6 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

Across the Principal's Desk...

OFFICEWORKS CARPARK

We have opened up more carparks in the old Officeworks site, which brings it to roughly 60 carparks now available for families to use.

We have also re-opened the pedestrian access to the school via the bottom oval gates. See the map below.

The area behind the fencing (concrete slab and gardens) is strictly 'out of bounds' and we ask all families to ensure their child/ren keep out of these areas.

Please take care when using this space as some of the grounds and concrete gutters are uneven.

STATE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL CONFERENCE

Last Monday and Tuesday I attended the Queensland State Schools Principals Conference at the Convention Centre. Every two years, Principals from all over the State come together for this professional conference.

It was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and hear the work of a number of researchers in leadership and learning, including Professor John Hattie from the University of Melbourne, who outlined strategies for maximising impact as leaders in schools and deepening the feedback culture; Professor Pasi Sahlberg (University of Sydney) spoke about using ‘small data’ to drive school improvement; and Distinguished Professor Peter Corke, Professor of Robotic Vision, Science Engineering Faculty at QUT.

INCLUSION AT WINDSOR

Last year I wrote a similar newsletter piece as per below. I have once again included it, as it is so very important that we understand just what ‘inclusion’ is all about. Our schools are a microcosm of the real world, so inclusion of all is the ultimate goal, and a step towards creating a gentler, kinder world. A key reminder in all of this is that we are a state school and as such, will have a wide variety of students and open our doors to all who come from within our catchment. The fact that 80% of the students who are of primary school age, living in our catchment attend Windsor, is a testament to our inclusivity and reputation. The greatest gift you can give your children is that of inclusivity. The more they interact with all members of society, the more they will understand about building positive and successful relationships, tolerance and acceptance. Essentially, they will become much better human beings.

Last week Mrs O’Donoghue and I attended the ‘Halogen Young Leaders Day’ with our current Year 6 leaders. It was lovely to hear a presenter speak about how their greatest learning came to them in primary school, where one of their closest friends had a diagnosed disability. His parents never discouraged him from building that friendship, firmly believing that everyone has their place in the world and whilst there were some challenging times within that journey, they are still firm friends to this day. He believes that he is a far richer person for having sustained this relationship. Reflecting upon this afterwards, I thought the other point to really consider is that at any time, any one of our children at Windsor could present with some sort of special need or disability. How would we want our children to be treated?

We believe at Windsor that, ‘Equity is who has keys to the room. Diversity is who is in the room. Inclusion is who feels welcome in the room’.

At Windsor, we are proud of the work we do to support all students, to ensure that they are able to access education on the same or equal basis as any other student. For this reason, we are dedicated to providing inclusive education (students with disabilities working within mainstream classrooms). Inclusive education ensures that schools are supportive and engaging places for all school community members. It builds communities that value, celebrate and respond to diversity. It is underpinned by respectful relationships between learners and school community members. It is supported by collaborative relationships with parents and communities through communication, learning partnerships, participation and consultative decision-making.

All Queensland State schools are required to adhere to legislation, which ensures people with disability have access to equal participation in education and society as those without disability. The Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) aims to protect and promote the rights of people with disability. The objectives of the DDA are:

• to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against people on the grounds of disability
• to ensure that people with disability have the same rights before the law as the rest of the community
• to promote the principle that people with disability have the same rights as the rest of the community.
• Inclusive education means that every day in every classroom, every student is learning and achieving in a safe, supportive, inclusive and disciplined learning environment.

In our school and community we strive to:

• provide high-quality education for all students
• respond constructively to the needs of educationally disadvantaged/marginalised students
• view difference as a resource to support learning
• ensure that all school community members feel safe and free from discrimination, bias and harassment
• promote locally negotiated responses to student, family and community needs through effective community engagement processes and cross-agency collaboration
• ensure that inclusive education practices are embedded in all state schools policies and initiatives.

So what does this really mean?

We currently support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, Hearing Impairment, Physical Impairment, various medical conditions and Speech- Language Impairment. All students are integrated into classrooms and their learning needs factored into learning programs. Many of our students are also supported by our Student Inclusion staff and teacher aides while in class. We also have students with more ‘hidden’ disabilities including anxiety, specific medical conditions and significant learning difficulties.

