24 June 2021

From the Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

We made it! Thank you for your support this term!

You should have received your Report Card this week. Teachers will offer another round of Parent Teacher Interviews in Term 3 so please keep an eye out for appointment times in Term 3.

Mrs McKeaten and Mrs Martin, our Deputy Principals will both be on leave for the first two weeks of Term 3. Mr Matthew Jordan and Ms Tina Cousins will be the Acting Deputy Principals in their absence.

We have some staffing changes for Term 3 and beyond. We wish Mrs Williams, one of our Year 4 teachers the best of luck with the birth of her baby in early Term 3. We welcome Mrs Gallagher and Mrs Woolston to Year 4E for Semester 2. Mrs Lambrides is taking some well-deserved long service leave in Term 3 and we welcome Mrs Miller to Year 2 L. Mrs Lamb will also be taking some leave and cutting back her working days and so we welcome Ms Dragonov to Year 1L on Monday to Thursdays in Semester 2. Finally, Mr Guthrie will be taking leave in Term 3, we welcome Ms Cooper to the Year 5GH team!

Don’t forget school photos are on Thursday in week 1.

The Spring Fair is blooming! We have a wonderful and hard-working committee and class stalls have now been assigned. Parent class reps will be sharing the news of their stalls and asking for volunteers to help out in the lead up to the day and on the day very soon. As you can see things are progressing very well. The day will be amazing with market stalls, rides, food, entertainment, raffles, an auction, a bar and the fireworks!

If your child has a stall at the Young Designers/Handmade Market at the Spring Fair, please remember the prototypes need to be shown in week 1, Term 3. Our young designers will need to start designing and creating over the holidays. Some the ideas for stalls are very good and some quite unique and so please plan a trip to the market stalls at the Spring Fair.

If you are a parent who is keen to contribute to the co-operative market stall table, please make sure you have read the letter that was sent home last week. Your expression of interest also needs to be in within the first few weeks of Term 3. We have some interest so far, which is great. Also, some parents who are artisan bakers or make specialised food items have asked if it is possible to be part of the co-operative table as well. The answer is most likely yes, please put in an Expression of Interest. We understand your food items will need to be freshly made and so you are not required to send them in on the Thursday prior to the Fair. We will need to know the inventory and space required on the communal tables by two days before the Fair still.

School starts back on Monday 12 July!

I hope you have a safe and relaxing winter break!

Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Acting Deputy Principal

Belinda Martin

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 28 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 still be face-to-face at school for 30 minutes, please bring your child to this meeting. Completed enrolment forms and Prep Profile will be required at the interview.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Are Pets Allowed On School Grounds?

Just a reminder to families regarding pets on school grounds. Animals are certainly close to the hearts and minds of many of our students, teachers and families here at Graceville SS and we understand the important part pets play in the lives of children and their families. Lately we’ve been having an increase in the number of (very cute) fluffy friends visiting the school at drop off and pick up time, which is more than fine if they remain supervised by an adult outside of the school grounds. As we are an Education QLD school, we must follow their policies and procedures at every step, including those to do with animals at and around school. As stated in the policy, ‘There are also potential disease hazards and other occupational health and safety issues associated with the presence, care and use of animals. Risk management of animal activities ensures the health, safety and wellbeing of students, staff and others involved’ (Animals in Queensland State Schools Procedure, v5.1, July 2019).

Due to the potential, of even our smallest and cutest of pets, causing injury or spreading disease, we ask that all pets remain outside the school gates under the direct supervision of an adult. While we realise this does cause some difficulty at drop off and pick up times, it is with the children’s health and safety at the fore, that this decision has been made.

There are opportunities in some areas of the curriculum in which a visiting animal or pet may enrich the learning experiences of the children which must follow the guidelines of:

‘It is the teacher's responsibility to provide a pedagogical justification for any learning activity that involves the use of animals. The use of animals must provide an added component to the learning that is not trivial or available in other ways, and there must be evidence to support this position’.

Before an animal may enter the school grounds, the above justifications must be made along with a complete risk assessment. Once these requirements are met, then the animal may come on school grounds, following the risk management guidelines outlined and approved.

We thank everyone for supporting our school keep all our children safe and healthy.

Music News

Naomi Lindh

Last Wednesday 16 June our Beginner String students attended a special workshop at Sherwood State School for the day, with beginner string students from three local schools. Mr Alex Chin and Chappy attended this excursion with our students. They spent the day working with their instrumental teachers which was a fabulous opportunity for them to consolidate everything they had learnt so far this year and to further their musical development. The day culminated in a concert and students played together as part of a large orchestra. Thank you to Mr Chin, our students and families for their hard work and support with this event!

