School Newsletter - Term 1 Week 9 - 2022

Principal's News

Expect the Unexpected
There is no doubt that we are living in times of change, both in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this term we have certainly experienced change and challenges with the changing weather around us. I just wanted to commend and thank our students, community and staff for their continued support, flexibility and positivity as we've made the many and necessary adjustments across the term. I am so proud of our whole school and the way in which we have maintained our focus on Learning, Achieving and Growing every day and ensuring everyone is safe and well at every step.

P&C Executive
On behalf of our staff, community and most importantly our students, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our 2021 P&C, led by our P&C Executive: Steve Jones President and Sarah Courtney President, Narelle Boyes and Ed Pullen our Vice Presidents, Rachel Conway our Secretary and Melita Chambers our Treasurer and our very active P&C Committee - thank you for all of the amazing work you have all achieved in 2021. 

Congratulations to our 2022 elected P&C Executive: Sarah Courtney, President, Narelle Boyes and Aidan Embrey, Vice-Presidents, Emma Reibelt, Treasurer and Rachel Conway, Secretary. I look forward to working with this wonderful group in 2022.

Parent Teacher Interviews
Thank you to our parents who were able to attend this terms Parent teacher Interviews. Thank you to our entire teaching team for their preparation, efforts and support at this Terms Parent Teacher Interviews. The entire process and event was extremely positive. This was widely noted by staff and families. It was absolutely wonderful to have our specialists and support staff involved and available. Feedback for some of our families indicated that this was a wonderful addition and opportunity to actually talk to and learn from our specialist team as well.  If you have any further feedback regarding the format and process, please feel free to share it with your child's teacher as we will be reviewing this new format in preparation for the Term 3 interviews early next term.

The fact that 80% of the students who are of primary school age living in our catchment attend Rangeville, is a testament to our inclusivity and reputation.

The greatest gift you can give your children is that of inclusivity. The more they interact with all members of society, the more they will understand about building positive and successful relationships, tolerance and acceptance. Essentially, they will become much better human beings.

My own greatest learning came to me in primary school, where one of my closest friends had a diagnosed disability. My parents never discouraged me from building that friendship, firmly believing that everyone has their place in the world and whilst there were some challenging times within that journey, we are still firm friends to this day. I believe I am a far richer person for having sustained this relationship. He has taught me so much. The other point to really consider is that at any time, any one of our children could present with some sort of special need or disability. How would you want your child to be treated? I would be absolutely mortified if I heard or it was reported to me that anyone in our community made the comment that a student, staff member or family did not ‘belong’ in our school because of any sort of difference. With over 715 students, 500 parents and 80 plus staff, we are naturally going to have diversity and difference. 

We believe at Rangeville that, ‘Equity is who has keys to the room. Diversity is who is in the room. Inclusion is who feels welcome in the room’.

At Rangeville, we are so proud of the work we do to support students with a disability, to ensure that they are able to access education on the same or equal basis as any other student. For this reason, we are dedicated to providing inclusive education (students with disabilities working within mainstream classrooms). Inclusive education ensures that schools are supportive and engaging places for all school community members. It builds communities that value, celebrate and respond to diversity. It is underpinned by respectful relationships between learners and school community members. It is supported by collaborative relationships with parents and communities through communication, learning partnerships, participation and consultative decision-making.

All Queensland State schools are required to adhere to legislation, which ensures people with disability have access to equal participation in education and society as those without disability. The Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) aims to protect and promote the rights of people with disability. The objectives of the DDA are:

• to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against people on the grounds of disability
• to ensure that people with disability have the same rights before the law as the rest of the community
• to promote the principle that people with disability have the same rights as the rest of the community.

Inclusive education means that every day in every classroom, every student is learning, achieving and growing in a safe, supportive, inclusive and disciplined learning environment.

In our school and community, we strive to:

• provide high-quality education for all students
• respond constructively to the needs of educationally disadvantaged/marginalised students
• view difference as a resource to support learning
• ensure that all school community members feel safe and free from discrimination, bias and harassment
• promote locally negotiated responses to student, family and community needs through effective community engagement processes and cross-agency collaboration
• ensure that inclusive education practices are embedded in all state schools’ policies and initiatives.

So what does this really mean?

We currently support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disabilities, Hearing Impairment, Physical Impairment, Down Syndrome, various medical conditions, behaviour issues and Speech- Language Impairment. All students are integrated into classrooms and their learning needs factored into learning programs. Many of our students are also supported by our Inclusion Team and teacher aides while in class. We also have students with more ‘hidden’ disabilities including anxiety, specific medical conditions and significant learning difficulties.

