November 2016
November 2016
November 2016
DJ’s 2 Cents
Hello From Helen
David’s Round Up
News From the Centres
New “What’s Happening”
UPCOMING EVENTS
. Compass Awards Night
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November Birthdays...
Chris Wilson Jesse Price
Mitchell Runcie Caitlin Larson
Joshua McGrath Rob Glover
Sharon Todhunter Tara Pignata
www.compassinc.org.au
PO Box 585, Palmwoods, QLD, 4555
(07) 5445 - 9116 [email protected]
This year’s theme is “Kings & Queens”. Come dressed to impress in your best costume.
Saturday November 26th, 2016 - 5:30pm Sebel Pelican Waters, 38 Mahogany Drive, Pelican Waters
Tickets $48pp Trainee Tickets $20 (subsidized by Compass)
RSVP 5445 9116 or
[email protected] (bookings close November 18th. Please advise any special dietary requirements at the time of boking)
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IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!
2016 Gala & Awards Night
Dear Parents and Friends,
Christmas holidays are fast approaching and I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to them.
It’s been a big year and the whole team have done a great job in ensuring Compass continues to meet all its obligations and reach its goals. Most importantly every day I see one of the young people at Compass reach one of their goals. And that’s what’s so exciting about this work. As mentioned last month, we’ve seen lots of new faces at the centres as our trial days have proceeded and enrolments are looking very strong for 2017. Compass Caboolture looks set to double in size which will be wonderful for all the trainees... more friends, more programmes and more fun. This means we will need to start looking at alternative venues in order to plan for intakes in 2018 and beyond.
David’s
Round Up
2017 will also see our newest enterprise – Compass Assistance Dogs – move to a three day a week operation. We are running a competition via our website to give you the chance to name our latest puppy and all you need to do is click Name Our New Puppy to enter your choice. The competition is free and you can enter once a day, as many days as you like, until the end of the competition.
Our first dog – Sophie – has already been placed with Lachlan, a 9 year old boy in Brisbane with autism, a
sensory processing disorder - and she has already had a huge positive impact in his life and that of his family. (There’s a full story in this newsletter on Sophie so make sure you read that). Compass was able to place Sophie with Lachlan for $2,500 and the placement fee included a free cage along with other equipment & accessories. When you consider that the other main provider working in this area charges $25,000 you can appreciate just what a wonderful service this is. The thought that we can make a
huge difference for a young person with autism and potentially change their whole life trajectory is an exciting one. And remember if you want to
be a part of this great project you can make a one-off donation OR you can join our ‘Dollar a Day’ programme. To join, visit The Dollar - A - Day Program
I hope you’re all looking forward to the Awards Night! I think this may be my favourite night of the year… having a chance to see you all again and watch the young people receiving their awards and cutting loose on the dance floor. Once again, thanks to our friends at the Palmwoods Community Branch of Heritage Bank, the tickets for the trainees will be again at half price. Best wishes,
David
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Welcome to the November edition of
the Compass newsletter. We have
certainly come into our own over the
past month and I am enjoying meeting
all the new families and trainees that
are attending open days and trial days.
I was speaking to a couple of teachers
recently and quickly realised the future
for Compass is looking very strong.
There is an abundance of students
exiting Special Schools over the
coming two years, and with the current
percentage of them opting for
Compass as their post school provider,
we are very, very excited. New
programs will go from strength to
strength and the existing ones will be
reinvigorated with new trainees
entering into them. Now we understand
that the NDIS will play a large part in
the funding of these students, it is
encouraging to see a growing number
of families seeing the value of learning
and development, and looking to self
fund to access Compass Services.
Thank you to everyone for your
nomination in this years Sunshine
Coast Business Awards. We have
again been humbled and privileged to
tell the Compass story to so many
people along the journey, and for a
third year running we are a finalist.
This year we were entered into the
“Social Enterprise” Sector Awards
and the “Collaboration” Excellence
Awards. During the interview, David
was inspirational in providing the
underpinning philosophies and the
need for change in some of the current
models within the disability sector. I
DJ’S 2
CENTS
was lucky to let the trainees sell the
Compass story through a short video
presentation. It gives a great insight
into the thoughts and feelings of the
trainees and their perception of
Compass. I love having the ability to
showcase our trainees and to give
them a voice at every opportunity.
The awards will be announced at a
ceremony on the 5th of November at
Twin Waters Resort. Keep an eye on
this space for the results.
Compass Gympie
was nominated for a
Carers Friendly
Award through
October. This
nomination came through from one of
our gracious families up in Gympie
and it recognises businesses and
individuals that have demonstrated an
understanding of the particular needs
of unpaid family cares—doing that
little bit extra when providing a
service. Although we didn’t win, it was
a great accolade for Stuart, Lyn and
the team in Gympie. Well done to all.
Compass had two groups through the
centres and the farm in October. We
had the Caboolture Special School in
for a visit, to showcase the programs
that are available on the Farm and a
possibility of what could potentially be
in each of our centres in the future.
Naturally this is a little ways off, but
we do introduce elements of
horticulture into our centres through
herb gardens and raised garden beds.
