10 March 2016

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello everyone,

I would like to apologise for any inconvenience that was caused last week with payments for excursions and incursions. There were a number of things we could have done better as part of this process and we are working to improve them. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of ways you can make the process easier for the office staff and teachers from your end:

1. Please pay and have your permission slip in by the due date
2. Please use individual Invoice Numbers for each item when using B Point – understand that paying by B Point takes 24 -48 hours to show in our account
3. Please read the money matters section of the newsletter which has weekly finance updates

I understand that we all live busy lives these days and like me, you may need many reminders of upcoming events. We will endeavour to find a way to remind you on a weekly basis of upcoming events/activities to jog your memory of payment and permissions.

Thank you to the families who have shown support for the Voluntary Contribution Scheme. The total is now $15,000. We are very grateful for the support families are showing towards our school’s future focus. As you know, all money raised is going towards resources to support our Curiosity and Powerful Learning. We are hoping more families will contribute as our goal for 2016 was $20,000 or around half of the families of the school. You are welcome to pay the Voluntary Contribution at any point in the school year. You are welcome to pay in part or in instalments. Please consider helping us begin our Curiosity and Powerful Learning journey with a strong start.

The Student Council met for the first time last week. The officers were elected and are as follows:

Co – President (Samuel D and Illani S), Secretary (Lily C), and Treasurer (Jack W). The first order of business for the Student Council was to act upon correspondence received from students. Two students asked the Student Council to support the victims of the cyclone that devastated Fiji. There was a unanimous ‘yes’ vote to support this cause with a free dress fundraiser being set for next week. A free dress day will be held on Thursday 17 March. All students coming to school in free dress are asked to donate a minimum of a gold coin to support the cyclone victims. The free dress has a tropical theme!

Parent Teacher Interviews will be held next week. The teachers have sent home their schedules and we hope you are able to attend. As stated in last week’s newsletter, we are aiming for equality of time with the teacher for all parents. Please be ready to transition at the end of the 12 minute interview time. The teachers will do their best to keep interviews flowing.

I would like to congratulate the following award recipients from last week’s whole school assembly.

The Random Acts of Kindness Award:

Prep - Uttej C
Year 1 - Ruth H
Year 2 - Oliver F
Year 3 - Sophie H
Year 4 - Stephanie R
Year 5 - Ryleigh M
Year 6 - Lucinda B

The Curiouser and Curiouser Award:

Prep - Luke H
Year 1 - Pippa H
Year 2 - Mathilda W
Year 3 - Thomas C
Year 4 - Otto M
Year 5 - Henry R
Year 6 - Connor S

Our Whole School Assembly will have an Anti-Bullying theme next week. Friday 18 March is the National Day against Bullying which the school will be taking part in.

Finally the Spell-a-thon is next week! On Tuesday March 15 students will take part in the Spell-a-thon.

Have a great week.

Newsletter Articles

From the Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

At our junior assembly this week our adopt-a-cop, Detective Cam visited us and spoke about the role of the police force in our community. He also spoke about what to do when young children become separated from their parents. Please read Cam’s note below.

Adopt-a-Cop Visit – 8 March

Dear Parents and Carers,

I have recently visited the Junior Assembly to discuss a number of topics, including: how to recognise police officers; the role of police; how to contact police and other emergency services (in an emergency.

I also spoken to the children about what to do if they become lost.

It would be of great benefit to your child/ren if you could assist in reinforcing some of the key points of my visit, including the Role of police and also the ‘What to do if they become lost’ information over the page:

Recognising police: Distinguishing features of a police uniform include a light or dark blue shirt with police badges on the shoulders, epaulettes, name tag (with small police badge), navy trousers/skirt/shorts and hat with checked band and police badge. Plain clothes officers carry a police badge with their photo identification.

The role of police: It is important children understand that police are there to assist them if they feel unsafe or need help. Police are also responsible for ensuring members of the community follow the rules that are in place to keep everyone safe, including road rules and rules about how we treat each other. For example, it is not okay for anyone to hurt another person or to damage property that doesn’t belong to them.

