Dear Parents/Carers,

FRANTIC FEBRUARY IS FINISHED FORTUNATELY

February is a busy month in schools. Settling students in for a new year, ensuring the classes that we have formed are in place and don’t have to be re-formed as part of the Day 8 process and the school’s Annual Implementation Plan, Investing for Success, School Budget and finalised staffing profile are submitted to the Department of Education.  For your reference, see below for the Annual Implementation Plan for 2021. This will give you some detail on what the school plans to achieve and improve this year.

INQUIRY

In Weeks 4, 6 and 8 of this term teachers will have had two hours after school undertaking a book study the “Power of Inquiry” by Kath Murdoch. This will provide teachers with inquiry strategies that can be embedded in their classroom to deepen student learning and provides ideas to embed within our planning process for Term 2 which will occur in Weeks 8, 9 and 10.   Each teacher will meet with the leadership team next week to discuss their professional learning goals going forward into 2021. This is a twice yearly process.

YEAR 6 CAMP

As I write this, Year 6 are getting ready to board the bus to Camp Maranatha at Boulder Creek in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. They will be accompanied by Mrs Bramley, Miss Franklin, Mrs Jones, Mr Kleidon, Mrs Canavan and Mrs Abdy.  Camp is a wonderful experience for students and teachers. Stronger student-student and student-teacher bonds are formed hence our reasoning for sending students at this time of year. Thanks to Ms Wright for looking after the Year 5 students and a handful of Year 6 students back at school. No doubt she will get her taste of camp when Year 5 students go later in the year. We will post photos to share with you. It is a busy few days and we are very grateful to the teachers for volunteering their out-of-hours time away from their families.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Please note LIFE and Principal Awards announced in the newsletter are sent home with the students but then the student is presented at the next assembly. Parents whose children receive an award are encouraged to come.

Week 8

• Thursday March 18: Senior Leader Badge Presentations at 5/6 assembly 2pm. Parents are welcome.  Parents of senior leaders take part in the ceremony if they are available.
  
  
• Friday March 19: Harmony Day Activities  Children wear orange in recognition that harmony is saying 'no' to bullying. Children may also wear a national costume.
  
  
• Friday March 19: Year 2 Excursion to the Nudgee Beach Environmental Centre: they must wear full school uniform please for safety reasons but they can wear something small and orange to be part of Harmony Day.  e.g.  orange ribbon

Week 9

• This week parent interviews will be held. Teachers would prefer these be face to face but if zoom or a phone call is more convenient for parents/carers, please negotiate this with your child’s teacher directly.  Please see link below to book your parent teacher interview before Thursday 18 March.
  

  https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70103 

• Thursday 25 March: Prep assembly Year 1 shelter shed 2.00pm 3/4 Assembly Hall 2.00pm.
  
  
• Friday 26March: 9.00 am Coffee morning in staff room. This is where the leadership team and parents can share ideas and information. Please rsvp to kcana2@eq.edu.au as venue may need to change depending on numbers.

Week 10 

• Thursday April 1: 2.00pm Prep Easter Bonnet Parade Yr 1 Shelter Shed. Each child will have access to a bonnet they have made at school.  Parents are welcome without registering for tickets as it is an outdoor event.
  
  
• Thursday April 1: 2.00pm 1/2 Easter Bonnet Parade Hall. Each child will have access to a bonnet they have made at school.  We will have up to 60 tickets available from 9am Monday 15 March . Tickets are necessary because it is an indoor event. Please see link below to book your ticket.   We ask that just one parent per child come along. If we have enough tickets for each family that has made a request, we will release a second ticket at 9am Thursday 25 March .
  Year 1 and Year 2 only - Tickets to the Easter Bonnet Parade from 9am on Monday 15 March

CLOSURE OF THE CRAIGSLEA STATE SCHOOL SENSITIVITY UNIT (METROPOLITAN INCLUSION CENTRE)

Below is a flyer to mark the closure of the Craigslea State School Sensitivity Unit (Metropolitan Inclusion Centre). Attached is a letter, distributed previously, written by the Assistant Regional Director, John Faragher, announcing this decision that was made by Metropolitan Region late last year. Click below to view attachment.

PARENTS AND CITIZENS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Last Tuesday night, the P and C of our school held their Annual General Meeting. We are grateful to the parents who stepped up to take positions on the executive and sub-committees. It is an enormous responsibility and a large amount of time invested for them in volunteer activities to make the school a better place. Without the P and C, we would not have our beautiful top oval, our soon to be developed Year 1 playground, the cutting edge furniture and equipment in our Year 6 classroom, out of school hours care, our smart new uniform or food and beverages in the tuckshop.  Their assistance with the Year 6 furniture, allowed some school budget monies to be available for additional funds to be allocated to all classrooms from 1 to 6 for new furniture and equipment.

