20 February 2020

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

The end of next week sees the halfway point of the term. It is amazing to think we are so far into the year.

Next Wednesday our school’s Strategic Plan will be verified by the Department. We are grateful for the engagement of students, teachers and families for working with us and providing feedback as part of our school review process last year. We have used the common themes of the feedback from the review and consultation processes last year to design our new Strategic Plan, which will span from 2020-2023. The new plan builds on and enhances the work we started in 2016. Our school vision remains the same and we have included one new value that came through very strongly from the student and parent feedback. This is an underpinning value of respect for the environment with consideration for building a sustainable future for our children and the planet. Our school focus areas to enhance curriculum, teaching and learning are; to continue the work we have started on our inquiry journey, gradually developing our curriculum, teaching and learning practices to be more aligned with the needs for 21st Century learning and engagement in society. A greater emphasis will be placed on Technology as we build teacher and student capability in both design and digital technologies. We will consciously consider and look for ways to understand and enhance wellbeing and how we can help to build a foundation of strong wellbeing in the lives of both of students and staff. We would love to hear from any parents who have expertise in the areas of Technology as we learn and grow as a school in this area over the next four years. Ms Hass will be leading our work in IT and starting a parent IT committee this year for any parents who are interested. Our P&C President, student leaders and some teachers will meet with our Assistant Regional Director next week as part of the official verification of the plan.

The Fete and P&C meetings are next Wednesday night. The Fete meeting starts at 6.30pm and the P&C meeting follows at 7.30pm. As part of my agenda I will briefly share the Strategic Plan and how we intended to start working on it in 2020. I will also share some thinking from our teachers in relation to their ‘wish lists’ for resources to support teaching and learning. More access to technology is always on the agenda and this year we would also like to discuss updating or upgrading classroom furniture to create more flexible learning spaces. The staff are also very supportive of the development of more outdoor learning spaces in the school. Since the introduction of the wonder garden, teachers have seen the great benefits and stimulus for learning by including outdoor learning environment as part of what they do.

Finally, we have our Inquiry expert Kath Murdoch with us for two days next week. On Thursday and Friday, our teachers and students will work with Kath to continue to develop their curiosity and learning as inquirers.

I hope you have a great week,
Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Technology Updates for parents – meeting on Wednesday April 1 at 8am

We are very thankful for the portion of voluntary contributions that goes towards updating and increasing the numbers of iPads and laptops we have at school. Each year we have a budget and plan for purchases depending on contributions received at school. Of course this is a never-ending need as devices go out of warranty and new upgrades are released for different devices.

We would like to offer a meeting each term for parents to come along and hear about how technology is used within the school and also how devices are distributed and maintained. The first meeting this year will be on Wednesday April 1 at 8:00am in the Waratah room (upstairs from the office), everyone welcome to attend.

Managing parent-administered Facebook groups and other social media

While social media is an excellent platform for parents and carers to share and keep up to date with news and activities happening, we need to be very mindful of appropriate use and EQ provides some useful tips when creating and administrating these pages and groups.

Waiting List for Prep for 2021 – opens first day of next term Monday April 20.

The waiting list for 2021 will open on Monday, 20th 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.

We want to get started – have you sent back your ‘Intention to Participate’, have you paid your invoice? Yes to both, let’s get started!

Mathletics for 2020

Some classes have already starting using the Mathletics program for this year. It is an online Mathematics program that is individually based and one that students can access at home as well as at school for all students in year 1 to year 6. The cost for Mathletics is $12 per student and an invoice will be emailed home once the ‘Intention to Participate’ form has been signed and returned. Your class teacher can inform you more fully about Mathletics and how your class will be using the program this year. Each student will then receive their own personal log on and password to access the program for both at school and at home.

Reading Eggs in Prep

We are using the program ‘Reading Eggs’ with our prep students. This online program is designed to motivate and excite students about reading and will be a useful addition to assist our classes in the reading process, which we view as one of the most important things for our preppies to learn as it unlocks all other areas in learning. Some families may already have a subscription, if you do please let your teacher know about this. School subscriptions are vastly cheaper for parents and students have access both at school and at home. Also with a school subscription, teachers can track student progress and achievement

Lower School 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.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

The Enhancement Program & University of New South Wales Assessments 2020

This year our Enhancement application process will start in early Term 2 with an information session (date to be confirmed). This year there will not be any requirement to participate in any UNSW assessments as a prerequisite for the Enhancement applications. We will collect data on students in alternative ways this year.

With the University of New South Wales assessments this year, we will be participating in the Maths and Science only, the same as last year. This year they will run over a 5 day period each – Science: 17-21 August & Maths 31 August-4 September ($15.95 each comp)

Participation in these competitions is voluntary. Payment for these competitions will be through UNSW themselves, not the school. More information will be sent to parents early in Term 2. The deadline for payments will be the end of Term 2.

