Mount Ommaney Special School Newsletter · Issue Date: April 2020 Newsletter Page 8 of 16 From Hub D and E… D1 It has been a truly busy term for us down in D1, with everyone coming

94 Capitol Drive, Mount Ommaney Qld 4074 Email: [email protected] Website: http://mtommaneyspecs.eq.edu.au

Telephone: 3717 6888 Fax: 3717 6800

24 Hour Absence Line: 3717 6860 For SMS use only: 0447 100 209

Mount Ommaney Special School

Newsletter Term 1, 2020

Issue No. 1 – 06.09.24

School Improvement Priorities for 2020:

To build confidence and expertise in responding to the highly individualised teaching and learning needs of every student

Ensuring high quality individualised curriculum for every student in our community

Delivering consistent school-wide positive behaviour and wellbeing support for the community

Consulting with all members of the school community to define shared values, beliefs and priorities and ensure all members feel supported and represented.

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

This school has a great end of term tradition of presenting a high quality Newsletter for our school community. This edition is no exception. It is more important than ever for us to find things that we can celebrate. There have been many wonderful weeks this term for students and teachers. This edition celebrates many of the great teaching and learning moments from this term. Please take the time to read and celebrate with us.

I know for many parents, students and staff this past week has been very difficult. Uncertainty and change can be stressful, and for some the practicalities of different routines can be overwhelming. Our staff and parent community have worked really hard this week to manage the current pandemic issue and to support each other as much as possible. There have been many nice stories of support throughout our school community. Parents have been extremely kind and generous with their concerns and gratitude for staff. Staff have worked really hard this week to explore and compile a significant amount of work that we can use if schooling conditions do not return to normal in Term 2.

Coinciding with this most challenging week has been the completion and handover of our new building. It is such a shame that celebrating this incredibly school community building will need to be put on hold for a later date when social distancing requirements are no longer required.

As a school community we do recognise the enormous impacts these past few weeks have had on our families and friends. I have spoken with NDIA yesterday and we have discussed a number of issues that need service and support attention. I will place this information in a separate email to you and strongly encourage you to read it.

Our Vision Statement: To provide engaging, relevant

curriculum and innovative, specialised teaching in partnership with families and the community in

a safe, supportive environment.

Dates to Remember:

Term 2: April 20th – June 26th

Issue Date: April 2020 www.mtommaneyspecs.eq.edu.au

Mount Ommaney Special School Newsletter Page 2 of 16

Finally I want to acknowledge once again this amazing MOSS staff and express my great thanks and admiration for their work this term. I wish each our families a very safe and healthy break and I hope that all of us find opportunities to discover simple and unexpected joys while spending time at home with loved ones.

I hope sharing and reading this edition with your family can be one of those special moments.

Regards Wayne

J Block



From the Early Childhood Development Program – Sandra Schuptar

Whilst this last week at the ECDP has seen some changes to our daily program, I am pleased to share with you the exciting events of this term.

We welcomed 11 new families to our program and everyone has settled in happily with their teacher and their new friends. All classes have been working on developing classroom routines and expectations and providing support for children who have required help to transition from the security of their family to a new and different environment.

We have had limited opportunity to be outside because of the extreme heat we have, at times, endured but this has not stopped the children engaging in gross motor activities and outdoor play experience inside.

Our classroom activities continued to work on helping children develop skills based on their Individual Education Plans (IEP). This often focused on developing fine motor skills in order to enhance their ability to engage in a wide range of table activities and included writing, cutting, gluing etc. Social communication skills are critical skills and important for developing co-operative play, developing friendships and learning to be a part of group. Developing every child’s communication skills continues to be critical for all.



From HUB A and B

The AB HUB has worked together really well this term. The collaborative teaching model has allowed us to mix up the classes and given students opportunities to work together in more focused groups. One example of this has been our AB HUB Rotation Groups, which happened for 30mins every Monday and Friday. These groups focused on personal goals and extending students in their questioning and creative thinking (STEM group), communication, social and emotional recognition (Feelings group) and Intensive Interaction communication.

The communication group has been working hard to develop peer to peer communication. We started each session with a whole group discussion on a selected topic, after which we broke up into Proloquo2Go, PODD and PEC groups to continue discussing the same topic with peers. Staff modelled how to ask questions, turn taking and the use of various AAC systems. Students were encouraged to speak to their peers directly and ask them questions, with a staff member acting as a facilitator. We then came back as a whole group and talked about what we discussed in our smaller groups.

Students in the STEM rotation have been learning about making predictions, posing questions and carrying out investigations. One of our favourite experiments was seeing what would happen when we put Alka-Seltzer tablets in a mixture of oil, food colouring and water.