How to contact police: In an emergency children are encouraged to contact police and other emergency services by calling Triple Zero (000) or by asking an adult to call on their behalf. It would be helpful to discuss different types of emergencies and which emergency service should respond (i.e. police, ambulance or fire and rescue service). Children are also encouraged to role play calling Triple Zero and providing the necessary information to the operator, e.g. their name, location, and what has happened. For this reason, it is also very helpful if children are taught their full name and home address.

NOTE: What to do if they become lost?

What to do if they become lost:

When taking a child anywhere busy or unfamiliar it is wise to make a safety plan about what to do and where to meet should they become lost. The meeting place should be somewhere easily locatable, such as Checkout 1 (in a supermarket).

Children are encouraged to follow the following steps if they become separated from their parent/carer:

1. Stop! Stand tall and strong if it is safe to stay where they are.
2. Look around for your parents/carer. Most of the time when children think they are lost, their parent/carer isn’t far away. If children can’t see their parent/carer they should call out to them by name. In these instances it is helpful if your child knows your first name, which they are encouraged to use.
3. Go to the meeting place outlined in your safety plan (if their parent/carer is not found by looking around or calling out to them).
4. Ask someone for help if children can’t find the meeting place or if their parent/carer doesn’t arrive at the meeting place within a reasonable period of time. It is recommended children approach a police officer, one of their safety hand people. If not available then someone who appears to work at that location (such as a shop assistant wearing a name tag or uniform) is appropriate. An adult with their own child/ren may be another option. Adults assisting children can arrange for, or make, a public announcement to locate the parent/carer or contact the parent/carer via mobile phone*. Children are encouraged to stay at the meeting place or another public area where they can remain in view of others. Many children run when they fear they are lost which exacerbates the problem.

NOTE* For this strategy to be effective children should learn their parents’ names and mobile phone numbers. If they are too young, parents/carers are encouraged to write their name and mobile phone number on the child’s clothing, shoes or on a wristband or card.

5. Ask other adults for help if children don’t get the help they need from the first person they approach.

Role playing can prepare children to use these skills in real-life situations.

Note: These strategies have been adapted from ‘What If I Get Lost? Kidspower Skills to Prepare Children to Get Help’ by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Executive Director.

Please contact me through the school if you would like any further information regarding this information or the Adopt-a-Cop program.

Yours sincerely

Detective Sergeant Cameron Gardner
(Graceville State School Adopt A Cop)

Junior Assemblies

Parents and care givers are all invited to join us for Junior Assemblies on every second Tuesday afternoon from 2.15 in the hall. We invite everyone to join in on our annual Prep Easter Hat Parade at our last assembly for the term.

Below is the calendar for term 1 assemblies.

From the Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Every day counts

As we reach the end of Term 1, parents are reminded of the importance of sending children to school every day. Being at school every day counts, one day absent each week quickly adding up to two months of missed lessons in a year.

Unless your child is ill, it is expected that your child will be at school learning every day of the school year.

More information on the importance of regular school attendance is available at

For more information about the importance of Regular School Attendance:

Student Absences

Please inform the school if your student is going to be absent for any reason. The Absentee Line is 3716 2760. When calling please advise the following:

• Students Name and Class
• Reason For Absence e.g. Illness, Holiday, Family reasons,
• Duration of absence if known
• Contact number for verification if needed

You may also use the Absentee line to advise of past absences.

Celebration of International Women’s Day – 8 March

Tuesday 8 March is recognised as International Women’s Day. Our school acknowledged this important day.

To celebrate Prep S read some books that challenged gender stereotypes, such as 'Princess Smartypants' and discussed the female characters in the book. The children then spoke about women that inspired or helped them and drew a picture of their Mum, Auntie, sister, cousin or friend to give to them with a message saying Happy International Women's Day!

We have also been invited to attend Milpera State High School’s annual International Women’s Day celebrations on Friday morning. Ms Hass and our female School Leaders will be guests at their ceremony.

Wellbeing

Our first Special Event is the National Day of Action (18 March) – (Bullying & Violence). The Student Council has already organised some great ways to recognise this day. We will also be having a special Assembly celebration on the 17th March. For more information about the National Day of Action please refer to the website:

In the hall, 6H are putting up a “Pledge Wall” for our students to display their “Pledges” to highlight the importance of the National Day of Action against Bullying & Violence. We will display a photo of this next week. Please feel free to come and have a look at our Pledge wall, in the concrete side of the hall.

