Calliope State School eNewsletter

Principal's Piece

COVID-19 UPDATE

A Few Important Reminders - Stay informed
As things can change quickly when it comes to COVID-19. Please make sure you regularly check the Queensland Government website, which has up-to-date information on the lockdown, including all restrictions and maps of the affected areas.

Horse Paddock

Please remind your children that the horse paddock that is adjacent to the back of the school is private property. If your child enters this property they are trespassing and therefore they are committing an offence. The property owner/leaser is in their right to call police. We have added extra staff on duty this term on the back oval and have the leadership team out on duty at each break as well to support students in making the right decisions. We would be grateful if you could also have a conversation with your child/ren and remind them of the repercussions that may occur if they are to enter this property.

EVERY STUDENT INCLUDED

STUDENT LEARNING AND WELLBEING

Prep Transition 2022 – Parent Information Sessions

Our Prep Parent Information sessions will be held on Wednesday 18 August at Calliope State School. Sessions be at 9.15am and repeated at 5.00pm.

The sessions are for parents and children do not need to attend. Please book in for a session by visiting the school office, phoning 4975 8333 or emailing admin@calliopess.eq.edu.au to help us with an appropriate venue.

Enrolment packs will be available at the school office from 18 August.

If you have any inquiries about Prep for 2022, please contact the office.

CALLIOPE STATE SCHOOL STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Focused Teaching

Approximately 15% of all students in any school or classroom may require additional support to meet behaviour expectations, even after being provided with differentiated and explicit teaching. These students may have difficulty meeting behavioural expectations in a particular period of the day or as part of a learning area/subject, and focused teaching is provided to help them achieve success.

Focused teaching involves revisiting key behavioural concepts and/or skills and using explicit and structured teaching strategies in particular aspects of a behaviour skill. Focused teaching provides students with more opportunities to practise skills and multiple opportunities to achieve the intended learning and expected behaviour.

Support staff, including teachers with specialist expertise in learning, language or development, work collaboratively with class teachers at Calliope State School to provide focused teaching. Focused teaching is aligned to the PBL Expectations Matrix, and student progress is monitored by the classroom teacher/s to identify those who:

no longer require the additional support
require ongoing focussed teaching
require intensive teaching.

Calliope State School has a range of Student Support Network staff in place to help arrange and deliver focused teaching to students who need more support to meet expectations. In addition, the school invests in the following evidence-informed programs to address specific skill development for some students:

Zones of Regulation
You Can Do It!
Functional Based Assessment.

Intensive Teaching

Research evidence shows that even in an effective, well-functioning school there will always be approximately 5% of the student population who require intensive teaching to achieve behavioural expectations. Intensive teaching involves frequent and explicit instruction, with individuals or in small groups, to develop mastery of basic behavioural concepts, skills and knowledge.

Some students may require intensive teaching for a short period, for particular behaviour skills. Other students may require intensive teaching for a more prolonged period. Decisions about the approach will be made based on data collected from their teacher or teachers, and following consultation with the student’s family.

For a small number of students who continue to display behaviours that are deemed complex and challenging, then individualised, function-based behaviour assessment and support plans and multi-agency collaboration may be provided to support the student. This approach will seek to address the acute impact of barriers to learning and participation faced by students who are negotiating a number of complex personal issues.

Students who require intensive teaching will be assigned an individual mentor at the school that will oversee the coordination of their program, communicate with stakeholders and directly consult with the student.

Legislation

In this section of the Exemplar State College Student Code of Conduct are links to legislation which influences form and content of Queensland state school discipline procedures.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Our state schools are diverse, with schools adapting to meet the needs of students, families and the community. State schools across Queensland are at different stages of their journey towards adopting inclusive education.

Some state schools offer highly individualised programs for students with particular educational needs. The department will continue to offer parents the choice of enrolling their child, who meets set criteria, in schools providing highly individualised programs including special schools and academies. By moving towards a more inclusive education system we are seeking to strengthen the options parents and caregivers have to enrol their child at their local state school.

While offering this choice, we will continue our journey towards a more inclusive education system across all state schools and settings. Our journey will be guided by nine principles adapted from the United Nations’ nine core features for inclusive education (United Nations 2016, pp.4 to 6).

Regards,

Coralie Ditchmen

Acting Principal