22 March 2018

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

One week to go!

The countdown is on until the Easter Holiday break and of course the Commonwealth Games!

There are a few fun and exciting events on next week. On Tuesday we will have a cuteness overload with our Prep Easter Hat parade. It is a great event and the children love it! On Wednesday, we will host the first of our Student Vs Teacher lunch time events. This term we are holding a series of old school games and races which should be fun. The teachers were victorious last year and we hope to continue our run of good luck into this year! On Thursday, Mrs Hutchinson will host our in school Readers Cup for students in Year 5 and 6. Finally, on Thursday we will have our final Whole School Assembly for the term. The focus for this assembly is the official handing over of the student voice from our whole school inquiry into ‘What makes an effective author’. The student voice will be used as one piece of information to be considered by the team of teachers who are about to start their inquiry journey into developing a writing approach for the school. This is interesting and highly engaging work which will see our teachers take on the role of researchers as they find out what we need to know to create a writing approach that suits the needs of our learners.

The P&C AGM is being held on Wednesday March 28 at 7.30pm. The P&C are looking for executive team members this year and so if you can help out please come along.

The Enhancement Class Parent Information Session was held last Thursday morning. There were many parents in attendance. It is important to note Expressions of Interest need to be handed to the office by 3pm on 29 March. No late Expression of Interest forms will be accepted so please make sure you are organised and hand your form in to the office on time.

Don’t forget next week is a four day week ending on Thursday 29 March!

I hope you have a great week,
Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Seqwater play it safe campaign

With the Easter holidays fast approaching, it’s important to remember to keep an eye on your kids around waterways. Inland waterways are currently responsible for the highest number of drownings in Australia. For safety tips visit Seqwater’s website.

Nominations for the Peter Doherty STEM Award closing soon

Awards of $5000 are on offer in this year’s Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Six categories recognise students, teachers, schools (both state and non-state), volunteers, mentors and organisations that demonstrate an outstanding and innovative contribution to STEM education in Queensland. Nominations close Monday 26 March.

CGEN Voices – tickets on sale now

Creative Generation Voices (CGEN) celebrates some of the best vocal talents from Queensland state schools.

Come along and enjoy the state final concert on Thursday 19 April at The Old Museum, Brisbane. 2018 adjudicators include Australia Idol winner Casey Donovan. Tickets can be purchased at The Old Museum website.

From the Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Book Presentation to Graceville SS

Mr Graham Perrett, Federal Member for Moreton visited our school on Wednesday to read and present a signed copy of a new picture book by Mem Fox called I am Australian Too. Mr Perrett was impressed with the students of 1PC, their listening skills and knowledge of cities within Australia and other countries around the world all encompassed within the story. Thank you Mr Perrett for this addition to our library and sharing this book with our students.

Date Claimer: our annual Prep Easter Hat Parade will be on Tuesday March 27 at 2.30 in the hall. This is outside our usual junior assembly time this year, it is an event enjoyed by all, mark it in your diaries!

School Technology Plan and Committee

In 2016 we developed a technology plan for the next 5 years which covers the distribution of devices in the school and planning for the renewal of devices as required. The P&C support technology in the school by providing 75% of voluntary contributions towards technology. I would like to invite any parents who might like to get involved in this committee to come to our first meeting for the year to discuss how things ‘technologically’ are going in the school on Friday April 27 at 8:00am in the school library. We are fortunate that this year we have a computer technician to support us in the school 3 days per week, this is part of a new Education Queensland initiative as last year we had to purchase technician time 2 days/week out of school funds.

Study Tour 2018

It’s early days but we will be hosting a Study Tour from Taiwan, from Minzu and Wenhau Elementary schools this year. The prospective dates will be July 24 until August 7 for two weeks. Please as a family start to think about if you are able to offer a place to host one of these students. It is a rewarding opportunity and I will give more information at the beginning of term 2 as we commence planning for this visiting group.

Waiting List for Prep for 2019 – opens first day of next term Tuesday April 17.

The waiting list for 2019 will open on Tuesday, 17th April at 8:00am. Please let any interested people know that forms and information can be obtained from our school office from that date which is the first day of next term. Families from within our catchment area we also invite you to obtain enrolment forms to begin the process when convenient after the start of term 2. For in catchment families a birth certificate and proof of residency in our catchment is required along with the completed enrolment form.