FairPlay vouchers, empowering students to move

FairPlay vouchers assist eligible students with membership fees to join a sport or physical activity. Those eligible can apply for a voucher valued up to $150. Applications are now open.

Does your child have a current health plan?

Students with health support needs should have a current health plan to enable their school to help them safely participate in all aspects of school life, including camps and excursions. Health plans should be reviewed annually. Speak to your school principal about health plans, including equipment, medication or consumables required to manage your child’s health conditions while at school. Principals will ensure school staff receive training to best support your child. Learn more about support for student health needs in schools.

Money Matters

Anne Nixon

Student Resource Schemes (SRS) for 2020 are:

• Prep Requirements ($70)
• Reading Eggs for Prep ($25)
• Instrumental Music Programs – Instrument Hire ($100), Percussion Maintenance ($50), Music Participation ($90) & Choir ($40)
• Mathletics On-line registration (Years 1 - 6) ($12)
• Origo Maths (years Prep to 4) ($7)
• Year 4/5 maths levy ($17.50)
• ESmart Digital Licence Yr 5 ($10)

This week, you will have received invoices for the resource scheme. If you did not receive one, please contact the office. All resource scheme fees are due by Friday 21st February 2020.

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.

Credit in Account: Credits from 2019 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:

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.

Library News

Melanie Hutchinson

February is Library Lovers’ Month which is a perfect reason to recognize the value of school libraries and remind everyone how much the children of Graceville love our school library, and how important it is to their learning and wellbeing.

To celebrate this occasion the library decided to get in to the Valentine’s Day spirit with many students going on a Blind date with a Book.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! So the library has tried to play matchmaker. Each blind date book was wrapped in ‘oh so secretive’ brown paper and students didn’t know the ‘identity’ of their blind book date until they got home. Was it fiction or non-fiction? An adventure or a mystery? Funny or inspirational?

With each book a 'Rate your Date' slip was placed inside – after reading the book students simply have to say what they liked (or didn’t like) about their book date (don’t worry you won't hurt our, or its, feelings!). Remember to return the book to the library when you finish reading it, and give your date slip to Mrs Hutchinson.

We know this is a great way for students to experience new authors and/or new genres, and certainly many new books to the library collection. Some students will be out of their reading comfort zone and will hopefully read something they may not normally borrow from the library. More importantly, we hope students may possibly find a wonderful book that will make them fall in love with reading all over again!

Sport

Wayne Daunt

SWIMMING

Last Wednesday the following children attended the Eastern Taipans Districts swimming carnival. All participants swam exceptionally well with several personal bests being swam by our students.

These children attended the district carnival – Isabel K, Emily B, Lisa H, Penny J, Jules M, Evelyn P, Emma R, Lily M, Henry C, Myles G, Hugh T, Louie P, Ezekiel H, Tim R, Tom S.

At the completion of this carnival the following children were then chosen to attend the Met West Regional carnival to be held at Chandler Pool on February 26 – Ezekiel H, Emma R, Lisa H, Lily Mc, Isabel K, Louie P and Tom S.

We wish our students all the best as they endeavour now to make the Met West swim team to attend the Qld State Swimming Championships.

CROSS COUNTRY

The school cross country will be held on Wednesday March 11. The following timetable will be followed on that day –

SESSION 1

SESSION 2

For those children that are interested we will commence cross-country training on Tuesday February 25 before school from 7.40am – 8.30am. Children who wish to attend these training sessions need to assemble under D block and meet Mr Daunt at 7.40am before being accompanied over to Graceville Memorial Park for the session. Please DO NOT wait in the park for Mr Daunt as your child will be unsupervised for several minutes before the group arrives. Training will be held every Tuesday & Thursday mornings up to the date of the school cross-country.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

We have had many enthusiastic instrumental and choral students attending lessons and rehearsals this week. We appreciate your assistance with ensuring your child arrives on time and is prepared for their lesson/rehearsal. If your child did not attend the first choir rehearsal this week, they are welcome to join next week (please find a link to the note attached). Our instrumental teachers have handed out/emailed timetables to parents and teachers, but if you have not received this or would like an electronic copy please contact your child's teacher (email contacts below).

Music Teacher Contact Details...

