Last Friday was school photo day. All our Calliope State School students looked fantastic in their best uniforms. This Friday will be our first assembly for the year. It will also be a special assembly with the presentation of badges to our school leaders. We will have special guests attending to present badges to our amazing leaders.

This would be another day for our students to wear their best uniform and show our community the amazing school that we are.

Parent Meetings

Parent meetings have been held throughout this week. I have been able to come into some meetings. This is an important time to gain some understanding of how we operate in our school and a chance to ask any questions.

Dress Code

Each week I am highlighting a component of our school Dress Code.

This week is in regard to when there is a breach. A common breach that I am seeing is socks. Our dress code states that short black or white socks are our uniform. Most of our students are wearing these, but I am seeing some students wearing long colourful socks. Please if there is any reason why your child has difficulty wearing the correct uniform, contact the school.

P&C

Our first P&C is next Tuesday, at 4:30 pm in the conference room. I am looking forward to meeting with parents then. It is always a great opportunity to have discussion around needs of the school and have input from parents and community.

CSS Dress Code

The Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program will be screening at Calliope State School commencing on Tuesday 18^th April 2023. They are a Queensland Government service that offers Free Vision Screening to all children enrolled in Prep. If your child is in Prep and you would like their vision screened, you will need to complete a consent form.

The following video explains the benefits of having your Prep child’s vision screened- “What is Prep Vision Screening?”

Please click on the following link to access the Online Consent Form and Parent Information Letter: https://visionscreening.health.qld.gov.au/ParentalConsent/0912VOe2

** Paper copies of the consent form are available from the office.

Please note: The consent form link will close on Friday 31^st March 2023.

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Tiered Support

PBL decisions are based on multitudes of data. One data set we use is Tiered Support. Tiered Support is based on major incidents within the school – outlined

in Student Code of Conduct. All students access the Tier 1 behaviour support, which is the whole-school approach. Tier 1 is where students have 0 – 1 major incident in the school year. Tier 2 supports students who have 2 or more major incidents and Tier 3 supports students who have 6 or more major incidents. Throughout all tiers PBL supports positive relationships and inclusivity. For Week 2 we have 100% of students in Tier 1. This is a fantastic start to 2023.

Weekly PBL Lesson

This week students are learning about playground expectations and parade etiquette. Remember our first parade for the 2023 is on Friday. At parade, we announce the cool coin winner of the week, Cool Kid Awards, Attendance Awards and Wheely Clean Award. You will also be notified of the following week’s PBL lesson.

Running Club is back in Week 4

Mrs Diaz and Mrs Betts will be down on the back oval at 8:30- 8:50am every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning to encourage students in Year 3-6 to run laps of the oval. Each lap is recorded and there will be a competition amongst the year levels who gets the most laps. Every three weeks, the top two year levels will win the opportunity to play a game of dodgeball with Mrs Betts on Friday afternoon.

Please encourage your child to come and join us on the back oval, especially if they’ve got that little bit of extra energy that would be helpful to burn off before going into the classroom for the day.

The Great Calliope Skip Off

Once again this year, some of our year levels are learning skipping in their PE lessons. To encourage students to practice their skipping skills, Mrs Betts has a One Minute and Two Minute wall of fame in the hall. Students who can skip non-stop for this time can add their name to the wall of fame. They must get timed by Mrs Betts. At the end of term there is a fun competition (The Great Calliope Skip Off) where students on the wall of fame get the opportunity to compete in a skip off against other students and teachers. Last man/child skipping gets a prize.

This year Mrs Betts is extending the competition to parents who might what to set themselves a challenge. If you are able to make two minutes non- stop skipping let Mrs Betts know before the end of term and you can receive an invitation to compete.

Please find attached important information about Port Curtis sport:

The Port Curtis link to the Permission Details Booklet has changed. Please see below the correct link

PC_permission_booklet_letter.pdf

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Thank you to parents who have returned 2023 medical notes back to us at school. As a reminder, if your child is required to take medication at school or should their medication / dosage change a new 2023 consent to administer medication is required.

For medication to be administered at school or during school-related activities, there must be medical authorisation for the student to have that medication, and the medication must be in its original container with intact packaging.

Examples of medical authorisation include:

a pharmacy label with both the student’s and doctor’s name on it;
a signed letter from a doctor;
a medication order from a dentist;
an Action Plan signed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.

