Caboolture Special School Week 5, Term3, 2023
Principal News
Dear Caboolture Special School community members
I continue to work very proudly alongside our fellow staff, providing high quality educational offerings for Caboolture Special School students. I acknowledge the strong and unwavering support provided by parents, carers and school supporters every day at our school.
Student Attendance
85.6%
All Abilities Spinner Official Opening
It was lovely to welcome back to our school Naomi Doyle, representing the Tess Hocking Foundation, for the recent official opening of the All Abilities Spinner in Parklands Playground. Thank you to P&C, staff, and school community members who have all contributed to the All Abilities Spinner being on site.
2024 Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)
Stakeholder priorities are being sought for consideration for inclusion in our 2024 AIP. Our school’s AIP outlines major focus areas for our school for the respective year. Do you have any ideas about school improvement that you would like to share? Please email me directly on sbola5@eq.edu.au
2024 Student Transitions
Our staff are working with parents/carers, third party specialists and staff from other educational centres to ensure student transitions into both Prep Year at our school and Year 7 into secondary school for 2024 support students as much as possible, as they continue their successes in a soon to be different educational environment.
School Photos
We were all smiles recently for school photos. Our photographers (MS Photography) even came back some days later to catch up on those students who were away on the first photo day. Now that’s quality service!
Book Week and Book Fair
We are very excited for the opportunity to celebrate the wonderful world of literature. Information to follow in coming weeks.
L Block playground – future plans
I have visited various school playground sites most recently, exploring possibilities to rejuvenate our L Block playground. I’m working with the Department of Education around possibilities and am hopeful that we can implement some significant playground enhancements in this area in the first half of 2024.
Welcome Michael!
Pre-service teacher in Class A.
Welcome Booklet
We have been working with Alex Hemmer Designs to develop a ‘My New School’ booklet for our new students. This will be ready for our 2024 new enrolments.
Principal Roundtable
This week I met with Metropolitan North Special School Principals and a number of Regional staff, including our Regional Director, Gary Austen and Special School Supervisor, Ric Day at Redcliffe Special School. Topics of discussion were focused around supervisory protocols and role requirements and expectations. Ric will be paying our school a visit on 15 August.
Queensland Association of Special Education Leaders (QASEL)
I met with interim President of QASEL Tracy Cronin on site on 7 August to discuss matters of relevance in Special School settings, include the implementation of the new Version 9 Australian Curriculum in the future. We were joined by Aaron Morgan (Acting Principal – Lee Street State Special School).
School Opinion Survey 2023
I encourage parents and carers to participate in the survey via the link sent to the parent or carer email address. Survey closes 18/08.
School Bells
We now have some music playing instead of traditional bells for start and end of school day.
Start of school – 8.40am – Walking on Sunshine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U
End of school – 2.40pm – I’ve Got This Feeling - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru0K8uYEZWw
Traditional bells will continue throughout the school day at the usual times, albeit with a slightly less jolting tone and volume.
Sports Day
18 August – parents and school community members are welcome to attend and cheer on the students. A schedule showing times will be released closer to the date.
EKKA Holiday
Monday 14 August – no school.
Student Free Day
Friday 1 September – no school
As endorsed by the department, our staff have worked extra hours at other times in the school year in lieu of working on this day meaning there will be no staff on site on 1 September.
Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson (ABCSL) – Daniel Morcombe Foundation
A number of our senior students participated in the filming of this national child safety initiative. The livestream launch of the ABCSL is on 5 September. The ABCSL will then be available via:- https://danielmorcombe.com.au/
Assistant Director General (ADG) meeting
I meet with Chris Lassig (ADG) on 5September and look forward to using this opportunity to continue to advocate strongly for Caboolture Special School and the Special School sector.
School Review
From the 11-13 September, I will be part of a school review team facilitating a school review for Geebung Special School as part of the school review cycle. I look forward to assisting the Geebung Special School community in my capacity as reviewer. Likewise, I look forward to assisting our school community further post this event through an ever deepening knowledge and understanding of the National School Improvement Tool, and specifically its place within the Special School setting, that such rich school review experiences provide.
Best wishes to you all.
Mr Sheldon Boland
Principal
Deputy Principal News
Wunya to Week 5 Everyone!
This term is a busy one and we have had so many wonderful events and celebrations happening across the school.
Friday 21st July was our official NAIDOC Celebration Day here at Caboolture Special School and we welcomed families and community members to join us for this special occasion.
We were privileged to have Gubbi Gubbi Elder Bradley Stephenson lead the official Welcome to Country at assembly, followed by a smoking ceremony at the Yarning Circle for all students.
Students thoroughly enjoyed the various activities available to them and the day was a positive experience for all involved.
In Upper Years news our Year 6 students were presented with their senior shirts and have been wearing them proudly.
As our Year 6 students prepare for their High School journeys in 2024 we are excited to work with Lee Street State Special School on upcoming transition days that will see our students visiting Lee St to become familiar with the school, students, staff and learning environments. More information around this will be shared with parents as we move forward.
Deputy Principal
Sheree Carter
Deputy Principal
We have had an incredible start to Term Three!
One huge event has been Creative Generation Schools on Stage 2023! 9 of our students joined 1800 other students from Queensland State Schools and performed at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
They performed in 6 concerts over 4 days and were simply incredible! The students were amazing at spending very long days in the city with the school staff. Our longest days were 12 hours long so there were some very tired students and staff! Everyone worked hard to make sure every performance was perfect.
Many parents, carers and staff members were lucky enough to see the show and were blown away by the talent of our students. We are all so very proud of them.
