17 June 2022

Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

One week to go!

The Spell-a-thon was a great success and our best so far! We are excited to be able to provide some funds to the library this year to help update the general collection that children can borrow from as well as update and add to the school readers lower school classes take home each day. Thank you so much for your support! Once the books arrive, we will need help covering them all so they can get into circulation as quickly as possible. The P&C will put out a call for help next term when we are ready!

On Monday morning a group of Year 5 and 6 students fly up to Cairns for a week of learning, cultural experiences and of course fun! The camp is a great experience which even the staff who attend really enjoy. I will be attending camp for the full week and Ms Hass will be the Deputy Principal in charge of the school in my absence.

On Thursday from 9-10.45 we will be hosting an Under 8’s morning full of fun and interesting activities. We welcome parents to come along and join in the fun.

As previously indicated, Report Cards will be going home at the beginning of week 3 of Term 3 this year. A Parent Teacher Interview will be offered to those parents who would like to discuss an aspect of the Report Card in the following weeks.

Next term we will be starting assemblies again. P-2 and 3-6 Assemblies will take place in even weeks (2,4,6,8,10). P-2 Assemblies will be held on Tuesday afternoon and Year 3-6 Assemblies on Wednesday afternoons. We plan to start Whole School Assemblies in most odd weeks in Term 3.

A special whole school NAIDOC assembly will take on Wednesday 13 July from 9-9.30am. We look forward to having our whole school together for this special assembly.

In Term 3 you will notice many of our past usual routines returning. This includes excursions and incursions. Most year levels will have at least one, maybe more, curriculum related activities next term. Most of the excursions are being finalised now and you will be made aware via letter and invoice soon.

Congratulations to Libby R who has been selected to participate in the Queensland Representative U10-12 Female AFL Team, Libby will be going to Adelaide in August to participate in the National Carnival.

A few dates for the whole school to be aware of and keep in mind for next term:

• Spring Fair meeting 13 July 6.30pm
• P&C meeting 13 July 7.30pm
• Trivia Night 16 July
• Prep 2023 Information Night 20 July
• Spring Fair meeting 4 August 6.30pm
• School Photos 9 August
• Ekka Public Holiday 10 August
• Parent Cyber Safety talk 17 August 6pm
• Spring Fair Saturday 27 August
• Pupil Free Day 2 September
• Book week dress up last week of Term 3.

This year the schools along the Oxley Road have committed to finding ways to work together. One of the first opportunities on offer for all schools along the Oxley Road is a Parent Session by Nathan Willis, a Neuroscience educator, called “The Developing Brain”. Sherwood State School will host this first Oxley Road Schools event. If you are interested please follow the link below:

Parent Workshop - Thursday 1st September 7.30pm “The Developing Brain: The Big Picture”

Book a ticket to the parent workshop here:

Finally, thank you to all those parents and carers who are following the road rules for driving, walking, scooting or cycling at peak times of the day around the school. We need to keep our children and school community safe. If all abide by the road rules and stay calm at peak times, we will keep our children safe.

I hope you enjoy the winter break if you are having time off or going away. Please travel safely.

See you next term,

Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Under 8s Activities – Thursday June 23

Hope you can join us, 9:00 – 10:30am on the oval. A coffee van will be in attendance.

SunSafety

Even though cooler days are upon us it is still important for us to be sun safe. Please remember to send your child to school with sunscreen applied. All classes will also provide an opportunity through each school day to reapply sunscreen.

P-2 Assemblies this term

Our fortnightly assemblies will be done over zoom in individual classrooms to start off the term.

We will be recommencing our fortnightly assemblies in the hall from the start of term 3. Parents of students who are doing a class item and parents of year 2 presenters are invited to attend these assemblies.

Term 3 Calendar for P-2 Assemblies

Preparing for Prep 2023

Our Prep waiting list for out of catchment has opened. The waiting list must be completed in person, no forms can be sent out or received by email.

Please visit the following links which details our school enrolment management plan and also provides a link to the catchment area for Graceville State School:

In catchment families may now obtain enrolment forms from the office and commence this process. Remember that when returning these forms that 2 sets of ‘proof of residency’ documents will be required as well.

Prep Information evening for 2023 will be on Wednesday July 20 at 7pm in our school hall.

Prep interviews will then follow for the rest of 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 Prep Profile will be required at the interview.

