THANK YOU: As we approach the school holidays, I would like to thank families for being so supportive this term. It has been fantastic to see parents coming along to school events to participate in activities or cheer their child on. It means a great deal to your child when you can attend special days at school. We really enjoy having our families join us for these events and Sports Days last week was a great example. 

Thank you, parents and caregivers, for keeping your child home whenever they have been unwell. It has certainly been a challenging term with high numbers of student and staff sickness. We have had to combine classes at times, when we have not been able to replace staff. Our students have managed these changes very well and I thank our staff for their flexibility and resilience during these challenging times.

SPORTS DAY: Students worked with Coach Tim and our wonderful classroom staff to prepare for our annual Sports Day. Last Friday we were blessed with perfect weather, and lots of enthusiastic, happy faces. A big thank you to the staff who made this day happen - our Sport’s coordinator Miss Jennie for the planning, organisation and running the day, as well as all our classroom staff who helped set up, pack away and supported their students throughout the day. Sports Day is one of the best days of the year, where no matter what your ability, having a go is the main criteria for success!

REPORT CARDS: Report cards will be emailed to families this Friday 27^th June.  

Please check your junk emails as sometimes your email system does not recognise the email which comes from OneSchool, not our email address. If you do not receive this important email by the end of Friday this week, please contact our office via email admin@gympiespecs.eq.edu.au to let us know and request your child’s Report Card.

 If any parents would like a parent teacher interview, these can be arranged as part of the Semester 2 ICP meetings for those students in Years P to 10, or as a separate meeting for Years 11 and 12.

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY: The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted in Term 3 and will be open Monday 28 July to Friday 22 August. All families, school staff and students are invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

An invitation to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey will be emailed to one parent/caregiver per family in the week beginning Monday 28 July.  The invitation will be sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and it will have the subject line School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2025.  Check your junk email folders if you can’t find it.  The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation is received and will take approximately 5 minutes using a computer, tablet or smart phone. 

Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at the school. School computers/tablets will be available.

YEAR 12 GRADUATION: The last day of attendance for our Year 12 students this year, is Friday 21^st November. We will be holding a morning graduation ceremony in our Performing Arts Room on Friday 21^st November, followed by a morning tea for our graduating students and their families. The Year 12 Formal Graduation Dinner event will be held later that same day.

Final date for student attendance for Year 11 and 10: Friday 28th November is the final date for attendance for Years 10 and 11 students for 2025.

I wish you all a safe and happy Winter break over the school holidays and look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday 14^th July.

Best wishes

Sarah Lester

Principal

Dear Families,

I can hardly believe we’ve reached the middle of the school year already! It feels like only yesterday we were welcoming everyone back for Term 1, and yet here we are ready to send reports and finalise semester 1.

This term, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to step into the role of Acting Principal for a week and a half. It was a privilege to support our amazing staff and students in a new capacity, and I enjoyed every moment especially seeing the school from a different perspective and focusing on strategies to help keep things running smoothly.

One of the recent highlights was our Sports Day, which was an absolute success! The energy, enthusiasm, and team spirit on display from students, staff, and families was nothing short of inspiring. A big thank you to Jennie Bryant and everyone who helped organise the day, students and parents cheered from the sidelines, and participated in the fun.

Now, I must confess, my pride took a little hit during the highly anticipated Deputy's Challenge 100m Race. I gave it my all, but was well and truly outrun by the fleet-footed Charlie! Congratulations, Charlie—your speed and sportsmanship were both impressive, and I’ll be training hard for a rematch!

Thank you again for your continued support and engagement with our school community and I am looking forward to moving into semester 2!

Phil Whatt

Deputy Principal

Dear Families,

As we wrap up another exciting and productive term, we’re thrilled to share some key highlights from our learning journey across the curriculum. It’s been a time of exploration, reflection, and celebration!

Our students have been working hard to demonstrate their progress across all learning areas. Over the past few weeks, teachers have been completing assessments and writing report cards to reflect each student’s individual growth, achievements, and areas for future development. We’re incredibly proud of the effort and persistence shown by every learner. Report cards will be emailed home Friday 27 June, and we encourage you to take some time to review them together with your child.

