7 December 2020

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

We made it! What a year! I hope all families and staff can find some time over the Christmas New Year break to relax and refresh ready for what 2021 has to offer!

We hope you can pop in to see the Wonder Garden Tuesday, which will be sprinkled with a bit of Christmas magic! A small but fun way to end the year and send us off with a smile!

Congratulations to Holly W for making the QLD State Schools girls cricket team. Holly is a passionate and talented cricketer and we wish her the best of luck in the future!

We would like to wish the following staff the best of luck as they take on some new adventures in 2021:

• Mrs Prout, our instrumental music string teacher will be retiring. Mrs Prout has been a wonderful advocate for the music program at Graceville and we hope she enjoys her retirement.
• Mr Osborne is taking a semester or maybe even a year to travel around Australia and fingers crossed overseas. He will return after having some wonderful adventures!
• Ms Miller is on loan to another school for a year which may turn into a permanent move. We wish her the best of luck as she takes on a unique and interesting experience.
• Mrs Simms is taking maternity leave for most of 2021. We wish her the best of luck as she welcomes her bub and enjoys motherhood!

We welcome some new or returning staff in 2021:

• Ms Bacic who will be working on year 3. Ms Bacic enjoys STEM and will bring some great knowledge and skills to our school.
• Mrs Scott who has done some contracts for us this year and will take on a role in an enhancement class in 2021. Ms Scott comes to us from working in International schools in Singapore and has a breadth of experience to offer from her international experiences in high achieving school systems.
• Mrs Hempel who will be with us one day at week at this stage. Mrs Hempel has worked at Graceville on contracts before and the feedback from our community has always been very positive so we look forward to her addition to the senior Enhancement Class.
• Mrs Lambrides returns from her nice long holiday and we are looking forward her return.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with Mrs Beruldsen who continues her treatment. She is progressing well and her prognosis at this stage is promising.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2020! Our Year 6 students officially graduate on Monday night and we wish them the best of luck as they head off on a new adventure in high school.

As we enter 2021, we hope families can once again enter the school grounds. If all goes well, we will start next year with families in the school grounds, especially for our new Prep students! I will update you all in the week prior to school returning of any updates.

On behalf of the staff at Graceville State School, I would like to thank you for your support this year and wish you all a safe and merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Wow, what a unique year 2020 has been! The children across Prep to Year 2 have learnt and developed such resilience along the way, I think these skills will follow them on to new year levels in 2021 and enable them to become strong learners and navigators in their future. Happy and safe holidays everyone as we head into our summer break.

Regards,
Maree

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

We can all help to keep our schools safe

We can all help keep our schools safe. The responsibility rests with all of us.

If you see something suspicious, look, listen, and report.

Contact School Watch on 13 17 88 to report any incidents you see or hear, even if they seem minor.

In an emergency or if you see a crime in progress dial Triple Zero (000).

Spark their Future — nurture your child’s spark

Discovering your  child’s spark  (something that gives them energy and joy) can help your child find some purpose in their world and escape the stress of everyday life.

With the holidays approaching, now is a good time to explore your child’s spark and help them develop it in a positive way.

Visit the  Spark their Future website  to find out how to nurture your child’s spark and keep the communication lines open, so with your help, they can make the most of their time at school and at home.

We the Differents — find your different

2020 has brought its fair share of challenges making it hard for students to stay motivated when everything around them seems uncertain.

But finding their different — that thing that excites them — is one way to help teens feel like each day is worth it.

Their different can sometimes be hard to spot, so here’s some tips to help your teen  find their different .

Harvest work incentive open to school leavers

If you’re a school leaver and looking for a working holiday adventure over summer, agriculture could be a great choice.

Queenslander farmers are seeking workers to fill labour shortages.

Workers in the Wide Bay and Darling Downs areas could be eligible for an incentive of up to $1500 to assist with costs of travelling and staying in these regional areas to undertake work.

For details on how to apply, visit the  Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website .

The Australian Government is also offering up to $6000  relocation assistance  to take up short-term agricultural work.

Do you have an awesome nature mission idea?

Nature Play QLD is giving two lucky students the chance to be featured in its new passport — a small booklet that contains fun outdoor missions for children aged under 12 to enjoy.

Over half a million Queensland children have the original passport, so if you’ve got a great nature challenge idea, get thinking… and visit the  Nature Play QLD website  for all the details.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

We have a big announcement to share this week. Mrs Ruth Prout, our string teacher, is retiring at the end of this year after 21 years of teaching here at Graceville SS. We know many students, families and staff have greatly appreciated her fabulous teaching and commitment to our school and students. Mrs Prout will be missed by all of us, including Mr Kukulies and I who have worked closely with her for many years. We would like to thank her for her dedication and commitment to our students and program, and her support and friendship. We wish you well with your retirement Mrs Prout!

