7 March 2019

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

This Friday is the Student Council ‘Farmer’ fundraiser. The Student Council are hoping our families can give generously so we can help to make a real difference in the lives of our outback Queenslanders. Children and staff are encouraged to come dressed in a country theme and make a donation to the fundraiser. The Student Council are asking for a minimum of a gold coin donation per student however they encourage families to consider a larger donation to help make a greater positive impact. All donations will be gratefully accepted.

Next Friday is the National Day of Action against Bullying. We encourage all members of our school community to wear an orange shirt on Friday – to work and school. Bullying is a very serious issue for all members of society and it is important we all join together to show that we will not tolerate bullying. Children are welcome to wear an orange T-Shirt to school. We will also be holding a special assembly on Thursday 28 March to celebrate Harmony Day.

This week our teachers are working together in Triads, going into each other’s classrooms, learning from and with each other with a focus on writing. While the teachers are working with each other, Mrs McKeaten, Ms Hass, Mrs Martin and I are acting as the relief teacher in classrooms. I love the week each term our teachers are engaged in our Triad process as it gives me a great opportunity to get back into the classroom and try out some of the amazing teaching strategies we have come to use as a school. This week I was lucky enough to take guided reading groups in year 3, work one on one with students who access learning support and teach lessons in both Prep and Year 6. I am in awe of the teachers I replace as I am reminded of the hard work it requires to cater for the many and varied learning needs of a class full of students. Our teachers do an amazing job and I am very proud of them!

Don’t forget the Spell-a-thon is on Tuesday 19 March. We would love your support as the money raised goes directly to support the development of writing in our school. We will be purchasing a range of rich texts that have specific examples of writing features we have identified our students can use to improve their writing. Rich texts provide a fantastic model for our young writers. The teachers will have access to the texts and can use them as part of their teaching practice in writing. Our teachers are also keen to change some whole class texts that provide much richer examples for children to engage with as part of English writing units. As purchasing class sets of texts is quite expensive, the teachers have used the same texts for up to ten years. The feedback we have from children each year is they would love more class sets of texts that are more engaging and relevant for them now as learners. We hope you can find many sponsors who are willing to support the Spell-a- thon so we can update and enhance access to much richer models of texts for our amazing learners!

Finally, please make sure that you book ahead of time for spaces at OSHC for Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Monday and Tuesday afternoons are almost at capacity. There is no guarantee a late booking can be accepted on a Monday or Tuesday afternoon. All other days and times in the week have plenty of spaces available.

I hope you have a great week.

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Cross Country runners!

What a fantastic effort our young students put in on Cross Country day on Wednesday this week, especially in the hot conditions! Thank you to all the supporters who came along to encourage our young students to put in a strong finish. Well done preppies too on your first race at big school!

Study Tour to Taiwan 2019 – meeting reminder

Our first meeting this year will be on Wednesday March 20 in the Waratah room at 7pm. I will have a package of forms for completion which are very important so please let me know if you are not able to attend this meeting. You should also now have received your final invoice, payment is required by Wednesday April 3 so that airfares can be purchased. Also please remember to send through a copy of the photo page of your child’s passport to me as well.

Waiting List for Prep for 2020 – opens first day of next term Tuesday April 23.

The waiting list for 2020 will open on Tuesday, 23rd 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.

Junior Assemblies

Parents and care givers are all invited to join us for Junior Assemblies which will be held every second Tuesday afternoon from 2.15 in the hall. These assemblies will be for all Prep to Year 2 classes. Year 2 students have the opportunity to develop their skills of public speaking by taking turns in leading these assemblies and classes also take part presenting items for us all. We also like to recognise Birthdays and present awards to students from across all classes.

Below is the calendar for term 1 assemblies.

Bronze Certificates have been handed out and students congratulated at Junior Assembly this week:

Prep: Jasper C, Violet P, Sarah C, Harrison H
Year 1: Sophie J
Year 2: Eleftheria T, Benjamin D, Taiga M, Archer S

Well done to these students for being consistently safe, respectful and responsible and also practicing one of our school’s assets of being an excellent self-manager!