Special thanks to the following executive members:

President:                   Elizabeth Lynch

Vice-President:            Claire Krebs and Sarah Hands

Treasurer:                   Paul Madey

Secretary:                   Kirsten Wise.

Please support these members of our community by taking part in their activities whenever you are able.

Have a good week.

Kathy

Prep Awardee Recipients  

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Last Friday, our 2021 group of Peer Mediators had their day of intensive training in preparation for their important roles in working with children in the playground. Jocelyne Chirnside, program developer and trainer, was glowing of the group of Year 6s who worked with her on Friday.

So what happens next? Once agreements have been returned, the mediators will team up with a peer and venture forth into the Prep, Year 1 and 2 playgrounds. They are tasked with the responsibility of guiding the children through the process of conflict resolution when they encounter problems in the playground. They only deal with the small conflict - friendship issues, game disagreements etc. Anything major such as physical or strong verbal misconduct will be referred to an adult on duty.

Please talk about the Peer mediators - commonly known as the Bridge Builders - with your child at home. Building familiarity by talking about it means they are more likely to seek help and ultimately build their conflict resolution skills.

Bridge Builder online learning is available for Year 1, 3 and 5 students this year.  They can access this from home and parents are strongly encouraged to participate with your child in this learning.

Why only these year levels? We have had whole school immersion for some 3 years now. In order to keep the children’s interest level up and maintain their skill level, the PBL committee determined that students in those year levels undergo the full online program.

The other year levels not subscribed to the online learning will continue to receive explicit teaching on a needs basis. This includes proactive learning, as well as responsive teaching of skills.

The effect size of this program is exponentially increased with parents learning as much as they can and expecting the children to implement their skills to resolve conflict at home. To assist you, I can offer a parent information session to help you get your head around it. This session can be delivered in a face to face session or by Zoom. Please indicate your interest to participate in a Term 1 session to learn about the Bridge Builder conflict resolution program via the link below.

Social Emotional Learning for this fortnight:

  1. Recognise the value of knowledge.

What is the power of knowledge?  What personal knowledge do you have that is helpful?

Do we HAVE to know it all?  CAN we know it all?  

Some deep discussion around the dinner table will get your child thinking about how having knowledge makes them feel and how it helps them.

  2. The importance of calm mind and calm body.

Brain research states that children's brains are influenced by both their genes and their environment. Babies are born ready to learn, with around 90 percent of brain development occurring in the first five years of life. The early years are important, as how the brain grows is strongly influenced by what's happening in a child's environment and their interactions with the people around them.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/.../brain-development-in-young-children

Calm Mind, Calm Body

We all need to have a calm mind and calm body in order to be able to address conflict for a positive outcome.  We teach this as part of being a Bridge Builder.Building children’s awareness of the personal  ‘warning signs’ associated with their emotional state is a gift.  It empowers the child to recognise the signals and wait for them to pass before trying to tackle a problem.

If you can talk about this at home, and encourage your child to practise the strategies, it will be easier for them to employ the skills at school. 

SHOWCASING OUR SCHOOL

I wish to thank Karees and Alphonsa for accompanying me to a school showcase evening at Aspley Goodstart Early Childhood Centre last Wednesday evening. The children spoke eloquently and proudly about their school to parents who are in the process of determining a school for their Prep child for 2022.

Bridge Builder Training

Religious Instruction

All classes are now underway with Religious Instruction on. Thursday afternoon. The student booklets have arrived and are being distributed on paid invoices. There was a lovely buzz of excitement when the children met up with the instructors they enjoyed working with in 2019. Sadly, RI did not take place in 2020 due to you know what.

Narelle

Curriculum 

Craigslea State School curriculum is aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Our teaching teams collaborate to develop Year Level plans and Term Plans that ensure continuity and alignment across classrooms and from P to 6. Our Year Level Teaching Teams engage in Fortnightly Intentional Collaboration (FIC) each fortnight to: review the curriculum to be taught, plan pre assessments, analyse class data, design teaching and learning experiences and assessments, and moderate to ensure alignment of teacher judgement. 

There are eight Learning Areas in the Australian Curriculum:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Humanities and Social Science (HASS)
• Technologies (Design and Digital Technology)
• The Arts (incorporating Visual Arts, Music, Dance, Drama and Media Arts)
• Health and Physical Education 
• Japanese (Years 4 -6)

How we teach at Craigslea State School 

We use a range and balance of teaching approaches to ensure a range of skills are developed in our students from prep to year 6.  Our aim is to ensure our high expectations are upheld academically but also instilling the skills needed in an ever changing world. 

