Newsletter

Wangaratta District Specialist School

From the Principal’s Desk

Cont.

Date 09/8/’13 Ph. 5721 7424

wangaratta.ss@edumail.vic. Fax. 5721 8601

Dates to Remember

Emma - O.T. - 12th & 19th August Rachael - Speech - 15th & 22nd August

BBQ for students - 15th August

Parent/Carer Club meeting - Tuesday 12th August at 2.00pm in the staffroom at WDSS.

Special well wishes to Edwina and Kara –Lee, and their families, who at the time of writing were both in hospital in

Melbourne. We hope that both girls are back with us soon.

Parent Opinion Survey: If you were fortunate enough to receive a Parent Opinion survey, please fill it out and re-

turn the survey to the school as soon as possible. We have a small number returned so far. We use these surveys to

work out ways that we can continue to improve our educational programs and also to make sure that we are working

well with our families. Please return these by Monday. Many thanks to those who have returned them already.

Andrew Fuller: At the curriculum day on Friday 26th July Andrew Fuller was the guest speaker for the entire day.

He was entertaining and knowledgeable with all staff benefitting from many of the ideas and the interesting infor-

mation that was conveyed to us. Andrew has included some information which we will be attaching to the Newslet-

ter from time to time.

The combined Special School Curriculum days are always an excellent opportunity to spend time with our col-

leagues from other special needs settings, to swap information and compare notes about strategies and ways of work-

ing. We are fortunate to have close relationships with our colleagues in Shepparton, Cobram and Wodonga.

Last Friday was Zach’s birthday and he came dressed in his Cadet’s uniform. (See

Photo) Friday’s assembly witnessed a star marching performance from Zach.

Congratulations to the following boys - Brodie Cook, James Elkan, Quinton Rule

and Tom Newton who represented the school in the NSW/ACT All Abilities AFL

competition on 26th- - 28th July. The boys played 5 games over the 3 days and repre-

sented themselves, their families and the school brilliantly. James wore his full team

uniform last Friday as well, as it was his birthday.

Special mention and thanks to Jack, John, Kate and Elise who travelled to Melbourne,

(Kate on 2 separate days) to support and transport the boys.

WDSS is very fortunate to have such dedicated staff who are willing to work out of the regular school times to allow

our students opportunities that both enrich their lives and help them further develop their skills and experience.

Thanks to the boys families who also transported them on Sunday.

Denise Rule had her car stolen while watching the boys play football. In true Rule spirit, this has not daunted her

attitude one bit. We are so sorry that this happened to Denise!

Soccer and Netball: Congratulations to all students who represented the school in the Mitta and Ovens Winter

Teams Sports Championships. This is the first time that our school has participated in the netball competition and it

was really pleasing to see girls interacting with the other schools and having fun. Most students have been partici-

pating in the netball clinics every second week at the Barr Reserve and so this was a great opportunity for the girls to

show off their skills. Thanks to Jody and Lizz who took the 8 very excited girls to the netball competition.

Thanks also to Jack, Ash and Rich for taking the boys to soccer. More detailed reports appear on pages 6 & 9.

From the Principal’s Desk cont...

Libby Hosking Principal

Principal’s awards:

Senior Principal’s Awards: Ben Henwood who remained calm under pressure and helped out in a difficult situa-

tion. Kortney Hutchinson for joining the daily cricket game and Damon Rendek for settling into the school really

well.

Junior Principal’s Awards: Jack Allen, Mitch Moulday, as well as Will and Sam Simpson for settling into the

school really well and making a great start.

Chaplaincy Program: We are very fortunate to have the services of Rose Couttie, our school Chaplain. Every year,

we are asked to show evidence that our school has a need for the Chaplaincy program. On Page 11 you are asked to

fill out the form so that we can continue to provide these services.

Bike Riding: As you know bike riding is a significant part of our school’s extra curricula activities. Last term, stu-

dents in Hotham, Kossie, Mount Beauty, Warby and Feathertop rode more than 20 kms which was a fabulous effort.

