Caboolture Special School Week 10, Term 3, 2024

Principal News

Dear Caboolture Special School community members

Another successful term is (almost) behind us.  At the end of term, it is always worthwhile reflecting on the achievements realised and of the commitment and efforts of ‘the many’ that make such accomplishments possible.

Student attendance

Currently 85.8%.

2024 AIP School Priorities

Optimising effective communication processes for all learners.

Strengthening Australian Curriculum (AC) implementation, with an increasing focus on numeracy and Respectful Relationships Education (RRE).

Scaling up Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL).

Teacher Aide Day

We celebrated Teacher Aide Day on 06/09.  Thank you to our committed and talented teacher aides, at our school and everywhere!

Curriculum Check In meetings

Thank you educators for your demonstrated professionalism in preparation for these meetings and also for your active and supportive collegial engagement in this work that strongly contributes to positive student outcomes.

School Supervisor Visit

Ric Day visited our school site on 02/09 and offered praise to school staff for the student achievement and progress outcomes from Semester 1.  WELL DONE EVERYONE!

Senior HR Meeting – 2025 staffing

Margaret (Business Manager) and I worked alongside our Senior HR partner recently, developing our 2025 staffing profile.  I’m pleased to report that we are well placed staffing wise for 2025 at the present time after some recent and ongoing interest in available (2025) school positions from outside parties.  Most of these enquiries from interested persons have come about through positive word of mouth from existing staff members and school community members – thank you for speaking positively about our school.

Prep Vision Screening - 12/09.

Prep students benefited from the Department’s free Prep Vision Screening Program on 12/09.

Day for Daniel – 25/09

Get your red clothing ready for this annual event.

School Growth

At this point in time and on current information, I am foreseeing an additional 4-5 classes at our school next year.  Preparations are well underway in having a number of currently on site demountable buildings (O and P Block) + room L205 ‘furniture ready’ by end of term in early preparation for 2025.  

2025 Class Formations, Teaching Teams and Classroom Locations – planned timelines

During weeks 1-3 of Term 4, parents and carers will be invited to submit information relevant to their child's class placement for 2025, via a designated form that will be released to parents and carers at the beginning of term.

Information about a student's 2025 class placement, educators and classroom location will be released by end of Term 4.  Such information will be correct at time of release and may be subject to change, depending on 2025 student enrolment changes into the New Year.

Should your child not be returning to our school for the start of school in 2025, please notify our school office on 5431 4444 as soon as possible.

Hall - screen enhancements

Our hall will soon have two smaller screens on either side of the hall that duplicate the larger main screen.

Year 6 Transition Visits - dates/times are as follows

Observation visits with Lee St staff (visit in class)

1. Wednesday 14^th August 9:30am-10:15am – now completed 😊
2. Tuesday 10^th September 11:30am-12:15pm – now completed 😊
3. Tuesday 22^nd October 11:30am-12:15pm

Transition Visits at Lee St State Special School

1. Wednesday 28^th August 9:30am-10:15am – now completed 😊
2. Thursday 3^rd October 9:30am-10:15am
3. Thursday 14^th November 9:30am-10:15am

Term 4 School Swimming Lessons

Details of these sessions and permission notes will be released in coming weeks.  There will be no cost to families for these swimming lessons and all student abilities will be catered for.  I encourage all students to participate.

Tuckshop Day

Our next Tuckshop Day will be in Term 4, on 25 October.  This is a joint initiative with Lee Street State Special School and is a free event for students.  Teachers will be in contact with families about menu item closer to the event.

School Review

I have enjoyed the Principal Peer Reviewer work I have been involved in this week, for the School Review of Mount Ommaney Special School, contributing to the quality educational system that we all benefit from.

School Security

We have made significant improvements with school security over recent years, including increased rigor around the unlocking and locking of boundary gates, high fencing around the total perimeter of school boundary and on site CCTV cameras.  The next stage of these security improvements will be a ‘buzz in’ feature being installed on the two pedestrian gates on Torrens Rd, bringing our school more in line with new school builds.  Once these new and enhanced security features are installed, this will mean visitors to the school site will need to buzz into the office to enter through these two pedestrian entries.  This school security enhancement will be finalised in coming weeks.

Avocado Drive Carpark

It is looking increasingly likely that the vacant Avocado Drive grassed area will be transformed into a properly designated staff carpark, along with the required upgrading of surfacing and signage. When completed, this work will enable staff to directly access the school grounds via Parklands play area, making it an attractive carparking option for staff to consider in the future.  The timing of this work has yet to be finalised.

Parent/carer student pick up

A reminder that it is essential that authorised persons picking up students from school make direct contact with the relevant school staff member before escorting their student out of the school grounds.

For early student pick ups, authorised persons must call into the school office for an early departure slip prior to student pick up.

Please direct late student arrivals (accompanied by their parent/carer) to office for late slip.

I want to sincerely thank all school community members for their ongoing support and contributions that have provided another school term full of successes.  The partnership we all share in our ongoing work is highly valued.

