August 2021

News from the Principal

Welcome back to all of our students, families, staff and wider school community. I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to be Rosella Park School’s new principal. I have only been on board since 12th July and in that short time I am in awe of the great things occurring at Rosella Park School, the amazing cohort of students and the super team of staff supporting and working alongside all of our students each and every day.

I just want to acknowledge the fantastic work that Kate Hucker led as the principal of Rosella Park. She has left huge shoes to fill and I will try my hardest to continue the school journey of improvement that she has established and led for many years. We all wish her the very best in her new role and know that Coomera Special School is very lucky to have her.

I also want to thank Shelley Slade for her tremendous work leading the school as Acting Principal while recruitment for the new principal was underway. Being a new member of staff and also the new principal was always going to be daunting, however, Shelley has gone above and beyond to help me transition into my role. So from me, thank you Shelley, I am really looking forward to working alongside you and the rest of the school community to continue the positive school improvement journey Rosella Park is currently on.

So a bit of personal information about me. I am married with 1 child. My wife is also a special education teacher who is working in a primary school in the special education program. Our daughter is 18 months old and is loving life in Gladstone. For the last 6 years, I have been the principal of Mount Isa Special School (I am so excited to be back near salt water and green golf courses). Previous to becoming a principal, I was Head of Special Education Services at a cluster of 3 schools within Mount Isa, as well as the local ECDP. I studied Special Education at university and have since worked over 22 years in special schools and special education programs across Mount Isa and the Gold Coast. Special Education and supporting students with diverse learning needs is my personal and professional passion. I am looking forward to becoming a part of the Rosella Park School community moving forward.

COVID – 19 Reminder

As you would all be aware – COVID is still an ongoing issue that has the potential to spread widely and quickly. We can all see what has happened in Sydney and the outbreak that has occurred in the South East of QLD. While we are currently not in lock down or facing some of those areas tough restrictions, it is timely to remind our school community the health and safety of students, staff and the broader community is the highest priority. The department continues to take advice from the Chief Health Officer and Queensland Health in making decisions regarding the operation of schools during COVID-19. As a school, we are following this advice, and working to keep our staff and students as safe as possible. The following measures continue to be in place to support this:

• Students and staff showing signs of illness or feeling unwell must not attend school
• Anyone with COVID -19 symptoms should get tested
• Parents or carers will be contacted to collect any student that becomes unwell whilst at school
• Practising regular effective hygiene protocols, including washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser and covering coughs and sneezes
• Increased cleaning frequencies of high-touch surfaces such as light switches, door handles and drinking water fountains/bubblers (students are encouraged to bring their own water bottles for personal use)
• Regular cleaning of playground equipment and play materials
• Physical distancing of 1.5 metres required by all adults
• Use stop, drop and go or similar facilities wherever possible
• Supervision at school gates and during movements between gates and classrooms, including at drop-off and pick-up times

If you would like further information, parents and carers can access information from the department’s website at:  COVID 19 Information for parents, students, schools and early childcare providers

If you have any concerns or would like to discuss any matter, please do not hesitate to contact the school to make arrangements to meet up.

Cheers

Geoff Miller

New School Building

On an exciting note; the contractor for our new school building has been appointed and construction is due to get under way on Monday 16th August. The projected completion date will be June 2022. Watch this space for updates .........

News from the Deputy Principal

Multi-Class Sport

This term we have had some amazing Athletes represent our school at the Port Curtis Trials. The students came away feeling very proud, with many being rewarded for their efforts with place ribbons. A number of the students got into the next level and will be going away at the end of August to Mackay to represent the Port Curtis District at the Capricornia Trials. There has been much talk among the peer groups at school and as such I believe we will have a larger team representing in both the 10-12 yrs and also 13-19 yrs age groups next year. Please contact Shelley Slade if you feel your child might be interested as there is a paperwork trail to enable them to be classified for them to compete. We are also hoping to have a team represent at the Cross Country next year too. With the Olympics happening at the moment, the students have certainly been showing a genuine interest in the many facets of Athletics and other sports. This has engaged them in much of the world news as they are able to relate to it.

NAIDOC Week

We have our NAIDOC Celebrations happening coming up. As part of this we will have a number of group activities for the students and the Student Council will be involved in a Flag Raising Ceremony and also an Elder’s Morning Tea. Please keep an eye out on Dojo for further information. It would be great to see some parents in attendance.

Major Fundraiser – Hollywood Trivia

Unfortunately as a result of Covid, our P&C major fundraiser has had to be postponed. Please keep your eye out for a new date. Get your friends ready to book a table once the tickets go on sale again. It is bound to be a night worth waiting for !