This week we have some choral performances. The Junior Choir will be singing at a special NAIDOC assembly on Wednesday and I have invited any Senior Choir students who are at school this week to join this performance if they would like to. As this is a full school assembly, we have not invited any parents/adults to attend. The Junior Choir will be singing these songs at the Junior Assembly on Thursday afternoon and one parent/adult per child is invited to attend this assembly.

If there are any students in years 2 - 6 who would like to join the choir next term, they are welcome to attend from the first rehearsal. Our rehearsal times/days are listed below and rehearsals are held in the music room. Please note that next term our Senior Choir rehearsals will resume on Tuesday 13 July, in Week 1and our Junior Choir rehearsals will begin on Monday 19 July, in week 2. This gives our Junior Choir students and families time to settle into the start of term again before rehearsals resume.

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.

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

Performance Schedule

Term 2 - 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

Term 3

5 and 6 August - Instrumental Music 2 day workshop - all IM students - this will conclude with a concert for students/staff. Due to space parents/families will not be invited to this concert and music performances will be held for families to attend at the Spring Fair

Spring Fair - Choral and ensemble performances plans and times will be confirmed next term

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 (students in years 4 - 6) - in the music room
Wednesday 7:45am - 8:30am - Junior Strings (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 - in the 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

Library News

Melanie Hutchinson

CBCA REGIONAL READERS CUP COMPETITION

A big CONGRATULATIONS to our Readers Cup team who represented Graceville SS last week on Wednesday 16th June. Abigail, Giselle, Ruby, Lewis and Aidan were amazing! Organised by the Children’s Book Council of Australia the competition was held at St Augustine’s College, Augustine Heights. Despite the tough competition from 18 other schools, our team ended up in the TOP TEN - placing Seventh!

Our students read and re-read all 5 allocated novels, and they studied really hard for six weeks. Our team put in such a big effort, there were six rounds of questions that really were quite challenging, but ultimately they had a great time. We thank them for successfully representing Graceville SS – well done team!

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE 2021

Hopefully everyone is enjoying reading their favourite books for this year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge! So far more than 800 schools and individual readers have registered for the challenge and are busy trying to read their 15 (for Years 5 & 6) or 20 books (for Prep to Year 2). The Premier’s Reading Challenge concludes Friday 27 August 2021, so there is still plenty of time to read and record your books. Holidays are a perfect time for this!

Reading record sheets are still available for collection at the library. More information can be found at this web address:

Uniform Shop

Michelle Fanning

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Week 10 and the final week for Term 2!

NAME YOUR UNIFORMS

Just a reminder to please name ALL of your school uniforms. During winter we see a huge increase in lost property especially with Polar Fleece jackets, Sports jackets etc. We would love all items to get back to their owners!

SCHOOL PHOTOS

If you’re after a new polo shirt for school photos for the first week back on Thursday the 15th of July, DON’T DELAY! Some sizes are now limited. I will be open on the morning of photo day, but there is also the option of making an appointment on the Tuesday or buying online.

ONLINE ORDERS

Please note that any online orders made after 9am Tuesday the 23nd of June will not be delivered until the first week back of Term 3.

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.

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 www.uniformshop@gracevillepandc.org.au

Thanks everyone, have a great break!

Michelle

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop News 2021 – Week 10

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We made it through what ended up being a huge Term 2.

MENU NEWS

• Beef lasagna is now available every day and perfect for our much cooler weather
• Sushi and Rice Paper Rolls need to be ordered by Monday midday for Wednesday.
• Mini Spinach and Ricotta Sausage Rolls to the menu @ $1.50 each.
• Fried Rice is a popular option for a Monday

If you have some time to spare, please think about signing up and lending a hand we would love to see you. Simply click on the link below and pop in your name. If you can’t help out in the Tuckshop maybe you could make a donation of some products? Please email us and we can let you know what we need.

Whether it’s half an hour or 3 hours it is greatly appreciated.

SignUp.com:

Have a fantastic and safe holiday and we look forward to seeing you for Term 3 on the 12th of July.

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

P&C News

GSS TRIVIA NIGHT 2021

Saturday June 12th saw the triumphant return of the annual GSS P&C Trivia night, held at the new venue at Sherwood Magpie’s Football Club. Unfortunately cancelled last year due to COVID-19, this year’s “Battle of the Bands” themed event was an epic night. “The Gunna's” rocked, Sia and Beyonce’s BeyChellas crooned, and the Wiggles... well... Wiggled It!

