13 May 2021

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and you were able to share some family time while celebrating Mother’s Day.

If you have a child in Year 3 or 5 you will be aware NAPLAN takes place over the next two weeks. This year we have moved to testing online. We hope our students enjoy the online version of the test more than the paper test, we have heard it is much more engaging for the children. We also hope their keyboarding skills and online navigational skills are up to the challenge! We wish all of our students the best of luck and remind them that this test is a reflection of one day of their schooling. They are more than a test, they are a whole person with a range of wonderful strengths which are not tested as part of NAPLAN which focuses on a narrow slice of literacy and numeracy.

It is with a heavy heart that I share some sad news about the tree in the wonder garden. After seeking multiple opinions from arborists about the tree, the overwhelming consensus is that the tree cannot be saved and it will need to be removed for the safety of the students. I asked many times in different ways if the tree could be saved but unfortunately the answer always came back as no. There are many reasons the tree could have declined so rapidly in health and so one reason cannot be pinpointed at this stage. What we do know is that recently borers moved into the tree which has destabilised it. We are very sad to share this news and are working with the arborists to see if part of the tree can be saved or if not repurposed and remain at the school. For now, the wonder garden remains sectioned off to ensure the safety of our school community from falling branches.

This Friday is a special Active School Travel walk to school day. It is National Walk to School Day. Due to this, we have staff who are willing to meet children at various locations in the community so we can join together in walking to school. On a side note, it is important to understand that the students who are at the gates on Friday mornings to provide stamps for children, must pack up when the bell goes so they can get to class. If your child would like a stamp, they need to arrive prior to the bell.

As you may have heard, due to the kindness of our parent volunteer and a group of teachers, we were able to offer STEM club to two different groups this term. A letter went home to all children who had expressed an interest in STEM club last week. The letter detailed the day of the week the child had been invited to attend STEM club. For those students we were not able to offer a place to this term, we hope to offer the opportunity in term 3.

Finally, this year has thrown a number of challenges at our staff. As some parents may be aware, there have been changes in some classes or periods of time where teachers have had to be away. These times have been due to the illness or health related matter of the teacher or the serious illness or passing of a family member. These issues seem to have affected a larger than usual number of our staff this year and we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding at these times. We try and replace the usual class teacher with a relief teacher known to the school and if possible the year level to limit the disruption to the class.

I hope you have a great week,

Zoe

Newsletter Articles

Acting Deputy Principal

Belinda Martin

Australian Early Development Census 2021 - Playing our part to build a national picture of child health

From next week, our school, along with thousands of others across the country will begin preparations for the fifth Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

The AEDC gives us a national picture of the development, health and wellbeing of children in their first year of full-time school. Since 2009, the census results have helped communities, schools and governments plan services and develop better policies to target support for children and families.

Children will not miss any class time, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information for the census. The AEDC gives us data at a school and community level - it isn’t an assessment of individual children.

Some teachers have also noticed that completing the assessments made them more aware of the needs of individual children and the class as a whole and that the census results are useful in planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing class programs.

Participation in the AEDC is voluntary. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census.

To find out more about the census and how communities are using the data to help children and families visit the AEDC website: www.aedc.gov.au.

If you have any questions, you can contact myself (Bel Martin) at bmart213@eq.edu.au

Preparing for Prep 2022

Our Prep waiting list is now open for in-catchment enrolments and forms can be collected and returned from our office.

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:

Prep Information Night for 2022 will be on Wednesday July 28th at 7pm in our Hall.

Prep interviews will commence in term 3. Bookings will be online via a link to be given out through the Information session. These meetings will be face to face at school for 30 minutes, please bring your child to this meeting. Completed enrolment forms and the Prep Profile form will be required at the interview.

Junior Assemblies

Parents and care givers of those hosting or performing a class item are invited to join us for Junior Assemblies which will be held every second Thursday afternoon from 2.15pm 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 2 assemblies and other important dates.

Green Team News

Hello families,

On Friday May 21st, the Green Team are joining up with our like-minded Active School Travel Team and the local council to create an event- ‘Walk to School Clean Up’. Families will be given the opportunity to sign up receive litter collection equipment for their walk to school on Friday the 21st of May. The equipment will be available for pick up the day before and then families can use it to clean up the streets as they leave the cars at home and walk to school. The council will be there to take away our rubbish and take away the litter collection equipment for another school to use. Cleaner streets, a healthy walk to school, reduced traffic and Active School travel stamps for all active travellers- what’s not to love about this?!!! Forms are available from the office to sign up to the event!