Administration Office news

Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week

Book week for 2021 will be held from 23rd-27th August. The book chosen by the CBCA this year is  Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. We will have our usual Book Week parade on Friday 27th August and encourage everyone to come to school dressed up as their favourite book character. In the morning we will hold a parade to showcase our creativity.  There will be a prize for the best dressed character from junior, intermediate, senior and transition cohorts.

Old Worlds refers to dinosaurs, Vikings, Ancient Egypt and Victorians.

New Worlds refers to Space

Other Worlds refers to imaginary worlds, magic and wizardry, under the sea, micro worlds (bugs and insects), fairy tales, Anime and Pokemon.

Admin news continued...

Father's Day stall

Father's Day is Sunday 5th September. As in the past we will be running a Father's Day stall at the school during the week starting Monday 30th August. Given that Friday is a pupil free day, the stall will run from Monday to Thursday. As usual gifts will be available for students to purchase for dad with nothing over $5.00. If you would like to donate a small gift item to the Father's Day stall, please bring it into the office.

Health and Safety

For your information, we have included a copy of the time out poster from Queensland Health which shows what conditions require exclusion from school and for what period of time.  If you require any further information, please contact the school office.

Room 1 - Junior - Mrs Thomas

This semester the students in Room 1 are learning how to respond to a sequence of pictures, photographs and/or objects to complete a task; e.g. a visual schedule or to make a sandwich. They will be creating texts to comment on a recent event, story or shared experience. In the numeracy lesson they are learning about quantities and counting from 1 to 10 and exploring with length, capacity and volume in measurement. They will be learning History and about their story and families. Geography is about mapping and directions. Room 1 will be working with other junior students and will be learning about forces and motion eg. pushing, sliding and pulling.  It has been very pleasing for all staff involved with Room 1 to see the growth and development each child has made since the beginning of the year.

Room 1.5 - Junior - Mrs Coulston

Well here we are at the beginning of a new semester, so much is happening and we have many things to look forward to as we move forward. We have swimming beginning in week 6 every Tuesday and Thursday until the end of term. Please make sure you send in swimmers, towel and (if required) a swimming nappy. Please return your signed permission forms to the office along with $50.00 payment.

This semester we are learning about how things move during science, looking at models and maps during geography and taking a step back in time as we discover how we have changed. Of course, we still have numeracy and literacy studies to do as well.

Here are some photos of us working in the classroom.

Room 1.5

Room 2 - Junior - Mrs Wellsteed

Wow! so much has happened since our last newsletter. At the end of last term we had lots of fun celebrating everyone’s hard work and great behaviour with our rewards day.  

Term 3 has been off to a great start with our classes returning and ready to get back into activities. This term we are exploring place and our personal history for HASS and how objects move in Science. 

For our History work we would like to invite families to share photos from their child’s early years. Are there photos you could share with us from previous birthdays, family celebrations or fun times at Kindy or ECDP?  Term 3 is sure to be action packed and busy.  

Room 3 - Junior - Mrs Hayne

Welcome to Term Three. It has been a busy time after our wonderful holiday break.

Room 3 students have begun some new subjects and are very engaged in the learning. Our NCT Miss Michelle works in our room teaching the Arts focussing on Music and Drama which are a big hit. The students love playing the variety of musical instruments.

One of our new explorations is mapping. The class have begun looking at features of different areas around the school and looking at simple maps.

In Science the focus is on the effects of moving objects in different ways. We have continued  to meet with our cohort peers and engage in fun activities.

Throughout the semester in Maths we will be adding to and taking away of objects to see if they are bigger or smaller. The students have been playing Simon Says and moving on different directions as different  focus for Maths. The students continue to enjoy the book of the week in either a paper or digital form and like to make a comment about their thoughts on the story. Our letters and sounds are always explored with fun especially when we get to sing the songs about the letter of the week

Beginning in Week 6 Room 3 will be swimming at the Gladstone Aquatic Centre on a Tuesday and a Thursday. Information and permission forms will be sent home soon.

In Week 7 the school is celebrating Book Week. The theme is Old, New and Other Worlds. There will be a dress up parade  for the staff and students to participate in. It will be  interesting to see all the costumes on display.

