FROM THE PRINCIPAL... 29 MARCH 2018

Stop. Look. ListenMrs Watkins has a melodic ditty she uses to gain the attention of busy children. I hear it anytime I am in her room for more than a few minutes. It works a treat! “Stop, look and listen,” she sings, and the reply comes loud and tunefully - then ends with the most beautiful silence, with little pointer fingers intersecting closed lips all around the classroom.

If you’re struggling to get your child’s attention this school holiday period, maybe try it. There are students of all ages and grades through the school who still know the tune and the drill!

As we wave goodbye for a couple of weeks, to our students and their parents, I am reminded how valuable these three little words are in our families. We need to listen, but something comes first. We need to lock our eyes on the speaker. But there is still another step that precedes looking up.

Stop. Just, stop.

We have so many things that we are doing, making, playing, watching, fixing, cleaning, texting and working on. There are clothes to be washed, phonecalls to make, meals to be prepared, bills to pay, people to organise, emails to clear, friends to meet and relaxing breaks to coordinate. I SAID RELAXING! Crazy, huh?!

Is there…. I ask it for myself especially… IS THERE a step in our parenting lives that precedes our children “stopping, looking and listening”? The answer has to be… “Yes!”.

We are always on the go, and in our planning to make the best home, be the best person, make the most money to afford the best holidays – we miss the best opportunities. You see, the step before our children connecting to us, is us connecting to them. WE need to STOP first. We need to LOOK next. And we need to especially LISTEN. Only then, can we be fully equipped to seek our child’s heart. Only then, can the resultant interaction be a “two-way street”.

Imagine we were all a little more attentive – like our Creator God is to us. King David, a mighty man whose strength of reputation came not from muscles, power or purity, connected to God in the stillness of the meadows and the heights of the mountains. David, the main author of Psalms, the longest book of the Bible, wrote the following words, which I would love to hear from the lips of my own sons.

Enjoy stopping for a while.Enjoy looking into your precious child’s eyes.And enjoy bending down to listen.

Mr Ian Humphries

DATES TO REMEMBER

MARCH 30Good Friday

APRIL 1Easter Sunday

APRIL 2Easter Monday

APRIL 4Commonwealth Games Begin

APRIL 15Commonwealth Games Closes

APRIL 16Commonwealth Games

Pupil Free Day

APRIL 17Term 2 Begins

APRIL 18Parents and Riverside Together

Riverside School Photos

APRIL 20Riverside School Cross Country

APRIL 22Working Bee

APRIL 25Anzac Day

APRIL 30Term 2 Prompt Fee Payment

Deadline

MAY 1S.A.L.T. Meeting

MAY 4Life Education

MAY 4, 550th Anniversary Celebration

Weekend

FacebookKeep in touch through Facebook.

NEW Riverside Office Contact - SMS ONLYWe have been working on this for a while, sorry! There is now an office mobile phone number. This should NOT be used to call the school. We are only using this phone to send and receive SMS messages. The main purpose of this service is to provide parents with the ability to send through absence notices. The office will also daily send an SMS to all families whose child was not at school for roll marking at the start of the school day. If parents do not respond to the SMS by mid morning, Mrs Weinheimer will then call to confirm.We would MUCH prefer not to have to SMS or call, so please SMS us if you know your child is sick, at an appointment or if you will be picking your child up from class early. Sometimes, the school phone gets busy, too, so this service will allow you to message us when the line is busy. The Office SMS No.from Term 2 onwards is 0424 959 660

Application for Financial Assistance (Tuition Fees)Just a reminder to any families that are experiencing financial struggles, who are willing to present their household income evidence at the start of each school term, that applications can be requested from Mrs Weinheimer. All applications are due back to the office with associated records and evidence of income by the second Tuesday of each term. Successful applicants will have demonstrated their low income level and a previous record of on-time payments of fees. Feel free to talk to Mr Humphries if you have any questions.

Office HoursRiverside office will have limited hours over the holidays. Mrs Weinheimer will be here Wed 11 April, Thur 12 April for any questions or uniform purchases.

Principal’s AwardTaron Obst - Displaying

maturity and an even temper in the playground.

Stephen Caldwell - Always including others. You are

very thoughtful!

Prep & Year 1 Zavier Harlock - Helping others.

Jayden Chuma - Great scissor work.

Years 2 & 3Ainsley Wilcox - Listening well and working hard.

Willow Campbell - Helping others to listen.Rana Taher - Consistent good attitude.

Years 4 to 6Taron Obst - Great work in

story writing.Taslena Mills - Great attitude

to work, especially story writing.

100% Attendance AwardsNoah Venables, Miles

Venables, Mark Lambayong, Thomas Osborne, Levi Obst, Taron Obst, Reagan Obst, Eli

Robertson, Ruth Teariki, Lucas Marshall, Florida Teariki.

Exploring mathematical thinkingExploring mathematical thinking and concepts in our play and learning the specific language that relates. Row 1: concepts of height and size as we order the blocks so they will fit into each over and compare our height to the tower we have made.Rows 2 & 3: concept of over as we build the road to drive over

Riverside School Cross Country - Friday, April

20 - 2:00pmWe are once again inviting parents and friends of all students to attend our Cross Country event along the Ross River behind Riverside. Whilst we encourage parents only to run with the Preps and Year 1’s, you can all come along to cheer! Finishing places and participation counts towards the overall Sports House Team Award at the end of 2018.

