Term 3 2024
Principals Ponderings
Welcome to the end of Term 3 2024.
This is my 26th end of Term 3 at Charleville SDE! I love the ways it stays the same and, that it changes over the years. “It” being the students, the people, the curriculum, the facilities, the world! Such exciting times full of challenges, successes and flops.
Staffing Update:
Planning has commenced for 2025 staffing and this will be shared next term. There are still some transfers to be finalised, both in and out.
Dale Warren is ceasing his contract in the DLT role and leaving us on the 4th October. We will not replace Dale at this late stage for Term 4. Students will be supported by Tracey Swart and Hayley Price. We thank Dale for joining us this year and for the work he has done supporting our students. We wish Dale all the best for the next move and what it will bring.
Western Alliance Update:
The WA camp to Magnetic Island was a most successful camp. Student behaviour was commendable and experiences were well organised and enjoyed.
Multischool is in Longreach during Week 3, Term 4, and Outreach is at Emu Gully, Helidon at the beginning of that week.
We are moving forward with our planning for the WA in 2025. The panel for the WA Deputy Principal position will hopefully be concluded and the position filled to commence in Term 4.
Update on Thargomindah Secondary Learning Centre:
Parents of students in and near Thargomindah are querying the reopening of the centre. The Secondary Learning Centre would take a period of time and thorough processes to reopen and what that would look like is dependent on a number of things.
I have been speaking with senior officers of our department and the following facts are to be considered:
- There is a private members' bill before parliament that will influence whether the department will support such centres in rural and remote areas.
- The logistics of developing an MOA between the four entities (Bulloo Shire Council, Thargomindah State School, Charleville SDE and the Department of Education) after we have a result of the bill would take time.
- With heightened accountability of the Principal of Charleville SDE employing and supervising a teacher aide remotely in line with student and staff protection, the situation is different to the initial agreement and processes that were available to us when we commenced the planning and opening 12 years ago.
Moving forward to support the community and their families, I feel there may be other possibilities. It is my understanding that the building is owned by the Bulloo Shire Council and can be moved. Therefore, it could be set up and managed by the council off the DoE site. Charleville SDE would then be the provider of the curriculum and provide support for student learning in conjunction with a Home Tutor/supervisor (employed and supervised by the council) just as we do with all students in their homes.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions.
Reminder:
2024 has an extra week of school in Term 4. The term officially finishes on the 6th December for western schools and 13th for schools east of Charleville.
The department and union have come to an agreement that the last week will be a supervisory week. All teaching and learning and reporting will have occurred and the days will be available for school communities to plan and prepare for 2025.
We have moved our end of year celebrations to the end of Week 9. This will allow our staff to prepare for ACV9, and our migration to Teams delivery of lessons. During this week, there will be sessions offered for families to attend to familiarise themselves with Teams and the changes to lessons that this will bring. Our P&C meetings will be held on Teams from next term!
Important Dates:
Wednesday 27th November - Year 6 and 10 Celebrations (Evening)
Thursday 28th November - Management Meeting (Morning), Swim Muster (Afternoon) and Whole School Concert (Evening)
Friday 29th November - Speech and Awards (Morning)
School Opinion Survey:
Thank you to everyone who completed this survey. The results will be shared with the school community when we receive them. This feedback is much appreciated.
Acknowledging and Celebrating our Support Staff:
On Wednesday, we acknowledged our Teacher Aides and Support Staff for the work that they continue to do to support the students and school community with a lunch prepared by the teaching staff. Our teacher aides, technical officer, administration staff, parent liaison officer and the schools’ officers are committed to their jobs and, to always giving that extra to what they do every day. It makes such a difference to the culture of a school and we thank them for it.
Have a most wonderful break and I look forward to a fabulous Term 4.
Jenny
From the Deputy’s Desk
Term 3 News: What we’ve been up to and what is coming next…
As Term 3 draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the exciting activities we've shared and give you a sneak peek at what’s coming up.
