26 May 2016

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Our teachers are in the thick of Assessment and Reporting at the moment in the lead up to the end of the Semester. Over the next few weeks our teachers will be working long hours, outside of 9-3 to compile and complete Report Cards. I would greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Report Cards go home on the last Wednesday of the school term.

This Saturday, our teaching staff will be attending a full day professional learning experience on an Inquiry approach to learning with Dr Kath Murdoch from Melbourne University. As you may know, our teachers have been ‘playing’ with and ‘getting to know’ more about Inquiry learning over the course of the first Semester. The feedback from teachers and students so far has been excellent and we are starting to see the signs of higher levels of student engagement and achievement. Over the course of Semester Two, we will sit down as a staff and start to work on the key characteristics and dispositions that will form the basis of a whole school Inquiry approach at Graceville. This is an exciting piece of work which we will do with the teaching staff to ensure they have a voice in and ownership of their future work.

The Trivia Night is fast approaching! I hope you have your table and costumes organised. I will be helping to man the bar this year alongside a number of teacher and parent volunteers! The staff and I are very grateful for the support families have shown to the school through our Curiosity and Powerful Learning journey and especially through the Voluntary Contribution Scheme. Although the support of the Voluntary Contribution Scheme has doubled since last year, we still only have around 55-60% of families making the contribution. We are grateful for all contributions which are welcomed at any stage of the school year. Thank you to those families who have shown their support so far!

Have a great week.

Newsletter Articles

From the Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Under 8’s Day at Graceville – what a great morning!

The sun shone and we all turned out to enjoy being under 8 and working with under 8’s on Wednesday.

The success of such an occasion is due to the preparation and work of our lower school staff especially lead by Mrs Jackson of Prep J who organised the activities. Our student leaders from 6A and 6H helped set up and run the activities during the morning. I think they enjoyed themselves as much as our younger students. Chappy thank you for your assistance and help with set up. I would like to thank the Sherwood Police and Rocklea Fire Service for coming along to the day. We enjoyed welcoming Graceville Chelmer Kindy to join in the fun as well. Thank you to the parents who also came along to support our students in participating in the variety of activities on offer. What a great school community! Enjoy seeing some of the action in the photos attached.

At our next full school assembly on Thursday June 2 we will show a slideshow from our Under 8’s morning and two of our prep classes, Prep K and Prep S will perform a song for us. So if available please come along at 2.15 to be part of this assembly.

Date Claimer: Prep Information Evening - Wednesday July 27 at 7pm.

Graceville State School recognises as its prime obligation the provision of access to an appropriate educational service for students resident within this community as defined by its local catchment area.

Please visit the following link which details our school enrolment management plan and also provides a link to the catchment area for Graceville State School:

This site also outlines the process for placing your child’s name on our waiting list if you reside outside of our catchment area.

This annual event for Prep, year 1 -2 classes is on again. Please see poster attached for more information. We invite all parents to attend and join in the fun if available.

Study Tour – From Future Heir School in Taiwan to Graceville State School

Thank you to the parents who have come forward to express interest in hosting a student from Taiwan during our upcoming Study Tour. It’s not too late to put up your hand if interested in hosting a student! The success of a study tour to our school is very dependent upon this kind of support and we are looking to host approx. 20 students during this time

Please read the information below and let me know if you would be able to assist.

In order for Graceville to be able to host these students, we need to provide homestay accommodation. You may have more than one student if desired with most students preferring to stay with another student.

A homestay family must provide:

• A bed – own bedroom is desirable but not necessary
• All meals – send lunch each day, if your child has tuckshop, then provide homestay student with tuckshop also
• Travel to and from school

Each Saturday, the students will go on an all-day excursion so must also be dropped at school at 9:00am and picked up at approximately 5pm (this is negotiable if your family was to go away for the weekend).

We cannot undertake this study tour without the support of our school families. Students from Taiwan will be 10-12 years of age. School families with younger children can be a homestay family as all students will be assigned a school buddy as well. Could you please indicate on the form attached if you would be interested in hosting a student for this upcoming study tour. Please return the form to the admin office ASAP or email me at mhass10@eq.edu.au I will arrange an information session for all families who indicate interest to go through in detail what would be involved.

ORAL LANGUAGE PREP PROGRAM

This term, along with continuing our work on identifying and producing rhyme, we have been expanding our vocabulary with interesting words found in Pirate stories. We have also been playing Barrier Games to develop skills in both speaking (composing) and listening (reception/comprehension). Barrier Games also provide opportunities to use and extend positional language.

In Oral Language lessons on Thursday 9th June, our Prep Pirates will have a chance to use their positional language and follow directions to find buried treasure in the school grounds with Captain Chudasko and Captain Hegarty. We hope all of our little Prep Pirates can come dressed as pirates on this day.

Mrs Chudasko and Mrs Hegarty
Prep Oral Language Teachers.

Below is the calendar for term 2 assemblies.

From the Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Wellbeing

This week (26/5) myself and some of our school leaders attended the Annual Sorry Day Ceremony at the Sherwood Arboretum at 7.00am. Very moving ceremony which was well attended by community members.