Term 4

Get Set for Prep proposed sessions

At this stage we will plan to proceed with face to face sessions although we will have to wait and see health and safety directives to come. Families must RSVP for these sessions using our online booking system also which will be live from July 20.

Session 1: Tuesday Oct 18 OR Thursday Oct 20, 9 – 10:00am Focus on Fine Motor Skills
Session 2: Tuesday Nov 1, 9 – 10:00 Speech and Language Development
Session 3: Monday Nov 14 OR Wednesday Nov 16, 9 – 10:00am Focus on Reading
Prep Orientation meetings: Thursday November 24
Meet the class session: Thursday December 1, 9 – 10am

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Follow up from Naplan

Following the Naplan testing for years 3 & 5 this term, schools will be receiving the student reports sometime in July. Theses student reports will then be forwarded to parents.

School Photos

We have School Photos coming up on 9 August next term. On the 25th October the School Leaders, Sports and Music photos will be held. Please add theses dates to your diary so you remember.

The Importance of being on time for school and being ready to learn

We seem to be having an increasing number of students late to school in the mornings. This creates a lengthy amount of time in the office dispensing late slips to children. The beginning of the day is very important to students and teachers. The teacher sets the scene for the day. Often routines are discussed and this all helps students feel prepared and ready to learn. Please ensure that you have a good morning routine where children are here with plenty of time for get to the classroom and get prepared for their day.

Date Claimer:

Year 6 Graduation will be on Wednesday 7th December this year. We will be having the Graduation Ceremony in our school hall this year. More information will be sent to Year 6 parents next term.

Sorry Day

Yowah!

On Thursday the 26th of May, we attended the Sorry Day service at the Magpies football club, with Mrs Payne. We read aloud a Sorry Day Reading based on the importance of speaking the truth and assisted Auntie Teresa with holding a language map. Auntie Teresa shared her story and we listened carefully as she explained that she was taken from her family when she was young. The choir sang Ngaree-ba Kaba Lullaby written by Gaja Kerry. We met some amazing people such as a group of Aboriginal dancers from Ambrose Treacy College Dance Troupe. They welcomed and said farewell to us with traditional dances. We laid native local flowers on the Journey Home Plaque. We also brought some homemade muffins to share with the community and speak with the Elders. We had a yarn with Gaja Kerry and made her a cup of tea. It was an important day for both the young and the old to remember the Stolen Generations, and for all of us to publicly join in saying the apology to the Stolen Generations for their pain, suffering and hurt.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of Yuggera land.

By Ruby and Dot

Music News

Naomi Lindh

As this is our last Newsletter before the school holidays, I would like to thank all of our instrumental and choral students and families for their commitment to rehearsals and lessons throughout this term and semester! We are in the process of organising some performance opportunities for students as we return to assemblies in the hall next term and will send these out once they are finalised.

We hope all of our students and families have a lovely holiday!

In week 1 of next term there will be a special assembly for NAIDOC week.  The Senior Choir will be singing one song at this assembly.  Parents of students in the Senior Choir are able to attend this assembly.  Further details about this assembly are located in this newsletter.

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

The music rehearsal schedule for 2022

Monday 7:45am – Senior Band (in the school hall)
Tuesday 7:45am - Senior Choir (interested students in years 4 - 6 - in the music room)
Wednesday 7:45am - Junior Strings (in the school hall)
Thursday 7:45am – Senior Strings (in the school hall)
Friday 7:45am - Junior Choir (interested students in years 2 - 3 - in the music room)
Friday 7:45am – Junior Band

Music Teacher Contact Details

Alex Chin - Instrumental Music Teacher - Strings - Email: achin4@eq.edu.au
James Kukulies - Instrumental Music Teacher - Band - Email: jkuku2@eq.edu.au
Naomi Lindh - Classroom Music Teacher/Choir Conductor - Email: nclos1@eq.edu.au

Uniform Shop

Michelle Fanning

Hi all!

Welcome to week 9.... and there goes another term!

LONG SLEEVE GOLD POLOS

Last summer we introduced the long sleeve Gold polo to our range as a sun safe option. Now that winter is here these shirts are also perfect for the cooler months and layering under our winter jackets on those extra chilly days. We are well stocked and the size ranges from 4 to 16.

