Issue 1 Friday 3 February 2023
Principal Sonya Wilson
Welcome to the 2023 school year!
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back our existing families and extend a very warm welcome to our new Carbrook State School families. I would also like to commend all students and staff for a stellar start to the school year. It was terrific to see how quickly every class was settled, focused and into learning. I was truly impressed by how well our Prep students were able to settle into routine – well done to our dedicated staff members and parents for the work done prior to the year to make the start so successful.
A special thanks to parents for how the students have returned to school well prepared with stationery and dressed in their full uniform; black shoes, white socks, black shorts/skorts/dress uniforms and hats without the presence of jewellery. They are all looking very smart.
I am very pleased to report that school attendance has returned to pre-COVID rates, and last two weeks the school achieved 96% attendance. We will continue to encourage students and families to strive for our attendance target of 95%, as we know that every day counts if students are to achieve their potential. With this goal in mind we have re-introduced weekly awards for the classes with the best attendance percentage. This will be acknowledged each week on assembly, when a junior (Prep-Year 2) and senior (Years 3-6) class will be awarded the weekly trophy.
We welcomed our new staff members at Whole School Assembly this week and look forward to our Preps joining us in week 4. Whole School Assemblies take place on Monday at 2.00pm. Please remember that this is a formal occasion and that students are to wear their formal uniform.
Before School Routine
We know students and families enter the school at different times. Getting a good start means being on time at 8:50am for a 9:00am start. Being present from the very beginning of the day helps students to understand the plan for the day, prepares their mindsets for engaged learning, and enables teachers to accurately mark rolls to determine who has arrived at school.
Supervision of students is from 8:30am, if entering school before 8:30am, all students need to wait (sitting) quietly, in the undercover area, with something to lock their eyes either cards, colouring-in, a puzzle or a book to read. At 8:30am, students will be released to their designated areas where they will be supervised by the teacher aides rostered for duty.
Connecting Teachers and Parents
It is important that teachers and parents connect and communicate for the parent-teacher partnership to develop. We strive to foster this relationship through planned communication
- Email communication with welcome and curriculum newsletter
- Parent Information Evening 15 February in classrooms.
- Parent – Teacher interviews will be offered in weeks 9 and 10
- All other times parents may email class teachers or arrange meetings at a mutually convenient time.
School Review
Carbrook State School is scheduled to undertake a School Review 6-8 February 2023. Every Queensland state school is reviewed by the School and Region Reviews (SRR) branch at least once every 4 years. The review plays an important part in how the department supports school improvement. They provide schools with independent feedback, tailored to their context and needs.
The feedback provided to the school will inform the development of our Strategic Plan for 2023-2027 as the current Strategic Plan is due for renewal in 2023. The review findings will assist our school community to develop clear actions to move the school forward.
Review process
The Review will be conducted by experienced educators trained in the use of the National School Improvement Tool, a nationally recognised framework for reviewing teaching and learning practices.
The Reviewers for Carbrook State School will be led by the Panel Chair Keith Graham and assisted by Scott Medford and Louise Wilkinson. Reviewers will look closely at our school’s performance data and speak with a wide range of staff, students, parents and community members to get an accurate picture of the school. Unlike many other review systems, schools aren’t ranked or given a performance rating. Instead, the school is given a comprehensive report for consideration. The report details key findings and recommended improvement strategies to maximise student outcomes. When completed we will publish the executive summary on our school website.
Parent and Community Participation
Feedback from parents and the community is an important part of school reviews, with everyone encouraged to have their say. To register your interest in participating in the review, please contact our school office on 32090888.
It is shaping up for a busy and exciting year in 2023.
Sonya Wilson
Deputy Principal Liz Cook
Firstly, I would like to thank the school community of Carbrook State School for their warm welcome as the new Deputy Principal. It certainly has made the transition to the school a lot easier and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know staff, students and parents over the last couple of weeks.
Curriculum Newsletter
At the end of Week 1, you would have received an email from your child’s class teacher with a curriculum newsletter attached. This newsletter outlines the learning your child will be engaging in throughout Term 1. This communication allows you to partner with your child’s teacher to ask your child about their learning and also to potentially consolidate any of their learning with them at home. If you didn’t receive the email, the curriculum newsletters for each year level are below for your reference.
Consolidation Sprints
This term, each year level will continue to support your child’s learning through consolidation sprints. These weekly sprints will be focussed in the learning area of Mathematics (Prep students will have a literacy focus) and will target specific concepts teachers have identified across their cohort as areas to consolidate and extend. Each student will be given a learning goal, outlining their goal and also a success criteria clearly showing students what they will need to know and do in order to be successful with their goal. The learning goals will be tracked and monitored across a five week cycle and will be communicated with parents/carers. The cycle will commence during next week (Week 3), your child’s goal and success criteria will be communicated with you to support any at home learning you are completing. At the end of the five weeks, your child will receive a certificate outlining what they have successfully achieved over the sprint cycle. We will be notifying parents/carers when the goals have been communicated via Facebook as a prompt for you. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact your child’s class teacher for further information.
