Wow! What a fantastic term we have had.

The growth in our students over the past 10 weeks has been wonderful to witness. Next term we have some exciting events planned and I encourage you to check the Term 2 Parent Calendar which you will receive next term in Week 1, as well as keep a close eye on our Facebook page where we post events and reminders. Each week, we put many photographs of students working and engaging in their learning, and announce school events via our Facebook page.  Stay as up to date as possible by keeping an eye out for our posts. Tag your family and friends and remember, we welcome positive messages and encouragement on our Facebook posts.

We have a few acknowledgements and farewells this term:

Tricia Blair, one of our experienced Teacher Aides has retired this week. Tricia has been a dedicated and extremely valued teacher aide who most recently has been assisting our school in her 2 day a week role in Workplace, Health and Safety.  We celebrated with Tricia this week and wish her all the best for her future and a lovely retirement!

Lynne Kelly, one of our longest serving teachers, has decided to retire this year. Lynne began her teaching career in the late 1970s and has been a teacher with us since 2016. Lynne will stay on for the first part of next term, in a part time role in Early Years, before taking leave prior to her official retirement. This week, staff celebrated Lynne’s fantastic career with many staff commenting on her gentleness, kindness and willingness to support and help others. Lynne is a huge loss to our teaching staff and we will miss her enormously when she leaves us half way through next term. We wish Lynne all the best for her leave and retirement and sincerely thank her for her dedication and commitment to our school.

Ray Bailey our current School’s Officer (Grounds and Facilities) is taking leave for the rest of this year. Ray has been with our school for the past year, and we wish him all the best.

Our new School’s Officer (Grounds and Facilities) is Adam Mackay who has joined us this week. Welcome Adam!

I wish you and your families a peaceful and fulfilling Easter and holiday break and look forward to welcoming all of our students back on Tuesday 22 April for term 2.

Best Wishes

Sarah Lester

Principal

Dear Staff, Students, and Families,

I can hardly believe we are already wrapping up Term One! Time has flown by so quickly, and it feels like just yesterday we were preparing for the new school year. As we reflect and prepare for term 2 our student council met in Week 9 to plan for our ANZAC day Parade in Week one of term two. This year we will have an emphasis on ‘Commemorating Indigenous Service in the Second World War’.

This term, we’ve put a strong focus on fostering a collaborative and supportive learning environment, and I’m excited to see how this has already begun to make a difference. One area we’ve concentrated professional development on is Team-Teach.

We’ve placed an emphasis on Complex Behaviour Interventions and Regulation Strategies. It’s essential that we support all of our students in navigating their emotions and behaviours, and our team has worked tirelessly to develop tailored interventions to meet the diverse needs of our students. These strategies are vital in helping students engage meaningfully with their learning, and I’m grateful to our staff for their commitment to these important areas.

As we head into the break, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication. It’s been a busy, yet incredibly rewarding term. I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break, whether you're spending it with family, resting, or taking time to recharge.

Phil Whatt

Deputy Principal

News from the HOD-Curriculum Term 1, Week 10

Supporting Teachers with Explicit Routines

We are continuing to focus on supporting teachers in their explicit routines and teaching of reading. Our aim is to provide more structured and effective methods for teaching literacy, ensuring that students have clear expectations and the best strategies for success in reading.

Students' Hands-On Learning

It has been exciting to watch students experiment with their science activities. The hands-on learning is sparking curiosity and creativity, and we are seeing great engagement and understanding as they explore new concepts.

Amazing Persuasive Writing

We’ve also seen some amazing persuasive texts from our students. Their ability to express their thoughts and argue their points clearly and effectively is improving every day, and it’s a joy to see them grow as writers.

New Books for the Library & Teacher Resources

To further enhance our learning environment, we’ve purchased new books for the library, offering fresh materials for both students and staff. Additionally, we’ve increased teacher resources to support greater engagement with the curriculum. These resources will help provide more diverse and interactive ways for students to engage with what they’re learning.

We are excited to see all these changes taking shape and are looking forward to seeing continued growth and engagement in our classrooms.