Mathletics for 2019

Subscription for the year needs to be paid by Friday March 8.

The cost for Mathletics is $12 per student for the year and the absolute final day for payment is this Friday. Thank you.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

NAPLAN testing (Years 3 & 5) 14, 15 & 16 May 2019

On Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 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. If you cannot avoid those days eg. Specialist appointment, please try to make it in the afternoon. All testing will be completed by 12.45 on those days. Any missed tests will be made-up on Friday 18 May only.

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.

Every day counts at school

Our favourite school boy Jimmy battles many challenges in turning up to school every day, but with a supportive team behind him, he realises he can overcome any difficult encounters he faces. In The new adventures of Jimmy and Sam the Dog animation and comic book series, developed by the Department of Education, Jimmy tackles some nagging doubts: will he back himself and enter the robot competition? Will he face up to the school bullies?

Check out this instalment of Jimmy and Sam the Dog and find out. Once again, NRL legend Sam Thaiday plays the cheeky dog Sam, and Johnathan Thurston makes a cameo appearance rockin’ the decks at the school disco.

Head to the Every day counts website to watch the animation and download the comic.

Get Started vouchers help students participate in sport

Get Started vouchers assist eligible Queensland school students with membership fees, to join a sport or recreation club. Those eligible can apply for a voucher valued up to $150. Round 13 applications open Wednesday 6 February 2019.

Pioneers in Science with Professor Adele Green

Professor Adele Green, one of Australia’s leading experts in skin cancer, is this year’s Pioneers in Science guest at the World Science Festival Brisbane. Have a question for the show? Submit your question online for the chance to ask it live on 29 March.

Celebrate International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated around the world on 8 March, with the 2019 theme ‘Balance for Better’.

Check out the local events marking IWD including the UN Women’s IWD Breakfast held in Brisbane, or join the social media campaign with the IWD selfie cards. #balanceforbetter

Parents and carers – Do we have your latest contact details?

There are times when we may need to get in touch with you. Do we have your most up to date details? If not, please contact the school on Ph 3716 2777 so we can update our records. These details include your name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please remember to let the school know if any of these details change.

Money Matters

Anne Nixon

Student Resource Schemes (SRS) for 2019 are:

• Prep Requirements ($70)
• Reading Eggs for Prep ($25)
• 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 2, 3 and 4) ($6)
• Year 4/5 maths levy ($17.50)
• ESmart Digital Licence Yr 5 ($10)

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.

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 2018 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.

Spellathon

It’s SPELLATHON time! Spellathon is a fundraising event designed to be both a fun and educational activity for our children. SPELLATHON 2019 word lists and sponsorship forms have been given to children to take home. A copy of documents for each year level is attached to this newsletter.

Spellathon is a literacy based way for our children to help fundraise for our school. There will be lots of fun prizes awarded. Prizes will be based on sponsorship collected and words spelled correctly. Also, all children who spell all their words correctly will be entered into a prize draw for each year level. As well as individual prizes, there will be whole class prizes for the class that raises the most money in each year level.

This fundraising event is second only to the fete in terms of revenue raised for the school. In 2018 we raised over $18 000 - an amazing effort! Last year funds raised by the Spellathon contributed to resources to support the teaching and learning of writing. This will continue this year. Projects like these are of great benefit to all students in the school. Please encourage your friends, relatives and neighbours to sponsor your child and help us make Spellathon 2019 a great success.

Important Spellathon Dates:

Our sponsors for 2019 are Peter May and Brad Robson from Place Real Estate and Graceville Village Discount Drug Store.

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 Graceville Village Discount Drug Store (incorporating Graceville News) where you get more than just low prices. They are located next to the Post Office in Graceville.

