10 March 2023

Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

Three weeks to go!

As you know Parent Teacher Interviews have started. We are grateful that so many parents are taking the opportunity to meet with child’s class teacher and discuss the learning that has been happening in the classroom so far this year. If you have not signed up for an interview yet, please contact the class teacher.

You may have heard we announced we will be holding ‘Graceville’s Got Talent’ at the end of Semester 1. A letter will go out next week with details of the event. In short, children who enjoy performing – music, dance, magic, the list is only limited by imagination– can express an interest to perform in Graceville’s Got Talent. The process will include an audition process with finalists invited to perform at the show. Performances that do not make the finals will also have the opportunity to be part of some pre-show entertainment on the night or at assemblies in school time. Graceville’s Got Talent is open to all students who attend Graceville State School. Performers will have the holidays and the first three to four weeks of Term 2 to practice and refine their performances before the auditions begin.

Don’t forget our school will be celebrating Harmony Day in week 9. We encourage students and families to wear orange on Tuesday 21 March to show their support for Harmony Day. As our Year 6 students will be on camp on the 21st, we will have a special assembly on Friday 24th at 9am to celebrate as a whole school.

In the last week of term our Preps will have their annual Easter Hat parade which is always a lot of fun and our Year 4-6 students will take part in the school Cross Country. I am sure the students will enjoy both of these events.

Finally, I am very excited to announce that a Crossing Supervisor has been appointed to our crossing! The Crossing Supervisor is undergoing some training and will start with us very soon. Although it has been lovely to see and talk to parents and students at the crossing in the afternoons, we are very grateful a new supervisor has been appointed. I am sure you will make them feel welcome!

Have a great week,
Zoe

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Naplan 2023

Next week the Year 3 and 5 students will commence the Naplan testing. This will run from next Wednesday 15th March until Friday 24th March.

Please ensure that your child is at school on time. If they happen to be sick on any given day they may be able to ‘catch up’ the test on another day.

I have attached a flyer which gives you more information about the testing.

International Women’s Day – Milpera High School

On Tuesday I had the privilege and going to Milpera State High School (down the road) with some of our School Leaders to be Special Invited guests at their celebrations. We were very curious to hear the songs/ stories and see some great performances from quite a few of the present and past students and staff members. Our cultural understanding was certainly enhanced as was our empathy for the life experiences of students who attend Milpera. It certainly sparked some interesting conversations with the students afterwards.

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Prep Vision Screening by Registered Nurse - March 20 – 22

A Registered Nurse will be visiting the school on Monday 20th through to Wednesday 22nd March 2023 to conduct vision screening for children in their prep year.

Prep Easter Hat Parade

On Thursday March 30 we will be holding our annual Prep Easter Hat Parade at 9am under Qblock, so get your creative juices going assisting in the construction of your child’s Easter Hat/Crown/Bonnet, whatever form your child’s Easter decoration will take and we look forward to sharing these creations along with some prep songs.

P-2 Assemblies this term

All parents are welcome to attend these assemblies starting at 2:15 each fortnight.

School Sun Safety Policy

Last year was the first year of implementation of our Sun Safety Policy. Year-round sun protection is important for all young people in Queensland as research demonstrates that high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure in childhood and adolescence significantly increases the risk of developing skin cancer.

Parents are asked to apply sunscreen before school and all teachers will provide an opportunity for students to reapply sunscreen while at school using school provided sunscreen which is Ultra Protect Vitamin E 50+ brand.

If you do not wish for your child to use the school provided sunscreen please complete the ‘Non-consent’ form which is Appendix A of the attached policy.

Please take the time to read this policy and ask any questions at all about its contents.

QParents

QParents

The QParents web and mobile application provides a more convenient, easier way for parents and legal guardians of Queensland state school students to interact with their child’s school. Parents will have secure, online access to their child’s student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with their child’s school to access and manage their child’s student information, including:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Academic report cards
• Online service consent approval
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details
• Upcoming events list showing school events, exam and assessment dates, and excursions.

QParents will assist both staff and parents in sharing and responding to information in an efficient and effective way.

We will be sending out invitations for parents in years 1,2, 5 and 6 to register for QParents on Friday 10th March (Prep and Year 4 parents have already been sent invitations). If you do not want to register, you may advise us not to send you any more invitations, and your child’s student information will not be available to anyone through QParents.

QParents won’t replace the traditional ways you communicate with our school, but it will provide another way to communicate with us.

More information about QParents can be found at the link below:

Music News

Naomi Lindh

Thank you to our Senior and Junior Choir students and Senior instrumental students for attending rehearsals regularly since they started this term. The instrumental teachers and I appreciate the family support which is required to ensure students attend rehearsals and IM lessons regularly. If any students in years 2 - 6 would like to join one of our choirs, please see the note attached for further information. Students in year 3 who are involved in the STEM sessions on Thursday mornings are welcome to join the Junior Choir next term.