One of the major highlights this term was our visit from the Questacon Science Circus, which brought hands-on science learning right to our school! The day was filled with engaging and interactive activities that sparked curiosity and creativity in our budding young scientists.

• Oobleck Slime – Students explored the properties of non-Newtonian fluids and had lots of fun getting messy while learning about states of matter.
• Bubbles Galore – From tiny to giant, students experimented with surface tension and created bubbles of all shapes and sizes.
• Flying Objects – Using basic principles of aerodynamics, students designed and tested paper helicopters, gliders, and other flight-based inventions.

It was a fantastic opportunity to see science come alive in fun and meaningful ways!

As we close out the term, we’d like to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education. We wish all our families a safe and restful break, and we look forward to another term filled with curiosity, creativity, and learning.

Warm regards,

Karen Abt

Head of Department - Curriculum

Early Years 1

What a wonderful end to the semester it has been in Early Years 1! The children have been bursting with energy and enthusiasm especially during Coach Tim’s sessions in the lead up to Sports Day activities. The children all participated well in a variety of activities including javelin throws, shot-put to running races. In fact, they enjoyed the running races so much that they did this several times. It was heartwarming to see all our little learners give everything a go.

Our visit to the All Abilities Park was another highlight. The climbing frame, flying fox, swings, spinner and slide were all big favourites. The students practised safe and responsible behaviour in the community, staying with the group and listening carefully to teachers. These outings are a great way to reinforce social skills and independence, and our class did an excellent job.

In the classroom, we’ve been diving into our book of the week. The children particularly enjoyed The Enormous Turnip. The children loved acting out the story, creating turnip artwork and MAKING TURNIP SOUP!

We have been focusing on play skills daily including taking turns, using kind words and having safe hands and feet. It has been a joy to see friendships forming and positive social behaviours increasing.

As we look to the term ahead there will be some slight changes to our class. Miss Lynne will continue to ease into retirement by working every Tuesday. Miss Cassie will take on the other days except for Wednesday and Miss Claire our wonderful teacher aide will remain on class full time.

Happy and safe holidays to our prep families,

Miss Cassie, Miss Lynne, Miss Claire, Elena, Eve, Amity, Mathew and Donald.

EY2

This month the cooling down of the temperature and no rain has meant playtime in the playground has been so much fun. It’s lovely to be out in the sunshine.

The children have been busy practising their jumping and throwing with Coach Tim and having lots of fun. Sports day was a great day-going next door to the High School to run on the oval was exciting and having parents there to watch and everyone cheering made it all the more exciting. We loved it!

At our Early Year’s parades all the children in the class have now been presented with their bronze Ardy certificates. Well-done to you all. All EY2 have received Student of the Week certificates over the last few weeks for following the school expectations of being safe, respectful learners.

 In class we are enjoying our literacy activities. Everyone enjoyed “The enormous turnit” as our book of the week. We used props to follow along with the story and even cooked veggie soup with roast carrot, roast turnip, corn, peas and yummy chicken broth. It was a hit with seconds for all.

In science, we have also enjoyed cooking activities where we explored push and pull forces in the kitchen. We whipped up banana muffins and mashed potato – using a push force to mash the ingredients and a pull force to lift and flip the pancakes and toasted cheese sandwiches. Also, in science we have had fun scooting around on the scooter boards. Using ropes to pull ourselves along the length of the corridor and pushing backwards with our feet.

We continue to practise how to form our letters correctly on the interactive whiteboard, saying a little rhyme as we go. For example, (Hook and down, then straight across for f)

In maths we have been playing with playdough and making birthday cakes with coloured paddle pop sticks, counting as we put them in. We’ve also been making towers out of duplo and unifix cubes to match a number.

The under 8’s parent engagement afternoon was wonderful. Everyone had lots of fun and we were happy to have so many of our families there to share it with.

