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

Disciplinary Consequences

The disciplinary consequences model used at Calliope State School follows the same differentiated approach used in the proactive teaching and support of student behavioural expectations. 

The majority of students will be confident and capable of meeting established expectations that are clear, explicitly taught and practised. In-class corrective feedback, sanctions and rule reminders may be used by teachers to respond to low-level or minor problem behaviours.

Some students will need additional support, time and opportunities to practise expected behaviours.  Approximately 15% of the student population may experience difficulty with meeting the stated expectations, and even with focussed teaching, in-class corrective feedback, sanctions and rule reminders continue to display low-level problem behaviour.  A continued pattern of low-level behaviour can interfere with teaching and learning for the whole class, and a decision may be needed by the class teacher to refer the student to the school administration team immediately for determination of a disciplinary consequence.

For a small number of students, approximately 2-5%, a high level of differentiated support or intensive teaching is required to enable them to meet the behavioural expectations.  This may be needed throughout the school year on a continuous basis.  The determination of the need will be made by the principal in consultation with staff and other relevant stakeholders. On occasion the behaviour of a student may be so serious, such as causing harm to other students or to staff, that the principal may determine that an out of school suspension or exclusion is necessary as a consequence for the student’s behaviour.  Usually this course of action is only taken when the behaviour is either so serious as to warrant immediate removal of the student for the safety of others, and no other alternative discipline strategy is considered sufficient to deal with the problem behaviour.

The differentiated responses to problem behaviour can be organised into three tiers, with increasing intensity of support and consequences to address behaviour that endangers others or causes major, ongoing interference with class or school operations.

Differentiated

Class teacher provides in-class or in-school disciplinary responses to low-level or minor problem behaviour.  This may include:

• Pre-correction (e.g. “Remember, walk quietly to your seat”)
• Non-verbal and visual cues (e.g. posters, hand gestures)
• Whole class practising of routines
• Ratio of 5 positive to 1 negative commentary or feedback to class
• Corrective feedback (e.g. “Hand up when you want to ask a question”)
• Rule reminders (e.g. “When the bell goes, stay seated until I dismiss you”)
• Explicit behavioural instructions (e.g. “Pick up your pencil”)
• Proximity control
• Tactical ignoring of inappropriate behaviour (not student)
• Revised seating plan and relocation of student/s
• Individual positive reinforcement for appropriate behaviour
• Classwide incentives
• Reminders of incentives or class goals
• Redirection
• Low voice and tone for individual instructions
• Give 30 second ‘take-up’ time for student/s to process instruction/s
• Reduce verbal language
• Break down tasks into smaller chunks
• Provide positive choice of task order (e.g. “Which one do you want to start with?”)
• Prompt student to take a break or time away in class
• Model appropriate language, problem solving and verbalise thinking process (e.g. “I’m not sure what is the next step, who can help me?”)
• Provide demonstration of expected behaviour
• Peer consequence (e.g. corrective feedback to influential peer demonstrating same problem behaviour)
• Private discussion with student about expected behaviour
• Reprimand for inappropriate behaviour
• Warning of more serious consequences (e.g. removal from classroom)
• Detention

Focussed

Class teacher is supported by other school-based staff to address in-class problem behaviour.  This may include:

• Functional Behaviour Assessment
• Individual student behaviour support strategies (e.g. Student behaviour plan)
• Targeted skills teaching in small group
• Token economy
• Detention
• Behavioural contract
• Counselling and guidance support
• Self-monitoring plan
• Check in Check Out strategy
• Teacher coaching and debriefing
• Referral to Student Support Network for team-based problem solving
• Stakeholder meeting with parents and external agencies

Intensive

School leadership team work in consultation with Student Support Network to address persistent or ongoing serious problem behaviour.  This may include:

• Functional Behaviour Assessment based individual support plan
• Complex case management and review
• Stakeholder meeting with parents and external agencies including regional specialists
• Temporary removal of student property (e.g. mobile phone)
• Short term suspension (up to 10 school days)
• Long term suspension (up to 20 school days)
• Charge related suspension (student has been charged with a serious criminal offence is suspended from school until the charge has been dealt with by the relevant justice authorities)
• Suspension pending exclusion (student is suspended from school pending a decision by the Director-General or delegate (principal) about their exclusion from school)
• Exclusion (student is excluded from a particular state school site, a group of state schools or all state schools in Queensland for a defined period of time or permanently)
• Cancellation of enrolment for students older than compulsory school age who refuse to participate in the educational program provided at the school.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlight/inclusive-education-teaching-students-with-disability

Inclusion is a concept in education most often associated with minority groups and people who experience disability, but in fact, inclusion is about everyone. Inclusion is a human right (Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons 1975) a legal entitlement to all (Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992) and a core pillar of educational policy (Disability Standards for Education 2005).

“Inclusive education means that all students are welcomed by their school in age-appropriate settings and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school. Inclusive education is about how schools are developed and designed, including classrooms, programmes and activities so that all students learn and participate together” (DET 2015, p 2)

The following guiding principles, based on the Australian Disability Standards for Education (2005), underpin the Australian government’s guidance on planning personalised learning and support in schools:

1. All students can learn
2. Every child has a right to a high-quality education
3. Effective teachers provide engaging and rigorous learning experiences for all students
4. A safe and stimulating environment is integral to enabling students to explore and build on their talents and achieve relevant learning outcomes
5. For students with disability and additional learning needs, reasonable adjustments should be made where required (DET 2015, p. 3).

Regards

Coralie Ditchmen

Acting Principal