Everyone in Early Years 1 has had a wonderful start to the year and now first term is over. The highlights have been getting to know our classmates and the other children in the Early Years sector, learning the routines of being at school and having fun. A big highlight of every week is going to the library and choosing new books. Some of us love our books so much we keep them again! We have learnt so much in a short time and it’s easy to see how much we enjoy being at school. We have planted some strawberry plants and flowers in our little garden but with all the rain we haven’t had to do much watering. Our last session of basketball with Coach Tim demonstrated how many skills we have learnt and how good we are at following directions and taking turns. Our Easter activities on Friday were fun and were a good chance to do some activities together and to show off our listening skills during the story and the dancing we have been doing throughout the term. On Friday we’re having the PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) rewards activity. This term it’s a movie and popcorn. We’ll also be visiting the Ardy Shop on Friday with our Ardy tickets to see what we can buy with them. We were very excited to be awarded our Bronze Ardy certificates on parade last week, to celebrate our efforts this term.

Thank you for your support over the term. We are a team. Happy Easter and have a safe holiday.

Lynne and Claire.

Elena, Amity, Eve Matthew and Donald.

Wow, week 10 already. Time flies by when you are having fun. Over the term EY2 has participated in many fun and engaging experiences and learning opportunities.

In English we have been focusing on writing and letter formation. We have used a range of alternate pencils or write with including ipad, keyboard, alphabet chart and Velcro letters. This carries across into our daily writing, signing in of our names and book of the week activities and predictable chart sentences.

In maths we have worked on participating in counting songs, reading numerals, making quantities/counting quantities and beginning to touch on shape and measurement.

During Coach Tim sessions, we we have joined with EY1 to participate in basketball drills and gross motor movement, dancing and group circle games.

Each student has a highlight of the week; an activity that they look forward to and count down the days to.

A, Lucas and Felicity has enjoyed and demonstrated excellent basketball skills, ball handling and shooting hoops.

M and Charlotte has enjoyed sensory letter of the week activities y touching and feeling textured letters and making a sensory alphabet for themselves.

We have all enjoyed listening to the book of the week and participating in BOW activities and predictable chart sentences. The past fortnight we have read the book “I love me” in which we did a body part puzzle, drew our insides and outsides and did a self-portrait collage.

Last Friday we welcomed parents into the class for a visit. They participated in the reading of There was an old lady who swallowed an egg.  Students and parents used symbols of the character to “feed the old lady” as the story was being read.

All in all it has been a wonderful term, and I hope that everyone has a safe and relaxing Easter holiday and return back after the holidays refreshed and ready to go.

From Miss Erin, Miss Kelsey, Lucas, Felicity, Charlotte, M and A

Over the past few weeks, we have been doing shared reading lessons using the story ‘Sitting in My Box’. We really enjoyed our visit to the library where we chose books to use on our class bookshelf.

During maths we have been learning about shapes and number. We have participated in counting songs, reading numerals, making groups of objects and exploring shapes.

During Coach Tim sessions, we have participated in basketball drills and gross motor movement, dancing and group circle games.

We also have enjoyed riding our bikes in the afternoons!

We have had a fast-paced term, and I hope that everyone has a safe and relaxing Easter holiday and return back after the holidays refreshed and ready to go.

Best wishes

Miss Alicia, Miss Kate, Jace, Sophia, Indiana, Jai and Marky.

Striving for more in EY4

This term Miss Nairda and Miss Jodie have learnt a lot from students and enjoyed watching developing minds work together in new and interesting ways. In science we are investigating how things move and, without any prompting from adults, EY4 students discovered how cars travel with gravity through a long tube angled from a desk to the floor. Even better, working cooperatively without adult guidance, students took turns to send different sized and weighted vehicles whizzing down the tube. This activity took place during a brain break when no formal lessons were being delivered so it was also a timely reminder of the benefits of allowing children to develop their creative problem-solving skills by providing materials without explicit instructions of how to use them.

Measuring with informal units and exploring simple shapes are the 2 learning paths in math this semester. We continue the daily practice of investigating number in different ways right through the year. One day we joined all of our individual block towers together to build a tower that was one Jake, one Jack and one Rose long! Using pin boards to make simple shapes has been a lesson in patience for many. Without a template it is tricky to make straight and curved lines but we all had a go and tried our best.

