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Yesterday and last week we commemorated ANZAC Day both at school and within our community. Both services were well attended by community. Our students were respectful at both services. The school community is very proud of how Calliope State School students conducted themselves throughout both services.
These wreaths were created by all Calliope State School classes.
Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)
Our Priority for 2023 is “Calliope State School embraces Equity and Excellence for All”. We have three strategies to achieve this. Our third strategy is Expectations for All. Our first action is “Enhance relationships between staff, students, families and community to create trust, morale and support through clear and consistent expectations and communication.” The school is being proactive in seeking consultation with parents, seeking feedback and inviting parents into our school for special events. Surveys for students, staff and families will become a Termly survey will become a regular feature for our school to consult and seek feedback from all stakeholders.
School Uniform – Dress Code
It is great to see that most of our students are wearing the correct uniform. Some students are still wearing socks that are not white or black and some students are forgetting to wear shorts or a skirt over their bike pants. Please remember to see office staff if you need assistance in regard to purchasing any component of the Calliope State School uniform. Over the next couple of weeks I will be working with students who find it difficult to wear our uniform. This week I will be working with students who are not wearing black or white socks. Next week I will be working with students who are forgetting to wear shorts or a skirt over their bike pants. Thank you everyone for your support in ensuring your children are wearing the correct uniform. Our students look fantastic.
Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey
This week Year 4 students participated in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey. Next week students from Year 5 and 6 will participate. The Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey aims to collect information from Queensland state schools in a consistent and systematic way to gain a better understanding of the engagement and wellbeing of our students. It asks questions about many aspects of students' wellbeing, engagement and experience at school. Data from the survey will help schools monitor their school culture, school engagement and student wellbeing in line with the Student Learning and Wellbeing Framework and our Department’s Equity and Excellence: realising the potential of every student vision.
Student Code of Conduct
Each week I will focus on an aspect of Calliope’s Student Code of Conduct. This week the focus is on the Expectation Matrix. Behaviours are taught through our Expectation Matrix. Please see below.
Calliope State School Parent/Caregiver Survey
Today parents/caregivers will be emailed a survey that is designed by our school. Please ensure we have your correct email address in our system. The survey has been designed to only take 5 – 10 minutes. If you do not receive the survey by the end of today, please see the ladies in the office to check your email address.
This survey will consist of two parts. The first part has questions that are included in the Department’s School Opinion Survey, in addition to some other questions. Your response to this will give us some data on how we are progressing with our priorities from Term 1. This will enable us to adjust our strategies so we can continue to improve.
The second part of the survey includes consultation on the nature of Calliope State School’s swimming program, activities and to assist in deciding whether the programs will be facilitated by school-based staff or an external provider.
The survey will open on Wednesday 26 April and close Wednesday 3 May.
Upcoming Events Calendar
This newsletter includes our upcoming Events Calendar that can be printed and put on the fridge. Sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances changes occur. We aim to keep these to a minimum. A great example is the weather. If an event needs to change we will notify you via Facebook. We now have our SMS system ready for extreme circumstances. In these instances you will receive a text. Please ensure your details are correct on our system and that we have your current mobile phone number so you can receive these texts when required.
Guidance Officer Week
Guidance officers provide important support for students and school communities across Queensland.
This Guidance Officer Week (from 24 April), we highlight their role in providing counselling and advice on educational, career, personal, mental health and wellbeing issues for students. In 2023, we recognise and celebrate 75 years of guidance support in our state schools.
Calliope State School have two Guidance Officers who have started this term. This week is a wonderful time for them to introduce themselves to our school community.
Lucy Hodgkinson
My name is Lucy Hodgkinson and it is with great excitement that I commence my role as your Guidance Officer – Student Engagement and Wellbeing. For me, working as a Guidance Officer provides a unique opportunity to work collaboratively with stakeholders to strive for not only positive outcomes academically but also outcomes that support the growth and development of young people socially and emotionally.
I started my journey as a Guidance Officer in Rockhampton, working for just over 6 months at Parkhurst State School, before expanding my skillset in the high school sector. I spent the next two years working and supporting the families and community of Gladstone State High School. I then returned to the Primary School sector working for almost a year at Kin Kora State School.
I will be working at Calliope State School Wednesday’s and Thursday’s as part of the Student Wellbeing Package. I look forward to supporting students’ wellbeing as they strive to achieve their learning potential.
