February 2024

News from the Principal

Welcome to the 2024 school year – can you believe almost half of the term is nearly over.  What an absolute flyer of a year we have had so far.  It has been exciting to see all of our students return from their well-deserved holiday break ready to engage in their learning and renewing and making new friends. 

Welcome to our new families and students who have begun schooling at Rosella Park.  We look forward to working with you and supporting your child maximise every day at school.  To our returning families and students, welcome back. Well done to all of the students and our families for the positive start to the year.  It is extremely pleasing to see our attendance data to date is the best it has been for many years.  We are going to keep focusing on that this year.  Can I take this moment to remind families if your child is unwell and is staying away from school, can you make sure you ring in and let us know.  Additionally, if your child attends school by transport (bus / taxi) you also need to let the transport company know that pick up is not required that day.  If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or one of our Admin staff. 

Along with new students we are also officially welcoming two new staff to Rosella Park School.  Please join with me to welcome the following people:

• Mr Shaun – Classroom Teacher
• Miss Pauline – Classroom Teacher

This year, you will get to see more of the leadership team in the morning and afternoon.  We are now on duty for drop off and pick up each day.  Please say hi ! and if you need to ask a quick question, we are on deck to support.  We are looking forward to connecting with you all.

Some operational reminders for families to assist the school in our day to day running.

• Drop off times are 8.30 – 8.45 am. After 8.45 am no staff will be on duty and families are asked to sign students in at the front office;
• If a parent is unable to pick up their child and ask someone else to pick up on their behalf – please let admin know and also ask that person to come to admin and sign the student out via our online sign in / out platform.
• Early pick-ups (unless already organised with Admin and Leadership) – families are asked to come in and sign students out at the front desk;
• If your child is unwell (symptoms of being sick) they must stay home until well / symptom free. If your child attends school and staff can see they are unwell / running a temperature etc, the school will request families come and pick up students.

P&C Meeting

Next week on the 22^nd February at 5 pm, we will be holding our AGM for the Rosella Park School P&C.  If any family members wish to join – it is not too late.  Please let me know, or you can just turn up. It would be great to see if we can get some new faces to attend.

Finally, staff will be and are already in the process of contacting families over the coming weeks to discuss ICPs and student goals.  It is a good time to remind families that the preferred methods of communication with the school is by face to face meetings (please ring and schedule), email, school telephone (4976 8333) and messages via class dojo.

Until our next newsletter, please take care and we look forward to working with you to maximise each day your child attends school.

News from the Deputy Principal

Hey everyone,

Welcome back to a brand-new school year. We are so excited to welcome everybody back and we’re looking forward to what is going to be a great year, full of learning, community and fun. We have lots of great things to look forward to this term, including collecting shazams for good behaviour and following our three school rules of respect positive safe, a reward day to celebrate all of our good behaviour and last and most excitingly, a brand-new sensory room. We have been working closely with Dr. Bliss Cavanagh who has her PhD in sensory spaces and has designed a room that is uniquely Rosella Park School. I have included a picture below of a quick draw up of what the space looks like. Really looking forward to the calming properties it provides us and how it will positively impact student wellbeing.

On the note of wellbeing; we have put it on our Annual Implementation Plan as a focus for our students and staff. I encourage all of our families to reach out for support to ensure you look out for your mental health and those of your children. The department provides many resources to help with student wellbeing, including the Student Learning and Wellness Framework. This framework sits inside of our curriculum and can be used across many different learning areas to promote Wellness and is something we are excited to explore more this year. 

If you or anyone you know is experiencing a need for help, please reach out.

Lifeline – 13 11 14

PBL Rewards

We are always looking for community support to help keep our rewards cabinet stocked. If you know of any businesses that are willing to donate small toys or gift items. It would be most welcome!

All the best for a very exciting 2024.