We cater for these students by ensuring we have key people, processes and support mechanisms to support their unique needs also. Our Deputy Principals, Mr Matt Keong and Mrs Roxie O’Donoghue along with our Head of Special Education Services (HOSES) Mrs Lesley Wallace and wider Inclusion Team – Mrs Emma Kemph, Mrs Janine Wedmaier, Mrs Jan Moore, Mrs Cindy Anderson, our Speech Pathologist Mrs Regan Fletcher, our Occupational Therapist Mrs Megan Wight and Guidance Officer Mr Michael Lynch, coordinate, manage and lead a dedicated team so our students are effectively ‘wrapped around’ (holistically) to ensure that they are supported academically, socially and emotionally while at school. Their hard work and liaison with other school staff, parents, external organisations and the school Leadership Team, ensures that every child is ‘visible’ and their needs are understood and met.

We work exceptionally hard to ensure that we best met the needs of all our students, utilising school funds and the availability of qualified and specialised staff. We strive hard to employ staff that understand the unique needs of our students with disabilities, support our inclusion philosophy and processes and demonstrate empathy and compassion towards our students with additional needs and their families. As a result, we have staff who are very powerful advocates for our students with disabilities, and develop strong partnerships, to ensure that all our students have access to a high quality education, on the same or equal basis as students without disabilities.

One of the myths that I do hear is that our students with ‘disabilities’ receive special privileges, are treated better or their behaviour isn’t held to the same standards as ‘mainstream students’. Inclusion is not about elevating the needs of students with additional or special needs. The needs of students with disabilities are varied and complex. A student with Autism Spectrum Disorder may intellectually be able to meet or exceed the academic demands of the classroom, but may need support to socially interact within his/ her peers.

Similarly, a student with an intellectual disability may need adjustments made to the curriculum, but is able to interact positively and productively with classmates. Some students with disabilities actually require little or no adjustment to the curriculum or learning environment, and so their school experience may be no different from that of a “mainstream” student. Inclusion therefore provides the student with disabilities the opportunity to demonstrate and be appreciated for their strengths, recognises that their needs are unique (and unlike any other student who may share the same disability) provides students with the opportunity to engage in a learning context that replicates real life. For that reason, we ensure that we differentiate our approach, processes, teaching methods and expectations to meet the individual needs of all students, including those with a disability, within the confines of the resources we have available.

It must be remembered that ‘mainstream’ students (those without a diagnosed disability) can also have a number of additional or complex learning or social-emotional needs. Classrooms are now complex places that represent a large diversity and range of student needs and challenges. Students without a disability benefit enormously from having students with a disability in their classrooms. Students with a disability provide a unique gift to ‘mainstream’ students – an opportunity for those students to develop greater empathy, kindness and compassion. These lessons cannot be taught – they have to be experienced first-hand. A number of times, I have seen students demonstrate such consideration and gentleness towards a fellow student who was struggling in their learning, their self-regulation or in their navigation of the school environment.

The ultimate goal of inclusion at our school therefore is to ensure that all students feel welcome, valued and wanted at our school. We acknowledge that at any one time, a student may be struggling with a life event – e.g. death of a family member, separation or divorce or a traumatic incident, that requires us to “wrap around” a child and their family. We have students that may have such a high level of anxiety that they refuse to get dressed and come to school – we also support these students to feel wanted, and help them to enter the classroom to ensure they have a productive and happy day. We also support students that are feeling disengaged and uninterested in school, by working with families, teachers and the students to find the cause of this disengagement and resolve it. At any one time, your child may have a ‘special need’ and we will work hard to work with you to address and manage.

Grant Baker
Principal

From the Deputy Principal’s Desks…

NEW! RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR PLAN 2019-2022

In 2018, our School Culture committee reviewed the Responsible Behaviour Plan for 2019-2022. The final document will be endorsed by the School Council and P&C at their first meetings of the year. The updated plan is embedded below for all parents/caregivers to read and will be uploaded with all attachments to the school website post endorsement. Please take your time to read the embedded document carefully and have conversations with your children at home. Thanks for your support!

Pastoral Care: Social Emotional Learning @ Windsor SS

Universal Support for Students

Through our Whole School Pastoral Care program, we teach and assist children in developing the 12 Positive Attitudes (previously known as Habits of the Mind) and 5 Social-Emotional skills (Getting Along, Organisation, Persistence, Confidence and Resilience) they need to reach the top of the triangle. The ultimate goals (see above) are for all children to achieve to the best of their ability, develop positive relationships and behaviour and experience the highest levels of wellbeing.