Since the main performances, our students have visited their high school buddies over at Burpengary State Secondary College (BSSC) and have performed in front of their 1200 students on assembly.
Our BSSC buddies have also visited us here at school and performed the dance on our school assembly.
We wish to thank the parents, carers and staff that made this event happen. Our students are very grateful.
If you want to see the entire show, or wish to relive all the action from CGEN 2023, don’t miss the broadcast airing on Network 10 on Saturday 28 October at 12:00pm.
CGEN
Deputy Principal
Kerry Gilmore
Business Managers Bulletin
Secondment to Internal Audit Branch
I have accepted the opportunity of an internal secondment to the Internal Audit Branch from 21 August for the remainder of the year. This is a really great opportunity to bring back very relevant knowledge on how to continue to improve our systems and processes.
I am delighted that Margaret Waite will be Acting Business Manager in my absence as she has a wealth of experience and knowledge.
I look forward to catching up again in 2024.
With gratitude,
Biddy Adams
Curriculum Corner
Digital Technologies
This semester students are exploring how people safely use common information systems to meet information, communication and recreation needs. This is such an important topic for all our students as they interact with digital platforms in a variety of ways. Lessons focus will range from rules to use digital devices such as being seated, looking after communication devices, timers, noise level and turn taking to cyber safety topics.
Cyber safety lessons will focus on key topics such as what websites and programs are suitable to access at home and at school, what information can be shared safety and using safe platforms to do this, such as emails and secure sites.
Activities that students might engage in include using Ipads to open apps, following instructions to interact with the apps, using Bee Bots appropriately, learning to take photos and asking permission to take them, learning how to navigate a screen and how to shut it down if feeling unsafe, sorting information that can be shared online compared to with family and friends, sending emails as a class, using online platforms such as See Saw and Reading Eggs to log in and post work in a safe online environment.
Learing How to Use Bee -Bots Safely.
Katie Rogers
Head of Curriculum
Being a reader
At CSS we are spending a lot of time sorting and categorising all of our fabulous levelled reader texts in our Resource Centre to ensure classrooms have the appropriate reading materials for each and every student. Reading can take shape in many forms and reading materials can mean many different things. Magazines, story books, information texts, posters, diagrams and even that set of instructions in the box (that we don't always look at) can make for interesting and stimulating reading material for our learners. Sharing stories, talking and singing every day helps your child’s development in many ways.
The Raising Children website offers parents and carers a range of information and ideas some of which relate to how to engage your child and activities that may interest your child. At CSS we use a range of strategies to help gain students interests and use a variety of approaches when exploring books to help all students engage with texts. Our teachers draw on their knoweldge of each and every learner's unique interests to find texts that will stimulate and be appealing. We rely on information from you- the parent and carers - to ensure we have the latest information about preferred topics and things of interest so we can find highly motivating materials so please keep us informed. If we can't find a text on your childs favourite topic we will just create one ourselves using any one of the great apps we have to do just that!
https://raisingchildren.net.au/
Reading anywhere, anytime
Tanya Jolly
Head of Department - Pedagogy
Guidance Counsellor - Love and Care
Children grow with love and care
From the time children are born, they need to know they are loved, and that people will care for them.
Healthy food, warm clothes and a comfortable home are very important to help children grow – but they are not enough in themselves.
It is important to help make ALL children feel SAFE and secure. This is a very important part of caring.
All children need to be treated as individuals in their own right. We should respect their feelings and encourage children to talk about them. We need to be aware that the way they feel may be different to the way we feel. We also need to set good examples to children in our everyday lives – as they grow, children learn from adults how to behave.
Some examples include:
- Adults who show respect for others and for children in their care have set sensible limits that are in line with the child’s age and stage of development.
- Talking with children and listening to their joy and problems is a good way to show children we care.
- Parents showing affection for each other provides a good lesson in living.
- Sharing our thoughts with our children makes them feel needed, but be cautious of exposing your school –aged children to your problems - they do not necessarily have the capacity nor resources to cope with another’s problems.
- All children love to have their say – sharing meals at the table is a great way to encourage discussion. (Turn the T.V. off)
- Supporting children in their chosen sport or activity shows we care.
Every child has the right to be loved and cared for, and to feel safe in and out of the home environment.
Source: NAPCAN FOUNDATION www.napcan.org.au
Guidance Officer
Asha Kumar
P&C News
We have some exciting things coming up this term! Starting with Sports Day coming up on Friday the 18th of August, we will have our Silly Socks available for purchase via EFTPOS only on this day. Our Silly Socks will be available to purchase at multiple events throughout this term and up until we host our Silly Sock day with the whole school later this year (date to be announced). Socks are just $6 per pair in various sizes and heaps of fun patterns to choose from.
Up next we have our annual Father’s Day Stall. This will be taking place on Wednesday the 30th of August and Thursday the 31st of August. Notes will come home prior to this event. Payment options will include cash and QKR. Keep an eye for notes and sneak peeks on our P&C Facebook page. If anyone would like to donate items to our Father’s Day Stall please reach out via email cabspecspandc@gmail.com or contact us via our facebook page.
In mid-September fundraising will open for our second Colour Explosion Fun Run which will be held on Saturday the 28th of October. Lots of fun prizes to be won and exciting things to happen at the event. All families of our school community are welcome to attend.
Over the past couple of months P&C has funded and presented the senior shirts and also the sports captain shirts for each house colour. We have purchased crash mats for some of our classrooms to assist students with a place to help them regulate.
Finally on the 3rd of August we officially opened the all abilities playground spinner in Parklands. Without the generosity of the Tess Hocking Foundation and our entire school communities efforts through fundraising last year this project would not have been possible and we can’t thank you all enough.
Star Students