We cater for these students by ensuring we have key people, processes and support mechanisms to support their unique needs also. Our Deputy Principals, Mrs Hodgson and Mrs Hagley, our Head of Special Education Support Mrs Franklin and Mrs Snow along with Inclusion Team Mrs Smiddy, Mrs Mohr, Ms Tonkin and Mrs Keightley and Guidance Officer Mrs Pappin, coordinate, manage and lead a dedicated team so our students are effectively ‘wrapped around’ (holistically) to ensure that they are supported academically, socially and emotionally while at school. Their hard work and liaison with other school staff, parents, external organisations and the school Leadership Team, ensures that every child is ‘visible’ and their needs are understood and met in a way that is also mindful of what can be determined as ‘reasonable’ in a class of 25-28 students.

We work exceptionally hard to ensure that we best meet the needs of all our students, utilising school funds and the availability of qualified and specialised staff. We strive hard to employ staff that understand the unique needs of our students, support our inclusion philosophy and processes and demonstrate empathy and compassion towards our students with additional needs and their families. As a result, we have staff who are very powerful advocates for our students with disabilities, and develop strong partnerships, to ensure that all our students have access to a high-quality education, on the same or equal basis as students without disabilities.

One of the myths that I do hear is that our students with ‘disabilities’ receive special privileges, are treated better or their behaviour isn’t held to the same standards as ‘mainstream students’. Inclusion is not about elevating the needs of students with additional or special needs. The needs of students with disabilities are varied and complex. A student with Autism Spectrum Disorder may intellectually be able to meet or exceed the academic demands of the classroom, but may need support to socially interact with his/her peers.

Similarly, a student with an intellectual disability may need adjustments made to the curriculum, but is able to interact positively and productively with classmates. Some students with disabilities actually require little or no adjustment to the curriculum or learning environment, and so their school experience may be no different from that of a “mainstream” student.  Inclusion therefore provides the student with disabilities the opportunity to demonstrate and be appreciated for their strengths, recognises that their needs are unique (and unlike any other student who may share the same disability) and provides students with the opportunity to engage in a learning context that replicates real life. For that reason, we ensure that we differentiate our approach, processes, teaching methods and expectations to meet the individual needs of all students, including those with a disability, within the confines of the resources we have available.

It must be remembered that ‘mainstream’ students (those without a diagnosed disability) can also have a number of additional or complex learning or social-emotional needs. Classrooms are now complex places that represent a large diversity and range of student needs and challenges. Students without a disability benefit enormously from having students with a disability in their classrooms. Students with a disability provide a unique gift to ‘mainstream’ students – an opportunity for those students to develop greater empathy, kindness and compassion. These lessons cannot be taught – they have to be experienced first-hand. A number of times, I have seen students demonstrate such consideration and gentleness towards a fellow student who was struggling in their learning, their self-regulation or in their navigation of the school environment.

The ultimate goal of inclusion at our school therefore is to ensure that all students feel welcome, valued and wanted at our school. We acknowledge that at any one time, a student may be struggling with a life event – e.g. death of a family member, separation or divorce or a traumatic incident, that requires us to “wrap around” a child and their family. We have students that may have such a high level of anxiety that they refuse to get dressed and come to school – we also support these students to feel wanted, and help them to enter the classroom to ensure they have a productive and happy day. We also support students that are feeling disengaged and uninterested in school, by working with families, teachers and the students to find the cause of this disengagement and resolve it.

At any given time, your child may have a ‘special need’ and we will work hard with you to address and manage such. So, I return to the point I raised at the beginning of this piece. I ask parents to always think about how you would want your child to be treated and accepted in our school community, should they have or develop a special need. It can easily happen to any one of us at any time.

As this is the last newsletter before the Easter vacation, I'd like to wish our entire school community a wonderful, well deserved and safe holiday period and look forward to Learning, Achieving and Growing every day next term.

Harmony Day 2022

Highlights from Harmony Day 2022

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Swimming Carnival Results

Congratulations to the Dangatti House taking out the 2022 Rangeville Interhouse Swimming Carnival. This week the Dangatti captains Ezekiel and Summah have the honours of erecting their house flag upon the flag poles outside of the administration building.

Age Champions

Swimming Carnival Award Presentation

Darling Downs AFL Selection

Congratulations to Lennox J on his recent selection in Darling Downs AFL team. This is a great effort being selected in this team for the second year running. Lennox will attend the state carnival at Maroochydore in June. Best of luck at these trials Lennox.

Toowoomba Basketball Selection

Congratulations to Georgie P on her selection in the Toowoomba Girls Basketbal team. Georgie will trial at the Regional trials on Tuesday 29 March.

Interhouse Cross Country

Both the Junior and Senior Cross Country carnivals will be held in Week 10. All students are encouraged to wear their house colours on their day. We wish our students all the best in their races.