We have investigated lots of ways to make learning to read fun and the students have really loved using Velcro and magnetic letters, sidewalk chalk, board games, simple books, memory match and classroom displays to reinforce what is explored in reading lessons. Memory match is definitely the favourite and a game some of the students choose to play during brain breaks. We have also noticed that every book chosen as the Early Years Sector Book of The Week have been the start of many unscheduled lessons in turn taking and sharing during brain breaks because they are so popular! It is a beautiful sight to see a child reading a favourite book to another child and something we see most days in our reading nook.

Week 10 brings the end of first term and a change of routine for many of us. For most of this week we will maintain our regular routines in the classroom and, while it is a time to reflect on the previous ten weeks, it is also worth taking a moment to take notice of which parts of the school day work well for your family. Structured routines have worked best for EY4 students this term and what adults think of as small things, like wet weather play, an unfamiliar adult in the room or a change in furniture placement, can bring behaviour changes and dysregulation for children. What feels normal to others can actually be a bit terrifying for some of our little people. During the school week, there is usually a schedule at home too. For example, time to get out of bed, get dressed, breakfast, brush teeth, time to get in the car, arrive at school, follow the schedule, leave school and so on so children know what to expect. When that predictable routine loosens up not just for a 2-day weekend but for 2 whole weeks, trying to navigate the unpredictability can be a little overwhelming, particularly for those of us who need more processing time. Just when things are making sense, it’s back to the early morning rush! Perhaps sticking to school term bed times and limiting screen time during the holiday break will help your EY4 student transition back to school after the Anzac Day long weekend too?

Take care of you and yours. Until next time

Miss Jodie, Miss Nairda, Rose, Jack, Harrison, Jake, M***a and Mason.

Where has the year gone? I can’t believe we are at the end of Term 1 already.

What a great time we have had reading our Books of the Week ‘Sitting in My Box’ and ‘I Love Me’. The students have been emersed in the language and have used their vivid imaginations to create their own versions of the books. Their use of expression and acting out the stories, using the animal props, enthralled their audience. All this made for a meaningful and purposeful real-life experience…and they loved it!

Role play and having discussions is a daily activity in our busy room. Increasing our vocabulary is so important for little ones. Through listening and communicating, whether verbal or non-verbal, through gestures, expressions or using their Proloquo2Go, we listen and observe how well the students describe the world around them and the range of words they use or sign.

Singing and moving to numbers and shapes, has been great fun! We are building our everyday understanding of numbers, what they look like, sound like, amount they represent and their order. Even though the students are at different levels, adding music and movement to the task adds joy and stimulates their memory. Sitting on the carpet and completing number games is another favourite activity.

Within measurement we have been looking at length. How tall are you? How many blocks tall are you? Who is the tallest or shortest? We have been sorting objects in sizes and using comparative mathematical language of big, bigger, biggest, small, smaller and smallest.

Our Shapes so far have included circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. There have been discussions about counting the number of sides, corners and what curved sides are. Shapes are everywhere in our world!

On The Move is the theme of our science unit this semester. Students have been looking at how things move. This led to them identifying the force of push and pull. This force is one that we use every single day – Opening and closing a door, getting dressed, playing in the playground and even standing up uses the force of push and pull. Using our little vacuum cleaner has helped to reinforce the push-pull actions whilst being lots of fun!

Coach Tim has been teaching some wonderful basketball sessions. Students have been learning to sit and wait their turn, share and pass the ball, throw and catch to a partner and even shoot hoops in the wheelie bin using a Prep sized basketball hoop. Students are also developing their gross motor skills, stance and eye hand co-ordination. We all look forward to seeing Coach Tim each week.

Horse riding is the mid-week excitement! Even though the wet weather has claimed a few weeks, the students thoroughly enjoy the bus trip. Once there, they are excited about putting on their safety helmets, being supported in mounting their horses and having the gentle beasts lead around the paddocks.

To all the parents and carers, from the Team here in EY5, THANK YOU for all that you do day to day for our precious students. Your continued support is valued and very much appreciated.

Enjoy your Easter Break Holiday.

Cheers from Miss Gaelle and Miss Codie.