I hope you all enjoy the next fortnight.
Liz Cook
Student Code of Conduct
At Carbrook State School we have an established Student Code of Conduct. Please find a copy of the Code below for your perusal.
iHUB News
A huge welcome back to all the families in our school. We trust that you have had a restful break and that you and your child/ren are ready for a new year.
iHUB, (formally known as SEP) continues to move towards a more inclusive model. A reminder of what our new name means:
Inclusion
Help in support and intervention
Understanding of behaviours and
Building social relationships.
As this is a mouthful, we are referring to it as the iHUB.
We kindly ask that you use the iHUB language as we roll this out formally in 2023 as a more inclusive language approach to support in schools that encompasses the wide range of students that are assisted with equity and excellence.
Some important notes to consider:
- iHUB opening times:
Before School: from 8:30-8:45am (for students with a diagnosis) for quiet activities. Students are to walk up from the UCA at 8:30am with the Teacher Aide on duty, no parent drop offs at the iHUB please. If you need to speak with an iHUB staff member, please follow the school process and email the staff member to request a meeting time as staff are in meetings or getting prepared for the day.
Please also ensure your child has something in their bag that they can access during this time whilst being supervised by a staff member.
1st Break: This year, the iHUB will be open at first break playtime from 11:20-11:40am. Students with any diagnosis are welcome and will be engaged in games/activities promoting social engagement and interactions.
At second break, the iHUB will be closed, however the Library will be open as a quiet space for students to access
Please discuss these times with your child/ren so that they are aware of what is available
- iHUB Team for 2023 includes:
Prep – Mandy Wayman (Full time) - aeway0@eq.edu.au
Year 1 – Gabrielle Reese (Full time) – gtorr3@eq.edu.au
Year 2 – Judy Allsop (Monday-Wednesday & every second Friday) – jalls14@eq.edu.au
Year 3 – Fiona Broquesa (Monday-Wednesday on class; Thursday/Friday admin) - fbroq1@eq.edu.au
Year 4 – Sandie Howe (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday)– showe74@eq.edu.au
Year 5 – Caitlin Carolyn – ctehr0@eq.edu.au
Year 6 – Chloe McKenzie – cglen28@eq.edu.au
These dedicated teachers will be working alongside their year level teachers and as a collaborative cohort team and will continue to provide support to all students across our school to ensure ‘Every student is succeeding’ with equity and excellence.
If you have any questions regarding your child’s support, please feel free to contact one of the above staff members, copying (cc) in your child’s class teacher to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Resources and upcoming workshops
Every now and then, Region sends information about resources and links to upcoming workshops that you might want to engage in. CRU’s ‘Families for Inclusive Education’ (FFIE) team have published a variety of resources for schools and families. Three such resources you may wish to explore are:
- Partnering with Families in an Inclusive Education System - Top tips for teachers from families. (pamphlet)
· Building Belonging in the School Community - Guide to finding roles that help students participate and contribute. (booklet)
- Dreaming Big, Standing Strong: Queensland Stories of Inclusive Education - Graduate students, parents, and educators talk about the positive benefits inclusive education brings. (collection of stories)
Some recommended workshops include:
- Accessing the NDIS for Parents
Please find an information fact sheet below around how to access NDIS.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Here at Carbrook State School we pride ourselves on our ability to support and nurture students in all areas of their learning. Our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a school-wide practice which allows our teachers to model and promote positive interactions and behaviour for students in all year levels. PBL is a framework that enhances the implementation of evidence-based interventions to achieve academically, behaviourally and socially important outcomes for all students.
This fortnight our PBL focus is ‘Be a learner: I will follow routines to participate in learning.’ Students have been working hard to practice their own classroom routines in order to get the best out of their learning. Please see below for some wonderful examples of how this is being demonstrated in our school.
Have a wonderful week!
Hayley Pattison
PBL Coach
STEM Sheri Walls
This week we have been so excited to be back at school and having fun in STEM! Last week our new Prep students got to experience their first STEM lesson. We read a book called 'The most magnificent thing' and the prep students had a go at drawing their own magnificent thing.
February 7 is Safer Internet Day. Safer Internet Day is a global event that brings together communities, families, schools and organisations from more than 200 countries to help create safer online spaces. This worldwide initiative is celebrating 20 years in 2023, making it a great time to reflect as well as looking forward.
- Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
- Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others.
- Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.
By doing these simple things, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day.
Library News
We warmly welcome past and new students back to the library for 2023. The library is open for borrowing with their classroom teacher or during second break. Remember to bring your library bag to protect our library books.
School libraries positively influence the learning outcomes of students by encouraging a lifelong love of learning and reading.
This year Carbrook State School will be supporting Queensland School Library Week which runs from Monday February 13 until Friday February 17 2023. We are encouraging students to participate in the following competitions where winners will receive a $50 book voucher for themselves and a $100 book voucher for the school. Students may create their picture in the library during second break or they may prefer to unleash their creative energy at home and bring their masterpiece into the library. We look forward to seeing some amazing entries.
See you in the library,
The Library Team
