MOSS Newsletter - Term 4 2023
- A Message from Mike Curtis - Principal
- A Message from Chrissy Hamilton and Katie Bartholomaeus - Deputy Principals
- A Message from Sandra Schuptar - HOSES - ECDP
- A Message from Caron Gabriel - Head of Department - Curriculum
- A Message from Juliet Young - Education Program Officer (EPO)
- From G Hub
- From D/E Hub
- From A Hub
- From B/C Hub
- From H/I Hub
- From J Hub
- Open Theatre Drama
- Fun Things To Do These School Holidays
- 2024 School Calendar
A Message from Mike Curtis - Principal
Dear Families
On reflection, 2023 has been a memorable year for MOSS with an abundance of emotional, logistical and strategic challenges. It has been a year where we have both suffered great losses but experienced huge gains. This has been both draining and gratifying but we will all appreciate a nice summer holiday so that we have renewed energy for 2024!
The emotional impacts of our beloved Wayne’s passing have left an indelible mark on us all and the legacy of kindness and wisdom he left behind will remain as a constant guiding presence. We have the opportunity in the beautiful reflection garden to honour those recently passed who have impacted our lives at MOSS. Our staff contributed towards legacy items to be placed in the gardens that had a personal and significant connection to each of them.
The logistical impacts of our rapid growth this year have been significant. The immediate solution of a hired demountable building is to ease the increased enrolment pressure while the permanent facilities are being designed. These temporary classrooms will be presented for handover in the middle of the school holidays, ready for Term 1, 2024. Fortnightly planning meetings for the new build are well underway with design briefs for up to 10 new classrooms, a school hall, a re-designed larger bus set-down area, a new parent drop-off zone, a new ECDP carpark and new playground and ‘green space’. The concept design for the school hall will incorporate an Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC) and Holiday Program facility that allows for separate access to the main school campus. A plan in also underway to swap and refurbish the administration and multipurpose facilities so that the admin precinct is more accessible to the centre of the school. Progressive work on this is expected to start in the second half of next year.
Our staff team has increased dramatically, with the growth in the school. We have been extremely fortunate to have secured contracts and permanent transfers for 8 new staff with a wealth of knowledge and experience that I feel will be an invaluable contribution to our MOSS community. We are saying goodbye to some long-serving and some highly valued staff members whose contribution to our school has been significant and I thank them for their dedication and service. One of those members I need to shine a spotlight on and that is Shubh Gupta who has now officially retired. Shubh has been an integral part of this school community for a very long time and her commitment and compassion to her work has been outstanding. I wish her a long and enriching retirement and thank her for the legacy she has left with us all.
One of our wins for the year is the presence of our new Head of Department-Curriculum (HOD-C), Caron Gabriel. Caron has already made an impact on our team with her kindness, passion for her work and immense knowledge. She will be supporting our staff to make the change to Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum that has already started with planning days earlier in the week. Caron is equally committed to supporting teachers with the personalised learning goal setting and close collaboration with families to ensure the students’ access and participation in the curriculum is well supported and nurtured with signature strategies and pedagogies.
Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable school holiday period and we will see you back in 2024!
Kind Regards, Mike Curtis Principal
A Message from Chrissy Hamilton and Katie Bartholomaeus - Deputy Principals
Transitions are more than just a point in time, they are a continuous process that occurs over time. For our MOSS families, transitions can be times of stress and will require planning and transition strategies to effectively support each child and meet their individual needs to succeed. This term has seen students transition from ECDP to Prep, Year 6 to Junior Secondary and Year 12/13 to post school options. These transitions are critical junctures in your child’s life, and can be times of high emotions.
At MOSS, we partner with our families and carefully plan the next stage of schooling. Every student has an individualised communication profile and a transition profile, which includes detailed student information and strategies on AAC, curriculum learning level, health, behaviour, learning adjustments, social skills and emotional wellbeing. Students also receive social stories to familiarise themselves with staff, other students and the new environment. Class visits are planned to encourage the transition from old to new environments and establish routines.
At MOSS, transitions are celebrations, that focus on the success of every learner as they create a new chapter in their life.
A Message from Sandra Schuptar - HOSES - ECDP
Term 4 is mixed with great joy and some sadness. At the end of every year the staff get to celebrate graduation with our children who will be moving into full time education. Our Graduation Ceremony is always such a special time for our families but also our children. This year was no exception.
We saw families filled with pride as their child walked out onto the red carpet to receive their graduation certificates, graduation photos and a special gift courtesy of the Mount Ommaney P & C. We also saw tears (from parents and staff) as many of our children have been at the ECDP for 2 – 3 years.