I have added in a link to document which has Frequently asked questions which I believe may be useful to clarify some important points.

The second event is Harmony Day – Monday 21 March. This Special Day is important to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity. We will be encouraging students and teachers to celebrate the cultural backgrounds of their students.

Some planned activities in classrooms:

• Stories about Cultural diversity & related activities E.g. Artwork
• Songs to be performed on assembly
• Mapping ancestors
• Buddies across the globe (Buddy classes)
• International food celebration (lunch)
• Harmony tree (students make a hand shape & write on positive self-awareness comments & cultural backgrounds) - to be displayed in the hall

On Monday 21 March you may also help celebrate this by having a look at the Harmony day website and discussing its importance at home with your family.

Facts and figures

There are some fascinating statistics about Australia’s diversity that can be good conversation-starters. Did you know?

• around 45 per cent of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was
• 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia
• apart from English the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Italian, Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Vietnamese, Tagalog/Filipino, Spanish and Hindi
• more than 60 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia
• 92 per cent of Australians feel a great sense of belonging to our country

These facts are taken from ABS 2011 Census Data. Check out the Australian Bureau of Statistics website and the Mapping Social Cohesion National Report 2014 from the Scanlon Foundation website.

At home with your family

Talk to your kids about your family roots.

• Show old photographs of family members and/or tell stories of how they came to be in Australia.
• Point out on a world map the different countries that make up their ancestry.
• Search online for images or videos of those different countries and cultures (i.e. traditional dances, food, music).
• Explore the traditional Indigenous owners of your region – find out about their culture online or at your local library.
• Speak about what belonging, being welcoming, respectful and inclusive mean. For example, the difference between feeling included or not included.

Once you’ve sparked their interest, there are lots of other ways to help reinforce the concept of belonging with your kids.

• Visit your local library and ask your friendly librarian for book suggestions suitable for your child’s age, on other cultures or by authors who have migrated to Australia.
• Visit the Harmony Day Stories page and hear stories that are part of Australia’s past, present and future.
• Got a budding musician or dancer on your hands? Search online for cultural dance or music tutorials.
• Explore different cultural arts and have an arts and crafts session with your children. A popular one is Indigenous dot painting. You can also visit the event resources page for a ‘Paper chain’ template.
• There are lots of multicultural kids’ TV programs – search online to see how your children’s favourite characters are embracing the harmony spirit

Below are a list of celebrations & events which we will be celebrating this year. We will have awareness raising and some special assemblies and school events linked to these special dates.

If any parents have a particular interest or have some connection to any special events listed below (or others which we could consider celebrating), could you please let me know (lmcke46@eq.edu.au). It would be great if you could offer your assistance or link us with a guest speaker or other knowledgeable person who might be interested in helping us. Part of the reason to celebrate these events is to recognise and celebrate diversity in the wider community. It is important to broaden our student’s knowledge and to encourage them to be curious about a very broad range of events in our broader community. We also need to make these celebrations purposeful and meaningful. Every opportunity is a learning experience.

NAPLAN testing

On Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 May, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will take part in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, or NAPLAN, as it is commonly known.

Skills that will be tested include: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.

These tests are done here at school and are considered just another part of the curriculum.

It is important for you and your child to know that NAPLAN is not a pass/fail test. It simply looks at what level students are achieving in literacy and numeracy against National Standards and compared with student peers throughout Australia.

NAPLAN cannot be studied for and students are not expected to do so. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to let them know that it is just a routine part of their school program, and to urge them to do the best they can on the day.

All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate in NAPLAN testing. Please ensure that if you have a child in Years 3 or 5 that they are in attendance during that week in May. Please avoid booking holidays or appointments during those days. Holidays should not be scheduled during school terms. If you can’t avoid those days e.g. specialist appointment, please try to make it in the afternoon. All testing will be completed by 12.45 on those days.

Later in the year we will send you an individual student NAPLAN report that you can use to view and monitor how your child is progressing.