Kicking off Term 3 in Longreach
We started the term with a bang by heading to Longreach for a Systems Leadership workshop. It might sound a bit technical, but the essence was about ensuring we have strong, clear processes in place to help our school run smoothly. It was a great opportunity for our leadership team to connect and align on what really matters, ensuring we’re all on the same page as we move forward.
Cluster Musters – Bringing us together
Our Cluster Musters were a great success, with 47 students planning to join. Although some couldn’t make it, those who attended had a fantastic time connecting with their peers. This term, we also had the pleasure of participating in the Charleville Performing Arts Festival, where our students shone in the Verse Speaking category. A big congratulations to the following clusters:
Gold: Quilpie Cluster
Silver: Charleville Cluster
Bronze: Mitchell Cluster
Highly Commended: St George Cluster
Highly Commended: Cunnamulla Cluster
We’re so proud of the hard work and talent our students demonstrated in this event. We’re planning to gather some feedback to make future Musters even better, so stay tuned for ways you can share your thoughts.
The Year 3-6 camp is almost here!
The countdown is on for our Year 3-6 camp, happening from 9th to 13th September. The itinerary is packed with fun and learning, including trips to the Queensland Art Gallery, a visit to St Helena Island, an adrenaline-filled session at Urban Xtreme, and much more. It’s going to be a week full of adventure, and we can’t wait to see our students make memories that will last a lifetime. A big shoutout to our P&C and Student Council for helping to make this camp happen!
Magnetic Island magic for our secondary students
Our secondary students had an amazing time at Magnetic Island during Week 6. With activities like abseiling, sea kayaking, and archery, there was plenty of action to go around. More importantly, it was a chance for our students to challenge themselves, build new friendships, and strengthen existing ones. A special thanks to Sam and Rosemary for accompanying our students and ensuring everything went smoothly.
QSDE – Brisbane Meeting
In Week 7, we joined other Queensland School of Distance Education leadership teams in Brisbane to discuss how we can keep improving what we do. We shared ideas, brainstormed solutions, and made plans for the future. It was a great reminder of the power of teamwork and collaboration, and we’re excited to implement some of these ideas in the near future.
Looking forward to Term 4
As we gear up for Term 4, there’s plenty to be excited about. We’ve got Multischool, Outreach Day and Minischool events, the creation of our school magazine Kalora, the Year 6 and 10 Celebration Dinner, Swim Muster, the Whole School Concert, Speech & Awards, and Semester Reporting all on the calendar. Plus, we’re already starting to plan for 2025! It’s going to be a busy term, but we’re ready to make it our best one yet.
Reflecting on Term 3, it’s clear that when our students, staff, and community come together, amazing things happen. The hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm everyone brings really make our school a special place. As we head into Term 4, we’re excited to keep the momentum going, take on new challenges, and celebrate even more achievements together. Thanks for all your support and commitment—let’s make this final term one to remember!
Head of Department: Secondary and Primary Teaching and Learning
2024 Version 9 Australian Curriculum
Staff in The Western Alliance are continuing to work towards the implementation of the Version 9 of the Australian curriculum. Planning will continue for 2024 and 2025, with implementation of English in Year 10 already underway and with other subjects beginning in 2025. Staff are currently working on English, Maths, HPE, Technologies, and the Arts.
Quality Teaching Rounds:
Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) is a ground-breaking approach to teacher professional development, with a demonstrated impact on the quality of teaching, teacher morale and school culture. The approach is collaborative and applies across all subjects and year levels and builds the confidence and capacity of teachers at all career stages.
Primary and Secondary staff have completed professional development in Term 3 and will commence their first round of observations and coding in Term 4.
SDE Leaders Collaboration Days – 19th and 20th August:
On Monday and Tuesday, the 19th and 20th August the HODs attended the SDE Leaders Collaboration Days in Brisbane. Attendees from SDE schools across the state were present and each school gave a Sharing of Practice presentation. Other sessions included work on unpacking our school review, strategic direction for the combined schools, differentiation, engagement and data, pedagogy, and V9 Australian Curriculum.
