Hats Off to Teachers on World Teachers' Day - Friday 31 October

This week we celebrate the amazing teachers in our school who inspire, support, and empower our children and young people every single day.  We have several teachers and support staff who have reached milestones in their career with the Department of Education.

Congratulations to Natalie Duffy, Craig Stoeckel, Emma Gunn, Bruce Mattingley and Suzie Coates who we have achieved a 10 year milestone.  Congratulations to Angie Rudd and Robyn Marshall who have achieved a 15 year milestone and congratulations to Lee Newby who has achieved a 20 year milestone with the Department.

Grandparents Morning

Thank you to all the Grandparents who came to our morning last Friday.  It was an amazing morning and wonderful to see our students sharing their learning at Calliope State School with their Grandparents. 

Persuasive Texts – English learning

Several of our cohorts are learning how to write a persuasive text this term.  Students have been writing to convince the Principal of what is definitely needed in our school.  Our students are impressively persuasive, using high modality words to persuade me of what our school absolutely must do.  I am considering several proposals and looking forward to hearing from more of our amazing students as they craft their writing skills to write persuasive texts.

Intentions for 2026

Please keep an eye out in your child's bag for the below form in regards to your schooling intentions for 2026 year.

RotaKids News – Dress Like a Teacher Day

Next Friday 31^st of October, we will be celebrating our amazing Calliope teachers on World Teachers Day. It is a day to recognise all their hard work. RotaKids are inviting students to ‘Dress like a Teacher’ on Friday to support this special day. You can dress like your teacher, or any teacher. Clothing needs to be sun safe and respectful. We look forward to seeing your creations.

2026 Prep Enrolments

We have our final day for interviews on Monday 3 November for families wishing to enrol in Prep for 2026. Please make a booking with the office if you are looking at enrolling for Prep at Calliope State School for 2026.

konnichiwa

 Students explore amazing places to visit in Japan, including famous landmarks such as Mt Fuji and kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, and the stunning scenery of Japan experienced throughout each season. Further, the serenity and natural beauty of the traditional Japanese gardens and sakura cherry blossoms, the snow-covered mountains, temples and shrines, and the Japanese culture, including tea ceremony, calligraphy, and origami, seamlessly combined with the incredible innovative technological advancement in Japan makes for a wonderful, enriching, rewarding and fascinating language journey.

 Student engagement in Japanese language learning and cultural activities actively enhances their inter-cultural awareness, creativity, and critical thinking.

 Japan is an exciting and culturally diverse country that is steeped in tradition and modern technology.

 By students engaging in Japanese language and cultural activities, students experience the rich diversity of the Japanese language and culture.

Swimming lessons at Calliope SS started this week. Please ensure your child has returned their signed swimming permission note to their classroom teacher.

For their swimming lessons, students will need-

• Togs and a swim shirt
• Swimming Cap (These can be purchased at Kmart, Big W, Sports Power, or our local pool)
• Towel
• Swimming bag

A couple of things to consider for swimming-

• Ensure all items of clothing (including underwear and socks) are clearly labelled with their name and class.
• If your child’s lesson is early in the day, I would recommend that students are dressed, ready for swimming PRIOR to arriving at school with their uniform worn over the top.
• Goggles are permitted but please ensure they fit correctly and are adjusted accordingly, and practice with your child putting them on.
• Practice independence with your child with dressing, undressing, and talk to them about the importance of neatly placing all their clothing items back in their bag to assist them in organising themselves and to limit lost belongings.
• If your child is anxious or not very confident in the water, talk to them about what will happen and their feelings and please let their teacher know if you think there is something we need to be aware of.

Preps

In Term 4, students will participate in swimming lessons at our school pool. The lessons will be conducted by Mrs Betts and supported by Mrs Beale and Miss Iz, who are all qualified AUSTSWIM instructors. The Prep students will spend the first weeks in the smaller wading pool working on water familiarisation. They will participate in activities such as safe pool entries and exits, flotation and underwater skills, and propelling their body through water. Depending on their swimming ability, some students may progress to a small roped off area in the shallow end of the big pool.

Year 1 and 2

In Term 4, students will participate in swimming lessons at our school pool. The lessons will be conducted by Mrs Betts and supported by Mrs Beale and Miss Iz, who are all qualified AUSTSWIM instructors.  Year 1 and 2 students will be working on the entries and exits, flotation, survival strokes such as treading water, underwater skills, and the recognised strokes of freestyle and backstroke.     

Year 3 and 4

In Term 4, students will participate in swimming lessons at our school pool. The lessons will be conducted by Mrs Betts and supported by Mrs Beale and Miss Iz, who are all qualified AUSTSWIM instructors.  Year 3 and 4 students will perform aquatic skills such as safe entries and exits, treading water, floating, submergence, survival strokes and the recognised swimming strokes of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.  

Year 5 and 6

In Term 4, students will participate in swimming lessons at our school pool. The lessons will be conducted by Mrs Betts and supported by Mrs Beale and Miss Iz, who are all qualified AUSTSWIM instructors.  Year 5 and 6 students will perform freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and survival backstroke. They will combine lifesaving skills to complete lifesaving scenarios.

Last Friday, Calliope SS had three teams compete at the annual Touch Gala Competition in Gladstone.  It was a great day of touch, and our Calliope players demonstrated some great skill, teamwork and sportsmanship. Sadly, Mrs Betts let the team down and forgot to take photos on the day. Mrs Betts apologises as she got wrapped up in the day of exciting competition. We were able to source on photo of the girls in action. A huge shout out to Danielle for coaching the girl’s team on the day and to all the other amazing parents who always support and help on the day! 

