The Glenleighden News

Office Hours

8.00am – 4.00pm

33 Cubberla Street Fig Tree Pocket

QLD 4069

Ph: 07 3378 8625 Fax: 07 3378 8873

info@childassoc.org.au www.glenleighden.org.au

Important Dates

Tues 31 Jan Parent Information

Evening

Wed 1 Feb School Assembly

Wed 8 Feb

Paget Gorman Parent Session

January Birthdays

Brooke D Lewis S Sam M

Samuel J Samuel B Montana S

27 January 2017

Dear Families

It is with great pleasure I welcome back our families to a new year full of exciting opportunities for our students. Thank you to all the parents who joined us for ‘Tissues and Tim Tams’ on the first day back. Over the holidays we have been working hard to transfigure our school grounds, therapy and curriculum so that our ability to support your child is even stronger than before. The newsletter will outline many new initiatives which we cordially invite all our families to participate in. During our first week there has been a strong focus on social and emotional wellbeing and establishing classroom expectations to support our students to become part of the TGS community. Our new students have particularly transitioned well this year so we are extremely proud of them. For those students who have faced anxiety in moving to a new school we remind them that “being scared means you are going to do something really, really brave.” We trust that the move to our school is just the start of new and amazing successes and friendships in their lives.

New Staff Appointments We are delighted to welcome several new staff to our TGS community and hope you have the opportunity to get to know them soon. Our new staff includes: Teachers Elisha Conaughton - B.Ed (Early Childhood), M.Ed (Inclusive Education), Cert IV (Ministry and Theology) Junior School Rebecca Monetti – B.Ed, B.Visual Arts, M.Ed (Special Needs and Intervention Studies), Cert IV (Visual Arts), Diploma (Ceramics) Middle School Victoria Massey – B.MEd, Diploma (Fine Arts), Cert IV TAA Senior School

Therapists Kevin Kao – B.Occ.Thy Middle School – Occupational Therapy Jayne Whiting – BSc (Hons), MSc Whole School - Physiotherapy We are also delighted that Alison King (Speech Therapist – Junior School), Jane Newcombe (Speech Therapist – Middle School) and Amanda Brain (Occupational Therapist – Senior School) continue on with us in a greater capacity as part of our therapy team. Team Leaders This year each year level has a team leader coordinating events and information distribution to families for class activities. They are also responsible for providing the fortnightly year level updates. The team leaders are: Jan Morey – Early Childhood Jackie McAlister – Junior School Gillian Keir – Middle School Jan Chidgey – Senior School Any individual concerns and queries outside general year level information should always be directed to the classroom teacher in the first instance - and of course my door is always open! Parent Information Evening Families are reminded that Tuesday, 31 January 2017, is the Parent Information Evening. The evening commences at 6.30 pm in the library with presentations by the Principal, Therapy Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Music Therapist and Psychologist. Parents will then be directed to their child’s classroom for year level teacher/therapist presentations about curriculum, timetables, expectations and homework. The evening is expected to close around 8.00 pm. Child care is available for the evening, however bookings must be made through the school office prior to the event.

The Glenleighden News Tasty Tuesday Tasty Tuesday is a PS&F initiative allowing the children to access a hot meal each Tuesday. It is not compulsory to participate but it gives the children an opportunity to try new and delicious foods. (It also provides families the day off from lunch box duties!) The order forms and payment are due by Wednesday 1 February 2017. The program relies on volunteers so if you can help please contact the school reception. Food School Our very popular program “Food School” is back this year and available to students in Early Childhood and Junior School classes. Letters about this valuable program will be distributed in the next week. Please contact Andrea O’Brien or Alison King if you would like to learn more about the program. Personalised Learning Teachers and therapists are now collecting data and getting to know the new student cohorts. This data forms part of the personalised learning experience for each student. This year our primary student cohort have the added advantage of accessing either individual or small group afternoon therapy in occupational therapy, articulation, physiotherapy, social skills, social emotional support and music therapy. Teachers and therapists will be in touch shortly to formalise their recommendations. Horse Riding Horse Riding commences next week for our Junior School students at the McIntyre Centre. Ms Conaughton’s class will be attending on a Wednesday and Ms McAlister’s class will be attending on a Thursday. Early Childhood students will be undertaking horse riding in Semester 2. Gym Senior School classes have already begun their gym program for 2017. This program develops health and fitness within our student cohort and also provides social and language opportunities for the students in a ‘real world’ environment. Chatters Café Our wonderful Chatters Café is open for business again. Feel free to drop by and order a ‘cuppa’ after assembly next week. Craft Club Our enthusiastic and energetic chaplain has been organising for a school craft club each Monday in the library. Students should speak to Jilianna if they would like to enjoy a fun lunch time activity.