If your child is experiencing any difficulties with starting their instrumental lessons or engaging in their lessons/practice, please contact their IM teacher so they can work through this with you and your child to support their involvement in the IM program.

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

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

SAVE THE DATE!

The much anticipated annual GSS Trivia night has been set for Saturday 10 June and we are bringing Broadway to Graceville! Tables of 10 will come on sale early Term 2 so book the babysitter and start getting your teams together!

Watch this space for more details.

Tuckshop

We have started the crawl to the end of term! Unbelievable! Hope all the preppies are coping ok with the exhaustion they must be feeling for their first term – parents as well.

As we find nearing the end of term Tuckshop is busy, busy, busy. We need to say a big THANK YOU to all the people who keep popping in after drop off or reading groups or hang out before being parent helper at swimming! We LOVE seeing you and your extra hands make our day so much easier.

Please feel free to pop in anytime and introduce yourself and help us 10 minutes to an hour to 3 hours – we appreciate your time.

MENU NEWS

Unfortunately, due to supply issues we have had to stop stocking Party Pies. In their place you will find SCHOOL PIES under the HOT FOOD menu. These are smaller than a regular pie but slightly bigger than a party pie and they are delicious! At $3 a pie gives them a try and let us know what you think.

From next Wednesday we are excited to offer a half sized and a full-sized Bahn Mi.

• Pork, Chicken or Tofu
• $5.50 for half
• $10 for a full

Your child having a birthday? We do Birthday Iceblocks and take the pressure off you!

• Class Box of Fruity Ice Shapes @ $20
• Class Box of Quelch @ $20
• Class Box of Vanilla Ice Cream @ $30
• Class Box of (Mixture of Mango and Raspberry) Frozen Yogurt @ $45

AND you can add a Birthday Balloon for an extra $5.

Look forward to seeing familiar and new faces pop in over the next few weeks – as always if you have any menu questions or concerns or would like any information on how the Tuckshop runs, please pop in and have a chat with us – we’d love to see you.

Emma and Alex
Tuckshop Conveners 2023

Uniform Shop

Hi all!

Welcome to week 7. Just a few short weeks away from the end of Term 1 and hopefully some cooler weather to go with it!

Year 6 Commemorative Shirts

LAST DAY TO ORDER IS FRIDAY THE 10TH OF MARCH

Year 6 students are given the opportunity to purchase a Commemorative Shirt to celebrate their final year of Primary School. Gold Polos, long sleeve Gold Polos or Rugby Shirts are screen printed with the class lists on the back. House shirts (for House Captains only) are able to have their shirts printed with “House Captain.”

Gold Polos can be purchased for $30, l/s Gold Polos $35 Rugby Shirts $35 and House Shirts $39. Existing Gold/House polos and Rugby shirts that are in excellent condition with no holes, pulls or stains can also be used for printing.

Printing costs:

$10 per item on Gold Polos, l/s Gold Polos and Rugby Shirts
$15 for “House Captain” printed on House Shirt

The best way to order is through our online store via the link below. Remember to also purchase printing costs as well as the shirt. When ordering via your mobile phone, please add your child’s details next to your name.

You're also welcome to make an appointment on a Tuesday or Thursday and pay in person.

ALL ORDERS MUST BE MADE BY FRIDAY THE 10th OF MARCH

The shirts will take a few weeks after being sent away for screen printing so expect to see them coming home in early Term 2.

Should you have any queries please email the following address

uniformshop@gracevillepandc.org.au

VACATION CARE GREEN TEE SHIRT

LAST DAY TO ORDER IS FRIDAY THE 10TH OF MARCH

As you know children are asked to wear a green tee shirt for vacation care. After some feedback from parents, we have decided to order some to make life a little easier.

These will be available to order for $10 for a limited time, so if you’re interested head to the Uniform Shop online store to purchase. Please remember to include your child’s name and class so your order can be passed on in the classroom.

The final day for ordering is -

FRIDAY THE 10TH OF MARCH

HOUSE SHIRTS

In the last P&C meeting the motion to remove the house names and logos from the shirt was approved. The teams colours will remain the same of Red, Blue and Green.

Children are of course still welcome to wear their current house shirts and the remaining stock can still be purchased as usual until completely sold out.

The new house shirts will start to be ordered in Term 2.

SWIM GEAR ON SALE

We are phasing out a few swimming items so the following are now on sale at 50% off

Swim shirts – were $38 now $19
Towels – were $18 now $9
Swim bag Spartan - were $12 now $6
Swim cap with stitching - were $10 now $5

STOCK IS LIMITED

Please note we will now only carry the silicone swim caps in store. No other swim items will be available due to price increases and unavailability with suppliers.