Reading Update

Did you know that this is the year the explicit teaching of learning to read will be rolled out in classrooms all around Australia? If, like me, you thought this essential life skill is embedded automatically in classrooms, you may be surprised to find it is not quite that simple. Coming to teaching as a mature aged student when my own children were in junior high school, I have had a lot to learn about the science of learning to read. Fortunately, I have always loved to read and my passion for working with students who struggle in this space makes my new role as the Expert Reading Team Leader at Gympie Special School an opportunity for me to continue to grow and learn as I teach something I love.

Extensive research has revealed that learning to read is a secondary skill in human development so we can all breathe a sigh of relief that there is nothing “wrong” with us if reading does not come naturally. Over the previous 5 years I have specialised in supporting students in mainstream, special and supported classrooms to learn to make sense of the symbols and begin their reading adventure. I look forward to sharing the challenges and opportunities of the reading rollout across our very special school in the months to come.

Want to keep up with literacy development over the break? All of the following activities can be adapted for different levels of reading ability:

Memory match:  For early readers use the sounds that the letters s-a-t-p-i-n-r make. Sounds are important because the letter names can be confusing when sounding out words. Use the blank side of cereal boxes to cut up 10-12 same sized business card sized pieces. Choose simple words until your child has confidence reading each word without having to sound out and blend each sound individually. Remember to write the same word twice so pairs can be found. Try: at, as, is, in, it, nap, pan, sat, sit, nip etc. As students gain confidence, put similar words together to motivate them to keep sounding out instead of guessing. For example, sat and sit, pan and pin. We have also learnt “the”. If students find a match but can’t read the word, they don’t keep the cards. Turn it over and try again – a great lesson in patience and perseverance!

Use sidewalk chalk or a paintbrush with only water to “write” the words by sounding them out. It is so important the child does the sounding out themselves to develop their personal confidence as a reader.

Write a single word on 5-10 post it notes and “hide” them (in plain sight!) around a room. Say one word at a time for them to find and bring you the right word. The quicker they find them, the more words can be hidden.

Put together a batch of playdough. You can substitute gluten free flour and leave out colours if allergies are a concern. Not only will your child develop their fine motor skills – I had forgotten how tricky rolling out a long playdough sausage can be for fingers practised in pressing and scrolling with phones and iPads – playdough is also a great fidget tool. Rolling and shaping letters and words is soothing and engaging for many.

Don’t forget to find time for a trip to the Gympie Regional Library – so many books, so little time!

Jodie Sargeant

Expert Reading Team Leader

In P1 we have had a fantastic Term 1, though it flew by very quickly. We have been really engaged by our persuasive writing in English, coming up with some very good reasons for our favourite parts of books, or which is the best choice arising from situations in books. Some examples are from the book There is a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, one student wrote that chocolate cake is the best to eat because it is delicious and has chocolate cream. While another student argued that cheesecake is the better choice because it is the best party cake and his mum’s favourite. Yes, we are learning to argue very effectively, sorry not sorry!

Shape exploration in Maths has been very popular and we are getting very good at listing the names of shapes and their properties. We have also found these shapes represented in art works, around the school and in our classroom. Addition and subtraction activities have also caught our attention and the different activities to explore these operations have strengthened student understanding.

In Science, magnets are still very popular and on several occasions the class has explored our environment with large magnets checking what things around the school attract to them. We were excited to discover some rocks in a garden that have a high iron contact and stuck to the magnets.

Students have been very engaged with earning Ardy Tickets and some of them have met their savings goals to purchase the bigger reward items, so expect some enthusiastic discussions when these prizes arrive home. Easter arts and crafts have also been very popular for our class of artists, we have had some awesome success with window clings that are very colourful and worked super well after a bit of experimentation on Jo’s part. A new favourite activity in the playground is chalk art on the concrete, they are fun and colourful.

We are looking forward to continuing our learning across these areas in next term.

Jo, Bree and Declan

We have made it to the end of Term 1, where has all the time gone???

This term has been very busy. Lots of learning and some fun. The weather has been interesting too, from cyclones to flooding, we’ve almost had it all!

In English we have enjoyed learning our letter sounds and reading our books of the week. All of our books this term have been about farm animals. A fun book we have read has been ‘Cows go Boo’ by Steve Webb. It’s about some cows who hide on each page and say Boo instead of Moo to scare the farmer, lots of fun!