See below for examples of health conditions, medications and associated documentation:

Health condition/ reason for medication	Example of medication	Documentation completed by doctor or other prescribing health practitioner
Asthma	Asthma puffer	Asthma action plan
Anaphylaxis	EpiPen	ASCIA Anaphylaxis Action Plan
Diabetes	Insulin injection, insulin pump	Department of Education Medication order to administer ‘as-needed’ medication at school or medication order or diabetes management plan or other written instructions from prescribing health practitioner
Other types of emergency medication e.g. for seizures	Midazolam	Department of Education Medication order to administer ‘as-needed’ medication at school
Medication required ‘as needed’ for minor or non-emergency symptoms	Ointment for skin allergies, antihistamines	Department of Education Medication order to administer ‘as-needed’ medication at school
Changes to dosage (e.g. from ½ to 1 tablet)	Ritalin	Written instructions from prescribing health practitioner (e.g. doctor)

Welcome to Week 3 of Term. Hopefully everyone has started to settle into a routine now and the kids are enjoying their learning. Thanks to all who helped at the rodeo on the 28th of January, we all had a lot of fun. We love hearing from the parents of our school. Your questions, ideas, and suggestions are always appreciated, you can contact us either on our Facebook page, Calliope State School P&C, or our email address: pandc@calliopess.eq.edu.au.

P&C Meeting

Our first meeting for the year is fast approaching, the Exec and Admin team are really looking forward to seeing you there! Tuesday the 14th of February at 4:30pm. We’re having an early meeting in the hope that some of our partners may have organised a romantic Valentine's meal. As always, we will do our best to keep the meeting short and sweet. If you have any agenda items or apologies, please send them to secretary.calliopess@gmail.com. All agenda items need to be received by midday on Monday the 13th of February.

AGM Meeting

Our AGM planning is underway and we’re waiting on the audited financials. As soon as we get notification they’re ready, we will announce a date and time. Our aim is to have it in March so that the new committee can hit the ground running as soon as possible. All executive positions will be opened to a new committee, and we look forward to seeing where they will take us in the coming year.

Tuckshop News

Have you noticed the delicious smells coming from our tuckshop? I was lucky enough to be able to sample a muffin last week and I can tell you it was delicious! Our kids are so lucky to have Miss Lisa and Miss Mel working hard to provide them with good nutritious food. Our hard-working tuckshop staff can always use extra hands, especially on a Friday. If you’d like to volunteer and join the fun in tuckshop, please contact Miss Lisa via our Facebook page or pandc@calliopess.eq.edu.au

QKR

A quick reminder to update your child/ren’s details on QKR. If we don’t have the right information, we can’t guarantee they will receive their tuckshop or uniforms that have been ordered.

Uniform Shop

The Uniform shop is via appointment only; if you need to make an appointment, please email the uniform shop email address below. Otherwise, orders can be done on QKR. Please note that orders 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 them. If you haven’t received your uniform order, please check, if it has been three days, that it’s 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

Tastebuds Fundraiser

Is still running and open for orders! Taste buds are 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. 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

Volunteer Reminder

As I’m sure you are all aware, the executive committee are parents and caregivers just like you. We have families that require our attention, employers who have expectations of us, some of us (me) are even silly enough to have gone back to university. We joined the P&C as volunteers, we are committed to providing the best communication and experience we can for parents and caregivers, however, we can’t always respond to requests and questions as quickly as we would like. Please have patience with us, we are doing the best we can and appreciate your understanding and acceptance. Many hands do lighten the load and if you’d like to join the P&C we would love to have you onboard.

If you see Tenielle, Kate or Geoff around the school please don’t hesitate to stop us, say hi and ask any questions.

Newsletter – Week 2 Attendance Data

2023 School Attendance for Week 2, Term 1
Whole School Attendance for the Year to Date: 95.5%
Prep	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
96.63%	97.7%	96.7%	96.0%	97.02%	96.45%	96.38%

Congratulations to Prep 1/D who had an amazing attendance rate for Week 2. Their attendance rate was 100% for the Week!

Also, congratulations to the 25 classes which were at or above our school attendance target of 94% for Week 2.

Remember, every day you are away is a learning day lost.

Navigating the online world with our kids can be super tough for parents. Knowing what apps are appropriate, managing screen time, and addressing the issues that come with social media use can be complex to say the least. Schools and families play a collaborative role in ensuring that kids can access the internet in a safe and healthy way. Below are some top tips from Rebecca Sparrow, who works with students, schools and is a member of the Queensland Government’s Anti-Bullying Taskforce.