Calliope State School was lucky enough to host the Rio Tinto Athletics for the Outback (AFTO) program last Monday. Athletics for the Outback (AFTO) is a community-focused initiative designed to engage schools, clubs, and communities in fun, flexible, and inclusive athletics activities. Our Calliope students participated in Run, Jump, Throw sessions. We had a fun day of athletics with two outstanding coaches delivering the program. Thank you Rio Tinto!

PBL Lesson this week

PBL Focus – Out of bounds – being in supervised areas

This week, our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) focus is on being in supervised areas. Students are learning that staying within boundaries ensures everyone remains safe and can be supported by staff when needed. By making responsible choices about where they play and learn during the day, students show respect for themselves, their peers, and the school environment. Being Safe, Respectful and Responsible means always staying where an adult can see you.

GEM Focus

G.E.M. Focus – Mindfulness: Take 5 Mindful Breaths

This week in The Resilience Project (G.E.M.), students are practising mindfulness by taking five mindful breaths. This short, calming activity encourages students to slow down, notice their breathing, and bring their attention to the present moment. Mindfulness helps support emotional regulation, focus, and overall wellbeing — giving students a great reset to help them engage positively in learning throughout the day.

Whole Class Stamp Chart Update

Our school fish continues to grow! 
As we work toward reaching another 20 completed Whole Class Stamp Charts, we are excited to announce that we now have 12 classes who have filled their charts — what a fantastic effort so far!

A huge congratulations to 4A, 4C, Prep B and 2C for adding their charts to our school tally this week. Their positive behaviour and teamwork are helping us get closer to our next whole-school celebration.

Let’s keep swimming together, Calliope! We can’t wait to see which class will be next to help our celebration fish grow even bigger! 

Watch this space for our growing tally.

The Biggest Catch

Our classes have been reeling in those Individual Stamp Charts, and the competition is on to see who can catch the most!

Currently leading the school with an impressive 29 completed individual stamp charts is 2C! In second place, we have 4A with 21 charts, and close behind in third place is 3C with 18 charts. 3A and 5B are also making waves with 11 and 5 stamp charts caught so far!

Every chart added helps our school fish grow and brings us closer to our next exciting celebration. Keep making those Safe, Respectful and Responsible choices — and let’s see who will be the next class to take the lead! 

Positive Behaviour Data Update

Our students are continuing to demonstrate outstanding commitment to being Safe, Respectful and Responsible across the school. By the end of Week 3, Term 4 2025, we have already recorded 248 positive behaviour acknowledgements, showing a fantastic start as we work toward another strong term of positive choices.

We have also celebrated students with 72 awards (including Teacher Aide Certificates, Cool Kid Certificates, Classroom Cool Kid, and the Principal’s Award), along with 7 positive recognitions in the Good Newsletter and 1 positive contact home already made to celebrate student success.

These results show that our students are stepping up and making great choices every day. Keep up the brilliant effort, Calliope! 

What is a Nude Food Lunchbox?

A Nude Food lunchbox is one that eliminates disposable wrappers and single-use packaging, such as plastic, foil, or zip-lock bags. Instead, it focuses on packaging-free foods, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional packed lunches.

Why is it important?

The idea behind Nude Food has two primary goals:

• Encourage children to consume more whole, real foods while reducing reliance on processed snacks and packaged items.
• Reduce single-use packaging and minimize litter around schools.

Studies reveal that, on average, a single packed lunch generates three pieces of litter, contributing to a total of 30kg of waste per child every year. At Calliope State School, this translates to a staggering 16.8 metric tons of avoidable waste annually!

Introducing “Nude Food Mondays”

Calliope State School is proud to launch "Nude Food Mondays," an initiative to inspire students to bring rubbish-free lunches, free from plastic bags, paper bags, wrappings, or cling wrap. Not only does this promote sustainability, but it also encourages students to pack meals that nourish their bodies and support healthy brain function.

To motivate participation, every Monday we’ll hold a raffle! Teachers will give out raffle tickets to students who bring a "Nude Lunch," and these students will be entered to win a Nude Food Lunchbox Pack.

Top Tips for Packing Nude Food Lunchboxes:

• Find a Nude Food approach that suits your family’s routine.
• Keep things fresh and exciting with a variety of colourful foods.
• Start small! Replace one single-use item in your child’s lunchbox with a Nude Food alternative. Include foods you know they love, while gradually introducing new ones to try.
• Shop for foods with minimal packaging—fruit and vegetables are an excellent place to start. Seasonal produce often tastes better and is more affordable.
• Nude Food doesn’t require expensive lunchboxes or perfectly curated meals—simple and sustainable is the key.

Recipe Idea of the Week - A delicious recipe to try in your child’s lunchbox this week!

Hi Calliope Families! Below are a few reminders from the P&C.

Tuckshop Orders - Important Reminders 

• When using QKR to order, ensure you select your child's correct class, as lunches are delivered to the class listed on QKR
• Orders for the tuckshop close at 9 AM every day
• If your child is unwell, you can cancel their order on QKR App before 9 AM

Uniform Shop 

The uniform shop operates on Fridays before the parade. Orders placed via the QKR app can be collected during this time. For any inquiries regarding the uniform shop, please email uniformshop.calliopess@gmail.com. 

*Please Note:* EFTPOS is currently unavailable, so orders must be placed via the QKR app.

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
• assessment planners – uploaded each semester
• timetables
• invoices and payment history
• Online consent management

The student information displayed in QParents is surfacing information that is already recorded and managed in OneSchool. 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.

• Why is this great for your little learner?
•  Helps ease the transition into “big school”
• Builds confidence and independence early
• Gives children a chance to make new friends and become familiar with school routines
• Supported by caring, qualified educators who make learning FUN through play, creativity, and exploration!
• Gives parents peace of mind knowing their child is happy, safe, and settling in