Dear Parents/Carers,

“It’s great to be back”, was a common expression at pick up and drop off time last week. Our students got straight back into routine and the week went very quickly. We encourage you to keep connected with our school. You can do this in a number of ways:

make sure you have access to Compass (if not call the office)
have access to Seesaw (if not speak to your teacher or the office)
use Seesaw to communicate with your child’s teacher, specialists, co educators and therapists
Attend SSG meetings
Come along to the special events that happen regularly in the school
Volunteer

If you would like to speak with Lauri or I about anything at all, please contact the office.

Enjoy your 2nd term at Yarrabah, and I hope to see you soon at the upcoming ‘Come and See’ days.

Take Care

We would like to say thank you and take care to a number of staff that are leaving to start new adventures in other settings.

Jimmy has been a teacher at Yarrabah for a number of years. Jimmy has taught in the Middles section and Lower Juniors. He has been an outstanding support to both students and their families. Jimmy is also a respected member of the staff team and devotes himself to the work and responsibilities that teaching deserves. Thank you Jimmy for the time you have spent, the hours you have unselfishly given and the lives you have impacted while at Yarrabah. We would like to wish you every success in your new school starting next week.

Yarrabah wishes Leane Phillips well in her new maternity leave journey. Leane (Speech Therapist) is beginning maternity leave next week in anticipation of the newest member of the Phillips family. From everyone at Yarrabah, we wish you and all in your family well over this period. Looking forward to seeing you back soon.

Gillian Scott has been an ES at Yarrabah for many years, taking on a position after deciding to scale back from teaching. After many months of deliberation Gillian has been successful in picking up a teaching position and has provided her resignation to start the new adventure in coming week. Gillian has worked across all parts of the school and had an impact in the lives of many students. We would like to wish Gillian every success for her future.

Welcome

Jenifer Wooton has been observing the students and classes in Lower Juniors this week. Jenifer is a very experienced and highly recommended teacher who will come into the Junior section with early years’ experience. We are all looking forward to getting to know Jenifer better and working closely with her to make early learning in the prep and year one stage the best it can be. Jenifer is taking on the role of Junior teacher in room P4. Welcome Jenifer.

Yarrabah Parent Expo – I Can

This year’s Expo was an amazing event. The speakers were excellent and we have already had much feedback about the information and interesting stories shared. It was also an opportunity for the families to meet with one another, to gather information and to ultimately have a great day out with people that understand.

We had fabulous speakers, excellent stall holders and amazing food, stalls and really nice food to share with all.

The Expo's popularity has grown in recent years and it was great to welcome into the school about 40 family representatives, over the day and 20 guests.

This event will go from strength to strength and the fact that we can now host it on site, in our beautiful courtyard and hall is an added bonus that makes it very accessible to all.

What’s on this term

This term I am really looking forward to seeing you come in and watch your child during upcoming ‘Come See” days. Dates have not yet been officially released however you will be invited soon.

We will also be organising some special events during education week 23 – 29th of May. Keep a close eye on Seesaw and Compass.

This term we have students going on another camp from the secondary school. These students are all looking forward to that week.

We have an incursion coming up soon that has been organised by the Life Science coordinator for the primary students. This should be a great morning.

Interschool sports resume this term for the secondary students on a Friday. Many students will be involved in events and afternoons run by the teachers in secondary this term.

Our EEP students will be taking an excursion to Dinosaur World next week. The students and staff have been learning about this topic and are looking forward to the larger than life reptile excursion using the school buses next week.

Senior formal is coming up this term. Our seniors have been preparing for what will be one of the most memorable nights of their life in June. It is a fantastic event for students, staff and families.

Breakfast Club continues to be a favourite program for students across the school and is a great way for students to start their day. We provide all students the opportunity to have breakfast at Yarrabah. For special dietary requirements, please speak to your child's teacher. Plans are underway to further expand the program. Shortly, we will be seeking expressions of interest from families who would like to donate time to the program. We are also keen to build community partnerships to further enhance the range of food available each day. More details will be shared in upcoming newsletters and on Compass.

Swimming

Our Swimming centre is finally up and running full time. The Upper Junior students began their swimming program this week, with the support of two fabulous teachers in the water and staff supporting changing and supervising. This was certainly a highlight of the week for the students and the school. We are now in the process of upgrading the change rooms for students and waiting room. This will make for an excellent facility that supports a child in their physical and life skills goals.

Art Access Studio Excursions

Yesterday, Our Art teacher (Jennifer) took a group of interested students to take part in an excursion to an art studio that supports the access needs of people with disabilities. Art as many of you know is highly valued at Yarrabah and a great pathway or recreation option for students. Pictures and more information can be found in this issue on the Explicitness page.

Reading

I am also really pleased to share the fact we have started our home reading and interest based reading home programs. The reading program will involve all students that have been assessed as requiring a levelled reader. These will be sent home each week and collected each Monday. Students will also have the opportunity to take home a book of interest from school. These should also be returned to school on Monday.

We are in the process of providing a reading folder with a reading record. It is optional to read with your child, however if you do get the chance, it is a great pastime to encourage and will strengthen the partnership between parent and child education.

Keep in mind that we want this to be a fun experience, so if you feel it is not, then stop and maybe ask for some ideas from your child teacher to make it more enjoyable.

Library Leaders

We now have some library leaders in the school who will be managing the book distribution and organisation in the resource room. These leaders (from the Lower Secondary school) will collect and distribute the interest books across the school each Monday. Last Monday was the first time in their new role and we have already found a great driver for the trolley in Hudson. We also realised that different ages of students would appreciate different types of books. As we progress through the year and our library becomes more organised, these leaders will make sure our library and interest book borrowing is better and better. Thank you to these young leaders.

Crash and Bash Space

The school has been successful in receiving moneys from grants to establish an indoor Ninja Warrior course. I’ve been told that it is more about ‘Crash and Bash’ than Ninja skills however it is a fantastic space for students none the less.

The purpose of this space is to provide students with greater opportunity to improve balance, motor skills, coordination, regulation, problem solving, cooperation, and of course have lots of fun. This space is a fun place to learn and learn with others.

The space is missing one thing. A purpose designed floor mat. We are looking for donations to complete this space and if you have any spare change lying about, we would greatly appreciate it.

Matthew Harris

Principal

Yarrabah School

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