In maths we are having a great time looking at shapes and counting. Did you know that shapes are found in lots of everyday items. We are having a great time sorting photos of objects into the shapes they represent. Our counting skills are slowly improving. Videos, hands-on activities and online activities are all helping to develop the children’s skills.

We have had a fabulous time on a Monday with Coach Tim learning basketball skills. Our catching and throwing has improved greatly compared to the beginning of the term.

We are looking forward to our PBL rewards movie and popcorn on Friday.

Have a safe and happy holiday from P2

Jennie, Sarah, Naomi, Kruze, Elliot and Isaiah

So, we have come to the end of Term 1, 2025. Wow!! It went by so quickly, must be because we were so busy in class!!

We were learning about and exploring the magic of reading during our Shared Reading sessions, strengthening our phonic skills, focussing too on putting words together to create sentences, writing our own names and recognising those of our class mates, all the while socialising with each other and creating great artworks.

During Science sessions we were exploring the wonderful world of magnets and had fun with push and pull activities. We had a great time with many of P3 parents visiting us last Thursday, thanks for attending!

We are very sad to say goodbye to Ayden end of term since he is moving and will be attending another school.

To all P3 parents and families, have a great time during the Easter Holidays, safe travels to those who will be on the roads. See you in Term 2.

Carina, Andrea, Jaspar, Ayden, Ollie, Obadiah and Henry

Hello from P4,

We have started Term 1 with a zest for learning. We welcome Trinity to our class. It has been lovely to see our class friendships grow as our students learn more about each other throughout the day.

In literacy, we have included dictation and editing depending on our learners’ ability. We have continued to explore persuasive text and are looking at the different modality of the words we need to use to convince the reader. Both Skylah and Rose are increasing their word knowledge weekly, lovely to see.

In maths we are exploring the attributes of 2D shapes and where we see them in our school environment. We are also continuing to explore number in a variety of ways. Koby continues to demonstrate his mathematical expertise. Trinity and Taten are catching up to him at a fierce rate.

Science is proving to be fun, again, with lots of exploration of push and pull, especially with magnets. We have created several ways to demonstrate the force pretending to use magic, while hiding the magnet in the palm of our hand. We have also discovered that magnets have a north and a south.

Several students have begun training for cross country, can’t wait for the big day. Ms Jennie is conducting training sessions several mornings each week. Unfortunately, due to the weather, Cross Country has been postponed and will now be in Term 2.

We had a lovely visit from Colleen, Adriana and Fay last Thursday to showcase our students’ wonderful work. The students explained their favourite subjects and our daily routines.

A huge thank you to all our parents and carers who continue to communication with our diary, emails and phone calls. It helps us to make sure we are working with our learners in the best way possible.

Until next, have a lovely break, we will see you next term,

Koby, Rose, Skylah, Taten and Trinity.

As we wrap up another wonderful term, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the exciting events and successes we’ve had in our school community, as well as the incredible progress we’re making with our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) initiatives.

Embedding the New PBL Shop

We are also excited to share the success of our PBL Shop. The shop has been a fantastic addition to our school, providing students with a tangible way to redeem their Ardy tickets for a range of fun and useful rewards. The enthusiasm from our students has been incredible, and it's wonderful to see them so motivated by this new initiative. Our staff has worked diligently to ensure the shop is a rewarding and engaging experience, and it’s clear that the PBL system is having a positive impact on our school culture. We look forward to continuing to develop this exciting opportunity for our students.

Crazy Hair Day Fun

What a fun way to celebrate our progress of positive behaviour initiatives with Crazy Hair Day! Students and staff came together to show off their wild, wacky, and wonderful hairstyles, and the creativity on display was absolutely amazing. It’s always wonderful to see our school community come together for a light-hearted and fun event that fosters school spirit and encourages everyone to get a little creative. Thank you to everyone who participated and made it such a fantastic day!

PBL Rewards Day: Movie and Popcorn Afternoon

To celebrate the hard work and positive behaviour demonstrated by our students, week 10 Friday will see PBL Rewards Day. Students have earned the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with a movie popcorn and a popper. As a school we love recognising and rewarding the positive actions that contribute to our supportive and respectful school culture. A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this a memorable day for our students!