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.

Date Claimer: Prep 2019 Information evening will be held in our school hall on Wednesday July 18 at 7pm.

Last assembly for term 1

Money Matters

Anne Nixon

Thank you for your payments for excursions and resources to date.

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.

Student Resource Schemes (SRS) for 2018 are:

• Prep Requirements ($70)
• Instrumental Music Programs – Instrument Hire ($100), Percussion Maintenance ($50), Music Participation ($80) & Choir ($30)
• Religious Education Program ($10)
• Mathletics On-line registration (Years 1 - 6) ($12)
• Origo Maths (years 3, 4 and 5) ($6)
• Year 4/5 maths levy ($17.50)

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

VOLUNTARY PARENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Your valuable contribution to this school’s Learning Targets is most welcome.

$100 single student.

You can either pay the Voluntary Contribution in the office, or by direct deposit into the school bank account referencing the payment “VC” with your child’s name. Our bank account details are:

BSB: 064-111
Account Number: 00090051
Account Name: Graceville State School

Credit in Account: Credits from 2017 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 ticketed excursions are non-refundable.

Payment of account days:

8am-3.00pm - 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.

Music News

Thank you to students in the Junior Choir and our Choir Captain Megan B for their lovely singing at our first performance of the year last week for Harmony Day. We also had many family members attend. Students enjoy the opportunity to perform and share their learning and enjoyment of music which is also a fabulous way for them to develop skills, collaborating, communicating, thinking and self-managing during rehearsals and for the performance. Junior and Senior Choir rehearsals will continue until the end of this term in week 10 and resume in week 1 next term.

Please ensure payment for the Choir and Instrumental Music levies have now been paid. Payment for the instrumental music program was due by the end of week 8 this term. At the end of last year with the approval and input from the P and C we changed the IM levy process and included the workshop in a

non-refundable $80 annual levy due by the end of week 4 as well as instrumental hire if applicable or the percussion maintenance fee. This information was included in the Newsletter sent out to families on 23 November 2017 and letter to students beginning in the program this year. Most of our families have paid this levy, but if you have not and would like your child to continue in the program payment must be made immediately. Please contact Mrs Smith if you are having any issues with payments. This year we are organising a choir incursion with a guest conductor for Friday 22 June which will culminate with a concert (at 2:15pm). The levies paid by students will cover costs for the day including the guest conductor and accompanist. Please ensure your child's levy is paid so they are able to participate in our exciting choir incursion.

Please ensure your child continues to attend their IM lesson, rehearsal and choir rehearsals during the last week of this term and first week of this term. If you will be away on holidays please email your child's conductor/teacher so they are aware.

2018 Rehearsal schedule

Monday 7:45am Senior Choir (year 4/5/6 students) - Ms Julie West
Tuesday 7:45am Junior Choir (year 2/3 students) - Mrs Naomi Lindh
Wednesday 7:30am Junior Band (year 4 band students) - Mr James Kukulies (please note this will not begin until term 2 in May, with the first rehearsal date TBA)
Wednesday - first break - Junior/Beginner Strings - Mrs Ruth Prout (please note this will not begin until term 2, with the first rehearsal date TBA)
Wednesday 3:00-4:00pm Senior Band (year 5/6 band students) - Mr Steve Stiller (rehearsals will begin in week 3)
Thursday 7:45am Senior Strings (rehearsals will begin in week 3)

Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns about your child's involvement in the music program or if they are unable to attend a rehearsal.

Thank you for supporting our music program.

Library News

Melanie Hutchinson

GRACEVILLE SS READERS’ CUP 2018

Students in Year 5 & 6 will be testing their knowledge of books and reading by competing in the GSS Readers’ Cup NEXT Thursday 29th March in the Hall. Students will battle through SIX rounds of questions for their chance to win the GSS Readers Cup trophy and many other fantastic prizes. The Readers Cup preparation has challenged students to read widely, work collaboratively in a team and continue to develop their love of reading.

Costumes and table decorations are encouraged – each team requires a poster with their Team Name for competition day.