Students in the Social and Emotional group focused on identifying feelings through facial expressions. We used images, words and role-play to explore emotions. We also practised letter formation and building our fine motor skills. Students enjoyed the hands-on activities and have been communicating well with each other.

The Intensive Interaction group worked on building relationships with new staff members and strengthening familiar relationships. We have been using the “Fundamentals of Communication” to share attention, practise turn taken, use eye-contact and facial expression and, most importantly, to have fun!

Classes

This term in A1, we have been busy rekindling past relationships and building new friendships with each other. In English, we have been busy learning about fantasy texts – describing characters and events and making connections to our lives. Our favourite activity was making class books, which retell stories (or make up new ones!). In maths we have been very engaged, learning how to collect data to make graphs, create and count tally marks, find numbers on number lines and give our peers directions around the school using correct language. In science, we have loved using hands on exploration to learn how to identify and use the earth’s resources. In HASS we have been looking at our own life timelines and identified and described important life events. We have also enjoyed singing and dancing together, having Chappy Bill in for drumming, doing obstacle courses with Mel, colouring in and of course, bike riding! The students have built great friendships together and it has been wonderful to see their confidence and communication grow!



This term in A2, we’ve been having lots of fun experimenting with different material throughout our learning. In maths, we have worked on counting through interactive games on HelpKidzLearn, drawing with chalk and practising matching numbers in puzzles. For English, we’ve explored a range of letters and stories, and have been working hard on communicating using our PODDs, symbols and Proloquo2Go. During HPE sessions, we’ve been getting back on the bikes and using the gym to focus on balancing and using different parts of our bodies to practice fundamental skills. We love our drumming sessions with Chappy Bill each fortnight, exploring new instruments and the different sounds they make. Finally, we have enjoyed getting to know the other teachers and students in our HUB!

In B1 this term we have focused on fantasy texts and their characters. We looked at the Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Warrayanna Rainbow Snake, deciding which characters were in the story and what they were feeling. We have also explored the Zones of Regulation. Our gross motor program was very popular, as well as our HUB shared playtimes. We have explored the natural resources in our school grounds and looked at where it was safe to play.

Check out a few snapshots of our students hard at work!



This term has been a busy one for B2. All of the students settled in phenomenally and were ready to get straight down to work. We loved our hands on learning experiences, including exploring our natural environment for science, cooking as part of maths, and sharing stories for English and HASS.

From Hub C, H and I



From Hub C, H and I Continued…



From Hub D and E…

D1

It has been a truly busy term for us down in D1, with everyone coming back to school from a long holiday and re-adjusting to life at school. That being said, within this short time we have witnessed some inspiring friendships, laughed at some very funny jokes, and created another “classroom” within our own classroom (using a cardboard box). We continue to be amazed at the imagination and the creativity within our class, and everyone being on board to give things a go. We have definitely expanded our comfort zone and sought to break out of our routines from time-to-time. Though the term is drawing to an end, it is but the beginning of our journey together this year. What an exciting journey ahead! Have a wonderful and safe holiday. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back in Term Two.

D2

The students in D2 have had a wonderful start to the year, happily settling into their new class. They have had a fun time exploring a range of multi-modal texts including Prince Cinders, Cinderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Students have been responding to daily questions about their likes and dislikes during group time by using PODD, classroom visuals and concrete objects. We have been encouraging the use of various alternative pencils during predictable chart writing including magnetic and foam letters, alphabet charts and keyboards for children to ‘write’ about their favourite things. The children have loved playing outside in the new playground, playing with the students in D1, swinging on the swing, jumping on the trampoline, playing ball or riding bikes and scooters. A favourite activity in our day was choosing number songs and using HelpKidzLearn on the interactive whiteboard. D2 has had a fantastic Term 1 and we look forward to practicing our communication skills while learning about our families in Term 2. I hope that you all have a happy and very safe holiday. A huge thank you to the teacher aides in D2, Shabnam, Carol, Jenny and Jordi.



E1

Students in E1 have settled well in class routines and programs. It is so good to see their anticipation of daily activities. They often move to reading area to look at books and reading/listening to stories. We have provided many hands on/sensory learning experiences to our children during regular literacy and numeracy sessions. Students also participated in weekly cooking sessions and had opportunities for literacy/numeracy as well as sensory experiences to touch, smell and taste a variety of foods. Our regular exercise and bike-riding programs have been working well and we can see some progress in their physical abilities. During mealtimes, all children sat together to eat, using their own communication system. Recently, we celebrated ‘Harmony Day’ at school and students participated in fun activities during the week. The personalised learning goals of students have been finalised for this semester. We would like to thank parents for their input and time in planning these goals.

