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November 2018 November 2018
November 2018November 2018
Newsletter November 2018
Advocacy
Remember that you are able to bring along an
advocate or support person to any meeting that
you have with Compass.
An advocate is someone who is there to support you
or represent you and your interests in
circumstances where you feel this additional
support is required.
Please ask us if you need more information or
assistance with organising for an advocate.
Continuous
Improvement Plan
At Compass we are committed to on going service
improvement.
If you have a suggestion about how we can improve
our service, please write your suggestion on one
of our
Service Improvement Suggestion Forms
Available from the office, our centres, or website
www.compassinc.org.au
www.compassinc.org.au > EVENTS
Book your tickets online!
24 Nov Compass Awards
Night
30 Nov Compass Trainee
Free Day
14 Dec End of Term 4
14 Jan Start of 2019 Term
Newsletter November 2018
950 Nambour Connection Rd
Nambour, QLD, 4560
(07) 5471—1251
51 Palm Creek Rd, Tanawha
(07) 5458 7605
November Birthdays
OPEN TUESDAY TO FRIDAY 9.30—2.30
Take a stroll through the beautiful and peaceful
botanical gardens then pop in for an iced
coffee, chocolate or iced tea.
We also sell yummy locally made
gluten free, vegan slices
OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY 7AM—2.30PM
Pop in to try any of our home-made delicious
treats or menu items. Sit down and take away
available - serviced by the friendly Trainees of
The Compass Institute.
Brenden Caines Connor Penhaligon
Chris Wilson Jesse Price
Fraser Hogarth Austin Ryan
Caitlin Larson Mitchell Runcie
Tyron Proudfoot-Brown
Newsletter November 2018
SEEKING DOILIE DONATIONS!
If you have any old doilies laying around
in your home, WE NEED THEM!!
HOW TO DONATE: Give directly to Liza
Palmer or send to the Farm office reception
and we will happily pass onto Liza.
WIN! WIN! WIN! Purchase a ‘keep cup’ during November , go into a draw
to win a Connections Café $30.00 gift voucher
Newsletter November 2018
David’s Round Up
Phil, Di, Donna and Ailsa all were willing to risk choosing an
unproven service because they believed in the potential of their
sons - Damien, Alex & Chris – to be able to grow into fine young
men with a real future IF they had a pathway of learning, social
development and real-world skills training. And I am so very
grateful for their belief in us.
Sixteen years on we go into the next chapter with many
excellent facilities, valuable and numerous resources, a wealth
of experienced staff, a track record of great success in delivering
what we say we will… and a profile in the community that has
allowed us to showcase the value people with disabilities can
add to their society when they are given the opportunity.
Because Compass has become such
a well-known organisation
(as I am writing this we have
recently been informed Compass
is in the final four as part of a
Queensland wide award for
Community Organisation of the Year) it has the potential to suffer
from an associated problem – depersonalisation. By this I mean
people begin to speak of Compass as an entity in itself – separate
from the people it employs, supports, advocates for and partners
with… and while this may be useful to an extent, it’s based in a
legal fiction that has no relation to reality. An organisation is an
organic entity and is intrinsically no more or less than the sum of
its people… WE are Compass.
When we accept this reality we realise we have the power to
decide what role we play in the organic structure that is
Compass. Do we plan and choose the crops, sow the seeds, till
the soil, weed and feed and prune? Or do we just feel a sense
of entitlement to the harvest? Put ourselves first? Passively or
Dear Parents and Friends,
The above motto – ‘We are Compass’ - is
a theme I am taking with me into 2019
and beyond. The end of this year draws a
curtain on 16 years of operation under
Disability Services Queensland and its
particular structure. Next year we begin
a new chapter in our history under the
very different ground rules of a federal
system in the form of the National
Disability Insurance Scheme. When we
commenced in 2003 it was in a single very
basic facility with very few resources and
no profile to speak of.
What we did have however was…
1. A clear and compelling vision of
supporting young people to access and
benefit from a genuinely developmental
and transitional model of service and
2. A system of lesson plans, assessments,
reports and reviews that could make that
vision a reality
We are CompassCompass
Newsletter November 2018
otherwise resist the things that don’t suit us? Over
the years there have been people who fell into both
camps but generally those in the latter camp soon
realised they didn’t fit the culture or share the
values of the other people. And today I believe we all
understand that people who think the world revolves
around them are only going to make everyone else’s
job more difficult.
