23 May 2019

Domain and email change

Please be aware that due to the upcoming domain name change our school website address is now:

This domain name will also affect email addresses so please ensure that the following email addresses are updated in your contact lists:
principal@gracevilless.eq.edu.au
admin@gracevilless.eq.edu.au
newsletter@gracevilless.eq.edu.au
pandc@gracevilless.eq.edu.au
bsm@gracevilless.eq.edu.au
prepyear@gracevilless.eq.edu.au

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

I had a fantastic time both professionally and personally on my recent trip to Vancouver. The Network of Inquiry and Innovation Symposium and related school visits were the professional highlight of the tour. I made some great connections for our school and took away some interesting ideas to discuss with our teaching team. On a personal note, I was also very lucky to see both Orcas and Grizzly Bears, both on my bucket list!

I would like to thank Mrs McKeaten for taking on the role of Acting Principal in by absence and Ms Cousins for stepping up as Acting Deputy Principal. It is nice to know things go on as usual while I am away.

As a result of our international connection with the Networks of Inquiry and Innovation, in Term 3, our school will be the host of the Queensland Network of Inquiry and Innovation. We will host Dr Linda Kaser and Dr Judy Halbert from the University of British Columbia and up to 100 fellow educators, in two days of professional learning. This is an exciting opportunity for our school.

It sounds like the Trivia night is going to be the event of the year! The hall will be full and I can’t wait to see the costumes! A group of teachers and I will run the bar as a way of saying thank you to our amazing school community for your support. I always enjoy the Trivia night, as it is a great chance to interact with everyone in a less formal way while having a bit of fun!

Don’t forget Under 8’s Day is on Friday! Under 8’s Day is so much fun for the children who love to engage in a range of hands on activities.

Have a great week,
Zoe Smith

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Technology Update

We are thankful to the voluntary contributions which have come in thus far this year and have purchased new iPads for use as shared devices across all classrooms. Here are some photos of students using the iPads in a variety of ways in their learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

National Volunteer Week – May 20 - 26

I would like to give a big shout out and thank you to the parents who volunteer in our classrooms and assist in the learning programs for our children especially reading, your participation is valued and appreciated. Also volunteering in many other ways across the school from parents, thank you!

Under 8s Fun Day is on this Friday

Our annual activity morning will be on this Friday. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun with our Prep, year 1 and 2 students. Let’s hope it is a sunny day! The theme for this year is ‘Celebrating diversity of languages within the home, culture and community’.

Parents, there will be a coffee van on the oval to help you keep pace with the children!

Our lower school students will then be having a performance in the hall called “I am Me, You are You.”

This live performance is aimed at helping build students’ personal and social capabilities:

• Recognise and regulate their emotions
• Develop resilience, persistence, confidence
• Embrace others’ differences and acceptance
• Develop their sense of self-worth, self-awareness and personal identity

We look forward to a great day!

Inbound Study Tour 2019

We will be hosting a Study Tour from Taiwan, from Minzu and Wenhau Elementary schools this year. The dates will be July 26 until August 10 for two weeks. A letter went home early this week seeking interest in being a host family. It is a rewarding opportunity. We are expecting a group of approximately 20 students with 2 tour escorts. If you are interested and able to host a student please return the expression of interest or email me a response at mhass10@eq.edu.au I will be holding an information session after school at 3pm in the Waratah room on Wednesday May 29. We need to commence ‘blue card’ applications if parents don’t have one to be a host family. This is free and sent off at school. Please email me any questions that you may have about the study tour and hosting.

Waiting List for Prep 2020 – opened at the beginning of this term.

The waiting list for 2020 is now open. Please let any interested people know that forms and information can be obtained from our school office. Families from within our catchment area we also invite you to obtain enrolment forms to begin the process. 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 2020 Information evening will be held in our school hall on Wednesday July 24 at 7pm. All welcome to attend to hear more about our school, programs in Prep and the enrolment process in preparation for next year.

Below is the calendar for term 2 Junior assemblies. Everyone welcome, we are on from 2.15pm on these Tuesdays in the hall.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Well done to our Year 3 & 5 students who participated in Naplan last week. They appeared to try really hard and give it a good go! Well done to our teachers and parents who prepared our students for the process. We can relax now that it is all over.

Just a reminder about School Photos coming up on Thursday 13th June. Envelopes have already gone home. All ordering is online now.

