Calliope State School eNewsletter

We had our first assembly for the year last Friday, in addition to our school leaders being presented with their badges. We had asked our School Captains and Vice Captains to prepare a speech for the assembly. Students wrote the speeches themselves and spoke extremely well. It was great to hear from each of them. We all learned a little bit more about these leaders, what their values are and what they are hoping to achieve this year. They are all a great support for our students. It is going to be a great year. An addition to our weekly assembly is “Mystery Person”. Each week a mystery person observes all classes and selects the class that is being most present (sitting beautifully, listening and following instructions) on assembly. The “Mystery Person” will announce the class at the end of the assembly and that class will get to sit on our VIP chairs the following week. Classes were very excited with this feature last week. Congratulations to Prep B who were chosen to be our very first VIPs next week. It was an extremely tough decision for our Mystery Person as all classes were amazing. This Friday, our Rotakids will have their badges presented by special guest from Rotary.

STEM day

I had the pleasure of spending some time at the STEM day last week. All our Year five and six students were amazing and the presenters commented on how engaged in the activities our students were. I got to have a sneak go of the VR googles with a group of our students. The googles enabled us to be right down the bottom of a mining pit where the dump truck are loaded (virtually). This technology enabled students to see what they would not be able to see in the real world. Congratulations to all our year five and six students and their teachers for showing our community how amazing you are.

Dress Code

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

This week I am highlighting the considerations that were considered when writing our dress code. Please see the dot points on the image to the right that has been extracted from our Dress Code Brochure.

Hats

Before school and at each break we have multiple students coming to the office and the SLAWC (Student Learning and Wellbeing Centre) asking for spare hats. Can we ask that all students come to school with a hat so they can enjoy outside play?

DRESS CODE (270 × 210mm) (3).pdf

In 4A we have been learning about multiplications, division, spelling and so much more! We have even spent time with our Year 6C buddies, reading and spelling. Each day we are growing to become more responsible, respectful and safe, in and out of the classroom.

2023 Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN timetables

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that Calliope State School students in Year 3 and 5 sit each year. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time. The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday 15 March and finishes on Monday 27 March 2023. See the below timetable for the testing and catch-up dates for Year 3 and 5 students at Calliope State School.

For more information, please contact Naomi Hughes, Deputy Principal and NAPLAN coordinator through the school office.

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.

PBL Meeting

This week the PBL team is meeting to allocate jobs and brainstorm ideas for the action plan for 2023. The next meeting will be further into the term.

PBL Weekly Lesson

We have noticed there have been a lot of students losing their belongings in the first few weeks of the term. Our data shows that many of these instances have been happening during the play time after the children have eaten.

This week the students are focusing on their eating time routine, which includes the use of the lunch tubs. The lunch tubs are an excellent way to sort and organise classes’ lunch boxes, so the lunch boxes do not grow magical legs for whatever reason.

The area where the lunch boxes are kept are in most cases also a place for children to play, which is why it is important for them to be stored safely, so students can also play safely without tripping, or breaking items. The lunch tubs are only used during play to save students returning to their bags or classrooms, where in most cases these spaces are not supervised by teachers. After play time, the lunch boxes are returned to their cold fridges in their classrooms.

We are very lucky at Calliope to have a fridge in every classroom to keep our food cool. This makes us able to have more healthier options for lunch time eg. yoghurt, salads, ham sandwiches, boiled eggs, cold leftovers from dinner the night before etc. Please ensure that your child checks the lost property boxes, if anything does go missing. This is located under the undercroft outside the back door of the main office in the admin building. Please also ensure toys are to stay at home, so they do not go missing and/or cause disruption to your child’s learning.

Week 4 Whole School Triangle Data – Major Incidents

Congratulations to 3A who had an amazing attendance rate for Week 3. Their attendance rate was 98.33% for the week!

Also, congratulations to the 24 classes which were at or above our school attendance target of 94% for Week 3.

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

Someone told me it is Week 4 of Term 1 already, how did this happen?! The P&C are having a calm start to the year and are gearing up for the AGM. 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.

AGM Meeting

We are still aiming to have our AGM in March, and as soon as we get the books back from the auditor we will advise of a date and time. At the AGM the current executive team step down and open all positions for a new committee to step in. The Executive consists of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. It is a great team to be a part of and the support you give to each other is incredibly rewarding. I have enjoyed my time in the Executive the support, fun, laughter, and shenanigans that we have shared have been wonderful.

