Welcome to Term 3! We hope everyone has had a restful and enjoyable break.

Although some restrictions and measures have been lifted across Queensland, the Department of Education has advised schools to continue existing routines and practices to maintain and assure the health and safety of all learners, staff, parents, carers and community members.

For the first few weeks at least, some existing processes will remain in place as outlined below.

Drop Off and Pick Up Arrangements

For now, our school will continue to have restricted entry by parents and carers. We request that no one passes the Administration Building. We will maintain our previous plan for before and after school entry and exit. Staff will be available every morning at the designated gates to escort students to their classrooms. Every afternoon, our students will group in their exit areas with siblings to exit at 3.15pm. Family groups meet at the youngest siblings exit area. We ask that social distancing is still maintained between adults in this space as per the State Government’s recommended 1.5m.

Please remember that staggering your collection times up to 3.30pm, may be an option for your family to avoid the peak collection times. Our preferred pick up option is to use Stop, Drop and Go.

Social Distancing, Visitors and Illness

All schools must encourage staff, parents and other adult visitors to observe physical distancing measures by not congregating in areas inside or around the school, particularly at peak Drop Off and Pick Up times. Schools need to ensure any visitors must comply with the onsite health and safety measures, including not attending the site if unwell, maintaining physical distancing requirements and practising good health and hygiene.

Under the Queensland Chief Health Officer Directive, any student who is unwell must not attend school and should remain at home until well. All schools must ask parents or carers to collect their child from school if they are unwell.

Parade

Parade will continue to be online to ensure large gatherings of adults do not occur. Each Friday morning, a link to our Digital Parade will be available on our School Facebook page for families to celebrate and recognise the efforts, successes and achievements of our learners and staff.

Communication

Although face to face opportunities to meet with your child/ren’s class teacher are currently limited, please never hesitate to make contact via telephone or email. All teachers are responsive and maintain regular communications with our families. Class teachers should always be your ‘first port of call’ and will be well positioned to answer any queries, address any concerns or provide any information or support.

The work undertaken by staff in Term Two, together with the amazing collaborative efforts and support from families has positioned us well for Term Three, particularly as measures and restrictions in schools are reduced further. The Leadership Team would like to take this opportunity to thank all Calliope State School Staff for their ongoing efforts and commitments, going above and beyond to sustain high levels of support to all students. A special thank you is also extended to you, for working with us, being understanding and supportive as we all navigate what has been a challenging time, that has also brought about new opportunities.

Semester One Report Cards

Semester One Report Cards will be emailed to all families next Monday. Now is a good time to check that we have your current contact details. If more than one nominated person requires copies of Report Cards, please contact our Administration via email admin@calliopess.eq.edu.au or on 4975 8333.

Term 2 Principal’s Awards

At the end of Term 2 we acknowledged one student from each class for their achievements throughout the term. Congratulations to our Term 2 recipients of the Principal’s Award for demonstrating being safe, respectful and responsible learners throughout the term.

School Photos

Our 2020 School Photos will take place this Thursday, 16 July. Please ensure your child is wearing the Calliope State School uniform (no sports shirts) on Thursday. Any hair accessories should also be in school colours. Photos will be individual ones this year.

Under 8s

During the last week of Term 2, our Prep-Year 2 classes participated in Under 8s activities. It was a different version for 2020, as each cohort had their own session to explore a range of activities. It was a creative time for all and thank you to our teachers and teacher aides for their efforts in organising and running the sessions.

Prep Enrolment for 2021

Enrolment packages for Prep 2021 are now available from the school office. Information sessions will be held later in the term for parents. Dates will be advised as further guidelines regarding the lifting of restrictions are released from Education Queensland.

If your child turns five by June 30 2021, he/she is eligible to enrol in 2021. The table below is a guide to assist families to determine Prep eligibility.

School Opinion Survey

2020 School Opinion Survey and Schooling During COVID-19 Survey

Parents and Caregivers are invited to participate in this year’s School Opinion Survey and have a say about schooling during the COVID-19 lockdown. You are also given the opportunity to provide feedback about our school more generally. Remember that when answering the questions, it is about the 2020 school year. Participation in the survey is anonymous and you are encouraged to take this opportunity to have your say. The survey form has been designed so that it can easily be completed on a computer or smartphone. The online survey will be available until Friday, 17 July 2020, and should take less than five minutes to complete.

To access the survey, please click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser:

Parent survey – https://survey.qed.qld.gov.au/form/Parents-HaveYourSay

Please contact the school if you have any questions about the survey.

We welcome our new families to Calliope State School and look forward to working with all families throughout the term.

Regards

Raelene