Malibu School Newsletter - 2022 Term 1 Week 10

Principal's Pen

Dear families

This has been a term like no other - for the staff, for your children and for you. We know the impact of ongoing cycles of isolation and we acknowledge your partnership in supporting learning at home.

Hopefully term two will allow us a few breaks! 

We continue to experience difficulty in getting relief daily and with the cycle of staff needing to isolate at home, this has caused daily changes to the classes. I am grateful for the incredible flexibility of staff who make sure any disruptions are minimalised and routines are kept as much as possible.

I am proud of the learning we have achieved this term, kicked off by well-attended IEP meetings with families. The evening format provided a good option for many families and set the foundation for your child's key learning goals. I hope you enjoy the regular contact with the staff through Seesaw and take the chance to share the newsletter articles with your child. 

Throughout the term, we have continued to extend our learning through whole-school themed events which included Women and Girls in Science, Multicultural Day, Clean Up Australia Day, Autism Awareness Day, HASS Week, International Book Week. We have returned to regular excursions and Workplace Learning for our seniors, keen to establish a firm pathway for a successful transition beyond Malibu School.

Mask wearing has been challenging for many of our students and I do appreciate the extra work families must have been undertaking as there is a slow increase in the number of students wearing masks at school. Mask wearing is very important in preventing the cycle of close contact isolation, so we appreciate this where it is possible. 

At the end of term 2, we say a sad farewell to Teacher Sharee (J2), EA Zoe (M5) and our Senior Pathways and Transition Support Officer Janine.  I thank them for their contribution to our school and student learning. As they move to new adventures, I know you join me in offering my appreciation and best wishes.

I would like to congratulate Deputy Tash who will be taking up an Acting Principal Role at Gwynne Park ESC until the end of the year and to School Officer Lisa who will be commencing a Level 3 School Officer role at Coastal Lakes in Term 2. 

We also welcome EAs, Jade (J5), Melissa (J6) Gemma (Mx), Raji (M5), Mitchell (S2), Gemma (S4), Tetiana (Teacher STEM)  and Junior Deputy Tracey as new additions and know they look forward to meeting with you in Term 2. 

I trust this holiday break will be something special and a positive time to connect with family while doing great things. Wishing you and yours a safe, relaxing and enjoyable few weeks. 

Kind regards
Merrilee Wright

Junior 2

Hello from all of us in Junior 2 - Raiden, Xavier, Cooper, Reef, Oscar, Shelly, Sam and Desiree. 

This term the focus has been on supporting our Pre-Primary students settle into their first year of full time schooling.  Fortunately having a class of super energetic boys means they are thoroughly enjoying their busy weekly schedule and we have watched them increase in confidence as the term has progressed.  We are now excitedly venturing beyond our classroom to specialist programs, the school garden, the kitchen and the swimming pool.

Our theme for this semester is “Under the Sea” and our classroom is starting to look amazing with a variety of colourful sea life decorating the walls and windows.  We have made turtles, fish, seahorses, sharks, crabs, seaweed and jelly fish.

We have welcomed back “Little Stars Playgroup Plus” on Fridays and we look forward to interacting with our playgroup buddies each week. It’s now time to get excited about Easter and we are doing lots of fun activities about Easter Eggs and the Easter Bunny.  Who knows…..we might even get to meet the Easter Bunny !!!

Shelly, Sam, Desiree

Junior 3

This term has been a dinosaur theme in J3, and the students have enjoyed creating play experiences at the dinosaur table.

During our literacy sessions the students have enjoyed learning the words and the movements to the songs; Pinocchio, Walking in the jungle, Hickory Dickory Dock and Who took the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?  ‘Walking in the jungle’, was chosen as our assembly item and the students have had fun as they were wheeled or walked or stomped or jumped around the jungle classroom.

History has been all about the students and their families.  They have closely studied their own faces to identify the colour of their eyes and hair colour.  This information has also been used in Mathematics - Statistics and Probability, as data for Graphs.

Learning about shapes has proven to be a favourite for the students. They have enjoyed choosing between the shape songs, identifying the shapes in an object, and finding shapes in the PODD book or on their own devices.