Dominique Colucci

Acting Deputy Principal

News from Administration

Reporting Student Absences

Please make sure all student absences are reported through Administration. Please phone 49768333 and leave a message on the student absence line. Please do not report absences through Class DOJO or direct to the class teacher.

School start and finish times

A reminder that at Rosella Park School our start time is 8:45 am and our finish time is 2:45 pm. If you have made arrangements for a support worker or relative to collect your student please make sure you let our office staff know who it is. It is important to note that any person other than a parent must come into the office, show their identification and sign your student out. We will not release your child to anyone else if we have not been notified and sighted identification.

School Contract Transport

If your child travels to school either by taxi or contract bus, it is the responsibility of the parent to notify the transport operator of any absence and/or alterations to normal arrangements (ie. holiday, medical appointment) as well as communicate any absence to the school office. Please do not use class Dojo to report absentees.

Trampoline, Liberty swing and Inflatable permission forms

Your child will be bringing new consent forms home for your signature. You may have already signed these forms this year, however, the school has made the decision to change the wording on the forms to encompass the period of your child's enrolment at Rosella Park School. This will eliminate the need to fill out these forms every year. Please note that you can withdraw consent for any reason at any time by contacting the administration office on 49768333.

School Vaccination Programme for 2024

Starting in 2024, the School Immunisation Program will include vaccination against the meningococcal B (menB) strain, the most common cause of illness and death from meningococcal disease in Queensland.

This is in addition to the protection already offered to Year 10 students against meningococcal strains A, C, W and Y. Parents will receive an information package along with a consent form. It is important to read the information and discuss it with your child.  

More information for schools and parents about this additional vaccination can be found on the Queensland Health services in state schools webpage.

https://education.qld.gov.au/students/student-health-safety-wellbeing/student-health/qld-health-in-state-schools

Junior 1 - Miss Hannah

We have been busy bees in Junior 1 over the last 4 weeks! Can you believe how fast the term is flying by? I would like to commend all students in Junior 1 as they have settled into the term very well and have already made some strong relationships with peers and staff. We have Jumped straight in and have been working hard within our English and Maths units. Students have been creating character descriptions, exploring our letters of the week and learning to communicate and play appropriately with our friends at school. Don’t forget about our fun Fridays and sensory wet play every Thursday. If you missed the notes regarding this, please reach out and I will send another home. Have a great week everyone!

Junior 2 - Miss Helen

Welcome back to another year.  I am excited to be in the junior cohort and supporting our youngest members of the school.  Junior 2 have been learning through play and making things, they are given opportunities each week to make something to eat.  Students use their preferred communication device to make choices, to wait and take turns and describing objects.

Junior 2

Junior 3 - Miss Michelle

Hello to all our families and welcome to a brand new year of learning at Rosella Park School. I would like to introduce Miss Nadine, Miss Jess and Miss Melissa as our wonderful Teacher Aides for Junior 3 this year. We are excited about working together and implementing some fun filled learning experiences for our class members. Junior 3 consists of five students’ including two new prep students who we would like to welcome to the Rosella family. Students have enthusiastically explored their new classroom and positively settled into classroom routines. This year we will continue to eat our lunch in the classroom before outside play and participate in a range of activities as a whole cohort. We are looking forward to sharing our learning journey with you all and will keep you posted on our progress throughout the year.

Thank you, Michelle

Intermediate 1 - Miss Maguire

Welcome to 2024. We have had a fantastic start to the year! Students have settled into the routines and classroom expectations very well. As a result, we have begun exploring the students’ individual goals for English, Maths, Science, HPE and Digital Technology. Students have been extremely excited with the opening of our Sensory Room and we spent the afternoon exploring and experiencing  the relaxing atmosphere that is created.

My New Gallery

Intermediate 2 - Mr Mark

Intermediate 2 have had a great start to the year. We are enjoying learning about the sounds that different letters make and learning to match the number of objects to the correct numeral. On Fridays we are doing a cooking program which also helps us with number and measurement. We are also having fun learning to play percussion instruments and keeping a beat. We are looking forward to a great year and learning lots.