Room 3

Room 5 - Intermediate - Mrs Nash

Wow, the term is just flying by.  Week 5 already.  This term has seen some big changes in Room 5.  Our staff are now as follows:- Mrs Nash (Teacher), Ms Nicole (TA Mon – Fri), Ms Leah (TA Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri) and Ms Charity (TA on Wed).  We said a sad good bye to Isaiah as he transitioned to room 9 and we welcomed Norman, Goutham and Leona to the room 5 class.  We are settling in well and all getting used to a new routine.  I am always contactable on class Dojo or through the communication books if you wish to contact me.

In the next few weeks you will receive a letter home to make a time to discuss your child’s ICP for semester Two.  I look forward to catching up with you then.  This Semester we will be exploring the subjects Literacy, Math, Science, Geography and History.

Room 6 - Senior - Mrs Buckle

Welcome to Term 3. We have had a busy term up to now because it is such a nice time of the year to be getting out and doing things. Coming up we have NAIDOC day, Book Week Parade and Sports Day.

A new term, generally means new learning goals. Information will soon be coming home about parent/teacher meetings to discuss your child’s ICP goals. At this time, we can also go over any concerns you may have over your child’s Semester 1 report card.

We are continuing Science, and adding learning areas of History and Geography. We have finished with HPE for this year. English and Maths will continue on as per normal. Miss Deb and myself wanted to thank you for reading and attending to the Communication Diaries and the Dojo messages.

Below are some photos from the whole school PBL Rewards Day at Lion’s Park on the last day of Term 2.

Room 6

Room 8 - Intermediate - Ms Schulz

Welcome back, this term we welcome Bella into our class for the rest of the year.  Term 3 is well underway and we are working hard towards our Semester 2 learning goals.  Happy Birthday to Ethan who celebrated a birthday last week and congratulations to Tyriq who was lucky enough to win one of the weekly Shazam draws this term for demonstrating positive, respectful and safe behaviour at lunch times.

English this term has seen our group expand to include Tyler from Room 9 and Aleeza, Lachlan and Levi from Room 4/5. Tehmarni goes to visit Mr Mike in Room 9 and Ethan goes to Room 4/5 with Mrs Nash.  In Room 8 we are exploring our knowledge of letters and sounds, learning how words are made up of letters and that each word has a number of syllables. We have started two new word activities which are word sorts and identifying the sounds that we hear in words.  Everyone seems to be enjoying this.

In Maths the overall focus is on exploring time including time duration looking at seconds, minutes and hours.  We used the timer to learn how long a second was and how long a minute was.  Then we experimented with how many times we could bounce a ball in one minute with Ethan bouncing 43, Bella 35, Tehmarni 56, Dylan 29, Miss Rania 81 and Miss Jill 132.

This semester we have started studying History and Geography.  Our focus in History is exploring what a family is and looking at special events that have happened in the past in our life.  While in Geography our focus is on learning about maps and globes.  This past week we started taking pictures around the school so that we can make our very own pictorial map of our favourite area in the school.

In Science we are exploring what objects are made of and this effects how they move.  We experimented with a range of balls and a foam cube observing the features, including what it was made of, whether it had straight or curved sides,  before attempting to predict if it would bounce or not.

A highlight for Tyriq, Room 8’s star athlete, was getting to attend the Port Curtis Athletics Carnival the second week back.  Tyriq did extremely well winning the 100mts, 200mts and 800mts as well as coming second in shotput and discus.

Room 9 - Intermediate - Mr Pallett

It has been a busy start to Semester 2 for Room 9. Not only did the class have to get used to having a new teacher whilst Mrs Thompson takes a well-earned break, but we have also had a change of class room.

We have been working hard in our English and Maths lessons, consolidating our core skills. This Semester we shall be studying Science, History and Geography. The focus in Science is on movement, in History we have been looking at family history whilst in Geography we are studying maps and globes.

On a personal note, I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Rosella Park School and have been made very welcome by staff, students and parents since I started working here in October 2020.

Room 10 - Senior - Mrs Bickle

Room 10 is on a fast burn this Term. We have hit the ground running around our Maths goals – which are 3D shapes; money; patterns and measurement. This has seen us out around the school identifying shapes and patterns in the environment. We have also enjoyed hands on activities for maths throwing water balloons and judging which went the longest distance – for measurement.  We will also be enjoying some water play when looking at capacity, full and empty.  Hefting and lifting objects and using scales will be explored for weighing objects.

For Geography, we have been looking at maps and we made our own map of the school’s playground.  We look forward to mapping other places such as the school grounds, our bedrooms and homes.

For Science we have been moving about on the wheelie chairs looking at force and push and pull.  We will be leading into some investigations around moving objects down a decline ramp.

