Dear Mudgeeraba Special School Families,

It has certainly been a busy start to the school year and all our students and staff are ready for a well-deserved holiday. Today our students celebrated the learning of our school core values: Connected, Aware and Responsible by participating in Putt Putt activities. From all of the smiles I saw today it is safe to say everyone had a great time.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Mudgeeraba Special School this term and I am pleased to announce that I will be returning in term 2. I am hoping to connect with more families next term as having a strong relationship with you and members of the school community is very important to me. Please reach out if you need anything at all.

Next term I will be working with all school staff on our 4 year strategic plan.  This process can take quite a long time as it is important that wen take a collaborative approach to inquiry.

Taking a collaborative approach to inquiry means:

Learning from one another by welcoming and maximising the contribution of diverse team members.

Engaging in cycles of inquiry and reflection to identify, implement and evaluate teaching and learning approaches for the benefit of all our students.

Cultivating environments that encourage openness, trust and a safe space to innovate, collaborate and share.

Hoping you all have a great holiday.

Warm regards,

Renee Zhu

Acting Principal

Communication lies at the heart of every learning environment, and as educators, we ensure that every student has the tools they need to express themselves effectively. Today, we are thrilled to announce a significant step forward in this endeavor as we introduce Assistiveware Proloquo as our whole school Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system for all staff to be modelling and using across all environments, along with students preferred mode of communication. You will see all staff using green ipads that have Proloquo on it, we will not access any other apps or internet on these devices. They are ‘our words’ only.

At Mudgeeraba State Special School, we believe in fostering an inclusive environment where every voice matters, that's why we are embracing Assistiveware Proloquo, a powerful AAC solution designed to empower individuals with diverse communication needs.

Proloquo offers a range of features tailored to support communication across various contexts, making it an ideal choice for our school community. Whether it's in the classroom, during social interactions, or at home, Proloquo provides a flexible platform for students to model and communicate effectively. We have also purchased speakers for each device so the voice from the AAC can be at the same volume of peers.

Implementing Proloquo as our whole school staff AAC system also promotes consistency and collaboration across classrooms. With a unified platform, teachers and support staff can easily share resources, track progress, and collaborate on individualized communication goals. This holistic approach ensures that every student receives the support they need to thrive academically and socially. Staff will also use students identified communication system, along with Proloquo. Research has shown that the more language input we can deliver across all environments students will have more success socially and academically, our aim is to make all of our learners independent communicators and thrive academically. The vocabulary and structure we believe will help us to achieve this goal.

As we embark on this journey with Assistiveware Proloquo, we are committed to providing ongoing training and support to our staff, students, and families. Through professional development workshops, resources, and hands-on guidance, we will equip our community with the knowledge and skills needed to maximize the benefits of Proloquo and ensure that every student can communicate confidently and effectively. We have also partnered with Amanda Hartmann who is coaching and mentoring staff in classrooms to ensure we are always delivering rich learning experiences for our students.

 In embracing Assistiveware Proloquo as our whole school AAC system, we reaffirm our dedication to creating an inclusive learning environment where every student's voice is heard and valued. Together, let us embark on this journey of communication and empowerment, enriching the lives of our students and fostering a community where all are welcome and supported. We can’t wait to share our knowledge, talented teachers and students utilising this tool. If you have any questions around this, please don’t hesitate to contact Natasha Markwick, nmark15@eq.edu.au

I was asked to give a personal story; you know, one of those what was the journey you took that led you to working here. I was a little nervous because I'm a facilitator at this particular place. I wasn't sure how being open and honest was going to go with teaching or facilitating the classes that I would run later on that day. To make the situation even scarier, the audience were asked to give feedback on what was said.  Bravely I got up and gave my personal story about what led me to this place. I spoke and everyone seemed to listen well. I sat down breathed deeply and prepared for the feedback.

Slowly all in attendance wrote down their feedback and placed it in a bucket. The bucket was then picked up and given to me. I stared at the bucket and all the neatly folded paper inside. I collected them all took them upstairs to my office and decided to leave them there until when I was next in, two days later.

Finally, two days later, I opened each of the notes and nervously received my feedback. To my surprise it was all very encouraging. My presentation was not perfect but all in attendance had been instructed to speak of the positive aspects of the talk. The point of the exercise was to encourage and build up all members of that educational community, whether students or facilitators.  I felt so encouraged due to that feedback that it helped me afresh to appreciate those I teach and my position in the organisation.

I think one of the most powerful gifts we can give others is encouragement. Let’s be honest life can be tough and there is a lot of people out there that seemed to make it their life's goal to tear down other people. I was so encouraged by the words that I received from the people who had listened to my story that I actually scanned them and saved them to my OneDrive so that if I was feeling down, I could go back and read them. 

If we encourage one another, our sometimes difficult journeys can be navigated a little easier. So why not this week set a goal to encourage and build up those with whom we have relationship and those who seem down. Everyone will be better off if we choose to encourage.