For those students who are interested in representing the school at the Regional Readers’ Cup Competitions coming up in Term 2 – the elimination question time will be held during the lunch break on Thursday (day of the school competition). The students with the highest scores from this session will become the entrants in the upcoming Regional Readers’ Cup competition.

We wish all the teams the best of luck for the day and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Melanie Hutchinson
Readers’ Cup Co-ordinator

Parent Author Evening

Alissa Payne

Winner of the Movie Voucher

Thank you for making the Parent Author Visit Evening a great success! Our guest author, Sally Piper, was certainly inspiring. A special thanks must be extended to our wonderful P&C for their generosity. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Councillor Nicole Johnston for donating the prizes. We asked parents and the community to provide us with feedback on the development of Graceville’s writing approach to assist us to enrich our students’ experience with writing and authorship.

Congratulations to Mr Kevin Pascoe for winning the movie voucher and Mrs Angela Phillips for being the recipient of the novel.

We have our full school assembly on Thursday 29th March at 2:10pm for the symbolic handing over of the student, teacher and parent voice for the Writing Inquiry Team.

Uniform Shop

Fiona Fryer

Opening Hours Next Week: Monday and Tuesday 8.15am to 9.00am.

YEAR 6 COMMEMORTIVE SHIRTS

The shirts came back from the printers so they were given to the kids last Friday.

INTERSCHOOL SPORT

Interschool sports have started for years 5 and 6, you can purchase the representative shirts from the uniform store for $35.

All house shirts are now back in stock.

Donations of 2nd hand uniforms are always appreciated, so please keep them coming but can you please make sure that all items are in a good, clean and saleable condition.

Please be advised that refunds will ONLY be given if you have the original receipt and items should not have been washed or worn.

Swimming gear is available including some long sleeve rashies, lycra and silicone swim caps, swim bags and quick dry towels in the house colours.

Order forms are available on the school website and can be emailed to the uniform shop at the below address, the items will be sent to the classroom via the teachers pigeon hole.

Email address for school uniform store is: uniformstore@gracevilss.eq.edu.au

WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS PLEASE, it only requires you to be there from 8.15-9.00am on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays, if you think you could help out send an email to the above address or just come to the store and have a chat.

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop Roster for the week ending Friday 30th of March 2018

Thank you to all our volunteers! We still need more volunteers! Can you volunteer once a Term? We would love your help, even just once per term will keep our Tuckshop open and enable us to get the lunches out on time. We are extremely busy most days! Please email us as below or come into the Tuckshop and let us know when you can help.

NEW SUSHI AND RICE PAPER ROLLS – from CILANTRO FRESH!

We have a new Sushi and Rice Paper Rolls supplier! We are happy to have Cilantro Fresh on board making our sushi and Rice Paper Rolls FRESH every Tuesday and Wednesday. We will be offering the following choices:

Sushi - Tuna mayo, Tuna avocado, Chicken mayo, Chicken & avocado or Avocado with soy sauce options.

Rice Paper Rolls – Chicken, Tofu, or Pork with a special dipping sauce.

Look for the new menu items on School24. Ordering is still the same – open to order from Thursday to Monday 12pm for the Tuesday and Wednesday of that week.

TO BUY AT THE TUCKSHOP COUNTER –

Popcorn is only 50 cents and you can buy it online or over the counter. ANZAC Cookies are available for 50 cents per cookie too. Want something refreshing on a hot day, then try Frozen Watermelon for only 50 cents. Bretzels are selling fast too, very tasty and popular at our introductory price of $1.20.

Fancy a different snack? Try the Roasted Chick Peas or Fav-va Beans for $1.50/bag. They are a very filling snack! Apples available for $1. Delicious Vanilla Blueberry or Apple muffins are also available for $2 each. Greek yogurts in either berry, passionfruit or mango flavours are $2.20 and very tasty. So much to choose

ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL

Stride To School Tuesday

Friday 23rd March -National Ride to School Day.

Thanks to all the students who took part in the National Ride to School Day and decorate their helmets to celebrate the day.

Park and Stride

You’ve probably heard of ‘Park n Ride’, but what about ‘Park and Stride’?

