2C have been busy bees these first two weeks back in Term 3!

We have been busy reading George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl and we are really getting into the creative uses of adjectives and noun groups in the text! We will be working on adding an event to the story and later this term, writing Procedures for making our own marvellous medicine.

In Maths we are currently exploring multiplication and division and are learning how to “group” and “share”. In Science we are exploring life cycles and how things grow.

Last Friday we joined the other Year 2 classes on our excursion to the Calliope River Historical Village as part of our HASS focus of exploring how technology has changed over time. All of the children had a wonderful time exploring the artefacts from our region. The old Machine Creek School was a particular favourite and getting to sit at the old desks and imagine school days of old – lots of curious questions were asked! The Wool Shed and the Jail were close favourites as well.

EVERY STUDENT INCLUDED

STUDENT LEARNING AND WELLBEING

Energy drinks

https://positivechoices.org.au/documents/ApTm2PLosS/caffeine--energy-drinks-detailed-resource-for-parentsteachers/

We are hearing reports of some of our students drinking energy drinks on their walk to school. We will be calling parents/carers of children that bring these drinks to school.  I ask that you support us in educating the children about the risks of these drinks and I have included some further information below:

What are energy drinks and energy ‘shots’?

Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages containing caffeine. Energy shots are a concentrated form of energy drink, which contain caffeine and other substances similar to energy drinks, but in small volumes (typically 50-60mls).

What are the effects of Caffeine?

The effects of caffeine are typically experienced within 30 minutes after drinking it and can last up to six hours, although it may be different for each person.

The effects of caffeine can be immediate or long-term, as listed in the table below.

CALLIOPE STATE SCHOOL STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Focused Teaching

Approximately 15% of all students in any school or classroom may require additional support to meet behaviour expectations, even after being provided with differentiated and explicit teaching. These students may have difficulty meeting behavioural expectations in a particular period of the day or as part of a learning area/subject, and focused teaching is provided to help them achieve success.

Focused teaching involves revisiting key behavioural concepts and/or skills and using explicit and structured teaching strategies in particular aspects of a behaviour skill. Focused teaching provides students with more opportunities to practise skills and multiple opportunities to achieve the intended learning and expected behaviour.

Support staff, including teachers with specialist expertise in learning, language or development, work collaboratively with class teachers at Calliope State School to provide focused teaching. Focused teaching is aligned to the PBL Expectations Matrix, and student progress is monitored by the classroom teacher/s to identify those who:

• no longer require the additional support
• require ongoing focussed teaching
• require intensive teaching.

Calliope State School has a range of Student Support Network staff in place to help arrange and deliver focused teaching to students who need more support to meet expectations.  In addition, the school invests in the following evidence-informed programs to address specific skill development for some students:

• Zones of Regulation
• You Can Do It!
• Functional Based Assessment.

Intensive Teaching

Research evidence shows that even in an effective, well-functioning school there will always be approximately 5% of the student population who require intensive teaching to achieve behavioural expectations. Intensive teaching involves frequent and explicit instruction, with individuals or in small groups, to develop mastery of basic behavioural concepts, skills and knowledge.

Some students may require intensive teaching for a short period, for particular behaviour skills. Other students may require intensive teaching for a more prolonged period. Decisions about the approach will be made based on data collected from their teacher or teachers, and following consultation with the student’s family.

For a small number of students who continue to display behaviours that are deemed complex and challenging, then individualised, function-based behaviour assessment and support plans and multi-agency collaboration may be provided to support the student. This approach will seek to address the acute impact of barriers to learning and participation faced by students who are negotiating a number of complex personal issues.

Students who require intensive teaching will be assigned an individual mentor at the school that will oversee the coordination of their program, communicate with stakeholders and directly consult with the student.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Supports for Students from Diverse Backgrounds

Supporting wellbeing and staying safe

All children and young people have the right to feel safe. For tips on how to stay safe and happy and information about services that can support you, check out the following fact sheets:

• feeling happy and safe fact sheet (for younger students) (PDF, 279KB)
• feeling happy and safe fact sheet (for younger Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students) (PDF, 687KB)
• student wellbeing and safety fact sheet (for older students) (PDF, 153KB)

It’s also important for you to know how to look out for your wellbeing. One way to feel calm, happy and less stressed is to include activities into your daily routine that support wellbeing. For examples of what you could do, check out this wellbeing activities for students booklet (PDF, 6.7MB).