Congratulations and an award was given to the 4 students - Josh Jose, James Elkan, Lincoln Crofts and Quinton Rule

who rode the entire way from Beechworth to Wangaratta on the rail trail which is about 48 kilometres. We really do

have some great sporting achievements at the school, where participation is valued above all else.

Chocolate Drive – Fund Raising: Prizes have also been given out to the following students who have already sold

their first box of chocolates for the school and are well on their way to selling their second or more. Congratulations

and thanks to the following students and their families - Shane Shibayama -Gadsden, Tyreece Rhodes – Orton, Zach

Maskell, Quinton Rule, Matthew Daldy, Lincon Mc Kibbon, Kayla Bourke, Josh Jose, James Bryant, Christine

Gebauer, Brandon McDonnell, Aiden Fallon.

Mind has donated a walking machine and an indoor bowls mat. The walking machine is a timely addition as the day

after it was installed, our old one blew up. If anyone has a walking machine and/or a cross trainer which they no

longer use and is in good condition, we would like to have a few more machines so that some children could in-

crease their exercise levels.

SSG’s. By now most teaching staff have been in contact with parents/carers for the Semester 2 SSGs’ to review pro-

gress and set goals for Semester 2. We really like this process to speak to parents/carers and to hear directly from

you about how your student is going.

Donations: WDSS would like to acknowledge the kind

donations of two Wii’s for student use. Kym Loechel

and Belinda Long (who saw the request on a WDSS

parent’s Facebook page) have donated their Wii’s as

they no longer use them, so that our students can play

them.

We have also been given the most beautiful fish tank

complete with fish and all the trimmings. Thanks to

Greg Johns. The water tank is located in the Art room

and has been welcomed by all students and staff. As the

theme for this term is Water, it is timely. Such a sooth-

ing addition to the school and we are very grateful to

Aiden’s poppy’s generosity.

Positive Behaviour Support

Bogong - David, Tina, Sam and Kat

Hop’s Sport’s News

Many of our student’s are eagerly waiting to go to the AFL football match between the Tigers and the Brisbane

Lions this Saturday 10th August.

The Sports Award this week goes to Brandan McDonnell for a huge improvement in his bike riding skills especial-

ly in regards to increased endurance. Brandan did a fantastic job last week and rode his bike on the bike tracks to

the river at the end of College Street. Even though he had a tumble early in the ride he hopped back on his bike and

insisted that “he could do it”!!

Our Wristbands have finally arrived! Many students are now proudly wearing

them and they remind us about how many good choices they have made! They

come in 3 colours; White (100), Gold (250) and Red (500). Currently there a 2

students who are on the verge of earning a massive 500 Goldies.

I would like to particularly thank Tyreece for his patience in waiting for them to

arrive and Rose for her organisation and persistence in ensuring that they did.

Brandon from Stirling has been inducted into the 100 Goldies Hall of Fame. Well done Brandon!

Teachers have been writing Lesson plans re our school positive behaviour rules. These plans are being shared and

ensure that we all are aware of what other classes are doing and demonstrate how to best teach our students to be-

have correctly in all school areas.

Phillipa has done a lot of work revising our Planners for next year. We are happy with alterations made and will

submit the document to the printer shortly. Thankyou Phillipa.

Our PBS meeting discussed the creation and placing of signs showing our commitment to the practises of the pro-

gram. They will be placed strategically around the school and will reflect how proud we are of our students and their

behaviours.

Dave on behalf of the PBS Team

This week in Bogong we’ve been making the

most of our sunny days. We have enjoyed play-

ing in the park in our community access as well

as enjoying our play equipment at school.

Students of the week!

Shane Kemp for complet-

ing all his work

Damon Rendek for settling

in well.

The kids have been making fantastic choices resulting in lots of Goldie’s and they all enjoyed Goldie trading time

with Rose, finding some great treasures.

It is hard to believe that the term is almost half over. Our team of boys have been working thoughtfully and with

great energy in all aspects of their curriculum.