E2

E2 has settled very well into the new school term with lots of wonderful learning taking place and friendships forged within the class. E2 students have engaged with multi-modal presentations of lessons in English and mathematics from digital texts, coloured prints, on the interactive whiteboard and other ICT, role-play of stories, music and hands-on activities using different materials. As they explored fantasy texts of Cinderella and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, they used their communication systems such as PODD, Proloquo2Go and eye gaze technology to make comments and create texts about their learning. It has been a rather ‘chatty’ class with students conveying about their thoughts, preferences and feelings over the topics! Many have also worked hard developing and strengthening their gross motor skill co-ordination through swimming, walking, play and gym activities. Besides these core lessons, students have looked forward to drumming sessions with our Chappy Bill. It has been a wonderful term of great learning with fun as we finished off with Harmony Week activities and Easter craft!



From Hub G

What a rollercoaster of a term for our youngest students in G block! Despite the changes in routine, students have always arrived, and continued to arrive at school full of smiles and energy

All G Block staff have prioritised Term 1 for building connections and relationships with students to help them feel happy to be at school and comfortable in their learning environment.

Students have settled into school routines and expectations wonderfully and have been eager participants in all wider school activities as well. These activities included playground time, bike riding, gym programs, sensory room and G block deck pretend and messy play. In the classroom students have been reading stories and learning letters and numbers through play and sensory experiences. Using AAC to support communication was incorporated into all routines and class activities and staff have loved watching more students use ‘their voice’.

Students in G block love to socialise, and watching the connections and friendships develop between peers has been a highlight. Students were often found playing chase on the deck, with pretend play with cars and doctors also a favourite this term. Students have also been enjoying sensory play, drumming, parachute fun and cooking!

Although our first term has been cut short, we can’t wait to get back to business with the G block team!



From Our Senior Secondary HUB (working out of the library)

What an interesting and different term we have had…and what an amazing group of students and staff we have!! Let’s tell you why…many of you will not know that the Senior Secondary team managed to deliver amazing programs as well as keeping everyone safe and well and happy, in one big converted space, our campus library. This was all planned for the term while we waited for the new building. Some highlights of the term are as follows.

Some students are enrolled in Certificate I programs, which require external work experience placements.

Students have continued attending eWaste in Kenmore where they further developed their work readiness skills. Students followed work place protocols by signing in and out of the venue, wearing the correct Personal Protective equipment (goggles, apron and gloves) and working safely. Students worked with great focus to carefully dismantle and sort appliances and their components for recycling. In Week 7, they were assessed in the workplace, where they were able to demonstrate their ability to generalise skills learned during their Certificate I studies.

The context for learning for all students during academic programming across the term had a hospitality and sensory baking focus. Please enjoy the following pics taken during sensory baking where students were given the opportunity to explore a variety of ingredients through touch, taste, smell and sound to make personalised muffins, as well as using their communication systems to express their opinion.

As part of their individualised senior learning program, some students also had opportunities to visit a variety of locations during community-based instruction. These venues included the local shopping centres, a number of different libraries in and around Brisbane and Ipswich and leisure and recreation focused venues, including the Jindalee Pool. Some students were able to participate in a structured travel training program while accessing these venues.

With exciting plans ahead for a MOSS based coffee shop, some students visited and observed a school-based hospitality program in action at Aspley Special School. Senior Secondary students also demonstrated their reading, communication and numeracy skills at the school’s Frothee Coffee Shoppee. All students did a fantastic job reading the menus and ordering their morning tea and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. At the end of the meal our students demonstrated active listening and practised their money handling skills when paying for their purchase.

We are all super excited for future

programming possibilities in the amazing new J Block. We are also looking forward very much to working closely with our parents and carers to support our students to work towards accomplishing their transition goals. Take care everyone and keep well.

Jaqui, Will, Erica and Margaret.



From the Intensive Interaction Team – Louise Ruzic

While it has been a busy first term, teaching teams, including specialist teachers, have been spending time getting to know and forming relationships with our students. Intensive Interaction plays an important role in this process for many of our students. Through Intensive Interaction’s focus on quality one-to-one time, being immersed in the moment, following a student’s lead, listening and responding to the student’s communication behaviours and enjoying being together, these understandings and relationships naturally grow.

Now at the end of term, a number of our students and families have been in self isolation and social distancing is now recommended for all of us. We need to remember our students will still need positive and proactive social interactions to maintain their social and emotional well-being, just as they did a few weeks ago, before this crisis started. Perhaps they will seek it and need it even more so during these times of change to many familiar routines, and the increased anxiety now evident in people’s general behaviour. Graham Firth, from the Intensive Interaction Institute UK and Learning Disability Psychology Services, Leeds, UK has given the following advice on how to support the need for positive social interactions while maintaining safe practices.