We had the privilege of celebrating the graduation of 62 children who are entering full time education in 2024. Each graduate received a special gift bag of goodies from the staff of the ECDP which included: markers, colouring in books, Lego blocks, writing pad and a bag of lollies.
Our celebration could not have been as successful without the community support of the following businesses:
• Mount Ommaney P & C - thankyou for the beautiful books for each graduate.
• Olympia
• Kmart
• Officeworks
• Coles
• Woolworths
• The Little Cupcakery – who made the beautiful ECDP graduation cookies.
And so ends another happy and busy year at the Mount Ommaney ECDP. When we return in 2024 we will welcome back 75 families to the ECDP.
A Message from Caron Gabriel - Head of Department - Curriculum
The Curriculum Compass
Over the past three weeks, we have experienced a series of notable events, including graduations for Year 12 and Year 6 students, alongside captivating Christmas celebrations across different hubs. This period has been exceptionally rich with MOSS traditions and featuring some distinctive memories of the graduating students.
The process of reviewing students’ remarkable reports proved to be an enlightening experience. This provided an additional opportunity to delve into students' impressive accomplishments. Our curriculum focus remained aligned with our educational goals as we commenced the initial planning sessions for the ninth iteration of the Australian curriculum. Teachers participated in these professional development sessions, exploring the updated achievement standards and aligning these with MOSS’s highly personalised curriculum and pedagogical approaches.
Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum signifies a significant advancement, integrating enhancements and contemporary updates pertinent to Australian education. These revisions incorporate up-to-date content that resonates with current advancements in diverse fields, ensuring students engage with relevant and meaningful information suited to today's world. Emphasis has been placed on accommodating diverse learning styles and needs to foster an inclusive and accessible curriculum for all students.
As the year nears its end and the digital and road traffic intensifies, I extend my sincere wishes for a safe and joyous Christmas, as well as a prosperous 2024.
A Message from Juliet Young - Education Program Officer (EPO)
Carer’s Day
It was wonderful to see over 50 of our families and carers at school to celebrate Carer’s Day. The morning started with a shared music session followed by a delicious morning tea provided by our Seniors. Parents, grandparents, carers and friends of our students all enjoyed catching up with each other and making new connections. Various activities were on offer and visits to the classrooms were very popular. Thank you to everyone who came along and to the staff who helped make this event happen.
Middle Years Camp
After a lot of planning and hard work, especially by teachers, students and staff finally took off for the Middle Years Camp at Tallebudgera, Gold Coast. Lots of fun and challenging activities saw our students explore and develop their capabilities supported by staff and surrounded by their friends.
MOSS Family Picnic and Christmas Markets
Despite the threatening weather, our first Christmas family event was very well attended. Our ability to provide a safe and familiar space for families to come and enjoy some relaxed time together was welcomed and enjoyed by many in our community. Santa was a huge hit as was the CSHS choir and solo performer Emily Loff. Thanks to all the bakers who sent in delicious treats for our bake sale, to the market stall holders who took a leap of faith in attending this first event and to all those who helped and supported.
Dream Cricket Incursion
Students in our D and E hub had fun honing their ball skills as they worked with the Dream Cricket team. They were well supported by the staff who helped all participating students engage at appropriate levels and get the most fun out of all the activities.
Delta Therapy Dogs – Classroom Canine Program
We are very excited to be a few steps further along the path of having a regular therapy dog visit at school. A services agreement has now been signed and Delta are actively looking for a suitable therapy dog and handler to work with us next year.
Coffee Van at MOSS
MOSS have had two successful Bec’s Beans coffee van visits in term 4. Staff and parents/carers have enjoyed great coffee and a chance for valuable catch-up time at the start of the day. We plan to continue this in 2024 on the first Friday of the month starting February. Look out for further updates.
P and C Christmas Wrapping Fundraiser
The P and C Christmas wrapping fundraiser starts on Mon 11th Dec through to Sun 24th December. This important event in the P and C calendar raises valuable funds to support our students with additional resources and enhanced access to programs. There are still some volunteer spaces available so grab a friend, work colleague or family member and sign up using the following link: VolunteerSignup - Online volunteer signup sheets - MOSS Xmas P&C Wrapping Fundraiser 2023 Sign Up Sheet signup sheet
You will need to do the safety induction at the following link: https://www.retailfirst.com.au/about-us/safety-induction/
Thank you for your support.
From G Hub
Term 4 in G Hub involved a consolidation of the social, communication, curriculum and engagement goals the teaching staff have imparted on the learners throughout the year. The Drama program offered learners permission to express themselves and also opt in or out of invitations to participate in the play-based activities. At the same time, staff consistently modelled communication to students via AAC or spoken language during incidental play moments or in specific learning episodes.