Tuckshop News

Anyone else getting the almost daily “Can I have tuckshop for lunch pllleeeaaassseee!?” with the big please eyes? When I asked my child why they ask for tuckshop daily, the response is “Because tuckshop rules, Miss Lisa and Miss Mel are awesome, and it’s YUMMY”. Miss Lisa and Miss Mel work hard to provide nutritious food for the children and staff. While they are superwomen they can’t do it alone and we are grateful to the parents and caregivers who help and give their time. If you could spend even just an hour or two of your time to join the fun and laughs that happen in the tuckshop please contact Miss Lisa via our Facebook page or pandc@calliopess.eq.edu.au

QKR

Can everyone please take 2 minutes to check your child/ren’s details on QKR. If we don’t have the right details, we can not guarantee that your child/ren will receive their tuckshop or that the uniforms you order will go to the right class. We ask this so you don’t have to deal with an upset child that didn’t receive their lunch or get their new uniform.

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 :p ) 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.

Tenielle, Bec, Kate and Geoff.

QParents

Calliope State School provides parents with access to a convenient, online parent portal called QParents.

The QParents web and mobile application provides an easier way for you to interact with our school. Parents will have secure, online access to their child's student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

QParents provides secure, online access to student information such as:

Attendance details
Report cards
Student photo
Consent Form
Payment History

The benefits of QParents

Convenience and time savings for parents

Parents can view or update their child's details and report absences without having to call the school or come into the office.
Secure 24/7 online access.
Available anytime, anywhere — access QParents on your smart phone, tablet or computer on a web browser or using the app (iPhone or Android).

Greater transparency of information

Improves accountability between parents and schools by providing parents with timely access to their child's information online.
Allows parents to engage more deeply in their child's schooling.

Improved administration efficiencies for schools

Allows schools to streamline their administrative processes and cut down on printing.

What do you need to do to get started?

The office will be send out emails inviting parents or guardians to become a QParents Account Owner (QPAO) for their student at the beginning of their enrolment at the school. QPAOs will be able to register for QParents to access and manage the student's information online, view the student's information and submit requests to update some of the student's details.

QPAOs will also be able to invite other people (such as another family member), to view the student's information. Once invited, these people can register for QParents as “delegated viewers". A delegated viewer can see the student's details, but cannot make updates.

When you receive your invitation email, simply follow the instructions to register your QParents account. The process should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Initial registration and addition of students to your account must be done on a desktop or laptop computer. Once registered, you will then be able to access QParents using your mobile device (via web browser or by downloading the iPhone or Android App).

Invitations sent by email will only ever come from no.reply@qparents.qld.edu.au. You will not be invited to register from any other email address or organisation.

If you do no not want to register you can just ignore the invitation and your child's student information will not be available to anyone through QParents.

Identity Verification

To obtain full access to student information, as part of their QParents registration users must complete an identity verification process. QParents offers two options for identity verification – online and offline.

For fully online verification (the fastest option), you will need to verify 100 points of the following identity documents online:

Australian Passport	50 pts	Australian Marriage Certificate	40 pts
Australian Driver Licence	50 pts	Australian Citizenship Certificate	40 pts
Australian Birth Certificate	50 pts	Change of Name Certificate	40 pts
Medicare Card	20 pts	Australian Visa (foreign passports)	20 pts

If you cannot verify 100 points of the above ID documents online, you may still register for QParents, but you will need to attend the school to verify documentation in person after you have registered online.

Full instructions on how to verify your documents and what you may need to bring to the school will be provided as part of the invitation and registration process.

If you don't have sufficient documents, or are unsure, you may still be able to register. For more information on the online identity verification process, see https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/identityInformation .

Please note that QParents does not maintain copies or records of any identity documents used for account verification, either online or offline.

EQ ID

You will also need to have your child's EQ ID (their Education Queensland identification number) in order to complete your QParents registration. You can access this via the school office.

Safe and secure

QParents is a secure portal that meets strict industry standards. The Department of Education and Training considers student information to be confidential (it is classified as PROTECTED by the Department). Only people with the right to access information about their child will be given an account. Additionally, as part of the registration process, 100 points of identity or equivalent will need to be presented to prove that the person who is registering is the person the school invited.

Further information

https://qed.qld.gov.au/about-us/department-apps/qparents

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)

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

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!