Embedding the Interactive Matrix in Classrooms

I’m also incredibly proud of the work our staff has done this term in embedding our Interactive PBL Matrix into classrooms. This initiative has allowed us to create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment, where students can easily reference our expectations and practices in real time. The matrix is a fantastic tool for reinforcing positive behaviour, and it’s been wonderful to see it seamlessly integrated into lessons and daily routines. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to make this a success, and it’s clear that it’s having a positive impact on student behaviour and engagement.

As we move forward into Term Two, let’s continue to build on these successes and keep fostering an environment where positive behaviour, creativity, and community spirit thrive.

I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break and comes back ready for another exciting term ahead!

Phil

There has been lots of wonderful engagement from the students in the learning activities in S1.  Chris has been spelling and writing like a champ plus learning his 2d shapes and adding and subtracting to and from 10.  Eli has been working hard on his AAC communication and is on track to achieve all educational goals for this Semester. Mason has been engaging well with his Vocational Training Queensland program. He has so far earned 7 ‘Certificates of Completion’ after finishing the required workbooks and online assessments in both literacy and mathematics.

Andrew, Dale, Mason, Eli and Chris

We’ve had a fantastic term in Secondary 2! It was great to engage with families and friends during our exciting Minute to Win It games and while sharing a delicious morning tea together. We have continued to attend swimming every Friday and have seen some great improvements in confidence and abilities. Across all subject areas, we’ve seen incredible effort and progress, with students working hard on their goals and showing great perseverance. We are so proud of their achievements and look forward to celebrating more successes together.

Amy, Jasmine and Bec

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our "Minute to Win It" parent event — it was a fantastic success! We had a great time, and we hope to see even more of you at the upcoming Cross Country event on the last day of term. It promises to be a day full of fun and excitement, so come along to cheer on the students! We've finally added some wonderful artwork to our main door with funny photos of the class.  Students chose their own character to decorate and there’s a happy bathtub, a hairy monster, a superhero, a dirt bike rider, a musician, and of course, a Disney 'Frozen' character! Fridays are always a blast in science too, with Gaella leading the way as students create fun things that "go," like their awesome pom-pom poppers. We’ve tied in things that ‘go’ with maths and been playing ball games, like ‘Knock ‘Em Down’, out on the deck.  Lots of laughs and loads of (sneaky) learning in there too, with the students counting and adding what they knocked over.  Finally, I want to take a moment to thank the parents for a great Term 1. It’s been a joy working with this group of students, whose positive attitudes and energy make every day fun and rewarding!  I hope you all have a safe and happy Easter break. 

Thanks,

Andy, Sabana, Baxter, Leni, Maddie, Maddee, Arley and Haylie-Rose!

Science with Gaelle

Our encounter with science has led to discovering the properties of objects and how they move. We have made shoes out of paper, observed the properties of soft plastic clay, used push and pull to move objects and propelled pom-poms into the air using our balloon made launchers! There has been lots of fun and laughter!

Science has been lots of fun!

Who said that science can’t be fun? We have had nothing but fun with this science unit!
The students have been observing objects and their ability to bounce, slide or roll. They were introduced to Venn diagrams to sort objects. The students also discovered what makes balls bounce, how they react when they hit surfaces and why some balls don’t bounce at all – dead balls.

To further their skills, the students have learned about the Scientific Method of experiments and what it means to conduct a Fair Test. Using the I Do, We Do, You Do Teaching Strategy, the students conducted their first experiment using the Scientific Method. They had to identify which water temperature dissolved salt faster (cold, warm or hot) whilst keeping their test fair and recording their observations.

Finally, students learned to predict and to then compare their observations with their predictions. The students then applied their new knowledge, to work out which ball bounced the highest. The use of the Ipad to video in slow motion was very useful. We all felt like we were on MythBusters!

How quickly this first term has flown by! It has been exciting to see our students’ developing understanding of concepts they are studying and to witness the growth in their social skills and friendships. Over the past few weeks students have been undertaking various scientific investigations whilst enjoying the challenge of building circuits, which is giving them a deeper understanding of electrical systems. Heath likes to use the Electric Brain Box with motors, switches, sound, light and/or fan to test the effectiveness of the circuits he has built. Max and Thomas enjoy testing their skill by using a catapult to shoot fish into the air and feed the hungry crocs in the Crocodile Snap circuit. In English, students have read and viewed many persuasive texts and written their own texts, modelled on their reading. Additionally, they have explored text structures, language features, and vocabulary to suit different topics and purposes. Further, during swimming lessons it was pleasing to see the gains made by all students in their water confidence and technique, particularly, Daniel, Chris and Leah. At Parent Engagement Day it was fantastic to connect, engage in some fun games, and enjoy a lovely morning tea together. Finally, we would like to wish all our students and their families a safe and happy Easter!