For all young people to reach the Goals at the top of the triangle, they need to also have moral Character; that is, possess Values/Strengths, positive attitudes as well as social and emotional learning skills. Values generally indicate the degree of importance of some thing or action, with the aim of determining what actions are best to do or what way is best to live, or to describe the significance of different actions. The 6 Strengths are what positive psychologists refer to as ‘Virtues’; categories consisting of different character strengths (see the link below). There are 24-character strengths (virtues) that are incorporated under the six categories:

1. Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective
2. Courage: bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest
3. Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
4. Justice: teamwork, fairness, leadership
5. Temperance: forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation
6. Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humour, spirituality

Environment is extremely important; therefore, the efforts of family, school and community are recognised as important in helping young children to attain positive outcomes. The unique contribution of this YCDI! Education is in strengthening the mindset and social-emotional strengths all children need to realise their full potential.

Connie Confident; Oscar Organisation; Pete Persistent; Gabby Get Along; Ricky Resilient help students understand the positive attitudes they need to be successful

The You Can Do It! Education Social and Emotional Learning frameworks (see “The Windsor Way” below) address aspects of the psychological functioning of young people that lead to poor learning, behaviour and social and emotional outcomes. Negative Attitudes and under-developed Character (values and strengths) create negative Social-Emotional Blockers (Anger, Worry, Feeling Down, Procrastination, Not Paying Attention).

Symmetrically, the frameworks also represent the corresponding Positive Attitudes and Character (values, strengths) that support five essential Social-Emotional Skills all contributing to positive Social-Emotional Skills (Getting Along, Organisation, Persistence, Confidence, Resilience). It is important for students to fully understand both sides of the framework to be able to counteract the blockers and develop the positive attitudes and skills (see below).

“The Windsor Way”- based on YCDI Education! Social & Emotional Framework

Code of Conduct @ Windsor SS

Behavioural Expectations

Behaviour at Windsor State School is NOT simply related to compliant/obedient children, our goal is to fully develop all positive attitudes and social emotional skills. Behaviour results on end of semester report cards are directly linked to each student’s ability to achieve a particular Behaviour Level (A = Gold; B = Silver; C = Bronze). Students are encouraged/coached to use the Code of Conduct criteria sheet to strive for positive growth and excellence.

The behavioural expectations criteria (see WSS Code of Conduct below) are used by teachers to teach, encourage, reinforce and coach students to improve and become happy and successful. Teachers use these criteria to directly assess and assign a Behaviour rating at the end of each semester. (see our new Code of Conduct & Positive Behaviour poster below)

The school acknowledges positive role models of behaviour in many ways throughout the year (merit badges; public acknowledgements). This year, we will celebrate students’ efforts and achievements in class and at special parades throughout the year.

1. Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective
2. Courage: bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest
3. Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
4. Justice: teamwork, fairness, leadership
5. Temperance: forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation
6. Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humour, spirituality

Environment is extremely important; therefore, the efforts of family, school and community are recognised as important in helping young children to attain positive outcomes. The unique contribution of this YCDI! Education is in strengthening the mindset and social-emotional strengths all children need to realise their full potential.

Connie Confident; Oscar Organisation; Pete Persistent; Gabby Get Along; Ricky Resilient help students understand the positive attitudes they need to be successful

The You Can Do It! Education Social and Emotional Learning frameworks (see “The Windsor Way” below) address aspects of the psychological functioning of young people that lead to poor learning, behaviour and social and emotional outcomes. Negative Attitudes and under-developed Character (values and strengths) create negative Social-Emotional Blockers (Anger, Worry, Feeling Down, Procrastination, Not Paying Attention).

Symmetrically, the frameworks also represent the corresponding Positive Attitudes and Character (values, strengths) that support five essential Social-Emotional Skills all contributing to positive Social-Emotional Skills (Getting Along, Organisation, Persistence, Confidence, Resilience). It is important for students to fully understand both sides of the framework to be able to counteract the blockers and develop the positive attitudes and skills (see below).

The Windsor Way”- based on YCDI Education! Social & Emotional Framework

Getting Along with Others…Do the High Five!!

Ignore!
Talk Friendly!
Walk Away!
Talk Firmly!
Report!