On our Whole School Assembly will, now be on Thursday 23rd June starting at 9.00am. We will be celebrating NAIDOC week, as it falls during the school holidays.

During this special Assembly we will be having Traditional aboriginal songs, sung by students in 4B and our choir. We are in negotiations with local community members to secure a guest speaker who can present at our assembly. They will be speaking about the local area and the significant Aboriginal places which date back to pre-European arrival. All parents are welcome at attend.

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, with 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

Please watch the “Attending Every Day” YouTube clip:

University of New South Wales Competitions

Competition dates:

Science - 31 May Yrs 2-6
Writing - 16 June Yrs 3-6
Spelling - 15 June Yrs 3-6
English - 02 August Yrs 2-6
Maths - 16 August Yrs 2-6

If your child is away on the day of any of the competitions, please let the class teacher know so we can look at an alternate day, before or after the sitting date.

Money Matters

Roberta Harycki

Thank you for your payments to date. The use of BPoint has been exceptional as families nominate invoices paid on-line. This Departmental program has allowed staff to manage payments and reporting more easily. Feedback from parents has been mostly positive so I thank you for your patience. As with most EFT transfers allow a couple of days to complete your transaction.

Please be reminded that your attention to permissions and last day for payment will ensure your child’s attendance.

Voluntary Parent Contributions

Still collecting your valuable contribution to this school’s curriculum resources in Curiosity and Powerful Learning.

$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: All credits (e.g. -$10) in family accounts may be used with current invoices at the parent’s request. BPoint payments over the invoiced amount will be added as a credit balance.

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-3pm - 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.

Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic Book Club

All children should have now received the latest Scholastic Book Club catalogues. If children have not received a catalogue, there are extras in the library. Please remember that orders will close on Monday 30 May and the books will be distributed approximately two weeks later.

Thank you for using our preferred payment option – LOOP – Linked Online Ordering and Payment available through the link below or download the LOOP Apple or Android app.

No need to send paper orders to school. No Cash Orders Please – Graceville is running a Cashless Book Club. There is a box in the library for paper orders with a cheque made to Scholastic Australia.

Active School Travel

TACO TUESDAY!

(Travel Actively Coming-to-school On)

National Walk Safely To School

Thank you to all the students who took part in National Walk Safely To School Day on Friday 20th May. It was a beautiful autumn morning and many students took the opportunity to decorate their socks and shoes and walk to school. Thanks also to Cr Nicole Johnston for providing fresh fruit and juice in the quadrangle. It was great to see the students and their families lining up for a healthy snack before school started.

STOP LOOK LISTEN THINK!!!!!!

Please remember to STOP LOOK LISTEN AND THINK before you cross the road. At crossings with traffic lights, even when you have a green signal to cross, take the time to look to make sure the traffic has stopped. Unfortunately motorist are sometimes distracted and don’t always stop at red lights. We want all our students and their families to stay safe at all times.

Traffic lights

To use these crossings:

• Look for the guidance stickers on the traffic signal pole above the push button.
• Push the pedestrian button on the traffic signal pole to register that you wish to cross the road.
• Wait for the lights to change – do not cross if there is a stationary red figure.
• Cross the road when a green walking figure appears. Always check that drivers are actually stopping for their red light.
• Complete your crossing when the lights change to a flashing red figure. Drivers are required to give way to pedestrians during this phase.
• Do not begin crossing on a red flashing signal; you must wait for the next green signal.

Remember to be aware of the traffic around you and make sure vehicles have stopped before you cross the road.

Would you like the chance to win a ride band for the school fete? Would you like to win a free toss at lob-o-choc for your entire class? Keep reading the AST news….more details to follow!

Did you know that the Graceville Bike Company proudly supports the GSS Active Travel Program? They are offering the following to the families of Graceville State School:

• 15% off all kids’ accessories (not including bikes)
• 5% off all kids’ bikes

If you have a few spare hours a month to help us run this fantastic program we are looking for volunteers to join our Active Travel Committee. Our next meeting will be on 28th July at 10:45am in the Waratah Room. Please contact Jo Richards at sajrichards@iinet.net.au for more information.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

Our senior music students and choir members have been working hard in rehearsals preparing for upcoming performances. Junior/Beginner Strings and the Junior Band students will perform at the instrumental music workshop concert in September, having started rehearsals this term.

Please note performance dates for this term:

31 May - Fanfare competition at Sherwood SS - Senior Strings and Senior Band - families welcome to attend - performance will be in the middle session (10:45-12:45)
16 June - NAIDOC Day assembly - Year 2/3 Choir performing (one song)
17 June - Choir Workshop/Incursion (to be held at school with a guest conductor and school choir conductors). All choir students will be involved and performing in a concert in the afternoon at approximately 2:15pm.

Please inform your child's conductor if they are unwell or unable to attend a rehearsal.

All students attending Fanfare must bring their signed permission slip to school to enable them to attend this excursion. The choir incursion does not require a permission slip as it is to be held in the school grounds.

