Welcome to CSDE - Week 0 eNewsletter

Principal's Pen

Dear Students, Parents/Caregivers, and Home Tutors,

Welcome to Week 1 – our much-anticipated Induction Week! We are thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with both new and returning members of our school community. These initial days play a crucial role in setting the scene for the upcoming school year, and we are committed to making it an enriching experience for everyone involved.

I trust you have found Day One of the online Induction sessions informative and that they have supported you in the initial stages of laying the foundation for a successful and fulfilling school year at CapSDE.

To accommodate various preferences and circumstances, the school organised two days of online sessions and two days of face-to-face interactions. It's important to note that the content covered in the online presentations will be repeated during the face-to-face sessions. While we encourage attendance at the face-to-face events, we understand that individual circumstances may impact your ability to participate in the face-to-face mode, particularly considering the cost of travel presently.

For those who are able to join us in person, I am looking forward to joining our new and returning Emerald students and families on Wednesday, 24th February.  The following day, Thursday, 25th February, I will be in Rockhampton, extending a warm welcome to our community members there.

I must confess that sometimes, I wish I could be in two places at once! The decision of where to be is never easy, but I am committed to making the most of both opportunities. Whether in Emerald or Rockhampton, my goal remains the same – to meet and engage with our wonderful students, families and home tutors, building connections with the aim to enrich your experience at our school throughout the school year.

Your presence and participation are valued, and we appreciate the efforts you make to be a part of these induction activities. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Let's make this Induction Week a fantastic start to a memorable academic year!

Amanda Rynne (Principal)

Key Dates - 2024

Our Key dates are available below for families looking to plan for 2024.
Whilst we don't anticipate changes,  we are aware that due to unforeseen circumstances at times changes are unavoidable. 

Home Tutor Induction Days

Next week, Capricornia School of Distance Education will be holding ‘Face to Face’ as well as online Home Tutor Induction Sessions, for all Home Tutors. These are sessions are for new families as well as existing Home Tutors, so they keep up to date with relevant information for the current year. 

Families are able to choose whether they would like to attend online sessions, OR if they would prefer to attend face to face sessions, onsite in either Rockhampton or Emerald.

Monday 22 Jan – Tuesday 23 Jan – Online

Wednesday 24 Jan – Thursday 25Jan – Face to face

These sessions are designed to support Home Tutors, providing them with the skills required to assist their students - in partnership with CSDE - to ensure every student is reaching their highest potential.

Face to Face Sessions Rockhampton (Wednesday 24 Jan & Thursday 25 Jan)

Please see below a map of the Rockhampton Campus to assist you.

• Primary Home Tutors are asked to enter via the McLaughlin Street entrance and make their way directly to the Primary Buildings for student drop off.  

Here, you will be asked to sign in by 9AM, before being directed to the Library where the Primary Home Tutor sessions will be held.

• Primary students will be supervised in activities in the Primary Buildings.
• Secondary Home Tutors can come directly to the Administration office via Farm Street, Gate 5 to sign in, and will then be directed to the Outstation for your sessions.
• Secondary students will be supervised in activities in the B Block Staffroom.
• Morning tea and lunch for ALL Home Tutors will be provided in the Outstation at the designated times on the timetable.
• Please send your student to campus with a packed lunch and water bottle, school uniform, hat and closed in shoes.

To assist us with catering for Home Tutor Sessions, if you plan on attending the ‘Face to Face’ sessions in either Emerald or Rockhampton, please indicate intention to attend by completing the form via the link below as soon as possible.  

LINK:  Please click here to indicate your attendance to assist our catering numbers.

Face to Face Sessions Emerald

Emerald Home Tutors should head directly to the Staffroom. If you are unsure where the staffroom is, please check in at the administration office and you will be directed where to go.

Please note that eKindy will not be running during the Home Tutor face to face Induction Days on either campus.

Home Tutor Induction Day Timetables

Below you will see the timetables for the Home Tutor Induction Days.

All Home Tutor sessions are run in Microsoft Teams.

• The Home Tutor online session timetable is complete with direct links to sessions.
• To access these links, click on the download link so you are able to access the timetable as a .pdf.
• Click on the link for each session in the timetable to access the session.

Student online sessions will be held in the QLearn Platform. 

• Primary Lessons are in the 'Primary Cohort 2024' in QLearn (links to sessions are below)
• Secondary Lessons are in the 'Secondary Cohort 2024' in QLearn
  • To find Secondary lessons in QLearn, plese use the key words 'Week One' in the search bar.

Tutorial videos to help introduce you to QLearn can be accessed via the homepage of the CSDE website (please see link below)

Secondary Scoop

Note that next week there are two Care Group sessions at the start of each day for Inductions.  They will run as follows:

ONLINE

Monday 22 January 9am to 9:30am                          Online                  

• Session will be run by Care Group Committee members (Care Group teachers can join the session to hear the content)
  

Tuesday 23 January 9:00am to 9:10am                    Online                  

• Session to be run by individual Care Group teachers
  

FACE TO FACE

Wednesday 24 January 9:00am to 9:30am             Face to face                     

• Session to be run by Care Group Committee Members
  

Thursday 25 January 9:00am to 9:10am                  Face to face                        

• Session to be run by Care Group Committee Members in the staff room but feel free to drop in and meet the students.