The holidays are fast approaching, and I think the little people will appreciate some time at home recharging their batteries. It has been a wonderful term and we look forward to all the fun and exciting learning and activities to experience in the new term . . . horse riding . .  . science excursion . . . library visits just to name a few.

Striving for more in EY4

Once again, the end of term rolls around and we reflect on what we have learnt over the past 10 weeks. Most recently we showed off the results of our weekly practice with Coach Tim and cheered on the “big kids” as they competed in different events at the Athletics Carnival. This week we will travel to the Riding for the Disabled facility for our final visit of the year as it is now time for the Prep classes to enjoy the sounds, scents and sensory experiences of this weekly excursion. With the assessment and reporting period over for now, we will celebrate a semester of being safe, respectful learners with tasty treats for our Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) rewards day and pack up pieces of work to take home. We will also welcome Miss Catherine to the class on Mondays and Fridays while Miss Jodie is working with teachers to improve phonics instruction and literacy outcomes for students as the focus of the whole school 2025 Annual Implementation Plan for strategic direction.

In class we continue to explore the individual sounds that letters make and begin our investigations into digraphs, when 2 letters make 1 sound. For example, t + h makes a “th” sound as in this, then, that and s + h makes a “shhhhh” sounds, as in ship, shin, shell. Learning the individual sounds, called phonemes, helps us learn to spell at the same time as we are learning to decode. We are all at different stages in the literacy pathway so we have lots of ways of working, including whole class, small group and 1 to 1 with a supportive communication partner.

Exploring how things move has been the highlight of the term for all of our students who enthusiastically do this naturally at brain break or play times. We have enjoyed sliding different sized vehicles down a huge cardboard tube while holding it at different angles, and problem solving when magnetic train carriages repel or attract. Math continues to be expanding on our number recognition and we will revisit pattern next term.

As the weather continues to change, it is important to have a warm jumper or jacket to take off when the days warm up. At other times, the dewy grass leaves some of us with wet toes so please pack an extra pair of socks as well. School bags can get heavy, and you are welcome to leave a labelled bag of spare clothes at school if you prefer. There are still lots of coughs and colds and, although the days will slowly start to lengthen since the winter solstice, cooler weather means classroom windows often stay closed. We continue to spend extra time reminding each other to wash hands before eating, when coming in from the playground and after visiting the toilet. Learning to cough into our elbows instead of our hands, and to wash or use sanitizer after blowing noses is ongoing. We really appreciate families keeping children home to rest when unwell so they can make a quick recovery and stop the spread to others.

Next term we will continue learning how to take turns and be safe during soccer skills practice with Coach Tim. It is also time to start planning those costumes for Book Week with the theme, Book an Adventure!

We hope the break is filled with all the things and people you love.

Until next time

Miss Jodie, Miss Catherine, Miss Nairda and students of EY4.

How time flies! We have made it halfway through the year. Report cards will be out, and the holidays are just a few days away.

Our ‘Books of the Week’ Koala’s Big Day Out, The Enormous Turnip and Room on the Broom have brought lots of joy to the students. Our versions included ‘Green Tree Frog’s Big Day Out’, ‘The Enormous Orange Carrot’ and ‘Seat on the Jeep’. Students once again decided on the characters in the stories and played a big part in the events experienced by the characters. Their little faces light up when they see their new book come to life, knowing that they played an important part of in its creation. They become part authors. All versions of the books will be sent how this week. Enjoy sharing these books with your child.

Numbers have played an important part of our Mathematics’ lessons once again. Students have enjoyed drawing pictures by ordering numbers on their dot-to-dot sheets. They have begun to add small quantities of numbers together and looking at numbers up to 20 by playing Number Bingo.

Science is always fun. We have continued to use the forces of push and pull in our cooking journey and devoured pancakes and pizza. Flipping a big pancake was very exciting. The discovery of magnets and its magical force was ever so popular. We played with paperclips and magnets to see how many paperclips the force of our magnets could hold. Then we went fishing with out magnetic fishing lines and caught lots of fish. This was a very popular activity. Students were also engaged with their pom-pom launchers. The pull action of the balloon pushed the pom-pom out of the cut, sending it flying across the room. Students had to aim for a target, and it took a few trials before they perfected their aim. Lots of fun!

