Dear Parents/Carers,

The Day 8 state-wide staffing process has been and gone and we are 580 students in 25 classes so fortunately changes to class formations after day 8 will not be necessary. The school is funding one of these classes from the school budget to ensure class numbers are low in year levels where students need additional support.

SCHOOL LEADER INDUCTION CEREMONY

School Captains, Vice-Captains, Music Captains and Tech Crew received badges on assembly last week. It was a lovely ceremony where parents were a key part of the ceremony. We look forward to the contribution of these leaders to our school in 2021. Senior Leaders who undertake their probationary period successfully, will have their badge ceremony in Week 8.

Next week’s assembly will be held on March 18 at 2pm in the hall. It will be for Years 3 and 4. Parents are welcome.

SUSTAINABILITY

Year 2 parent Jen Green has done a terrific job at pulling together a Sustainability plan for our school (see attachment below). Through the survey done last year, our community has identified getting rid of plastic waste, recycling, composting and ensuring children interact with their natural environment as some top priorities. She is currently working with our Head of Curriculum Sarah Abdy on reinvigorating the greenhouse to create a vege garden as part of a Year 1 Unit of work. Harvesting caterpillars from her garden and creating secure see-through habitats from cardboard boxes with Year 2, is a wonderful way for them to observe the life cycle of a butterfly. If you wish to support the work of Jen and Sarah particularly in the green house,  please email sabdy2@eq.edu.au

Have you seen our Year 6 classrooms?

Thanks to the P and C for helping purchase new furniture for our refurbished classrooms.

PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS

Thanks to those who managed to attend a face to face or Zoom session. If you missed out, your child’s classroom teacher will email the presentation.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Next week staff will be undertaking a 2 hr workshop session with a focus on Spelling. The following week, each teacher is matched with another to watch each other implement their literacy block after which they have a coaching conversation guided by the Head of Curriculum or the Head of Inclusion.

COVID ACCESS AND VOLUNTEERS

Thanks to everyone for their cooperation in the pick-up and drop off zones and neighbouring streets. It is great to see more parents on-site and keeping distanced. We have had a number of parents offer to volunteer in classrooms so please contact your child’s teacher if you are interested. We require a volunteer to be Parent Year Level Rep for Years 1, 4 and 6. This is not a large job so please contact Tess Bryce on tknig93@eq.edu.au if you would like to find out more.

WHY DO WE PAY FOR SWIMMING

The high school owns the pool. They charge $5 per student per term. As Prep swim in Term 4, parents are only required to pay $5 for Term 4. Prep parents please do not pay $10 and for those that have already we will arrange a refund. Please see the email that was sent to all Prep parents this afternoon. 

Have a good week,

Kathy

Religious Instruction

We are able to resume our Religious Instruction for Years 1, 2 and 3 this term.   This year, Year 1 and Year 2 students will be offered this for the first time since starting school.  We organise the RI classes around the assembly so that curriculum learning and assembly will not be impacted.  You can go to the school website to find further information about this program.

What does the program look like?

Participating faith groups: Christian faith

Authorised program: Godspace (family payment required for booklet)

Aims and goals: Bring a values system based on a Christian heritage

Lesson structure: Completion of one lesson each week from the associated student workbook.  E.g.  Yr 1 Explorers;  Yr 2 Adventurers; Yr 3 Navigators

For further information, including module and/or lesson descriptors visit: https://godspace.org.au/curriculum  

Parents have the option of having your child receive RI, or not, by indicating via the Schoolzine link below.  Please respond by Friday 19 February.  More details to assist you in making a decision are below:

• Taught by a volunteer of the Bridgeman Downs Baptist Church.  A staff member (teacher) always accompanies the children throughout the lesson.
• Lessons are 30 minutes and take place on a Thursday afternoon.  Students do not miss assembly if they attend RI.
• Students who do not attend RI are undertaking some independent or social-emotional learning.
• Parents are required to purchase a student workbook at an approximate cost of $6.00. The school will invoice you and organise the booklets and issue these to students once paid.
• We ask parents to indicate their preference as to whether or not they wish to have their child participate.
• We hope to get the first lesson of the year underway by Thursday 4 March.

We ask all parents of children in Years 1, 2 and 3 to indicate their preference HERE via  this link - 

https://craigsleass.schoolzineplus.com/form/72 

for the consent form that goes home this week.  We need to place orders for books and organise spaces so please respond by FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

PBL has been critical in the development of Craigslea’s school culture.  We are incredibly proud of the surrounding support – parents and staff - for the students in our school thanks to the PBL framework.  It is a happy place where students are the priority every day.

The Student Code of Conduct, which outlines our PBL strategies, holds us to account around processes to support students.  As part of these responsibilities, the PBL general committee meets twice per term to monitor the implementation of these.  The committee is comprised of staff representatives across the year levels and the senior leadership team.  It is also important to have a parent representative.  This year, the general committee meets Thursdays from 3:15 – 4:15 pm in weeks 4 and 8 each term. 

