2 June 2023

Principal

Zoe Smith

Hello,

We had an amazing show of support for Graceville’s Got Talent when tickets went on sale Thursday morning. The 350 tickets to the actual show sold out by approximately 9am. There is no limit for tickets to the Art Gallery and the Pre-Show Entertainment is free so there are still many opportunities for the school community to come along and join in on the night. Please consider booking tickets to the Art Gallery through the Qkr App. Don’t forget food will need to be pre-ordered and we will be running a cashless drink stand and bar on the night. The Pre-ordered food will be served from approximately 4.30 to 5.30pm. The drinks stand and bar will be open from 4.30 to 5.40pm. The fun starts at 4.30pm with entry to the Art Gallery and food and drinks. The Pre-Show entertainment starts around 4.40pm and finishes at 5.50pm on the dot! The door call for the Graceville’s Got Talent show is at 5.50pm with a prompt 6.05pm start to the show. Don’t forget all money raised from ticket sales goes directly to the Student Council who will use the money to undertake a project in the school.

The Spell-a-thon is next Tuesday! I hope you have been able to find sponsors to support your child. This is a great fundraising event for the P&C. The P&C have a new strategic plan based on the combined voice of the parents, staff and students and can only action their plans with funds raised through events such as the Spell-a-thon. We hope you can support the Spell-a-thon.

The Upper School Athletics Carnival is on Thursday 8 June at the UQ Athletics field. The event is always a favourite on the calendar for students and parents. You are welcome to come along and watch the carnival.

The Trivia night is Saturday 10 June. I am sure all those attending have sorted out the theme for their table and are looking forward to an entertaining night!

Finally, don’t forget Under 8’s Day and our Adopt-a-Cop ceremony on Wednesday 14 June.

As you can see there is a lot happening in the lead up to the Winter holiday break. We would love to see you at any of the events.

Have a great week,
Zoe Smith

Newsletter Articles

Deputy Principal

Maree Hass

Desks to give away:

We have 20 desks to give away to good homes. They are 60 x 45 cm and 64cm in height. Please see photo for colour and details. If you are interested these can be collected Monday (June 5) and Tuesday (June 6) at 8:15 from the concrete area of the hall.

Under 8s Activities on Wednesday June 14

We will be celebrating Under 8s Week this term on Wednesday June 14 with fun and activities on the oval for our prep to year 2 students, 9 – 10:30am and being outdoors hopefully in the sunshine, all parents are welcome to attend and join in the fun! A coffee van will be in attendance.

P-2 Assemblies for remainder of term 2

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

Preparing for Prep 2024

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 link which provides information about 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 2024 will be on Wednesday July 26 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

Families must RSVP for these sessions using our online booking system also which will be live from July 26.

Session 1: Tuesday Oct 17 OR Thursday Oct 19, 9 – 10:00am Focus on Fine Motor Skills
Session 2: Tuesday Oct. 31, 9 – 10:00 Speech and Language Development
Session 3: Monday Nov 13 OR Wednesday Nov 15, 9 – 10:00am Focus on Reading

Prep Orientation meetings: Thursday November 23

Meet the class session: Thursday November 30, 9 – 10am

Please see attachment for information from Chelmer Station Community Kindy about a pre-kindy program for 2024.

Deputy Principal

Lisa McKeaten

Sorry Day Ceremony

Hello Lucas, Griff, Sofia, Taiga and Annabelle,

Thank you again for your role in the Sorry Day ceremony. You were great ambassadors for Graceville State School. After the ceremony we received many compliments about the care you had taken with your school uniform, tidy hair styles and your confidence and empathy. As a teacher, it warms my heart to receive messages like this about our leaders.

The care you put into your speech, Lucas, was exemplary. You spoke slowly and with meaning. Well done to Griff, Taiga and Lucas for joining in with the traditional dancers for the closing dance. That took bravery in front of a large audience!

Thank you to Sofia for writing a summary for the school newsletter.

Thank you for being influencers of change.

Warm regards,
Mrs Payne

Business Manager

Anne Nixon

How to Make Payment at Graceville State School
DET Preferred Payment Method – Bpoint

Please use the CRN (Customer Reference Number) located on the bottom left hand side of your invoice. Payment can be made through the Payment Portal:

This is a secure site and receipts are issued immediately. Our records are updated within 24 hours.

Copies of invoices and receipts are available on your QParents Portal. Payments can also be made in QParents.

Payment Plan Via eDDR (Electronic Direct Debit Registration) Contact admin@gracevilless.eq.edu.au or please phone to speak to our Finance Team to discuss a payment plan.

By Phone with a Credit/Debit Card Please phone 1300 BPoint – 1300-631-073.

When making a payment please have your invoice ready as you will need your CRN (Customer Reference Number) and Invoice Number.