Staff have been delighted to witness the learners in G block develop and maintain friendships over the duration of the year. Some of our learners have really shown their ability to initiate conversations with their peers during play-periods. Teaching staff have also been explicitly labelling emotions and suggesting different strategies students can use to help themselves return to calmness, which has been highly effective and truly evident in term 4.
As the weather heated up, the children took delight in water-play activities to help them keep cool and content. Each day learners consolidated their name writing skills in morning circle activities, shared their views on the weather, days of the week and followed visual schedules for their learning days. It has been a delight to help the learners in G block learn and know the school rules and classroom routines. This has laid a great foundation for their future schooling experiences here at Mount Ommaney after a wonderful year in G block.
From D/E Hub
As we draw close to the year, it has brought us to a time of reflection as we savour the many fantastic moments of our students’ learning journeys. We are immensely proud of how far they have come as we witnessed the progress that they have made. This semester, they have welcomed new students into their midst by demonstrating great social skills in sharing and turn taking as new friendships developed. Our students have also done incredibly well in keeping up to a very busy term as they consolidated their learning and participated in several activities such as Day for Daniel and Dream Cricket Incursion. In class, they have been keen learners as they engaged in rhyming texts through various modes of learning as they learnt to read and write. There have been singing along with songs, nursery rhymes and playing fun interactive games as they identified and matched rhyming words. Our students have experimented with different writing tools as alternate pencils such as magnetic letters, keyboard, alphabet flip chart, letter cards etc., in their writing activities. In maths, they have explored creative ways through actions in songs, 2D prints and 3D objects as they identified and continued the elements of a sequence in a pattern. During drama with our specialist teachers, they have enjoyed immersing with the rhythmic flow of music as they improvised movements with dance, play and props through group dynamics and connections. Our students have been active participants in ball games, cricket, ten-pin bowling and playing the game of “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” during Health and Physical Education (HPE). The highlight of this term would have to be the Dream Cricket Incursion as they interacted with unfamiliar staff while acquiring new skills in throwing and batting techniques. Our students’ communication abilities have improved over the course of this year as they communicated with more pragmatic functions. They have applied strategies when identifying and managing anxieties and emotional regulation. They have shown greater self-confidence as they mastered and applied skills learnt across all learning areas in various contexts. We are truly proud of the many achievements as we celebrate their successes and we wish them the very best as they continue on in their personal learning journeys. Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful summer break!
From DE Hub Teachers
– Courtney Dean (D1), Jess Tully (D2), Margaret Sharry (E1) & Sharon Tay (E2).
D1 Gallery
D2 Gallery
E1 Gallery
E2 Gallery
From A Hub
Term 4 has been another busy term with lots of special events celebrated by A Hub, end of year Christmas craft and parties and the season of Summer letting us know just how hot it gets in Queensland. Students also attended an ABBA performance at Centenary State High School which they thoroughly enjoyed. A hub have welcomed back Friday afternoon water fun to help cool off at the end of the school week. We have also participated in the celebration of special days that have occurred this term. Halloween, Melbourne Cup Day and Remembrance Day have seen the whole hub come together to participate in a variety of physical activities, crafts, cooking and stories to remind us of these fun and special occasions. For Halloween and Melbourne Cup, the hub divided into two teams and scored points for how well they did in each event. For Halloween we had Pumpkin Ten Pin, Pin the Heart on the Skeleton, Eyeball and Spoon race and Witches Hat Toss. We had a stand out performance, with Savannah scoring the only strike in Pumpkin Ten Pin.
In the Melbourne Cup event we had Noodle Horseraces and Horseshoe Toss. Not only were the students trying their best in all activities, but they were cheering on their team mates. These sorts of activities help build resilience and contribute to overall social and emotional wellbeing amongst our hub.
From B/C Hub
As we bid farewell to Term 4, 2023, it is with immense pride and joy that we reflect on the incredible journey within the B/C Hub. A highlight of the term was the participation of students from the B/C Hub in an unforgettable school camp. It was a time of bonding, adventure, and shared experiences, providing our students with the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones, build lasting memories, and strengthen friendships. The resilience and enthusiasm displayed by each camper was truly inspiring.
In the final stretch of the year, our students showcased remarkable resilience and perseverance in completing their end-of-year assessments. The dedication of both students and the teaching team was evident as they worked collaboratively to overcome challenges and celebrate achievements. Additionally, our students diligently pursued their Personal Learning Goals (PLGs) across various domains, including socio-emotional development, physical development, and communication. It's heartening to witness the growth and progress made by each student, highlighting the effectiveness of personalised learning plans and the dedication of our students and teaching team.