Week 2 will see normal Care groups running.

Student Term One Timetables

Week One will see students access sessions according to the Induction Day timetables. 

For the rest of Term, students will need to download their timetable by logging into OneSchool. These will be available from Monday afternoon, 22nd January.

Students are expected to obtain a current and correct version of their timetable at the beginning of each term in case there have been changes over the holiday break.

Information on how to access and download your timetable can be found on the school website, by entering Oneschool into the search bar.

The following link will also take you there: https://capricorniasde.eq.edu.au/curriculum/daily-timetables 

School App - Szapp

Don't forget to download the school app for information at your fingertips.

2024 Booklists

In the 'Forms & Documents' content holder on the left-hand side column in the newsletter, you will find the 2024 Booklists.

CSDE understands the difficulty some families face when trying to purchase booklist items, whilst living remotely, or difficulty accessing stores. As a result we now offer families the opportunity to purchase their booklist items through Campion online. Campion has the complete list of all items on CSDE book lists available, with delivery before the start of school.

Ensure you enter the school code when ordering through Campion, 96V8

Using Campion for your back to school supplies is not compulsory, however this convenient option is available to families who may like to utilise the service. Families can choose what they would like to purchase out of the booklists, so if you have left over items from the year before, you can choose not to add them to your cart for 2024  items.

Instructions are below for those that are interested. 

What's happening in Primary?

Staff Update

Courtney Hawkins will be on leave until Week 6.

Caroline Lindstrom will be covering Year 5 English classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, whilst Mrs Hawkins is absent.

Mrs Sharon Coyne (Guidance Officer) is on leave until 9 February.

Year 4 'Dads and Students' Camp

The Year 4 'Dads and Students' Camp (or significant male role model) will be held on the 19th - 23rd 
February 2024 at Cooee Bay Yeppoon. Pop the dates in your calendar! More information will be out to families shortly.

Mobile Phones - 2024

About

'Away for the day' – mobile phones and wearable devices at school

The Queensland Government is committed to reducing the distraction of mobile phones and other devices to provide optimal learning environments for all state school students.

From the beginning of Term 1 2024, all Queensland state school students must keep their mobile phones switched off and 'away for the day' during school hours. Notifications on wearable devices, such as smartwatches, must be switched off so that phone calls, messages and other notifications cannot be sent or received during school hours.

The decision to implement a consistent, statewide approach to putting mobile phones away during the school day is based on an independent review of Queensland's approach to mobile phones, which was completed in July 2023.

The statewide review heard from students, parents, school staff and experts about the changing impacts of technology on the health, wellbeing and education of young people, with a number of key themes emerging.

Impact on student learning, engagement and wellbeing

Students and teachers shared concerns about distractions to the learning environment caused by student personal use of mobile devices. This included receiving notifications, messages and phone calls during class time, with students commonly reporting feeling pressure to respond immediately.

In those high schools with mobile phone restrictions and systems already in place, both school staff and students reported benefits, including:

• more face-to-face interactions during class time and lunch breaks
• increase in focus and concentration during learning time
• increase in the wellbeing and physical activity of students
• reduction in misuse of mobile phones during school hours.

The review found that more than 95% of Queensland state schools are already implementing restrictions on the use of mobile phones for students during the school day, under existing policy.

It is also important to acknowledge the role that mobile phones can play in providing innovative learning opportunities for all students, and access to the learning environment for students with medical, disability or wellbeing needs.

Appropriate engagement with technology

Children generally receive their first mobile phone in the transition to high school, but some students as young as 7 to 8 years-old own phones. The need for more education to help young children safely use technology was highlighted in the review.

Some high schools shared that they were taking a proactive approach to online safety, working with local primary schools to educate young students about the appropriate use of mobile phones as they move into high school.

Partnership between families and school communities

Principals and parents saw further opportunities to work together to support young people to build digital literacy and online safety skills. Providing resources to build this knowledge and a clear statewide policy direction on suitable mobile phone use in schools would offer benefits for everyone.

Equity of access

It was widely recognised that as 21st century learners, students across Queensland require access to reliable internet and technology devices. Stakeholders emphasised the need for a balance between statewide restrictions that would promote student wellbeing and engagement, while meeting the diverse learning needs of students through equitable access to technology.

Opportunities & Employment

Are you interested in pursuing a career in the Electrical Industry?

Energy Queensland will be holding Apprentice Information Sessions in February 2024 for students. The sessions will be held online via WebEx and the dial in details will be available at the end of January.

Girl Power Apprentice Information Session – Tuesday 13 February - this session will feature current female apprentices and tradespeople who will give an overview of life working for Ergon Energy/Energex as well as the Trades we have on offer. There will also be information on our recruitment process and the timing of the 2025 Apprentice Campaign which is due to commence in June 2024.

General Apprentice Information Session – Thursday 15 February - this is for all interested students and will feature current apprentices and tradespeople who will give an overview of life working for Ergon Energy/Energex as well as the Trades we have on offer. There will also be information on our recruitment process and the timing of the 2025 Apprentice Campaign which is due to commence in June 2024.

We welcome your feedback