2nd HAND WINTER STOCK

Now that winter is well and truly here I have noticed lots of children wearing jumpers and pants of all colours of the rainbow.

Why not look at our 2nd hand rack that is overflowing with Polar fleeces, Rugby shirts, Track pants and Leisure pants. Items start at just $5 and are always marked at 50% off or less! Pop by the store on a Tuesday or Thursday morning for a look or send me an email with what you’re after so I can help.

OUT OF STOCK

We are out of stock in size 10 Sports/Track Jackets, size 6 Rugby Shirts, size 6 Leisure Pants, size 10, 12 and 14 Gold Polo shirts.

I have re ordered all of the above so if there was an item you would like to pre order, please email me at the address below so I can pop your name in my order book.

DONATIONS

Could donations please be given during opening hours only or handed in at the office if absolutely necessary. Please DO NOT leave bags outside the uniform shop. Thank you.

DRESSES

Please note that due to fabric issues we now have limited stock in our dresses. We now only have small quantities of sizes 1, 6, 8 and 12 left in stock.

I will not be ordering more so if you know you would like a dress, please don’t delay.

OPENING DAYS AND TIMES

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

For any reason you cannot make your appointment time, please cancel online asap so others don’t miss out. When visiting the store, it’s important to enter and exit the school grounds via the Oxley Road gate near the tennis courts. The uniform store is located just to the left of the courts.

ONLINE STORE

The uniform shop has an online store, so if you already know what your child needs you can order and pay online and it will be passed on to their teacher.

PLEASE NOTE – When buying online via your pc or laptop, please add your child’s FULL NAME and CLASS in the notes section. If ordering via your mobile device, please add your child’s details beside yours. Thank you.

The online store and appointment bookings can be made via the following link -

DONATIONS

We are always grateful for donations of 2nd hand uniforms that are in freshly washed, saleable condition with no tears or holes We also ask that donations are our SCHOOL BRANDED ITEMS ONLY, so no items from any outside stores. Thank you for your generosity and understanding.

PAYMENT

We encourage you to use Eftpos or credit cards when purchasing.

REFUNDS

Please be advised that refunds will only be given if you have the original receipt and items should not have been washed, worn and any tags should still be attached.

Email address for school uniform store is:

uniformshop@gracevillepandc.org.au

Thanks everyone!

Michelle

Tuckshop News

We are on the countdown until holidays! How quickly has that crept up! Thank you to all those wonderful people who have helped over the term. We are very grateful for your help and have loved your company.

We are still short for the last couple weeks so please log on and volunteer if you can or pop in and we can find you a quick something to do for 10mins to 3 hours – whatever works.

Tuckshop will reopen on the first day of Term 3 Monday 11th July.

Any spare time you have would be greatly appreciated.

Menu News

Like everyone everywhere we are facing a few issues with supplier shortages and increased product prices as a result. We are constantly trying to keep prices reasonable so please be patient if you notice a change in product or if an item disappears from the menu.

We promise it won’t be for long and hopefully all the issues rectify themselves soon.

Reminders

Please be mindful that

• Cutoff time for ordering is 8am every morning
• Sushi orders must be in by 12pm Tuesday for Wednesday delivery (remember to order through the Sushi menu)
• If your child is sick please cancel the order before 8am on your app, if it is after that time please call us and we can help
• The Oops I forgot menu is not to be used for placing orders if you don’t make 8am cut off. We don’t always get the chance to check the menu in time before first break so your child might miss out. The menu is only to be used when life happens, and lunch gets left at home or unforeseen circumstances at school.

As always, 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 2022

P&C News

Spring Fair

'Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Spring Fair meeting last week, we are extremely pleased (and excited) to have a great committee ready to get planning for the Spring Fair 2022!!

RAFFLE HELP STILL WANTED! We are still seeking a couple of people to help us with the raffle (including sourcing prizes, listing the raffle on the online platform and helping with the draw and prize distribution). By breaking the role down we hope 2/3 people can help us for a couple of weeks each to help make the raffle a success. Please come forward if you can give a fixed contribution of time to help manage the raffle. It really is a valuable contribution to the fundraising efforts for the Fair.

Finally, we are really keen to work with businesses and services that already exist with our school community (parent / family owned and operated etc). If you own a business or work within a business that would be interested in participating in the Fair in some way (through donations of goods/services/time, sponsorship or collaboration) then please contact Faith Studd or Deepa Dasari to get involved now. We are very open to discussing how we can collaborate, in a mutually beneficial way, with the amazing network of our school community.

