15 November 2019

Domain and email change

Please be aware that the school’s domain name change for our school website address is now:

This domain name change also impacts upon the following email addresses, please ensure you have updated 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,

I hope the current air quality and hot weather have not impacted upon your families’ health. Our thoughts go out to those communities who are battling the bushfires as well as to the wonderful fire fighters and volunteers in our State who are working to contain the fires. We appreciate the understanding Graceville families have shown as we have made adjustments each day to respond to the conditions. The health and safety of our children and staff is our major priority.

I would like to take this opportunity to announce the four School Co-Captains and the three Student Learning Ambassador Leaders for 2020. All nominees were of a very high standard and we are proud of each and every one of them. I would like to congratulate the following students for being selected.

School Co-Captains for 2020

Blake G, Oliver H, Maria B, Roxy T

Student Learning Ambassador Leaders for 2020

Ada M, Jacqueline P, Hamish S

I would also like to congratulate the students and teachers from our music program for an outstanding concert on Wednesday night. I am always amazed to see the progress the students make across the course of the year. Having played an instrument all the way through my schooling, I know the practice and dedication that is required to learn a musical instrument! Well done to you all!

In consultation with the P&C and the Brisbane Council it has been decided to postpone the community movie night this Saturday due to the current weather and air conditions.

Finally, next Wednesday morning from 9.15am, we will host Olympian David McKeon, who will share his story with us. David’s visit to our school marks the 500th school visit of the Olympians Unleashed Program. We would like to invite any interested parents or friends to come along and listen to the talk. We apologise for the short notice however this is an amazing opportunity for our students and so jumped at the chance to take part.

We hope you have a great week. Only four weeks to go until the holidays!

Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Remembrance Day 2019

Our Remembrance Day assembly was on Monday and a big thank you to students of 3/4BH and Prep S who participated and also parents of year 4 who helped with food for morning tea and serving also.

Prep 2020

Our Get Set for Prep sessions have finished and I think these visits have helped many new students become familiar with our school, the playgrounds and prep classrooms. Letters were mailed out Thursday with information about prep class placements and times for prep orientation on Thursday November 28. Please watch out for these in the post.

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

Date Claimer: Robotics Club Challenge – Wednesday December 4 at 2pm in the hall

Below is the calendar for Junior Assemblies in Term 4. Everyone welcome, we are on from 2.15pm on these Tuesdays in the hall.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Lost Property Alert!

In the hall there is currently a huge amount of lost property. If your child has lost any items I suggest parents come along with their children to look through all the items. Prior to the end of this term any items that are still here will be donated or thrown out. If any parents have some free time to sort through the lost property, to at least give back named items to students that would be very appreciated.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

On Wednesday night we had our annual music concert. Thank you to all of our instrumental and choral students, conductors and families for their commitment throughout the year and your fabulous performances. This concert provides an opportunity for our students to share the music they have learnt, listen to each other perform and develop their performance skills. As well as this assisting to develop students' musicianship and musical skills, singing in a choir and playing in an ensemble develops team building skills, working collaboratively together and promotes well being. Thank you to our committed and enthusiastic teachers, students and support from families. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you have all put in this year!

Most students will continue to have IM lessons in week 7, unless otherwise advised by their conductor. There will be no Beginner/Junior Strings, Senior Band or Junior Band rehearsals in week 7. However please note that Senior Strings will continue to have lessons and rehearsals in week 7 and 8 as they will be preparing for their performance including Christmas songs at the Grandparents' Concert on 27 November at 10am which will be the last day of lessons/rehearsals for the Senior Strings. The Senior Choir rehearsals will continue until 25 November for Senior Choir and 27 November for Junior Choir as they are preparing for the Grandparents' Concert and the Community Carols evening.

Our Grandparents Concert is scheduled for Wednesday 27 November at 10am. Students in the Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Senior Strings will be performing at this concert and will be able to invite their grandparents/special guests to attend the concert. After these performances they will sing some Christmas carols together followed by a shared morning tea. The invitation for guests and information notes are attached and will be handed out to students at rehearsals over the next week. If you are able to assist with the morning tea (from 9am - 11:20am on Wednesday 27 November) please let me know via email (nclos1@eq.edu.au).

On Saturday 30 November our choir students are invited to sing at the Christian Riverside Church Community Carols evening. Please find the note attached regarding this performance. This will be a combined choir of any students in the Junior and Senior Choirs who are able to attend. The performance from our combined choir will be at 5:30pm. As there has been disruption to the normal Senior Choir rehearsals with the public holiday and PFD this term, any students in the Senior Choir who would like to join Junior Choir rehearsals for some additional practice of the songs we will be singing for this performance are welcome to join at 8:15am (on Wednesdays in the 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 Tuesday 10:45 - 11:20 - Senior Strings - Mr Thomas Adeney Wednesday 7:45am - 8:30am - Junior Choir (year 2 and 3 students) Mrs Lindh Wednesday 10:45am - 11:25am - Beginner/Junior Strings - Mr Thomas Adeney Wednesday 2:50pm - 4:00pm - Senior Band - Mr Stiller

Music teacher contact details...

Alex Grodecki - agrod3@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Thursdays) Thomas Adeney - taden3@eq.edu.au (at Graceville Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
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...

27 November - Grandparents' Concert at 10am - students in the Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Senior Strings will perform at this concert for their grandparents/special guests
30 November - 5:30 - Christian Riverside Church Community Carols - all students from the Junior and Senior Choir students are invited to sing (performance scheduled for 5:30pm)

We look forward to performing for you at our upcoming concerts!