The Green Team is currently conducting research to locate ideal places in the school for raised garden beds, considering safety and access. Once we have found the location, we hope to purchase some new raised garden beds, soil and plants to create interactive green spaces for our school. If you have any know-how or access to resources for creating raised garden beds, please let Ms Goeldner know via e-mail: cngoe0@eq.edu.au

As a school we generate quite a bit of paper and cardboard waste and are currently engaged in a recycling program to ensure this enters a circular economy. As part of the process, we are looking into how we can first reduce our waste before moving onto recycling. Part of the Green Team’s plan is to begin using smaller classroom paper bins to encourage our community to use both sides of the paper before recycling. Every small change matters!

And don’t forget- you can help out the Green Team raise funds through recycling your containers. Just use Graceville State School’s code: C10055214

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

University of new South Wales Assessments Years 2-6

This year we will again be offering the opportunity for students in Years 2-6 to participate in the UNSW Assessments in Maths & Science. The assessments are all online and we do them in Year level sessions in the library (computer lab) before school. Each assessments costs $17.00. They will run in Term 3 – Science (23 – 27 August), Maths (30 August – 3 September). Later in the term a form will come home for you to enter your child. Invoices will be produced and payment will need to be made by the end of this term before students are entered.

Business Manger

Anne Nixon

Student Resource Schemes (SRS) for 2021 are:

• Prep Requirements ($70)
• Reading Eggs ($26)
• Instrumental Music Programs – Instrument Hire ($100), Percussion Maintenance ($50), Music Participation ($90) & Choir ($45)
• Mathletics On-line registration (Years 1 - 6) ($14)
• Origo Maths (years Prep to 4) ($8)
• Year 4/5 maths levy ($19)
• ESmart Digital Licence Yr 5 ($11)

Student Resource scheme forms have been sent home this week to new students. All forms need to be returned to the office by Wednesday 10th February 2021.

Invoices for existing students will be generated from Friday 5th February 2021. If you have not seen any invoices by Friday 12th February 2021, please contact the office.

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 2020 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:

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

It has been a busy term so far for the Senior Choir. In the first week after the holidays, we completed a recording for the schools ANZAC service and this week we sang at the Senior Assembly. It was the first time performing live for the Senior Choir since the end of 2019. We have been sharing our songs with the school community and families via recordings, but it is fabulous to have the opportunity to sing for a live audience! Thank you to those who were able to attend the assembly and listen to the Senior Choir!

Please ensure that your child attends rehearsals regularly, unless they are unwell. If they are absent due to illness, please send an email to your child's conductor so they are aware of the absence. We appreciate your support in ensuring students attend rehearsals regularly, as it assists them with building their skills and repertoire, and preparation for performances which is important for the entire ensemble/choir. This term the Junior Strings ensemble (which are students in their second year of learning a string instrument) have started rehearsals. These will continue each Wednesday morning at 7:45am in the hall and all Junior Strings students need to attend them regularly.

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

Term 2 Performance Schedule

Week 6 - Senior Strings - Senior Assembly, Wednesday 26 May,2:15pm - two parents/adults per child are invited to attend
Week 8 - Senior Band - Senior Assembly, Wednesday 9 June, 2:15pm - two parents/adults per child are invited to attend
Week 10 - Junior Choir - Junior Assembly, Thursday 24 June, 2:15pm - one parent/adult per child is invited to attend due to the size of the choir

Rehearsal schedule for 2021

Monday 7:45am - 8:30am - Junior Choir (students in years 2 and 3) - in the music room
Tuesday 7:45am - 8:30am - Senior Choir (interested students in years 4 - 6) - in the music room
Wednesday 7:45am - 8:30am - Junior Strings (this is for second year string students) - in the hall
Thursday 7:45am - 8:30am - Senior Strings - in the hall
Thursday 2:50pm - 4:00pm - Senior Band - in the hall
Friday 7:45am - 8:30am - Junior Band (this will begin on Friday 21 May at 7:45am) - in the school hall

Music teacher contact details

Alex Chin - String teacher and conductor (Wednesdays and Thursdays) email: axchi4@eq.edu.au
James Kukulies - Band teacher and conductor (Thursdays and Fridays) email: jkuku2@eq.edu.au
Naomi Lindh - Classroom music teacher and choral conductor (Monday - Friday) email: nclos1@eq.edu.au

Uniform Shop

Michelle Fanning

Hi everyone!

Here we are almost half way through the term...time flies!