Ros, our art teacher reports to me that the Mount Beauty students have a definite flair for art work. I was especially

happy to hear from Hop, our P.E. teacher about how welcoming the Mount Beauty Boys were to Mitch on his first

day of school.

Our Writers’ Workshop sessions continue to be popular with all of our students. Tayten has filled an entire 64 page

Writers’ Notebook with quality writings. Scott has emerged as someone who was a little reluctant to write, to now

being a student who now writes three or four times the volume of words as before.

James Paull represented his school for the first time in soccer this past fortnight. James admits that he was a little

nervous before the games against other primary schools, but it was evident that by the last game that James’ confi-

dence had increased abundantly over the day.

Mt. Beauty - Richard, Stella and Fiona

Student of the Week

Buffalo Kyle Margat for making a fantastic contribution to the class PBS discussion about

the rules for the yard.

Mt Beauty Tayten for tidying the yard after lunch recess.

Bogong Shane Kemp always completes work on time and fulsomely.

Kosciusko Brodie Cook for outstanding sportsmanship and being a top bloke.

Hotham Breanna Barlow-Weir and Taylah Gannon for keeping a food diary every day.

Josh Jose for moving forward in his spelling.

Stirling Holly for always remembering to wear her school uniform.

Buller Emily Barbary for doing energetic push ups.

Warby Josh Caldwell for great creative writing in his writer’s notebook.

Stanley Keenan D’arcy For being very kind to his friends by sharing things in the classroom.

Feathertop Tom for gaining a work placement at the Wangaratta Turf Club.

Taminick Noah Antonello for returning to school with a big smile and eagerness to get into his

work.

Sport Brandan McDonnell for great bike riding and his “can do” attitude.

Kossie Tree Planting!

On Monday we planted trees at Milawa. Here are some of our thoughts:

Bree: ‘Yesterday we went to Lisa’s sister’s farm to plant trees. After a while we were so muddy it was really fun

and we had a BBQ. It was a really good day!’

Rhys: ‘It was fun playing in the mud, the rain was on and off. My favourite part of the day was walking to the shed’

Shania: ‘We wore gumboots so our shoes and socks didn’t get wet. My favourite thing about the day was the lunch

and planting the trees’

Kayla: ‘It was my birthday and it was really good to get out of the classroom and have a day in the mud! Lisa’s sis-

ter Amy made me cupcakes, they were yummy! I had a great birthday!’

Kortney: ‘I liked the sausage sizzle and the good company, especially Lisa’s nephew Oliver’

Josh: ‘We planted 130 trees. It was really fun and I liked playing in the mud. The only thing I didn’t like was when

it started raining’

Matt: ‘Tree planting was good fun, and it was fun to play in the mud’

James: ‘It was so funny when I kept getting my foot stuck in the mud. Kortney, Matt, Lisa and Lizz had to pull me

out!’

Brodie: ‘My favourite part of the day was when Nathan (Amy’s husband) cooked us a BBQ, and I got to have a

kick of the footy’

Kosciusko - Lisa, Jacqui, Lizz and Simon

Stanley - Glenys, Chris and Sheydin

Together we will make good choices.

Stanley students went to Mansfield Autism Centre to visit Ashleigh who has spent most of term two there.

While we were in Mansfield, we also visited the Mansfield Zoo.

Mansfield Zoo has a large collection of exotic and native animals on 30 acres of picturesque parkland featuring

lovely views across the Delatite Valley to Mt Buller. The Stanley Class enjoyed having our lunch in the zoo

settings in the undercover facilities and had some very close encounters with some pied peacocks, and inquisi-

tive deer and Kangaroos.

The Stanley crew fed many of the animals as they wandered, including monkeys! They met Hobbs, the mis-

chievous capuchin monkey and Basil the chocolate camel, who loved to steal the feeding spades. The zoo also

is home to two Lions, and some of our class overcame their fears to watch the Lions in their enclosure. The

students had a great time and are already asking to return.