WINTER STOCK

Considering the humid days we've been having I know it sounds crazy to talk about winter uniform. I currently have a decent size range of most of the winter range in store so if you’re super organised you're welcome to make an appointment and try on our long sleeve gold polos, fleece jackets, sports jackets, rugby jumpers, track pants and leisure pants.

HAIR ACCESSORIES

Our ever popular hair accessories are all back in stock with a couple of new additions to the range. All items are hand made in Brisbane and start at just $3.

OUT OF STOCK

We are currently out of stock of the following -

Cook House Shirt size 6, 8 and 10
Flinders House Shirt size 6 and 16
Kennedy House Shirt size 6

RETURNS/REFUNDS

Please be advised that refunds will only be given if you have your receipt which will be sent to you via email or text message. Items should be in perfect condition so should not have been worn or washed and any original tags should still be attached. You have 60 days for returns and refunds.

CASHLESS STORE

We are now a cashless store so will only be accepting payment by Eftpos card or credit card when purchasing at the store.

2nd HAND STOCK

Why not look at our 2nd hand rack. 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.

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 – 10:00am

LINK FOR BOOKING APPOINTMENTS

For any reason you cannot make your appointment time, please cancel online asap so others don’t miss out.

LOCATION

When visiting the store 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. Please do not leave donations at the uniform shop when it is closed. Thank you for your generosity and understanding.

Email address for school uniform store is:

uniformshop@gracevillepandc.org.au

Thanks everyone!

Michelle

As you may have heard already, our current President and Vice President are stepping down this year and we need to fill these vital roles.

P&C News

The president and vice-president roles are critical to form a P&C executive committee. Without a president, we will not be able to have any P&C related initiatives such as the tuckshop, uniform shop, and fundraising events like the Trivia night, Spring Fair or be able to complete our planned major projects such as the Tuckshop refurbishment or make contributions to the school etc).

You will receive ample support to perform your role and we promise the workload will be divided amongst all executive committee members. So please spread the word amongst other fellow parents / carers.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the P&C or would like to help out with any of our 2023 events, grant applications or are interested in a role, then please get in contact with us (exec@gracevillepandc.org.au)

We are also looking for other volunteers to help with a range of projects and needs:

• HR management for tuckshop & uniform shop (VP role)
• Project manager for Tuckshop refurbishment project (VP role)
• Community engagement / coordination of Class Reps (VP or Assistant VP role)
• IT support for the P&C – set up & management of Office profiles/ website/ etc
• Social Media / Marketing – managing P&C Facebook Page
• Grant/ funding applications
• Coordination of a Movie Night fundraiser

If you have any experience or interest in any of these roles or can provide support, we would love to hear from you via exec@gracevillepandc.org.au

We have also provided our 2023 membership form below. All current and new members need to re-join the P&C again each year and need to provide the forms before the Annual General Meeting commences. They can also be scanned and returned to secretary@gracevillepandc.org.au or dropped into the P&C mailbox at the school office. Being a member doesn’t mean you have to attend every meeting; it just means you will be on the list to receive agendas and minutes and have voting rights at the meetings you do attend.

Chappy’s Chat

John Erichsen

Swimming lessons are going well and the students gain some essential skills in the water. As the students progress through the year levels, school swimming lessons will include breathing and stroke technique for multiple strokes, water safety, lifesaving skills and water polo. With so much access to bodies of water, learning to swim is vital for our students. Speaking with parents, it is clear that Covid has negatively impacted how accessible swimming lessons are, with many swim instructors leaving the industry, when pools were closed. We are fortunate to have the pool onsite, so please encourage your child/children to make the most of this valuable resource. It does seem a waste, to have students not swimming and learning skills, which could one day save their lives.

Cross country training started this week and what a fantastic turnout. On Wednesday, the junior students were out in force, starting on the training for the school cross country. It was awesome to see so many energetic and enthusiastic runners participating. I hope the Seniors, on Friday, are up to the challenge they have been set by the turnout and enthusiasm of the junior students. Those serious about heading to District Cross Country would do well, to lock Friday mornings in for a practice session. Top 5 boys and top 5 girls, in the 10, 11 and 12-year-old age groups, have the opportunity to represent Graceville State School at the District Cross Country Trials. Whether students choose the cross-country race for their age, or the fun run for their year level, may it be an enjoyable and positive experience for them, in many ways.

For parents wishing to be empowered in the area of cyber safety and student protection, the eSafety website is a perfect place to start. It is a brilliant resource with clear and helpful information to assist parents and care-givers negotiate what can be a daunting part of modern life.

Check out the “Parents” tab and what you can access to provide your family with all the tools available to maximise the positives of online experiences. Also, speak with your children about this resource and help/let them navigate the many options found within the “Kids” tab. The saying that “knowledge is power” is very true, when it comes to the pros and cons of modern technology and our children. Knowledge can help keep our children safe, but it can also assist in knowing what avenues are available to us, if something nasty does happen.