Intermediate 3 - Miss Sharon

We have has an amazing start to the year in Intermediate 3. We have been learning lots about letters and numbers and in Science we have been talking about the solar system.

For Australia Day, we had heaps of fun making lemonade scones and eating them. YUM!

Intermediate 3

Intermediate 4 - Miss Harris

This year has started well in Intermediate 4; we are settling in nicely.

We are working out of what used to be called Room 10. Many of these students have never been in this room before so it is a bit exciting. 

We are doing a lot of work about our Positive Behaviour for Learning, including painting and making a display for how many Shazams we get. 

We have also noticed the sun is quite bright coming through out windows and we are fixing this by covering out windows with beautiful colouring. While students listen to stories they are able to colour in and it is a nice relaxing activity.

Students are completing assessments to help guide what their curriculum focus will be for the semester. I will be writing their individual curriculum plans ready to discuss with parents/carers at meetings in week 5.

Miss Tracey, Miss Mandy and I are working towards having more hands on and fun activities in store for the students as we know we all like to move and to explore our world with our hands.

I am looking forward to a great year as the Intermediate 4 teacher.

Thanks for reading, Caroline Harris.

If you ever want to get in touch my email is: charr512@eq.edu.au

Intermediate 4

Intermediate 5 - Miss Dobbie

WELCOME to 2024!! The Super Hero boys in Intermediate 5 have had a great start to the year. Two of the boys have moved up from Juniors to Intermediates and are settling in to their new classroom and areas very well. We begin each day using our communication devices to say how we are feeling and talk about what day of the week it is. We are having lots of fun learning about letters and numbers but, most of all, we are learning how to be Respectful Ronald’s, Positive Pete’s and Safe Sally’s inside and outside of the classroom.

Intermediate 5

Intermediate 6 - Ms Wrack

Welcome to a busy first term, with lots of changes for everyone.

Thorin, Aliah, Christopher and Zarli have made a fabulous transition to a new teacher, new teacher aides and new locations. Christopher and Zarli came all the way from Junior. It’s taken everyone next to no time to adjust to the changes.

Every day is priceless, from the new interactions with different peers and engaging in learning activities, to providing us with much entertainment and plenty of affection.

We’re very flexible in our room, changing anything that isn’t working for us, to try and make our time at school as happy as possible. We’ve had quite a few furniture shuffles 😂

Myself, Miss Leah, Miss Kianne, Miss Nadine and sometimes Miss Renae, look forward to being in the classroom every day. I have to admit, that in the first couple of days, some students needed convincing to come in but now it’s the opposite, persuading them to go to lunch or; like today, home. It’s clearly too much fun.

For the remainder of the term, we will continue to find our groove and learn new things. One of our major goals is communication and all four students are already making great progress.

They’ll totally deserve our planned trip to East Shores towards the end of the term for much deserved water play to celebrate how much they grow each day, like the Sunflower seeds we’re watering, hopefully do. Please keep an eye out for information and permission forms for this excursion.

Cheers Miss Annette

Senior 1 - Miss Cindy

Welcome to Senior 1 !

It has been a pleasure working with your students for the past 4 weeks. In English we have been analysing poetry and comprehension along with changing poems to make it our own. In maths we are looking into data and chance. Senior 1 have been creating their own tally of different items and then transposing their data into graphs. They are building their strength and ability in instructing others how to organise and play outdoor games.

It was amazing to see our students present their speeches for student council. Congratulations to those who are now the representatives for the student council.

Senior 1 should be very proud of their accomplishments.

Senior 2 - Mr Pallett

A very warm welcome to the first term of 2024 to all parents, carers and friends of Senior 2 students. I have very much enjoyed getting to know my new class and I believe we have made an excellent start to our studies.
 