Kaity has a close encounter with

Basil the friendly camel. A kangaroo and her joey get a bit of

attention from the Stanley students.

The Stanley crew feeding the fal-

low deer.

The team looked great in their soccer uniforms and several parents and Grand parents were on hand to see some

very exciting soccer. Ash Pearson, Richard Hall and Jack McNeilly organised the players who all gave 100%

effort and showed excellent sportsmanship and team work.

The Squad Blake Brown, Tyreece Rhodes, James Paul, James Elkan, Quinton Rule, Josh Jose, Brodie Cook,

Scott Sessions, Matt Dalby, Josh Tull and Zach Maskell.

Sport - Soccer News from Jack

WDSS entered a soccer team in the Mitta Mitta

winter sports day soccer championship. The team

was down on numbers and had to play their first 2

games with only 9 players, St Bernard’s gave us 2

players and the game against them finished in a 6-2

loss. Benalla East was our next opponent and an

under manned WDSS lost 4-0. In our 3rd game

against St Josephs Benalla Quinton and James

Elkan arrived, the final score in that game was a 3-

2 loss, the winning goal came in the last minute, we

were disappointed not to have a draw in that game.

Finally we played Wangaratta West, we dominated

the match and won 4-0 Josh Jose Brodie Cook

James Elkan and Josh Tull kicked the goals.

This week, the focus for our PBS teaching has been the yard. Susie

Quartermain (who filled in for Donna) and Jack lead the students

through rules and then visited the yard, practicing using the equipment

in the correct manner and pasting posters around the yard. The posters

are to remind students of the importance of walking, not running in cer-

tain locations e.g. around blind corners, and reminders of where it is

safe to ride the scooters – helmets on of course! They also made a bird’s

eye view map of the quiet yard and cut out scooters from magazines,

pasting them in the correct area. A fantastic lesson and a job well done

by everyone.

Buffalo - Suzanne, Donna and Jack

Happy 7th Birthday, Stella! We celebrated Stella’s birthday on 23rd July with a

lovely mud cake, chosen by Stella when we were shopping at Aldi. It was a special

day as we also cooked spaghetti with sausage sauce – after so much food, nobody

really needed to eat dinner that night.

In Victorian/Edwardian times, the phrase elegant sufficiency was adopted into po-

lite table-manners: You might say the following saying described our response

when we were asked if we wanted a second helping:-"I have reached an elegant

sufficiency and anything additional would be superfluous." Our manners are

impeccable!

Stirling - Alysha Sharon and Luke

This fortnight as part of our Water theme Stirling students visited Glamour

Hairdressers in Benalla. Each of the students had their hair washed, blow

dried and styled. Hairdressers Ebony and Melissa were very generous to

donate their time and products and enjoyed spending time with the wonder-

ful students in our classroom. The girls at Glamour have even agreed to sell

a box of chocolates for our school. We wrote them a thank you letter in our

Writers Workshop and each of the students chose their favourite photo to

write about.

Our Students of the Week include Holly for always wearing her school uni-

form, and remembering to bring her Planner and reader folder each day.

She is setting a great example for the rest of the students in Stirling to fol-

low.

Jessy also received Student of the Week. We have had two new students

arrive this term in Stirling, and Jessy has been very kind and friendly to-

ward each of them. He is making a great leader in the classroom, kindly

helping the other students remember the rules and inviting everyone to join

in his games. Thank you Jessy, you are a pleasure to have in our classroom.

Thank you to all the parents who have come in to meet with me this term. It

is a great opportunity to share your child’s success and brainstorm some

ways to approach any challenges. We always aim to help your child reach

their full potential and it makes a big difference if both home and school

share the same expectations.

Hotham - Kate and John

Zach is a cadet. He wore

his uniform and talked to

us about cadets during as-

sembly.

We had two birthdays in Hotham this

week: Dan Henwood and James

Elkan. Happy Birthday James and

Dan!