Katelyn Blake
Hello Calliope families,
I would like to introduce myself. I am Katelyn Blake, the new Guidance Officer at Calliope State School. Within my role, I will be working with students alongside their families, school staff and external agencies to ensure students’ have positive educational experiences.
I recently relocated to Gladstone region to begin my career in Guidance and Counselling. I have previously worked on the Gold Coast as a classroom teacher and more recently over the past two years, I have worked as an Inclusion Teacher.
I will be at Calliope State School Monday-Friday. I look forward to settling into my new role as a Guidance Officer and working alongside Calliope students, staff and families.
This week students are focusing on following instructions and routines. The students will go over the expectations matrix for PBL. All classes will discuss before school routines, classroom routines and toileting routines.
If you wish to have a copy of the powerpoint that the students will be engaging in to reinforce at home, please email jxran4@eq.edu.au.
Tiered Behaviour Data
The triangle graph has been used to indicate the percentage of students at Calliope State School in each Tier. These are categorised into Tier, 1, 2 and 3 – as previously explained in the newsletter. We are currently sitting at 92.5% of students in Tier 1. Our target is to have this percentage above 90% each semester. Below I have represented the data in whole numbers to show that 92.5% of students is a lot of students – 520 students to be exact.
PBL Meetings for Term 2
We love having parent involvement in our PBL meetings; however, due to the school leaders presenting a project they have worked on in the PBL meeting next week (3:30pm 3rd of May), only parents with their complete Parent Mandatory Training may attend. The PBL meeting is where we make decisions according to our Tier 1 supports – which is all students. If you have any questions or concerns, please mention this when we discuss ‘hot topics’. In future weeks, rather than having parents at the PBL meeting, we will be holding PBL Parent Information and Feedback Sessions. Any concerns or ideas we can then take back to the PBL meeting with all of the staff. There will be two this term, from 3:30-4:30pm:
· Wednesday 17th of May 2023 – Week 5
· Wednesday 7th of June 2023 – Week 8
Congratulations to 5/6D who had an amazing attendance rate for week 1. Their attendance rate was 97.6% for the Week!
Also, congratulations to the 8 classes which were at or above our school attendance target of 94% for Week 1.
Remember, every day you are away is a learning day lost.
Parents and caregivers must send children to school every school day under Queensland law unless there is an acceptable reason such as:
- Illness
- Competing in school events.
If your child is going to be absent from school, you must let the school know why the absence has occurred within two school days of their return. If possible, it is best to advise the school beforehand.
Avoid keeping your child away from school for reasons such as:
- Birthdays
- Shopping
- Visiting family and friends
- If they sleep in
- Looking after other children
- Minor check ups or care, such as hair cuts.
Routine medical or other health appointments should be made either before or after school or during the school holidays.
Establishing good routines around school can assist with regular school attendance. These include:
- Have a set time to go to bed
- Have a set time to get out of bed
- Have uniform and school bag ready the night before
- Have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
- Set a time for daily homework activities
- Speak about school positively
- Send your child to school every school day including their birthday and the last day of term.
If you are experiencing difficulty in sending your child to school, contact the school for advice and support.
- RotaKids are currently selling tickets to students before school, for some lucky students to be able to name the Polio Koalas. We have 4 Koalas (2 x Prep- 2, 1 x Year 3-4 and 1 x Year 5-6). This is running from Wednesday Week 2 to Friday Week 8 with the selected names being drawn on Week 9 and presented on Week 9 parade. Students select a name for their year level Koala with the name selected going into a barrel. Tickets are 50 cents each. All money raised goes to support the cure of Polio.
- Week 3 - Thursday 4th May: Crazy accessory day. Students can wear crazy accessories for the day to raise money for Ronald McDonald house. Some examples include - headband or socks. This will be a gold coin donation. Some information about Ronald McDonald house
- Week 5 - Thursday 18th May: Fun athletics activities. RotaKids will be running fun athletic activities for all students to participate in during first break on the front oval. We welcome all parents that have their mandatory training to come. 11.15-11.40pm front oval. Please sign in at the office. If you would like to attend, please email Amanda: awhal20@eq.edu.au.
We had a busy week of sport last week with many of our Calliope SS students representing Port Curtis in their different sports.
Mrs Betts was very proud of the awesome efforts of our Cross-Country runners on Friday at the Port Curtis trials. They ran so well and we had some epic sprint finishes. Congratulations Sienna Wilson for coming second in her race and making the Port Curtis team!
