Caboolture Special School Week 10, Term 2, 2023

Principal News

Dear Families

The end of term two is here and we wish all our families a happy and safe holiday period. As you are out and about over the holidays, it is always a good time to remind our students about some of the PBL expectations they know so well. “I stay with the group” and “I stop, I think and I make a good choice” are both great reminders.

School explicit improvement agendas

Our strategic work will remain centred around our Annual Implementation Plan explicit improvement agendas moving forward, namely:-

Refining signature practices focused on communication and curriculum 

eg writing moderation work, Intensive Interaction community of practice workshops, teacher aide professional development sessions

Strengthening school processes that support staff capability building through collegial engagement

eg teacher professional learning communities, Watching others Work (WoW), Classroom Observation and Feedback (COAF)

Embedding Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

eg development of PBL team’s role within the school, strengthening relationships with neighbouring PBL schools

Our current work is the ‘right work’ that improves outcomes for students.

Student attendance

There has been lots of illness as we draw into the cooler winter months. I thank parents and carers for their vigilance in keeping everyone safe.

To keep our school strong with student attendance please remember:-

• Regular communication between parents and carers and school staff
• Unwavering in our position that every day counts at school
• High standards of hygiene being maintained to help keep us all safe
• Early notification to parents/cares of students who are displaying signs of being ill
• Encouraging late arrivals or early departures from school processes be considered to accommodate other required commitments (eg therapy) rather than whole day school absences.
  

Report Cards

Semester One report cards have been emailed home to families yesterday afternoon. Please check your email and/or junk mail folder to find a progress report for your child.

If you have any queries about the report card, please contact your class teacher.

If you did not receive the report card, please contact the office.

Parent/ Carer Contact Details

This is a timely reminder to all Parents and Carers to update your contact details with the office. If you have changed address, phone numbers or email addresses, please change these with the office so we are able to contact you. This also applies to the list of emergency contacts for your child. Please make sure these are up to date in case of emergency. Thank you in advance.

Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage

Performance week is the first week back at school - dress rehearsals commence at the Convention Centre with shows kicking off on Thursday 13 July.

Tickets for Creative Generation—State Schools Onstage 2023 are available via Ticketek.

We wish our 9 students and 4 staff all the very best for the busy week at the Convention Centre. We can’t wait to see photos of their performance! Thank you to Kaye, Lucie, Tristan and Vicky for supporting our performing arts group. Good luck to all of you!

School Photos

School photos will be held on Tuesday 25 July – Week 3 of next term.

Envelopes will be sent home to families early next term.

Bus Transport

Just a reminder to all Parents/ Carers that bus transport applications do take some time to process. If you are planning on moving house or changing any details of your transport arrangements, please allow a few weeks for this to be processed. We submit the transport applications and changes on your behalf and then the application tracks through to Regional Office. Once approved, the application tracks across to Transport and Main Roads for processing. This process can take some time so please let us know as soon as possible in regards to any changes.

Class H

There has been so much learning happening in the school over the past term.

Class H have been reading Wombat Stew and even created their very own “Wombat Stew”. The students had so much fun and were very engaged with this hands-on activity.

Class L

This term Class L have been having fun with science experiments! They have been experimenting and looking at colour changes.  They have also been creating landscapes using collage.

Class Q

We were so lucky today at assembly to have a special performance from Class Q! The whole class performed the song “I am Australian” using sign language. It was wonderful to see the whole class engaged and it was obvious that they had practised often! Thank you to Lee and Karen for working with the class on this performance.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing all the students back at school on Monday 10 July!

Best wishes

Kerry Gilmore

Acting Principal

Deputy Principal - Upper Years

What a fantastic Term 2 we have had here at Caboolture Special School.

The last few weeks have seen wonderful teaching and learning happening across the school with many bronze and silver certificates awarded to students in celebration of their learning achievements.

The Upper Years have been busy in English engaging in a variety of literary stories with wonderful artwork to complement their story retells and cultural understanding.

In Humanities and Social Sciences, students have explored different places and learnt how to care for our environment. Students highlighted beaches and parks as being some of their favourite places to visit.

Students made some fabulous wind chimes from a variety of materials they had been exploring in Science. The colours, shapes and textures used were very creative.

Special mention to Class U for learning about how to be kind to our friends and choosing kind things to do for our friends while we are at school. Well done Class U!

Some of our students are gearing up for their Creative Generation-State Schools Onstage 2023 performances in week 1 of Term 3 and we are very excited for them. A reminder for families that performances begin on Thursday 13^th July at the Convention Centre and tickets are available via Ticketek.

Our 2023 Senior Shirts are in!

Next term will see the P&C presentation of Senior Shirts being given to Year 6 students on Wednesday 19^th July from 9am – 9:30am. Invitation details will be sent out to families in the first week back at school.

As Deputy Principal this term I have valued getting to know staff, students and families and feel very fortunate to be a part of the Caboolture Special School community. I am so pleased to be able to continue on with you all in Term 3 and I wish you all a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Kind regards,

Sheree Carter

Deputy Principal

Business Managers Bulletin

I’ve noticed a practice, that I now keep a look out for, which really confirms for me what a fantastic community we have here at Caboolture Special School.

We Hold Space for our colleagues and we Hold Space for our students and our community.

Holding Space is being physically, emotionally and mentally present so another person can find the way to growth or the solution to a problem.

We Hold Space when we practice listening over talking, respect over dominance, letting the moment be about someone other than yourself and reserving judgement.

Holding Space fosters connection and trust; and a connected and trusting team can achieve amazing outcomes.

Which we do every day.