For Art, Mrs McGuire has had the students busy making paper instruments including the kazoo, harmonica and straw whistle.  The students have also been looking at different types of music and how music tells a story.

In English, we have been practicing our handwriting and writing on red and blue-lined paper.  We have been listening, reading stories, and identifying our own connection to the story, the stories connection to other stories and lastly the stories connection to the world.  We have particularly enjoyed recording ourselves talking about our connection to the story and then watching it back.   We are excited about Book Week Parade coming up on Friday 27^th August. Be sure to be start thinking and creating your costumes at home.

Room 11 - Senior - Mrs Dunstan

The Forces are with Us

We had fun making helicopters in Science because afterwards we could fly them.

We made them out of paper. Then we climbed to the top of the playground and dropped them to see if they would fly.

On the way down they spun around. The small ones spun faster and landed before the bigger ones.

Gravity pulled the helicopters to the ground. Air resistance pushed up against the blades so they spun and floated down.

By Jessy and Tyler

Puzzlemania

Puzzlemania continues in Room 11. The jigsaw of lemurs we just finished was fun but also challenging.  We had to sort all the colours out into green, grey mostly and there were also lots of big orange eyes to match. I loved their eyes.

We did the puzzle during reward time. It took our class 3 days to finish the funny puzzle. We can’t wait for our next puzzle.

By Nicholas

The Olympics

We watch the Olympics on TV and we talk about it the next day.  Allie liked when they did the bike racing like BMX. I liked when they did swimming. Australia won a couple of medals in BMX and swimming. We collected the stickers for the Olympics. We sorted them into the right place. We stuck them in the books. We read about the sports and the people.

By Annabelle and Ally

Simple Machines

We had lots of science fun when we went on the oval to see how far we could throw a ball.

After we had 2 turns at throwing, we then had 2 turns each throwing the balls using a ball launcher. We measured how much further the balls went when we use the ball launcher. Nearly everyone threw their ball 13 metres more. We also had a competition to see who could throw their ball furthest. It was really good fun.

Holly and Jayden

Room 12 - Senior - Mrs Ward

The class is excited to welcome the new addition to our literacy program…THE MAGIC LETTER BOX 😊 The three letters of the week are placed on the front of the box. Each student wishes for something starting with the letters. The following day, each student puts on a blindfold, takes something from the box and guesses what it is before taking off the blind fold. Students then identify the letter the object starts with and places it on the sorting table. The week we were doing the letters H, C & V. Joshua and Blake thought it would be funny if they wished for a HEAD and a VOLCANO. Thank goodness a volcano didn’t appear. The reaction on Joshua’s face when he pulled out a head was hilarious. The best surprise that week was CHEESEBURGERS and CHOCOLATE shakes. Yummo 😊

Room 12

Room 13 - Transition - Mrs Oliver

There have been a few changes to room 13 this semester. So far, everyone is excited by the change and have been working very hard and are looking forward to the rest of the semester together. We have been investigating lots of interesting topics. In history, we have been looking at the Ancient Egyptians and hearing lots of interesting facts about the pyramids. We have also incorporated our Art into our history subject and have been creating some Ancient Egyptian art.

Through Geography, we will be exploring a selection of student chosen countries for example, Japan, America, Africa and the UK and investigating their flag, capital city, population, position on the world map, what the country is famous for, what food they eat, their culture and what the climate is like.

Several of our students recently participated in the Port Curtis Athletic Carnival. All students who attended were fantastic representatives for our school and should be very proud of themselves and also of their achievements and giving it a red hot go. It was the first time many of our students had participated in an event like this and they came home with lots of ribbons. Well done everyone !

Room 13

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

Room 14 - Transition - Ms Harris

The transition programs for the year 11 and year 12 students in Room 14 are chugging along. We have 5 year 11 students that go out to work experience individually each week. Shayla goes to Kandy Couture and works hard maintaining the store cleanliness. Jayden goes to Coles and he independently checks shelves for stock and takes away empty cardboard boxes. Keira goes to Office Works and faces up stock ensuring the store looks presentable. Angel goes to the Night Owl Convenience Store and cleans and stocks shelves. Aroha goes to the Small Motor Service and is building chainsaws so they always have some ready to go to customers. Along with this we also have year 12s who are going to work at Endeavour Industries in the program run by Mrs Leeson.

This is on top of all our year 11 and 12 school subjects and curriculum work. The curriculum areas I teach in Room 14 are English, Maths, Leisure in the Community, Kitchen Operations, Digital Safety, Healthy Relationships and Understanding Emotions. Across all these subjects I have been impressed with the student’s willingness to learn and their increased focus. The goals we set in the SET plan meetings at the end of year 10 are guiding the work students do; and the far majority of students are on the road to achieving their goals. It is great to see.