More information is available on the NAP website

If you have any concerns, please contact the class teacher or myself.

Easter Service

For all students in Years 1-6 who participate in the Co-operative Program for Religious Instruction, we will be having an Easter service on Friday 18th March.

University of New South Wales competitions

Every year our school participates in the UNSW competitions. These are open to Years 2-6. The competitions we participate in are:

• Digital Technologies 17 May Yrs. 3-6
• Science 31 May Yrs. 2-6
• Writing 14 June Yrs. 3-6
• Spelling 15 June Yrs. 2-6
• English 2 August Yrs. 2-6
• Mathematics 16 August Yrs. 2-6

Any students in Years 2 & 4 who want to apply for entry into the Enhancement classes for Years 3 & 5 for 2017 are required to sit the English, Maths and Science competitions to be eligible.

A letter has gone home to families wishing to enter their students in any or all of the competitions. All entries will need to be finalised by Friday 18th March. Payments for all competitions will be included in the Term 2 statement. Payment will be based on entries submitted at the end of Term 1 and are pre-paid, with no option of refunds or credits if your child is absent on the day. No entries will be taken after the due date.

Money Matters

Roberta Haryicki

Family statements will be distributed this week. All excursions and events require payment and a permission form to be returned by the due date or your child will not be permitted to attend.

Just added:

Year 3 Museum; STEM students (Mrs Davey)
Metropolitan Regional Choral Honours workshop (Ms West)
Reminder – Sports Bus Transport final payment 14 April.
Please note: Family accounts in arrears must be paid-in-full before any 2016 excursions may be attended.

Student Resource Schemes (SRS) for 2016 are:

• Prep Requirements ($60)
• Instrumental Music Programs – Instrument Hire ($100), Percussion Maintenance ($50), Music Participation ($30) & Choir ($30)
• Religious Education Program ($10)
• Mathletics On-line registration ($12) (Years 1-6)

All students involved in these programs must return a completed SRS form.

VOLUNTARY PARENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Your valuable contribution to this school’s learning journey is most welcomed.

$60 single student family and $115 for 2 or more in family. Please refer to the Principal’s letter and information sheet.

Credit in Account: Credits from 2015 rolled over to this year can be applied to current invoices at the parent’s request.

Request for Refund form for an excursion paid and not attended is available from the front office. Prepaid ticketing excursions and prepaid competition entries are non-refundable.

Payment of account days:

8am-3.15pm - Monday to Wednesday
8am-12pm - Thursday and Friday

BPoint is the preferred method of payment; Eftpos, Debit Cards: Visa/Mastercard, cheque or cash payments are accepted.

BPOINT User Information

For payment of multiple items on your statement/invoice, you will need to do a separate entry for each item, entering the invoice number and the corresponding payment amount for that item only e.g.

Separate Entries for each line must be done to ensure the payment is allocated to the correct Excursion/Resource Fee.

BPOINT payments must be processed in time to clear (usually 2-3 business days) before the Due Date for payment.

Sport News

Wayne Daunt

CROSS COUNTRY TRAINING

Cross country training for any child in grades Prep through to Year 6 will be held in Graceville Memorial Park each Tuesday & Thursday morning commencing next Tuesday March 15. It will commence at 7.45am and will finish between 8.15-8.30am. At the completion of training Mr Daunt will accompany ALL children back to school. All interested children are invited to attend. The school cross country will be held on April 19.

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

Interschool sport commenced last week and, as is sometimes the case, there were some teething problems first time out. A bus driver misunderstanding regarding getting soccer teams back to school at the end of the day, was certainly an unexpected event. Thank you to parents for your patience with the inevitable delay in getting students back to school. I would also like to thank students for their patience while having to wait for replacement buses to be sent.

Apparently, the life lessons provided at sport were not the only learning opportunities presented to us on Friday. Sometimes, despite the best plans or intentions, things don’t work out as we hope. Handling those unexpected dramas/changes is challenging at times, but our responses to those challenges can be most revealing. Do we move on and find a positive in what we are now facing or does the inconvenience or the delay so dominate our thought processes that it impacts significantly on our mood for the day?

