Edition 6 - Malkara School

JENNIE LINDSAY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Kylie Croke SCHOOL PRINCIPAL NICOLE MACKEY BOARD CHAIR NICOLE MACKEY BOARD CHAIR 23June 2016
WENDY ALDER P&C PRESIDENT WENDY ALDER P&C PRESIDENT HER EXCELLENCY LADY COSGROVE PATRON HER EXCELLENCY LADY COSGROVE PATRON Dear Malkara families Diary Dates:
Onesie Day
Friday 1 July
Last day of Term 2
Friday 1 July
First day of Term 3
Monday 18 July
Malkara Railway Exhibition
6- 7 August
Board meeting
Wednesday 17 August
@ 5pm
Inside this issue:
Report from Green
Communicating with Music
Fresh Tastes
Dental Visit
Onesie Day
Lolly Donations
MRE Flyer
Healthcare for Malkara
Holiday program
Assembly
Fridays @ 2:15pm
Week 10 Pink
Week 1
Green
Week 2
Aqua
Subject to change
With two weeks to go of Term 2, we all seem to be struggling with the onset of winter ailments. Early mornings at Malkara are characterised by phone calls advising of student and staff illness. It can be quite a juggle ensuring every classroom is adequately staffed. Lachie and the team do a sterling job organising the classroom and playground supervision staff each day, and it really helps to know as early as possible, which children will be absent that day. Thanks so much for remembering to ring in and let us know when you are keeping your child at home. Looming before us, seven short weeks away, is our 44th annual Model Railway Exhibi on. Please read through the rest of the newsle er to find out how you can support this major fund raiser for our school. This week is Kylie’s last at Malkara a er 24 years as teacher, school leader and most recently principal, so I have asked her to share some farewell thoughts. We will miss her vibrancy and commitment to our school community so much, but wish her well in her new role at Hughes Primary School. Jennie Working at Malkara School has been an incredible and rewarding career for me and as I step off in to unknown territories, I am suddenly hit with the thought that I will no longer be privileged to work so closely with the children, the families and staff that make this school ‘simply the best’. When I began teaching at Malkara in 1993 I was struck with the passion, commitment and challenge to make every day a learning opportunity for children with a disability. I knew then that I wanted to rise to the challenge and to make a difference in the lives of ones so precious. I have been so fortunate to be a part of a team who has been able to move the school from strength to strength and I have cherished every interac on I have had with each child. I’m not sure I have quite grasped the enormity of how hard it will be to say goodbye, although no other words have been easier to say than thank you to all of you who have shared the joys, tears and celebra ons of my me at Malkara! Kylie
What’s been going on in Green Room?
In Green Room we use our sense of touch to learn.
What happens when we mix two primary colours together?
Nicki made green.
Niv made orange.
Willow made green.
In Green Room we use our sense of taste to learn.
Here’s Zoe
tasting the
sweet, yummy
pizza.
Look at the rainbow fruit pizza we made in cooking! YUM!
We are reading
“What a
Wonderful
World”.
We work hard and have a wonderful time doing activities
like hydrotherapy and playing on the swing.
Yuu enjoys her
time in the pool.
She laughs and
chats in the
water.
Here’s Nissie kicking her legs.
Kitupa works very hard in the
pool. Look at her holding herself
up on the mat!
Zoe and Nicki are having a blast on
the liberty swing!
We participated in National Simultaneous Storytime. We listened
to “I got this hat”. We dressed up with lots of hats.
Using Music to Assist Communication
Here at Malkara our students have a range of complex communication needs. Our job as
educators is to provide an array of communication systems so that each child has the best
opportunity to express themselves, make choices and participate in the many activities we do
at Malkara.
One particular activity that is a favourite for many children is music. Music at Malkara provides
both students and staff with lots of joy and happiness, but it also gives our students
opportunities to learn and use communication in ways that will enhance all areas of their lives.
There are several communication systems commonly used during music sessions.
Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display, or PODD as we commonly refer to it, is used by all
staff. During music sessions, PODD is used to ask for participation, i.e. “Who would like to have
a turn?”
Students are then
encouraged to use
PODD or other
communication
systems to respond,
i.e. raise a hand, use
words/vocalisations
or eye contact.
A child is then asked to make a
song choice. Songs are generally
displayed as symbols (pictures
and writing) on a board.