WINTER STOCK

We have plenty of winter stock available, but don’t delay as it is selling fast! Remember we also have the long sleeve Gold Polos available which are a great option for winter.

ON ORDER

We are currently out of stock of size 6 and 10 Gold Polos. They will take approximately 3 weeks to arrive.

YEAR 6 COMMEMORATIVE SHIRTS

The shirts were delivered with great excitement on Tuesday to the classrooms. I really love seeing all of the Year 6’s faces when I carry the box of shirts in every year. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my job

OPENING DAYS AND TIMES FOR TERM 2

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

** PLEASE NOTE ** I will be closed on Thursday the 23rd of June (Week 10/last week of Term 2) but will open on Monday the 21st of June instead. So to clarify in Week 10 only, I will open Monday and Tuesday.

BOOKING APPOINTMENTS ONLINE

There is an option when booking online for 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 who know what sizes and items they are after.

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. All uniform items can be found online except for 2nd hand garments. Items ordered online will be sent to your child’s classroom.

The online store can be found on the link below

DONATIONS

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

If you were thinking of going through the wardrobes, please do! When donating, please either drop them in on a Tuesday or Thursday morning when the store is open, or you may leave them with the ladies in the office any other day. 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 uniform store is gracevillessuniform@gmail.com

Thanks everyone!
Michelle

Library News

Melanie Hutchinson

GSS READERS’ CUP 2021

On Tuesday 4th May, 27 enthusiastic teams of Year 5 & 6 students participated in the annual Graceville SS Readers’ Cup. Each team read SIX selected stories before the day and were quizzed on their knowledge of these books. They were also quizzed on their knowledge of books and reading in general.

At the end of six challenging rounds, PARADISE PEEPS: Ethan, Lisa, Jack, Hanako, Sisu, Khang, Taylor were the ultimate winners of the GSS READERS CUP 2021 trophy; with THE DARK MYTHS:

Lola, Evie, Ruby, Luka, Maeve, Jared, Cian, Julian, Mats coming in Second. Successfully coming Third were SUPER SEVEN: Milla, Jennifer, Sana, Richa, Sienna, Kate.

Congratulations to the PARADISE PEEPS team who were gracious winners and will now have their team name engraved upon the Readers’ Cup trophy. Congratulations also to all the other teams who participated in the spirit of the day and walked away with some fabulous prizes. It was just fantastic!

A special thanks to Mrs Hornstra, Mr Guthrie, Mr Jordan, Ms Ellis, Mr Arnold, Ms Elliott, Mrs Hempel, Mrs Lindh and Ms Fichera for being our judges for the competition.

We look forward to holding a Readers’ Cup again in 2022.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB : TERM 2 - ISSUE 3 2021

Book Club is up and running again this term.

Simply select any books your child would like from the catalogue and order online with the correct payment, by the closing date. Issue 3 Book Club catalogues have been sent home this week. Orders will close in three weeks on FRIDAY 14 MAY.

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. LOOP ordering will be open until Friday 14th May.

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 14th May.

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

Each order helps Graceville SS earn books and teaching resources/materials and equipment for our library and classrooms, however there is never any obligation to order.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

All Book Club items come with a full guarantee of satisfaction. If for any reason an item is found to be unsatisfactory, please return it to us within one month of purchase and a full refund will be arranged.

Melanie Hutchinson
Readers’ Cup Co-ordinator
Teacher Librarian

Tuckshop News

Weeks 3/4

Hi Everyone

How crazy has the start of term been! As the weeks go by, we get busier and busier here at Tuckshop. A very big THANK YOU to the volunteers who just pop in after reading groups or on their way out after drop off and lend a hand for 30mins-1hr or sometimes until their little ones with them say enough! We are very grateful for the unexpected drop in.

It really is a massive helping hand just putting on stickers to bags or packing up some pizzas and party pies.

If you can’t commit to a certain day, please feel free to pop in and check if we need help – I guarantee we won’t say no!

BUT if you can help out, please click on the link below …we’d love to see you.

SignUp.com:

NEW MENU ITEM NEW MENU ITEM NEW MENU ITEM NEW MENU ITEM

Our New Menu items have been very popular! Slushies are a hit and Lasagna is proving to be a great autumn warmer.

This week we have added Spinach and Ricotta Mini Sausage Rolls for $1.50 each. Let us know what you think!

We are also looking to expand the menu with some more Gluten Free options so watch this space.