The Athletics Sports’ Carnival was a lot of fun. All students ran in the 50m race with some also participating in the 150m race. Great sportsmanship was shown as they cheered each other on. Thank you, Coach Tim, for teaching us.

We have had our last horse-riding lesson on Wednesday. We have truly enjoyed the opportunity and kindly thank all the volunteers who make this event possible.

Using Bingo games to teach phonics has also been lots of fun. We have used the rime of ‘at’ and ‘it’ so far with great success and have added ‘ot’ and ‘an’ as we progress. Sounding out the beginning, middle and end sounds is at times challenging but fun. The students have also made great progress in being able to count the number of syllables in words.

To help with our social skills we have been playing. During that time the train tracks and trains come out, the cars and dolls appear, and the blocks are scattered all over the classroom floor. Teaching students to play together encourages all kinds of dialogue, negotiating, turn taking and sharing. There was lots of pretend play, action and problems to solve. Play is key to children’s learning, development, confidence and wellbeing.

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, communication and dedication is valued and so very much appreciated.  

"At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents." - Jane D. Hull.

Cheers from Miss Gaelle and Miss Codie 

Mid-year has arrived so quickly. We showed some great learning across all of the assessment tasks. In science we explained how we made things move with magnets, we even painted using magnets under the table. In English we wrote some very persuasive texts about things that are important to us, one student felt we needed a school story time dog while another agued a school calf would be better so we could hug it and the calf could make us laugh. In Maths we have loved exploring all sorts of shapes along side addition, subtraction and equal sharing.

On Friday, Sports Day was very exciting, with some students winning their nominated races. Then on Monday we had a great time at Archery. Some of us are great at hitting moving targets and some of us managed to shoot our arrows very long distances. It has been a big semester and we are all looking forward to the holidays and having a well-deserved break!

Jo, Bree and Declan

Can you believe that Semester 1 is already finished? It’s been a huge five weeks of learning, exploring, and fun!

We have had a busy term with exciting classroom activities as well as school community activities.

Throughout the term we have worked each week with coach Tim to help us to run, relay, throw, jump and push, all to be ready for our Athletics Carnival that we had last Friday. The students had lots of fun and the good weather contributed to a successful day. It was wonderful to see everyone giving their best and cheering each other on with such great sportsmanship and team spirit.

The students enjoyed the Questacon Science Circus last Wednesday, exploring the world of science with hands-on fun like slime-making and giant bubble experiments that sparked lots of excitement and curiosity.

On Monday, in our last week of term we had Evolution Archery at school for our PBL Rewards Day. Goodness me, what a lot of fun we had. Learning how to use a bow to shoot a noodle tipped arrow at targets and Mahu, the instructor.

Amongst all the activities we continued our learning in all our curriculum areas. Our books of the week brought lots of learning about colours. Everyone participated in reading, writing, gluing, cutting, and matching activities. In Maths we have thoroughly enjoyed all our hands on counting activities, especially the interactive rhymes we tell. Science has been such fun exploring how magnets work and what sticks to them.

Hope you all have a wonderful winter holiday, rest well, and we are looking forward to seeing all your happy faces back in Term 3. Hopefully all the sicknesses go away!

Jennie and Sarah

And here we are again, at the end of another term and also end of the first semester. We have had a busy term with exciting classroom as well as school community activities. Throughout the term the students have had coach Tim who helped them to throw, jump and push, all to be ready for our Athletics Carnival we had last Friday. The students had fun and especially we want to commend Oliver who participated in all the activities and the race events. Well done Ollie!! The Cross Country event was also a great success, and the good weather contributed to a successful day. The students also enjoyed the Questacon Circus last Wednesday, exploring the world of science. On Monday, our last week of term we had Evolution Archery at school for our PBL Rewards Day. Goodness me, what a lot of fun we had.

We have also welcomed a new student to our school and class, Sasha. She is getting used to GSS and settling in well.