Exploring Your Bibles - Years 4, 5 & 6

Those students who, at the end of Week Of Worship (WOW, what a week!), indicated that they would like to know more about the God Who created them will be given an opportunity to meet with Pastor Alfredo once a week for the rest of 2018, to explore the Bible and talk about some amazing things found in the Word of God. A permission note will be sent home on the first day of Term 2 and lunchtime classes will begin on April 19 at 11:00am in the Library.

Weet-bix Kids Tryathlon- Riverway, May 27, 2018

Check the website for more details! We have quite a few students from Riverside already participating and training has begun! It’s a great day, a wonderful way to get active (for the whole family!) and the pack children receive prior to the event is full of goodies and a special T-shirt! register online and put Riverside down as your school!

Working Bee - Sunday, April 22 - 7:30 to 11:00am

Please mark this date on your calendars. We only very rarely hold these working bees but as we prepare for the 50th Anniversary weekend, we would like to give the whole school a really good clean-up and polish. We have quite a few families helping weekly in the school, and we don’t want it to be just the ‘usual crew’ who carry the bulk of the load. Please let Mrs Weinheimer know in the office if you will be attending. More information to come!

50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend -

May 4 & 5As you may have seen all over our Facebook page, our anniversary weekend is approaching fast and we wanted to invite all students, past and present to be there. May 5th is the most important day and because the students have been practising the choir songs all year, we would request that ALL students be present for the Saturday meetings, which will be held at 10:00am and then, after a shared, massive vegetarian luncheon for all, at 2:30pm. The event will be held mostly inside a large marquee on the school grounds and we expect up to 500 people to be in attendance. All students will need to be in full formal school uniform for this day. Many of our former staff and students are travelling from across the country and overseas to be here, including Mr Terry Menkens, the first principal of Riverside (1968 - 1976). Mark it on your calendars as it is a long weekend.

Riverside Bus is GO!Routine Riverside Adventist Christian School bus runs will commence on the first day of Term 2, Tuesday, April 17. If you would like your child on the bus and have not registered your interest with Mrs Weinheimer in the office, please do so soon. She will be in the office during the school holidays on the following dates - April 3,4,5,11,12. The bus is $330 per term for the first child and $165 for the second child. Spaces are truly limited so let us know if you are planning to use this service. The bus is a 14-seat Hiace, fully seat-belted. Payment for this service must be paid IN FULL before pick-ups from your house can begin. Thank you for your patience. It has been a long process with many “roadblocks”. Once the final ‘run’ is established on April 12, we will notify families of an approximate pick-up and drop-off time. Buses cannot wait if the student is not ready at their front door, so please have your alarms set for the first few days!

Helpers from Heaven!Thank you to all those Mums and Dads (and others!), who have greatly assisted us around the school throughout this first term. The tuckshop, the fruit cutting, the copying, the laminating, the designing, the reading, the errands, Genius Hour and all the other things you helped with made the ‘Riverside planet’ spin more smoothly!

WOULD YOU LIKE $500 TO ASSIST WITH SPORTING AND/OR

EDUCATIONAL COSTS IN 2018??

PREPARE NOW TO RELIEVE THE STRESS OF SCHOOL COSTS IN 2018 FOR CAMPS, SPORTS, MUSIC, SCHOOL TRIPS, COMPUTER NEEDS & MORE!!!

### MARCH start- receive matched $$ in JANUARY 2019 ### ### APRIL start- receive matched $$ in FEBRUARY 2019 ###

Would you like $500 to help pay for your uniforms, Resource Fees, internet costs, sporting costs, music lessons, camps, excursions, school-related overseas trips, or even a laptop?

Saver Plus can match your savings for education costs dollar for dollar, up to $500. Wouldn’t it be great to take control of your financial situation and learn new skills on how to budget and

save? Allow me to introduce you to the Saver Plus Program!!

To be eligible you need to answer YES to all criteria below:

I hold a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card

I have children at school now or starting next year, or I am attending vocational education myself at TAFE or Uni.

I have some form of household income from work, (myself or a partner) has part time, casual, full time or seasonal employment. Cash in hand is ok, so can also be child minding, ironing or mowing a lawn

I have not received matched funds from completing Saver Plus already

For further information, please contact me ASAP: Nikki Storey, Saver Plus Coordinator

Call – 0418 201 533 OR SMS your name to - 0418 201 533

Saver Plus was developed by ANZ and the Brotherhood of St Laurence and is funded by the Australian Government

Queen’s Baton Run for Lachie!Many of our Riverside school community turned out in uniform on a weekend recently to cheer on their fellow student, Lachlan Pugh. On Sunday, March 18, Lachlan ran in the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Re-lay through Townsville. Lachlan, the youngest of Townsville’s QBR runners, has played a key supportive role in his family since a terrible car accident left his Mum, Renee (a former Riverside student herself), a quadriple-gic. Many prayers have been prayed for this precious family and it is great to see Lachlan and his brother and sisters growing and developing, in wisdom and in faith. Lachlan’s family were interviewed by the Townsville Bulletin and Renee spoke proudly of role Riverside staff had played in her family’s journey, from her childhood to now motherhood. It was a special event for all who attended and Lachie was treated like a king for a day - a day he will never forget!