River School Spring Festival Huge Success

After years of building it was finally time to unwrap the River School to the outside world again.

With all classes having stalls on the new flat oval, with the music of Purusha serenely performing; the ambience, food, excitement, sunshine and pure joy radiated out to entice approximately 500+ people.  All classrooms were open for prospective parents, grandparents and general enquiries.  Our new library buildings were on display - Rosetta's Bookstore and Bunburra Books were offering everyone an opportunity to buy a library book to donate.

The youTube video link on this site is worth a look to get a visual of it all.

Thanks to everyone for their amazing committment to make it happen. Parent meetings are happening monthly to help support the school make this a yearly event.

The Planting Begins

It's been a long time coming - the Silky Oaks class has started the replanting process ouside of their classroom.  With the constant rain it's the best time. 50+ Midgim berries (wild food) have been planted with minature citrus fruit trees the next part of the plan.

The Early Childhood Centre is having it's first working bee this Saturday, 2nd April.  The aim is to get the new playground area planted out as well.

The slides and swing sets will be set in place over the next month to start the creation of the wonderland we envisage in this special area.

With most of the building works completed, a sense of peace prevails....



Creek Floods again & Building Update

The creek was flowing a metre over the bridge, it was exciting to see,  no doubt about that.  Considering what has happened in Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and Brisbane we are very fortunate - mainly erosion damage and a little mould here and there.

The Library buildings continue to develop and change- the carpet is going in next week, decks are almost complete, ballustrades are up and the entrance has a glorious new polished wooden floor.  All painting is completed.  They create an amazing space tucked around the oval.

The Hall is moving slowly - half the cladding is on now and the wall held up beautifully with all the rain, amazing what a lot concrete can do.  The completetion date is hopefully by the end of February.

Classrooms will be ready for the start of the school year - painting being completed now and carpet in next week - minor earthworks to tidy up and concrete paths and verandah will be all completed next week- god willing!

The Year 7 classroom will now be where the previous Currawongs classroom was.  It is getting a facelife with new paintwork and carpet also.

The Early Childhood Centre is being transformed before our eyes - the weather has held up the groundworks  and the new outdoor deck and verandah extenstion are 50% completed.  Sandpit and shadecover are next on the agenda.  So much of this work is weather dependant - it is amazing what the contractors have been able to achieve - I am so grateful for there dedication to the job at hand.

Building progress and update....

Lilac Building - the Lilac building is being refurbished to become the new Early Childhood Centre.  This centre will take 2 groups per day - both running 2,3 & 5 day programs.  The builders are putting up the frames, windows, creating new doorways and drilling holes for the new deck and verandah.  We are in the design stage for the playground...watch this space.

Library Buildings - Carpet is going into the 2 large rooms in the first Library building, tiles are in the kitchen and toilet and the vinyl will be laid on the 7th.  All inside painting is completed and the decks and hardwood floor are in the process of being completed - weather permitting.

New Classrooms - Year 3 (near the office) and Year 6 (near the playground) now have the roof on, walls are lined, electrics in and the outside cladding is almost complete - painting has started.

Hall - The retaining wall has been reinforced (Q: How much concrete can a wall take? A: A lot!) and rebuiit.  Some cladding will be on before Christmas - this building's completion date is early to mid Feb 2011.

Tangalooma Year 6 Camp

Having just returned from the Year 6 camp at Moreton island I can say that not only am I sporting a tan but can now snorkel - thanks  Antara.

We had a wonderful 4 days on the island - the resort looked after all of our accomadation and food needs as well as quad bike tour, bush tucker walk and dolphin feeding.

Our Mini Olympics on the beach were full of sterling efforts and great results. 

Thanks to River for his miraculous organisational skills and kind heart.  You really are a champion.

Also to the Year 6 students who enjoyed themselves wholeheartedly.

Where would we be without the support parents - thanks to Spencer, Antara, Carly & Michelle- your contributions helped make the camp a safe and supportive, as well as delicious, time away.  An adventure of a life time.

Our buildings are finally starting to take shape/

This week has been an amazing time with the block retaining wall and the slabs almost completed for the Library buildings.

The Hall slab will be formed up and hopefully poured next week - with the weather being perfect I envisage a large structure there soon.

Soccer Team Wins Districts Trophy

What a joyful day - A grade team won the trophy and our B grade team were runners up. 

The team spirit shone through as our students won all their games and then the final.  Thanks to Ann & River for all the efforts made to help these kids achieve this trophy.  Nicky Alister gave the acceptance speech with gusto and pride.

Ipads setup today

All the Year 7 Ipads were set up today with Educational and innovative Apps.  With the new chairs it gives the classroom a bright new feeling; as you can imagine all the children are excited. I thought we were cutting edge and then read that a school in Victoria has just bought 700 Ipads!!  They are amazing to use.

One teacher made a comment that next Ann will have her own private jet....well I think someone is feeling left out!

Prabha

iPads have arrived for the Year 7's

With the need for laptops for the Red Cedars (Year 7 have been sharing laptops for 4 years now with the other class in the Lilac Building), I researched how much time they were actually on these laptops weekly - it was only a few hours- sharing them, having to set up power; as the batteries would not hold a charge and their bulk contributed to it all being too hard. 

The experience we have always wanted for the students was to have technology at their fingertips - a real imput into their learning, not in a computer lab far away but in the class, available and usable. Hence the decision to buy iPads.

Yesterday 22 iPads were delivered - the excitment you can cut with a knife - as you know it was the Show Holiday- so I unpacked an iPad and experienced the joy, the ease and no doubt the challenges as this is not a laptop as such - but wait until you use the touch screen - WOW.  These hold a charge for 10 hours and they the size of an A4 piece of paper......

It will take some time until they are in the class- the students will be shown how to use them in a series of lessons.  With the iMacs in the class since the beginning of term - they are already becoming Apple literate.

Prabha

Tuckshop Menu for Weeks 6-8 now online

Thanks Araya for your extensive range of organic food for the kids to choose from.

There are a very dedicated team of parents that bring food to life (so to speak) 3 times a week for your children to enjoy, this takes an enormous amount of consistant effort, laughter, philosophical discussion and hard work.  Thank you for your committment to wholesome organic food...we love it!!

Prabha