Amongst all the activities we continued learning: - Shared Reading time brought lots of smiles when reading books with humour, and all participated in reading, writing, sticking, cutting, matching and sharing activities.

Hope you all have a wonderful winter holiday, rest well, and we are looking forward to see all the happy faces back in Term 3.

Carina and Andrea

Hello from P4,

Wow – can you believe Semester 1 is already done and dusted? It’s been a jam-packed five weeks of learning, exploring, and fun! Steve and I are definitely ready to put our feet up and relax, and we hope you are too.

We’ve been incredibly proud of the way our learners have shone, especially in their English work. From reading hilarious stories about crayons quitting their jobs to a sweet tale about a dog looking for a home, there’s never a dull moment! One of the highlights of each week is still our much-loved Book of the Week – a collaborative masterpiece created by both students and staff.

In Maths, it’s been amazing to watch confidence grow as students mastered new strategies and concepts. In fact, some found it “too easy” – so Koby and Taten will be diving into some more challenging number tasks next term. Way to go, learners!

Our athletics carnival was a massive success! It was wonderful to see everyone giving their best and, just as importantly, cheering each other on with such great sportsmanship and team spirit.

The Questacon Science Circus incursion was a big hit, too – with hands-on fun like slime-making and giant bubble experiments that sparked lots of excitement and curiosity.

To top it all off, our PBL rewards day featured an awesome archery session right here at school. No worries – the arrows had soft, noodle-like tips for safe fun, and the kids had a blast aiming for targets!

We wrapped up the term with a lovely class lunch, complete with tablecloths, napkins, and the best manners you’ve ever seen.

Wishing you all a safe and fun-filled break – we can’t wait to see everyone’s smiling faces back in Term 3!

Koby, Rose, Skylah, Taten, Trinity, Steve and Deb.

As we near the end of Term, it’s a great time to reflect on the incredible work our staff are doing to support our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) program. Across the school, staff have been consistently teaching, modelling, and reinforcing our key expectations: I am a learner, I am safe, and I am respectful. Their ongoing effort is creating a calm, supportive environment for all students to thrive.

At Gympie Special School, our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) framework continues to guide and support positive behaviour across all areas of the school. Students are reminded of our school and community expectations as a whole and staff are actively reinforcing these with consistent and meaningful recognition.

 Ardy Tickets – Fast and Furious
We’ve been rolling out Ardy Tickets fast and furious. Staff have been acknowledging positive behaviour quickly, helping to create a strong culture of encouragement and consistency. Students are proudly collecting tickets for following school expectations across a variety of settings.

 PBL Rewards Shop – Spend or Save
The PBL Rewards Shop opens twice a term, giving students the opportunity to spend or save their Ardy Tickets on a range of fun and exciting rewards. This not only motivates students but also teaches valuable life skills such as budgeting, saving, and making thoughtful choices.

 Consistency Between School and Home
PBL doesn’t stop at the school gate. When expectations at home align with those at school, students benefit from clear, common boundaries. Family support plays a vital role in reinforcing these behaviours and helps build positive habits that carry across all environments.

 How You Can Help at Home:

• Ask your child how they earned their Ardy Tickets this week.
• Chat about what they’re saving up for at the next PBL Shop.
• Reinforce school expectations at home to build a strong, united message.

Together, we’re creating a consistent and supportive environment that helps every student succeed, at school, at home, and in the community.

A big thank you to all our staff for their dedication to PBL and to our families for their support. Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and restful break. See you in Term 3.

Darren Stockmeier- Behaviour Support Aide

Chappy News

Drumming Group

Primary, secondary, and senior students have enjoyed being part of a drumming group over the last few weeks. In addition to being lots of fun, keeping a steady beat together is quite relaxing and we are learning how to listen to each other, work as a group, and take turns to make things flow smoothly.

Brekky Club

The school brekky club is running again on Thursday mornings. Students (and staff!) have been treated to toast with various toppings, fresh fruit, french toast, ham and spinach slice, toasted cheese sandwiches, and fruit muffins. Ensuring that students are well-fed in the morning should help them work well in class, and the range of foods provided reinforces the learning they have been doing about healthy food choices.