Teachers and LSAs are aware
of the students’ communication
goals and will ask individual
students to make a choice in a
way that’s appropriate to that
child. One particular student
may be required to stand up,
walk to the board, remove the
symbol of their choice and use
words to communicate their
choice. Other students may
touch their desired song with
their hands, while others use
eye gaze to make a ‘yes’ or ‘no’
choice.
Modelling of the PODD is used throughout the music session to show and discuss aspects of the
song. For example, when singing a song such as Five Little Ducks, the PODD page that displays
numbers can be shown.
PODD is also used to refine choice-making
within a particular song. For example,
during the song, Old MacDonald, specific
animals can be chosen by students.
Some students will have their own PODDs
sitting on their laps during the music
session. They can follow along with staff
as well as make additional requests and
offer opinions.
Many students have taken these
skills to a new level and have
reflected on their music sessions,
communicating with one another
through a combination of spoken
words, PODD and the Song Board.
Music is so much more than just a
feel-good experience. Used in
Special Education and assisted by
effective communication systems
such as PODD and Song Boards, it
is undoubtedly a powerful tool to
enhance skills and qualities that
may have been lying dormant.
Fresh Tastes—Healthy Breakfast
In promoting our Fresh Tastes program, the school enjoyed
sharing a healthy breakfast together. Classes talked about
the importance of breakfast as ‘fuel’ for your body. Students
had a selection of food to choose from, including weetbix,
toast, fruit, milk and yoghurt.
Fresh Tastes Award—congratulations to the following classes
for receiving the weekly award:

Lilac class for healthy cooking sessions

Aqua for making healthy pizzas

Red group for ‘fruit break Fridays’.
Dental Visit
Following on from the resounding success of the Dental Consultation
Clinic last year, Carolyn and Kaye visited again for two days to provide
a follow up clinic. The aim of the program is to build the students’
confidence and tolerance of someone looking in their mouth, all done
within the familiar classroom environment. Students with parent
consent also had a dental screen. This was all done within a fun and
informative session, where the dentists read a book about oral hygiene,
sang songs and gave our students the opportunity to assist with
brushing teeth on a large model. We were delighted with the positive
response from the students, many of whom remembered Carolyn and
Kaye from last year. A follow up visit will occur on Tuesday 29 June.
Conversation Groups—Professional Learning for staff
To continue our learning, staff are participating in sessions to practice their
fluency in PODD and Proloquo2Go. In the first session, staff joined in a
playdough activity and talked with each other using their communication
device. We look forward to continuing these conversation groups next term.
YEAR 10 SERVICE LEARNING REFLECTIONS The Marist Students visited Malkara fortnightly during semester one. The experience is hard to describe Every child has an individual personality as there are so many emo ons that and needs to be catered to and understood. fly through my head when I am at Malkara. He always claps and gets We were welcomed with open arms. excited when he sees us walk through the door. Making the kids smile gives you a sense of self – worth. Just immerse yourself in the visit so you can help out and get the most of it. I genuinely had tears of laughter while playing games. I had grown close to the students in the class, I am less anxious and can interact with everyone. This was such an effec ve program that this could become a career path for my future direc ons. I gained his trust with my ac ons (didn't use words) I felt very happy that this li le boy could trust and rely on me so much already. The best part of the visit was ge ng to know the students and talking with them. The kids were so excited and put in 110% of their energy into everything we threw at them — I am going to use this work ethic myself. I learnt a lot about myself. Structure is very important to students with learning disabili es. People with disabili es should be treated equally and not stereotyped or discriminated against. I commented about how good his dinosaur pictures were and instantly his eyes lit up. MARIST COLLEGE CANBERRA Malkara joins the Twi ersphere Last week Malkara School went live with our first ever tweet! The twi er handle: @MalkaraSchool was launched with a tweet about the Onesie Day launch earlier this month which the ACT Educa on Minister Shane Ra enbury a ended. The Onesie Day campaign, run by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance will culminate on 1 July – Onesie Day! We’ll all be ge ng involved again this year and more info will be out soon. In the mean me, jump onto twi er and follow @MalkaraSchool! Each week we’ll be upda ng the twi er handle with exci ng news and events happening here at Malkara. It’s a great way to quickly find out about things happening at the school. To follow us search for ‘MalkaraSchool’ in twi er then click ‘follow’. ‘ONESIES FOR A DAY TO SUPPORT CPA'
Want to feel warm and fuzzy, inside and out?
Well now you can with Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s
Onesies for a Day campaign.
