Dear Mudgeeraba Special School Families,

Greetings and welcome to the latest issue of the Mudgeeraba Special School newsletter! The past few weeks have been filled with excitement here at Mudgee. We were thrilled to host Ros Bates MP at our school last week. Our senior students, along with our furry friend Puggles, joined in expressing gratitude for the generous donation of two new school marquees. These additions will undoubtedly ensure our students stay protected, come rain or shine. Additionally, our Grade 12 students were honoured with a special ceremony to receive their senior shirts. A huge thank you goes out to our Parents and Citizens Association for providing each graduating student with these shirts. Witnessing the students brimming with pride was an absolute delight.

Last week a note regarding the Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC) was sent home with students. Although the PRC is not a competition, it is a great way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, from 7 May to 23 August.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2024 challenge is to encourage students to make time to read. Last year saw more than 110,000 children from around the state participate.

National Simultaneous Storytime

The National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) book for 2024 is Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker (Scholastic, 2023). Our students will be participating in NSS, along with thousands of other students across Australia on Wednesday the 22^nd of May at 12pm.

Bowerbird Blues stars a beautiful bowerbird on the search for (you guessed it) BLUE!  It’s a moving story of longing and connection, that unfolds as the bowerbird’s search sends him soaring across the sea, sky and city. He swoops and snatches vibrant treasures for his collection, and soon his bower – a mix of natural and unnatural objects – attracts something greater and more fulfilling than he could ever have imagined.

Last Wednesday marked the commencement of my collaboration with the Executive Leadership team and our exceptional middle leaders as we embarked on crafting our four-year school strategic plan. It was a delightful morning focused on fostering collaboration and team cohesion. Leadership within our educational community at Mudgeeraba Special School is characterised by a commitment to collective effort. Through our shared dedication to nurturing student success, our leaders not only enriched their own leadership journey but also cultivated an inclusive environment where every voice was valued and every idea was embraced. I look forward to sharing our work with the whole school community in the future.

Remember to stay connected with Mudgeeraba Special School on Facebook! Our page features frequent updates and posts highlighting school celebrations, important reminders, and upcoming events.

Warm regards,

Renee Zhu

Acting Principal

In the Junior Secondary Skill Development Playdough program, our students have been working hard to take, create and deliver orders to their customers across our school community. They are developing their literacy, numeracy and vocational skills which will lead into the Certificate course program in Hospitality

Spring Blooms and Budding Scientists!

This week, our classrooms from Prep to Year 10 have been buzzing with excitement as our very own sunflowers have begun to bloom!

These vibrant flowers are the culmination of weeks of dedicated learning about living things in our weekly science lessons. Students across all year levels have been delving into the fascinating world of plants, exploring topics like: 

Plant lifecycles: From seed to flower, students have explored the amazing journey plants take to grow and thrive.

Plant needs: They've learned about the essential elements plants require, like sunlight, water, and nutrients.

Plant parts: From roots to stems, leaves, and of course, those beautiful sunflowers, students have gained a deeper understanding of plant anatomy.

The hands-on experience of planting, nurturing, and witnessing the sunflowers' growth has been a highlight for everyone. Students haven't just learned about living things; they've seen these concepts come to life before their very eyes!

We've been particularly impressed by the insightful questions students have been asking throughout this project. Their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning have been truly inspiring.

As the sunflowers continue to bloom, we look forward to incorporating them into further lessons, perhaps even using them for some creative art projects!

Stay tuned for more updates on our budding scientists and their ongoing exploration of the natural world!

During Travel Training, our Senior Students visited the Swell Sculpture festival at Hinze Dam. They had a great time exploring the art pieces and natural environment. They also involved themselves in some of the workshop activities, like planting seedlings.

Thank you to Ros Bates MP for gerenously donating two new 6 x 3 Marquees to our school