Hello again families and friends. I am thrilled to say that our magnificent Gympie Special School community has me enchanted and I have definitely settled in but, is it really week 6 already? So many wonderful things are happening in all of our classrooms, especially within English units. I have witnessed some awesome independent writing skills across our classrooms. Special mention to our Senior classrooms where some of students were reluctant to write independently last year, and are now writing sentences independently. This makes my literacy heart pump proud with joy!

Our school will continue its strategic focus on delivering a Balanced Literacy approach across all learning areas. A Balanced Literacy approach encompasses shared and independent writing, shared and guided reading, self-selected reading and working with words. Within a balanced literacy approach, communication skills are a vital element. Staff will be placing a strong emphasis around modelling communication using verbal language with PODD books to encourage all students to communicate effectively at their skill level and understanding. Last Tuesday Teachers attended a workshop where they had to play and interact with mathematics activities without talking; they could only use PODD and other symbols to communicate with their partner. Whilst it was quite a fun activity, and we all had many laughs, it was serious business! Many of our students are non-verbal and do not have the language to communicate effectively. Our teachers increased their awareness and ability to use PODD and other communication tools, to support student engagement in a variety of learning activities. We hope you see improved communication skills at home with your child over the coming months.