Music Rehearsals Term 2

Tuesday 7:45am Senior Choir - Ms Julie West (jwest269@eq.edu.au)
Wednesday 7:45am Senior Strings - Mrs Ruth Prout (rprou5@eq.edu.au)
Wednesday 3-4pm Senior Band - Mr Steve Stiller (sstil2@eq.edu.au)
Thursday 7:30am Junior Band - Mr Alex Grodecki (agrod3@eq.edu.au)
Thursday 7:45am Year 3 Choir - Warratah Room
Thursday 12:45pm Beginner/Junior Strings - Mrs Ruth Prout (rprou5@eq.edu.au)
Friday 8:00am Year 2 Choir - Mrs Naomi Lindh - music room

Thank you for supporting our school music program!

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

With the end of Autumn drawing nigh, many are wondering if there will be any cool weather this year at all. While it has been a very mild autumn, those Game of Throne fans will be pleased to know that winter is coming. Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather and make the most of the warm weekends.

This week, the nation’s attention is drawn to “Sorry Day”, where we reflect on some of our darker moments as a nation. While the wrongs of the past cannot be undone, we, as a nation and as individuals, can use the lessons of the past, to ensure the future is brighter. There are a number of important complex issues currently facing our nation’s leaders, but there is always a time and a need to do what we can to make things right for those who have experienced mistreatment. Only then can we truly move forward together.

This week has been Under 8’s week and wasn’t yesterday an amazing celebration of the energy and life our younger students bring to the school community. Lots of smiling, happy people! Sometimes we need to see that to gain a better perspective of what really matters. May we always be able to sneak peaks at life through the eyes of a child! Things look so very clear through children’s eyes.

Have a great week!

P & C

SCHOOL BANKING

Our banking coordinator Julie is looking for a couple of volunteers on a Monday morning to give an hour of time after drop off. Please come by the hall kitchen to help out. The school is given a commission by the Commonwealth Bank for each deposit. It is actually a worthy activity for the school community financially, as well as helping our children understand savings, banking, etc. But again, it does rely on volunteers to help out.

CLASS REPS MEETING

This Friday 27 May after drop off the class reps will be meeting in the Waratah Room. We will discuss the work of the P&C this year and the important work the Class Reps do. In preparation for the fete we will also be presenting the class stall allocations and be on hand to explain how everything works. If you are a class rep, or would like to help your class rep, please feel free to attend.

TRIVIA NIGHT

This is shaping up to be another fantastic night on Saturday 4 June. Great thanks to our Principal and some of the teaching staff who have volunteered to help with the bar on the evening. Please see the Trivia Night section of the newsletter for the booking form. Get a class table or invite your trivia buddies into the school. Everyone is welcome and great prizes will be on offer.

BUILDING FUND

The P&C, like most other P&Cs, offers parents an opportunity to take part in a Tax Deductible Voluntary Contribution Scheme. If you wish to contribute to the P&C building work projects for the school, please contact the P&C Executive at the email below and we will send you the details. The building fund is going towards climate controlling the school, continuing to air condition the class rooms and the major project of fixing the ventilation of the hall.

NEXT MEETING

All members of our school community are welcome to our next meeting Wednesday 20 July at 7.30pm in the Waratah Room (which is beside the staff room in the main reception block).

Please feel free to contact the P&C executive via email: pandc@gracevilss.eq.edu.au

Trivia Night

Tuckshop News

Another busy week and interestingly, a few "counter/brown paper bag orders". I know life gets in the way and time runs away from us all, but please do all you can to get those orders in on the online system, particularly on the crazy Fridays. Perhaps order the night before to miss any morning mayhem! However, please be reassured, we will always feed your children.

A few people have been caught out this week by the price rises and with not enough money in their accounts their orders can't go through. Keep an eye on the school newsletters and messages on the logon screen for information about these.

No world records but still busy. This is how it looked:

Our fabulous volunteers for week commencing Monday, 30/5/16 are:

Please be sure to thank them if you see them.

Have a great week and don't forget to come see us in the tuckshop if you need to or email us at tuckshop.gss@gmail.com

See you at the Tuckshop.

Anne and Amanda

Uniforms & Stationery

Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Friday 8.15am to 9.00am.

All sizes in House Shirts (Cook, Kennedy and Flinders) are in stock.

All sizes in Polar Fleece jumpers are in stock, as are tracksuit pants and bootleg leggings.

Band folders are available $15.

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

Donations of 2nd hand uniforms are always appreciated. Good stocks are available for sale now, including lots of jumpers and good gold shirts. Come in and grab a bargain.

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

School Banking

School Banking is every Monday

• Place your money into your yellow Banking Wallet, complete your deposit slip (leave student no. blank the 1st time) and place the wallet into the Grey Banking Satchel in the classroom on Monday morning.
• We will keep a record of your Deposits.
• Once 10 tokens have been recorded we will issue a reward coupon to redeem a reward. Reward cards will be issued at school in 2016.
• Branches do not have access to tokens or rewards.
• The School Banking program rewards individual saving. Minimum 5cent Deposit
• School Banking is processed by parent volunteer School Banking Coordinators. Please take the time to thank them for their efforts as this is a great fundraiser for our School.
• Happy Saving!

School Plus

Community Notices