroom expectations, and the children are adjusting really well to the routine. We have focused on keeping our hands and feet to ourselves and using our words when we feel upset. We also discussed the importance of treating others the way we would like to be treated. As a school, we are making sure we have high expectations across all year levels, including Kindy. We are encouraging students to be ready for learning by being punctual, prepared, present, and positive. We have talked about all four of these qualities and how they help us to get the most out of our learning. It has been wonderful to see how focusing on these values has helped us stay engaged and enthusiastic in our learning activities. In English, we are learning new sounds every week, including digraphs and the concept of plurals. It’s wonderful to see how excited the students get about learning to read, write, and spell new words. We have been practising sentence construction and writing sentences independently. The students are amazed at how well they can write! We have set success criteria; students need to achieve the top three, and those who reach the bottom three are flying high. This week, we are transitioning from books without lines to books with lines, and our handwriting has improved beautifully. We are still working on ensuring we form our letters correctly and we are making great progress every day.
In our writing lessons, we’ve been exploring some wonderful books and then transforming our ideas into incredible artworks. After reading the book called “The Book With No Pictures”, we had fun imagining and drawing what robot monkey might look like. I believe everyone in Kindy Bananas has the potential to be amazing illustrators—your drawings were fantastic! It was such an enjoyable activity.
In Maths, we have enjoyed exploring teen numbers. The children have been counting to 20 and learning that the number order stays the same. We have looked at the numbers before and after each teen number, as well as what all teen numbers share in common. We are definitely getting better at this! We are also exploring 3D objects, discovering that they have three dimensions: height, width and depth. The students have enjoyed sorting objects based on their characteristics, seeing how they are similar and different.
In Science, we are learning about the weather and how it affects us and animals. We will also investigate the seasons and understand why we have them, along with how rain occurs. The students are very engaged and asking fantastic questions that deepen their understanding.
In Sports this term, we will focus on hopping, jumping, and catching. The students are learning these fundamental movement skills and understanding how they are important for developing abilities in other sports. They are really enjoying these lessons and staying engaged throughout. As you can see, Term 2 is going to be a busy one, filled with fun, learning, friendship, and growth! Mrs Rankin
Mangoes
The magnificent Mangoes have been very busy learners! In English this term we have been participating in group and partner reading activities, spelling lessons focused on making spelling choices for different sounds, a range of comprehension tasks and we have been showing lots of effort in handwriting lessons. In Writing, we have been exploring the book Under the Southern Cross and investigating the differences between information and imaginative texts. We will soon begin creating our own information texts about interesting places in Australia, thinking carefully about the words we choose to make our writing informative and engaging.
In Maths, we have been working on recalling number bonds for efficient working, ordering numbers and thinking about their placement on number lines and telling time on both analog and digital clocks. We have also been very focused on our Maths reviews this term. We complete these four times a week to help strengthen our understanding and memory of key concepts. Everyone participates enthusiastically and enjoys the challenge and success they achieve.
Earlier in the term, we were committed to creating some lovely keepsakes for Mother’s Day. Lots of thought went into the writing we did. Care and creativity went into crafting and cutting the flowers for this special project. In Science, we have been finalising our learning about living things by investigating how science and technology assist in using living things for fibre. It has been fascinating to learn about all the steps involved in getting products from farms to us. In Music and Dance, we are continuing to learn about the elements of music and dance while exploring celebrations through movement and sound. This week, we had lots of fun participating in a conga line together! Mrs Mulvaney
Grapes
It has been another busy start for Term 2 in 2/3 Grapes. We have recently started comprehension groups where students have been working hard to answer literal, inferential and evaluative questions. We have also been exploring vocabulary from our texts by finding synonyms, antonyms and discussing word meanings. In spelling, students are making a great effort when adding a range of suffixes to words and applying the correct spelling rules. 2/3 Grapes students also wrote beautiful heartfelt poems for their mothers and created lovely artworks using autumn leaves.
In Mathematics, we have been studying place value and the value of each digit, as well as learning about 2D and 3D shapes. Students have also been practising counting money and giving change in a variety of real-life situations. We were very proud of the effort shown by all students during Cross Country and wish the representatives from our class the very best for Friday. In History, Year 2 students have been learning about families in the past and present. They enjoyed an interesting discussion about how family roles and responsibilities have changed over time. Students have also been developing their research skills by using both technology and books to gather information and compare life then and now.
Year 3 students have been exploring life in 18th century Britain and learning how crime and punishment led many people to come to Australia on the First Fleet. As part of their studies, students have been building valuable research skills using a range of sources, including books and digital technologies, to investigate historical events and ask thoughtful questions. In Science, Year 2 students have been learning about Earth’s natural resources. The class conducted a fun experiment making ice cream while discussing the natural resources used to create the ingredients.