Mrs Ruth Prout - string teacher and conductor - Wednesdays and Thursdays - rprou5@eq.edu.au
Mr James Kukulies - band teacher and conductor - Thursdays and Fridays - jkuku2@eq.edu.au
Mrs Naomi Lindh - classroom music teacher and choir conductor - Mon - Fri - nclos1@eq.edu.au

Tuesday 7:45am - Senior Choir (starts week 3)
Wednesday 7:45am - Junior Choir (starts week 3)
Wednesday first break - Junior/Beg Strings (starts in May, date TBC)
Thursday 7:45am - Senior Strings (starts week 3)
Thursday 2:50 - 4pm - Senior Band (starts week 3)
Friday 7:45am - Junior Band (starts in May, date TBC)

Thank you for supporting your child's involvement in the music program!

Naomi Lindh
Classroom Music Teacher and Choral Conductor

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

After some very wet weeks, it is lovely to see the sun shining again. Lawns are green and growing rapidly, tanks are full, some bushfire areas have received welcome relief and some parts of our land are no longer in drought. Although there are times when the wet weather can be a drag and inconvenient, it provides growth and nourishment. Looking back, we can appreciate the benefits of the rain. When it’s raining day after day and we can’t get out to play or events get called off, sometimes it’s difficult to recognise the good. We can be stuck in the moment when things are a pain. Much like moments in the Learning Pit, the benefits are far more appreciated looking from beyond. In the pit, all you can see is the difficulty, the problem, another rainy day. Perhaps nature can teach us to expect that, like the sun, learning will come and soon the current inconvenience or difficulty will be a season of growth. In the learning journey, the grass truly is greener on the other side.

Congratulations to all our student leaders, who were presented with their badges on assembly. Our student population are extremely fortunate to have such wonderful role models among their peers. I know 2020 will be a very exciting year for our student leaders.

Our representative swimmers performed very well last week at a rather soggy District Swimming Trials, with several students successfully qualifying for the Regional meet. All our swimmers swam good times and I am very proud of the efforts of all our competitors. It was wonderful to see so many parents there supporting their children.

The Local Council / P & C movie night was a fantastic event and a great way to debut the new hall revamp. Despite a very wet evening, the hall was filled with families enjoying a fun night out. It was so much fun to be part of the evening and a great opportunity to catch up with parents all contributing to the school community. I would also like to thank the school staff who attended on the night and supported our P & C in making the night such a success. This partnership between the school staff and parent body is a powerful connection, supporting our students’ school and learning experience. Thank you everyone for your contribution in strengthening this important partnership.

Have an amazing week!

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

P&C News

The P&C have been very busy over the school break and hopefully many of you have been able to enjoy the refreshed hall and refreshing hall air conditioning! We are going to be having another exciting year, but WE NEED YOUR HELP! The school tuckshop and uniform shop need a new batch of volunteers – grab a friend and head in there - it’s a great deal of fun and the kids love it. Please see the letter attached for more information on our work and the exciting times ahead.

Next meeting: 26 February 2020, 7:30pm
Annual General Meeting: 25 March 2020, 7:30pm

Uniform Shop

Michelle Fanning

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

Year 6 Commemorative Shirts

Thank you so much to all the parents and students who have filled in, returned their forms and made payment. It's a big job with over 100 orders to process, so I appreciate the prompt return.

For those yet to order....

Friday the 21st of February is the last day for orders. No further orders will be taken after this date.

All year 6 students are being given the opportunity to have a commemorative shirt. Gold polo shirts are screen printed with class lists on the back and house shirts can be printed for the house captains. You can purchase new gold shirts for $30 and house shirts for $35 from the uniform store or you can use your existing shirts but they have to be in good condition, no holes or pulls.

Printing costs are : $10 per gold polo and $15 per house captain shirt.

If you need an order form it is attached below, or come and see us at the uniform shop. The shirts will be ready by the end of March and will be handed out in the classroom, I will confirm the exact date later.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Michelle

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. We do not accept items bought from other stores.

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

Tuckshop News

Hi Everyone

Roster for WEEK 21/2 and WEEK 28/2

Thank you to all our volunteers for stepping up and helping in Tuckshop – but as you can see the next couple weeks are looking pretty spare!!! PLEASE SIGN UP AND VOLUNTEER. It really is a very simple process.

No one wants to reduce the days that tuckshop is available but without you, we may need to limit the days we are open.

PLEASE LOG ON TO SCHOOL24 and VOLUNTEER THROUGH THE VOLUNTEER ROSTER LINK.

• No experience required
• Just one shift a month or appx 2 per 10-week term
• Only 3 hours out of your day from 8:30-11:30. Please note that we are still happy to have your help even if you might be late from reading groups, kindy drop off etc OR if you need to leave a bit early.

Apologies for the issue with Sushi orders this week – it was an issue with School24 and while we worked quickly to resolve the problem unfortunately sometimes these things are out of our control. Fingers crossed we run smoothly next week.