I would also like to announce that Mr Alex Chin will be joining our team of instrumental teachers next year, as our string teacher. Mr Chin is a very experienced teacher and has been teaching at a number of local schools, including Corinda and Indooroopilly SHS. We are looking forward to working with Mr Chin and we'd like to welcome Mr Chin to our school.

We have recently been having mini concerts in the music room, with students having the opportunity to listen to our choral and instrumental students performing in their choirs/ensembles. This has been the most successful way of sharing the recordings

Families have been sent the links to the recordings for the choirs and instrumental ensembles. We hope they have enjoyed listening to their child's music. The recordings are for our instrumental music and choral students for families to view and are not to be shared in any form, including social media.

Rehearsal times for 2021

Please note that for next year there will be some changes to the rehearsal schedule for some choirs and instrumental ensembles. We are including these so families can make appropriate arrangements for any other activities their child is involved in. It is important to note that instrumental rehearsals are a mandatory part of the IM program, so all students in the program are expected to attend regularly.

Next year we will confirm the week/date that rehearsals will start for the senior ensembles and both choirs, which will be in approximately week 3 of term 1. The Beginner/Junior Strings and Junior Band usually start during term 2.

The date will be advised next year. We will confirm whether the venue for rehearsals will be the hall or the music room depending on the guidelines that are in place when we start rehearsals.

7:45am - Monday morning - Junior Choir (students in year 2 and 3, all interested students are welcome)
7:45am - Tuesday morning - Senior Choir (students in years 4 - 6, all interested students are welcome)
7:45am - Wednesday morning - Junior/Beginner Strings (from a date TBC)

7:45am - Thursday morning - Senior Strings
2:50pm - 4:00pm - Thursday afternoon - Senior Band (year 5 and 6 band students)
7:45am - Friday morning - Junior Band (from a date TBC in term 2) (year 4 band students)

We would like to wish all of our students and families a very relaxing holiday and a Merry Christmas. Thank you for your commitment to the music program during this unprecedented year. I'm sure you will all also join me in thanking Mrs Prout for all of her work at Graceville SS over the last 21 years and wishing her a relaxing and well deserved retirement!

Naomi Lindh
Music Teacher and Choral Conductor

Sports News

Wayne Daunt

Congratulations to Holly W from 6E who was recently selected in the Queensland Girls Under 12 Cricket Team.

Holly spent a week in Bundaberg playing in the Met West Cricket team against all the other regions within Queensland. Over the week Holly played in 7 games and scored 60 runs for the week and also took 11 wickets. She was the second highest wicket taker in the competition with 11 wickets.

Her Met West team finished in third place and Holly was rewarded for her efforts with selection in the Queensland team. Again congratulations Holly and maybe one day we will see you competing in the women’s BBL competition.

Uniform Shop

Michelle Fanning

Hi all, welcome to Week 10. Can you believe we’re almost finished school for 2020??!!

As it's my last newsletter for the year I'd like to take this opportunity to thank a few people.

First of all my wonderful volunteers...although I haven’t needed you sadly for most of the year due to Covid, you have all been so supportive and have stepped up any time I have asked. Thank you! I hope to see much more of you in 2021!

To the entire teaching team at GSS. Thank you all so very much for passing on the hundreds of orders that have been left in your pigeonholes to pass on. I couldn’t have done my job without you!

To the amazing ladies in the school office, Ally and Marian. You have both made my first year as Convenor so much smoother...and so much more fun! I love visiting the office for a quick chat and a laugh, so thank you ladies.

Finally, thank you to the parents and children of GSS. Covid changed the way the Uniform Store worked...but I believe for the better. Thank you for embracing the appointment system and online store. I hope these new systems have made your life a little easier as they have for me.

OPENING DAYS AND TIMES FOR TERM 4

We will remain APPOINTMENT ONLY as well as having the online store for easy ordering. The appointment days this term are Tuesday and Thursday each week from 8:15am – 10:15am.

*Please note – In Week 10 the store will be open on MONDAY the 7/12 and TUESDAY 8/12*

OPEN DAYS FOR 2021

The uniform store will open by APPOINTMENT ONLY on the following dates –

Wednesday 20th of January 8:30am – 11:30am

BOOK PACK COLLECTION from the school hall Thursday 21st of January 8:30am – 11:30am

Friday 22nd of January 3pm – 6pm

There is now an option when booking online for 2021 Prep parents or new families joining us to make a 20 minute appointment to allow time for trying on uniforms etc. The usual 10 minute appointments will apply for current families.

For any reason you cannot make your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible via the uniform store email or call the school office to leave a message.