In our position descriptions for staff there is a short
story that illustrates beautifully the culture and
values I was aiming to make central to Compass
right back in 2003…
A man died and his guide escorted him to both
“heaven” and “hell”. To the man both places looked
the same as they contained similar people all with a
long ladle attached to their hand. The man said "I
can’t see any difference.” His guide replied, “Take a
moment and look more closely.” So the man did. In
hell he could see that the people were doggedly trying
to feed themselves but could not succeed because the
handle on the ladle was too long. However in heaven
the people were feeding each other… and thriving.
David
I guess the message here is that groups that
co-operate and work well together will be here for
the long term and having a Compass available to
families and young people with disabilities is
genuinely important to any community. I hope we
can continue to grow and make the opportunities
we take for granted more widely available. We’ve
already found a powerful early intervention in the
Assistance Dogs programme and we’re looking
closely at ways to develop that programme further
afield. A second very important development has
been the recent partnership with TAFE Qld that sees
us sharing the campus in Caboolture. Both of these
things will allow us to extend our reach and the
associated benefits to more young people in the
coming years. Thank you for being an important
part of Compass.
Photo above &
right:
Caboolture
TAFE building and
classroom.
David’s Round Up cont....
Newsletter November 2018
Helen’s Happenings
Helen
Hi Everyone,
It appears to be my usual practice every November to comment on
the amount of time left in the year! So as not to disappoint you …..
here we are with only five 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 14th December for the Caloundra
and Caboolture centres, with Gympie, Palmwoods and the Farm
finishing on Thursday 13th December. The centres are busy planning
their break-up events; I am sure there is a lot of excitement out
there across all of the centres and enterprises as they are busy
completing this planning.
Before the last day of term however, we have the Awards Night
scheduled for Saturday 24th November. This event will be the
highlight of the year as we will be celebrating the 10th Anniversary
of the Awards Night. I really enjoy seeing the creativity the trainees,
their families and friends, and the staff bring each year in their
efforts to creatively explore the theme for the evening. I think the
one chosen for this year – James Bond will result in some very
unique outfits and interpretations. I have had some interesting
conversations lately with a few people who are not big fans of
James and his ‘shaken, not stirred martini’s,’ (Diamonds Are
Forever 1956) however they particularly enjoy some of
the colourful villains who have challenged the suave
James over the years, so I think it will be a fun night!
I will look forward to seeing you all there!
In 2019, Compass will re-commence on the week of
Monday 14th January. As always, it is a very exciting
time for the trainees as they attend their respective
centres and settle back into their programs, refreshed
and energised from their holiday break. The staff will be
well rested and eager to welcome them back and we will
look forward to many exciting programs in 2019.
As you may be aware, Compass recently underwent the
Maintenance Audit against the Human Services Quality
Standards. This occurs every eighteen months and we
welcome the opportunity to demonstrate both how
we are meeting our requirements, and in doing so,
how we excel in all of the Compass program areas!
A Maintenance Audit involves the external Auditor
checking to see how we meet the requirements of four
of the six Standards, with two Compass centres being
audited. This year we again passed with flying colours;
the Auditor made some observations designed to build
on our continuous improvement practices however the
feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I would like to
personally thank all of the trainees, families, staff and
Leadership Team members who willingly gave up their
time to prepare for the audit, participate in the audit
process, including being involved in interviews and
meetings. Thank you very much.
I hope you enjoy the remainder of November and are
looking forward to the rapidly approaching festive
season!
Jess
Newsletter November 2018
Just in with Jess
In other staff movement we are unfortunately
having to say goodbye to our Team Leader at
Caloundra Rob Glover at the end of term 4. Rob
has been the Team Leader at Caloundra for over
5 years and has been on the Compass journey for
nearly 10 years. Rob will be missed by both the staff
and trainees at the Caloundra Center. We wish him
all the best on his future adventures.
The Compass Institute is pleased to announce that
we are introducing an Employee Assistance Program
to our organisation for all of our staff. The company
we have chosen is Acacia Connection
(www.acaciaconnection.com). Acacia Connection EAP
operates 24 hours a day to be available to assist
Compass staff.
www.acaciaconnection.com 1300 364 273
It has been a busy month so far within our Centers at Compass. We have welcomed
new staff to our ever growing organisation. If you visit the Farm Office on
a Monday or Tuesday you will meet Rachel Head.
Rachel has started working in the office 2 days a week and would be happy if you
came and introduce yourself. Rachel also works with the team at the
Caboolture Centre as a Support Trainer. We have
also welcomed Jordan Smith recently who has
commenced working as a Support Trainer. Jordan has a background in early childhood
and will be working across many of the Compass Centers.