In Person at Graceville State School

Office Hours are Monday to Friday 8.00am to 3.30pm on school days. Payment can be made by EFTPOS. American Express not accepted.

CentrePay

Deductions Please contact our Finance Team to discuss this option

Music News

Naomi Lindh

Thank you to our Beginner Strings and Mr Chin for playing at the Strings Extravaganza last week! I hope they all enjoyed it and learnt some new skills. Thanks also to our parents/carers for dropping students off and collecting them at the end of the day to enable this excursion to happen.

We have some choir performances organised for the last 2 weeks of this term. Our Senior Choir will be singing at the full school assembly in week 9 at 2:00pm, on 14 June. In week 10, our Junior Choir will be singing at the Junior Assembly on Tuesday 20 June at 2:15pm. Both choirs will be singing 2 songs at these performances. Families and members of the school community are welcome to attend these performances!

Please note that there will be no Junior Choir rehearsal in week 10 due to the busy evening the night before, with the Graceville's Got Talent concert.

If your child is experiencing any difficulties with 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 to families who have contacted our music teachers/conductors to let them know if their child is sick an unable to attend a rehearsal. Email addresses are below if any families need these contact details.

We look forward to sharing our music with you soon!

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

Music Rehearsals

Monday - Senior Band (Mr Kukulies) - 7:45am in the hall
Tuesday - Senior Choir (Mrs Lindh) - 7:45am in the music room - students from years 4 - 6 are welcome to join
Wednesday - Intermediate Strings (Mr Chin) - 7:45am in the hall
Thursday - Junior Choir (Mrs Lindh) - 7:45am in the music room
Senior Strings (Mr Chin) - 7:45am in the hall
Friday - Junior Band (Mr Kukulies) - 7:45am in the hall

Senior Strings (Mr Chin) - 7:45am in the hall
Friday - Junior Band (Mr Kukulies) - 7:45am in the hall

P&C

The P&C are hosting dinner and drinks before Graceville's Got Talent from 4.30pm to 6pm on Wednesday 21 June 2023. The tuckshop will be providing a special dinner menu to be purchased by parents and students, which must be preordered on Qkr! before the event. Juice, soft drink and alcohol can be purchased on the night (cashless).

The next P&C General Meeting is on Wednesday 7 June 2023 at 7pm in the Waratah Room. We would love to see all current and new members at the meeting or please dial in via Zoom. As a parent of a student at our school, you are not automatically a member of the P&C. To become a member, please submit your membership form to the Secretary (scanned to secretary@gracevillepandc.org.au or dropped into the P&C mailbox at the school office) for approval at the next meeting. If you are a member and should an issue arise during the school year which you feel strongly about, you will be able to vote on the matter and have your say. Being part of the P&C is a great way to meet other parents and be involved in fundraising and supporting the school community. As a member of the P&C you have the opportunity to join the conversation on how funds raised are spent to enhance your child’s school experience. 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.

Trivia Night

Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Trivia Raffle. Even if you can’t make the night you can still be part of it! Thank you to the below businesses for their kind donations. You can buy your tickets via this link. Winners will be announced on the night!

Spellathon 2023

Spellathon Day is next week - Tuesday 6th June.

We hope you've assisted your child to learn their words and ask family, friends and neighbours to sponsor them.

(Even a small donation from EVERY child in the class goes a long way to making the literacy resources at school even better!)

Your child will need to take their Sponsorship Form to school on Monday or Tuesday next week for their teacher to write their result on.

It will then come home and they can collect their sponsorship monies!

Great prizes are on offer for top spellers and sponsorship collectors.

To be prize eligible all monies need to be in by Friday 16th June - via Qkr or EFT.

If you have lost your sponsorship form,.. here is another!

Thanks for your support of Spellathon 2023.

Chappy’s Chat

It’s a busy time at Graceville, with assessments, Graceville’s Got Talent auditions, interschool sport and athletics practice all happening in recent weeks. Next Thursday, the year 4 – 6 students will bus their way to the University of Queensland athletics field, to participate in our Athletics Carnival. Events on the day will include, 200m Finals, 800m Finals, Sprints, Long Jump, High Jump and Shot Put. From these events, we will determine our winning house and the successful aged champions. Good luck to everyone competing and a huge thank you, to all parent helpers, whose efforts make the day possible.

Next Saturday night, the spotlight will shine brightly on school parents, as all the glitz and glamour of Broadway arrives to this area, in the form of the Graceville State School P & C Trivia Night. This evening is always filled with fun and frivolity, laughter and learning, dress up and dancing. I look forward to seeing you there, as the stars of the stage, strut their stuff once more.