My Time Jilianna is now coordinating My Time – for more information on the first event at Lone Pine for families please see the Chaplain’s news later in the newsletter. Paget Gorman Workshops A reminder that Paget Gorman workshops for parents and guardians commence on Wednesday, 8 February 2017, in the library. This is a great opportunity to learn from our Paget Gorman expert, Anne McSweeney, Speech Pathologist, how to use Paget Gorman in the home environment to support your child. The workshops occur on a fortnightly basis to assist competencies in Paget Gorman. Principal’s Welcome Back Morning Tea Parents staying for the Paget Gorman workshop after drop off (and any other interested parent) are invited to join the Principal for a welcome back to school morning tea catered by Chatters Café. We hope to see you there to share stories about your holidays and the first few weeks of term. SALDA Clinic Parents seeking additional fee for service therapy sessions through SALDAs clinics can fill in and return the ‘Expression of Interest’ form that will be mailed next week. The clinic provides speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and psychology. Sessions may be deliver on site at school for families’ convenience. Please direct any inquiries about this service to Jenni Machin Therapy Coordinator on 3378 8625. Acknowledgement I would like to thank and acknowledge the work of our staff who have put in many hours at the school to ensure your child has the smoothest start to the year possible. A special thank you goes to the team who helped with the refurbishments - Greg Spencer and son, Jenni Machin, Callum McIntosh, Colin Ainsley, Karen and Cameron Bailey and son, Luke Grayndler and last but definitely not least Stuart Campbell.

kind regards

Debra Creed

Principal

The Glenleighden News Page 3

Chaplaincy News Hi everyone, and welcome to Term 1! If I haven’t had the opportunity to meet you yet, my name is Jilanna and I am the Chaplain here at the school. I am at school every Monday. What does a School Chaplain do? A School Chaplain is a safe person for young people to connect with at school and pro-vides a listening ear, caring presence, and a message of hope. Chaplains run positive, fun activities for students and assist in fostering supportive, caring school communities. Working with other members of the school’s support team, the Chaplain provides social and emotional support for students struggling with issues such as difficult relationships with other children or family members, poor self-esteem, family breakdown, and anxie-ty. The partnership between the school and the Chaplaincy Service, supported by local churches, businesses and community organisations, provides a network of local sup-port and assistance. These positive relationships help young people to face difficult issues, and provide hope, connection, meaning, and purpose. The Chaplaincy Service is available to everyone in the school community regardless of their religious beliefs. Will my child be involved? Involvement with the Chaplain is entirely voluntary and students choose whether or not they want to be a part of the activities that are offered. Parents will be consulted if their child wishes to be involved in ongoing one-to-one meetings with the Chaplain or in any program or group involving spiritual or ethical content. Parents have the right to refuse permission for their child to be involved in any Chaplaincy activity or event. How can I contact the Chaplain? I can be contacted on jilanna.craig@childassoc.org.au or by ringing the school office on Mondays. I’d love to meet you or chat with you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of support to you and your family in any way. What’s ON! Craft Club I will be starting a Craft Club this Term, on Mondays, open to all students. This will be a great space for stu-dents to get to know each other better, gives me an opportunity to get to know the students as well, and enjoy making something different to bring home each week. Watch this space for more details in the coming weeks! MyTime About “MyTime”… “MyTime groups provide support for mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone caring for a child with a disability or chronic medical condition. It’s a place for you to unwind and talk about your experiences. It’s a world away from appointments and therapy. It’s support for you.” I’m looking forward to coordinating MyTime this year. It’s a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better, and a great space for parents and carers to chat and support each other as well. Our first MyTime get together will be in week 3. Details below: Where: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, 708 Jesmond Rd, Fig Tree Pocket When: Monday 6 February, from 9am straight after school drop-off More Details: We will meet in the café area at the front of Lone Pine. If you ’ve never been there before, there’s a lovely outdoor-gated play area if you are keen to bring your non-school age children. Please mark your diaries for Monday 6 Feb! Would be great to meet you! I hope to have quite a few MyTime gatherings per term, so if you have any ideas, please come and share. Have a great week and see you at school. Jilanna Craig – Chaplain E: jilanna.craig@childassoc.org.au