Teacher Aide Appreciation Week

30 Aug. – 3 Sept.

 At Mudgeeraba Special School we have amazingly talented, committed, and hard-working Teacher Aides.  They make an invaluable contribution to our school community, supporting our teachers and assisting our students to achieve their learning outcomes.

 Thank you to all our wonderful Teacher Aides!

During Week 9 each of the teaching teams will revisit one or more of the below explicit teaching episodes from weeks 6 through to 8. 

Week 6 - Honest

We pay for our items, we report damaged items.

Week 7 - Caring 

We are environmentally friendly, we place our rubbish in the bin, we place our recycling items in the proper bin.

Week 8 - Respectful

We ask to use the toilet, we flush the toilet and wash our hands, we close the toilet door, we respect the right to privacy.

Sssh! I’m Here For the Company!

I noticed a sign on the counter. It was right next to a charity coin box where a cute toy koala sat enticing animal lovers to donate their spare change to a worthy cause. But the sign I saw first, offered me no similar, warm and fuzzy. It simply read:

“In God we trust, all others pay cash!”

Since, I’m positive that I’m not God (nowhere near it), my worth came down to whether I had cash on me, or not. And in my case, not! I never carry cash, I use my phone wallet to pay for everything: meals, snacks, groceries, entertainment… And, it’s on a very rare occasion, that I actually have any cash on me. Anytime! A quick scan of the area, including a Google search, confirmed that there weren’t any ATMs close by. Doh!

I recall, that my pride, wouldn’t allow me to admit to the fact that I was in a pickle. I contemplated not eating or drinking, and pretending that I was only along for the company. I would’ve gotten away with it had one of my friends, not done the ‘good friend thing’ and said out aloud,

“You haven’t got cash, have you?”

I was unmasked. My usually impregnable super-hero persona was exposed. However, ironically, the same friend, who whittled my ego down to the size of a toothpick, also came to my rescue: they insisted that they pay for me. Whether they felt bad, or whatever, it didn’t matter, they offered to pay and bail me out. After I did my best to fend off their kindness, I finally accepted their offer (needless to say, I didn’t go overboard, and order the lobster that night).

Sometimes, grace and kindness, can extend its hand and offer you a lift-up when you need it. Sometimes, it appears at unlikely moments, and sometimes it happens in cash-only restaurants. But it really doesn’t matter about the hows or the whys. It matters just that someone offered you a hand, and your reaction can mean the world. I could have been stubborn and stuck to my ‘no eating’ policy, or I could have just tried to figure it all out myself. Either way, I couldn’t do it by myself, so I had to let someone do it for me.

Have you ever had something like this happen? What did you do? Just when you knew you couldn’t do it alone, you went along anyway? Even though there was support available, you held out, adjusted your super-hero mask, and leapt tall buildings in a single bound? Even when a friend wanted to do for you, what good friends do, you held out? A friend offered me their hand of friendship that night. Had I not accepted it, I would’ve gone hungry.

Maybe, it’s time we learn to take the hand of a friend once in a while. Maybe, we need to practise recognising kindness, and appreciate it for its simplicity. Maybe, we need to accept the niceties of life when they come, and enjoy the ride. Maybe, we need to let our friends buy us dinner once in a while. Maybe, our friends are good to us because they love us, and sometimes, the love is hidden in the ‘doing’. I’m glad I let my friend buy dinner that night – the vege lasagne was brilliant!

We encourage you to keep up to date through the NDIS websites.

https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/

https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/independent-assessments/independent-assessment-process

https://www.ndis.gov.au/community/have-your-say/interventions-children-autism-spectrum?fbclid=IwAR3-yzR5VE-YUVL99n2RM2NXynqvx4uc5SWv-tjqogxtvuxYt_ArAUNeXDk

Stop the Spread of COVID-19

Maintaining the required hygiene and physical distancing measures in place in our school. These are our most effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Any person who is sick (staff, student or parent) should stay home and if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, get tested.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include: 

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Loss of taste or smell
• Tiredness and muscle aches
• Vomiting and/or diarrhoea
• Shortness of breath

If students or staff present at school as unwell we will follow up and request an imediate early departure until a medical clearance is provided and confirmation that the person is well.

We need to ensure we stay home if recurring flu like symptoms present to decrease the spread of influenza.

Further information about COVID-19 testing is available via the link below:

https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/stay-informed/testing-and-feverclinics

If you have any questions, please call your doctor or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) in these continuing concerning times.

• Student attendance 8.30 am till 2.45 pm.
• Phone the office and request the classroom. Please always be mindful of students' learning and teachers teaching times.
• If you are late to start the school day please attend the School Office and staff will assist with contacting your class.
• Utilise the students' Communication Diary and Seesaw.
• Request face to face meetings through your class teacher before, after school or in their noncontact time.

Via Social Media:

Did you know... Mudgeeraba Special School have our own departmental approved Instagram page? Stay up to date with the latest in the classroom, school and community through Facebook and our newest addition to the Mudgeeraba Special social media family, our Instagram account. Follow us today https://www.instagram.com/mudgeerabaspecial/ and tag us @mudgeerabaspecial