Glasshouse Christian College were
completing an assignment on the
“Perception of people with disabilities
in the community.” It was an pleasure
to show them through the farm and
again expose them to the work that
the trainees do on a daily basis. It was
a huge eye opener for many of them
and was great to see them interacting
with the trainees by the end of the
tour.
Helen and I attended Oktoberfest
hosted by the Maroochy Chamber of
Commerce. Now before anyone starts
to judge, it wasn’t the traditional event
with beer flowing freely. Granted there
was beer, but it was a networking
event where Mayor Jamieson,
SunCentral CEO John Knaggs and Cr
Oprey gave a rundown on 2016 and
what we can all expect on the
Sunshine Coast over the coming
years. Although I had seen the
presentation itself before, there were
some new development updates that
kept me engaged and excited about
the future for the Coast.
If you haven’t heard,
Wabi Sabi are now
doing hampers. We
have produced close
to 40 for businesses
here on the Coast. If
you would like to
reward your staff,
clients or yourself give the office a call
on 5445 9116 to order yours today.
No min order or budget.
Remember to book your tickets for the
Compass Awards night, November
26. Tickets are selling fast and there
are only limited tickets available due
to space.
Until next month , I will wish you all
the very best and look forward to
speaking with you soon.
Cheers DJ
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Hi Everyone,
It is hard to believe that we only have
six weeks of attendance at Compass
left, before we take a well-earned
break for the Christmas holidays. The
last day of Term will be Friday 9th
December with our fabulous break-up
events currently being planned to
ensure all of the trainees and staff at
each Centre celebrate another
fantastic year at Compass.
As part of preparation for the holiday
break, we will be distributing the 2017
Compass CLD Planner Calendar to all
families. This will assist in planning for
next year, and will provide information
on the CLD holidays, Special Events,
Staff Training and Power Weeks.
In 2017, Compass will re-commence
on Monday 9th January for existing
trainees, with our new intake of
trainees occurring on Monday 6th
February. We are certainly looking
forward to welcoming the new trainees
and their families to Compass. I am
sure you will all make them feel
welcome!
Helen’s
Happenings
Helen
October has been a very busy month, with
lots of exciting events and celebrations!
Stuart MacAdam, the Team Manager from
the Gympie Centre and I attended the
Carers Queensland Sunshine Coast Region
Carer-Friendly Business Awards function,
held Monday 17th October at the
Mooloolaba Surf Club. The Gympie Centre
was nominated by one of our parents, in the
Great Service Provider Carer-Friendly
Business Award Category. We received a
Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of
our outstanding service and support of
carers in our community; however the
coveted award went to another equally
deserving service provider. Thank you to the
parent (you know who you are) for taking
the time to nominate our Gympie Centre; it
is lovely for the staff (and trainees) at the
centre to be acknowledged for the great
work they do!
We have held further Open Days at the
Caloundra, Caboolture and Palmwoods
Centres; mainly to support prospective
trainees to visit the Centres with their school
groups and teachers, and provide the
opportunity for parents to come along and
actually see the programs in action.
Feedback from the parents and schools who
visited, confirmed they appreciated the
warm welcome they received!
Until next month,
Regards
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October Memories
Considering Martial Arts? Con-
tact us to find out more today!
Compass Caloundra has a new
addition to the backyard with
the first stage of the Sensory
Garden completed late
October. It gives a nice feel to
the centre with the “taste”,
“scent” and “feel” raised garden
beds erected and ready for
use. It also has stable footing to
allow for the trainees to access
the beds safely. Next time you
visit the centre, have a walk
through the garden to see the
great work of the guys from
Smart City Vocational College.
News From The Centres
COMPASS CABOOLTURE
OCTOBER 2016OCTOBER 2016
NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER
Compass Caboolture are enjoying a very busy Term 4, here are some of
the notable highlights! We farewelled Alissa Candy, we wish her all the
very best in her new job at the Sunshine Coast University and thank her
for her hard work and dedication to Compass. We sent her off in true
Our gardens continue to grow and with
recent rain we are seeing beautiful flowers,
we are even picking some as floral
arrangements for the centre.
Our Thursday afternoons have been
“dramatic” with Michelle from Focus On
Stage coming to provide a session in all
things drama. We are learning how to be
confident, clear speaking and find our
rhythm and beat. It has been so much
fun...thanks Michelle.
Our weekly numeracy and literacy sessions have been focusing
on countries and cultures of the world - we have covered Japan,
Mexico, and Italy. We have had a focused time using our local
library to research the food, culture, dress and language as well
as tasting the national foods during our food prep sessions on
Wednesday. Our favourite was Green Tea Ice-Cream with Black
Sugar syrup from Japan paired so well with the Garlic. Ginger Soy
Chicken wings and Rice….Yum!!!!!
News From The Centres
RAKES & PANES
It’s been a busy week at Rakes & Panes, with summer fast approaching, the work load has increased, but the team have been putting in an A - glass job! Well done team!
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COMPASS CALOUNDRA
This month at Caloundra we had a training group from Smart City training organisation to design and
build a sensory garden. They designed three garden beds, one for smelling, one for touching and one
for tasting. Thanks Smart City.
THE FARM
News From The Centres
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Our Tuesday lads, Matt, Ben, Glen and Jordan with our nearly completed
Possum boxes.
Levi getting close to the chooks!
Contract team hard at work!