CSDE Weekly eNewsletter, Week 1, 27 January 2023
Our School Values
Mission: Supporting every student to reach their highest potential
Principal's Pen
Welcome to a new school year.
It’s hard to believe we have already finished Week 1.
It was great to see students, home tutors and families onsite this week at both our Emerald and Rockhampton Campuses. Thank you to those students and home tutors who also joined in to the online sessions which were offered. They say feedback is a gift so if you would like to share your thoughts on our recent induction programs please email: comms@capricorniasde.eq.edu.au.
CSDE’s mission is to support every student to achieve their highest potential and we do this in partnership with our home tutors and families. Our school strategic plan outlines objectives and goals for 2023. This year we will continue to work on improving three key areas within our school;
- School and Community Engagement
- Excellent Teaching and Learning and
- Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment.
For all of us, students are our priority and I look forward to supporting your student’s in their learning throughout 2023.
School Calendar of events
Our school calendar of events is available from the SchoolZine app, the top of the newsletters each week and our school website. Please familiarise yourself with the events scheduled this term by either of the above means. Key dates of interest include;
- Year 4 camp in Week 5 (20-24 Feb).
- Mini-school in Week 8 (13-17 Mar) - please note school photos will also be taken during Mini-school.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING NAPLAN testing 2023 – action required before 3 Feb 2023.
The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time. More information about NAPLAN is available here: www.nap.edu.au/naplan. This year NAPLAN will be held from Wednesday 15 – Monday 27 March 2023. (During Term 1 Mini-school for students onsite).
Accessing the NAPLAN tests
Students enrolled in SDEs should, wherever possible, complete the NAPLAN tests at a school location, via one of the following two options:
- attending their enrolled school’s campus (Term 1 Mini-school)
- attending the campus of a local school as a hosted/visiting student
Students who are unable to attend a school campus for reasons of geographical isolation or illness/injury may be eligible to sit the NAPLAN tests off-site.
Hosted/visiting students
Parents/carers of students who are unable to attend the campus of their enrolled school may approach a local school (regardless of year level or educational sector) and request that their student complete the NAPLAN tests as a hosted/visiting student. If the school’s principal approves this request, the student will be permitted to attend this school and complete the NAPLAN tests as per the school’s test schedule.
Parents/carers should be advised that host schools are not required to schedule catch-up test sessions for hosted/visiting students. If a student is absent on the day of the scheduled test, they may be marked absent for that test domain.
NAPLAN off-site test
The NAPLAN off-site test allows eligible students to complete the NAPLAN tests from home. Principals of distance education schools are responsible for identifying which students meet the conditions to access the NAPLAN off-site test.
For a student to be eligible to access the NAPLAN off-site test, the student must:
- be enrolled in a Queensland school of distance education
- be located in Australia at the time of the NAPLAN tests
- have access to a compatible device with suitable internet bandwidth
- be unable to complete the NAPLAN tests at a school campus for reasons of either geographical isolation or illness/injury.
Note: a student is considered to be geographically isolated if they live more than 16 km away from the nearest school, regardless of year level or educational sector.
Off-site test supervision
Students completing the NAPLAN off-site test must have a home-educator (parent/carer/delegate) to act in the role of test supervisor, who is available to supervise all test sessions (including practice tests) and has access to a secondary device for communication with the school leading up to and on test days. The contact details of the nominated test supervisor/s are required as part of the application.
For a student to complete the NAPLAN off-site test, the test supervisor must:
- be available to support and supervise the student on all testing days
- have access to a phone or other suitable device for communicating with the school prior to and on test days (in addition to the device used for student testing)
- sign a Preparation and confidentiality agreement for home-educators and return it to the school.
Expressions of interest
Parents/carers of distance education students who meet the above eligibility criteria are invited to contact comms@capricorniasde.eq.edu.au to express interest in accessing the NAPLAN off-site test in 2023. Applications will be submitted by our school on behalf of parents/carers. ALL APPLICATIONS WILL NEED TO BE RECEIVED AND SUBMITTED BY THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY 2023.
Students are also able to access disability adjustments, withdrawals and exemptions. Please contact your class teacher if you would like your student to access any of these options.
Spark their future
If you are looking for a helpful parent and carer resources that support getting teens to school then please visit the Spark their Future website. https://www.sparktheirfuture.qld.edu.au/.
Thank you
I would like to thank our P&C Association for the purchase of two fridges which are now located in our new primary buildings in Rockhampton. These fridges were able to be used by both staff and students at our recent induction days. I’d like to acknowledge the generous donation of funds from the CQCC carcase competition to the P&C which helped fund this purchase.