My name is Mike Pallett and I have been a teacher since 1991. I spent 29 years in mainstream education teaching (mainly) History before I joined Rosella Park School as a relief teacher in October 2020. My first class was in Intermediates in the second semester of 2021 and for the past two years I have been working with the Transition students. This is my first time working with a Senior class and I am enjoying the experience of a whole new cohort.
 
Our Literacy Programme this semester is focused on being able to give reasons for our preferences and being able to interact with others in an appropriate manner. In Maths, we are focusing on counting and skip counting in 2s, 5s and 10s; we shall also be looking at chance events, using words like ‘likely’ and ‘unlikely.’
 
Our Science curriculum is based on describing everyday phenomena and understanding the properties of different materials the students encounter in their daily lives. In HPE, we are studying the impact of emotions on both ourselves and on other people.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns, either by using the communication book (if you have decided to use one), email or ClassDojo.

Senior 3 - Mrs Dunstan

Welcome to all parents, caregivers and students in Senior 3.

This semester our Science unit is ‘What’s the Matter?’ in the field of Chemical Science. The students will be looking at the properties of solids, liquids and gases and how states of matter can be altered by applying temperature, either heat or cold.

In Mathematics, the class will be learning the beginnings of Algebra as well as Chance and Data representation and interpretation.

Our Health unit is Adolescent Relationships with an emphasis on cyber safety. To keep us physically active, our unit of study is entitled Hardcore Hardcore Handball with an emphasis on positive ways to interact with others.

English is centred on reading, writing and performing poetry. We will be focussing on the different types of poems, poetic features such as syllable count, patterns and rhymes.

Every Friday we will be cooking everyday meals and the occasional treat, practicing following written instructions, measurement, working cooperatively and life skills.

Senior 4 - Mr Shaun

Hello families and friends of Senior 4 class. My name is Shaun Beattie and for the last six years I have been teaching in Lockhart River and the Torres Strait. I have moved here with a young family and I am looking forward to being apart of Rosella Park School.

Wow week three already. Students are settling nicely into new routines and class dynamics. Senior 4 students have been trying their best which is fantastic keep up the good work.

Math Curriculum revolves around making connections between number names, numerals and quantities up to 10 and answers simple questions to collect information and makes simple inferences.

English Curriculum involves identifying connections between texts and their personal experience. Describes likes and dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and events.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns, either by using the communication book or ClassDojo.

Transition 1 - Miss Sally

Welcome back to the final year of schooling for the majority of our students in Transition 1. This year we welcome Miss Simone into our class, who is already proving to be a fun and cheeky counterpart. We have a very big year planned across the two transition classes and look forward to all the opportunities the next 11 months will present.

Our recycling program is already up and running with 14 local businesses staying on board to support this vocational training opportunity. We are always up for more prospects so if you know of any businesses who would like to support our program with a weekly collection of 10c cans, please don’t hesitate to touch base with us.

We have started our Community Agency and Active Citizenship subjects which will see the cohort participate and contribute within the wider community. Our first major event for the semester will be the organising of Clean Up Australia Day, so stay tuned for further information!

In March we are fortunate enough to be attending the combined school’s presentation of The Little Mermaid. Months of hard work has gone into this production and we are all very excited to be able to attend this with peers from other schools.

If you do have any questions about anything please do not hesitate to reach out at any time.

Miss Sally

sbrie32@eq.edu.au

07 49768 333

Transition 1

Transition 2 - Mrs Leeson

Welcome back to another exciting year and for most of the students in Transition 2 their last year of formal education.

We have a lot of exciting programs this semester that will keep the students very busy. We have the regular English and Maths lessons that form part of the mandatory schooling. We will continue growing the tuckshop and café programs. This program builds work related skills as well as life skills. Again, this year we will take part in a regular fitness program. The aim is to improve our physical fitness over the course of the semester. In Active Citizenship, we are learning the importance of how we participate and contribute to our community. As part of this subject, we will look at ways we can give back to our community. We start by taking part in Clean Up Australia Day which is on March 1^st. Keep an eye on Class Dojo for more information as it comes to hand. Year 12 is a year where we prepare for life after school. In Community Agencies we will visit different support agencies and services in our area to investigate what programs and services they provide. This program will commence soon.

