22 August 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

Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

The Fete is here!

I am sure the Fete will be a great day. Thankyou to all the families who are chipping in and volunteering. I know some classes were finding it hard to get enough volunteers to fill rosters and had to send multiple emails to encourage families to help so thankyou to those who answered the call!

This year the school will have as stall in the Quad market from 10am – 3pm. The stall will be manned and we welcome anyone wishing to come for a chat about anything school related. We will have information on Q Parent, our Instagram account and Prep enrolment information. We will also have some feedback from the Celebration part of our school review on display as well as a big screen TV playing a rotational video with images of past school events. A new aspect the stall will promote is the new Wonder Garden that is being constructed in the September school holidays. A 3D movie with images of the new Wonder Garden will play as part of the rotational images on the big screen so please come and have a look! Finally, we will be promoting the options for parents to take part in the future focused part of our review in Term 4.

This week students in Year 5 were provided the opportunity to consider applying for leadership position for 2020. Our Year 5 students now have two weeks to complete and return their Application forms. I wish all of our potential leaders the best of luck in the process!

Next week, a letter and official nomination pack will go home to all those students who expressed an interested in an Enhancement Class position for 2020. Nomination packs only go home to those families who expressed an interest at the end of Term 1 this year. No late expression of interest will be accepted.

The Student Council have organised a Disco for Wednesday 11 September. The disco will be broken into two sessions, 5pm-6pm for the P-2’s and 6.30pm – 7.45pm for the 3-6’s. School staff will supervise the disco and so parents can drop off and pick up children. Parents must be on time to pick up their children so please ensure you are aware of the end time of each disco. Our staff are volunteering their time to help out with this extra curricula event and so we appreciate your punctuality at pick up time. The cost of the disco is $5 per student.

I hope you all enjoy the Fete this weekend!

Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Outbound Study Tour

Final parent meeting for the tour will be held on Wednesday August 28 at 7pm in the Waratah room (upstairs admin block). Packing lists, spending money and other details will be discussed.

Prep 2020

If you are a current school family or have an incatchment enrolment for prep next year please come into the office to collect enrolment forms and arrange for a meeting asap. This will enable us to get a good idea of numbers for classes and assist in our planning.

Date Claimers:

Get Set for Prep session 1: Tuesday October 22, 9 – 10:30am. Focus on Fine Motor Skills

Get Set for Prep session 2: Monday October 28, 9 – 10:30am. Introduction to Speech and Language Development by School Speech Language Pathologist

Get Set for Prep session 3: Tuesday November 12, 9 - 10:30am, Focus on Reading

Prep Orientation meetings: Thursday November 28

Prep uniform selling morning: Thursday November 28, 8:15 – 12:00 and Wednesday January 22nd 2020 3-6pm

Below is the calendar for Junior Assemblies in Term 3. Everyone welcome, we are on from 2.15pm on these Tuesdays in the hall.

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

Prep: Hugh L, Hudson J, Adelita B, Genevieve N, Timothy P, William C, Lucia Y, Joseph D, Evan D, Sam T, Toby H, Christos M, Harrison C, Henri B, Jemma W, Mason L

Year 1: Luca T, Violet B, Thomas H, Maija S, Zara J, Yousif A, Caitlin M, Lexi R, Kate L, Elspeth M, Rhiannon L, Ben W, Joshua L, Amon S

Year 2: Mariska K, Lyla H, Ava T, Cooper H, Luzio K, Dougal S, Georgia T, Sophie A, Cameron C, Clare W, Charlie L, Adelaide A, Charlotte L, Xanthe M, Henry L, Riley M, Lachlan B, Lotte P, Max N, Moli L, Molly M, Nishtha R, Edward H

Extra special congratulations to Silver Certificate recipients: Abhay S, Brady T, Harriet M, Kiet L, Viotel P, Yvette M, Elka B, Sofia B, Sienna D, Blake K, Archie G, Tanisha G, Grace S, Isabella S, Kate D, Will G

GOLD CERTIFICATE to Mitchell H – Congratulations!