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

Proudly sponsored by:

Music News

Naomi Lindh

Our first performance this year will be the Junior Choir singing at the Harmony Day assembly tentatively scheduled for Thursday 28 March at 2pm. Families and members of the school community are invited to attend the assembly. If your child is in the Junior Choir and you have not received a Junior Choir update email, could you please send me an email and I will add your details to the group contact list (nclos1@eq.edu.au) . We are also in the process of organising performances for the Senior Choir.

Please ensure that your child has their equipment with them on the day of their instrumental lesson and rehearsal for senior students. If you have any concerns about your child's progress or have any questions please contact their instrumental music teacher, as often support at an early stage can greatly assist your child's progress and involvement in the program. We also request that you let conductors know if students are not able to attend a rehearsal (email contacts are below).

Music teacher contact details...

Alex Grodecki - agrod3@eq.edu.au
Ruth Prout - rprou5@eq.edu.au
James Kukulies - jkuku2@eq.edu.au
Steve Stiller - sstil2@eq.edu.au
Julie West - jwest269@eq.edu.au
Naomi Lindh - nclos1@eq.edu.au

Thank you for supporting our music program!

Naomi Lindh
Music Teacher and IM Coordinator (Wednesday - Friday)

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

Wednesday’s school cross country event was another ideal opportunity for our students to shine. This time, the sporting field was the venue and many impressive performances could be witnessed. I saw so many students having a really good go at completing the course as fast as they could. Given such hot conditions, our students should feel very proud of their efforts. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend and support our runners. This adds so much to the spectacular that is cross country and I know the children love performing in front of loved ones. A special thanks to Mr Daunt for all his effort in organising yet another successful cross country event. For those students who are going to the district meet, some practice on slopes would be beneficial for both the district and regional courses. Good luck to all our representatives!

The Active School Travel program has kicked off again this year and we are all encouraged to actively travel to school whenever we can. Many families have enthusiastically rallied around this and in doing so, made our school roads safer. Keep your eyes and ears out for information on the next Active School Travel event.

Tomorrow, our students will “Go Country” for the Farmer’s Fundraiser, so please support this worthy cause. Between drought and flood, our farmers are doing it really tough at the moment so we can provide some assistance in this time of need. I am expecting a sea of flannel shirts and boots on Friday, so dust off your Garth Brooks cd’s and join the fun.

Next week, on Friday March 15, we will celebrate the National Day of Action to Prevent Bullying. Our students live in a digital world and cyberbullying is a significant issue for young people. The eSafety Commissioner website has some wonderful resources to support and inform families on this topic. The address below is certainly worth a look for interested families.

Have a great week!

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

Your P&C Needs you!!

P&C AGM coming up

The P&C needs your help. Most of the current executive is moving on or will be moving on next year and so we need some new blood to continue the great work of the P&C. Training and support is available and the work of the P&C is a great lot less than Kindy committees you may have been involved in. Perhaps bring along a friend and share the role?

All positions will be vacant at the AGM on 27 March 2019.

See you at the AGM!

Chris Hansen
P&C President.

NOTIFICATION OF GSS P&C Annual General Meeting

The P&C AGM will be held on 27 March 2019, at 7:30pm in the Oxley Room.

A general P&C meeting will follow at the conclusion of the AGM.

Membership

All memberships must be renewed at the AGM. You do not need to attend the AGM for your membership to be accepted. Membership forms for 2019 (attached to this newsletter and available in the office) can be placed in the P&C mailbox in the office, or handed to the Secretary, Karen McNab, prior to the meeting.

Positions to be elected

The positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary are elected at the AGM.

Nominations for Executive Positions can be made by completing the Executive Nomination Form attached to the newsletter and returning it to the P&C, or advising the Principal. If you are interested in finding out more, you can also contact the P&C President.