This year’s changes to school assemblies have now found their place and our assemblies are feeling more normal. It is very encouraging to see students acknowledged for academic success, effort shown in learning and for “Random Acts of Kindness”. Hopefully, the recognition of these areas of school life will embed in our school culture, the desire to “strive to excel”, both academically and in application, as well as having an eye and a heart to do something nice for someone else. Watch this space. It should be an awesome journey.

Before this term ends, our school will recognise and participate in some important days. Friday March 18 is the National Day of Action Against (Bullying and Violence) and Monday March 21 is Harmony Day. Please keep an eye out to see what the school is doing in support of these events.

Have an amazing week!

Music News

Naomi Lindh

The Year 2 and 3 Choirs will be singing a song at the Harmony Day assembly on 17 March. This will be the first performance this year for our students and parents, families and members of the school community are invited to attend.

We are currently collating email addresses from our school database and/or teacher contact lists for each of our music students. If we are unable to locate your email address we will contact you. These will be used to form group email lists so our music staff are able to contact you to inform you of performance and other updates/information.

Thank you to the parents and students who have contacted their conductor/s if they have been unable to attend a rehearsal. We appreciate you keeping us informed. The email addresses of our music staff are included below. We are encouraging parents to contact their child's teacher if their child is experiencing any issues with their instrument or involvement in the program.

Mrs Ruth Prout - string program - rprou5@eq.edu.au Mr Steve Stiller - percussion teacher and Senior Band - sstil2@eq.edu.au Mr Alex Grodecki - brass/woodwind teacher (Thursdays) and Junior Band - agrod3@eq.edu.au Mr James Kukulies - brass/woodwind teacher (Wednesdays) - jkuku2@eq.edu.au Ms Julie West - classroom music Mon/Tues and Senior Choir - jwest269@eq.edu.au Mrs Naomi Lindh - classroom music Wed/Thurs/Fri and Year 2/3 Choirs - nclos1@eq.edu.au

Music Rehearsals

Tuesday 7:45am Senior Choir - Ms Julie West - music room Year 4-6 students
Wednesday 7:45am Senior Strings - Mrs Ruth Prout - music room
Wednesday 3-4pm Senior Band - Mr Steve Stiller - music room - Year 5-6 students
(Thursday 7:30am Junior Band - beginning in term 2) - Mr Alex Grodecki - Year 4 students Thursday 7:45am Year 3 Choir - Mrs Naomi Lindh
(Thursday 12:45pm Beginner/Junior Strings - beginning in term 2) Mrs Ruth Prout
Friday 8:00am Year 2 Choir - Mrs Naomi Lindh - music room

School Banking

Calling for volunteers – we need your help!

Our students really enjoy participating in the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program and to keep this program running we need your help.

The program requires volunteers to assist the School Banking Co-ordinator to facilitate the banking and distribution of School Banking rewards. This only takes a small amount of your time one day a week Your help with the program will greatly benefit students as they develop vital saving skills and also help our school with fundraising.

School Banking will recommence in Term 2.

If you are interested in volunteering for this great program, please fill in the tear off section from the attached form.

P & C News

Upcoming Events

• The AGM (Annual General Meeting) - Wednesday 23rd March - 7.30pm
• Spellathon 15th of March
• Trivia Night - 4th June – The Hall

P&C Annual General Meeting

Annual General Meeting - 23rd March - 7.30pm

Each year as part of our Constitution the P&C is required to conduct an Annual General Meeting. This is when the current P&C Executive and its membership are dissolved and a new Executive elected. The P&C has been successful over the years because of a great bunch of parent volunteers leading the way to improve our school. Sadly a number of key people are leaving the school as their children move on to high school, and so the P&C must continue to look for new families to assist.

Executive positions:

President
Secretary
Treasurer
Vice President – Facilities and Building Fund
Vice President - Communications
Vice President – Volunteers

Sub-committee and other positions:

Fete Committee Chair
Grants and Sponsorship Committee Chair
Tuckshop Coordinator
Uniform shop Coordinator
Class Representative Coordinator
Trivia Night Coordinator
Tennis Court Coordinator
ICT Coordinator

The P&C Executive is looking to expand to include some focused Vice-President roles. Re-establishing the communications role and also a vital new VP role to help coordinate the large volunteer base within the school. Key positions such as the Fete Committee Chair and a new Grants and Sponsorship Committee Chair are just so important to the community so the P&C can continue to provide a better learning environment for the children of the school.