Warm regards,

          Libby, Michelle, Leah, Heath, Daniel, Max, Thomas and Chris.

S5 Newsletter – Week 10, Term 1 2025

The second half of the term has really given the students the opportunity to dive deep into their learning and establish solid understandings of new topics and skills. The Science kits have been a crowd favourite as the students work together in a team to build the investigation and test out theories by making changes to the materials. In our daily spelling and writing, the students have come along in leaps and bounds which is exciting. See attached for some great photos of Declan’s drums, our fan Science kit, playing handball at break time, building 3D shapes using modelling clay and matchsticks, doing some creative writing on the laptops and playing a spelling game with the fly swats.

Thank you for the participation in our Family Engagement Day last Thursday. The food was beautiful and the games sure were entertaining! ?

The move to our new temporary classroom went smoothly and we are already settled in and enjoying the new space whilst our old classroom is being renovated. The students adapted very well to the change and have been engaging in discussions about comparing the two classrooms.

Naomi is our Teacher Aide on Monday, Thursday and Friday. Bec is our Teacher Aide on Tuesday (specialist day) and Wednesday.

We have lots of exciting things to look forward to in the final week of Term 1 including Cross Country on Thursday and a movie and popcorn for PBL Rewards Day on Friday.

Have a brilliant Easter holiday break and we will see you soon, ready for another term!

From, S5 – Charlie, Declan, Ryan, Rosie, Tyson, Mason, Naomi, Bec and Monique

We are excited to share that the Minute to Win It Family Engagement Day was a fantastic success! It was wonderful to see families participating and enjoying the fun challenges together. Thank you to everyone who made it such a memorable event.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled about our Cross Country event on Thursday, 4th April. It promises to be an exciting day of friendly competition, teamwork, and athletic spirit. We can't wait to see our students take on the course!

Also, our swimming lessons wrapped up on Friday, 28th March. The sessions were filled with progress and achievements, and we are proud of all the students for their hard work and dedication.

Finally, we are preparing for an S6 mini celebration, where we'll celebrate the swimming skills students have learned and the great behaviour they've demonstrated throughout these eight weeks. It's sure to be a wonderful occasion to reflect on their growth and achievements.

Stay tuned for more exciting events ahead!

Linda, Chrissie, Dante, Ky, Laila, Rebekah, Azalia, Locklan

Term 1 has flown by and we can’t believe the holidays are upon us. The students have worked so well this term learning the ways of Senior Schooling and settling in to our routines. They should all be commended for coping with the classroom change while our old classes get a refurb. Our year 12 students have been presented with the Senior Jerseys this week at Parade.

Café has been going so well on a Friday and the students have been loving learning all the new recipes. In Term 2 we will be inviting our parents to attend Café on Week 5 and week 8. Invitations will be sent out in Term 2.

Our Year 12 students have started their transitions into community programs and work experience, which is a very exciting time for them.

During Literacy we have been focussing on persuasive text. The students wrote to Mr Phil trying to persuade him for different types of fun days for the school! This was such a fun activity. During numeracy we looked at number,

Six students nominated Physical Activity for their elective this semester. In Term 1 the selected activity has been swimming at the Gympie Aquatic Centre. Two staff members walked with the students the short distance to the pool, where we met Leonie, our wonderful swimming instructor.

Each student had a personalised goal for the term and a weekly achievement intention. They used their individual PowerPoint presentation to record their intentions, their achievement that day and what they felt they needed to concentrate on next. Leonie provided instruction and opportunity to practice a range of skills designed to keep them safe in the water and develop their strokes. We also practiced rescue techniques and enjoyed swimming with fins. The students were enthusiastic, cooperative and worked hard to improve their skills. 