Counting numbers; one to five, or one to ten, has been a fun, sensory time in J3.  Students have had their own container of rice and used tongs to find animals hidden inside. They have then used one to one correspondence to count and match the animals to numerals.

Bee Bots have been introduced through Digital Technologies where students create an algorithm or pathway for the Bee Bots to travel.  They have been learning the functions of the clear, forward and go buttons so they can program the Bee Bots to move in a forward direction.

It has been a terrific term in J3.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know and teach Akuch, Skylah, Jayden, Jacob, Rory, Daymon and Jaxon this term.  

Sharee, Grace, Jane, Bettina

Middle 3

Middle 3 students have settled well into the classroom routine.  They have enjoyed working in the garden and cooking with Jane as well as attending Multicultural Day.  Last week students enjoyed seeing a presentation from Constable Care, HASS Day and participating in World Autism Day.  

We have also welcomed Bailey, a new student into our class and students have enjoyed building friendships within the classroom. This week we have been lucky to participate in a gardening program where we decorated pots and planted a plant in our pot. We are looking forward to finishing off the term and school holidays. 

Nicky, Di, Vicky, Sue, Zoe, Colleen

Senior 2

This Term in Senior 2 our students and teachers have been getting to know one another and learning about our likes and dislikes.  What better way to learn about this, than through exploring taste, texture and cooking a variety of foods.  We had explored a variety of textures such as soft, grainy, rough and runny, and explored sour, sweet and bitter tastes.  We really enjoyed exploring new textures and tastes as a group and watching each other’s facial expressions as we tried new flavours.  When it came to cooking, making Jelly was a wining vote.  I asked the class what the best part about cooking, exploring texture and taste was, they had all said eating was the best part of it all.

Thi, Courtney, Anna, Angela, Moetu, Kylie

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Senior 3

Senior 3 Superstars have had a fantastic Term 1.  We laid the foundation for our year focus of transition skills as our students move towards adulthood and life after Malibu School.  Workplace Learning has seen our students developing employment skills including following instructions and completing task to a high standard.  Students have attended Woolworths and the Good Samaritans or completed at school Work Awareness programs including work in the Malibu Cafe.  Our Year 12 Superstars have shown they really are the leaders of the school with their maturity and dedication to Being their Best. 

Our favourite day is Friday, senior community access day!  We have been exploring the local community while taking advantage of the beautiful weather with excursions to Palm Beach where students have learnt Stand-up Paddle Boarding with amazing results, lots of tumbles, laughter and splashing.  Students also learnt important water safety skills including how to float with a lifejacket and safety hand signals.  Our paddle boarding days were programmed to meet ASDAN units Outdoor Leisure and Outdoor Cooking. Students studying Certificate I Permaculture have developed their understanding of the ethics and principles of Permaculture. While others have shown incredible talent in their Computer and ICT ASDAN unit. Staff have been very impressed with the way students have embraced the challenges of the year, their new timetable and variety of programs. 

Karen, Kylie, Sam and Tiff wish all our Senior 3 students, families and carers, and the whole Malibu School family, a safe and happy holiday.

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Music

‘I think music itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music’ – Billy Joel

Term 1 has seen students enjoying making music in the new Music room! Junior students have explored shaking and tapping a variety of untuned percussion instruments and are working on holding instruments properly to make wonderful sounds, copying actions and listening to one another play in small ensembles.  We learnt a new ‘Welcome’ song from Uganda and brought back the Noongar ‘Wanjoo’ song with much excitement, as many of us remembered the words and AUSLAN signs from last year.

Middle students have learnt about the instruments of the orchestra and have experienced snippets of performances from famous film scores performed by a symphony orchestra including, ‘Star Wars', ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Mission Impossible’.  Every week, we learn about a different genre of music from Rock n’ Roll through to Soul and Jazz.  Students are learning to offer an opinion about these styles of music as they learn more about them.  Clapping, clicking, stamping and knee taps are just some of the moves that students have had a go at performing in our body percussion sessions.  We have discovered that there are many different sounds we can make, simply with our bodies! Students are now working on rhythm activities with the bucket drums and will be performing using backing tracks as we move into Term 2.