If you are interested or would like any further information, please contact the P&C at P&C email or talk to the committee members around the school.

All current members are required to renew their memberships by completing a new membership registration form for 2016 (available soon). More information will be provided in the following weeks so you can find out how you can play a part in supporting the P&C.

The School Directory

The School Directory is currently being compiled. A template of this year’s School Directory has been emailed to the Class Reps, who will then ask the parents or carers of class members to make changes to their details as appropriate.

The School Directory is a useful document for parents and carers to contact other class members for social catch-ups or playdates or coffee mornings. If you do not wish to be part of the directory, this is also an option. Your child’s name will just appear as a first name and surname initial with no details. Please see example below for a name with details and one without:

First Name - Surname - Phone no.
Lucy Ball 0800 456 788
Desi A -

We don’t publish email addresses in the school directory however we do use them for our class rep network so please fill in your full details on the class information sheet (available at class information sessions)

For further information regarding the P&C or its activities, please contact the P&C at P&C email:

or visit the school website at GracevilleSS

Tuckshop News

Our first Friday with NO counter orders! Well done. We did have 159 online orders so we were kept busy. In fact, we were busy every day. Here is how the week looked:

Monday - 29 orders
Tuesday - 45 orders
Wednesday - 50 orders
Thursday - 45 orders
Friday - 159 orders

Don't forget we are online only for orders now, no counter orders unless it is a genuine emergency.

Please take some time this week to thank our generous Tuckshop volunteers for all they do. Just so you know who they are, their names are listed below.

Volunteers for Week commencing Monday, 14 March

Mon - 14/3 - Babita Banga
Tues - 15/3 - Kelly Steen and Fabri Kramer
Wed - 16/3 - Evie Askew and Sara Williams
Thurs - 17/3 - Kathy McPhie and Liz Sbeghen
Fri - 18/3 - Donna Jones and Rowanne Wright and Lyn Griffiths and Monica Kim

If you haven't already done so, to set yourself up on School24 log onto:

and follow the instructions. It is super easy.

Graceville State School's registration ID is 25314963

Should you wish to use them you can use access the School24 User Guide and Registration Guide via the school website. The links below:

Of course if you are having any difficulties, or you have any questions or feedback please give either of us a shout or come and see us at the Tuckshop. We'll get you sorted.

See you at the Tuckshop.

Anne and Amanda
tuckshop.gss@gmail.com

Uniforms & Stationery

Your teacher should have advised you if you had not ordered your child's Stars Plus Textbook online through Brodies (all years except Prep and Year 1). You are now required to purchase it through the uniform store as soon as possible as this item was on your child's booklist. The books have been delivered directly to the school for all students and will be sent to the classroom when paid. An order form is attached.

Year 6 Commemorative Shirts and "House Captain" shirts have been finalised and sent for printing.

We sell swim bags, silicon and fabric caps, quick dry towels and a limited selection of goggles and short sleeve rashies (size 16 blue). New colours of swim bags and caps have arrived.

The last remaining school cookbooks are in stock $10 each.

Donations of 2nd hand uniforms are always appreciated. Good stocks are available for sale now, including jumpers.

Order forms are available on the School website. If you email the order, the items will be sent to the classroom.

Email address for school uniform store is:

uniformstore@gracevilss.eq.edu.au.

Spellathon

SPELLATHON Test Day is next Tuesday 15 March! Hopefully the children have been working hard on their spelling lists and have almost learnt all their words. There is still time to encourage your child to become involved and to seek sponsorship from family, friends and neighbours. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CHILDREN BRING THEIR SPONSORSHIP FORM TO SCHOOL ON TUESDAY 15 MARCH SO THE TEACHERS CAN ENTER THE TEST RESULTS. The envelope will be sent home again so the children can collect their sponsorship money from their sponsors. Children then need to return the sponsorship form by Monday 18 April to be eligible for prizes. If your family has not received the Spellathon 2016 word lists and sponsorship forms then please find copies for each year level linked to this newsletter.