Well done to these students for being consistently safe, respectful and responsible!

Remember we are now on Instagram, please join us at graceville_state_school to keep informed on what are the latest happenings in and around the school.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

University of New South Wales ICAS assessments for Maths and Science

Students whose parents have entered them in the Maths and Science assessments last term will be involved – Thursday 5th September (Science) & Tuesday 17th September (Maths). There will be no more applications taken as we have already enrolled for the assessments for a specific number and we will not be putting in any late entries.

This year the testing is online so they will only be given one opportunity on those days to complete the assessments. In the coming weeks I will develop a schedule for the groups involved. Some year levels may need to be before school as there is a limit to the number of devices we have to use for these assessments.

For the students who will sit these assessments in September, I will be running a practice session to introduce the students to the new online format and processes. I will be releasing the participating students from classes on Tuesday 27th August to do some practice questions and show them what the process will involve and what they will need to do on the actual days of the assessments.

Students will need to bring their own headphones with them for the practice sessions as well.

Life Education – this term

This term all classes will participate in Life Education sessions. These sessions are different for each year level and they cover certain aspects of the Australian Curriculum, specifically in Health. The Life Education Van will arrive later in the term and classes will be scheduled to attend lessons during the last couple of weeks of this term (6/9/19-20/9/19).

Swimming in Term 4

The Prep, Year 1 & 2 students will be doing intensive swimming lessons in Term (Weeks 2-8). There will be permission forms and invoices sent home in the next week or 2. Students will swim form Week 2 for 8 weeks. The cost will be $72 for the term. Peter Geraghty has leased the pool for lessons during school and after school private sessions. Peter and his team of coaches provides intensive sessions with students, in small groups, with experienced and qualified coaches. This swimming program is part of our curriculum and all students are expected to participate in all lessons.

Students in Years 3-6 will have swimming lessons with Mr Daunt during the week.

Business Manager

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.

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.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

Thank you to all of the students who performed at the assembly last week. It was lovely to share the songs we sang at the symposium with Yuggera language in them for the whole school. Special thanks to Jacki Marshall who has been supporting our Junior Choir rehearsals as our accompanist playing guitar. We have greatly appreciated your assistance and enjoyed having accompaniment at our rehearsals and performances!

Students currently in year 2 and 3 are eligible to apply for a position in the instrumental program for 2020 (when they are in year 3 or 4). This note will be given to students and there is also a copy in the link below. It includes an expression of interest which needs to be returned for your child to be considered for a place in the program. It is important to note that students are not allowed to 'swap' instruments at a later stage if they accept an offer, so please be mindful of this especially if your child is in year 2 and applying for a place in the string program (as they are not able to swap to a band instrument if they accept an offer). Offers will be sent out during term 4 once instrumental teachers have met with all interested students.

This year at the fete we have the Senior Band, Junior Choir and Senior Choir performing. Performances will start at 11:50am with the Senior Band, then 12:20pm for the Junior Choir and 12:30 for the Senior Choir. Senior Band students are requested to meet Mr Stiller in the music room at 11:15am. Senior Choir students need to meet Ms West in the Oxley room between 12:00 - 12:15pm, then can go to the hall once they have the props/direction they need. Junior Choir students are requested to meet Mrs Lindh in the hall at approximately 12:00pm (all being there by 12:10pm) and sit on the floor near the stage.

Junior Choir students and families, please note that due to the instrumental music workshop on 28 August, there will be no Junior Choir rehearsal as I will be greeting our tutors as they arrive and showing them to their rooms before school. This is the week immediately after the fete. Next week, 21 August is still an important rehearsal to attend to prepare for our fete performance.