Looking out for your mental health

It is normal to feel stressed, sad, angry, worried or down sometimes—especially during times of uncertainty or following a traumatic event. There are many things that you can do to support your mental health, including:

• getting regular exercise
• doing things you enjoy
• doing activities (PDF, 6.7MB) that support your wellbeing
• eating healthy and nutritious food
• getting enough sleep.

But sometimes, even if you are doing everything you can to look after your mental health, you still don’t feel good, and you may want some extra help. It is important to know how and when to ask for help if you need some additional support.

Support at school

Teachers and other staff at your school care about your wellbeing and want you to be happy and well. If you are not feeling great, talk to a trusted teacher outside of class time or arrange a time to talk to your guidance officer. Your guidance officer is there to provide advice and support about whatever is troubling you and can also help you access mental health support outside of school to help you feel better.

Support outside of school

Sometimes, you may wish to talk about how you are feeling with someone who you do not already know. Or you may feel more comfortable talking about what is going on in your life over the phone or online while you are at home.

There are many trusted organisations that are specifically available to support children and young people’s mental health. Whatever is going on in your life, you can talk to someone who cares and will help you to feel better. View the links below to find out more about each organisation and how to get in touch.

• Kids Helpline  provides information and advice for children and young people. This site is linked to the telephone counselling service.
• Say NO to Bullying  (login required) provides information for students on bullies and their victims, and a range of useful links.
• Bullying. No way!  provides a range of useful information to assist students create a learning environment where every student and school community member is safe, supported, respected, valued and free from bullying, violence, harassment and discrimination.
• eheadspace  is a confidential and free online service where young people aged 12 to 25 can talk to a qualified youth mental health professional. eheadspace can help with a broad range of issues like bullying, drug and alcohol issues, depression and anxiety, relationships, concerns about friends, fitting in and isolation.

Looking after yourself following a traumatic event

Looking after your own wellbeing and mental health is especially important following a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, pandemic or violent act. Traumatic events can be scary, confusing and can impact the way you act, think or feel. Some reactions are really common and get better over time but sometimes you may feel like you need some extra help to get things back on track. The following resources, along with the support options in and outside of school, may help you to look after yourself during and after a traumatic event.

• Information from headspace  to help you cope with the stress of natural disasters and know where to go for help.
• A collection of online multimedia resources  developed by the Australian Red Cross to support you following a traumatic event.
• The Youth Natural Disaster Recovery website , developed by the Mater Young Adult Health Centre Brisbane, provides support if you have experienced a natural disaster.

EVERY TEACHER EXCELLING

Australian Curriculum

School-wide Target as indicated in the Annual Implementation Plan

        >85% C or better in all Learning Areas/Subjects

        >30% or better A or B in all Learning Areas/Subjects

Semester 1, 2021 Academic Reporting Results

The results below indicated the high quality of teaching and learning that I observe in classrooms each and every day. Here at Calliope State School we are working on reviewing and refining our moderation processes (also indicated as an action in our Annual Implementation Plan) and this will include adding across school moderation.

Regards,

Coralie Ditchmen

Acting Principal

Congratulations to Prep C who had an amazing attendance rate for Week 2. Their attendance rate was 100% for the week!

Also congratulations to the 13 classes which were at or above our school attendance target of 94% for Week 2.

Remember, every day you are away is a learning day lost.

NAIDOC Week 2021

Heal Country

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC Week is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The 2021 National NAIDOC Week theme calls on all of us to continue the work of our ancestors in caring for and protecting the Country that sustains us.  

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held around the country each year. At Calliope State School, students and teachers will be participating in numerous NAIDOC Week activities to shed light on the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These activities include learning about the importance of NAIDOC Week and Indigenous culture, listening to Dreamtime stories, completing Indigenous-inspired craft activities, researching the importance of the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag, and looking at people of significance.

We look forward to a wonderful week together.