Secondary
Upcoming Multischool and Outreach Days in Term 4:
The Outreach Day in Term 4 will be held at Emu Gully Adventure Education Centre at Helidon. This will be a one-day event and staff and students will attend a day of adventure and team building on Monday the 14th of October. Parents/Carers are responsible for transport to and from the venue for their student/s.
Our usual Term 4 Multischool will go ahead in Longreach from the 14th-18th of October, with Charleville students travelling to Longreach and back. This week will be full of fun activities, including sport, cooking, craft and science activities to name just a few, as well as a field trip to Winton to the Waltzing Matilda Centre and the water park.
WA Camp:
Students travelled by coach from Charleville to Townsville on Monday the 12th of August for a week of adventure, picking up Longreach students in Barcaldine and continuing to Townsville to catch the Ferry across to Magnetic Island. Students participated in a variety of fun activities, including abseiling, orienteering, sea kayaking, archery, circus skills, night Olympics, stand-up paddle boarding and catapults.
Primary
Cluster Musters:
This term, we held our second Cluster Muster of the year. Staff and students gathered at five locations: Charleville, Cunnamulla, Mitchell, St George, and Quilpie. The theme of the day was the Olympics and Verse Speaking. Teachers organised a variety of activities, including exploring countries, the history and events of the Olympics, an alternative pentathlon, guided drawing of the Eiffel Tower, and shared Olympic themed stories. Each cluster prepared an entry for the Charleville Performing Arts Festival in the Group Verse Speaking category. It was a significant effort to come together and produce such impressive entries in just one day.
Congratulations to all students for their enthusiasm and dedication, and a big thank you to the staff for preparing the resources and activities.
Results from the Charleville Performing Arts Festival, Group Verse Speaking:
Author in Residence:
This year’s Author in Residence was Yvonne Mes, a children’s author and illustrator based in Brisbane. She writes and illustrates picture books for children with curious minds. Yvonne captivated the students with her imaginative introduction, humorously exaggerating her life as an author to convince the students to become writers.
Yvonne shared two of her books with the students. Prep and Year 1 had the chance to hear her book Oliver Grumbles. Oliver is a happy little boy who, one day, wakes up with Grumbles in his head and Grumbles in his bed! Students were invited to imagine what their own grumbles might look like.
Students in Years 2 to 6 were fortunate to hear Yvonne’s most recent book, Opal Dinosaur. She began with a quick game of "Is this a dinosaur or not?" and then shared interesting facts about various dinosaur species before reading the story. Opal Dinosaur explores the fascinating discovery of rare opalised bones. Yvonne also explained the real-life inspirations behind the characters in the book, creating a strong connection between the events in the story and real-life discoveries.
This was a fantastic experience for all students. I applaud their enthusiasm in engaging with Yvonne, responding to her questions, and making her feel so welcome.
Minischool Term 4:
Minischool will be hosted in Charleville in Week 4, Tuesday 22nd October to Friday 25th October. The flyer and consent forms have been sent out and due back end of Week 1, Friday 4th October.
During Minischool, students will engage in a variety of fun and enjoyable activities, including class time with their teachers and opportunities to socialise and collaborate with friends. This week also offers a fantastic chance for students to participate in swimming lessons and water safety exercises.
Venessa Moore and Dave Kruger
PLO Prattle
As Term 3 comes to a close, it's clear how little time remains in the school year and how much we still need to accomplish. From all reports, the secondary students had a fantastic time at Magnetic Island, enjoying various activities and making new friends. Speaking of camp, Year 3 - 6 students are away this week (Week 10) in Brisbane, immersing themselves in cultural experiences.
We're also busy planning for the Term 4 Minischool, Outreach and Multischool, and our 2025 Kickstart Conference. Let's hope we keep the planning straight and don't mix them up!
