Calliope State School eNewsletter

Staffing

Our Principal, Ms Moira Mackenzie will work three days a week (Wednesday to Friday) for the remainder of Term 3.

Our Deputy Principal, Mrs Naomi Hughes will be Acting Principal two days a week (Monday and Tuesday)

Mrs Sheree Mastromonaco will continue her Acting Deputy Principal position on Monday and Tuesday.

Health lessons will continue to be taught.

Speech Pathologist Week

We would also like to thank our Speech Pathologist – Brooke, who works closely with our teachers to ensure success for our students.

Road Safety Week

Queensland Road Safety Week (QRSW) is state-wide campaign held between Monday, August 26 to Friday, August 30, aimed at raising awareness in regards to road safety and promoting safer driving habits.

A number of activities are being held during the week by our wonderful staff and Queensland Police Officer, Bry Kerr.

Student Free Day – 30 August 2024

All parents and caregivers are advised that Friday 30 August is a Student Free Day.

The school will be closed on this day.

R U Ok? Day – September 12

Students are encouraged to wear yellow on Thursday September 12^th to raise awareness for this cause.

Prep Enrolments 2025

Prep Enrolments for 2025 are now open!

Enrolment packs are available from the school office.

Smoking and Vaping on School Grounds

Smoking is banned at all Queensland state and non-state schools (school facilities), and for 5 metres beyond their boundaries and at all school carparks, including carparks located on adjacent council land that is intended for school community use.

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 and vapes.

The law applies to all persons at schools including students, teaching staff, parents and guardians of students, other employees of the school, visitors and persons providing a service or volunteering, clubs and organisations accessing school facilities.

TMR_0097_A4_Fact_Sheet_Pedestrian_Safety _pdf 164.24 KB

Friday 30 August	Student Free day
Wednesday 4 September	Teacher Aide Day
Thursday 5 September	Prep-Yr2 PBL Celebration Teddy Bear Picnic
Tuesday 10 September	P&C Meeting
Wednesday 11 September	Yr3-6 PBL Celebration -Obstacle Course
Thursday 12 September	R U OK Day - Wear Yellow
Friday 13 September	End of Term Parade & Open Classroom

The Year 2’s have been investigating materials for a purpose. We have been testing different materials to investigate combinations that work best. Year 3’s have been investigating solids, liquids and gases. We have been testing the viscosity of different liquids and how to move different materials into the different states of matter.

PBL Lesson this week

We are focusing on our School Creed. Students will continue revising the meaning of the School Creed in classes this week.

Gem Chat

What is empathy? In The Resilience Project, it is important to show empathy. Being kind to other people is a special kind of magic, because it makes you feel good too!

The Imperfects Podcast

Follow the link to watch The Imperfects Podcast on The Resilience Project Website - https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/podcasts/

How does food affect our mood? Does diet actually impact our mental health? What is a gut micro-biome, and can we still eat a few chips without

ruining it? In this Academy of Imperfection episode, we are joined one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between what we eat, and how it effects our mental health, Professor Felice Jacka.

And if can we trust anyone to get to the bottom of the vagus nerve ‘highway’; our hippocampus shrinking; our mitochondrial reaction to ultra-processed foods (don’t worry we didn’t know these words before either) – it’s her.

There was a lot to ‘digest’ in this chat (so to speak), but thankfully, there is so much we can do, by making informed choices about what we put in our bodies, to improve our mental health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GlViOMTc-s

Positive Behaviour Comparison Data

This year, Queensland’s School Crossing Supervisor Scheme celebrates 40 years of keeping kids safe as they travel to and from school.

We'd like to say a big thank you for everything you do as our School Crossing Supervisor/s. Your work makes such a positive difference to the lives of our students and our entire school community!