Newsletter November 2018
The latest
with Lisa
Directions Breakfast
Brendan Burkett was guest speaker at the 2018
Compass Directions Breakfast held at the Maroochy
SLSC. Brendan was both inspiring and entertaining
as he revealed personal stories about his life journey
with a disability and the doors that closed, and how
he reopened these doors to live a very successful
and fulfilling life. David gave an insightful overview of
the direction Compass is heading in 2019 and how his
vision will be realised. Over 60 Compass sponsors and
guests joined together to support this event.
YOUi Carwash
Staff, and trainees of Compass with the help of YOUi
staff held a carwash to raise funds for the Compass
institute. Lucky it was a nice day as the water not only
flowed on to the cars but also managed a few sprays
onto unknowing staff! 33 YOUi staff cars were
washed and we raised
$495. YOUi then matched
our fundraising efforts to
give us a grand total of
$990. Thanks YOUi and to
all of the staff who volun-
teered their time to help.
We will be back next year!
RED 25
Compass has joined the Australia Red Cross Blood
Service RED 25 Program. RED 25 is the group
donation program with a goal to rally organisations
across Australia to achieve donations together. If you
are interested in donating blood, join Compass RED 25
and be part of our group, go online and book your
spot. If you need further information you can contact
the Red Cross Blood Service on 13 14 95
We were also lucky to have the girls from the
Nambour Branch of the Red Cross Blood Service at the
Palmwoods Farm to present to the trainees and staff
an overview on how the Blood Service works.
Container Recycling Program
Look Out !! Compass are diving in to the Container
Recycling Program. Over the next couple of weeks all
trainees and staff will be sent home a pack containing
a collection bag and information on the program.
Please support this initiative to help keep our beauti-
ful environment litter free while supporting Compass
to help raise funds.
Newsletter November 2018
Westpac Grant
The Sunshine Coast staff of Westpac were asked to
vote for the local charity they thought were worthy
to receive a $10 000 grant. Compass was successful
and with this grant we have secured 2 new water
tanks for the Compass Farm. With the added
generosity of local businesses Allcast Precast and
Living Style Landscapes we are also able to upgrade
the toilet block, add a shower and hot water for the
use of all trainees at Compass Farm.
Grill’d Sunshine Plaza
Need an excuse to go out for dinner? A friendly
reminder that for the entire month of November,
Compass Assistance Dogs is on a Local Matters jar at
Grill’d Sunshine Plaza.
We’d love your support to receive the highest $300
donation! Don’t forget to pop your Local Matters
token into the Compass Assistance Dogs jar.
It’s a simple and delicious way to show your support!
Compass Assistance Dog $1 per Day Campaign
Compass Assistance Dogs have been very busy this
month raising awareness for our $1 per day campaign.
We were invited to speak at the Maroochy Chamber
of Commerce Coffee Connect at Riba Kai with over 70
members present. Monty, Fensa and Toddy came
along and helped raised awareness of the importance
of Assistance Dogs in our local community.
Garland Waddington Solicitors invited us to morning
tea at their office to educate their staff about the $1
per day campaign. Fensa and Toddy were the stars of
the morning and several staff members have already
signed up to the $1 per day program.
From these events we hope to raise awareness of
Compass and the Compass Assistance Dogs and also
to bring together like-minded individuals to sponsor
“Toddy” our $1 per day puppy.
Lisa
Newsletter November 2018
Compass Farm
FARM
OPEN DAY
Newsletter November 2018
Compass Caloundra
We’re loving our new ping pong table
donated by YMCA!
Newsletter November 2018
Compass Caboolture
What a busy month we have had at Caboolture.
Our Tuesday’s food prep group have been working
with eggs and all the different ways they can use
them (i.e. boiled, poached, quiche, scrambled etc.).
They have been using various tools and seeing how
they can change the texture of our food. Next
month we will be focusing on potatoes and the
different things we can make with them.
Three weeks ago we came into the centre on the
Monday and found that our two guinea pigs had
given birth to three baby guinea pigs. This surprised
us immensely as we thought our two guinea pigs
were both girls! Alas, they are very well and healthy
and enjoying their time with mum before they go to
their new forever home at 8 weeks old. The trainees
have really enjoyed cuddling and caring for all three
of them, plus mum and dad.