This week, 4 of our students tried out for 2 positions on the student council. They all gave brilliant speeches which made voting very difficult. We are pleased to announce that both Jesse and Joshua Janson have been voted in to represent our cohort on the student council. A big congratulations to both boys.

Some dates for you to keep in mind – School camp this year will be on the Gold Coast in November. This has the potential to be an expensive trip (approx. $600). We are hoping to do some fundraising events to keep the cost as low as possible.

Year 12 graduation should also be in November towards the end of the month.

As soon as dates for both of these events are confirmed we will let you know.

I look forward to working with all our Transition families this year. If you need to contact me for any reason, do not hesitate to email me or send a message through class Dojo. Jlees37@eq.edu.au

Specialist Teacher - Mrs Buckle

Welcome to Term 1.

I, (Mrs Janice Buckle) am working with the junior classes providing the non-contact for their class teachers.  When I am in the classroom, we have a Digital Technology focus.  We are looking at what items make up hardware and software in technology, and what is their purpose.  Whilst we are completing these activities we are looking at and learning to collaborate with our peers.  So, we are looking at the skills needed to get along with others as we work together.  There are several layers to our learning in the HICP (Highly Individualised Curriculum Plan) world.  Our Technology goal, has been chosen from the Personal and Social Capability Curriculum, under Social Management in the aspect of Collaboration. 

Attached are photos of some of the students exploring ‘old hardware’ digital technology. 

My New Gallery

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Specialist Teacher - Mrs Thornton

In Digital Technology, students have been having fun taking photos of each other then helping to email them to the computer from a smartphone.  They then look at them o the TV screen and send them to the printer.  They enjoyed seeing their photos come out of the printer and be made into a poster for their classroom.  

Digital Technology - Intermediate

My New Gallery

Student Council News

Athletics Club News

 This year I (Miss Harris) am the School Sports Coordinator and am working on setting up programs for students to train for Cross Country and Athletics events.

Letters will come home in the coming weeks to students who have shown an interest in participating in events.

I painted the oval and have done the first Run Club of the year and was impressed to see lots of students sprinting well!

For those who already know for sure they are going to participate – and likely go through many levels – please budget and plan accordingly for the following:

Dates for Cross Country are:

• PORT CURTIS TRIALS: Benaraby State School on 8^th May
• CAPRICORNIA TRIALS: Rockhampton on 4^th June
• STATE CROSS COUNTRY: Bald Hills on 12-14^th July
• NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY: Victoria 21^st-23^rd August

Dates for Track and Field Athletics are:

• Rosella Athletics Day: Gladstone TAFE early term 2.
• Port Curtis Trials: Gladstone TAFE on 23^rd/24^th July
• Capricornia Trials: Mackay on 19^th/20^th August
• State Trials: Brisbane QSAC on 7^th-10^th Oct for aged 10-12yrs and 11^th-14^th Oct for 13-19yrs

If anyone is interested in fundraising towards these events to help cut down on costs – please let me know – I attend Rosella P&C meetings and would love to see Athletics Parents and the P&C work together to help ensure all our athletes can attend the levels they qualify for.

I highly recommend anyone interested in long distance running comes to Parkrun 7am Saturdays at Lions Park- it is a 5km run (which can also be a 5km walk). This is free and a great community event to get behind.  Also keep an eye on both Gladstone Athletics Club and Gladstone Special Olympics on Facebook for days/times when they have training and events that might suit your athlete.

Looking forward to working with you all again this year!

Caroline Harris.

charr512@eq.edu.au

Community Notices

What's On at the GECC

Log on to the GECC website for booking information:

https://www.gladstoneentertainment.com/schools-program