Biddy Adams

Business Manager

Curriculum Corner

Semester 1 has been filled with so much learning and fun along the way. It has been a pleasure reviewing evidence collected and then reading through report cards that show the wide range of experiences our teachers prepare to engage our students and then how students have responded and enjoyed these. Below is a snapshot of some of these learning experiences from across the semester.

In English students explored Australian Cultural Stories. This is included a wide range of Dreamtime stories and Australian classics such as Wombat Stew and Possum Magic.

There was counting and matching one-to-one correspondence along with data collection as students explored maths concepts this semester.

Science was all about mixing and making and exploring different materials. There were so many fun experiments carried out that had students amazed and engaged asking for more!

Students created collage art works in visual arts this semester. The inspiration for their art came from the cultural stories explored in English.

Humanities and Social Studies was all about visiting special places and how they are cared for. The highlight of this was our excursions to the CREEC playground. 

Teachers have spent the last two weeks in planning session to get ready for next semesters learning adventures. They also have been reviewing the curriculum and the changes that have been made with the release of  the Australian Curriculum version 9. 

Looking forward to being refreshed and ready to learn after the break! 

Katie Rogers 

Head of Curriculum 

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Term two has been a very exciting time for Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) at Caboolture Special School.  The PBL team have been working within classrooms to proactively support positive behaviours.  The team has been working on communication and social interactions through games, gardening, Star Man hunts and supporting students’ involvement within the classroom.  It has been wonderful to see students engaged in many curriculum enriched lessons across the school.

Lunch breaks have been a great time to get out in the fresh air and spend time with students in our gardening and art clubs.  The students have been enthusiastically getting the garden beds ready for planting flowers and vegetables in term three. Art club has been a success for students especially when transforming themselves into superheroes at the school’s superhero day.

The team enjoyed supporting classes on our recent CREEC excursion, it was wonderful to see the positive social interactions outside of the school environment.  Our recent Pancake Day gave the PBL team an opportunity to support senior students to deliver pancakes and engage with students in the lower years.    

We are excited to be working with our P & C to be sharing our school wide expectations with all families via their Facebook page.  Look out for our school’s fortnightly PBL expectation. Discussing the expectation at home is a good opportunity to reinforce positive behaviours at school and home.

This week I sat with the students from class U to look at the PBL Matrix to discuss the school wide expectations for term three.  The students in class U felt that the Expectation of Respect for Learning - I watch and listen when it is not my turn, is a good one to start term three.

The PBL team wish all families a safe holiday and we look forward to an exciting term three.

Guidance Counsellor - Suggestions for building better family relationships

Suggestions for building better family relationships

Caring and commitment are the basis of strong family relationships. This means making the wellbeing of family members a first priority and offering support when needed. Some families seem to pull together easily, while for others it takes greater effort. To build strong family relationships, start by identifying the strengths you do have and appreciating them. Paying attention to the things that work well and building on them will help to strengthen your relationships. The following suggestions may be useful reminders.

There are lots of ways to show you care even in busy families:

Tune in

One way to show you care is by listening to what other family members have to say with interest and enthusiasm. Other ideas include doing things for one another, helping (without complaining!), celebrating birthdays and achievements and taking the time to understand how other family members are feeling. Hugs are another favourite. Have fun together, spend time doing things you enjoy. Doing simple things that allow you to relax and play together is very important for building positive feelings and connections amongst family members. Playing games or sports, going to the park, having picnics, visiting with friends or just relaxing together are examples of family activities that help to build relationships.

Family rituals

Family rituals can help to build a sense of connection and belonging. These may include family celebrations that happen once a year, as well as everyday activities like bedtime stories, morning cuddles or cooking a special meal together once a week. Having family rituals and routines that you enjoy together helps to create strong family bonds.

Make time to talk

Regular time for talking and listening to one another helps families to plan and set priorities, strengthen relationships and build mutual understanding. Taking a few minutes to talk with children after school or before bedtime, and making time for adults to ‘check in’ with each other, is important for building connections and cooperation. Family discussions are often very helpful ways of resolving conflicts and maintaining positive relationships. Make sure that everyone gets a turn to share feelings and thoughts and contribute to finding solutions that can work for the whole family.

Share values

Sharing common values strengthens belonging and helps families work together when challenges arise. Discuss your beliefs and values or tell stories about your own family and cultural history. Demonstrate through your behaviour values like respect, care, compassion and responsibility. Remember that children are influenced by what you do even more than by what you say.

Appreciate differences

Family togetherness doesn’t mean everybody has to be the same or always do the same things. It helps to appreciate that everyone is different, and to value and respect each family member’s unique needs, wants and talents. Avoiding negative comparisons, and affirming what each individual has to offer, creates strong family bonds.

Share the load

Family life can get out of balance when one person feels they have the burden of responsibilities, or when one person makes all the decisions. Supporting each other includes sharing the chores and making sure that everyone gets to have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Get support

Family life has many challenges as well as rewards. Getting support when you need it – from extended family, friends, or professionals – is important for managing the challenges. Professional counselling is a particularly valuable strategy for helping many families who experience relationship problems.

Source: KidsMatter offers a range of evidence-based information sheets for families that have been developed by mental health professionals experienced in child development.

Book Week Date Claimer

Just wanting to get in early to promote one of the most exciting events on our school calendar; BOOK WEEK!  The week-long event commences on Saturday 19 August and runs til Friday 25 August.  The theme is Read, Grow, Inspire which could mean so many wonderful things and link to so many great books.  We will be holding a Dress Up Day in Term 3 so please have a think and discuss with your child the possibilities.  More details to follow so watch this space.

https://cbca.org.au/cbca-book-week

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