Junior Cross Country- Monday 28 March

Students born 2017, 2016 and 2015 will compete in this carnival. Please see the timetable below for your child’s race times and distances.

Senior Cross Country - Thursday 31 March

Students born 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 will compete in this carnival. Please see the timetable below for your child’s race times and distances.

Guidance Officer News

Please see the attached article from Guidance Officer Melissa Pappin for information about the importance of playing with your child.

South and High streets traffic signal installation project

Toowoomba Regional Council is installing traffic signals at the South and High streets intersection in Rangeville from late April to mid-June 2022, weather permitting.

The new signals will improve the overall operation and safety of the intersection and cater for future traffic demands.

The project will also upgrade street lighting, reseal the road surface and renew pram ramps, footpaths and linemarking at the intersection.

Construction will be completed from Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm. Weekend work may be required.

The intersection will be open to traffic from Monday to Friday, however some temporary lane closures may be required.

Road users may experience minor delays during these works and are encouraged to plan ahead, drive to the changed traffic conditions and follow all signage.

Council will make every effort to minimise construction impacts and thanks the community for their patience and co-operation during these works.

Calendar of Events

Rangeville State School P&C Association

P&C Staff

I would like to introduce Lorna Cottee and myself Juliette Cheetham as the new faces that are staffing your P&C office. We look forward to meeting many of you at upcoming school events. Please feel free to visit us in our office near the unform shop to say hello Monday – Thursday morning's term time or if you would like to be more involved with the school but don’t know how, send us an email to opsmanager@rangevilless.eq.edu.au and we can take your details and be in contact.

P&C Meeting

Thank you to everyone that attended our recent 2022 AGM. At the AGM, the committee voted to change our monthly meeting schedule to be held on every second Tuesday of the month.

Our P&C made this decision to ensure no meeting clashes with Centenary Heights State High School's P&C.

Our updated meeting dates for the remainder of 2022 are:

• April: No meeting
• May 10
• June 14
• July 12
• August 9
• September 13
• October 11
• November 8

Also note: AGM 2023 - March 14, 2023

Want to know more about what’s happening at Rangeville State School ? You have not missed out - if you would like to join the P&C, please email rssparentlink@gmail.com

Thank you to the new P&C Executive Committee for 2022. We look forward to working with you all.

President – Sarah Courtney

Vice President – Narelle Boyes

Vice President – Aidan Embrey

Treasurer -  Emma Reibelt

Secretary – Rachel Conway

Rangeville State School P&C Association Outside School Hours Care

Have you seen our fun filled Vacation Care program?
The educators have worked with the children to create exciting days for all ages. If you are yet to book get in quick as our early bird fees finish this week. Bookings made before Friday 25th March 2022 attract the early bird rate of $67.10 per day. Bookings made after Friday 25th March 2022 attract the full fee of $72.30 per day. There may be additional charges for excursions or incursions which are listed on the program.

Cancellations must be made at least 7 days in advance to avoid charges.

Remember to book through the Xplor App for all bookings or cancellations.

Children Need to Bring the below EVERYDAY

• Water bottle
• Spare clothes - essential
• Towel
• Broad brimmed hat
• Enclosed shoes
• Wear suitable clothing for play and getting dirty
• Pharmacy labelled medication (if required)
• Make sure you check the program each day before you arrive as we have lots of dress up days these holidays. – Backwards Day, Careers Day, Sports Day and Super Hero vs Villain. So, come dressed in your best as there will be prizes to be won.

Please be advised that our operating hours are from 6:30am to 6pm.

The service will be operating for vacation care from Monday 4th April to Thursday 14th April 2022.

The service reopens for before and after school care on Tuesday 19th April 2022.

We look forward to seeing you here for all the fun! Otherwise have a wonderful two weeks off, whatever you get up to we look forward to hearing all about it when you are back for Term 2.

Rangeville State School is now cashless

In line with the Department of Education Finance sector, Administration staff can no longer accept over the counter cash payments for incursions or excursions that have been invoiced to Parents/Carers and Students.

Payments can be made via:

• QParents
• BPoint
• EFTPOS

This does not relate to P&C run activities such as book club, pizza days, colour run etc. Payments for these events must be dropped into the 'drop box' outside the uniform shop in M Block by the Parent/Carer or Student.

Lost Property

Lost anything? The lost property pile has grown on the verandah near the Uniform Shop. Items include lunch boxes, water bottles, swim wear, jumpers and hats. Please note that this will be cleaned out at the end of this Term. Any named items will be sent to the administration office.

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop is having a gold coin donation SALE. We have a whole rack of Sale items - please visit Nicky next week during our opening hours. 

News from the Community

Please note that although the following notices may be included in the school’s Newsletter, they are published in good faith and do not necessarily have the school’s endorsement.