Hello and welcome to the February edition of my Principal's Blog. As we dive into the new school year, I'm excited to share some updates and highlights from the first five weeks of Term 1, including our new students, early childhood music growth, Clean up Australia Day and more.

Update

Firstly, a warm welcome to our new Kindergarten families! As always, it's been a pleasure to see our school community grow with a wonderful new group of families joining our school. Personally, it's been a lovely to witness my youngest child start school, joining his older sibling in Year 2.

*Kindergarten’s First Day, February 2024*

Our Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) String Program, led by the talented Ms. Ellis, is now in full swing, thanks to a recent generous donation of violins, violas, and cellos. Currently, our Year 3 students are enjoying weekly small-group lessons with Ms. Ellis's. As they gain confidence and master the basics they will transition into a String Ensemble rehearsal alongside our Year 4 cellists in Term 2. This transition aims to foster the camaraderie and fulfilment that comes from musicians playing and performing together.

Speaking of our Year 4 cellists, we are excited that 2 Richard Gill School students will be the first ever to participate in the Kia Ora Youth Music Camp held annually in Scone. Whilst the program is predominantly for Upper Hunter hire students (and we’re located in the Muswellbrook Shire), the organisers have warmly welcomed our string players into the 3-day camp at the end of Term 1. With a fantastic line-up of tutors on board and 3 full days of music making activities planned, we know our students will have a fantastic time playing, learning, and making new friends through music at the Kia Ora Youth Music Camp.

Clean Up Australia Day and Sustainability

Muswellbrook is fortunate to have a highly active and engaged sustainability unit attached to our local council, led by the dedicated Mick Brady. We are pleased to partner with Muswellbrook Shire Council and Sustainable Futures - Muswellbrook to ensure our school remains committed to teaching our children about sustainability.

Through our composting, waste sorting, gardening, bee attraction, water collection, and more, we are striving to teach our children how to leave our planet in a better condition than when they found it. These types of real-world activities can develop independence, responsibility, concentration, and essential life skills in our students that will serve them well throughout their lives.

*Sustainable School Credentials, February 2024*

Hands up if you love school?! 🏫
Hands up if your teachers are the best?! 👩‍🏫
Hands up if you love singing?! 🎶
Hands up if you’re wearing a glove?! 🧤
Hands up if you’re excited to Clean Up Australia!

We had a great time this morning adventuring into the rear block of the school, picking up rubbish and exploring our surroundings to participate in Clean Up Australia Day.

Our Early Childhood Music Program is Growing

Since 2021, I've had the pleasure of offering complimentary Early Childhood Music classes to children aged 3-5 years old in the Muswellbrook community every Wednesday afternoon during school terms. This year, we've experienced a remarkable surge of interest in the program, prompting us to add a second lesson time to accommodate all interested families!

Currently, we have 27 children enrolled in the program, and the numbers continue to grow. It's incredibly gratifying to witness the program resonate so deeply with the families in our community. We firmly believe in the transformative power of quality music education from an early age, and it's heartening to see this belief reflected in the enthusiasm of our students and their families.

You can learn more and express an interest in the program here.

Wellbeing at RGS

We continue to celebrate the character strengths of both our students and staff as part of our school’s wellbeing framework. Congratulations to those students who were recognised with a strength award at our first fortnightly assembly of the year. Well done on putting your best foot forward at all times!

Our strength-based wellbeing model is inspired by the principles of the local organisation Where there's a Will. Their invaluable guidance has empowered us to implement a robust, evidence-based wellbeing framework throughout our school community. Through this model, we aim to foster a supportive environment that nurtures the holistic development of every individual.

Donations

Thank you to Judy Lockhart and Karella Mitchell for their generous donation of numerous string instruments, which were kindly transported from Sydney to Muswellbrook by our dedicated Board member, Philip. We now have an excellent range of instruments to support our Stage 2 String Program thanks to these wonderful people!

Enrolment

In 2024, Enrolment is open to Kindergarten, Year 1, to Year 4, with limited spaces in all classes K-4 available. To request an enrolment interview, please contact the school.

Please visit our documents page to view our prospectus, enrolment form, parent info, fee information and more.

Media

The National Music Teacher Mentoring Program was established by Richard Gill AO in 2015. This unique program is built on the foundational belief that every child should have the opportunity to learn, participate in, and express themselves through music. This is made possible by improving access to high quality music teaching and learning especially in the early years of schooling, through teacher mentoring. We are proud to be part of this program, which in 2024 has rebranded to be called “Music in Me”. Visit their new website, here

You might like to the view the revamped Music Education: Right from the Start website and LinkedIn page

We are also excited to see the Stanmore Music Festival sharing on their social media and website that the date for the 2024 edition is confirmed, for Saturday November 16. We are excited to attend again in 2024 as it becomes an important event on the RGS calendar. Be sure to mark this date in your calendar! For more information, visit www.stanmoremusicfestival.com

Yours in Music,

Chris English – Principal, Richard Gill School

Principal's Blog - 044 - 5 Weeks of Term 1 Highlights