Year 3 students have been investigating the relationship between the Sun, Earth and Moon. They have asked many thoughtful questions about the Sun and are looking forward to continuing their learning about how the Earth rotates and moves around the Sun. Mrs Grant
Lychees
Mr Langdon
Pineapples
Mrs Newham & Ms Burcher
NSW Public Schools Survey
In Term 2, we are offering our students the opportunity to participate in the NSW Public Schools Student Survey. The survey gives students the chance to share their thoughts and feelings about life at school, including questions about their engagement, learning experiences and wellbeing at school. Hearing directly from our students will help us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made to our school. The survey is confidential, takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and will be conducted online during school hours. Participation is voluntary. If you prefer your child not to participate, please complete the opt-out consent form, which will be sent home, and return it to the school. Further information about the survey is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/npss.
Year 1 Number Screening Check
Information for parents
In the next fortnight, Year 1 will be participating in the Year 1 Number Screening Check. The Year 1 Number Screening Check is a short statewide assessment that tells teachers how your child is progressing in early number sense. Some children find developing number sense challenging, so it is important these children are identified quickly. The main purpose of the screener is to provide your child’s teacher with information which will allow them to plan for your child’s learning and any specific support they may need. Your child will sit with the class teacher and will be asked to answer 30 questions. The screener normally takes up to 15 minutes. If your child is struggling the teacher will stop the screener. The screener is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child. What is number sense? Number sense is the ability to understand, relate to, and work with numbers effectively to participate in daily life and make sense of the world. It supports your child to understand more complex mathematical concepts in the later years of primary school and high school. More information If you have any questions relating to the Year 1 Number Screening Check, please speak to Mrs Mulvaney.
Education Week Art Competition
Sport
School Cross Country
We had a wonderful afternoon at the Rylstone Showground for our annual school cross country event. The weather was warm, but our students showed great determination and resilience, pushing themselves to run their best despite the heat. It was inspiring to see so many achieve personal bests and show such enthusiasm for participating. Everyone encouraged their peers and celebrated each other's achievements, creating a fantastic sense of school spirit and camaraderie. We would also like to wish all the students representing our school at the Zone Cross Country on Friday the very best of luck! We know you will do us proud, and we are cheering you on every step of the way. A very big thank you must go to our teacher and parent helpers for their invaluable support throughout the day. Your assistance helped to make the event run smoothly and ensured it was such a success. Well done to all students for their effort and sportsmanship – it was truly a memorable day filled with energy, achievement, and support for one another!
PSSA Touch Football Gala Day & Zone Trials
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Touch Football Gala Day in Mudgee. It was a beautiful day, and as always, our students represented our school with great pride, enthusiasm and excellent sportsmanship. Their commitment and teamwork were truly impressive and made us all very proud. Congratulations to Rebecca for her selection in the Cudgegong Zone Team. A heartfelt thank you goes to the parents who kindly transported the students to and from the event, supporting their children and helping to make the day possible. We also extend our sincere appreciation to Mrs Newham for her dedication in supervising the students throughout the day, ensuring their safety and encouragement.
ICAS 2026
ICAS are external assessments for students in Years 2-6. Parents interested in having their student/s participate will need to register and pay for assessments at the link below. Once you reach the site our school's parent code, LVV438 should be entered to link your purchase to our school. Purchases have a deadline of 3 July.
Premier's Reading Challenge
Many students are well underway with their reading and recording it in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Hint: students can enter books recorded on their ‘Home Reading’ log. Congratulations to the following students who have completed the Challenge already.
- Evelyn M Year 4
- Angus C Year 5
- Kirsten Van O Year 5
- Charles T Year 6
What is the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge? The PRC is a statewide Challenge that encourages students to develop a love of reading for leisure and pleasure and enables them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition, but a challenge to encourage each student to read, to read more, and to read more widely. All students who complete the challenge and have their reading record validated by Mrs Newham, will receive a certificate signed by the Premier of NSW. How many books do students need to read? Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 are challenged to read or experience 30 books. Of these books, 20 must be from the relevant Challenge booklists, and up to 10 books can be personal choice books. Books can be read with a parent, carer, teacher or another student. Students in Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 20 books independently. However, you may include texts that have been read to you or read aloud in class as part of your Challenge. If a book is from an approved PRC series, students can enter up to 5 books as Challenge books, and can read up to 10 other books from the same series as Personal Choice books. More information on the rules and lists of all Challenge books can be found on the PRC website. Books must be added to a student’s online reading record by Friday 18th September 2026 in order for their reading record to be validated and receive a certificate. How do students log their reading? Students can access the PRC’s Student Experience site using their DoE username and password, or can log into the site via the Student Portal. A video guide explaining how to use the Student Experience site can be found here. How can students find books on the NSW PRC challenge lists? Students can check on the Orbit site in their Student Portal which PRC books we have in the library. PRC books are labelled with a white PRC sticker. If students, or parents, need any help logging their books or any questions, contact Mrs Newham. A quick guide for logging books:
- Log into the Student experience site using your DoE student username and password.