A brief description of the positions is provided below:

• The President provides leadership and is the accountable officer of the Association. Their role is to act as a representative of the Association, encourage communication between the Association, School administration and the community and encourage participation in the Association. The President will be the Chair of meetings and conduct them in an efficient and timely fashion, being familiar with the rules, constitution and other documents governing Association operations. The President is an official member of the school council for the School, if one exists.
• The Vice-President provides essential support for the President and possibly other members of the Executive Committee. They will Chair those meetings from which the President is absent and carry out any duties that have been delegated by the President. They should also be familiar with the rules, constitution and other documents governing Association operations.
• The Secretary collates the agenda papers for each meeting, (including subcommittee reports) and assists the President in preparing an agenda for each meeting. They prepare and present minutes of the Association’s meetings, record and deal with correspondence in/out as directed and generally organise, record and maintain information pertaining to the activities of the Association.
• The Treasurer has the overall responsibility for the financial management of the Association including all subcommittee accounts. In their role they must comply with the Accounting Manual for P&C Associations in all respects. They prepare an annual budget and Annual Operational Plan for the Association in consultation with other members of the Association’s Executive Committee. It is the Treasurer's responsibility to keep accurate accounts of receipts and expenditure.

Tuckshop

Thank you to our volunteers for week 7:

Monday 11th Kim Crane, Amy Gower
Tuesday 12th Geoff Allen, Jo Armstrong
Wednesday 13th Mel Stainlay, Kristine Dart, Jo Richards
Thursday 14th Leanne Gordon, Edina Symonds, Kelly Allen
Friday 15th Estelle, Sasha Griggs, Annette Bennet

Have your children tried our pasta salad on a Wednesday? Optional tuna can be added. Goes great with a side of a bretzel or garlic bread.

Thanks
Anne and Emma

Uniform Shop

Fiona Fryer

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

Uniform Store Roster

Year 6 Commemorative Shirts

The shirts have been sent to the printers and will be back by the end of March, I will confirm the date later, the shirts will then be handed out in the classroom.

Size 12 Flinders shirts are out of stock.

We have school colour hair accessories in store now.

As of 1st July 2018, stores stopped providing free single use bags therefore the uniform store will no longer provide plastic bags so please make sure you bring your own if required.

Donations of 2nd hand uniforms are always appreciated, 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.

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 in the main office.

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

New volunteers would be greatly appreciated, it only requires you to be there from 8.15-9.00am on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays, if you think you could help out please send an email to the above address or just come to the store and have a chat.

Active School Travel

Footloose Friday

As part of the Active School Travel program, students who walk, cycle, scooter, car pool or catch public transport to school on FRIDAY can earn great rewards.

Once a week on FRIDAY students who actively travel get their passports stamped. When students reach target trips in their passport, they are eligible for an Active School Travel reward.

There are lots of great rewards for your children so join us and actively travel on FRIDAY to earn stamps and great rewards.

Active travel is:

• Walking
• Riding
• Rolling or scooting
• Catching public transport
• Walk and stride – park the car a few streets away from school and walk the rest of the way

Active travel is NOT:

• Being dropped off at the schools drop off zones

Stamping stations will be located:

• At the gate near the tennis courts
• In the quadrangle outside the hall
• At the bottom gate near Out of School Care

For more information please visit the link below

Throughout the year we will have lots of fun events where you can get involved and earn bonus stamps and great prizes. Our first event of the year will be Friday 22nd March for National Ride to School Day. Don’t worry if you can’t ride….just be active! More info to follow in the newsletter.

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.

Please contact Jo Richards at sajrichards@iinet.net.au for more information or come along to our next meeting at 3pm on Thursday 21st Feb in the Waratah Room.

School Plus

We are already half way through Term 1 of the school year! The children absolutely love coming to School Plus and showing us their exciting show and tell items or letting us know what they did at school. They are still full of energy and ready for the fun activities on offer at School Plus.

This week the children enjoyed building Lego creations, as they voted for the activity a number of times at BSC and ASC. Soft Dodgeball was another highlight of the week, with a course set out on the oval it was game on. Other fun activities were Slime, Sandpit Fun and Balloon and Swatter Hot Potato! Next week we will have an exciting Rainbow Noodle Sensory Activity in the Quadrangle as well as several other fun games!

Community Notices