Throughout the term, B/C Hub students have been actively engaged in fostering safe, respectful, and collaborative relationships during playtime and learning. The result has been the formation of new friendships and a positive shift in the social dynamics of the B/C Hub. As we approach the year's end, our classrooms are filled with the joyful spirit of holiday and Christmas-themed activities, creating a warm and celebratory atmosphere. We extend our deepest appreciation to our incredible students, the dedicated teaching team, supportive families, and the entire MOSS community. It has been a privilege for each teacher and staff member in the B/C Hub to witness the remarkable growth and progress made by every student. Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season filled with love, laughter, and moments of shared happiness. We eagerly anticipate the start of a new year, brimming with possibilities and continued growth for our exceptional students.
Your B/C Team: Chloe, Ebony, Johnathon, Andrea, and Kirsty.
From H/I Hub
H1
H1 have had a great time learning about special events and holidays this term, including Halloween, Diwali and Christmas. We've explored books, music, art and lots of sensory experiences. Water play has been a favourite activity for cooling down, socialising and having fun with our hub buddies. We've also enjoyed other combined hub sessions in the outdoor space, including Sing Sing with Emma and drumming with Chappy Bill. It's been lovely getting to know H1 students and families better this term. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.
H2 Travel Round Australia
I1
I1 had a great term 4! We engaged in lots of different activities including fun sensory stories and learning about patterns through sensory activities, painting and music. Everyone worked hard and had lots of fun. Well done I1!
I2
In our final term this year, students have continued to build the relationships they have with each other. During social play, communication focussed sessions and curriculum experiences, they have reached out to each other in many different ways. Some students have moved towards each other and chatted using vocalisations, physical contacts and their individual AAC systems. Others have used parallel play, on the Smartboard and when exploring sensory experiences to connect with each other. During our Friday morning ‘Chat Club’, painting our finger nails and playing games on our eye gaze devices have been our favourite social activity. Students watched their friends’ choices and often requested “I like it same same”.
During Literacy sessions, we have explored texts relating to celebrations from different cultures. We focussed on Concepts of Print e.g., the difference between words and pictures. During NAIDOC week, we explored ‘Who Saw Turtle’ a text written and illustrated by Indigenous author and illustrator. The beautiful illustrations fascinated us. The next celebration was Halloween. The book ‘Witch Witch come to my Party’, had great repetitive text. In our writing sessions, we explored who we would like to come to our party. In early November, we read the Diwali story. It was so engaging to use coloured sand to make Rangoli, listen to music, smell and taste different spices and look at the beautiful lights. At the end of term, we are having lots of fun investigating how different countries celebrate the end of the year.
Aishlyn's Camp Report
While on year 5-6 camp, Aishlyn had the special role of being the reporter. She used her eye gaze device to take photos of her friends rockclimbing. When we returned to school she looked at the photos and wrote the following report using the PODD app on her eye gaze.
"I have something to tell you type message swimming camping climbing frame."
From J Hub
As we reflect on this term's adventures, it’s been an exciting time for students in J hub. Our commitment to the inter-programming model has continued to broaden students’ horizons, fostering an environment filled with exploration and diverse experiences. Students have the had the opportunity to explore different programs, both in-school and within the community. At school, technology sessions have been a hit amongst our students. These sessions provided hands-on learning, helping students gain skills in the world of technology whilst developing their communication skills. Additionally, our students took part in various community programs. These experiences have allowed students to sample work experience, volunteer in the community, visit post-school venues and engage in leisure activities aligned to their PATH Plans. We're thrilled to see our students' enthusiasm for these diverse activities. Their willingness to explore and participate reflects their adaptability and curiosity. As we move forward, our commitment remains firm in providing a program that encourages exploration and holistic development for our students. We would like to thank the parents and carers of J hub students for your continued support and wish you all a safe and relaxing break!
Graduation
The year 12 graduation for 2023 was a fantastic success for the seniors of J Hub. The evening started off with a bang, as students did some hot laps in Margot Manning’s gorgeous Astin Martin! While initially hesitant, once the kids were in the car, it was hard to get them out! Once the excitement of the car ride was over, students and their parents walked the red carpet and waltzed through the golden curtain into the celebrations. The night was full of fun and laughter, delicious food and wonderful company.
The speeches were a highlight of the night. Being able to hear stories from teachers that had taught our graduates over the years was a true reflection of the impact they have had on the school community. It was wonderful to see photos of the students that showed their progression from adorable youngsters, into the independent people they have become. We celebrated past achievements from the students at MOSS and wished them well for the next stage of their journey.
Congratulations Charlotte, Kate, Liam, Adela, Buster and Albert! The milestone of graduating from high school marks the beginning of your young adult life. The staff and students at MOSS wish you all the very best for the future.