Active School Travel encourages students to walk, cycle, scoot, car pool and catch public transport to and from school, but some parents still need to drive their children to school as part of their journey to work or other activities. Alternatively, you may live a long distance from the school and can’t actively travel all the way from home.

Even though you might need to drive your children to school, you can still make a difference to the traffic congestion and safety around our school by walking or riding part of the way.

Use the Active Travel map to find your Park and Stride starting point. Make sure it’s at least a few blocks away so your child will receive a stamp in their AST passport on their active travel day.

So don’t miss out on TUESDAY

Did you know?

10% of all journeys people make are 1km or less and 50% are under 5km. Consider walking or riding your bike for short journeys. It’s easier, better for you and saves petrol!

Why walk to school?

• Children who walk or ride to school are more likely to be fitter and more active than others.
• Walking to school helps your child get the amount of exercise they need to stay healthy and helps them learn as well.

Walking is a great way for your child to:

• get to know their local area
• meet other children in their neighbourhood
• learn safety skills, like crossing the road
• gain confidence and the ability to travel independently as they get older.

Our next event:

May 4th…….in a galaxy far far away………………. Keep reading the newsletters for more information.

We need you!!!!!

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. We are especially in need of a parent, caregiver or member of the community to head up the committee for 2018, with lots of ongoing support from the current members. Without the support of parents and caregivers this program will be unable to continue in the school.

Please contact Jo Richards at sajrichards@iinet.net.au for more information.

Fete News

Like us on Facebook,

and check out our great website,

So far we have had 3 wonderful, new Prep parents volunteer to learn Fete Committee roles this year. This is a great result.

We still have 6 Fete Committee positions that need to be taught to willing volunteers, THIS YEAR.

These include, along with email addresses for each, should you wish to find out more about a particular position:

Fete Convenor gracevillefete@gmail.com
2 X Food Stalls Convenors gracevillefetestalls@gmail.com
2 X Non-Food Stall Convenors gracevillefetestalls@gmail.com
Bookings Co-ordinator gracevillefetebookings@gmail.com

We also need as many volunteers as possible on the Sponsorship Committee. Please contact our New Sponsorship Co-ordinators at gss.fete.sponsorship@gmail.com

We work on a 3 year volunteering plan:

Year 1 - Learn it,
Year 2 - Do it, and
Year 3 - Teach it.

We MUST teach these roles this year or this will be the last GSS Fete.

This would be a huge shame for our community and a massive disappointment to our students.

Our first Fete Committee meeting is roughly scheduled for Wednesday, 9 May 2018 at 7.30pm. If no one puts their hand up to take on these roles I will let you all know on Thursday, 10 May that 2018 will be the last GSS fete. Fingers crossed that it won't come to this.

There's only one way to make sure this doesn't happen. Please consider.

Anne Canalese
Fete Convenor

Schools Plus

Graceville State School Tennis Coaching – Term 2

Before School, Lunch Time and After School Coaching will commence from Tuesday 24th April 2018.

Enrolments close by Thursday 19th April 2018. Spare enrolment forms are available from the School Office, they can also be downloaded from the School Newsletter. To ensure a place in class, forms must be returned by this date to the School Office. Do not return forms to the School Office after this date contact Jim Joyce directly on 0417 771022.

A tennis meeting will be held at lunch time (1st Break) on Monday 23rd April on the School Tennis Court to advise of your lesson time – Please ensure your child attends.

Special Offer – All new students in Grade 1, 2 and 3 will receive a free tennis racquet when joining for the first time.

For further enquiries please contact Jim Joyce on 0417 771022

Holiday Swim Clinics

Bookings are now being taken for 2 holiday swim clinics being held this Easter vacation. The first from Tuesday April 3rd until Friday April 6th and the 2nd clinic from Monday April 9th until Friday April 13th. Squad, stroke development and learn to swim classes are on offer every day of the 2 clinics. Those in school care may participate in the program as well, with staff members able to take the children to the pool for their lesson and pick them up after. If you are coming from school care some paper work will need to be completed with them. It is not necessary to attend every day of the clinic so just state your availability when booking. You don't have to be a Graceville student so please pass this information to anyone who may be interested. All inquiries are welcome. Please contact Pete Geraghty by phone [0432407442] or email petegeraghty@hotmail.com