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

Library News

GSS BOOK FAIR 2019

A big THANK YOU to our wonderful school community for your fantastic support of our annual LIBRARY BOOK FAIR! This year’s event was great fun and a terrific success!

The students and their families enjoyed the opportunity to buy books for themselves, their families and friends.

We earned a large amount of commission to help purchase wonderful NEW books and many essential educational resources for the library collection as well as other resources for the classrooms. It was a tremendous effort from everyone!

We look forward to doing it all again next year. Thanks again!

BOOK FAIR COMPETITION WINNERS

Congratulations to the students who won our Book Fair trivia competition: Griff (Yr.2), Charlie S. (Yr.3) and Charlie G (Yr.5). Hope you enjoy your Book Fair prizes!

LIBRARY BORROWING

The end of the school year is coming around fast, so please be aware that ALL STUDENT BORROWING WILL FINISH THIS FRIDAY (15 Nov).

Even though borrowing ceases on Friday, the library will continue to be open for students before school and during lunch time until the end of the year, so please feel free to visit.

We are also asking those who are leaving the school community to ensure their library books are returned, and perhaps consider donating their library bag to the school if it is no longer needed.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

Scholastic Book Club is up and running again for the FINAL TIME this year.

This term’s flyer (Issue 8) has been handed out to the classes – to order, just look over the flyer with your child/children, select the books you would like and mark them on the order form on the back of the flyer.

Then ORDER ONLINE WITH THE CORRECT PAYMENT, by the closing date FRIDAY 15TH NOVEMBER.

Preferred method of payment:

CREDIT CARD payments online, or through the LOOP APP [LOOP : Linked Online Ordering and Payment available on the link below or download the LOOP Apple or Android app]. The order forms do not need to be returned to school.

If paying by credit card on the phone or with a cheque made to Scholastic Australia, return the order form to the school library by FRIDAY 16TH NOVEMBER.

NO CASH ORDERS PLEASE – GRACEVILLE STATE SCHOOL IS RUNNING A  CASHLESS BOOK CLUB.

Melanie Hutchinson
Teacher Librarian

P&C Update

Voluntary Contributions

If you haven’t made a voluntary contribution yet this year, you can still contribute to help fund technology resources at Graceville State School.

You can make your Voluntary Contribution of $100 per student (or your preferred amount) by transfer to the P&C account, at the School Office or in $10 instalments online at the link below.

The P&C account details are:

Account name: Graceville State School P&C Association
BSB: 064-111
Account number: 000900130
Ref: VC “Child’s name”

P&C meeting

Please join us for the final of the year at 7:30pm on Wednesday 4 December.

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop Roster for week ending 22nd of November 2019

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers for another busy week - only 3 more weeks of Tuckshop left for 2019!

Don’t forget!!

Gingerbread men are back on the menu! Order through S24 for only 80c or for a special Friday treat order an ice cream and Gingerbread man for $2.

Week 9 is the last week of Tuckshop as we close the shutters this year on Friday, 6 December.

All orders for Friday, 6 December must be placed on S24 by noon on Thursday, 5 December.

This will allow exact product to be ordered for the last day of service in 2019 and avoid storing excess in freezers over the Christmas break.

We will remind you about this each week, once via the newsletter and once via a S24 email on a Monday.

Tell everyone you know and thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Finally, don’t forget our “Thank You Dinner” for all our Volunteers has been scheduled to take place on Thursday, 12 December. This will be a combined event to farewell our outgoing Tuckshop and Uniform Shop Convenors and welcome our new Convenors for 2020.

Come along, enjoy a night off and celebrate everyone’s general fabulousness! Drop us a line at tuckshop.gss@gmail.com if interested.

Thanks.

Uniform Shop

Fiona Fryer

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

We desperately need new volunteers in the store for next year as most of this years volunteers are leaving, it only requires you to be there from 8.15 to 9am once or twice a fortnight (depending how many new volunteers we get). If you are able to help please send an email or come and see me in store. Hopefully see you soon!

Uniform Roster

Term 4

Prep Selling Days

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

Families that are already at Graceville State School are encouraged to come during normal uniform store hours as the prep selling days are much busier than usual.

Stock Update

We have great quality swimming bags for $12 and swimming caps for $10 in various colours.

We have a lightweight microfibre jacket in royal blue and gold for $33. Size 6 microfibre jackets are now out of stock until next year.

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

Can you believe we are already halfway through term 4! The Prep Independence Project has been smooth sailing so far! At this stage we believe the preps will be independently transitioning to and from our OSHC Room well and truly before weeks 9 and 10. It does help that our building is so close!

This week at School Plus the children enjoyed making masks and Harma Beads in craft and gym mats on the oval most afternoons. Boules in the morning and the sensory activity, Bubbles in the Red Tub!

One afternoon, we witnessed a group of children patiently working together to build a beautiful sun out of the Construction Connectables. The final masterpiece turned out to be just stunning and the children were very happy with the outcome.

The children have also been continuing to maintain and take care of the flower garden and worm farm. Feel free to stop and smell the gorgeous flowers out the front of our OSHC Building! Watch this space for more exciting new over the last few weeks of the year!

Community Notices

'3/4 cello in good condition for sale. $500. Contact Julie Butner on 0416 039 934.'