6 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Student Survey Text for School Principals to Communicate to Parents

The Queensland Government is undertaking a review of NAPLAN in the Queensland context, to better understand the impacts NAPLAN is having on learning and teaching within the state.

The first stage of the Review, conducted in June 2018, focused on consultation with parents.

The second stage is now underway, with consultation extending to students, teachers, principals and other key education stakeholders across Queensland.

Queensland students in years 3 to 10 are now invited to provide feedback on their experiences with NAPLAN, via an online survey. Students wishing to participate will require the consent of a parent or carer, who can assist with completing the survey at home.

This project has received ethical clearance from both the Australian Catholic University and the Department of Education. Further information on the student survey and the Review are provided within the survey link.

Mr John Clark
Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report

It is interesting to note that 2019 will see the introduction of a new senior system in Queensland that will impact current Year 10 students as they move into Year 11 next year.

Not only is there a host of new curriculum and newly introduced subjects, but 2019 and beyond will see a significant shift in the way that students are assessed and how they gain points towards their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

Like all change, the new senior system carries with it certain challenges for our school and for both teachers and students. While many of these changes are known, the impact of others may not become obvious immediately.

With the shift to external exams, and away from solely school based assessment there are a lot of questions as to how this will impact distance education students. The simple answer is that as yet we don’t know and are awaiting the release of further advice in this area.

Regardless of what the new senior system brings, our school will respond to ensure that our students are afforded every opportunity to remain on a level playing field with their peers who attend mainstream schools.

While some information has already been provided on the new system, further information will be sent as further details become know and plans are crystallised into reality.

If you have students who will be affected by these changes, either now, or in years to come, I would encourage you to visit the QCAA website and familiarise yourself with the new requirements.

Mr Smith
Deputy Principal

Lesley Griffin – Parent Liaison Officer

There is a tremendous amount of financial assistance becoming available to those who are struggling in isolated areas due to drought conditions. This funding is also beginning to extend into small town business.

So far there is available:

• the government boost
• household bill assistance
• farm bill assistance
• Stock travel
• Feed

We are linked in with the Buy a Bale campaign, Drought Angels, CWA and other various organisations and more funds are becoming available daily!

Some of the access people have used to the smaller individual funds such as Uniting Cares have helped pay for school activities such as camp, extra-curricular activities or things they are in need of most, the aim is to keep the funding in the district so it benefits all in the area.

If you believe you would benefit through a visit or would like to discuss access to funds or stockfeed please do not hesitate to contact me, we are happy to help with filling out forms and sourcing what may be required to ease pressure through this time.

NQRFSS is also continuing to help out with community events and welcomes thoughts from local people as to what they might like to see happen in their area that would promote community wellbeing.

As more information comes to hand I will update you all regarding changes but please remember we are here to help your community.

Contact Details:

Outback Child and Family Services - Uniting Care Queensland

P: 1300 096 203 F: 07 3250 4727
D: 07 4775 9107 M: 0407276795
A: 56 – 69 Patrick Street Aitkenvale QLD 4814
P.O. Box 431 Aitkenvale QLD 4814
nqruralfamilysupport@uccommunity.org.au

Thanking you

Lisa Jordan

Colour-In Competition

Flinders Discovery Centre – Colouring in Competition

This September school holidays the team at the Flinders Discovery Centre have decided to put together a little colour-in competition for primary aged school students. There are prizes to be won and fun to be had! The colour-ins are due back to us at the Flinders Discovery Centre by Friday the 28th of September. For the kids who are not able to drop off the colour-in personally, it can be mailed to the following address:

Flinders Discovery Centre
PO Box 274
Hughenden
QLD 4821

The winners will be picked and announced over our Facebook page the following week. For out-of-towners that may become the lucky winner, we will be posting the prizes in the mail and there will be designated space on the back of the colour-in to fill in the required postal details.

All of the entered colour-ins will be on display in our museum until the end of our tourist season (31st October). Don’t forget, locals get free entry into our Dinosaur Display and Museum, so drop in and take a look once they go up!

Please see attached files for colour-ins.

The age groups are as follows:

5 years to 8 years
9 years to 12 years

Language Team

Hajimemashite (Nice to meet you). My name is Chad Tilly and I am one of the new Japanese language teachers here at CTSDE.

Although originally from New Zealand, my childhood was spent in Australia with most of my adult life working overseas (Japan, Chile, the Middle East). I have only recently returned to Australia and am new to teaching here, previously coming from a geology background.