- Use the blue search bar to search for books you have read.
2a. If the title appears, click “Add to Reading Log” to add it as a PRC book. 2b. If the title does not appear, you will need to enter it as a personal choice book. To enter a personal choice book:
- Click on the icon in the top right-hand corner:
- Click on “My reading log"
- Fill in the book details under the “Add a Personal Choice book” field and click “add”
If you have any issues with logging books, please speak to Mrs Newham.
SRC
The SRC Easter raffle was a huge success and we would like to thank all our parents, family and community members for your support and donations. The SRC raised $800 and winners of the many raffle prizes included: Rebecca R, Mahalia, Miskle family, Hopkins family, Riley, Caitlin, Phil M, Jo M, Morris family, Liz G, Marg B and Parker C. We hope you enjoyed your extra chocolatey Easter.
Book Club
Book Club brochures will come home once a term. The school participates in Issues 2, 4, 6 & 8. There is no obligation to purchase. The easiest way to put your order in is online via LOOP! Issue 4 brochures should arrive any day now and will be sent home within a few days of their arrival.
Sentral
Sentral is the go to place for all school information, permission requests, school payments, absences, newsletters, Parent Teacher Interviews.
Please note that SMS messages sent via Sentral from our school will come from a random phone number but we will always start our message with RylstonePS or RPS. We have limited characters use so messages may be brief and to the point.
Sentral Parent Help pages: https://www.sentral.com.au/parents
Please keep up to date with your child's absence explanations, as unexplained absences, as well as total absences, will be mentioned on your child's report. Red on your child's attendance calendar indicates we do not have an explanation. Absences not explained within 7 days will become unjustified. Staff are not allowed to edit the roll after the 7 day period (except for school holidays where a response was received within the seven days). Your explanation can be noted but your child's attendance will remain UNJUSTIFIED.
Dates for your calendar
Don't forget you can find these dates on your Sentral Calendar too.
May
- 15th - Zone Cross Country - hosted by our school in Rylstone
- 27th - National Simultaneous Storytime
June
- 10th - Western Cross Country, Orange
Reminders
- Students arriving late or departing early MUST come to the office to sign in/out.
- ALL Parent helpers must sign in at the office for WH&S.
- Payments to school (not P&C) can be made online via Sentral Pay with a debit or credit card, or cash can be sent in an envelope to the school office. The school does not have an EFTPOS machine.
- Please check your child's attendance on the Sentral app and keep up to date with absence explanations. Explanations are required within 7 days of an absence. A text message will be sent if your child is absent and you haven't submitted an explanation.
- School Drive Subsidy and bus transport: Please keep your details current and notify the Dept. of Transport of any address changes at www.transportnsw.info/school-students
P&C News
AGM Update
Thanks to all that attended our AGM on Monday 4 May Welcome to our 2026 Committee:
- President - Kate Nash
- Vice President - Jenna Warren
- Treasurer - Karen Croake
- Secretary - Jessie Clarke
- Events Coordinator and MC extraordinaire - Joel Fuller
- Uniform Shop Coordinator - Kristina Heather, assisted by Elizabeth Docherty
General Committee - Sarah Moxham, Mandy Rankin, Jodee Burcher, Emma Jacklin, Chloe Sinnett, Jodie Carver, Megan O’Connor, Alison Birch, Casey McKay We want to say an incredibly big THANK YOU to outgoing members Kelly Lus and Shannon Morris who have given many many YEARS of service to our P&C and School, Kelly looking after events and canteen and then the Garden Club and Shannon being an all-rounder in many roles including secretary and Uniform Shop coordinator. Also a huge thank you to Eva Mahy for her years of volunteering and tackling the Treasurer's role like a pro.
Uniform Shop
The shop is open on Friday afternoons 3-3:30pm but don’t forget you can shop anytime 24/7 via our online shop and your order will be sent home with your child: https://rylstone-public-school-parents-and-citizens-association.square.site/ Cash orders can be placed by sending money in an envelope with details of student and uniform items required to the school office. This will be passed to the uniform shop volunteer on a Friday for filling.