Dear Parents/Carers,

PREP TO 3 ASSEMBLY THURSDAY JUNE 24 FROM 1.45pm

Parent/Carers are welcome. Students named as receiving awards in the Week 7 or 9 newsletter will receive them at this assembly. Year 1 will be performing. 

Cross Country/Colour Run
Sadly, our Cross Country/Colour Run didn’t get off the ground other than completing the Prep races. Who would believe that we would have thunder and lightning on a June morning? Craigslea has a sporting event and it breaks the drought. We have rescheduled to Thursday July 15 at 9am.  We managed to fit in the Prep cross country race and colour run and the Year 1 cross country race. On July 15, we will start with the Year 1 colour run and work up the year levels from there. 

We look forward to everyone joining us again. I would like to thank sincerely the P and C and OSH staff for their efforts and especially the clean-up crew of Kylie, Meg, James Shegog (parent), Tammy (Year 4 teacher-aide), Kate (Year 5 teacher-aide) and most importantly David (PE teacher) and Jay (Grounds/Facilities). Putting everything away in that weather was a cold and wet task. However, there was time for shenanigans! 

Let’s hope that the weather gods are kinder for Junior Sports Day on June 17 and the Senior Carnivals taking place on June 21 and 23.

COVID and School Events
As outlined in previous newsletters, from  Week 3 of Term 2, restrictions eased with parents/carers being allowed on school grounds. Since that time, we have had parents/carers walking their children in and out of the school, large numbers of parents/carers attending Assembly (rules still require that two square metre per person applies for indoor rooms/events), a Sensitivity Unit celebration, a large number of parents/carers at our recently aborted Cross Country/Colour Run. The policy hasn't required special arrangements  for outdoor events so we haven't required capped numbers, QR codes etc. Therefore, unless you read that an event is restricted in parent/carer numbers or attendance, assume it isn't. Gauging by the attendance at many of our events, most parents/carers already have enjoyed  coming out again to these activities. The front door of the school office will remain inaccessible for now and the numbers of adults allowed in the foyer at one time still needs to be within the two square metre rule as it is a very small area for staff, students and parents to congregate. We will review this for the start of Term 4.

Congratulations To Sarah Abdy Head of Curriculum
On Wednesday afternoon, Sarah presented at the Queensland Association of Special Education Leaders’ Conference (QASEL) at the Hilton Hotel. Sarah co-presented with Sally Goodfellow (Deputy Principal, Bremer State High School). Their session was a popular one with an estimated 150-200 special education leaders in attendance from across the state.

These two educators were nominated by the Department of Education’s Executive Director, Disability and Inclusion for their best practice in leading their Special Education Programs into a full inclusion model.  Sarah proudly presented the work that our staff have undertaken in the last eighteen months which has been transformative for our school. This journey has not been easy and Sarah described that we all (school leaders and staff) have been in the learning pit at times. We are far from finished. However, I expect Sally and Sarah’s emails and phones will be running hot as leaders from across their state will be seeking their expertise.

The transformations that Craigslea and Bremer State High School have achieved in this space is an example of early adoption of the Department’s Inclusion Policy. Inclusion is a much broader concept than it was in the past it expects that ALL students (Students with Disabilities, Gifted and Talented Students, Students of Non-English Speaking Background, Students with Learning Difficulties, Students experiencing Social/Emotional Difficulties) will be included. Craigslea was well-placed to move forward with this work due to the legacy and expertise of our Head of Special Education over many years (Kim Smith), Special Education Teachers and Teacher-Aides and having the Sensitivity Unit and its staff such as Sharlene Emmanuel on site. Therefore, Craigslea has always had an inclusive culture which made moving towards fully inclusive policy and practice a more natural progression than for other schools. We are not there yet but working on it every day.

Poppits
These are on trend at the moment and have moved beyond being a sensory tool for students with disabilities to a toy. In classrooms, Poppits are permitted if there is a letter from a specialist (not a GP) with guidelines outlining their purpose and use in the classroom.

We don’t encourage toys in the playground but we acknowledge that for some children a small toy can be helpful to keep their play calm. Therefore, a poppit or one small toy is permitted for the playground provided it doesn’t cause conflict. The school will not conduct investigations into the loss or breakage of toys if parents/carers allow their child to bring them to school.

Cuppa Morning (Thursday 24 June: 9-10am)
This meeting is an opportunity to catch up with the Principal and Deputy Principal to share information about school improvement.

Our focus of this next meeting is share feedback around the Parent and Community Engagement Framework with a particular focus on school modes of communication and development of a wider parent/community survey on the subject. It is valuable for us to talk with a wide variety of parents/carers from different cultural backgrounds across a range of year levels, particularly those who are unable to participate in other meetings such as P and C due to their timing.

Reports Distributed From The Start Of Week 10
Semester One reports will distributed via email for your records. Please keep an eye out for these in your email.

This is the last newsletter until Week One next term. Enjoy your break from school routine. School recommences on July 12.

Kathy