Caboolture Special School Week 5, Term 1, 2025
Principal News
Dear Caboolture Special School community members
Well done to all of our students and staff for their hard work so far in Term 1. After such a promising start to the school year, I am excited about what is to come for the remainder of 2025.
2025 School Priority from Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)
Implementation of Australian Curriculum (Version 9) across learning areas, with a focus on literacy and numeracy within safe, engaging, communicative and learning enriched environments.
Student attendance
Our school continues to rate highly as one of the top performing special schools with regards student attendance. We thank you for getting your child to school when they are able to attend.
Every day at school counts.
Introducing our 2025 Parents and Citizens' (P&C) Association President
Congratulations go to Diana Nunez Rivera on being nominated and duly voted in as the Caboolture Special School P&C President for 2025. Thank you for stepping up Diana and also thank you to outgoing P&C President Krista Pettigrew for your valuable work in the position.
School Review
State Schools in Queensland takes part in a School Review every four years.
Our school review will occur in Term 2, Week 4, 13-15 May.
The school review will be an opportunity for our staff members and community members to share with reviewers the impactful work that takes place every school day on our site, and also of our shared desire to learn with and from each other in providing the richest learning possible for students.
Shout Out
Acknowledging the valuable work of our front office staff. A wealth of information all in one place! The first school contact many students and their families and visitors have. THANK YOU!
Teacher planning meetings
Our teachers have been investing time recently working together and deepening their knowledge of facilitating high quality learning experiences for students. I commend the teachers on their enthusiasm, professionalism and commitment demonstrated at these sessions.
Avocado Drive Carpark
Work has begun on a new staff carpark, due for completion by end of Term 1. This work will help alleviate carparking and congestion challenges occurring at other areas around the school at peak times.
Assemblies
Odd weeks (from Term 1 week 3) – Classes 1-19 Assembly
Even weeks (from Term 1 week 2) – Classes 20-36 Assembly
First (from Term 2) and last (Term 1, 2 and 3) week of term – whole school Assembly
School community members are always welcome at assembly. We look forward to seeing you there soon!
School Clean Up Day - 28/02
We had quite a few classes out and about on the look out for any litter on this special day. We are fortunate that litter is not easily located on our site. Thank you everyone for keeping our school clean - https://www.cleanup.org.au/schools
Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) Policy Day and Workshop
On Monday 3 March, I will be in Brisbane alongside my fellow QTU Special Education Committee members for an annual workshop, reviewing QTU special education policy and discussing current topics relevant to special education in all school sectors across Queensland.
https://www.qtu.asn.au/qtj1293-meet-qtu-special-education-committee
As is always the case, it is a pleasure working alongside our staff and community members in the shared goal of providing the highest standard of education possible for our students. The community member support present at our school is acknowledged and highly valued. Thank you.
Best wishes and regards
Sheldon Boland (Always Proud Principal)
Deputy Principal News
Fluoride Varnish Program - Next week - Wednesday and Thursday!
Wednesday 5 March and Thursday 6 March the dental team will be at our school. All the information is on the flyer below.
If you would like your child to see the dental team, you will need to complete the consent form and return to the office. The consent forms were sent home in Week 2.
If you do not have a consent form, you can get a new copy from the office or ask your Class Teacher to send home a copy.
There is also a link to a digital copy of the consent form here for you to print if that is helpful.
Kind regards
Kerry Gilmore
Deputy Principal
Deputy Principal / PBL Lead Teacher
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a whole-school framework that promotes positive behaviour and helps create safe and supportive learning environments. Caboolture Special School is a proud PBL school, meaning we maintain a consistent behavioural language across the school, ensuring all students receive a unified message. The teaching of expectations is broken down into small, structured steps, allowing students to build a strong foundation in PBL expectations and develop a clear understanding of our school-wide behavioural standards.
Each fortnight, we focus on a specific PBL expectation to reinforce key behaviours that contribute to a safe and respectful school environment. This fortnight’s rule is:
Respect for Others: We keep our body and objects to ourselves.