Why not say a big thank you the next time you see them on duty! You can also show your appreciation for our School Crossing Supervisors by slowing down, following directions and being courteous while travelling in our school zone.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday for our Calliope NaN Supported Playgroup

Date: 29th August
Time: 9:15 am - 11:15 am
Location: Calliope SS in the instrumental music building & prep outside play area

Take a look this week's fun activities for everyone to enjoy:
Creative Collage Art
Make Father's Day Cards
Construction Play
Outdoor Obstacle Course
Playdough
Water Sensory Play Tub
Group Story Time
Music Time with Singing & Dancing and MORE
We also supply a free morning tea for all attending

Our friendly facilitators are dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive environment where all families feel welcome and supported. Keep an eye out for them in the ‘Be Kind’ shirts and always reach out if in need.

No registration required | We will sign you in upon arrival.

Anger

It can be a tricky emotion to deal with, not only as a parent but as a child too. There are so many preconceived notions about it, and the place it has in today’s society.

One thing we do know, is that it actually has a really vital reason to exist. “It is a natural response to frustration, injustice or threat, and can motivate us to take action to protect ourselves or to stand up for what we believe in” (Dr Mayank Saxena, 2023) The complicated thing about anger, is that if it’s not expressed in a healthy way, it can lead to violence, aggression and long-term relationship issues.

But, how can we teach children to express anger in a healthy way? One of the biggest keys, is learning to manage OUR anger in a healthy way, so that our children have the opportunity to see it.

Practicing mindfulness, reflection and deep breathing are all great tools when it comes to managing anger, we talk about these extensively in our Tuning In To Kids program. If you’d like to learn more about modelling healthily expressed anger, check out our website today to register for Tuning In Your Kids! We’d love to see you there

Info_Session_Yr7_2025.pdf

Parents, we have seen a lot of students attending Calliope State School, wanting to borrow spare hats. Could we ask that you speak with your child around using their hat and when finished placing it in their bags so the hat doesn't get lost. Could you also check that your child has a named hat for school. Thankyou with your help in this matter.

CSS_Student_Dress_Code_.pdf

CSS_Student_Dress_Code pdf 293.63 KB

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.
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.

QParents

QParents is a secure, online portal that is free for all Queensland state schools to use and provides parents with quick, easy access to their student information including:

student and parent contact details
attendance details
report cards – all report cards (past & present) are available to view and upload
invoices and payment history
Online consent management

The student information displayed in QParents is surfacing information that is already recorded and managed in One School. The benefits of using QParents for schools and parents include:

a faster, more efficient way to communicate with parents regarding student information
a secure, convenient and automated process for parents to pay school invoices
significant time and effort savings for both your school and parent community
an innovative online communication tool that’s free of charge for both schools and parents to use.

How do I register for QParents?

You will be sent an email inviting you to register for QParents. You will then be able to register via the secure QParents website: qparents.qld.edu.au using the unique invitation code contained in the email. You will require each child’s unique EQ ID and you must verify your identity by providing 100 points of identification. If you cannot verify your identity online, you should contact your child’s school for assistance. The school will review your registration and approve your account. You will then be able to access the QParents app.

Please note: if you have not received the QParents invitation email, please send correspondence through to admin@calliopess.eq.edu.au with your full name, student/s full name & DOB to request your QParents invitation.

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 settingson the platform or app you are using (see tips below)
Follow Susan McLean– Cyber Safety Expert, Dr Kirsty Goodwin – Cyber Safety Expert and Code9 Parent 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.
TURN OFF Frequent Locationswhich 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.
For younger kids (10 and under) Use YouTube Kids, Kiddleor Safe Search Kids (powered by Google). Remember: no amount of net filtering replaces parent supervision!

USEFUL LINKS

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

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

Who’s Chatting to Your Kids?: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting/reporting-cybercrime/children-and-the-internet/whos-chatting-to-your-kids

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 your 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.”

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

Colour Therapy Popular free colouring-in app

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

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

How To Find Hidden Apps on Your Child’s Phone

RESOURCES FOR YOUR TEEN WHEN THEY NEED HELP

ReachOut

Headspace: National youth mental health foundation