Gympie Region Support Services

The school has a directory of support services available in the Gympie region if you are needing assistance, advice or information. It has listings for:

• 24-Hour 7-Day support
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• Carers
• Children and young people
• Children’s and youth activities
• Disability
• Disaster management and recovery
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Families
• Domestic and family violence
• General
• Grief and bereavement
• Health
• Homelessness
• LGBTIQ+
• Mental health
• Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers
• Sexual assault and violence
• Things to do and see in the Gympie region.

All staff have online access to the directory and a hard copy is available at the office.

Essentials Hampers

Hampers were given out to Makya-Shawn, Daniel, and Thomas and their families in the past few weeks. Hampers consist of pantry and household essentials up to $20, and are kindly made up by Vinnies Gympie. All school families have a chance of receiving a hamper.

Girls’ Group

Secondary and senior girls have met during lunchtimes to spend time together, have a chat, and do exciting things. This term we have played the card game, Slapzi, and the dice game, Pass the Pandas. We have also painted our fingernails.

What’s during the School Holidays

• Saturday 28 June to Sunday 13 July – School holiday activities at Gympie Regional Libraries. For more information, visit https://gympie.events.mylibrary.digital/
• Saturday 28 June – Mary Valley Rattler Superhero Express. For more information, visit https://www.maryvalleyrattler.com.au/upcoming-events/
• Friday 4 July – Wheels on Mary. For more information, visit visitgympieregion.com.au/rally.
• Saturday 5 July and Sunday 6 July – Gympie Rotary Heritage Makers Fair. For more information, visit makersfair.au.
• Saturday 5 July to Sunday 27 July – Gympie Region Studio Trails. For more information, visit com.au

My role is to support the wellbeing of staff, students, parents, and others in our school community. If you ever need to have a chat or help with something, please contact me on the school number – 5480 2333. I’m at school Tuesdays (8.30am-11.35am) and Thursdays (7.00am-12.05pm), and I can also be contacted via email – rsdri0@eq.edu.au.

Chappy Rachel

End of Term Message from S1 at Gympie Special School

It’s been a busy term filled with learning, testing, reporting, Sports Days, Reward Days, and plenty of timetable reshuffling to manage staff shortages. As always, the Gympie Special School community has come together and simply got it done – a true testament to the resilience and teamwork of my colleagues and the students.

Both students and staff are no doubt feeling the effects of a full-on term, but there’s been so much to celebrate. From strong teaching and learning opportunities to impressive skill development, we’ve seen growth in all of our students. Our science activities have been a particular hit, with students engaging enthusiastically and showing great curiosity.

Social and emotional learning has also been a key focus, and it’s been heartening to see students respond positively and make progress in these vital areas.

Now, it’s time for a well-earned break. We hope everyone takes the chance to rest, recharge, and reset. Enjoy the holidays, and we look forward to welcoming our students back refreshed and ready for another great semester ahead.

Have a fantastic break!

Andrew, Dale, Mason, Eli and Chris

Over the past few weeks, students have taken part in several exciting events that combined learning, fun, and physical activity. In the lead-up to Sports Day, students worked hard during PE sessions to practise and refine their skills. Their efforts paid off as they enthusiastically participated in long jump, javelin, discus, shotput, and a variety of running races and games. Their energy and sportsmanship were fantastic to see!

As a reward for positive behaviour, students enjoyed a PBL Rewards Day filled with engaging archery activities, where they had the chance to develop focus and coordination in a fun setting.

We also had a visit from the Questacon Science Circus, where students explored hands-on exhibits and interactive science activities that sparked curiosity and excitement about the world of science.

It’s been a successful and rewarding term, and we look forward to more great learning experiences next term!

Amy, Jasmine and Bec

Term 2 Week 10

What a fantastic semester we’ve had in Room S3! One pleasing aspect about term 3 has been seeing the progress in athletics when working with Coach Tim.  The day itself was fabulous, full of cheering and participation—thank you to all the parents and carers who came along to support and celebrate with us! 