This important expectation helps ensure that all students feel safe and respected at school, contributing to a positive learning environment.
One of the keyways we acknowledge and reinforce positive behaviour is through our PBL acknowledgement system. The PBL acknowledgement system of “Star Charts” was created to give students a visual reminder of all the great choices they have been making. Students are keen to work towards filling their star charts so they can receive their certificate from Starman at assembly and claim their PBL prize.
Our prize system is designed to celebrate students who follow the school-wide expectations. Recognising and rewarding positive behaviour encourages students to continue making good choices, contributing to a more respectful and supportive school community.
We believe that student and staff voices are essential in shaping our PBL initiatives. The prizes we offer are selected based on discussions with both students and staff to ensure they are meaningful and motivating. We also welcome parent input and feedback, as your perspective is invaluable in supporting our positive behaviour strategies. If you have suggestions for prizes or ways to enhance our reward system, we’d love to hear from you!
For each of our PBL levels, students receive a certificate at assembly, presented by Starman, the school captains, and the leadership team. This is always a great opportunity for students to have a photo taken with Starman!
Our PBL prizes that accompany the levelled awards are as follows:
- Bronze – Students receive a bubble wand.
- Silver – Students have the opportunity to shop at the PBL prize shop, selecting from a range of wonderful items.
- Gold – Gold Star Celebration! Students are invited to share morning tea and enjoy sensory play with Starman. This is a favourite among our students.
- Diamond – Students can choose a fun activity to do with one of our leadership team or PBL staff. Activities include bubbles in the sensory room with Bridget and planting a tree with Sheldon.
- Platinum – Students who receive their Platinum award meet with Sheldon, our Principal, to discuss the school-wide expectations and what it means to be a PBL Ambassador. These students are then presented with Starman gloves and a cape, signifying their role as school-wide PBL ambassadors and role models for all students.
Receiving PBL awards is always an exciting time, and everyone is keen to celebrate!
Thank you for your ongoing support in fostering positive behaviour at our school. Together, we can continue to create a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where every student can thrive.
My New Gallery
Have a great week!
Bridget Abbott
Deputy Principal/ PBL Lead Teacher
Deputy Principal News
Reading Through the Australian Curriculum
In 2024 the Department of Education released the Reading Position Statement. This has given a framework using evidence- informed teaching practices to teach reading across all learning areas in the Australian Curriculum.
" The commitment to reading by the Department of Education is that they are committed to every student
realising their reading potential. This is achieved through teaching reading across all learning areas
and subjects of the Australian Curriculum using an evidence informed approach. Research suggests that 95% of students can learn to read successfully when provided explicit, evidence informed reading instruction."
taken from the Reading position Statement https://det-school.eq.edu.au/assets/reading/documents/reading-position-statement.pdf
Our literacy program at Caboolture Special school is based on the belief that all students are to be given the opportunity to access the teaching of reading and that with adapted learning experiences students are making progress in their literacy skills.
With the new evidence found in the Reading Position Statement there has been a shift in the way we teach letters and sounds. Previously there was a focus on letter names, such as singing the alphabet. However now the approach is to use a letter sound approach. This means that students are explicitly taught the letter sounds and linking them to the letter form. The sounds are taught in a particular order and as students learn sounds, they used these to blend them to decode (read) and encode (spell) the words.
How can you help?
Using the language of linking sounds to letter forms such as "sssss" for snake, "mmm" for mouse.
see below to see some of the phonics sound work happening in our classrooms.
Regards,
Katie Rogers
Acting Deputy Principal
Class 20-36
Business Manager News
Caboolture Special School is excited to announce the refurbishment of the Avocado Carpark, which will feature 26 new parking spaces, including an accessible parking space.
This upgrade is designed to accommodate our growing staff numbers, ensuring ease of access and enhancing staff safety. The new carpark will provide a more convenient and secure environment for our dedicated team.
The project is set to be completed before the commencement of Term 2, allowing us to start the new term with improved facilities.