It was also wonderful to see students, home tutors and families able to access the Outstation, Shed and Tuckerbox facilities once more at the recent induction days in Emerald. These facilities have now been made safe and comply with all building requirements. I would like to thank all Emerald families and the P&C for your ongoing patience and support whilst the upgrades took place.
Here’s to a great 2023 everyone.
Kind regards
Amanda Rynne
Change in Contact details?
If you have had a change in any of your contact details, please contact the school to have them updated. It is vital that we have up to date information to be able to contact families.
QLearn
For those that didn’t attend the Home Tutor Sessions face to face, or online on Tuesday and Wednesday, you may have missed out on some vital information regarding QLearn.
QLearn is the Queensland Education Department’s new Learning Platform which has replaced The Learning Place.
Sessions will now be accessed via this new learning platform.
Tutorial videos to help introduce you to QLearn can be accessed via the homepage of the CSDE website (please see link below)
Link: https://capricorniasde.eq.edu.au/
There will be more information in the coming days and weeks regarding QLearn as we navigate how this platform can be best utilised to meet the needs of CSDE and our families.
Year 4 Camp 2023
Year 4 Camp information was emailed home to families this week.
Please note key dates if you wish for your child to attend the Year 4 Camp at Cooee Bay including the day excursions to Rockhampton Zoo, Kershaw Gardens and Capricorn Caves:
• Monday 30th January: RSVP due via the link click on the calendar event in the app calendar.
• Monday 6th February : Complete all forms and returning all pages to administration at administration@caprrocksde.eq.edu.au
Home Tutor Induction Days!
On Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th January, Capricornia School of Distance Education held ‘Face to Face’ as well as online Home Tutor Induction Sessions.
These sessions were designed to support our Home Tutors and provide them with the skills required to assist their students in partnership with CSDE to ensure every student is reaching their highest potential.
Some of our students also attended the face to face student sessions in both Rockhampton and Emerald. It was such a great start to the year, as Home Tutors were able to collaborate and share experiences and tips, while their students spent time with their peers and getting to know their teachers.
Emerald Staff Update - Colin Cowan
At the end of 2022, CSDE Emerald said farewell to Colin Cowan the School's Officer.
As yet, we do not have a replacement for Colin.
Guidance GO-2 - 2023 Guidance Roles
THE ROLE OF THE GUIDANCE OFFICER
Sharon Coyne - Primary, Year 7, 9 and 11
Kate Miles - Years 8, 10, 12 and Out of Home Care (OOHC) Case Manager
The role of the Guidance Officer is to provide personal, educational and vocational counselling, support and information to students and the school community where required.
The Guidance Officer works with individuals, small and large groups, classes, year levels and the whole school depending on the need and focus at different times in the school.
Members of the school community are welcome to see the Guidance Officer to discuss or refer students.
The Guidance Officer can support students with personal issues (e.g. family concerns, peer pressure and conflict, grief and loss, self-esteem, coping strategies). The role of the Guidance Officer also entails career counselling and information (e.g. subject selection, interests, abilities and life work goals, pathways, decision making). The Guidance Officer is involved with educational matters (e.g. diagnostic testing, learning styles, study habits and skills, placement and programming for students with disabilities).
Child Protection issues and Statutory Authority interviews and liaison usually occur through or with the involvement of the Guidance Officer. While mentoring of students is encouraged any issues that put students acutely at risk of harm or which have legal implications need to be discussed with the Guidance Officer.
The information provided to the Guidance Officer by students and staff is confidential unless the student is at serious risk of harm to themselves or some-one else or is being harmed. Students and/or their caregivers may want sensitive information disclosed by the Guidance Officer to staff to support the student. Discretion is required with this information.
The Guidance Officer makes school, interagency and community links to support students personally, educationally and vocationally. The role involves working collaboratively with the range of interagency services which support the school as well as developing links with other community groups/institutions.
Sharon Coyne Kate Miles
scoyn5@eq.edu.au kmile19@eq.edu.au
49314863 49314883
Cultural Snapshot - Welcome to Country
What is Country?
‘Country is everything. It’s family, it’s life, it’s connection’. — Jude Barlow, Ngunnawal Elder
Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material sustenance, family and identity.
Welcome to Country rituals go back to when visitors had to wait to be welcomed into a camp or ceremony — sometimes left sitting outside the camp for days until people were ready for them and sure that they would not bring harm.
Being welcomed to Country means that you are talking to your spiritual ancestors and you’re saying just let this person come through. We trust that they’re not going to do any harm on this Country and so do not harm them.
Acknowledging Country
Acknowledging when you’re on the land of Traditional Owners is a sign of respect which acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership and custodianship of the land, their ancestors and traditions. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can show this form of respect.
Only the traditional owners can speak for and welcome visitors to Country or give others the authority to do so.
See the link for a welcome to country.
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