Principal's Piece
We have started Week 6, meaning that we are already into the second half of the term! Students have been busy learning in classrooms and it has been a pleasure to visit many of the classrooms to hear about their work. I enjoyed spending time with some Year 1 reading groups last week.
Attendance
As we focus on ‘ACE’ students in 2020, it is important that we keep attendance at the forefront, along with being confident and engaged learners. Every day counts is a state wide initiative that aims to assist in improving student attendance at school through a shared commitment by students, parents, caregivers, schools and the community.
To do this, Every day counts promotes four key messages:
· all children should be enrolled at school and attend on every school day
· schools should monitor, communicate and implement strategies to improve regular school attendance
· truanting can place a student in unsafe situations and impact on their future employability and life choices
· attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the community.
School absenteeism and truancy can impact significantly on students' learning and wellbeing.
Research shows that in Queensland, higher student attendance is associated, on average, with higher student achievement. Additionally, attending school every day helps children to build social and emotional skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience.
If your child is away, you need to let the school know by either responding to the SMS, ringing the absence line on 4975 8366 or letting the class teacher know.
For more information or if you need support regarding your child’s attendance, see the Admin team or download the guide for parents at: www.education.qld.gov.au/initiatives-and-strategies/initiatives/every-day-counts/for-parents-and-community
Playgroup
Today was an exciting one for Calliope State School and our community. Play2Learn held their first playgroup at the school. The playgroup will run every Tuesday morning from 9.00-11.00am. The group will meet in the Prep playground. It was wonderful to see so many families attending on the first week.
Reading
As mentioned previously, one of our key improvement agendas for this year is reading. Reading is a life skill that opens doors for us as learners and productive citizens in our society. Reading is about making sense of what we read, not just about being able to read fluently. Every classroom at Calliope State School has reading as part of their daily plan; whether it be the teacher sharing a book to the class or guiding a small group with a text, students reading independently or modelled reading in a group. Home reading is also an expectation across the school. It could be reading a favourite story, reading a home reader or library book, a magazine or newspaper. There are so many ways to incorporate reading into the day!
Feedback Welcome
Calliope State School is committed to ensuring that ‘everyone at Calliope State School is working together to ensure that every day, in every classroom, every student is learning and achieving’.
We want to know from our parents, carers and students, what we are doing well, and if there are any areas we can improve on or do differently.
You can give feedback at any time to a staff member, coming into the school office, or leaving a message in our Suggestion Box (in the office foyer). Please be respectful when providing feedback.
If you have a complaint we ask that you:
1) Arrange a time to speak with the class teacher as the first point of call.
2) If your concern is regarding the classroom teacher or a staff member, contact the office to speak with a Deputy Principal responsible for your child’s sector.
- Miss Raelene Norris is the P-2 Deputy
- Mrs Rebecca Crapp is the 3-6 Deputy
- Mr Mark Wright is the Principal.
We ask that you refrain from using social media platforms to comment about issues or incidents involving our school. We have a great school with great students and staff and together we can continue to promote our school as a fantastic learning venue in our community.
