Sarah 

Principal 

What a magnificent start to 2021 we have had in our classrooms! I am so happy to be a permanent member of Gympie Special School. I have enjoyed visiting every classroom over the last week to be greeted with smiling faces learning about their new peers and teachers, and ways of working together.

Communication for each student is a primary focus for each classroom. To explicitly teach how to communicate we will be shortly beginning a Core Word of the Week. Using PODD books, Chat boards, Key Signing and verbally, this word will be modelled throughout the school day, by staff, inside and outside of the classroom in a variety of ways. This will also fit with our Working with letters and words literacy focus for 2021. We will share information on our Facebook and Website over the coming weeks to keep you informed.

I was extremely pleased with our senior students successfully leading their first Parade this week. They demonstrated confidence and leadership to all of their peers, and we look forward to sharing weekly parades lead by different members of our senior cohort.

Shellie

Hi Everyone,

Congratulations to our staff, students and families for an awesome start to the 2021 school year. We are very much looking forward to working together to provide quality, individualised learning outcomes for your child this year.

I would like to offer a warm welcome to our new families and new staff that have started at Gympie Special School. It was so wonderful to see our 4 new Prep students make a successful start!

In the week prior to students returning to school, our staff participated in 3 days of professional development. While there is always the mandatory training that must take place, staff focussed on getting to know the students coming into their classes and preparing their rooms for the start of the school year.  As I walk around the school each day, it’s really great to see our students settled into their new classrooms.

Our students have been extremely patient waiting for our new playground to be finished and ready for to play on. It should be read next week and we are very excited! The new playground has a hollow log, sensory walk, trampoline pits, music corner, interactive panels, outdoor classroom and an exercise/fitness area. Please follow us on Facebook for playground updates.

School Times

Attendance Matters – Here at Gympie Special School, we understand that our students often need to attend medical and specialist therapy sessions. We encourage all of our students to attend as regularly as possible as school attendance helps maintain routines and promotes confidence in daily routines. Please let the school know as soon as possible if your child is going to be away.

Kind regards,

Rachael

Welcome back to 2021

Student book packs and stationery have now been distributed and invoices for the Student Resource Scheme have been issued.  The amount remains the same in 2021 and the cost per child is $170.  If you have not yet been invoiced this probably indicates that we are awaiting the return of the SRS permission form.  Please contact the office to have one sent home with your student.

A huge thank you to our P&C for endorsing this iniative, to our families for participating and to the many carers and parents who have already made payment.  If you would like to set up a weekly, monthly or quarterly payment option please email the office on admin@gympiespecs.eq.edu.au

Kind Regards,

Jo & Cassandra

Regards, Miss Grace (Arts Teacher)

HASS with Miss A

A warm welcome to all students, staff and parents in 2021. This year will have lots of learning opportunities for students to engage with studies of our world. In Early Years, students are looking at celebrations which are familiar to them and how families celebrate differently. Primary students are investigating how a community celebrates and different celebrations around the world. Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary classes will explore war, rights and freedoms and how these have shaped our world.

Primary 1

Welcome back to the start of another school year. The students of Primary 1 have been busy transitioning from early years to the primary sector (and their new classroom block). We have spent the past week getting to know each other, forming new friendships and settling into our new classroom routines. We have reviewed “how to do school,” class expectations, school rules and visits to various learning spaces within the classroom and school grounds. We have enjoyed visiting the gym and library during playtime but eagerly await our new playground and outside classroom space.

In daily literacy, we have been focussing on letters of the alphabet and finding them in words, reading and flipchart writing. In numeracy, we are focusing on measurement, length, weight and capacity.

We are excited for what 2021 brings and look forward to growing and learning together.

From Primary 1, Miss Erin and Miss Jenny

Howdy and welcome back to school for 2021. To help your child to be the best they can be we have teacher aide Darren Stockmeier and teacher Deb Jacobson.