The e Safety website is regularly updated and school chaplains are required to undergo training with the eSafety Commission as it updates its resources. The training provided thus far has been some of the best and most practical, I have experienced in my 15 years in the role. The authority the commission has with all social media platforms is significant, with 100% compliance. If something is nasty and causing issues, notify the platform first, but don’t hesitate to contact the eSafety commission. They are swift to act and will make things happen to protect vulnerable young people. Please contact me, via the school office, if I can be of any assistance, should the need arise, or if you simply are seeking information.

Have a good week,

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

School Plus

OSHC Newsletter Week 5 and Week 6

We welcomed Autumn as March began with some very creative and clever leaf creations. The children did a fantastic job at turning leaves and sticks into everything from cats and goats to mythical creatures and ballerinas in tutus. The results were very impressive!

Here at OSHC we have been continuing our weekly exploration of culture and have recently been celebrating Morocco and the Philippines. The children were very interested in the brightly coloured cities of Morocco and the beautiful national dress of the Filipino people. The children have been doing craft to celebrate and discover these cultures as well as learning popular children’s game from those countries.

The children particularly enjoyed the game Bulong Pari which originates in the Philippines. It’s always a lot of fun for the children to learn these new games and then put their own spin on them. It was great to hear that after the children played Bulong Pari they were asking what other games are played in the Philippines because they enjoyed it so much.

To celebrate the Philippines we also created a Sarimanok and decorated it with bright colours and feathers. This mythical creature, which looks most like a rooster, is very important to the Marano people of the Philippines and it is said to bring good fortune. The children also created some paper dolls inspired by Filipino dress and they enjoyed using the iPad to look at the photos online. We kindly had some patterned decorative paper donated that the children thought looked very similar to the beautiful fabrics used in traditional Filipino dress, so we used that on our paper dolls.

We celebrated International Mother Language Day by decorating the room with a banner made up of all different countries. The children worked very hard on this, each choosing a country and then learning a bit about the country such as what the flag looks like, what foods are popular and how to say words like hello.

Also, at OSHC we decided to have a Treat People with Kindness day where we created some tissue paper flowers with pipe cleaner stems. The children then gave these to their friends, parents and others who they wanted to show kindness to. The flowers turned out very pretty and many parents came back to tell us they had them in a vase and were happy to have a flower that would stay in bloom year round.

It was also Snowman City here at OSHC as the children created magical fake snow and the children loved building glittery miniature snowman. There was also lots of singing of songs from Frozen while the snowmen were being created. This is an easy, fun (but messy activity) to do with children outside.

Tennis for Kids

EASTER SCHOOL HOLIDAY TENNIS COACHING CLINICS

MONDAY 3RD, TUESDAY 4TH, WEDNESDAY 5TH APRIL 2023

Enrolments are now open for the upcoming School Holiday Tennis Clinics as well as special discounted holiday private coaching sessions. Positions are available for all school students between the ages of 4-15 years but please note timings will differ depending upon your child's age and experience.

Holiday clinics are being held at Graceville and Sherwood State Schools - Children from all schools are invited to attend any clinic.

For further details or to enrol, please click this link -

CLINIC 1 - RECOMMENDED FOR RED BALL CHILDREN 4-7 YEARS OF AGE
Red Ball students will be at Graceville State School from 8.15-10.45am (2½ hours)

CLINIC 2 - RECOMMENDED FOR ORANGE BALL CHILDREN 7-10 YEARS OF AGE
Orange Ball students will be at Sherwood State School from 8.00-11.00am (3 hours)

CLINIC 3 - RECOMMENDED FOR GREEN BALL CHILDREN 9-12 YEARS OF AGE
Green Ball students will be at Sherwood State School from 8.00-11.00am (3 hours)

We have staggered the drop off and pick up times so parents can comfortably drop siblings to both venues as they are less than a 5 minute drive from each other.

For further details or to enrol, please click this link -

THE TENNIS FOR KIDS PARENT & CHILD TENNIS EVENT, SPONSORED BY BURRITO BAR - SUNDAY 12TH MARCH AT THE QUEENSLAND TENNIS CENTRE

LIMITED RED BALL POSITIONS ONLY REMAIN (recommended ages 5-7 years)

A fun filled 2 hours of match play – Parents enter with their child and play together as a doubles team!

Parents, you do not need to be a good tennis player or even a regular tennis player to play! As with all our Tennis For Kids Programs, the primary goals for this event will be participation and fun - A unique opportunity for parents and children to get on the court and play together as a family!

This event will be held at the Queensland Tennis Centre from 3-6pm on Sunday 12th March.

For further details or to enrol -