Exciting Times for Kara

Over the past couple of terms we

have been trialing a new chair for

Kara. Finally we have received a

chair specifically for Kara to be

able to interact with her friends

during work times. She is so hap-

py to be sitting looking at her

friends that she has learnt new

skills already. Kara has also been

able to be more independent in

the swimming pool with a new

floating aid

Taminick—Phillipa, Jill and Marley

This term we are entering into

the Water Theme. We have

been making jelly in our cook-

ing sessions and we enjoy eating

it once it is ready. Noah and

Aiden enjoy making the jelly by

themselves with the occasional

help from the adults which is

great to see.

Get Well Soon

Another big wish goes out to Kara

and Edwina. Edwina is still unwell

and eager to get back to school with

her friends. Kara has also suc-

cumbed to the winter blues and try-

ing to shake off a cold. Our

thoughts go out to them and their

families that they get better soon

This week we talked about the im-

portance of wearing your seatbelt in a

car or bus.

I wear my seatbelt because I don’t

want to get hurt

– Breanna Barlow-Weir.

I wear my seatbelt because I don’t

want to fall out the windown

- Trent Naylor.

Chaplain’s Report

PARENT/CARER MEETING

The next meeting of this group will be held on TUESDAY, AUGUST 13,at 2pm in the STAFFROOM at our

SCHOOL . Alysha will speak to us briefly on the “SO SAFE” Program that runs throughout our school. Notes

will be in Student Planners re this, so please ensure that you return these so that we have adequate afternoon tea

for all. It would be lovely to see as many as possible join us at this meeting.

SCHOOL WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT

It was a pleasure to go around all classrooms last Tuesday and give out wristbands to students who had reached

the milestones of 100 or 250 GOLDIES. These had been ordered last November and students had been eagerly

awaiting their arrival, so there was much excitement when they were finally presented to students.

Goldie Trading continues to be undertaken with enthusiasm each Tuesday and the lovely gang at Edgars Newsa-

gency continue to donate goods to be used here. John Mullins has a busy time each week as my assistant and last

week had to count 850 Goldies!

ANGER MANAGEMENT

This is the current focus around most classrooms and students are more and more often opting to implement strat-

egies such as: WAIT AND COOL OFF, GO TO ANOTHER GAME, SHARE AND TAKE TURNS, TALK IT

OUT, WALK AWAY, IGNORE IT, TELL THEM TO STOP, APOLOGISE or MAKE A DEAL rather than us-

ing inappropriate words and actions when confronted with adverse situations. We encourage students to employ

several of these if they have a small problem but to tell an adult they trust if the problem is a big one.

VCAL/PRECAL LIFE PREPARATION PROGRAM

This program is designed to put students in touch with information, strategies, personnel and agencies that they

may need to source post WDSS. This week’s session will see guest speakers from Ovens & King Community

Health speaking to us about Drugs and Alcohol and Youth Issues.

THOUGHT FOR THE FORTNIGHT

LIFE IS NOT A RACE BUT A JOURNEY TO BE SAVOURED EACH STEP OF THE WAY.

Have a great fortnight.

Rose

On Tuesday 30th July the following 9 students participated in

netball at the winter school sports day at the Wangaratta Net-

ball Courts, Barr Reserve,

Bree Bonnitcha, Jessy McEwan, Breanna Barlow-Weir

Beth Walsh, Simone Hodgetts, Taylah Gannon, Kaity Hea-

ley Steph McGrath, Christine Gebauer (team manager)

The day consisted of 5 round robin games where our girls

performed brilliantly; their improvement, as well as their on

and off court behaviour and friendly attitude made both

coaches very proud. We came very close to winning in a

couple of games and the girls attitudes never dropped. At

the end of any game when the girls realised they hadn’t won

again, they kept smiles on their faces and a happy, positive

attitude going into the next game. It was a fairly physical

day with only a couple of minutes break between each game,

but the girls never stopped or complained. Christine was a

fantastic mentor and team manager; she helped the girls

from the side lines and called out positive comments

throughout the games. Some staff and other students come

down to watch and support us in some of our games.

