We have enjoyed having our Prep and Year 1 students return to school. We are so proud with how well they have returned back to school, with the changes required. It has been lovely to see smiling faces greeting us at the gates and lots of bravery leaving mum and dad at this point. Thank you to all families for preparing them for their return to school and your positivity with them in coming back to school.

Last Friday we held a picnic lunch with the Prep and Year 1 students, to celebrate their return and enjoyed some fun and games!

This week, as announced by Premier Palaszczuk, on advice from the State’s Chief Health Officer will be our final week delivering remote learning, with the remaining learners in Years Two to Six scheduled to return on Monday 25 May.

We would like to applaud and acknowledge the outstanding efforts of all members of the Calliope State School Teaching Team over the past few weeks. The amazing work of our teachers in developing their knowledge and skills to transform their teaching from a face to face platform to an online format is to be commended. The quality of their resources, catering for all levels and quickly adapting the formatting of the lessons based on parent feedback was fabulous.

The outstanding work of our Teacher Aide, Administration and Cleaning Teams is also recognised. Their work has included managing daily absences, ensuring the safe arrival and departure of students, providing face to face supervision and maintaining a safe and healthy site for all through ongoing cleaning. Well done everyone.

We also acknowledge our amazing parent community for your cooperation, consideration and patience. The past few weeks have been a challenging time and a test of our resilience. Your respect of the legislated requirements regarding school attendance, social distancing and embracing the measures put in place to ensure a continuity of learning for every learner, every day is appreciated.

Staffing Changes

This week we say farewell to Mrs Leisa Bashford as she takes maternity leave from Friday. Ms Bridie Turpeinen will teach 2B for the remainder of the year. We wish Leisa and her family all the very best as they await the arrival of the newest family member. Last week we also farewelled Miss Tayla Bradley from the office, as she awaits a lovely new addition to her family as well!

We welcome some new staff to our Calliope teaching team for the remainder of the term, as they will cover classes for our staff continuing to work from home. Miss Laura Williams will be teaching 6A, while Ms Christine Johnston moves to teach 4D and Ms Emily Davis will teach 3A. They have all started with us this week to get to know the Calliope staff and students.

Reading

Our school improvement agenda this year focuses on reading. There are lots of benefits of reading!

Please be advised that at the current time, home readers and library books won’t be sent home. Class teachers will be sending home an email with details on how to access free online books from the Department of Education. 

Uniforms

Now that the weather is turning a little cooler, especially in the mornings, students are starting to wear their jumpers and long pants to school. We ask that when purchasing clothing for the cooler months, that you adhere to the school Uniform Policy. Jumpers / coats can be purchased from the Uniform Shop or a royal blue jumper is required. Bottoms are black track pants or black pants.

What’s Your Pick Up Plan?

For our Year 2-6 students and families returning to school next week, make sure you have read the detailed information about pickups and drop offs found later in the newsletter and have discussed your children’s travel plans.

• Please do not crowd the gates or footpaths- remember your 1.5m!
• Delay your pick up by 5 minutes- gates will remained staffed until 3:30pm or there are no children left to be collected
• Stay in your cars- use STOP, DROP and GO- don’t forget your name on the sun visor.

Free Dress Day

During May, we acknowledge the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention month. We will be holding a Free Dress Day (wear purple) on Friday 29 May. We ask that if you wear purple, you donate a gold coin to support this cause.

P&C Day

This Friday we celebrate P&C Day. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and hardworking team at Calliope State School. They support our students, staff and community in many ways throughout the year. Thank you to our executive team and all members of the P&C for all that you do. We appreciate you!

Thanks.

Raelene Norris

Deputy Principal

Access to the School

Please READ all signage at the gates regarding school access and follow social distancing requirements (1.5m). For the safety of all, parents/carers are NOT to enter the school grounds. If you must attend the office- you will be required to use the side window. Please note that staff are not available for face-to-face meetings, so please email or phone the office.

What’s Your Pick Up Plan?

With our revised entry points to the school, please ensure that your child knows HOW they are getting home (waiting at their year level gate, Stop, Drop and Go, walking or biking) and WHO is picking them up. For younger students put a paper tag on the bag handle which says how they will get home- STOP, DROP, GO, PREP GATE, BUS, BIKE. This will help school staff as we sort students.

• Students using Stop, Drop and Go will meet in the undercroft and be walked out. Don’t forget to make sure your child knows your car and have the NAME of the youngest in the family on the sun visor.
• Families with multiple children getting met at the gate, will go to the gate of the youngest in the family.
• Bike and scooter students will meet inside the school grounds and be released just after 3:15pm to allow for the exits to clear. (If they live in the direction of DRAKES- use the pool bike racks and entry gate, if they live in the direction of the Caltex- use the double gates at the front of the library).
  

Stop, Drop and Go (preferred method of pick up)

• For families using the Stop, Drop and Go facility, family units will be grouped together by staff PRIOR to leaving the school grounds and directed to the Stop, Drop and Go area.
• We ask that all families using the Stop, Drop and Go have a name plate with the surname of the youngest in the family on it, for quick identification- ideally place this on the left hand side sun visor so staff can read from the footpath.
• For single students (no siblings) they will be walked out to Stop, Drop and Go.

Example of Name Plate:

Our amazing Prep students returned to school last week. We have returned to regular learning and have had lots of fun exploring different concepts in the classroom. They have been brilliant at remembering our school routines and being safe, respectful and responsible.

Attendance has only been calculated for Prep and Year 1 classes, as they are the first year levels to start back at school.

Congratulations to Prep A, who had a fantastic attendance rate for Week 4. Their attendance rate was 100% for the week! Also, congratulations to the seven Prep and Year 1 classes which were at or above our school attendance target of 94% for Week 4.

It is great to see so many smiling faces back learning at school!

Hygiene

As part of our increased hygiene practices within the school, students and staff have access to:

• Handwashing soap: Palmolive, Cleera Hand Soap
• Hand sanitiser in the following brands: Aqium, Instant Hand Sanitiser, Sani Hands, Clean Pro

If there any allergy/medical concerns with your child using these items, please notify the office as a priority.

• Being prepared are ready, lined up for class with our equipment;
• Following all teacher directions quickly;
• Listening and showing respect when the teacher or another student is talking to the class; and,
• Completing all set work to the best of our abilities.

This strategy works just as well in the classroom as it does in a learning from home environment, so please take a few minutes to go over this with your child/children. For those learning at home, you can find the weekly PBL lesson in your Wellbeing folder on the EdStudio.

Also, please check out Calliope News on Facebook this week and be sure to like and share it.

Thanks.

Brian Rowe

Student Welfare Teacher

Tuckshop

Winter Uniforms

School jumpers and jackets have arrived, just in time for this cool weather we are starting to get. Both are available to purchase on Flexischools.

Senior Shirts can also still be purchased by contacting us.

It is NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK and we would like to thank all of our P&C volunteers for their dedication and hard work. P&C’s cannot operate or support schools without your help, so THANK YOU, on behalf of your executive team.

Enjoy Week 5 Calliope State School families and we look forward to seeing everyone back next week.

Your P&C Team

Tenielle, Sian, Bec & Kate