Welcome to Week 4 of Term 2. Yesterday our Year 2’s went on their excursion to the Historical Village.  When they returned it was great to see them participate in some olden day games.  This week our Year 4 – 6 students are taking part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey (QEW). The QEW survey is designed to measure how state school students view their wellbeing and engagement.  Last week the Review Team visited our school and had over 300 conversations with students, staff and community.  They were able to give us many affirmations around the work happening at our school and improvement strategies to drive our work for the next four years.  We will continue to have conversations and create surveys as we shape our  School Strategic Plan.

Equity and Excellence

There are an impressive range of actions linked to the system initiatives that have been enabled in the first year of the implementation of Equity and Excellence.  There are an impressive range of actions linked to the system initiatives that have been enabled in the first year of the implementation of Equity and Excellence.

• As a school we are working towards full implementation of the updated Australian curriculum by 2027.
• The department is providing a range of resources to support the school in preparing for working with the updated curriculum.
• The Premier announced a reading commitment in October of 2023 (https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/98983 / https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/stages-of-schooling/queenslands-reading-commitment). The ability to read is a key outcome of schooling in Queensland. We will access the resources and professional learning as is appropriate for our school community.
• 2024 is an AEDC data collection year – this is a requirement for all primary schools to participate and provides important details about the school community.
• The education futures institute is designed to provide world class learning opportunities for teacher aides, teachers, school leaders, which aligns to Equity and Excellence.
• Digital innovation in teaching and learning will continue to support our student learning. Embedding learning practices that connection students and teachers across Queensland will support our learning.
• School reviews continue to provide vital information to inform our strategic planning. Reviews are available in a range of formats and the review reports are becoming clearer.
• Phones away for the day (https://learningplace.eq.edu.au/cx/resources/file/7e7e467f-3ee6-4ecb-9942-4145f4e239cd/1/index.html) is designed to support student engagement and focus on their learning.
• There will be no changes to the school day without careful community consideration – it can be possible to tailor our approach to meet the needs of the community. The making changes to school hours procedure can be accessed here: https://ppr.qed.qld.gov.au/pp/making-changes-to-school-hours-procedure.
• School performance plans align to the Equity and Excellence strategy and the needs of the school community.
• Partnerships between school and community and drawing services together to maximise impact for learning continues to be a focus of the department through initiatives such as student, child and family connect and integrated responses and educational precincts.

Wishing all our special Mums, Grandmothers and significant others a very Happy Mother's Day on Sunday.

Exploring the Wonders of Day and Night: 3B's Journey

In 3B, our young explorers have embarked on a fascinating journey delving into the mysteries of day and night, uncovering the Earth's majestic movements along the way.

Through engaging activities and hands-on experiments, our students have come to understand that the transition from day to night is not merely a switch of light, but a dance orchestrated by the Earth's rotation. They've marvelled at how our planet twirls gracefully, allowing different parts to bask in sunlight while others are enveloped in the cloak of night.

Equipped with newfound knowledge, our curious learners have eagerly embraced the concept of Earth's axial tilt, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping the changing seasons and the varying lengths of daylight throughout the year.

From constructing booklets to observing shadows with torches, 3B has embraced every opportunity to deepen their understanding of our planet's cosmic ballet. With each discovery, their sense of wonder has blossomed, igniting a passion for exploration that knows no bounds.

As we continue this enriching journey, let us celebrate the curiosity and enthusiasm of our budding astronomers, for in their quest to understand the mysteries of the universe, they inspire us all to reach for the stars.

On Tuesday 7 May, our Year 2 students visited the Calliope Historical Village as part of their HaSS unit. The classes are investigating how things have changed from the past and saw so many olden day items such as cameras, radios, tractors, lawn mowers and even saw the outhouse! We all enjoyed the old school classroom where we had slates to write on.

Thank you to the Calliope P&C for supporting the excursion by covering the cost of the buses and we thank the wonderful volunteers at the Historical Village for showing us around for the day.

Hi Families

Road safety is our biggest priority this year. A meeting has been scheduled for Thursday 9^th May with the relevant parties involved to discuss all concerns and upgrades relating to the parking and general road safety around the school.

Further update will be provided in next week’s newsletter.

Yesterday, the Year 2 students visited the Calliope Historical Village as part of there HaSS unit. They spent the day learning about Calliope’s history and playing olden day games like marbles and quoits. The P&C are pleased that we were able to contribute to a wonderful day of learning and fun by providing bus transportation. We look forward to hearing more stories from your excursion.

A big thank you to all our parents and volunteers who helped make 2024 Mother’s Day Stall a success. It is always so much fun helping students select gifts for their loved ones. Without the support from parents and volunteers, events like this would not be possible. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums, grandmothers, and caregivers for Sunday 12^th May 2024.

Our next P&C meeting will be held next Tuesday, 14^th May at 5pm in the Administration Building. Meetings are an open invitation. Being part of the P&C is a great way to find out what is happening within the school for our students.

The committee will also be seeking interested parents or community members to join a working group for fundraising. Please email pandc@calliopess.eq.edu.au or direct message our Facebook page if you wish to join the working group or have any suggestions on events you would like to see the P&C host.

Please remember, you don’t have to be a member of the P&C to volunteer.

This week’s Question.

“What fundraising events should the P&C host?”  

The past year there was minimal fundraising events such as discos held, this was due to volunteers’ availability. This year we are focusing on our volunteer group to host fundraising events that are fun for the students.

If you wish to have these opportunities for our students, we will need more hands to make it happen.

Please reply to our Question Time via Facebook post or email communication.calliopess@gmail.com

Our objective is to continue this great work and keep kicking goals in all areas of strategic planning, fundraising, school improvements and community engagement. We would genuinely love to hear from the school community with any thoughts or ideas you have on how we can all work together to keep making progress in these areas. You can contact us on communication.calliopess@gmail.com for our Communication Officer or pandc@calliopess.eq.edu.au for our Executive team.

 Warm Regards

Geoff, Jason, Angela & Lisa

Join us on the 10th May 2024 to remember Dolly, to help raise funds to END BULLYING, and share the Dolly’s Dream message to be kind and speak, even if your voice shakes.

Gold Coin Donation would be appreciated and students can wear blue.