When visiting the store, enter and exit the school grounds through the Oxley Road gate near the tennis courts. The uniform store is located just to the left of the courts.

To book an appointment click on the following link

ONLINE STORE

The uniform shop has an online store, so if you already know the sizes you're after you can order and pay online with ease.

If you would like your order ready for collection from school before the new school year starts, the cut-off date to order online is TUESDAY 19th OF JANUARY 2021. Any online orders made after this date will be ready for collection once school commences in 2021.

The online store can be found on the link below

POLO SHIRTS

THEY ARE COMING! For those who are patiently (or in my case impatiently) waiting on size 2 or 4 Gold Polo Shirts I have heard they aren’t too far away. I will do my absolute best to pass them on to all that have pre ordered before school finishes for the year. I promise to be in touch as soon as they arrive.

NEW ITEM

If you missed the announcement, a long sleeve gold polo shirt is now available. It looks exactly like the usual short sleeve gold polo...GSS printed on the collar, buttons at the neck, school emblem on the chest and now with a long sleeve. They will be an excellent addition to the current uniform as they can be worn all year round...sun smart in summer and extra warmth in the cooler months. The long sleeve polo is currently available in size 6 to 12 and retails for $35. A broader size range will be available in 2021.

DONATIONS

We are always grateful for donations of 2nd hand uniforms that are in clean freshly washed, saleable condition. We also ask that any donations are SCHOOL BRANDED ITEMS ONLY, so no items from any outside stores.

We are getting low on 2nd hand items so if you were thinking of going through the wardrobes, please do! When donating, please either drop them in. They can be handed in when you have an appointment or to the ladies in the office once school recommences. Please DO NOT leave bags at the uniform store if it is closed.

Thank you for your generosity and understanding.

• Please be advised that refunds will only be given if you have the original receipt. Items should not have been washed, worn and any tags must still be attached.
• We encourage customers to use their EFTPOS or credit cards when purchasing.

The email address for school uniform store is:

gracevillessuniform@gmail.com

Thank you all for your ongoing support. Have a wonderful Christmas break and I look forward to seeing you all for a bigger and better year in 2021!

Michelle

Tuckshop News

Hi Everyone

Well that’s a wrap for Tuckshop for 2020!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to ALL our volunteers for this year. It certainly has been a challenge but thanks to you and your support we made it.

To our volunteers who are leaving us at the end of this week as you and your child move on to the adventure of high school or to those on new adventures either at another school, or in another state we wish you all the best and thank you for all your years of sandwiches, chopping, pizza making and running bags to boxes not to mention all the ice blocks and ice creams!

You will be missed I guarantee!

A big shout out to Edina and Marion our back up convenors who have answered our call on many occasions to step up and help when we have needed extra hands - we would have been very lost without you! Thank you.

For all those returning next year….

Tuckshop will reopen on FRIDAY 29TH JANUARY 2021 with all your favorites and maybe some new ones….AND you can always get in early and volunteer for next year using the signup link!

Most importantly - we hope everyone has a fabulous break and an even better Christmas and New Year.

Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you, your wonderful kids and welcoming any new faces in 2021!

See you at Tuckshop (on Friday 29th January 2021!)

Alex and Emma
Tuckshop Convenors 2020

School Plus

The last two weeks here at School Plus have been filled with lots of fun. We can now see the end of our term and we are looking forward to our exciting holiday program. A few holiday activities include: water slides every week, a full week dedicated to Christmas, a glow in the dark galaxy disco day and so much more! If you would like to book your child/ren in for the holiday program and haven’t done so already, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In more Cooking Club news, the last two weeks have been filled with our little MasterChef’s cooking and creating two fabulous dishes, versatile muffins, and spaghetti bolognese. Both dishes were delicious! In the final week, the children were left to be independent and they had to make their own cookies, this turned out great and we cannot wait to hear about what the children continue to learn with their new skills.

We have been very busy here at OSHC for the last few weeks, we have been making poppies for Remembrance Day, aboriginal craft for NAIDOC week and celebrating World Kindness Day! For Remembrance Day we did red Gelli Baff for our sensory activity, during this activity the children loved, squishing, and feeling all the Gelli.

Don’t forget that we are supporting the Salvation Army for their Christmas Appeal, we have been collecting food and toy donations for the last two weeks. If you have anything you would like to donate, please bring it in. All donations are greatly appreciated. We cannot wait to help our community in such a tough year.