Thanks to those who were able to make it.

We are looking forward to next year’s sports day already as

this first year was a HUGE success. Well done girls, you did

yourselves, your families and our school VERY PROUD.

Thank you, Jody Mortison and Lizz Gourley

Sports News - Netball

Warby and Feathertop (VCAL) Elise, Ash, Michelle, Rosie, Harvo, Jody

Students of the Week:-

Warby

Josh C—For his creative story writing in his Writer’s Notebook

VCAL

Tom—For a securing himself SWL at the Wangaratta Turf Club

Our classes were lucky enough to have Kate and Trent from Ovens & King

Community Health Service come and talk to us about a range of important

topics this week. Kate and Trent are members of the Drug and Alcohol team

and work specifically with young people around drug and alcohol use. We

discussed the legalities around specific drug use, how to be safe when

drinking, standard drinks and the importance of surrounding ourselves with

“great mates” who we know and trust if we chose to drink alcohol.

Ovens and King CHS offer a confidential service for people of all ages, including GP’s, a sexual health nurse, drug

and alcohol advice and general counsellors. We learnt that our age group—14-18 years old, is at a very high risk of

harm due to alcohol use, because or peer pressure, binge drinking and a culture where drinking is socially acceptable.

This is vitally important information, as a person’s brain takes 24 years to develop—meaning all our brains are still

developing—so we need to take very god care of them!

Thanks Rose, for organising Kate and Trent to come and chat with us!

Student even got a chance to wear “beer goggles” to simulate the effect of drinking on your ability to do everyday

tasks such as walk in a straight line, and give someone a high five.

Community consultation – School Chaplaincy Program

A requirement of the Australian Federal Government – Department of Education, Employment &

Workplace Relations funded school chaplaincy program is an annual community consolation pro-

cess. This year we are canvasing the school community to determine the success of our chaplaincy

program and to help us plan for the future. Our goal is for our school chaplain to meet the needs of

as many students as possible and data collected will help us do this. Please return the completed sur-

veys to school.

1. Did you know the school has a chaplain? Yes No

2. Do you know how to contact the chaplain? Yes No

3. Have you or anyone in your family used the chaplaincy service? Yes No

4. Have you ever been referred to the school chaplain? Yes No

5. If you have used the chaplaincy service, were your needs met satisfactorily? Yes No

6. If not, were you referred to an appropriate school/community service? Yes No

7. Have you been able to contact the school chaplain when needed? Yes No

8. Have you ever been dissatisfied with the chaplaincy service? Yes No

9. Would you like to see the school chaplaincy program continued? Yes No

10. What kinds of programs would you like to see the chaplain involved in? Yes No

11. Do you have any suggestions how we can improve the chaplaincy service?

New drinks on the canteen

menu

Made from fruit and vegetable juices, light-

ly carbonated, no artificial colours, flavours

or preservatives.

A healthy alternative to juice drinks without

the sugar.

Cost:- $1.60 per can

Canteen

Could all parents/carers please return lunch orders on Wednesday to allow time for purchasing ingredients and

preparation. Thankyou.

Buller– Allan, Mab and Peter

Our lovely Vanessa was thrilled this week to be invited into

the Art Room to spend an art session with the very creative

bunch of people from Buffalo. Aided by the peerlessly crea-

tive Roz, Vanessa soon had put together a colourful little pen-

guin which wouldn’t have been out of place in and ,in fact,

would probably have been the pride of our own Phillip Island

rookery. Of course, she is very happy with her piece of work

and is looking forward to her next artistic opportunity.

For some people a small, hairy, lively, warm, puppy sitting on

your tummy is an extremely happy experience - and so it was for

Jason when he had a close encounter recently with Wags, the per-

sonality pup. A session on the trampoline after that didn’t damp-

en his enthusiasm at all and it was heartening for all of us to enjoy

his laughter.