This Week’s Reminders

• Weekly Specials this term are
  - Monday – Fried Rice $4.50
  - Tuesday – Lasagne $5.00
  - Wednesday – Sushi (ordered on a Monday using the Sushi menu in Qkr!)
  - Thursday- Beef or Chicken Burger $5.00

• Orders close at 8am every morning. Please do not use the Oops I forgot menu if you miss cut off. This menu is only to be used for emergency situations i.e., where kids have dropped their lunches or discovered they have no lunch at break. The menu is only checked after we have spoken with a parent or the office and is not to be used for any other purpose.

We are still not taking cash over the counter this term. Please order any treats through the QKR! App.

We look forward to seeing some new and regular faces this term so if you have any questions or concerns and you’d like to speak with us please email tuckshop@gracevillepandc.org.au or pop in for a quick chat we’d love to hear from you.

See you at Tuckshop!
Alex and Emma
Tuckshop Convenors 2021

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

Term 2 continues to race on with many big moments already taking place on school calendar. Last week, our District Cross Country athletes participated at the Districts trials. Everyone performed well against some very strong competition with several of our students heading off to Regionals. Well done everyone, for both your efforts and your encouragement of fellow students. To those going to Regionals, my piece of advice for you would be- “Train where there are hills.”

Year 6 students returned from their camp experience just a little wearier then when they left. A wet bus trip down and a drenching unloading activity did little to dampen the enthusiasm. Students faced a number of challenging situations and did a great job in facing those challenges head on. I hope the successes on camp continue to paint a clearer picture of just how incredible the students are. Parents know it. School staff know it. After camp, students have more reason to know it also.

Readers Cup, always a highlight on the school program for students, also took place last week with Mrs Hutchinson creating an incredible atmosphere of fun competition. Being away on camp I missed the spectacle last week but reports are that it was, yet again, a great success. Thank you, Mrs Hutchinson, for all your hard work and passion, so energetically expressed in this event.

This Friday morning, the Active School Travel barbeque fires up, under Covid-safe practices, to highlight the great work students, families and staff are doing in making our roads safer by actively travelling to school. I hope to see you there.

Enjoy a brilliant week!

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

P&C News

TRIVIA NIGHT 2021

Get ready everyone, trivia night is back for 2021! Numbers are strictly limited this year and will be sold as whole tables of 10. Tickets go on sale next week - Wednesday 19th May - via Qrk! So don't delay, get your act together and get your band sorted for the gig of the year!

Tables will be limited to 10 per table due to COVID restrictions, please nominate one team captain who can purchase the table on the team's behalf and who will be the key contact person for information and communication about the event.

For more details please visit the Facebook page.

School Plus

Week 3 & 4 Newsletter

In the Program

Cold mornings, shorter days, and lots of hot coffees; winter is coming. That means daylight is a hot commodity, and we like to make the most of it at SchoolPlus Graceville.

We’ve been basking in the warm afternoon sun and have moved our craft and inside activities outside on a Thursday and Friday. So, no matter your fancy; whether it is browsing a book, painting a picture, building with blocks, we can all enjoy the beautiful whether and soak up the sun… while it lasts!

But that’s not all that been happening lately at SchoolPlus Graceville. We all love our mums and want to show them how special they all are. In that spirit, we thought the best way to show our love is to decorate some delicious Mothers’ Day cookies! We loved decorating and giving these cookies to all our hard-working mums!

Our program has been packed with activities to suit everyone. Come pop in and check out our fantastic program at SchoolPlus Graceville (OSHC).

Clubs

Week 3 marked the start of our Cooking Club Incursion for 2021. This year we started off with Guacamole! Cooking Club teaches children not just how to cook but the importance and value of cooking, and of course we have lots of fun while we’re cooking! We are very excited to see what we are making in the coming weeks!

Homework may not be our favourite thing to do in the world, but it’s nice to have a nice quiet place to do it. That’s why we have started a Homework Club at SchoolPlus Graceville! All kids in homework club are offered a nice quiet space supervised by one of our friendly educators. If you are interested in signing up for Homework Club, feel free to come and ask one of our friendly staff members at SchoolPlus Graceville!

What to look out for

We will be starting our Environmental Club in the coming weeks. In this club we will be teaching children about the importance of looking after our environment. We will also be getting our hand dirty in the garden and with our worms! If you are interested, please come, and speak to one of our friendly staff.

We have been welcoming lots of new families this term to SchoolPlus Graceville and would love to welcome more. If you need help or would just like to enquire about enrolling, please don’t hesitate to get in contact via email at graceville@schoolplus.com.au or (07) 3395 8099. Alternatively, come and say hello and speak to one of friendly staff, we are located on the Park Road entrance at the back of the school.

Community Notices