Swimming Holiday Clinics

Peter Geraghty

Bookings are now being taken for the two holiday swim clinics being held at the Graceville school pool this Christmas holiday. The first will be run from Monday December 14th till Friday December 18th and the second from Monday January 18th till Friday January 22nd. All ability levels are catered for with learn to swim, stroke correction and squad classes on offer. You do not need to attend every day of the clinic as long as you mention your availability when enrolling. Children in holiday school care may also join the program as staff are able to bring students to the pool and pick them up after their lesson. You will need to do some paperwork with school care if this is the case. The number of sign-ons for the group lessons will determine the start time of the private one on one lessons. As a rough guide squad will start at 8am followed by Advanced Stroke Development at 9 am and then Beginner stroke development at 9:30 am. I will then have teachers on hand for the one-on-one program from about 9 am. The one-on-one lessons will be available at this stage from 9 am onwards every day of the week. When booking please state which hour you are available [e.g. between 9 am and 10 am or 10 am and 11 am]. To really help me with making the schedule the best response is available 'anytime'. See you at the pool...

Pete Geraghty
ph. 0432407442

Tennis

TENNIS HOT SHOTS – ENROLMENTS FOR 2021 NOW OPEN!

Enrolments are now open for term 1 2021 tennis coaching.

ENROL ONLINE at the link below

PRIVATE AND SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

Should you have any questions please contact Tennis for Kids on info@tennisforkids.com.au or 0408 187 741.

ALL NEW CHILDREN ENROLLING IN TERM 1 WILL RECEIVE A FREE JUNIOR TENNIS RACQUET!

Tennis For Kids is a FairPlay activity provider and therefore can accept Government FairPlay Vouchers -

CHRISTMAS SCHOOL HOLIDAY TENNIS COACHING CLINICS

MONDAY 14th, TUESDAY 15th & WEDNESDAY 16th DECEMBER 2020

MONDAY 18th, TUESDAY 19th & WEDNESDAY 20th JANUARY 2021

School Holiday Tennis Clinics are now open for enrolments. Positions are available for all school students aged between 4-12 years.

CLINIC 1 – RED BALL STUDENTS (RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN 4-7 YEARS OF AGE)

• 8.00am - 10.30am at Graceville State School (Oxley Road, Graceville)
• 8.00am - 10.30am at Sherwood State School (Oxley Road, Sherwood) *December Only

CLINIC 2 – ORANGE BALL STUDENTS (RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN 7-9 YEARS OF AGE)

• 8.00am - 11.00am at Graceville State School (Oxley Road, Graceville)
• 8.00am - 10.30am at Sherwood State School (Oxley Road, Sherwood) *December Only

CLINIC 3 – GREEN BALL STUDENTS (RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN 9-12 YEARS OF AGE)

• 8.00am - 11.00am at Graceville State School (Oxley Road, Graceville)

Coaching clinics are suitable for everyone as children are divided into groups according to both age and ability. Each session includes plenty of coaching and games, with coaches ensuring regular breaks and snack time, especially for the littlies!

Holiday Clinic positions are limited - so please enrol early to avoid disappointment!!

For further details or to enrol, please click this below link - or contact Tennis For Kids at info@tennisforkids.com.au or on 0408 187 741

Community Notices

Robotics Lessons

Robotics Summer Camp - teams of students, who will build, program and compete with a robot, while also learning about a modern problem in science and engineering and developing solutions for it. Students will be using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Robotics kits and laptops under the instruction of William Wei, who is the GSS “lollipop man”, GSS Robotics Club experienced coach, founder of Piano & Robotics Studio, and First LEGO League (FLL) judge.

Students who have experience in Lego EV3 can join the intensive program. This program helps students to learn and progress to a higher level in intensive coding, which is also preparation for robotics competition, example First Lego League (FLL).

Currently, William is running robotics lessons every Wednesday and Thursday after school. If you are interested in enrolling for Robotics Summer Camp, please SMS Elizabeth on 0413 909 973, or email on pianoandrobotics@gmail.com to arrange a FREE trial lesson.

Please go to the link below for more details and information.

Junior Engineers

Christmas Hamper Donations

The awesome Corey Demuth from our local Sherwood Salvation Army Store is coordinating the collection of goods to create Christmas hampers and bring some Christmas cheer to those less fortunate in our community.

We’re calling for your support to purchase extra non-perishable item/s when your grocery shopping, and/ or purchase extra new children’s toy/s when you’re gift shopping in the coming weeks, and drop these under the Christmas tree at the Sherwood Salvos store between now and 19 December.

An example list of non-perishable food items is attached. If you wrap the children’s toys we kindly ask that you write the recommended gender and age (as appropriate)

Drop-off: Salvos Sherwood, 450 Sherwood Rd, Sherwood QLD. Open every day 9am – 5pm (except Sundays).

I am also happy to collect goods and take them to the Salvos on your behalf. If you would prefer this option please DM me and we can coordinate.

Thank you for your generosity and support in advance.