6 Positive ways to respond to your anxious child. By Dr Jodi Richardson:
When our kids feel anxious, they come to us for help. Help to stop the worrying thoughts spinning around their head, help to get rid of the feeling of dread that wells up inside their tummy and help to feel safe, calm and happy. We want so much to be able to do that for them. They turn to us because they know how much we love them, and they trust us (all knowing beings) to do and say all the ‘right’ things. But what are the right things to do and say? While there’s no such thing as the perfect script for parenting anxious kids there are things, we can do to make a powerful difference to how they feel. These ideas will help you to help your kids feel understood, valued and empowered to manage their anxiety.
- Empathy first, always. When they’re feeling anxious, the very first thing kids need to know is that we get it. That we understand how they feel. When we show empathy, anxious kids feel validated. Different to sympathy, where they know you care about their suffering, empathy shows you feel their suffering, that you know what it feels like to experience fear, anxiety and worry. If you stay calm, cool as a cucumber, not showing any emotion, this is actually a sign to anxious kids that you don’t get it. This can lead to them turning up the dial on their emotions and behaviour so you eventually do get it. You don’t have to agree with their reaction or what they’re saying, but a powerful first response to anxiety is to validate how they’re feeling.
- The antidote to mental time travel. When kids start thinking about the ‘if only’ and ‘what ifs’ they’re engaging in something us humans are all too good at. Mental time travel. And usually not in a good way. Helping brings their attention to the present moment using mindfulness can help down-regulate their emotional response. A really effective way to do this is to help your child, no matter what age, tune into their senses. Ask them to name 5 things they can see, 4 things they can hear, 3 things they can touch and so on. Bringing their attention back to the here and now is an incredibly powerful thing to do when anxiety shows up.
- Press the button. Anxious thinking can have our kids endlessly ruminating over thoughts and fears. As we teach them to tune into what they’re thinking, we can teach them that they don’t have to believe everything they think. Thoughts are just a bunch of words, like the ones on this page. A fun way of helping younger kids see their thoughts for what they are is the ‘Press the button’ technique. I use this with our 7-year-old. Let’s say she’s thinking “A scary clown is going to chase me” in her dream when she falls asleep. That’s her thought. Now it’s time to press the button. The ‘button’ is actually my nose. And when she presses it, I say her thought in the most ridiculous voice I can muster. She laughs her head off. Then she does the same. I press her nose, and she repeat the thought in an even sillier voice! We both crack up laughing. We keep going back and forth using silly voices. It takes all the sting out of the thought, and helps remind her that it’s just a thought, not a fact.
- Ahhhh Statements. Ahhhh statements are a brilliant way to validate how your child is feeling and to remind them that their thoughts are not facts. Repeating back what you’re hearing about how they’re feeling shows you’re listening and trying to understand. It’s also a great way to help your children develop a more nuanced emotional vocabulary.
“Ahhhh, you’re feeling anxious right now…”
“Ahhhh, you’re having one of those ‘I might mess it up’ ideas…”
“Ahhhh, you’re feeling disappointed that didn’t work out for you…”
- Thought bubbles. Helping our kids to notice their thinking is such an important skill. We all have this kind of mental chatter constantly going on in our minds. When our kids are caught up in a thought it can be extremely worrying and anxiety provoking. A bit like getting swept down a river. But when we can get our kids ‘out of the river’ and start ‘watching from the riverbank’, it’s far easier for them to see their thoughts for what they are. You can ask younger kids what their ‘thought bubble’ is saying and liken it to what they see when they read a comic. You can ask older kids to start paying attention to the thoughts that come and go in their minds. This really helps kids get some distance between themselves and their thinking.
- Is it helpful? Let’s say your child come’s home and tells you “I’m terrible at maths”. Instead of trying to dispute this by saying “of course you’re not”, “you’re being too hard on yourself”, “remember last year when you won the ‘mathematician of the month’ award”, try asking your child if what he/she said is helpful. It’s a simple but powerful question. They’ll say “no” which opens up a conversation to discuss what would be helpful. Maybe more support, perhaps a chat with the teacher, more time spent practicing or possibly even a tutor. It will help your child calm down and develop a growth mindset, with an understanding that ability isn’t fixed, and that effort and persistence will move them forward, no matter how stuck they feel.