BEFORE YOU HIT SEND – SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PARENTS

By: Rebecca Sparrow

STEP 1. BASIC ONLINE DO’S & DONT’S

Don’t use your child’s photo or real name when setting up apps or certain social media accounts.
Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know in real life.
Don’t agree to meet up with people you don’t know in real life.
Don’t chat to randoms online – even if you think they’re kids. Social media and gaming apps are stalked by adult predators looking for children to groom.
Don’t give out your address, school or phone number online to anyone. And don’t share your passwords!
Most importantly – check the privacy settings on the platform or app you are using (see tips below)
Follow Susan McLean – Cyber Safety Expert, Dr Kirsty Goodwin – Cyber Safety Expert, Code9 Parent , Leonie Smith – The Cyber Safety Lady and Be Web Smart on Facebook to get regular updates on the latest dangerous and dodgy apps and safety tips for your tech devices.

STEP 2. SECURE YOUR DEVICES

You want to stop strangers from finding out where you live, work or go to school which they can easily do from the photos and videos you post. Turn off Geo-Tagging on your camera. Otherwise geographical information is added in the form of metadata to photos, videos, SMS, websites. Go to LOCATION SERVICES and turn it off for your camera and any apps that don’t need it. (See S ocial Media Reputation Management booklet for instructions)
TURN OFF Frequent Locations which can tell anyone who picks up your phone where you live.
If your device gets stolen or your friends decide to play a prank by hacking your account — you want to be able to stop them from accessing your device! Have a pin number on all your devices. And don’t tell your friends your pin numbers or log in details.
Again to stop people accessing your accounts – set up Two-Step Verification On Accounts: Facebook: Account > Settings > Security > Login Approvals Apple Google Twitter
Set up restricted viewing on Google, YouTube, your Mac or PC. Click here to access notes on setting YOUTUBE to “Restricted Mode”
For younger kids (10 and under) Use YouTube Kids , Kiddle or Safe Search Kids (powered by Google) . Remember: no amount of net filtering replaces parent supervision!

USEFUL LINKS

FREE ‘Social Media Reputation Management’ booklet from the Australian Federal Police. It details privacy settings for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat and mobile devices.

Social Media Platform Safety Centres : FULL LIST of contacts

FACEBOOK: Basic Privacy Settings and How Can I See What My Facebook Profile Looks Like To Other People? YOUTUBE TUTORIAL

INSTAGRAM: Privacy & Safety Tips for Instagram

SNAPCHAT: Safety Tips for Snapchat

SAFE SEARCH ENGINES FOR KIDS: YouTube Kids , Kiddle , Safe Search Kids

Who’s Chatting To Your Kids?: Queensland Police Force

The advantages of helping kids navigate the digital world – The Atlantic

15 Useful iPhone Hacks including setting ‘Do Not Disturb’ on your phone so you can’t receive messages while you’re studying

More iPhone hacks including getting more storage

How to save data on you iPhone : the small hack that can make a difference to your data use.

USEFUL APPS

HELP ME – The Denise and Bruce Morcombe Safety App. Download this app for 99cents and any person can call for help at the push of a button. “The ‘Help Me’ button sounds a warning and allows you to send off an SMS text to two (2) nominated ‘safety’ numbers, as part of your Trusted Safety Network. Included in the text are GPS co-ordinates from where the text was sent, so the sender can be located or a last known place of contact is indicated.”

Checky This app will tell you just how often you (or your child) check your phone!

Send This Instead Humorous ways to respond when you’re asked for a naked pic

OurPact Free parental control app that limits screen time and access to apps and sites.

Colour Therapy Popular free colouring-in app

Chore Bank : The app that lets you keep track of your kids’ chores and the pocket money they’ve earned.

Canvsly : a clever app to help you digitally store your children’s artwork

YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

Set up a Google Alert for your name and email address so you can keep track about what’s said about you on-line.

The resume is dead: your next click might determine your next job – The Guardian

Your digital footprint matters – Huffington Post

CELEBRITIES TALKING ABOUT STEPPING AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

Ed Sheeran takes a break from Twitter due to abuse.

Gigi Hadad on social media increasing her anxiety and her decision to take a month away from social media.

CYBERBULLYING

The most important thing to remember if you are being cyberbullied is that you’re not alone and there are adults who can help you.

Keep evidence of the bullying (save emails, take screenshots of messages or posts ), delete and block the bully and report the problem to the Safety Centre of the platform or app ( you can find a full list here ). And most importantly tell an adult you trust . And keep telling adults until someone does something to help you.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

How To Take A Screenshot On Any Device

Report Cyberbullying: Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner

Legal Aid Queensland: Laws surrounding cyber-bullying and what to do about it.