Thank you to all the bands who came along and support this year’s trivia night, and to everyone who got involved in planning such a successful event. Due to the support from our GSS parent community and our local sponsors, we are proud to advise that the night raised a total of $13,370 in profit (which is over $2,000 more that we made in 2019!). Money raised will be used by the P&C to support the school and fund various projects and resources that will benefit all the students at Graceville State School.

A massive thank you to Lisa and Bernie McKeaten – our Trivia Quiz Extraordinaires, who once again designed and developed all the questions for this year’s trivia. Thank you to Dave Curnow who again came on as our amazing MC for the night. Thank you too Zoe Smith, Karen McNab, Laura, and Alex who came along to help out on the night, and our incredible trivia conveyors for 2021 – Carrie Grassick and Michelle Murphy.

Also, to our amazing sponsors – our gold level sponsors, Ray White Sherwood; and to our round sponsors, CK Family Lawyers, Il Viale Italian Restaurant, Thrive Health Co., Mark Bailey MP and Maiala Park Lodge. A big thank you also to all our other sponsors who donated gifts for our prizes and raffles.

Finally, a big congratulations to our winning trivia team – The Village People – who retained the GSS Annual Trivia trophy for another year, as well as to all other best dressed people, teams, and raffle winners.

P&C meeting – 21 July 2021

The next P&C meeting will be in week 2 at 7.30pm on Wednesday 21 July 2021 in the Waratah Room above the school office. All parents and carers are welcome to join us either in person or via Zoom. If you would like to be sent the Zoom link please email Vanessa on secretary@gracevillepandc.org.au.

Voluntary contribution

The P&C are again supporting the voluntary contribution scheme in 2021. Voluntary contributions are payments made by families and collected by the P&C on behalf of the school, with all funds transferred directly to the school. This year the amount is set at $100 per student, but we understand this may not be affordable for all families, so we encourage you to make whatever contribution you are comfortable with. 75% of funds raised will be dedicated to improving and maintaining IT resources and the remainder will be spent on other learning resources.

Payments can be made by electronic transfer to the P&C (see below for details) or via the Online Uniform Shop at the following link

Account name: Graceville State School P&C Association
BSB: 064-111
Account number: 00900130
Ref: VC “Child’s name”

"Exciting news about the Spring Fair! The ride bands are on sale from Friday 25 June using the Qkr! App. Advance sale prices are $24 for Junior ride bands and $39 for All Access ride bands.

The Spring Fair Committee is still looking for additional sponsors and donations to help us manage our costs. Your class reps will contact you shortly with details of what you can do to help support our school, from donating meat or bread for the BBQ to sponsoring prizes for the raffle.

Plus, keep your eyes glued to your inboxes on Friday so you don’t miss the much anticipated Children’s Countdown Calendar and Parents’ Fair Preparation Checklist, perfect for printing and putting up at home!

If you don’t already have the Qkr! app download it using the links below and order your ride bands today!!

App Store:

Google:

Only 2 months to go!!"

School Plus

Week 9 & 10 Newsletter

In the Program

We made it! The last week of term 2. We have done so much and had a heap of fun this term, with science and cooking and so much more. We cannot wait for what the rest of the year has in store for us here at School Plus Graceville! But let’s take a look at what we’ve been busy with in the last two weeks of term 2!

We celebrated World Ocean Week recently. World Ocean Week is about recognising and talking about the impact humans have on the ocean and the rest of the environment. We made some cool ocean craft and had a chat about how we can help look after our oceans!

We kept going and finished off our science project fort this term with a super duper elephant’s toothpaste experiment! We all had so much fun with all our science experiments this term and can’t wait to continue next term!

Clubs

We made it to the end of our cooking club and all children have learnt so much! We are currently planning a few clubs and projects which we hope to hit the ground running with in Term 3! Keep an eye out for the announcement of new clubs and projects in the coming months!

What to look out for

We made it to the halfway mark for the year and are super excited for rest to come, but for now we have our sights set on our fantastic vacation care program! We are gearing up for lots of laughs and heaps of fun! Make sure to book in ASAP as a lot of days are already filled out!

If you need help doing an enrolment or have any other enquiries you can get in contact via phone (07 3278 2253) or email (Graceville@schoolplus.com.au) or come in and speak to one of our friendly Educators!

Tennis Term 3

TENNIS HOT SHOTS –LIMITED PLACES STILL AVAILABLE FOR TERM 3!

Limited places are still available for term 3 tennis lessons.

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 3 WILL RECEIVE A FREE JUNIOR TENNIS RACQUET!

Community Notices