Enjoy your break and remember to book your accommodation for the end-of-year events.
Partners in Learning
Can you believe we are through Term 3 already?! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes in school-land. For example, I have been working in this role since Term 2, 2022, signing on for three years, and already we are hurtling towards the end of the project. With that in mind, I strongly encourage you to take full advantage of the final offerings of this workshop. Next term, there will be one final face-to-face workshop offered in Charleville. Online offerings of the workshop are still in the planning phase, with dates yet to be confirmed, but I can tell you I am looking at scheduling at least one more round. My goal is to ensure everyone has ample opportunity to get involved with Partners in Learning and develop their knowledge and capability in supporting the literacy development of their students in eKindy to Year 2.
Over the course of the last few years, I have been very lucky to have been joined by many enthusiastic, committed participants who all have their little people’s best interests at heart. They have generously provided positive feedback and encouraged friends and family to join in future workshops. Some have even returned to refresh their knowledge and get some new hints and tips as their little people have progressed and different information has become more relevant. I’d just like to share some of the feedback these workshops have received over the years…
“Super valuable sessions! As a new home tutor, I feel these modules were essential for supporting my students reading and writing development.” – Home tutor
“… very engaging. Activities were useful and helped to cement information explored.” – Teacher participant
“I feel more confident now in my abilities to teach both my Year 1 & Year 3. Thank you for the opportunity.” – Online participant
And what was some of the most relevant and useful information participants have gained from the training?
“I found all 4 modules useful. I really enjoyed the breakdown and building on the knowledge of the modules throughout the course. …fabulous in explaining why, why (sic) and how to better support our children.” – Online participant
“As a teacher, it was reassuring to hear that what we are doing is what is recommended.” – Teacher participant
“Practical and applicable theory with regards to teaching phonological awareness and useful feedback strategies to extend and ease learning.” – Home tutor
“The biggest thing I took away and that I am aware of every day around the kids is to speak clearly and be conscious of new and stand out words to extend my little ones vocab.” – Online Participant
“Being able to ask questions and get valid answers.” – Home tutor
I began by lamenting the hasty passing of time. If you are still unsure whether this is a valuable use of your time, please do not hesitate to contact Jenny Swadling or me if you have a question or would like some more information. The only silly question is the one you don’t ask. I hope to see you next term.
“Teaching them how to read is probably one of the most important duties a civilised society owes to its children.” – Pamela Snow
Michelle Sieber
Head of Department – Partners in Learning
Available Monday – Thursday
Email: msieb4@eq.edu.au
Phone: 0499 785 675
Digital Discoveries
Teams is Coming!!
After a successful trial of Teams in Mrs O’s classes during Term 3 for on-air lessons, the school is moving onto the next step in our trial, with four more teachers and their classes utilising Teams in Term 4.
Students working with Miss Cooper, Miss Head, Mr Mulhall and Mrs Thomson, along with those continuing to work with Mrs O, will have their lessons in Teams and access links through Microsoft Outlook rather than Class Collaborate.
Further information will be sent to those families in the trial with details on how to set up Teams and access lessons.
All teachers and class will be switching to Teams at the beginning of 2025.
Want to get your student’s computer ready?
Install Teams for free from
Microsoft Office
All Education Queensland students have access to a free copy of Microsoft Office. Programs (or Apps) included in the suite are:
- Word – perfect for typing up stories and assignments
- Excel – an essential tool for Maths and Science to present and sort data
- Outlook – send and receive emails to and from your teacher using your school account and keep track of all your due dates with the calendar
- OneNote – the Desktop App, preferred by our school for students to complete their work in
- PowerPoint – for making slideshows for presentations
These programs are an essential part of learning through Distance Education and can be accessed using your student’s school email address at http://office.com.
Need More Help?
Digital Learning Facilitator – Sam Owczarek: sowcz1@eq.edu.au or 07 4656 8915
For advice or help with using programs or tools (including QLearn, Microsoft Office and Teams).
Term 3 Cluster Muster
Western Alliance Camp
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