Debbie Smith

Music Specialist

Swim Team

Term 1 has been focused on Hydrotherapy for our swimmers and getting all their Physiotherapists in to update and review their plans.  It’s been amazing to get our students back in the pool after their long summer break.  The pool provides a sensory break for many of our students and is a valuable tool in their self-regulation.  Our program has a focus on water introduction and safety, providing a familiar environment for our students to gain confidence.

With in-term swimming happening at Aqua Jetty in Term 2 it has been a good opportunity to our newer students before they tackle swimming lessons and a good opportunity to develop new skills.

 Jac, Tylah, Jo and Zoe

Malibu Nurses Update

Staying safe and healthy over the school holidays

• Practise good hand hygiene – wash your hands and your kids’ hands often and properly and carry hand sanitiser for times when soap and water isn’t available.
• Keep social distancing in mind –you and your children should try to stay 1.5 metres away from others where possible. If you arrive at a crowded park, attraction or party and can’t practise social distancing, leave and return another time when it’s quieter.
• Stay at home when you’re sick, even with a sniffle, and stay away from others who are unwell. Cover coughs and sneezes with a clean tissue or your elbow.
• Consider booking in for the Flu Vaccine.
• Slip, Slop, Slap- even with cooler weather approaching UV rays easily penetrate clouds, stay sun safe.
• Keep an eye on children on the street and talk to them about road safety, looking both ways when crossing the road and walking rather than running across the road.
• Consider parental control features if your kids are interested in the online community.
• Remember that you know your family best – plan activities that will work for you and your family’s health.

We hope you have a fantastic break!
Malibu Nurses

COVID-19 Information

Once the school is aware that a COVID-19 positive student or staff member has been infectious while at school, we will identify close contacts from school and advise them of the testing and isolation requirements. The school is only responsible for identifying close contacts that occur during school and at school-based activities.

When transmission risk is likely (e.g. mask is not worn at all times) through activities outside of school, and a family member becomes COVID-19 positive, parents and carers are responsible for informing friends and community members that are close contacts that they meet the close contact definition.

For example, if a child attended a party at the weekend and tested positive on Monday, the parent/carer should contact anyone they interacted with, where masks were not worn for:

• 15 minutes with face-to-face contact

OR

• 2 hours in a small room.

The infectious period starts 48 hours before symptoms develop or 48 hours prior to a positive test if the person does not have symptoms. Therefore, anyone who meets the close contact definition above over that weekend should be contacted.

If someone tests positive for COVID-19, the infectious period is taken from 48 hours before the onset of symptoms, or 48 hours before the positive test result until the end of your isolation period. For example, if you have no symptoms and you first tested positive on Wednesday afternoon, your infectious period started on Monday afternoon.

WA Health have also made the following changes to close contact identification, testing and isolation requirements:

• change from 8 weeks to 12 weeks for COVID-19 positive cases to be identified as close contacts
• symptomatic non-household close contacts that become asymptomatic and test negative can return to school before 7 days isolation requirement is finished.

Healthywa.wa.gov.au has information on close contacts, the close contact definition and isolation requirements should you require further clarity on how to identify a close contact.

Please continue to let us know if your child becomes COVID-19 positive, or if your child is required to isolate due to being a household close contact.  We are committed to ensuring students continue to learn and we will provide learning for students should they need to isolate.

Thank you for your continued support for keeping our schools COVID-19 safe.

COVID-19 affects people differently. Due to high levels of COVID-19 vaccination in the community, it is expected that most people will experience mild symptoms and recover at home.

WA COVID Care at Home delivers free home monitoring care for COVID-19 positive patients who may have risk factors that put them at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell, including age, medical history or social factors.

Participants in the program receive daily calls from a health practitioner to check their vital health signs and welfare. They may be provided with an easy-to-use and non-invasive Pulse Oximeter, which measures the oxygen levels in their blood and heart rate.

You must register to be considered for the WA COVID Care at Home program.  

For more information and to register, visit
https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus/Managing-COVID19-at-home-and-in-the-community/WA-COVID-Care-at-Home

NDIS Information

Recent announcements advise of an increase in the upper limit for automatic approval of assistive technology (AT) purchases. This limit has now increased from $5,000 to $15,000. 