All you need to do is wear a onesie or pyjamas on Friday
1 July 2016 to help raise money to support children with
cerebral palsy.
Gold coin donation
Friday July 1 2016
We are looking for a number of parents to help put out our road signs, adver sing our Model Railway Exhibi on. These need to go out over the weekend of the 23 ‐ 24 July. A map showing where each sign needs to be placed will be provided. Please call the office on 6142 0266 if you can help. Are you aware we have a
TAX DEDUCTIBLE GIFT FUND
Malkara School has a tax deductible gift fund. All
donations to this fund are fully tax deductible.
If you would like to make a donation please deposit
directly into our bank account and reference your
transaction with Donation and your name.
Alternately you can use the payment tab on our website.
All funds raised are used to support our students.
Malkara School
BSB: 032777
Account: 001607
We thank you for your support of our school.
A tax deductible receipt for all donations will be sent
home with your child.
Donations
It’s almost that time of the year again, our annual
Malkara Model Railway Exhibition. We need
your help to ensure the success of this fantastic
fundraising activity.
Packets of
Lollies
Lollies
Packets of
Sweet
Biscuits
Lollies
For Lolly bags
And More
Lollies
Please send donations to school with
your child.
Thank you in advance.
44th ANNUAL MALKARA MODEL
RAILWAY AND
SCALE MODEL EXHIBITION
SATURDAY 6 AUGUST 9am– 5pm
SUNDAY 7 AUGUST 9am– 4pm
ADMISSION
Adults $10
Children over 5 $5
Seniors $6
Family Ticket $25
MALKARA SPECIALIST
Wisdom Street, Garran
Organised by the Malkara School P&C and The ACT Model Railway Society Inc.
Healthcare for Students at Malkara School: informa on for staff and parents During Term three, Malkara School will begin the transi on to the Directorate’s three ered approach to healthcare, outlined below. This model of health care is being introduced in all ACT Public Schools. At Malkara there are four advanced First Aid Officers available to respond to first aid incidents (Tier one, purple); and a Known Condi on Response Plan (Tier two, green) in place for all students with a known medical condi on that may require management while at school. Students with complex or invasive healthcare needs will be referred to the Healthcare Access at School (HAAS) program (Tier three, blue). The type of procedures managed through HAAS may include peg feeds, blood glucose tes ng, insulin injec ons and tracheostomy care. If a your child requires a healthcare procedure during the school day such as a peg feed, you will be invited to meet with the nurse who will discuss the HAAS program with you, answer your ques ons and work with you to develop an individual Healthcare Plan. A nurse will con nue to be allocated to Malkara School and will be available for all parents (not just those whose child is on the HAAS program) to discuss school related health ma ers. The nurse can be contacted at any me during office hours but may not be on site at all mes. The nurse’s role will include training for Learning Support Assistants to provide the rou ne health procedures that some children need in order to a end school, and providing ongoing support to the LSA and school community. If you have any ques ons about the HAAS program and the nurse’s role please feel free to phone 6205 5006 or e‐mail your ques ons [email protected] First Aid ‐ as outlined in the Educa on Directorate (EDU) First Aid Policy. This applies to all students while at school. 
Is undertaken by a designated First Aid Officer. 
Includes response to injury, accidents or unexpected illness. Known Condi on Response ‐ planned management as outlined in the EDU First Aid General Procedures and Administra on of Student Medica on and Health Care Procedures 
Is undertaken by an EDU authorised person/first aid officer. 
Includes First Aid plus following steps in the student’s EDU Known Medical Condi on Response Plan. The steps may include giving medica on. 
There are specific EDU plans for Diabetes, Epilepsy, Asthma and Anaphylaxis. All other condi ons have a generic Known Medical Condi on Response Plan. 
Students may also have rou ne medica on requiring a Medica on Authorisa on and Administra on Record. 
School staff/First Aid officers may take the Known Medical Condi on Response Plans to the HAAS Registered Nurse for considera on and advice. HAAS ‐ Students with complex or invasive health care needs, such as an enteral feed or tracheostomy management, are referred to the ACT Health Healthcare Access At School (HAAS) Program: [email protected] HAAS will: 
Liaise with the parent/family and develop an individual HAAS Healthcare Plan 
Determine the level of care that is required to support safe school a endance 
Liaise with the school regarding requirements and training of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) i.e. HAAS Workers 
Train, assess competency and provide ongoing support to school HAAS Workers 
Provide ongoing support to the school and family.