Ignore

• Pretend you didn’t hear it.
• Do not make eye contact.
• Maintain positive body posture (calm, confident).
• Think positive self-esteem statements.
• Count to five in your head slowly.
• Take deep breaths.
• WE CAN USE ROLE PLAY TO SHOW WHAT IGNORING LOOKS LIKE, SOUNDS LIKE AND MAY FEEL LIKE.

Talk Friendly

• Use a calm voice.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Confident body language.
• Maintain relatively close body proximity.
• Use "I" statements – I feel . . . . when you . . . . . because….
• WE CAN USE ROLE PLAY TO SHOW WHAT TALKING FRIENDLY LOOKS LIKE, SOUNDS LIKE AND MAY FEEL LIKE.

Walk Away

• Stand tall, head up high.
• Mouth closed.
• Look confident.
• Do not use eye contact.
• Walk somewhere, preferably towards a congested area or to a safety zone (teacher).
• Do not look back. Walk confidently, don’t run!
• WE CAN USE ROLE PLAY TO SHOW WHAT WALKING AWAY LOOKS LIKE, SOUNDS LIKE AND MAY FEEL LIKE.

Talk Firmly

• As per Talk Friendly.
• Use an assertive voice, slightly raised.
• Tell them to stop it.
• Re-state your “I” statement. e.g. I said . . . .
• State the consequences of continued bullying.
• WE CAN USE ROLE PLAY TO SHOW WHAT TALKING FIRMLY LOOKS LIKE, SOUNDS LIKE AND MAY FEEL LIKE.

Report

• Walk away and tell a staff member.
• Go to a safety zone.
• Bystanders - support and report.
• Report, report, report until somebody listens.
• WE CAN USE ROLE PLAY TO SHOW WHAT REPORTING LOOKS LIKE, SOUNDS LIKE AND MAY FEEL LIKE.

WE ALWAYS ACTIVELY DISCOURAGE RETALIATION, BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE RETALIATE THEY MAKE THEMSELVES PART OF THE PROBLEM. Children need to be aware that, even as a victim of bullying, choosing to retaliate to a bully can often result in serious consequences for themselves also.

Success occurs when children can not only talk the talk but walk the walk.

ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL- BLING YOUR BIKE!!

National Ride to School Day – Friday 22nd March 2019

Bling your bike…helmet…scooter is Friday 22nd March 2019! National Ride2School Day aims to show school communities that riding to school is an easy and fun activity. Students and parents are encouraged to ride, walk, carpool or use public transport to get to school on Friday 22nd March. It would be great to see the bike cage full!

Remember that when riding a bike, you are required by law to wear an approved helmet securely fitted and fastened.

Did you know? It is legal to cycle on the footpath in Queensland (unless otherwise signed) but remember to always keep to the left.

Walking Wheeling Wednesday EVERY Wednesday! Let’s get active Windsor!!

STUDENT COUNCIL DISCO

The Student Council welcomes everyone back to the New Year with a Disco on Thursday, 21st March, the first Disco for 2019. This Disco helps to raise money to support student council projects at the school, including supporting various charities.

The theme for this disco will be announced in an upcoming Parade.

Tickets will be available in the Early Years Precinct, before 8:50am in the week leading up to the Disco ($5.00 single ticket; $10.00 family ticket- 2 or more).

The Disco times are as follows:

All Prep-Year 2 students must be accompanied by their parent/guardian at all times during the Disco. Parents/Guardians, you are responsible for your own children. Teachers will supervise at the Year 3-6 Disco. Parents are not required to stay at this Disco, but must collect students promptly at 8:30pm from the Hall. Children will be kept at the Hall until Parents arrive to collect. Food and drink will be on sale at the Disco.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Windsor State School Cross Country will be held on Wednesday 3rd April 2019. Further information about the program for the day will be sent home shortly. Please see below for the distances for each age group:

Short Course Fun Run: Preps
One Lap Fun Run – 1000m: 8, 7 and 6 year olds
Two Lap Cross Country – 2000m: 9 and 10 year olds
Three Lap Cross Country – 3000m: 11 and 12 year olds

Optional Cross Country training, “The Run Club”, will commence this Friday and run each Wednesday and Friday morning 8:00am-8:40am on the bottom oval. All students are welcome to attend.

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS

Queensland School Photography will be taking all school photographs on the following dates:

Thursday 28th March and Friday 29th March

Students should wear their correct formal school uniform which is the check shirt or dress, along with black shoes and white socks. They should NOT be wearing the sports uniform.