Communication

Throughout the term, I will write in diaries, phone or email you to discuss your child’s progress and other relevant information.

Classroom Rules

As a whole class, we will decide on classroom rules in the first few weeks based around being Respectful, Safe and a Learner. We will keep you informed on what those rules are and how they look in our classroom.

Events                                                 

Swimming commenced on Monday, Week 3, 9.30-10.00 until the end of the term. (8 weeks)

Technologies, The Arts and HASS

This year, Gympie Special School will engage in the learning areas of Technology, The Arts and HASS. Andrew, Grace and Marina will be teaching the students in these subjects. This term, Design Technologies will focus on engineering principals and systems.  The Arts will involve the communication of cultural meaning through found objects, with a focus on Indigenous heritage. In HASS, students will explore the concepts of War, Freedoms and Rights. We look forward to engaging students in these learning areas.

Term 1 Curriculum Overview

We have a jam packed, engaging curriculum this term, filled with hands on learning and connecting to our community.

English-We will be engaging in texts that help us to discover all the different people in our community including the Gubbi Gubbi or Kabi Kabi Peoples. Yes, I found some great texts for this unit.

Maths- One of my faves. We will explore number, patterns, shape, and location and transformation using lots of hands on materials.

Science-Oh what fun we’ll have investigating Forces; in particular, push and pull. I feel some car races coming on!

HPE- Students will problem solve movement challenges in PE and they will demonstrate their knowledge of identifying a safe environment to play in.

Until next time,

Miss Deb, Mr Darren and JS1 students

Junior Secondary 2

A big warm welcome back to the 2021 school year. We have started out exploring what it means to us to be an Australian.   Activities included studying our national anthem, playing word games using Australian slang, and writing about what being an Australian means to us as an individual.  We identified another culture of interest to us, looked at the national dress of that country, and superimposed our own image onto a person from our country of choice. These activities have given Libby, Sue, and Michelle a chance to learn more about our students and will lead us into our English and Math Units. 

As well as our learning in class, we’ve had fun during break times playing games and mixing with our friends.

Libby, Sue and Michelle

Team JS3

We have had a dynamic start to the school year with a change of classroom and two “new to the class students”. Just to keep things interesting, we also have a front row window seat for the evolving playground construction, so there is always something exciting happening in JS3!

The second week of term finds us starting to find our feet in our new spaces and settling into familiar learning routines. With a strong communication focus, this term will be all about different ways to get our message across with an overall topic of “People in my Community”. As we investigate concepts of print, our book of the week has been “I’m Australian Too” by Mem Fox, and we will continue to explore multicultural Australia and the greater Gympie area, throughout the semester.

Our literacy focus is broad and is based on individual student needs with the common theme of letter and sound recognition extending to reading familiar and commonly used words. Numeracy lessons usually include fine and gross motor activities that support general problem solving ability with targeted instruction for each student.

Team JS3, Miss Jodie, Miss Emma and Miss Dana

Senior School - Years 10, 11 and 12

Welcome to Senior School 2021. We have four great classes and nine great staff in our senior school and students and staff are anticipating an enjoyable and productive year.

We are currently working together to organise a senior camp and to create a student-centred, engaging and productive curriculum. We have commenced our work in English and Maths and discussed and recorded expectations in the classroom and at break times.

We are focussing on Two goals for senior school:

• Creating a sense of community where everyone counts and cares for one another
• Providing students with the skills and knowledge needed for life after school

We have had a very calm and caring start to the year. Students have applied themselves to their work and are enjoying their interactions at break times.

As a staff we are working very hard with the administration team to organise Semester 1 Senior Subject electives that are based on the student’s QCIA curriculum plan needs. We will inform you as soon as these are finalised.

If you have any concerns or queries do not hesitate to contact the teaching staff. Strong links between home and school help our students to achieve to their potential.

Ms Cann, Ms Amanda, Ms Liz, Ms Alison, Ms Chrissy, Ms Anne, Ms Debbie, Ms Judith.