STAFFING TERM 3

• We are in the process of doing a workforce reform and the first part in this process is changing some of the portfolios of our leadership team members.
• Rebecca Crapp (Mrs C) is taking over the Head of Special Education (HoSES) role as the Deputy Principal – Special Education/Inclusion portfolio. Mrs C and the students have started to work together to revamp the space that we used to call the Hub, now known as the Student Learning and Wellbeing Centre, so that it is a student friendly environment, inclusive of all students.
• Raelene Norris is taking on the Deputy Principal – Pedagogy portfolio.
• Amanda Whale has taken over as the classroom teacher of 1D. Monique Cheeseman has taken leave from our school to work in a school in the North Coast Region.
• Emma Britstra is working full-time on 2B as Jade Randall gets ready to take Maternity Leave in the coming weeks.

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY 2022

The School Opinion Survey is open until Friday, 12 August 2022.

To have your say, check your email for an invitation from the Department of Education titled School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2022. 

Can’t find your invitation?  If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.    

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted in Term 3 and will close on 12 August 2022. All families, school staff and students in target year levels (Years 5 and 6) will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

An invitation to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey will be emailed to one parent/caregiver per family in the week beginning 11 July.  The invitation will be sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and it will have the subject line School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2022.  Check your junk email folders if you can’t find it.  The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation is received and will take approximately 5 minutes using a computer, tablet or smart phone. 

Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at the school. School computers/tablets will be available. 

PREP TRANSITIONS 2022 – PARENT INFORMAITON SESSIONS

Our Prep Parent Information sessions will be held on Thursday August 11 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.

Enrolment packs will be available at the session as well as the office from August 11. 

Interviews will be held later in the term, from September 5.

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

YEAR 6 INTO YEAR 7

A letter has been sent home to parents/carers of Year 6 students seeking information regarding student movement to Year 7 in 2023. Please ensure that you have returned your letters so that we can start supporting the students with their transition into secondary school and provide you with the correct enrolment packs. If you have misplaced the letter or if the letter did not make it home, please contact Administration for a replacement.

COOL WEATHER

Now that it is officially winter and the weather has cooled down there a few things:

• We have had an influx of non-school jumpers. Please ensure that your child/ren have a school jumper or a plain blue jumper. Hoodies are not to be worn over the head.
• The days will warm up and jumpers will come off - please make sure you name every item (First and Last name) so that lost items can be returned.
• The amount of Lost Property grows - if you are missing an item, please check the Lost Property basket outside the office.

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Parent/Teacher Interviews will occur on Tuesday July 19. Letters will be emailed home by classroom teachers this week. Please ensure that you make timely contact with the classroom teacher to secure an interview time.

A MESSAGE FROM myPOLICE GLADSTONE - INTERNET SAFETY TIPS, MOBILE DEVICE USE

Gladstone, it’s time to start conversations about how children and teenagers are using mobile devices and social media.

Welcome! This is the first in a series of posts we will be compiling about this topic.

It is incredibly important that parents and guardians are given tools to help their children safely navigate the online world.

Take a moment to think about your child’s relationship with their mobile device and what it looks like in your family, and in your home.

Whilst mobile devices and the internet aren’t all bad, our School Based Police Officer (SBPO) in Gladstone, Senior Constable Sarah Box certainly experiences the negative impacts on a regular basis.

These issues will be highlighted throughout the series.

But where do we start?

“One of my messages to young people about their mobile devices and how they use them, is that having a phone or an iPad is a privilege and not a right – especially if the device is paid for by a parent or guardian. They should therefore be using them appropriately,” said Senior Constable Box.

It is important that this message is echoed at home and below are some things to consider.

1. If your child has a mobile device or devices, do they have passcodes? Do you know what the passcodes are?
2.  Are you aware of who your child is socialising with online and what apps and games they are using
3. How often is your child using mobile devices and where do they do so? Is it in an open area of the home, or are they locked away in a bedroom for hours on end?

Research by the Commonwealth eSafety Commissioner has identified that 1 in 4 children have been approached by a stranger online.

This is why supervision and being aware of your child’s online footprint is so important.  

These points are a good start and hopefully will encourage some conversations at home!