Email: fete.convenor@gracevillepandc.org.au or
fair.co-convenor@gracevillepandc.org.au '

Thanks and Kind Regards,

Faith Studd
Fair Convenor
Graceville State School Spring Fair 2021

Spellathon Wrap Up

Our first major fundraising event for the year, the Spellathon, was held on the 24th of May and was a massive success. We are absolutely thrilled to advise that this year’s Spellathon has raised over $25,000!!!! Such and incredible fundraising effort from all our GSS students! Your donations will go to the school for the purchase of new writing and reading resources for the students, and we are very excited to advise that this year a portion of this fundraised amount will go to the school library for the purchase of new library books!

An enormous thank you goes to everyone who has been involved in this year’s Spellathon – students, families, GSS teachers and staff (especially Ms Amanda Nichols, Marian & Ally in the Office), and our wonderful and loyal sponsors, Place – Graceville and Graceville Village Discount Drug Store. In addition, a big thank you must go to our fabulous Spellathon co-ordinator Fiona Bird, who once again put her hand up to organise this event – thank you we couldn’t have done it without you!

Prize winners will all be notified and awarded during a school assembly early in term 3, but congratulations for all our students for their hard work

Trivia Night Update

“G” it is going to be a Great Night this the GSS Trivia Night!!

Tickets are on sale now and selling FAST for this year’s Trivia Night. There are a very limited number of tables still available, so if you haven’t yet, round up your team, jump onto Qrk! and purchase your table. Please keep an eye out on the “Graceville State School Parents” Facebook page for more information, alternatively email the Trivia team if you have any issues or questions trivia@gracevillepandc.org.au .

Trivia night will be Saturday 16th July, which is about 4 weeks away (Week 1 of Term 3). It’s going to be a great night!

July 2022 P&C meeting date

Please be advised that the next P&C meeting has been scheduled for 13th July 2022 at 7:30pm in the Waratah Room. You can also attend virtually via Zoom – details will be sent out closer to the time.

School Plus

Term 2 has been a busy one, filled with all kinds of fun from science experiments and sensory experiences to all our favourite crafts and active activities. And of course, we have celebrated all the big days that have popped up in our calendar. As we start to wind down and head into holiday mode and get ready for a big vacation care, take a look at what fun we have gotten up to in the last couple weeks.

This week was all about the Ocean and the Earth as we celebrated World Ocean Day and World Environment Day. There were so many special ocean themed craft events planned that the children really enjoyed. There was planet earth hama beads, environment day hats and sea themed fish craft. We’ve also been giving a little extra attention to our garden and worms, in celebration of Environment Day.

There were also some Earth themed games and sensory activities – the most popular being the sea creature sensory jelly with the bright blue colour, squishy texture, and great smell. It was a great sensory activity that really used all the senses. There was also a popular sea-themed play dough activity and the children loved digging through the playdough to find shells and sea creatures.

We also celebrated World Wind Day with some very cool balloon cars, powered by air and pinwheels. The children love combining Craft with Science and it’s a great opportunity for the older children to share their science knowledge with the Preps/1’s, who love learning from their buddies. We’ve also been celebrating National Reconciliation Week with some chalk painting, traditional indigenous art and learning about the deeper meanings.

Vacation Care is fast approaching, and we have so many exciting days planned! There’s still time to do an enrolment and book in! Some of our most popular days this coming Vacation Care include a visit from a petting zoo where we’ll get to meet (and feed!) some very cute animals. We’ll also be heading out to the Queensland Rail Museum for an exciting excursion. There’ll be a Hungerball Day -for those who aren’t familiar, this is a fast-paced, high-energy game similar to soccer and it’s a favorite among the children here at OHSC. There really is something for everyone this Vacation Care with themed days focusing on culture with our NAIDOC celebrations, where we will have an Indigenous Elder, an art gallery themed day for all the little artists out there, a bake off for all the chefs and much more! If you have any questions, or need assistance with enrolling or booking, please send us an email - graceville@schoolplus.com.au .

As some of you may already know, we also farewelling our long-time coordinator, Karina, who will be retiring at the end of the term. We will miss Karina and wish her all the best as she enters her phase in life.

Community Notices