For more information about updated Guidelines and fact sheets, go to Government providing quicker and easier access to assistive technology for NDIS participants | NDIS

Happy Holidays from our family to yours :)

Community Events and Information

Telethon Holiday Makers

Spectrum Space’s Telethon Holiday Makers Program runs each school holidays for children with ASD aged 5-18. The program offers a range of activities based on interests as well as fun excursions where participants have the opportunity to meet like-minded peers and have some new  experiences along the way!

Rockingham – Tuesday 12 & 19 April, Thursday 14 & 21 April
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm

All participants must be enrolled before starting group. Please fill in the expression of interest form here or to call us on 9431 2111.

Activities: include ice skating, bowling, escape room, cultural activities, video game competition, visiting the Fremantle Prison and WA Maritime Museum and much more. Head here to see what’s on.

More information about our groups:
As well as running the Telethon Holiday Makers Program, we also run social groups throughout the school year to connect young people with autism with others and provide opportunities for social interaction, engagement and fun. Participants are invited to make decisions on what they would like to do throughout the term, both individually and as a group.

For more information about our services, please contact us via email, phone on 9431 2111 or visit our website here.

KEYS Parenting Workshops Term 2, 2022

KEYS provide workshops to Parents/Carers with children aged between birth to 18 years living in the Kwinana, Rockingham, Cockburn, Melville and Fremantle regions.

Tuesday 26^th April to Tuesday 31^st May (6 week commitment) 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Circle of Security – Zoom (online event): Now full, call 9439 1838 for waitlist

Friday 29^th April to Friday 20^th May (4 week commitment) 9.30am – 11.30am
Engaging adolescents - Zoom (online event): https://www.trybooking.com/BYLND

Friday 27^th May to Friday 1^st July 9.30am – 11.30am
Circle of Security - Zoom (online event): Now full, call 9439 1838 for waitlist

Thursday 2^nd June and / or Thursday 9^th June 9.30am – 11.30am
Children’s Emotional Wellbeing: Darius Wells Library/Resource Ctr, Upstairs, Robbos Way, Kwinana  https://www.trybooking.com/BYLMY

Thursday 16^th June 9.30am – 11.30am
Sensory Kids: Darius Wells Library/Resource Ctr, Upstairs, Robbos Way, Kwinana  https://www.trybooking.com/BYLMX

Tuesday 21^st June 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Protective Behaviour Parent Workshop: Mary Davies Library and Community Centre https://www.trybooking.com/BXNTJ

Tuesday 28^th June 9:30am – 12:30pm
Protective Behaviour Parent Workshop: Mary Davies Library and Community Centre https://www.trybooking.com/BXNUC

Bookings via Trybooking as per links above or if no booking link call KEYS to register interest on 9439 1838 or KEYS | Kwinana Early Years Services | Workshops (keyswa.org)

Variety Heart Scholarships - applications still open

The Variety Heart Scholarships support children who are sick, disadvantaged or living with disability that have a demonstrated talent, passion or notable potential in an extra-curricular discipline.  The Scholarship assist them in working towards their goals within the chosen field.

For more information, click here https://www.variety.org.au/wa/programs/scholarships/

Kidsafe WA

Kidsafe WA are excited to announce our 1 Day Symposium – “Pushing the Boundaries in Play” to be held at the Bendat Centre, Wembley on Wednesday May 25^th, 2022. Cost $30 per person.

Speakers will share how they push the boundaries and encourage challenge and risk taking while taking safety into account on a day to day basis.

Please register your interest in attending the event by emailing tracy@kidsafewa.com.au

Rockingham Youth Centre Holiday Program & Youth Work Support Service 

Please find attached the Rockingham Youth Centre school holiday program for the upcoming Easter Holidays.  There are still a few places available for a few different things, all programs are free.

For further information please contact-:
Beth Webster - Community Development Officer (Youth) 
telephone +61 8 9528 0420 
email elizabeth.webster@rockingham.wa.gov.au

Rockingham Job Fair

League Stars Holiday Clinic

League Stars Holiday clinic is planned for April 22 at Thomas Oval Medina.  This is a great opportunity for the students to see some real Rugby League happening as they complete their clinic - see poster for further information. 

For students who are interested in this opportunity, head to, https://www.playrugbyleague.com/league-stars/ and follow the prompts to register. 

No Limits Netball