To ensure a smooth running day, please note that all photograph orders are pre-paid and PAYMENT ENVELOPES MUST BE RETURNED TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER ON PHOTOGRAPH DAY ONLY – NO EXCEPTIONS. PAYMENT ENVELOPES ARE NOT TO BE HANDED IN TO THE OFFICE OR CLASS TEACHER PRIOR TO PHOTO DAY.

Follow these steps to order:

1. Complete student details on the order envelope – please fill in one envelope for each child. Each student is to hand their individual envelope to the photographer on photo day.
2. You may pay by cash, money order or credit card. If you have two or more children attending you may include the payment in one envelope. Please note clearly in the box provided whose envelope the payment is in as every child ordering photos must hand in their own envelope.
3. Online Orders: Visit the link to order. Reference number must be recorded on envelope and handed to photographers on the photography day.
4. Cash payments are due on photo day. Enclose the correct payment (change cannot be given).
5. Sibling Photos: Parents wanting to have their children photographed together, please collect a family envelope from the school office and bring the completed envelope, along with your children, to the Hall from 7:30am on either photo day. Sibling envelopes must be handed to the photographers for the photo to be taken.
6. Late Orders: Late orders for individual photos can be placed online for 1 week after photo day. After this time, a $15 search fee will apply to all orders.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with the photos taken of your child, please contact Queensland School Photography directly on 3216 6777.

QParents

Our school also has QParents. Parents will receive an invitation email or letter to register this week. Prep parents will also receive a Student ID card containing an EQ ID number to register.

If you do not receive an invitation (QPAO), please advise Admin ASAP. QParents is one of the ways we communicate with parents, get on board to enjoy the ease and convenience that QParents offers.

QParents is also the means by which parents access Student Reports. It is important to register now as printed reports are no longer sent home at the end of each Semester. Help us become more ‘paper-less’ by registering for QParents now!

Follow Windsor SS on Facebook & Twitter!

Get the most up-to-date information and school alerts by following Windsor State School on Facebook and Twitter @Windsor_SS

You can also access important school information and alerts, including Facebook/Twitter, via the QSchools app! Download it now and keep informed of everything that is happening at our school.

Curriculum Corner

Term 1, Week 6

Setting and Achieving Goals in the Classroom

As adults we often use Goal Setting in both our professional and private lives. Setting goals helps us to focus in on the anticipated outcome and often leads us to reflect on how we can achieve the results we desire. Just as we find it useful as adults, it is a very useful tool for our students in the classroom.

As part of our work around feedback and the Bump It Up Wall, we use goal setting with our students. These goals empower students to achieve the next level, no matter their current standard of achievement. Clearly articulated goals which are clarified by the teacher, provide students with a clear understanding of what they need to know and do, to make their work better. These goals are discussed during one-on-one conferences and students have access to exemplars through the Bump It Up Walls. In his work Robert Marzano discusses the need for students to understand the progression of the knowledge they are expected to master and where they are situated along the continuum of learning (The New Art and Science of Teaching, 2017). Therefore, our goal is for students to develop a growth mindset around their work and develop the persistence needed to remain focused on their learning. Goal setting is the tool we employ to help students remain on track and continue their learning journey.

Classrooms across the school consistently use goal setting with students. These are discussed and written down for students to help them remember what they need to do. The goals are continually used during conferencing and teachers can ‘check in’ with students to see how they are developing with the specific skill/knowledge. As they are working towards their goal, students can work with the teacher during conferences to further develop understanding and once it is evident that the student has achieved the goal another goal is identified. In this way all students are improving and using a shared language of learning.

Curriculum Coordinators,

Anna Thygesen (Prep-Yr2)
Lisa Heard (Yr3-Yr6)

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop is open during the School term on Mondays 2:30pm – 3:30pm and Wednesdays 8:30am – 9:30am. Uniform Shop orders can be placed online using the online ordering system, Munch Monitor. Online orders can be picked up from the Uniform Shop or delivered to your child’s class for them to bring home.

Signing up is very simple; a Munch Monitor fact sheet is available here. As an external supplier with a dedicated account management team they are able to assist with your account enquiries via help@munchmonitor.com.

Please provide any feedback regarding uniforms to the retail sub-committee at retail@windsorsspandc.eq.edu.au

Helping Hands