Explicit Instruction is a feature of our teaching pedagogy. Explicit teaching is an instructional strategy used by teachers to meet the needs of their students and engage them in umambiguouse, clearly articulated teaching.

The aspects of Explicit Instruction include:

• establishing and maintaing clear learning intentions and success criteria 
• deconstructing and sequencing teaching focus on the steps that lead to new knowledge, deeper understandings and/or more sophisticated skill
• varying instruction in response to immediate and reflective feedback
• providing scaffolding learning experiences for students to practise, synthesise and consolidate learning 
• developing the capability of students to self-regulate and learn independently

The Gradual Release Model is also a feature of our teaching and learning sequence and it moves students through stages of engagement in their learning from;

I Do - Teacher centred instruction and modelling 

We Do - Collaborative engagement in the learning; practice of skill together

You Do - Student demonstration of their learning

Inquiry Learning is incorportated into a range of learning areas which encourages students to take more ownership of their learning and developing skills of questioning, researching, analysing, communicating, evaluating and reflecting.  This promotes problem solvers and curious life-long learners who think creatively. In 2021, our teachers are currently participating in a book study of 'The Power of Inquiry' by Kath Murdoch.  This will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of inquiry and to develop these skills with the students through real and relatable learning experiences.

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

Children in 5/6J and 5/6W are exploring humorous short stories. They worked together to create the following Andy Griffith's inspired narrative.

A Fishy Situation
As I walk up the stairs to the foyer, the intense aroma of spices immediately torture my nostrils.  Why did the baby sitter have to come down sick tonight of all nights?  The several flashy fish swimming serenely around the giant tanks are oblivious to the fact that their future is destined to end on fancy porcelain plates.  If only they could speak English, I’d tell them!  I’d warn them and tell them to do their best triple back flip somersault out the tank. 

It’s been five hours since lunch and my stomach is rumbling like a distant thunderstorm.  Fortunately, it is dulled by the constant chatter of multiple conversations across the crowded room.  “Best behaviour remember Andy!” I’m reminded for the 526^th time since we left home.  If she tells me one more time, I swear I am going to scream or worse.  It’s like she’s daring me.  Double daring me.  Triple daring me.  526 times daring me.  She will be too busy sucking up to her new boss to even notice me tonight.  Damn that baby sitter!  If only I liked seafood.

Mum has just gotten the job at The Seafood Basket, the fanciest seafood restaurant in town.  I can tell she is nervous by the way her hands tremble and beads of sweat trickle down her face. She wants the night to go well and make a good impression.  Lame!  I am excited to try Bouillabaisse. Jen assured me it was a seafood-free dish.  Anything to calm the not-so-distant thunder storm in my stomach.

As the waitress places the steaming silver platter down in front of me, my mouth begins to water in anticipation.  This is going to be the best meal ever!  The colour slowly begins to drain from my face as the lid of the platter is removed.  What? Acid suddenly burns my oesophagus and my stomach heaves. An entire plate of disgusting, putrid, revolting seafood is staring at me.  Jen is looking so smug right now.  If only I could reach across the table and remove that stupid grin from her face.  I think my mum has ESP because she glares at me. 

I can see Mum's pleading eyes bore into me as I grab my napkin to stifle my gag.  Subtly, she reaches for me with her long red fingernails and I feel those nails dig into the soft flesh of my upper arm.

"Just eat the damn food," she hisses in my ear.

The small beady eyes of the lobster on my plate beg me not to do it.  Six long spindly legs stretch out across my plate balance on top of a pile of slimy oyster shells.  The fishy smell again turns my stomach.  I can't do this!  Dad is  now glaring at me and Jen still looks smug.  With a trembling hand, I spear a bite sized chunk of white lobster meat with my fork and raise it to my lips.  I stare at it for a moment before closing my eyes, opening my mouth and taking a deep breath.  As my teeth bite down on the cooked flesh, I retch again.  It happens!  I can't help it!  My mouth and stomach work in tandem against me. They have a mind of their own.  I choke and choke and choke.  My life flashes before my eyes. Is this the end? With one final heave, I jerk forward involuntarily and cough!  The rancid chunk of lobster soars from my mouth and shoots across the room like a disgusting shooting star.

My eyes track the foul morsel as it arcs through the air, skimming the cheek of an unaware waiter. I had no idea the power of my lungs could expel the lobster so violently that it would soar that far.  My choke had projected it so far that it landed with a dull plop in the fish tank on the other side of the restaurant.  I cringe in horror but thankfully, I seem to be the only one to notice the flying seafood.  That's when a brilliant idea occurs to me.  A few more coughs, a few more heaves, a few more lobster missiles and my plate will be clear!