I wish you all a safe and very happy holiday break.  See you back at school on Monday 30/09.

Best wishes

Sheldon Boland

Principal

Deputy Principal News

Term 3 has come to an end and what a great term it has been.

Thank you to all our staff, students, families and community members for making our school a positive, welcoming, happy and supportive place to be.

Term 4 we have so many events happening and it is going to be fantastic!

Swimming will be on from weeks 4-6 and further information and swimming forms will be sent out early Term 4 to all families. This is a free program provided for by the school.

Year 6 transition visits will continue to occur as well as our graduation ceremony. More information about the graduation ceremony will be sent to families early Term 4.

Remember to keep an eye out for any SeeSaw announcements and to ring the school office if you have any queries.

I wish you all a relaxing, fun and safe holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all back with us next term.

Kind regards

Sheree Carter

Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal News - Lower

Term 3 has been packed with experiences such as Sports Day, Book Week and class learning accomplishments. 

Book Week 
We celebrated the Magic of Reading across the school during our Book Week Celebrations. 

Classes across the lower school have been delving into the topics for this semester. Students have been busy engaging in multi-sensory experiences to develop their communication skills. 

Class B explored natural objects to design and create a shelter for their echidnas. They have done such a great job following the sequence of steps to create these amazing shelters. 

Looking forward to seeing you all back for term 4. 

Katie Rogers 

Acting Deputy Principal 

Head of Department - Pedagogy

Celebrating our Commitment 

Sometimes it is hard to focus on where we have come from when we have what feels like a never ending to do list.  When we are always thinking about what needs to happen next and who needs what by when it can be difficult to slow down and focus on the right now and where we have been.  So, after my recent return from some Long Service Leave, I had the pleasure of looking into our schools' achievements and successes to create a visual display in our C Block meeting room that represents our progress as a school.  It was very easy to find evidence of our growth and development and so many photos of our students engaging in learning led by experts who continue to develop in their field and work on building their own knowledge base.  We remain committed to improving our progress and striving towards our goals or as Sheldon always says our 'Big Rocks'.  These images remind all of our staff of the reasons we work hard and demonstrate our commitment to providing your child with an amazing education.

New Adventures 

This is my last newsletter article for the year as I have been given the opportunity to work at a school much closer to my home and continue to support staff and students in another Special Education context.  I head to Pine Rivers Special School for at least Term 4 and hope to make the same amazing connections there that I made with our school community during my time at Caboolture.  I want to thank Sheldon and our amazing team for all the support and assistance to make this happen and will dearly miss working with the CSS team.  It has been a very busy few years since my arrival in 2019 and I have learnt and grown so much as an educator, leader and colleague. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of a hardworking and high performing team who always puts the needs of our learners first.   

Best Wishes, 

Tanya Jolly 

Head of Department- Pedagogy 

Digital Mental Health

As we move into the holiday period, we wanted to make you aware of the supports that are available to your young person when they are not at school. Changes to routine can be hard and your young person may experience times when they feel a range of challenging emotions such as sadness, stress, or lonely.  

During the holidays we encourage you to check in/yarn with your young person. It can be helpful to let them know that you are available to speak with them if they ever need. You may also like to encourage them to stay connected with friends and family, look after their physical health and engage in the activities that they enjoy.  

If you notice that your young person may benefit from chatting with someone, we encourage you to make them aware and support them to access services. This may be engaging with your local headspace centre, GP or access online or telephone supports through eheadspace (1800 650 890) or kidshelpline (1800 55 1800). Please note that you can also call these numbers to help guide your support, alongside parentline (1300 1300 52). 

Apps and websites for support:  

• My Compass https://www.mycompass.org.au/ This is a resource created by Black Dog which creates personalised support for mental health. This is focused on providing psychoeducation and skill development. This website can be used by staff and students. 
• Mood Gym https://moodgym.com.au/ An online resource that can help support and manage symptoms of mental health challenges.  
• eheadspace https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/, 1800 650 890 Online access to a mental health clinician via telephone or webchat. It can be encouraged that students create an account with eheadspace, so that if they have to use this when distressed this is not a barrier for use. Parents can speak with a clinician for help supporting a young person.  
• Reachout https://au.reachout.com/ Tools and resources for stress management and mental health support strategies. 
• CalmHarm https://au.reachout.com/tools-and-apps/calm-harm support develop strategies to deescalate when feeling distressed. It can be encouraged for students to download, or for use in classroom or advisory group. This can be used for staff and students. Use can be encouraged when not distressed, to establish the use and learning of a helpful coping strategy. Can also be used after an incident, in the hope to long term replace or at least challenge, maladaptive strategies.
• Parent Line http://www.parentline.org.au/, 1300 1300 52 A resource to support parents to manage concerns with supporting their young person.
  

Regards, 

Asha Kumar 

Guidance Officer 

Star Students - Term 3, Week 10, 2024