“During this current crisis it may be necessary to find ways to adapt our strategies for social engagement, avoiding when and where we can, or at least minimising all unnecessary physical contacts or close physical proximity (although for many this will still be required to meet their functional care needs). Instead it may be necessary to use Intensive Interaction strategies that can be enacted with more social distance e.g.: vocal echoing or exchanges of vocal/verbal sequences; using more, or more kinds of behavioural mirroring, including developing increased turn-taking in various non-physical contact forms such as tapping surfaces, clapping and other body movements; finding more ways of exchanging eye contact and mirrored facial signalling/expressions; using more forms of joint focus activity that can be more safely enacted with some level of social distancing.”



From our P&C – Tracey Copeland (2019 President)

On behalf of the P and C we would like to pass on our best wishes to all families and pray we all get through these challenging times safely. It will be tough and I encourage people to stay connected virtually if you can. Remember there is the parents FaceBook group you can join https://www.facebook.com/groups/317036685051225/.

I know there are a number of community pages of FaceBook that have also been setup to help people who need support and encourage you to seek these out within your area. In the 4069 area there is 4069 Helping Hands https://www.facebook.com/groups/564755307719389/ who are very active and helping with all sorts of supports.

Please for those families with NDIS that need further assistance make contact with your LAC or Planner or the 1800 800 110 number to see if you can access further supports and stay up to date.

With the changes they are putting in place on the website https://www.ndis.gov.au/ (there is a what’s new at the bottom of the home page with changes they are making as time goes on).

A big thankyou also to all the staff at MOSS that have been fantastic at continuing to provide support to our children in these very difficult and challenging times and we look forward to seeing

You all when life returns to some type of normality and wish you all the best of like and to be safe on behalf of all our families.

We are all this together and it is times like this we need to pull together and support each other.

From our Education Program Officer (EPO) - Kerrie Reid

Thank you to everyone for their patience and understanding in what has been a very disrupted start to 2020. Unfortunately due to the current situation regarding COVID-19, many programmed activities including the volunteer program, excursions, incursions, special guest visits and school camp were cancelled.

Grant Success

Gambling Community Benefit Fund – Mount Ommaney Special School has been successful in securing a grant through the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. The grant submission was for funding to install synthetic turf across the school to enable greater access for all students for outside play and engagement.

Kerrie Reid – Education Program Officer

https://www.facebook.com/groups/317036685051225/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/564755307719389/

https://www.ndis.gov.au/



From our Chaplain (Chappy Bill)

Chappy’s Challenge…I recently came across a list of encouraging words. I though it a good idea to share these with you so you too can pass them on during this crazy uncertainty we face of late.

My challenge to you as the school community, Mums, Dads, Carers, and school staff is to choose one each day and encourage our loved ones by using the word or phrase where ever possible during the course of the next two months.

64 Positive Things to Say to Kids

May this list inspire you to turn to your child and say something like:

1. You are loved 2. You make me smile 3. I think about you when we’re apart 4. My world is better with you in it

5. I will do my best to keep you safe 6. Sometimes I will say no 7. I have faith in you 8. I know you can handle it

9. You are creative 10. Trust your instincts 11. Your ideas are worthwhile 12. You are capable

13. You are deserving 14. You are strong 15. You can say no 16. Your choices matter 17. You make a difference

18. Your words are powerful 19. Your actions are powerful 20. Your emotions may be powerful

21. And you can still choose your actions 22. You are more than your emotions 23. You are a good friend

24. You are kind 25. You don’t have to like what someone is saying in order to treat them with respect

26. Someone else’s poor behaviour is not an excuse for your own 27. You are imperfect 28. So am I

29. You can change your mind 30. You can learn from your mistakes 31. You can ask for help 32. You are learning

33. You are growing 34. Growing is hard work 35. I believe you. 36. I believe in you 37. You are valuable

38. You are interesting 39. You are beautiful 40. When you make a mistake, you are still beautiful

41. Your body is your own 42. You have say over your body 43. You are important 44. Your ideas matter

45. You are able to do work that matters 46. I see you working and learning every day

47. You make a difference in my life 48. I am curious about what you are thinking 49. How did you do that?

50. Your ideas are interesting 51. You’ve made me think of things in a completely new way

52. I’m excited to see what you do 53. Thanks for helping me

54. Thank you for contributing to our family 55. I enjoy your company 56. It’s fun to do things with you

57. I’m glad you’re here 58. I’m happy to talk with you 59. I’m ready to listen 60. I’m listening 61. I’m proud of you 62.

I’m grateful you’re in my life 63. You make me smile 64. I love you



Here are some ideas for fun things to do at home together…there may be something in this list that will interest you and your family:



There are also lots of links and apps etc to support ourselves and others in our emotional wellbeing…please have a look at this resource for ideas.

Chappy Bill ([email protected])

Documents

Mount Ommaney Special School Newsletter · Issue Date: April 2020 Newsletter Page 8 of 16 From Hub D and E… D1 It has been a truly busy term for us down in D1, with everyone coming