Our Year 5 student Brooke and her horse Ivy were selected in the U12 QLD Polocrosse team to play at the Albury Autumn Junior Classic Polocrosse Carnival 2023. Six other Australian States/Territories had U12 teams playing at the Carnival. The QLD U12 side were undefeated for the whole weekend and made the final. They played the NSW 1 side in the final and gave it their all, leaving everything on field, but unfortunately, they went down in their last game. Brooke was the only QLD girl and second youngest selected into the team of 7 players. Well done Brooke!
Hello everyone! We would like to extend a big thank you to the outgoing executive committee. The school community is very grateful for your ongoing dedication to the school over the last several years. We look forward to continuing to work with you all as we move forward. While we navigate through handovers of positions, we are excited about the year ahead and all it has to offer.
Our first major occasion for the year is our annual Mother’s Day stall. This will take place on Wednesday May 10th in the hall with each class being allocated a time to attend. If you are interested and available to lend a hand on the day or in the lead up to this event please drop us a line on our email address. Also keep an eye on Facebook for updates. Please note you no longer need to be Covid vaccinated to help or be involved with the school. However, you will need to have attended the parent volunteer mandatory training within the last 12 months. The next training session is Friday April 28th at 10am; please call the lovely ladies in the office to book yourself in.
Please consider attending the school’s PBL meetings. The next meeting is Wednesday May 3rd at 3:30-4:30pm. You may have read about these in the newsletters; if you have wondered what these are about we encourage you to attend. They are positive and constructive meetings around PBL lessons. Our experience has been that parent input is genuinely welcomed. Please see more information about the PBL in the Student Wellbeing Team News section.
Our uniform shop continues to be open to families on Friday mornings 8:30-9:00am, with payment accepted through QKR.
Our next P&C meeting will be Tuesday May 9th at 5:30pm. We would love to see as many parents/carers attend as possible. Come and get to know more about us, the school’s leadership team and more about the school’s vision for the future. In future meetings we will be starting to discuss the P&C’s Strategic Plan. Watch this space for more information regarding this.
In Summary, important dates to note are;
· Friday April 28th; Parent Volunteer Mandatory Training
· Wednesday May 3rd; PBL meeting
· Tuesday May 9th; P&C meeting
· Wednesday May 10th; Mother’s Day Stall
We would love to see you at any of the above events. Enjoy your long weekend!
Warm regards,
P&C Exec team.
Calliope State School is fortunate to have the School Dental Van on site for Term 2.
Students should have bought home a Child/Adolescent Consent and Medical/Dental History Form back in March. If you haven't received a form, we have spare ones in the office.
- 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 admin@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. We appreciate your attention and understanding.
- COLLECTING YOUR STUDENT EARLY FROM SCHOOL: We realise that, on occasion, students may arrive late for school, or need to leave early; it is hoped that these occasions can be kept to a minimum so that the learning of the student, the class and the routine of the school is not unduly disrupted. In the event that your child is late or leaves early, please ensure that the correct procedure is followed to sign in/out by going to the Administration building signing out on the iPad, collect a slip and present it to the classroom teacher.
These processes are in place so that the teachers and school staff are aware of the movement of students at school. This is for the protection and welfare of all staff and students. It is important to look at the impact that late arrival and early departure have on a student/s education and those around them. It is not only disruptive to learning that is occurring in the classrooms at the time of arrival and departure, it is all time that accumulates to missed opportunities for learning. A student who is arriving late or leaving early by 15 minutes twice a week will miss, in total, the equivalent of 4 days of school across the year.
- 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. Please call the member on their direct number if they have provided this as this will free up the office phone lines.
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MESSAGE TO STUDENTS: As you know, schools and classrooms are very busy places!
To ensure our students are fully engaged in their learning, and our office staff are able to complete their multitude of daily required tasks, we ask that parents communicate clearly with their child at the beginning of each day where you will be picking them up from in the afternoon.
As you can imagine it is extremely difficult for our office staff to field scores of phone calls asking for messages to be passed on to children regarding pick-up information.
Should you need to contact your children throughout the day, please do this via the office. These should be emergency situations only. Messages received after 1.45pm may not be acknowledged by the class in time, so please ensure children know their pick-up arrangements. - LOST PROPERTY: There are a range of items that have been placed into the lost property container. If your child is missing their hat, shoes, towel, water bottle, lunch box or jacket/jumper these items can be collected from outside the office. Any left over lost property will be sent to charity at the end of the Term.