The instrumental music workshop will be held at school on 28/29 August. During these two days all of our students who learn an instrument at school will alternate between full ensemble rehearsals and working in small groups with a tutor. This is a fabulous way for them to build and develop their music skills. It culminates with a concert in the hall at 2pm on Thursday 29 August. Please note that instrumental music students are able to wear free dress to the 2 workshop days. They will need to bring their instrument, music folder, music stand if they have one, lunch and snack for second break, water bottle and a pencil. Please find a link to the note regarding the workshop. No permission slip is required as it is an incursion and part of the school music program.

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 - 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...

24 August - Fete performances - Senior Band 11:50am; Junior Choir 12:20pm and Senior Choir 12:30pm
28/29 August - Instrumental Music Workshop - all instrumental students (BYO lunch, instrument and music, free dress)
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)

Library News

Melanie Hutchinson

BOOK WEEK CELEBRATION DRESS UP DAY

Our annual Book Week Dress Up Day will take place in the LAST WEEK of this term - THURSDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER. The theme this year is ‘Reading is my Secret Power’. More details around the dress up day will be heading your way after the Fete.

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

Buckle up everybody! The celebration is almost here. This Saturday Graceville State School Fete will once again make the Ekka look like a small gathering in a park. So many dedicated school community members have been working hard, in preparation for this weekend. All that collaboration will come together in what will be an awesome event for our local community. I hope the day brings you great fun and a wonderful experience. There will be so many highlights, with, of course, the students’ performances heading the list. I look forward to sharing in this weekend’s spectacle with you.

Interschool sport commences next Friday with our year 5 and 6 students heading to participate in either basketball, touch football, water polo, softball or cricket. I would like to thank teachers for their involvement in this program, training and coaching teams and umpiring/refereeing Friday games. This program does allow students to gain knowledge and skills in a setting vastly different to the classroom or even the playground. Parents and care-givers are welcome to attend these sports and support our teams and encourage all players.

Next week our Instrumental Music students have a two day music workshop, culminating in an afternoon concert. This experience is invaluable for our budding musicians and a highlight on the school calendar. Don’t miss it.

Have an exciting week!

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop Roster for week ending 30th of August 2019

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers.

Our sushi and rice paper roll supplier, Cilantro Fresh, is still closed to have their kitchen remodeled.

There will be no sushi and rice paper rolls orders taken for another week.

Cilantro Fresh are hopeful that they will be ready to take our orders again on Monday, 26 August for lunch on Wednesday, 28 August. However, as we all know, renovations seldom go to plan. We will keep you posted.

Should you have any questions pertaining to anything Tuckshop related, please don’t hesitate to contact us at tuckshop.gss@gmail.com

Thanks.

Uniform Shop

Fiona Fryer

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

Uniform Roster

Prep Selling Days

Thursday November 28th 2019 8.15-11.30am
Wednesday January 22nd 2020 3-6pm

Stock Update

We have new girls long pants in royal blue in stock for $30 and a new lightweight microfibre jacket in royal blue and gold for $33. Size 6 microfibre jackets are out of stock.

Size 8 dresses are out of stock until the end of the year.

School colour hair accessories are available, 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 pigeon hole in the main office.

Email address for school uniform store is:

uniformstore@gracevilss.eq.edu.au

School Plus

The term has flown by so fast as we enter the half way mark! Week 5 was a short week, with the Ekka public holiday however, the children enjoyed a number of exciting activities in celebration of Science Week. Mummified Apples, Lava Lamps, Fake Snow and making Star Playdough were a huge hit as the children got their Science on! With a break mid-week, the children were back on Thursday with plenty of Ekka stories to share.

The Senior Club has also been up and running and the 4-6’s have enjoyed having their own club free time up at Adventure Playground! The week ended with a morning of Arts and Craft making Dragon Flies! We are very excited for the School Fete next Saturday 24th August. The School Plus Team can’t wait to run the Dunking Machine, we hope to see you all there. Come along and dunk your favourite School Plus Educator!