One thing we do have to work on in Room 14 is our language; we have a few students who are swearing/saying inappropriate comments at times. I am setting a classroom goal with students to reduce this over the coming weeks. I understand when it is an accident if they are frightened/hurt they may say the occasional swear word; but as transition students the expectation is that they can learn to control this and make better choices. This is especially the case when we are in the community and at work experience. It would help if you could remind your students that when they are going to work they need to speak professionally.

Students are getting lots of Shazams at lunch times and some of them are at the stage now where they are choosing whether to save up for a bigger item or spend their Shazams on a smaller prize. When they bring home the sheets with themselves as a superhero and the 10 stickers on it that means they have collected 10 Shazams. Each Shazam is given for them being Respectful, Positive and Safe and going above and beyond. It is a celebration to make it to 10, they are fantastic!

Room 14

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 12

Next

Room 15 - Transition - Mrs Leeson

All our new programs for semester two are well underway. Some of our year 12 students have started their work experience program at the Endeavour Industries every Friday. They are learning valuable work skills and routines in an environment that could lead to future employment. We have four (4) students attending the Endeavour Learning and Lifestyle social program where they join the clients for a BBQ lunch one week and a hotel lunch on the alternate week. So far, they have been to East Shores and Tannum Sands Beach for BBQs and the Tannum Sands Hotel for lunch. We are looking forward to finding out where lunch is this week. Our year 12 students have begun volunteering their time at the Salvation Army Family Thrift Store. Joshua and Ethan assisted by putting the toys on display in the correct area. Tina’s job this week was to sort, count and price pencils that will be sold in the store. Nathan was responsible for putting together the labels for the mail bags. Once he finished that job he moved on to hanging clothes on the racks in the store. The students found it interesting to see all the jobs that went on out the back away from the public. They are looking forward to returning next week. As part of Community Agencies this week, the year 12 students went to CPL for a sight visit to find out what programmes they have on offer. They were able to join in on the singing group for a while, which they all enjoyed. Your child should have brought home an information package from CPL with lots of valuable information. You are encouraged to make contact with any of the agencies regarding your child’s future needs as soon as possible so you are all ready for next year. If you have any questions about any of these programs, please feel free to contact me.

Work Experience

Community News

CRU is sending this information on  behalf of a voluntary parent group called QCIE or the Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education.

The Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education is a group of families who support each other  to pursue a high quality inclusive education for their sons and daughters.  They promote inclusive lives for their children with disability and work together to make inclusive schools a reality for all.

The QCIE Peer Support Network is an initiative of the Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education. You can follow them on FB and join the group through their public page: www.facebook.com/qldcollectiveforIE/ 

Their coffee and dinner events are for families of children with a disability who meet to provide social and practical help to each other through the sharing of knowledge and their children’s inclusive education experiences. You can contact QCIE via email: qldcollectiveie@gmail.com

If you are a family member of a school aged child, or know or work with families of young or school aged children, please let them know about these opportunities for families to connect with other families.

The following flyers are for parent information only and in no way endorsed by the school.

Beach Wheelchair for Community use

Boyne Island Environmental Education Centre (BIEEC) in partnership with Gladstone Ports Corporation, has a beach wheelchair available for use by visitors and the local community.

The Hippocampe beach wheelchair can be booked for several days at a time depending on availability, are free to hire and can be used anywhere in the Gladstone region.  The wheels can be easily removed and each chair will partly fold down to fit in a large car, station wagon or SUV.

While there is no cost to hire the Beach Wheelchair, BIEEC does incur costs associated with managing hiring arrangements and maintenance of the wheelchair.  Hirers may choose to assist BIEEC by making a suggested donation of $20.00 to continue to provide this valuable service.

The wheelchair will need to be collected from the BIEEC office in Boyne Island Monday to Friday and between 8.30am to 3pm.  We ask that when picking up and dropping off the wheelchair, hirers be patient as we are a school with visiting students. A staff member will assist you as soon as they can during these busy times. A holding deposit of $20.00 (cash) is required upon pick up.

If you would like to make a request for the beach wheelchair, please complete the hire request form (PDF, 240Kb) and return to us at bookings@boyneislandeec.eq.edu.au or drop it into the office at 61 Malpas Street, Boyne Island.

Information can be found on the website at: https://boyneislandeec.eq.edu.au/facilities-and-equipment/hire