Open communication is key to keeping children safe in this space. Keep an eye out for our next post in this series.

If you’re interested in more resources on this topic, check out the following websites:

https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice

https://www.esafety.gov.au/

FINAL THOUGHTS

Regards,

Coralie Ditchmen

Acting Principal

Welcome to Week 1, Term 3! This year is flying!

The Week 1 focus for PBL is ‘Play Areas- Moving Safely’.

Students will view maps of the school that show where their play and eating areas are. They will identify new play areas and any areas no longer available. The undercroft (concrete outside the office) is now available for all year levels for playtime, the computer lab is open in the Resource Centre at first break for all year levels and the right side (hall side) of the gully is now open for play to Year 3-6 both breaks. Students will also discuss and brainstorm how we move safely from eating areas to play areas.

The colour run was a HUGE success in Week 10 last term. Thanks to all that participated. We will give information later in the term regarding the PBL celebration for Term 3.

Triangle Data- Week 10

We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. We have some exciting things coming up this term so keep your eyes peeled.

P & C Next Meeting

Tuesday 19 July 2022 at 6:00pm.

150th Birthday Celebration

In 2022, Calliope State School celebrates its 150^th birthday. To celebrate there will be a 150^th celebration from 1pm-5pm on Saturday 27August 2022 at Calliope State School. There will be stalls, rides, memorabilia, school tours, music and just lots of fun all round. Save the date and bring the family down to help us celebrate.

Ride armbands will be live on QKR from Thursday 14July, 2022. There will be eight rides available to choose from on the day. Each armband is $30 per person and you can ride as many times as you like.

Tuckshop News

Keep your eyes peeled for some delicious new winter warmers added to our menu. Our fabulous tuckshop convener, Miss Lisa, is working hard again and creating some delicious soups and lucky dips along with all the amazing tastebud delights on our weekly menu, be sure to get onto QKR and get your orders in. Miss Lisa can always use an extra set of hands or two each week at the Tuck Shop day to make sure your kids get their food as quickly as possible at break times. If you’d like to lend a hand, please contact Miss Lisa via our Facebook page or pandc@calliopess.eq.edu.au

Parents are reminded that ice creams and ice blocks need to be collected from tuckshop by the students with their paper bag.

Taste Buds Fundraiser

Taste buds is a variety of yummy spice blends, savoury salts & rubs and versatile mixes and the best part is you can order online and they are delivered straight to your door. Just remember to use the code Calliope at checkout to fundraise for your kids. Feel free to share the link with friends and family. More information on the Calliope State School P & C facebook page or Visit https://tastebudsfundraising.com.au/?ref=Calliope

QKR

Over the last week of last term we had several issues with QKR when ordering Tuck Shop. We would like to take the moment to thank everyone for their patience while we try resolve the issues with this. Unfortunately, things like this do arise and are completely out of our control. In the future, if possible, if you can order ahead of time to ease congestion in the mornings as this can cause QKR to malfunction.

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop orders on QKR can take up to 3 business days to fill after the day of order. These items are then taken to the office and the students are contacted to collect. If you haven’t received your uniform order please check, if it has been 3 days, that its not in your child’s school bag (we all have that one child) and that it’s not in the classroom. Please remember if you have any concerns the admin ladies are probably unlikely to be able to solve them, contact us via our Facebook page or email uniformshop.calliopess@gmail.com 

Volunteer Reminder

I would like to take this moment to remind everyone that we are volunteers, we are parents, we are employed by other organisations or companies and that unfortunately, although it would be amazing, we do not have endless hours in the day. Please when contacting us be patient, be polite and be kind. We know it may be frustrating not getting a response straight away however please understand you are not being ignored, we just may be busy and will get to it as soon as possible. If you would like to help lighten the load and volunteer please reach out we would love to have you on board.

Please don’t hesitate to stop us, say hi and ask questions.

Your P&C Team

Tenielle, Kate, Bec, Geoff and Cass.

Last weekend, Mason McCarthy-Harris represented the Capricornia Region at the Rugby League State Championships. Mason’s Capricornia Team won the State Title. Congratulations Mason! We are so proud of you!