Our students have been creating some amazing art works that you will be able to see when visiting us in weeks 5 and 8 next term. Some of the techniques they have been using are: String pull painting, marble painting to create cards for Mother’s Day, collage printing and we are really looking forward to experimenting with a few more techniques before moving onto our crafting and mini performance next term.

Our students have also been preparing for our upcoming Mother’s Day stall in term 2, week 4 by creating price lists using photography and enjoying the ordering process.

We wish you all a wonderful break and a Happy Easter.

Miss Kate, Miss Liz, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Kerri, Miss Dana, Miss Jane

Health and Physical Education End-of-Term Newsletter
Term 1, 2025

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff,

As we wrap up a successful term in Health and Physical Education, we want to take a moment to reflect on the achievements and progress we've made throughout the past few months. It has been an exciting and productive time for our students as they continue to develop essential skills that promote both physical and mental well-being.

Highlights of the Term

1. Physical Fitness Challenges:
   This term, students participated in various physical fitness activities in the classroom that focused on endurance, strength, and agility. Whether it was our fun “Fitness Bingo” or the “Move Your Body by Danny Go” challenge, we saw students pushing their limits and improving their overall fitness levels. Many students embraced the spirit of friendly competition and showed great perseverance.
2. Healthy Living Education:
   Our focus on nutrition and mental health this term has been incredibly rewarding. Students learned about balanced diets, the importance of hydration, and how food choices impact their energy levels. In addition, we discussed strategies for managing stress, building resilience, and the importance of mental well-being as part of overall health.
3. Personal and Social Responsibility:
   Throughout the term, we have emphasised the value of personal responsibility when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students were encouraged to set personal goals, track their progress, and reflect on their achievements. These skills will not only benefit them in physical education but also in other areas of their lives.

Looking Ahead to Next Term

As we look ahead to Term 2, we are excited to continue fostering a love for physical activity and well-being. We have a number of exciting projects and events planned, including:

• Cooking !!!!

Acknowledgements and Gratitude

We want to extend a huge thank you to all the students who have shown incredible dedication this term. Your enthusiasm and hard work have made every lesson enjoyable and rewarding.

A special thank you to the parents and families for their ongoing support. Your encouragement at home plays a vital role in helping our students succeed.

End-of-Term Reminder

Please remember that physical activity doesn’t stop when the term ends! We encourage all students to stay active during the break, whether through family walks, sports, or simply playing outdoors.

We wish everyone a restful and safe holiday, and we look forward to welcoming you back in Term 2 with new energy and enthusiasm for health and physical education!

Stay Active, Stay Healthy!

Warm regards,
The Health and Physical Education Team

Caroline and Riane

Qkr now available

Gympie Special School is excited to offer all parents the ability to order and pay for your child’s school items using your smartphone, tablet or computer. The new Qkr (pronounced ‘quicker’) by MasterCard application is a secure and easy way to make school payments at your convenience. We encourage all parents to use Qkr as it reduces the need to send cash to school or attend in person, and receipts are automatically generated that can be easily retrieved on the app or sent to your email. Apart from making life easier for families, it also significantly streamlines operations with the school.

What can be ordered and paid for via Qkr?

• School fees, charges, levies
• Uniforms (Coming soon)
• Camps, excursions, incursions
• Fundraisers
• Event tickets

The Qkr app can be downloaded for free from Apple’s app store for iPhones (iPads to download iPhone version) or from Google Play for Android phones and tablets.

The Qkr ‘How-to’ Guide from the school shows you how to download the app, register yourself and your children, and pay for a variety of school items.

There will be more items available for payment over time. We will be providing additional information to families over the coming months as we move to online payments within the school.

Gympie Special School Communication Committee Update
Week 10, Term 1 2025

We are pleased to share some important updates from our Communication Committee:

• We have purchased 15 new iPads to improve student access to communication and learning. These devices will support the integration of technology in lessons and provide interactive tools to enhance student engagement.
• Staff will continue to model Proloquo2Go and PODD consistently across the school to strengthen communication skills and support students in accessing the curriculum with increased engagement.
• We will be inviting our speech therapists into classrooms to model language and communication strategies, working alongside teachers to support the delivery of our literacy program.

We are excited about these developments and look forward to their positive impact on student learning.

Until next time the Communication Team