Just another little reminder of our specials throughout the week:

Tuesday – Napolitana Pasta
Wednesday- Sushi (needs to be ordered by 12 on Monday)
Thursday – Hamburgers
Friday – Ice cream (unfortunately not for our preps as it needs to be purchased at 1st break)

Please remember that

• Ice Mony Ice blocks are $1.20.
• Quelch ice blocks are $1
• Jelly Joys are 20c

Look forward to seeing you next week at Tuckshop

Alex, Emma and Edina
Tuckshop Convenors 2020
E: tuckshop.gss@gmail.com

School Plus

We’re back in the swing of things here at School Plus, full speed ahead as we finish off our second week back of the year. It’s been great having so many new faces with us this year, with our new Preps settling into our routines extraordinarily well! They are all smiles when they arrive to the service and can’t wait to play with their friends! Our turtle ‘Squirtle’ has been the centre of attention now that we are back at school and he is back from his vacation with one of our families! The children love watching him swim around in his tank and feeding him healthy snacks like cucumber. We’ve had a bit of a wet end to the week with the last few days of week 2 being wet weather play. The kids were very excited to go up and use the hall, with the new changes, including the air-conditioning and flooring. Our worm farm is still going strong, with the children using our morning fruit cuttings to feed them every day. Thank you to the families for remembering to renew your 2020 bookings! We look forward to seeing you all next week!

Term 1 Swim Program

Bookings are still being taken for the term 1 swimming program. All students who have participated in the swim program will begin the term in the SAME ABILITY LEVEL as term 4 unless told otherwise when rejoining the program this term. During the course of the term, the coach may move students to different levels where appropriate.

To join the entry group class of, "Beginner Stroke Development" (BSD), children must be in Year 1 or older and be able to swim 25m freestyle non-stop bi-lateral breathing [Breathing both sides]. Any children not of this age or ability may enrol in private lessons on offer Friday and Monday afternoons. If I have teachers and space in the pool available there is a chance you may be able to book a private lesson on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after school as well. To help me make this schedule I need an hour’s time frame to work with. This program is from 3pm until 5:20 pm on Fridays and 3pm until 5pm on the other week days, so if you want a private 20 minute time slot you would let me know day/s you are available and a 1 hour time frame of availability ...[for example between 3pm and 4pm on Tuesday and Friday]. It is impossible for me to give everyone a lesson straight after school so if you live nearby, maybe it is best to go home after school and return for the 4pm until 5:20pm timeframe. The best response I can receive is that you are available ANYTIME.

Spaces are limited, so to avoid disappointment, respond to this message asap with your preferred days and available times. I am unable to respond to email queries over the next week but am able to answer any question by phone (ph: 0432407442). Talk to me...DO NOT TEXT ME. Call me to discuss all if you have any questions.

An attachment with the first draft of the schedule has been included in this message (you may need to scroll to the bottom). Information regarding the 3 levels of group/squad classes is contained in the attachment. The three group levels are Beginner Stroke development [BSD], followed by Advanced Stroke Development [ASD] and then Squad.

The scheduled program may change due to over demand or lack of demand for any particular class.

A terms and conditions agreement will be given to all the new students at their first lesson. This needs to be signed and returned no later than the second lesson. Those who have enrolled previously do not need to complete a new agreement as the terms and conditions are unchanged and it is an ongoing agreement whilst participating in my Graceville swim school. Please advise if you would like another copy of the T's and C'c. Parents will be invoiced for the term once the program is settled.

Please send me ALL YOUR AVAILABLE DAYS and times and also days and times you are DEFINITELY NOT AVAILABLE. You will receive an email regarding your booking which will need to be confirmed by you before you join the program. Please forward this email to any friends or family who would be interested in joining the program. High school students and adults may join the program. You do not have to attend Graceville State School to participate. Everyone is welcome.

I am always looking for swimming teachers. If you know any qualified teachers or know anyone who would be interested in becoming a swimming teacher please put them in touch with me.

See you at the pool.
Pete Geraghty
0432407442

Community Notices

If you have adolescents in your home, then it’s very likely that technology is at the forefront of your mind. The digital world in its ever-changing forms is having an impact on how our teens interact with us, their school, their learning, their friends and the world around them.

There are genuine concerns around the impact of screens on our teens’ physical and emotional wellbeing. However technology also has significant benefits.

How do you decide what level of exposure is too much? How do you go about keeping it in balance?

Corinda Graceville Parish extends a warm welcome to all community members to attend our Conversation Corner series.

We are pleased to announce that David Gillespie will be joining us for a brief presentation followed by an opportunity to have a conversation around a controversial and important topic: the impact of screen time on our children’s brains.

Come and join us for an evening of conversation and discernment as we collectively unpack this important issue.

Tickets are just $10 and are available through: