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- Principal's Message
- What's on at Mudgee
- Communication at Mudgee
- The Get Happier School
- MyTime
- Book Week 17-23 October
- Positive Behaviour for Learning - Term 4 - Week 4
- Sound of the week
- Day for Daniel- 1 week to go!
- Drawing Competition
- Dental Care Resumption Notice
- Covid Guidelines Weekly Updates
- P&C Container Refund & Recycling Scheme
- Contact Us
2021 Planning:
Families I know this can be an anxious time wondering who might be your teaching staff for 2021 and which class or block your young person might be connected to and with great respect we ask for your support to "trust us". Your teachers are currently assisting with class design with students we know currently and this will not be finalised till later in the term as we await enrolment finalisation and approval and staff confirmation. It would greatly assist with our school flow if we might wait till the end of the year when we have a drafted plan to support the preparation for the new school year.
Book Week 2020 Celebrations:
Thanks to students and staff for engaging in our Book Character Day yesterday. Your costumes were outstanding and it should be noted a wider array of genres were represented. Our focus on oral language to build word vocabulary inturn supports fluent reading. Staff have been engaging after school this week in professional development online with Sheena Cameron.
Vocabulary
Why Teach it?
“Vocabulary development is both an outcome of comprehension and a precursor to it, with word meanings making up as much as 70–90% of comprehension” (Bromley, 2007). Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings, which has an implication on effective communication. When students know the meaning of a word, they are more likely to be able to read it and make sense of it within a text. Vocabulary can form many challenges to learners such as when the word is unfamiliar and when it has different meanings in different contexts (e.g. table).
Components of a Comprehensive Vocabulary Program according to Cameron and Dempsey, 2016
1. Build and foster word consciousness
Support students to develop word consciousness, which is an awareness and interest in words and the way they work. Bring enjoyment to learning words through jokes, games, riddles, limericks, puns, tongue twisters, parodies and puzzles. Literary devices such as similes, alliteration, metaphors etc. can support vocabulary learning. Song and rhyme can support this learning to help develop phonemic awareness and vocabulary acquisition. Knowledge of word classes such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions etc. enhances the understanding of words and their function.
2. Teach word-learning strategies
Model word-learning strategies by working out how to read unknown words. These strategies can include decoding strategies (ask your teacher about our MSSS decoding strategies), self-monitoring strategies, identifying base and root words, using a dictionary and/or using a thesaurus.
3. Teach individual words
When selecting which words to explicitly teach, there is no set rule. Authentic literacy experiences provide a range of words, it is also important to target the teaching of words used for many purposes in many contexts. Repeated exposure in a range of environments help embedding a new word into a student’s vocabulary. During the reading of a text, pause to define an unknown word in student friendly language. It is ideal to read some texts more than once as, “repeated readings of the same story has been shown to promote vocabulary gains” (Biemiller and Boote, 2006). For words used long-term, activities to support the teaching may be beneficial including, word comparisons, discussing the word, drawing pictures and completing graphic organisers. A helpful framework when determining which words to teach can be the Three Tiers identified from Beck, McKeown and Kucan, 2002.
|
|
Explanation |
Examples |
Recommendations for Teaching |
|
Tier 1 |
Common Words Words encountered in everyday conversation. |
look, stop, play, happy, school, red, book |
These words are important to master. Students with learning difficulties benefit from the explicit teaching of these words. |
|
Tier 2 |
High Utility Words Words needed for discussion, access to content. These words are beneficial across learning areas and topics. |
Evaluate, description, relative, frightened |
These words are high-frequency words that are useful long-term across contexts. They need to be explicitly taught to support understanding and use. |
|
Tier 3 |
Low Frequency, Subject Specific Words Words that are subject-specific. |
geometric, continent, lava |
These words are taught in specific Key Learning Areas. Teaching of these should not be prioritised over the teaching of tier 1 or 2 words. |
4. Plan for and encourage independent reading
The vocabulary contained within books is far richer than words used within conversation. The link between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension adds to the benefits of daily modelled and independent reading. Exposure to new vocabulary can occur through independent, modelled, shared and guided reading through a range of text types.
Personal Best Recognition:
Elijah in Seniors has won 5 gold medals last weekend at the QLD Athletics held in Brisbane. He won 1500, 800, 400, 200 & 100 metres. We are so proud of his achievements.
Students and Staff Wellbeing:
Families it is vital that if students are unwell that we support their wellbeing at home. We have had cases of tummy upsets and colds and we want to minimise the impact on the students themselves, their peers and their staff.
School Payments:
As the end of the year we would greatly appreciate the finalisation of students school offer of $180 and an outstanding fees for events such as Graduation.
The department requests all schools move forward in the new school year with invoiced School Levies and we are drafting our proposal for P&C.
More information will be forwarded in coming newsletters to inform you of these more formal changes of fees for resources and events.
Thank you for an amazing week.
Regards
Colleen Hope
| Week | Event |
| Week 4 |
27th October- My Time : NDIS Q & A visit with Karla from Carers QLD Friday 30th September - Day for Daniel |
| Week 5 |
3rd November - My Time: Melbourne Cup Morning Tea Friday 6th November - Graduation |
| Week 6 | 10th Noveber- My Time:COACH Program Visit with Dawna |
- 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:
Book Week 2020
What a wonderful week of literacy celebrations we have had at Mudgeeraba Special School!
We started Book Week on Friday 16th October with all of our classroom doors looking beautiful. We judged our doors on Monday and Middle 6-10 won the coveted Executive Teams Best Block Award. The Student Council awarded the best door from the Best Block to Middle 8 and they were excited to place their 1st place ribbon on their door.
In all classes across the campus on Tuesday our students engaged in a read aloud of an Emergent Text. These are written at an emergent reading level reinforcing core words, repetitive texts driven by student interest with images of themselves and other familiar people in their life.
On Wednesday our school used the Big 6 Reading Framework to plan literacy activities related to a text read aloud in class. Our students worked on their Phonics skills which enables them to use letter sound relationships to read/decode words. They listened to a peer or their teacher read aloud with fluency meaning that person read aloud with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Our students worked towards their comprehension skills demonstrating their understanding of the problem or resolution in the story. Students used created puppets to interview or role play parts of the story to hone their oral language skills. To work on vocabulary by identifying new words within the text read aloud. They worked on phonological awareness by creating rhyming word families from selected words in the text.On Thursday we were a sea of colour with Wild Creature and Wild Minds using their imaginations to think of the best costume to showcase in our Mudgeeraba State Special School Book Week Parade. It was a wondrous day where students got to laugh with and at the Executive Team as we were challenged to use our whole body listening skills and perform to unknown script! We thank our very clever Chappy Adrian Young as he put us through our paces and we even learned a new boot scootin dance.
Finally after our busy week on Friday we relaxed into a shared reading experience with everyone’s favourite Principal Mrs Hope. She read a story which helped us all understand and appreciate our COVID-19 journey of home learning and being a family unit whilst staying safe from the virus.
During week 4 our students will revisit the learning from the past 3 weeks of school. They will also through explicit and incidental teaching revisit the 6 explicit teachings that underpin the three values of our wonderful school. All classroom teachings, incidents or events can be linked back to the above six learnings.
HONEST - Students will learn the value of being honest during explicit and incidental teaching. They will learn the importance of being honest by taking items to lost and found, and returning items to a passer-by who may have dropped or lost their property.
CARING - Students will learn the value of being caring during the teaching of the Health curriculum in teacher release time. Students will learn the importance of caring for their bodies, practising good hygiene with a particular focus on Covid Safe hand washing skills. Teachers will use authentic play opportunities to highlight the importance of sunscreen when going outdoors. Students can be a SunSmart Super Hero in alignment with the Health and Physical Education Committee's initiatives.
RESPECTFUL - Students will learn the importance of using table manners. The explicit teaching of these skills may be extended to setting an eating area, clearing away rubbish, disposal of compostable items in the correct bins, encouraging conversation or requests for assistance.
We have just one week to go until our School Fun Run in association with our Day for Daniel Event. Have you set up an online profile or started fundraising to support our 2020 event? We would like to congratulate those families with an active profile who are fundraising online but if you haven’t yet it’s not too late. Funds raised go to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and our playground upgrade. Follow the information in the below flyer to set up a profile and happy fundraising!
The Honourable Karen Andrews MP invited our school community to participate in a Christmas Drawing Competition. Students had the opportunity to participate for a chance to win prizes and have their artwork feature on Christmas cards distributed to 70,000 homes. It was amazing seeing the creativity of students and we hope the Honourable Karen Andrews MP likes our entries as much as we do.
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.
In Term 4 we will maintain limiting large groups of adults onsite or outside personnel from outside agencies eg therapists. All contractors for work repairs will adhere to Departmental guidelines.
The greatest news today is to hear that Graduations can now support dancing as an activity.
We would like to clarify that if a member of your household is sick, you are not required to stay home unless you have received health advice to do so.
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:
If you have any questions, please call your doctor or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).
Please bring in your recycling to the school. The mobile reciptacle is stationed at the front carpark behind the bus shelter in school hours as the students are part of the program and move the wheelie bin between 9.15 am and 2.00 pm.
One Hundred percent of the donations go to our P&C Association.
Executive Team:
Principal: Colleen Hope
Deputy Principals:
Jnr & Middle: Natasha Markwick
Jnr Sec & Seniors: Katie Andrew
Heads of Personalised Learning:
Bree Nairn & Danielle Turner
Senior School Pedagogical Leader: Laine East
Get Happier Project Leader: Steve Dowlan
Administration Team:
Business Manager: Samantha Kilpatrick
Admin Officer: Lorraine Yorke
Admin Officer: Belinda Chisnall
P&C Executive 2020:
President: Mel Colenso
Vice President: Anne Conroy
Secretary: Karen Lee
Treasurer: Deborah Hopkin
P&C Voluntary Roles 2020
Uniforms: Coordinator: Toni Sarten
Fundraising Team:
Jo Benjamin
Jaime Morris
Jody Mcfarlane
Michelle Jensen
QCPCA Representative:Alison Atkinson
Project Planning & Grants Officer : Maurie Rowe
My Time Coordinator: Anne Conroy
NOTICEBOARD