Dandiiri Schools and Community Library – an invaluable resource

Did you know you can borrow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander materials such as fiction and non-fiction books, DVDs, puzzles and toys from Dandiiri Schools and Community Library?

The library is based in Brisbane, but serves all state schools across Queensland and offers a fun way for students to learn about all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. Membership

Notice of Tender for Tennis Courts

Notice is hereby given that Graceville State School is seeking expressions of interest for the non-exclusive use of its tennis court facilities for conducting tennis lessons/coaching services.

Interested parties are to contact the school office for information packs. Ph: 3716 2777.

The pack will be available from Monday 13th May 2019. The closing date for all quotes to be received at the office is Friday 24th May at 3pm.

Money Matters

Anne Nixon

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.

We will be sending statements home next week. If you have a credit on your account and would like to apply it to any outstanding invoices please contact the office. We cannot automatically apply any credits to invoices without parent authorisation.

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.

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

I hope everyone is excited for Friday’s Under 8’s celebration. Our younger students have already grown so much and it is wonderful to let them be the highlight of the day. Thank you to all parents and care-givers who are able to join in the fun. I am positive you will see many huge smiles.

Our District Athletics representatives have performed very well on the first day of competition. Tomorrow is the final day and we wish them well in their respective events.

This week is Chappy Week and for some schools, a focus on the chaplaincy service is part of the week activities. At Graceville, our focus on chaplaincy is later in the term when we hold our Lapathon Fundraiser. Details on this event will be announced in the near future. Watch this space!

Have a fantastic week!

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

P&C Update

The P&C plays an important role raising funds from the school and broader community to invest in the learning resources and school environment our children enjoy. This all helps contribute to making Graceville the great school it is.

So far this year, the P&C has:

• contributed $18,000 for new laptops and iPads for classrooms
• committed $24,000 to help fund the exciting new Wonder Garden
• provided up to $15,000 to support chaplaincy at Graceville
• purchased a replacement air conditioner and the required safety cage for the school
• agreed to cover the costs of initial affiliation with Tennis Queensland’s Book-a-Court system and providing power to the tennis court gate
• committed to purchasing an additional powered speaker for use at school functions in the hall.

This contribution is only possible because of the generosity of the many parents and community members who each give a little, or a lot, of their time and financial support to the P&C.

If you would like to join the P&C and contribute to fundraising or stay up to date with what is happening around the school, complete the membership form attached and bring it with you to our next meeting. You can also put the form in the P&C mailbox in the office or email to: pandc@gracevilless.eq.edu.au.

The next P&C meeting is scheduled for 12 June at 7:30pm.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

We have a number of upcoming performances scheduled for this year. Please note the dates of these listed below. We appreciate your assistance ensuring your child/ren to arrive on time for rehearsals/lessons and with the appropriate equipment. Although we have heaters in the music room, with the high ceiling it takes time for the room to warm up so I would suggest that students coming to morning rehearsals wear a jumper.

As included in last week’s Newsletter article, the Benarrawa Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Solidarity group have organised a rehearsal for the Sorry Day Ceremony on Sunday 26 May at 7am at the Sherwood Arboretum. The rehearsal will be held on Wednesday 22 May from 6 - 7pm at the Sherwood Uniting Church (corner of Sherwood Rd and Thallon St) which adults and children of all stages and abilities are welcome to join and to attend the Sorry Day Ceremony. One of the songs is a lullaby which has been written for this event by one of our local Elders, Gaja Kerry, in Yuggera language. We have been granted permission to share this song with you at our special NAIDOC assembly on Thursday 20 June. The Junior Choir will be performing it and Gaja Kerry will be present for this. As it is the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, we are very privileged to be able to share this song with you, which has been written by a local Elder, in Yuggera language and sung on Yuggera country.

The Beginner Strings have been invited to attend a workshop at Sherwood State School on Tuesday 18 June. This will be for beginner string students only. We are requesting parents to drop their children at Sherwood State School for the workshop and collect them at the end of the day. The workshop will include a concert (at Sherwood State School) at 2pm which parents and members of the community are welcome to attend. Please find a link to the note which was handed out this week below.