We are looking for only one parent representative as I need to keep the members to a number that is effective.  Whilst we have had parent reps in the past, we have not had one for some time.  If you have an interest and the capacity to be a part of our general committee, please advise me via email.  I can give you details about how it works. 

Social-Emotional Learning

Our lessons for the next fortnight include:

1. Clean up after yourself

Tidy classrooms or work areas are ‘personal’ spaces.  They give us a sense of pride and assist classmates who struggle to concentrate with clutter.

School bags must sit on port racks rather than on the ground.  This is important for the safety of all.

2. How to address conflict. How to ask for help.

Reading and Writing Goals 

Goals drive much of what we do every day, from morning routines to housekeeping tasks to completing work assignments.  According to research, goal setting has a strong influence on learning. At Cragislea, all students from year 1 to year 6 have an individual reading and writing goal that is changed every five weeks. In Term 1, the Prep students are introduced to the concept of goals and are provided with reading and writing goals in Term 2. Your child's goals are sent home, so you are aware of what their current goals are.

Students are clear on what their goals are and what strategies are required in order for them to meet those goals.  All goals are explicitly taught through modelling, shared, guided and independent methods. Students are provided with regular feedback about how they are going with their goal and their next step.

Providing effective feedback about their goal is central to improving students learning, whether it is feedback to students about what they have been able to successfully achieve or what they need to learn next. According to Hattie (2007) effective feedback answers three questions; "Where am I going?" (the goal); "How am I going?" "Where to next?" . At Craigslea, we believe that feedback to students:

• is timely;
• is informative & purposeful;
• gives specific information about what to do next;
• requires students to take action and responsibility;
• challenges students to use higher order thinking.

Sample Goals and Feedback

Medications at School

At times school staff are required to give medication to your child during the school day. As you would understand there are clear guidelines from Education Queensland on how to do this safely and accurately. Below I have set out a summary of Education Queensland Guidelines that inform us here at Craigslea State School to ensure your child is given the correct medication and the correct dosage at the prescribed time. For more detailed information please click on the link at the end of this message. 

The administration of medications to students by school staff is only considered when a prescribing health practitioner has determined that it is necessary or when there is no other alternative in relation to the treatment of a specific health need.
Schools require medical authorisation to administer any medication to students (including over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol or alternative medicines).

Responsibilities
The Principal is responsible for the:
• safe administration of medications to students for whom they are prescribed
• safe receipt and storage of students’ medication whilst attending school or school-related activities
• training of staff in the administration of medications for students with specialised health needs.

Before any medication can be administered at school parents/carers will need to complete the appropriate record sheet:

• for each routine/short term medication complete Section 1 of Administration of medication record sheet (routine/short-term)
• for each emergency medication complete Section 1 of Administration of medication record sheet (emergency medication)

Forms can be collected from the office or emailed to you on request.

Medication will only be administered if it is prescribed, supplied to the school in the original container and has a pharmacy label.

If the medication is more complex with specific administration requirements then a letter from the medical practitioner should be provided. 

Parents/carers are to notify the school in writing:

• of any requests and/or guidelines provided by the students' prescribing health practitioner or pharmacist concerning medication administration
• when medication is no longer required to be administered at school
• if changes occur in the dosage requirements for students' routine medication and provide an accompanying letter/action plan from the prescribing health practitioner) when emergency medication changes occur
• in advance if medication is being transported with the student for purposes other than administration at school (respite, shared parental arrangements, before and after school care).
• if the medication is no longer required (e.g. due to change in medication) the parent/carer or adult authorised by the parent is required to visit the school to personally collect unused medication. All medication is to be returned in its original container.

The Education Queensland Policy on administering medication at school is available by clicking on the link below. 

If you have any queries about the process of school staff giving medication to your child at school, please email me on dlgiu0@eq.edu.au

Regards,

Dee Giudice

Head of Inclusion

Strings, Percussion, Brass and Woodwind lessons have started this week. Timetables have been distributed to students or emailed to parents. Please remind your child to bring their intrument or other required equipment on the day they have their lesson. We are enjoying working together again and sharing our love of music!

Pauline Stockill 

Book Club
BookClub Issue 1 catalogues have been distributed and are also available online. All ordering and payments can be completed online using the Scholastic Book Club LOOP Platform or the LOOP app. Place your Book Club Order by February 19.

Queensland School Library Week
School libraries positively influence the learning outcomes of students through teaching multiple literacies and encouraging a lifelong love of learning and reading. Queensland School Library Week is celebrated Monday 15 to Friday 19 of February and the 2021 theme is "School Libraries: Unlocking the Future". During this week I am inviting students to enter the Queensland School Library Association competition:
Prep- Year 2: draw a picture of your favourite book character in a setting that shows how they imagine life to be in the future (think Pig the Pug living on Mars or The Very Cranky Bear driving a flying car!!)
Year 3-6:  take photo or produce an artwork inspired by the theme School Libraries: Unlocking the Future
Winners will each receive a $50.00 book voucher and our school will receive a $100.00 book voucher.

If you have any questions about books, borrowing or the Library please contact me:tknig93@eq.edu.au 

Tess Bryce

PAYMENTS DUE