Don’t forget there are great prizes in each year level. Prizes will be based on sponsorship collected and also every child who spells all their words correctly will be entered into an exciting prize draw where they could win one of two fun prizes in each year level (see your information letter for prize details). As well as these individual prizes, there will be whole class prizes. Every child in the class that raises the most money in each year level will receive a small prize. No matter how small a contribution your child makes it will be helping to make the 2016 Spellathon a great success.

Important Spellathon Dates:

Tuesday 15 March : - SPELLATHON Test Day
Monday 18 April : - Return of sponsorship forms and money

Our sponsors for 2016 are Peter May and Brad Robson from Place Real Estate, Oxley Rd Discount Drug Store and Graceville Bike Company.

If you need help buying or selling your home, Peter & Brad from Place are the ones to help you. Please contact Peter on 0409543546 or Brad on 0414773437.

For all your pharmacy needs go to Oxley Road Discount Drug Store where you get more than just low prices. They are located right next to the Post Office.

To find Brisbane’s friendliest bike shop with expertise in road, racing, touring, commuter, mountain and kids’ bikes go to Graceville Bike Company on Honour Ave. Tele: 3379 7464.

We thank our sponsors for their support of our school and ask that you support them with your business.

If you have any queries please get in touch by emailing: gracevillespellathon@gmail.com

The Spellathon Committee

Community Sport Notices

TENNIS COACHING CLINIC

DATE – TUES 5TH – THUR 7TH APRIL 2016
8:30AM – 12:00PM EACH DAY
COST $135.00
BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED (AGES 6 & UP)
THESE CLINICS ARE OFTEN BOOKED OUT, SO PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO ENSURE A PLACE
CLINIC IS HELD AT WEST BRIS TENNIS CENTRE

227 Archerfield Rd, Richlands

COACHING AND COMPETITIONS

TOURNAMENTS AND TROPHIES

ENQUIRIES CONTACT
JIM – 0417 771 022

To enter clinic please phone the above number or email jim@westbrisbanetennis.com.au

Sports Holiday Program

Wed 30th March – Fri 1st April

Sports Holiday Fun

Game On Australia is back with another 3-day multi-sport program in the upcoming holidays. A wide variety of sports and games for students of all ages will be on offer.

Years: Prep - Year 6. All abilities welcome.
Where: Christ the King Primary School, Graceville.
Times: Activities from 9:00am-3:00pm
Operators: Game On is organised and run by qualified HPE teachers and coaches

Early Bird Specials apply so be sure to book quickly.

For full details and to register online, visit:

Community Notices

Indooroopilly State High School

Corinda State High School

Sherwood Arboretum – enjoy a great bird walk Sunday 13 March

This is a great opportunity to enjoy Sherwood Arboretum’s rich birdlife with a bird walk at 6.30am on Sunday 13 March.

One of Australia’s leading ecologists, Professor Hugh Possingham of The University of Queensland will be your guide for this bird walk, starting at the Jolimont Street car park.

The walk finishes with a relaxing morning tea by the river. The cost of just $5.00 for adults (students are free) helps support the voluntary work of the Friends of Sherwood Arboretum Association (FOSA). However, please RSVP by calling (07) 3278 6525 or emailing info@sherwoodarboretum.com.au as soon as possible.

Sherwood Arboretum has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent site for bird watching, thanks to its wetlands, including two lakes and three protected islands, a riverfront bushland corridor and an impressive grove of fig trees.

Over the past 15 years, 170 species of birds have been recorded in this 91-year-old Arboretum, which is home to one of Australia’s most valuable collections of native trees.

Craft Market and Carboot Sale

SATURDAY 19th MARCH
7:00am – 12noon
Corner Oxley Rd and Colwel St

Our wonderful markets features a wide range of arts and crafts, trash and treasure, plants, toys, books, clothes and much more.

Just like 60 garage sales in one great location.
BBQ, HOT & COLD drinks available.
FREE ENTRY for shoppers!
Info contact Narelle 0412 240 503