We finished our English unit with positive engagement as students enjoyed writing persuasive texts trying to convince me which food would be good for a class beak up party.  One student even included music and wanted “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice! 

It’s been wonderful to wrap up the term with a fun and well-deserved archery session for Reward Day—our students have truly earned it by being safe, respectful, and enthusiastic learners throughout the semester.  The day was a real hit (pardon the pun)!

We also had the fabulous Questacon Science Circus visit to wrap up the term.  Everyone was buzzing with excitement with hands-on activities like the double bubble, gooey gloop, and flying (noisy) objects, tying in with our science unit.

Prior to our Science Assessment, we created and played with bouncy balls. There were lots of gooey textures to touch and hold. Baxter really enjoyed the consistency of his cornflour and water Oobleck. This mixture is neither a solid nor a liquid and lots of fun to touch. The students were engaged in the Marble Roller Coaster investigation. Using sliced pool noodles, students had to build a roller coaster that included humps, loops or both. This investigation was very technical, and the roller coaster needed precise taping as any sideways tilt would send the marble off course and off the track. All students succeeded and were very proud of their designs.

 ‘Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity. Science is a process of investigating. It’s posing questions and coming up with a method. It’s delving in.’   Sally Ridefo

Thanks for reading, and hope you all have a safe and happy holiday. From Baxter, Leni, Maddee, Maddie, Arley, Sabana, Gaelle and Andy.

As we approach the end of the semester, we have much to celebrate this term and look forward to in Semester 2! All term we have been very busy practising our throws and running, culminating in the athletics carnival, last Friday. Our efforts did not go to waste as we all participated well and enjoyed these challenges. Further, in Week 9, we had Questacon Science Circus come and demonstrate scientific skills and knowledge in a fun way. Recently too, National Reconciliation Week was celebrated, with all students receiving a book mark and Leah earning a certificate for her beautiful colouring of an aboriginal print. Additionally, we celebrated our PBL Rewards Day last Monday, taking part in fun archery games and improving our accuracy with each shot! We continue to read and listen to wonderful persuasive texts, our latest favourites being “There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake” and “Mr Impoppable.” We had fun making our own sentences when responding to the texts and appreciated the silliness and humour in each. During science all of our students continue to be motivated by the construction of circuits, predicting what movement will happen, once completed. Then they compare predictions with their results after observing the experiment. We were all really intrigued by the Turbo Air Blowing experiment with its floating ball! Daniel, in particular, was mesmerised by this experiment! All students are looking forward to a restful break over the coming holidays, to fully charge for next semester.

Happy holidays and warm regards,

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

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we reach the midpoint of the term, I am excited to introduce myself as the new teacher for your child's class. I understand that transitions can be challenging, but I am committed to ensuring a smooth and positive experience for all students. My priority has been to establish a positive and respectful classroom environment. We've spent time getting to know each other, setting clear expectations, and fostering a sense of community. I believe that a supportive atmosphere is crucial for effective learning. To tailor our lessons to meet the needs of each student, I have reviewed their previous work and assessments. This allows me to build upon their existing knowledge and address any areas that may need further attention. While continuity is important, introducing new routines can refresh the classroom dynamic. I've implemented strategies to enhance engagement and encourage active participation. These adjustments aim to make learning more interactive and enjoyable. I value open communication and encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns. Together, we can support your child's learning journey and ensure their success.

Thank you for your trust and support during this transition. I look forward to working closely with you and your child in Semester 2.

Warm regards,

Riane Labuschagne

Celebrating a Semester of Success!

This semester has been packed with exciting opportunities, hands on learning, and unforgettable moments.

A definite favourite was the Questacon Science Circus, where students were captivated by the interactive displays and experiments that made science both fun and fascinating.

In sport, Coach Tim’s athletics sessions built confidence and skills, culminating in a lively and successful Sports Day that had students cheering each other on and giving their best.