The National Children’s and Youth Law Centre , can provide free legal advice for anyone under 18, or anyone acting on their behalf.

Bullying No Way website for kids, teens, parents and teachers

HOUSEHOLD INTERNET AGREEMENT / PARENTAL CONTROL APPS

FREE Family Internet Safety Agreement created by the Australian Federal Police.

List of different parental control apps

FREE OurPact parental control app that limits screen time by blocking internet and app access.

Review of OurPact app by the Be Web Smart site.

How To Find Hidden Apps On Your Child’s Phone

CONSENT/PORN/NAKED SELFIES

Avalanche of Violent Porn Affecting Our Young

The National Children’s and Youth Law Centre , are experts in sexting and the law, and can provide free legal advice for anyone under 18, or anyone acting on their behalf. If you find naked images on your child’s device, take a breath and ring these guys first to get some clear, calm advice on how to proceed.

Legal Aid Queensland : The law surrounding sexting and sharing naked images

Send This Instead : a free app providing humorous responses to help young people say no when pressured to send intimate photos.

It’s No Coincidence A Vile Instagram Account Was Set Up By Boys From An Elite Private Schoo l by Catherine Lumby

A Letter To My Son About Porn by Harriet Pawson

Consent is like a cup of tea — a video designed to help young men and women understand the concept of consent. IMPORTANT!

With school back, it's a timely reminder to drivers to slow down in school zones and pay attention at children’s crossings.

Coming back after holidays it can be easy to forget what to look out for. School zone signs are displayed as you approach the school and shows both the speed limit and the times you need to reduce your speed around the school. Childrens crossing are identified by children crossing flags, which are displayed near crossings before and after school hours.

When the crossing is supervised, you as a motorist must:

· wait until all pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders have crossed the road and the crossing supervisor has returned to the footpath

· abide by the direction given by the School Crossing Supervisor.

If the crossing is unsupervised, you as a motorist must:

· give way to pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders on or entering a children’s, pedestrian or marked foot crossings

· give way to pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders on or entering a road you’re turning into

· give way to pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders on a slip lane

· give way to pedestrians in a share zone

· travel at a speed allowing you to stop safely at a crossing if needed

As a driver, it's important to make sure you give way to all pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders such as skateboards, e-scooters. You must also give way to pedestrians using a motorised mobility device such as a motorised wheelchair or a mobility scooter.

Some of our most vulnerable road users are children getting to and from school, so it’s important to slow down and abide by the crossing rules, as it won’t make much difference to the trip time, but it could very well save lives.

Visit the Street Smarts website to find more information about what to do at pedestrian and children crossings.

Next week, class teachers will be hosting their class information sessions for parents to find out about classroom expectations and routines, the year level curriculum and the year ahead for the students. This is always a wonderful opportunity to find out more about your child’s classroom and what they will be learning during the year. Meetings will be held in the classrooms.

ARTICLES FOR OUR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: If you wish to publish a NOT FOR PROFIT COMMUNITY article in our school newsletter you can do this by sending an email to a dmin@calliopess.eq.edu.au with all the relevant details. This will then go through our approval process prior to publishing.
REMINDER TO PARENTS: Reminder to parents and visitors to the school to drive carefully when accessing the front entrance of the school. Please drive slowly, abide by the speed limit, normal road rules and be mindful of your surrounds.

RETURNING CALLS TO THE SCHOOL: We ask parents to assist us by checking their message bank before returning calls to the school, to establish which staff member has phoned. Due to the high volume of staff within our school it is not possible for us to identify who may have called you. School staff contact details including email address are available on our school website: https://calliopess.eq.edu.au/our-school/our-staff
LOST PROPERTY - We have a large amount of lost property items at the moment. These items are located in the lost property container outside the office. If your child is missing their hat, shoes, towel, water bottle, lunch box or jacket/jumper these items can be collected from the undercroft.
SMOKING - Smoking is banned at all Queensland state and non-state schools (school facilities), and for 5 metres beyond their boundaries.
The law applies at all times-during and after school hours, on weekends and during school holidays. It includes the use of all smoking products, including electronic cigarettes.
School facilities are defined as land on which a
- state school provides education programs under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006; or
- non-state school provides primary education, secondary education or special education under the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2017; or
- state or non-state school provides other educational instruction or activities, for example, sports grounds, including land that is owned or leased by the school.
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/topics/atod/tobacco-laws/education