Possibly the greatest experience I have ever had was living in Japan when I was younger. Being able to spend my days not only teaching Japanese, but also to share these experiences with such a wonderful and interesting culture with students certainly makes me feel privileged being here at CTSDE. Many of my hobbies and interests spring from this experience: the tea ceremony, traditional Japanese musical instruments (koto and shakuhachi) and classical Japanese martial arts.

I have already had a great time teaching many CTSDE students over the last couple of terms and have loved sharing my passion for everything Japanese. Please take the opportunity to learn more about the Japanese language and culture in our wonderful, supportive learning community here at CTSDE. I look forward to sharing in the learning adventure with you.

Tilly Sensei
Language Teacher

Year 3

We are halfway through Outreaches this term!

The children at Clermont and Hughenden had a great time. We hope that the students who have attended Cape River and Ewan Outreach this week have had a fabulous time.

At Clermont, the students worked diligently to rehearse and perfect their performance of a retell of The Gruffalo. Have a look at our pictures below.

At Hughenden, Madison showed off her creative talents. Have a look at her work below.

Results are back from the Show!

Congratulations to our winners, Madison for her writing and Joseph for his poster!

We are excited to see you all at Mini School. We have many exciting activities planned! Do not forget to practice for our Multiplication Challenge.

Miss Nelson and Miss Ralph
Year 3 Teachers

Year 5

Welcome to Year 5

We are now past the hump of Term 3, coasting towards our much needed Holidays.

In English, Ms Heath has been teaching transformation of narrative poems. For the remainder of the term, students will be transforming the poem by AB Paterson, ‘Furs and Feathers’ into their own narrative story. Students are very excited about the multimodal presentation included in this assessment.

In Maths, the students have recently learned measurements and our now moving onto solving problems using algebraic concepts. In Geography, our class is learning about the characteristics of places and location of selected countries.

A big congratulations to Zarah for her winning the Primary Invention Division that the Science Fair hosted by Blackheath and Thornburg College. Zarah designed and built a working model of a stair ramp. With a turn of a handle, the stairs convert to a ramp!

Zarah’s Science Creation

Mrs Larson
Year 5 Teacher

Year 7

Armour Up

Recently, CTSDE has commenced a new program for year 7 students titled Armour Up. Armour Up is derived from Beyond Blue’s SenseAbility program, which aims to build resilience in young people through developing essential skills in self-talk, emotional regulation, problem solving, and understanding wellness. Armour Up encourages students to be more in tune with their physical and psychological self, and to identify ways to better manage any problems that emerge. Armour Up is an evidenced-based program, based on cognitive behavioural principles. These principles hold that our thoughts play a key role in influencing our feelings and our behaviours; this is exemplified through the A-B-C-D model (provided below). What’s very important is that this model proposes that we can’t change events, but we do have the power to change the way we think and feel about those events!

The program began in week 7 and will run for 10 weeks. Armour Up classes are held on Monday at 11.00-12.00, and are for all year 7 students to attend. The Armour Up program includes videos, group discussions, and weekly challenges that encourage students to practise their skills at home. The year 7 students who have attended lessons have been fantastic in engaging in discussion and participating in the program. Home tutors are encouraged to discuss the weekly challenges with students, and review any PDFs and work material sent out.

Ms Crothers
School Psychologist (Provisional)

Literacy Links

Remembering How To Spell Words

Children with dyslexia or spelling based difficulties often have trouble remembering spellings that they have ‘learned’. They tend to forget the spelling of the word and attempt many different types of spelling for the same word. Children with spelling difficulties can learn a list of words for a spelling test however forget the spelling as soon as they are presented with a new set of words. They continue this process without consolidating their spelling skills.

Strategies to teach spelling:

Prior to teaching a child with difficulties to spell, ensure they are able to recognise the sounds in the words.

Ensure you target the correct set of words for your child’s skill level:

Selecting target words:

1. Work from easy to more difficult phonic patters e.g.
2. Three letter words in consonant + vowel + consonant pattern: hot, jam, mud, top.
3. Four letter words where two letters must ‘slide’ together: flag, best.
4. Four letter words where two consonants make a new sound: chat, thin, when. 4) Four letter words where the vowel and a consonant make a new sound: fowl, warm, corn.
5. Four letter words with a final ‘e’: mice, date, kite, made.
6. Three and four letter words where two vowels make a new sound: rain, out, loud, meat.
7. Silent letters: knee, gnaw, know.
8. Five letter words where three letters slid together: strap, scrum, strip, squid.
9. Five to six letter words where four letters make a new sound: fight, dough, nation.
10. Longer words that combine two or more of the above patterns: jumper, beach, sprawl, tribe.
11. Prefixes, suffixes and compound words: predict, disagree, truthfully.