To top it all off, our PBL Rewards Day was a hit as archery proved especially popular, adding a bit of adventure to the end of term celebrations. A well earned reward for a term full of effort and enthusiasm!

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

Classroom Music Update – Semester Reflection
Gympie Special School – Term 2 Newsletter

Dear Families,

What a joyful and music-filled semester it has been! This semester, students at Gympie Special School have had the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of music in ways that were engaging, expressive, and most of all—fun!

From the very first week, we’ve enjoyed listening to a wide variety of songs and soundscapes. These sessions provided a great way for students to relax, connect, and express their preferences. It was particularly lovely getting to know each student better through their musical choices and observing how some children consistently selected the same favourite songs each week—clear signs of personal connection and growing musical identity.

Our classroom came alive with the sound of percussion instruments. Students experimented with a wide range of instruments including maracas, tambourines, djembes, and large hand drums. These hands-on sessions helped develop not only rhythm and motor skills but also gave students an outlet to express themselves through sound and movement.

A special highlight this term has been creating tailored resources for our non-verbal students. Choice boards, emotion cards, and sound symbols were introduced to help every learner engage in music-making. These tools allowed students to communicate what they liked, how they felt, and which instruments or songs they preferred. Watching students light up as they made musical choices independently was truly rewarding.

If your child particularly enjoyed using a choice board during music sessions and you’d like to have one at home, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We would be more than happy to send a copy home with your child.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for our music program. We’re already looking forward to another exciting semester of sound, song, and self-expression!

Warm regards,
Debbie Kitchin, Declan Kenrick
Classroom Music Teacher
Gympie Special School

Reading Update

Our commitment to implementing structured literacy to improve student outcomes is broken down into practical steps that provide teachers with strategies to support each student at their personal level. As supporting individual learning styles is something we do so well at GSS, sounds easy, right? Not quite!

As soon as a commitment is made to improve something, the first question becomes how will we do it? And the second, how will we know if it’s working? This semester, teachers have been exploring evidence-based ways of working that will provide measurable outcomes for students with the first focus being phonemic awareness. Phonemes are the individual sounds that make up words. For example, 3 sounds make up cat, c-a-t and 3 sounds make up this, th-i-s because 2 letters, t and h, make one sound, “th”. With the focus on understanding that spoken words are made up of individual sounds, or phonemes, students learn to identify, blend, segment and manipulate these sounds in words as the first step in decoding. The sounds letters make is not taught in a memorised traditional alphabet pattern but in a systematic order that supports students to apply what they learn sooner.

Exploring books and being read to is still a wonderful way to engage early readers without spending money. We will send home our Class Newsletter and Parent Calendar in the first week of Term 3. Don’t forget to find time for a trip to the Gympie Regional Library over the break – so many books, so little time!

Jodie Sargeant

Expert Reading Team Leader

Senior News

The end of Term 2 has come by so quickly! We have all been very busy working hard this term. The senior students have enjoyed lots of excursions with our most recent being the sensory experience of Wonderbox! The students had a great time and really stepped out of their comfort zone. We wish you all a wonderful holiday break and can’t wait to see the students back here for Term 3!

Literacy

This semester our focus has been on persuasive text. The students have been exposed to multimodal texts learning all about the art of persuasion. Students came up with a variety of new types of sneakers, new chocolate bars and learnt the art of creating a powerful slogan for their products. If only some of these products could be brought to life!!

Maths

Our focus has been on number, shapes, capacity and measurement. The students have engaged in many hands-on activities and have shown a love of measurement especially when it becomes a competition!

Arts

Students have been working hard on creating an art piece to enter into the Mary Valley Art Festival. We have also been creating items for our upcoming market stall in Term 3.

Sports

The students have been working hard on building their skills with coach Tim ready for our sports day in week 9! Students have been participating in team games and this has really helped our students to build resilience and team work skills.

Don’t forget in Term 3 Seniors have their camp to Chaverim! We are all very excited and looking forward to the activities provided. Our Community Connections Expo is also coming up in Week 2 of Term 3. We would love to see you all there.

Senior Team

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.