The Senior Choir will be attending the Sing Together Day at St Peters on Tuesday 18 June and an evening concert. There is a link below to the letter which was handed out to students this week. Students will come to the Sing Together Day, then return by bus in the afternoon. They will be asked to come to St Peters for the concert which is currently scheduled for 6:30pm. We need all Senior Choir students to attend to make the most of this exciting performance opportunity and to represent our school, so we ask families to ensure students will be at the evening concert. The Senior Choir will also be performing at the Junior Assembly on Tuesday 11 June prior to their St Peters performance.

Please contact your child's instrumental or choral conductor if they are not able to attend a rehearsal (email contacts are listed below) or if they are experiencing any issues with their lessons.

2019 Rehearsals Venue - Music Room

Monday 7:45am - 8:30am Senior Choir (year 4,5 and 6 students) Ms West
Tuesday 7:30 - 8:30am - Junior Band (starting in term 2 on 21 May) Mr Kukulies
Wednesday 7:45am - 8:30am - Junior Choir (year 2 and 3 students) Mrs Lindh
Wednesday 10:45am - 11:25am - Beginner/Junior Strings (starting in term 2 with junior string students only on 1 May, then beginner strings will join these rehearsals later in the term) - Mrs Prout
Wednesday 2:50pm - 4:00pm - Senior Band - Mr Stiller
Thursday 7:45am - 8:30am Senior Strings - Mrs Prout

Music teacher contact details...

Alex Grodecki - agrod3@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Thursdays)
Ruth Prout - rprou5@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Wednesdays and Thursdays)
James Kukulies - jkuku2@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Tuesdays)
Steve Stiller - sstil2@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Wednesdays)
Julie West - jwest269@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Monday/Tuesday)
Naomi Lindh - nclos1@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Wednesday/Thursday/Friday)

Important dates to note...

11 June - Senior Choir singing on Junior Assembly
18 June - Senior Choir attending St Peters Sing Together Day (bus leaves at 8:30am sharp)
18 June - Senior Choir evening concert at St Peters - 6:30pm (All Senior Choir students)
18 June - Beginner Strings Workshop (beginner students only - all day at Sherwood SS with a concert at approximately 2pm)
20 June - Junior Choir singing at the NAIDOC Assembly
24 August - Fete performances - Junior Band, Senior Band, Junior Choir and Senior Choir
28/29 August - Instrumental Music Workshop
29 August - Instrumental music concert at 2pm involving all IM students (no choir performances at this concert but all students who learn an instrument at school will perform at this concert with their ensemble)
13 November - Annual Music Concert 6pm - all choral and instrumental music students will be performing at his concert
27 November - Grandparents' Concert - students in the Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Senior Strings will perform at this concert for their grandparents'/special guests

Thank you for supporting our music program!

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

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop Roster for week ending 31st of May 2019

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Like to help in Tuckshop? Please contact us by email to tuckshop.gss@gmail.com.

We have had some interest in the backup Convenor position to cover both the Tuckshop and the Uniform Store. We are still receiving enquiries about this position, so if you are interested, please read on.

This is a paid position, employed by the GSS P&C, and all training will be provided.

If you would like to know more about this position or would like to submit an Expression of Interest in it, please email the GSS P&C at: pandcgraceville@gmail.com.

Uniform Shop

Fiona Fryer

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

Cross Country Singlets

If you hired a singlet from the uniform store please could you return it, you will also receive your $5 deposit back.

Size 8 dresses are out of stock until the end of the year.
Size 12 Flinders shirts are now back in stock.
Size 8 gold polo’s are now back in stock.
We now have size 2 house shirts in stock.

We have school colour hair accessories; there are headbands, hair ties, bows and clips.

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 in but can you please make sure that all items are washed and in a good 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 pigeonhole in the main office.

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

School Plus

In week 4 at School Plus, we kicked off our Ninja Warrior Incursion that commenced on Thursday! Spaces were quick to fill for the exciting afterschool activity. The children will enjoy the incursion for the next 6 weeks! They thoroughly enjoyed the first lesson and are ready for next weeks! Aside from the incursion, the children were also involved in a number of other fun activities that had them not wanting to go home! Paddle Pop Towers in Craft, Mobilo Construction, Dance Ribbons, Tug of War, and Water Pipes were some of the many activities enjoyed by the children this week. Next week the children will be happy to know that we are trying a new menu item Sushi Slices, due to popular demand, where the children will be a part of prepping! The children have spoken, with smiles, laughter and a huge thumbs up to summarise another week at School Plus!

Community Notices