Welcome to our new families to the Craigslea State School community. We look forward to educating your child. 

Congratulations to everyone for a great start on Monday!  It was lovely seeing our students return for another year of learning and growing, a little bit taller and full of stories from their summer break.  A special mention to our 2023 Prep students who have settled well into their classes. 

This section of the newsletter will be jointly written by the Deputy Principals, Sarah Abdy and Natalie Marhinin.

        Sarah Abdy                        Natalie Marhinin

Craigslea State School - Therapy Dog – Roxy

Craigslea State School is very lucky to have a trained Therapy Dog at school 2-3 days a week.  Roxy is a two-year old Cavoodle who has lived with Mrs Abdy since she was 8 weeks old. She is a very loved family member. Roxy loves to greet all people and is a very gentle dog.

Over the past six months, we have seen the benefits of having a therapy dog at school.  The students and staff love having Roxy around the school.

I understand there may be some questions:

What are the benefits of a therapy dog?

• A calming effect on students;
• Reduced stress and improved self-esteem;
• Improving attendance, behaviour and concentration;
• Fostering a sense of responsibility – to nurture and respect;
• Motivating students to think and to learn, as most children have a high level of natural interest in, enthusiasm for and enjoyment of animals;
• Encouraging respect and thereby improving students’ relationships with each other, parents and teachers;
• Promoting our wellbeing agenda for students and staff.

How has the school planned for this?

• A full risk assessment and policy has been written and will be available on the website;
• All contact will be carefully planned and children will not be left unsupervised with Roxy;
• Roxy will be on a lead at all times in the school grounds;
• When not working, Roxy will be with Mrs Abdy in her office;
• Animal welfare considerations have been carefully adhered to.

What about allergies?

• Roxy is a Cavoodle and the breed is hyper-allergenic and known for their non-shedding qualities;
• Movement around the school will be controlled;
• Any child working with Roxy will wash their hands before and after.

We know there will be lots of parents/caregivers who support having Roxy to our school. However, there will be a form going home to parents/caregivers if they wish their child NOT to interact with Roxy. 

Dogs of at Craigslea State School

Dogs are prohibited to be onsite without certifications.  Currently, we have two dogs that are certified to be onsite.  These dogs are Roxy – School Therapy Dog and Kelsey who is the guide dog of a parent at our school.  

Sarah Abdy & Natalie Marhinin