We look forward to the positive impact this will have on our school community.
With Gratitude
Biddy Adams
Business Manager
Curriculum Corner
Over the last few weeks our teachers have engaged in Marking Guide and ICP meetings in line with the rollout of v9 of the Australian Curriculum. Teachers have had professional development surrounding new functionality of the system and how to successfully prepare their students ICP’s, before commencing meetings with families & other stakeholders.
Please look out for ICP meeting letters being sent home with your child/ren in the near future to arrange these meetings.
Until next time,
Jody O’Shea & Laura Baily
Curriculum Team
Healthier Sleep - Guidance Officer
Healthier Sleep in Children
Ages Birth to 12 Years
Sleep is one of the most important contributors to your child’s physical and mental health. The explanation as to why healthy sleep practices promote sleep is likely to be, at least in part, that they work by improving the regulation of sleep, either by reinforcing the body’s natural circadian rhythms (i.e. timing of light and darkness), or by increasing the drive to sleep. Other sleep practices help us to associate certain activities (like a bedtime routine) and environments (i.e. the bedroom) with sleep. Healthy sleep behaviours also promote sleep by reducing factors in the environment which are stimulating (like caffeine) and increasing relaxation, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
Finally, good sleep practices include providing an adequate opportunity for sleep based on age and individual sleep needs and an environment that is conducive to good sleep quality and safety.
Before bed
- If your child needs to wake up at a certain time for school or day care, set a bedtime that will allow them to achieve the required amount of sleep. The 30-60 minutes prior to bedtime should be used for ‘winding down’. Fill this time with activities that prepare your child for sleep such as bathing, teeth cleaning, story time, or reading by themselves. It is best to avoid exercise or stimulating play in the hour before bedtime as this can make it harder for children to calm down and prevent them from feeling sleepy. Also, avoid electronic devices during this time as the bright light or the LED lights can reduce the evening levels of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. There is also the problem of getting too engaged in the videos or games at this time delaying bedtime.
During sleep
- Take note of the sleeping environment: is it comfortable, dark and quiet? Use block out curtains if the room is bright and play soothing gentle music if children prefer to sleep with background noise. Children’s bedrooms should be set up as a space solely for sleep as opposed to study or play, where possible. This will take away the possible distraction of toys or lights and it will also assist children in making the subconscious association between their bedroom and sleep.
- Living in Queensland, we have all experienced the nights where we can’t sleep because it’s just too hot! Research shows the ideal temperature for encouraging restful sleep is around 17 to 19 degrees Celsius. Good ventilation or free flowing air through a fan can work a treat.
In the morning
- Encourage your children to wake up at the same time every day—even on weekends and holidays. This will ensure their body clock can stay in the routine.
- Incorporate daily daytime exercise and time in the natural sunlight, particularly in the morning, as this can improve a child’s ability to fall asleep at night.
- Encourage a healthy diet in line with the Australian Guide for Healthy Eating, as consuming all of the essential nutrients will give your child the best chance at having a restful sleep during the night.
Age and recommended sleep hours per 24-hour period
Infants: 4 to 12 months—12 to 16 hours (including naps)
Toddlers: 1 to 2 years—11 to 14 hours (including naps)
Pre-schoolers: 3 to 5 years—10 to 13 hours (including naps)
Grade-schoolers: 6 to 12 years—9 to 11 hours
Teens: 13 to 18 years—8 to 10 hours
Source: Children’s Health Queensland & https://worldsleepday.org/tips-for-children
Asha Kumar
Guidance Officer
Book Club - Issue 2
Book Club is a great way to share reading in the home. There are two issues of Book Club a term that will be sent home with students. There is no obligation to purchase, it is just an opportunity offered to our school community.
Issue 2 has been sent home- so look out for catalogues in school bags!
All orders are placed and paid for online. If you have any difficulties or questions please contact Katie Rogers - kroge30@eq.edu.au.
Star Students - Week 5, Term 1, 2025