I stab my next chunk and put it in my mouth.  This time, I avoid chewing.  I don't need to chew if my food is destined for the tank anyway. I managed to dispose of six more slimy nuggets this way before I notice Mum start to clue on.  She sends me a questioning glare.  This time I gulp down number seven while she watches.

"Mmm delicious!" I lie.  Mum gives me a tight smile and I know she doesn't believe me but she is too worried about making a scene.  I'm saved. Or so I thought.  This is bad!  This is very bad!  This is 526 times bad!  From the corner of my eye I spot the first one.  He slowly swims in circles then begins to gently roll to one side. As I watch, he tips completely before gradually ascending to the top of the tank.  The tank, which I now realise, is no longer

crystal clear.  Instead it has turned a cloudy shade of grey.  What have I done?

"Oh no" I gasp as fish number two begins to suffer the same fate.  This has gone from bad to worse.  He's not alone.  More fish float to the surface like buoys.

"Murderer," I whisper to myself.  They WERE lobster missiles!  Those poor innocent victims.

I quietly excuse myself and rush over to see if there's anything I can do.  I take deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself.  I don’t think it's working.  I'm almost hysterical as I reach the contaminated tank.  Do minors get jail time for murdering innocent fish? If not, Mum and Dad will certainly murder me when they figure out what I've done.  I've got to think fast.  I have to fix this fishy mess.

As I approach the cloudy grey tank, I realise it is larger than I first thought.  Up close I can see several floating fishy friends and on the bottom lay numerous chunky remnants of my lobster meal.  If I could scoop them out, I could save the rest.  "Great idea!" I think to myself. I quickly scan the restaurant floor to see if I have an audience. Clear!

Balancing on my best ballerina toes, I roll up my sleeve and reach in.  I know I have relatively long arms for a 12 year old, but they're not quite long enough.  I push aside a 'floaty' and reach further.  Just a little further will do it.  I can almost reach the bottom.  I raise one leg like the graceful ballerina I am.  I did it!  I can feel the sandy bottom and as I search around with my fingertips I discover one piece of slimy mush.  I quickly remove my dripping arm and deposit the mushy missile into my pocket.  Diving back in for number two, I am stretching like no one has ever stretched before.

All of a sudden my name booms across from the other side of the room. "ANDY!" Mum bellows. It is at this exact moment my foot slips from underneath me.  With more than half my body weight leaning over the fish tank, I flop in head first.  Kicking my legs and gulping for air I hear a big crack before I find myself lying on the restaurant foyer floor in a puddle of broken glass and flapping fish.

The restaurant, for the first time, is silent and if looks could kill, I'd be dead!  Mum, Dad, Jen, Mr Johnson and his wife are all leaning over me.  With their hands on hips and shaking heads I hear something about washing dishes to pay for the fish as well as a new tank.  Well, Mum always wanted me to get a job.

ANZAC Day Ceremony Preparations

This year our ANZAC Ceremony will be a movie made by Mrs Stockill and shown to students in their classrooms. Mr Kirby will bring a personal touch to this ceremony by filming and sharing a tribute to his brother Grant. To add a special community feel, we would like to include a collection of photos from our school community of grandparents and parents who are still serving or who have served for our country. Please email your photos to Mrs Pauline Stockill by Monday 15 March: pstoc8@eq.edu.au 

Pauline Stockill

Book Club
Book Club Issue 1 orders have been distributed to students. There are a number of items that are on backorder - I have a list of these students and will deliver these items as they arrive at school. Unfortunately, I have no control over how quickly Book Club items arrive, however if you have any concerns about your order or items please contact me - tknig93@eq.edu.au. Book Club Issue 2 catalogues can be viewed 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 March 19.

Sora Digital Library
Students who are participating in the Student Resource Scheme in Year 3-6 should now have access to the Education Queensland Digital Library using the Sora app. Thank you families for your patience with this - Digital Library Services have many students to enrol across Queensland at the beginning of the year and we are lucky to now have our 2021 membership up and running. If your child is participating in the BYOD Program and needs assistance to log in to Sora please ask them to visit me in the Library with their iPad and the Sora app already downloaded. Sora can also be accessed using a laptop of desktop computer https://soraapp.com/welcome

Click Here To View The School Calendar

Are you getting ready for your child to start Prep in 2022?

Find out more about Prep at Craigslea please visit - https://craigsleass.eq.edu.au/enrolments/prep2022