Once you have selected your target words start the following activities, sort the words into ‘regularly’ and ‘irregularly’ spelt words. Regular words sound how they look such as “cat”, “frog”. Irregular words cannot be sounded out such as “was” and “people”.

For regularly, spelt words use the following activities:

Building a word:

Provide an alphabet strip with letter and a picture prompt to help link the sound with the letter. Build a word using plastic letters. Have the child sound out the word several times, then scramble up the letters and have the child put the word back together. Encourage your child to sound out the letters as they go.

Split the words up:

When introducing the new words emphasize the ‘parts’ of the words e.g. “sp-ell-ing” and when you are teaching words focus on teaching ‘blends’ of sounds and keep the rest of the word to a minimum e.g. if you are focusing on ‘sh’, use words such as ‘ship’ ‘shin’ ‘shop’ don’t use longer words such as ‘shouted’.

Specifically teach rules:

Teach spelling rules which can be applied to help with accurate spelling, such as ‘ch’, by saying “a ‘c’ and a ‘h’ make the ‘ch’ sound so when you hear a word with this sound you need to write a ‘c’ and a ‘h’”.

Nonsense words:

Use ‘made up’ words, this will mean they have to detect the sounds in the words in order to spell them e.g. ‘smeg’ rather than rely on memory.

For irregularly, spelt words use the following activities:

Rainbow writing:

Write a word in large clear print and get your child to write it time and time again.

Desk dictionary:

Make a list of words the child can stick on their desk that they use regularly but have difficulty spelling.

Multisensory practice:

Encourage the child to say the letters as they write them down, physically writing or typing the words creates a motor memory of how we write a particular word.

Look- Copy- Cover- Write –Check routine:

Look at the word and talk about the patterns which occur in the word. Encourage your child to say the letters as they write them down. Cover the word and talk to the child about remembering what the word looked like. Write down the word and say the letters as they write them, and finally check the spelling.

Old way – new way:

Teach ‘old way, new way’ look at the way your child spells a word and teach them the difference of the actual spelling. Say “In the old way you used ‘h’, in the new way you leave this ‘h’ out”.

Provide context:

Practice spelling the words correctly in context. Construct a series of short sentences, each containing a target spelling word. To begin with provide the child with the written example so the child can refer to it as they write. Once they have mastered this, provide sentences with the target word missing.

At this point your child has developed sight reading of these words, play games such as word lotto, word snap, flash cards and matching games to develop automatic recall of the words.

FLIQ

SNAPSHOT of PCYC Mareeba

FLIQ currently works with 14 centres across 9 organisations in Queensland; including the Salvation Army Youth Outreach Service, Careers Employment Australia, TESS (Training, Employment, Support & Services to Industry), Anglicare, Sarina Youth Centre, Roseberry Queensland, Mununjali Housing and Development Company, Yuibera Aboriginal Corporation, INTERCEPT Youth and Family Services and PCYC Mareeba.

PCYC Mareeba is one centre who work in conjunction with FLIQ to deliver an educational program catering for disengaged and disadvantaged young people in the northern region. PCYC Mareeba’s program targets young people from Year 7 to Year 10. They operate a 4-day program and receives referrals from the local school and the Mulungu Indigenous Corporation. The daily program caters for diversity and allows flexibility in the management of student engagement and the delivery of curriculum. PCYC Mareeba provides this opportunity in a supportive and youth-friendly environment.

A typical day begins with breakfast as many of the young people arrive at the centre without having eaten. Providing breakfast ensures all young people start the day nourished and energised. The young people are then responsible for setting up laptops and resources necessary for their participation in the education program.

PCYC Mareeba places priority on the development of literacy and numeracy skills that will support the young people in gaining employment or boost their confidence on return to a mainstream school. As a recipient of ‘Skilling for Work’ funding, PCYC Mareeba in conjunction with the FLIQ program provide opportunities for young people to upskill and become eligible for employment. Foundation Literacy and Numeracy courses and Core English and Maths subjects make this achievement possible. The young people benefit from individual support by centre staff, Collaborate lessons delivered by FLIQ teachers and flexible learning pathways.

PCYC Mareeba

Mrs Burke
FLIQ Team

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