Today also marks the day of our first transition to
the TAFE at Caboolture. Everyone is so excited that
this day has finally come and we can start making
the area more comfortable for Compass staff and
trainees. We will continue more transitioning over
the next few weeks so that when we kick off next
year everyone will be more at ease and ready to
go!
Newsletter November 2018
Compass Palmwoods
Our Monday group have started a new Food prep program. We have spent 3 weeks cooking with eggs. So far we have made: Scrambled eggs on toast, egg and lettuce sandwiches and quiche. The skills we have been learning are Frying, boiling, grating chopping and baking we have focused on being careful and safe around hot things. Swimming has commenced with start of the warmer weather on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. The trainees have very much enjoyed the cooler water on the recent hot days. Travel training into the new semester we have been to Maleny Library; Maroochydore Sunshine Plaza where we purchased a pan and hot plate for the food prep days. We have also been to Yandina to the Ginger Factory and Nut Factory and we caught in the rain. We learnt that it was important to bring our wet weather gear. We have also started an Egg incubation program. We have enjoyed learning about how long it takes and how we monitor the development of the chickens. We are keeping great records of the cost of this project and hope that we can make enough money to buy the next lot of eggs. Currently we have 24 Australorp chicken eggs in the incubator and they should hatch on the 7th November. We got the eggs from Allun a local breeder. Allun showed us around his little hobby farm and we saw the hens and rooster he is breeding with. When the chickens hatch they will be going to the farm when they are big enough. Our new admin group have been enjoying chatting to the trainees about their programs and creating this newsletter as part of their program Regards the Palmwoods Admin Team.
Newsletter November 2018
Connections Café
What’s happening at the
Compass Connections Café?
Our promotion to assist in cutting down the numbers
of take-away coffee cups ending up in landfill has
been very successful. Our Coffee supplier- Vincenza
Coffee whom sells us the top quality keep cups tells us
that out Café have sold more than all their other cus-
tomers! These cups come in a range of sizes and col-
ours and are available in plastic or glass. Our regular
customers receive a 0.50 cents discount on their
coffee when they come in for their coffee of choice
with their’ keep cup’. During November anyone
whom purchases a ‘keep cup’ goes into a draw to win
a $30.00 gift voucher to spend at the Café.
Celebrations are always enjoyed immensely by our
trainees at the Café. Our recent fun times have includ-
ed Halloween and Melbourne Cup day. Trainees Glen,
Lachlan and Jordan were up to lots of mischief on Hal-
loween, which gave our customers plenty of laughs.
More fun times on Melbourne Cup day when trainees
Renee, Grace and Lachlan added a touch of racing car-
nival to their uniforms to celebrate the day .A group
of lady customers on the day also joined in wearing
their ‘fascinators’ when they came in for lunch.
As we approach the festive season trainees at the Ca-
fé will be assisting in some Christmas baking. We will
have a range of special treats including shortbreads,
truffles and fruit mince tarts available over the coming
weeks which will be wrapped and ready for Christmas
gifts. Our first Christmas cake is in the oven today cre-
ating a wonderful aroma in the kitchen.
WIN! WIN! WIN! Purchase a ‘keep cup’ during November , go into a
draw to win a Connections Café $30.00 gift voucher
Compass Farm
Compass Caboolture
Celebrating our Compass Trainees and Staff
Skye Hoier
For excellence in: PROFESSIONALISM
For maintaining a professional work ethic and having a positive and
supportive attitude. Great job Skye!
Connor Fauth
For excellence in: DEVELOPMENT
Improved communication and for engaged participation in
the new art class on Friday’s. Great job Connor!
Jack Bowd
For excellence in: DEDICATION
Jack is always available whenever we need him.
Great Job Jack!
Tiago Monteiro
For excellence in: DEVELOPMENT
Tiago improved listening and trying new jobs!
Great job Tiago!
Improved communication and for engaged participation in the new art class on Friday
Celebrating our Compass Trainees and Staff Compass Palmwoods
Compass Caloundra
Rose Rimmer
For excellence in: DEDICATION
Rose always goes above and beyond.
Great job Rose!
Rebekkah Campbell
For excellence in: DEVELOPMENT
Rebekkah always does her best.
Great job Rebekkah!
Maria Garcia
For excellence in: VOLUNTEERING
Maria has been providing excellent support for trainees. We
thank you for choosing Compass. Great job Maria!
Cameron Montibeler
For excellence in: DEVELOPMENT
Cameron achieving trying new things. We are very
proud of Cameron! Great job Cameron!