Any parent wanting to increase their awareness around protecting children in an online world, would do well to check out the eSafety Commissioner website. It is packed full of resources and information, to assist families have a positive online experience in an increasing fast paced, digital world. A school chaplaincy service, receiving Federal Government funding requires the chaplain to access approved training in this area. This training, through the eSafety Commissioner is some of the best, most practical training I have accessed in my 17 years in the role. I cannot speak highly enough of the work, the eSafety commission does in this area. The website covers matters and issues for children of all ages, and advice for parents, which can be incredibly powerful. With digital technology, information truly is power, and we should not underestimate the seriousness taken by the Commissioner on matters of Cyber Safety. Nor should we underestimate the far-reaching authority the Commissioner has to receive compliance, from all online platforms.

Please check out this link for more information and should you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Have a wonderful week!

John Erichsen
(Chappy)

The Spring Fair

"The Spring Fair Committee is excited to announce that the 2023 Graceville State School Spring Fair will be held on Saturday 26 August 2023. Jam packed with all your favourite things from previous years – food, entertainment, rides and fireworks. Don’t forget to save the date! "

If you are interested in getting involved by running a stall, contributing your ideas or supporting in a role, please get in touch with our Spring Fair Convenor, Deepa. All ideas and enthusiasm are welcome! fete.convenor@gracevillepandc.org.au "

Tuckshop

MENU NEWS

Chilli Con Carne with rice is now on the menu every day. It’s Gluten Free, Dairy Free and made on-site for $6 a serve. Avocado and sour cream can be added.

Butter chicken with rice is back. Previously we have bought in the sauce and other ingredients and prepared it but we now use the thermomix to make our own sauce. Check it out on Mondays for $6.

Jelly Joys are back and can be ordered individually or in a class box.

WEEKLY SPECIALS

Monday - Butter Chicken
Tuesday - Kentucky style chicken breast burgers and Gluten Free chicken tender burgers
Wednesday - Sushi/Rice Paper Rolls/Bahn Mi. (Must be ordered by 11am Tuesday)
Thursday - Beef burgers

REMINDERS

• Daily orders cut off at 8am
• Sushi cuts off at 11am Tuesday for Wednesday delivery
• If your child is away, please cancel the order in Qkr! before 8am or call us to arrange asap.

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, Alex, Edina, Annette, Becc and Catherine
Team Tuckshop 2023

Uniform Shop

Hi all!

Welcome to week 7. Just a few short weeks and another term is complete!

PLEASE NOTE
Our last open day for Term 2 will be in week 10 on Tuesday the 20th of June.

OHSC GREEN T FOR VACATION CARE

Now that the final day for ordering has come and gone the special order has been processed.

The shirts will take approximately 1 – 2 weeks to arrive in time for the school holidays. Like all online orders, they will be sent to the classroom asap.

HOUSE SHIRTS

The new version of the House Shirts have arrived in limited sizes and quantities, so you’re welcome to jump online to purchase or buy in-store.

We also have some of the old style shirts left in limited quantities.

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.

WINTER STOCK

I currently have a great size range of the winter gear in store. 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.

There are also a small amount of long sleeve Flinders shirts available (see sizes on the online store) that are perfect for this cooler weather as well as great sun protection heading into the warmer months.

Don’t forget about our 2nd hand rack that is currently jam packed with winter gear!

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

ONLINE STORE

The uniform shop has an online store, so if you already know your child’s sizes you can order and pay online and it will be passed on in the classroom.

PLEASE NOTE – When buying online please add your child’s FULL NAME and CLASS in the notes section.

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

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.

DONATIONS

We are always grateful for donations of 2nd hand uniforms that are in freshly washed, in 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

School Plus

School Plus OSHC Updates

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at OSHC. We have been continuing our adventures around the world, from the comfort of OSHC, as we move around the world map learning about so many different countries. We spent most of the first few weeks looking at countries in South American and learning about Brazilian carnivals, Peruvian llamas and so much more. Lately we have learnt about Molas from Panama, Indigenous Australian art, and Mayan kites. Next, we will look at Indigenous Americans and the Indigenous people of Canada.

The children have really enjoyed learning about all these different cultures and are now suggesting the countries we learn about next. They have also been very interested in the world map, looking for different countries and trying to find new ones they hadn’t heard of.

We have also started working on another exciting creative project, our Insect wall. We have been learning about different types of bugs and what they do for the environment. We have been learning that some insects (and spiders and worms) do very important jobs to help out the earth around them. We have learnt that some bugs, while very pretty, can actually be damaging to the environment as well.

As part of our insect wall, we created a large rainbow butterfly. Many of the children were surprised to learn that butterflies were insects, because they don’t look much like a bug or beetle. The children also found that standing in front of the butterfly was the perfect spot for a photo opportunity! The girls in Grade One loved posing in front of the butterfly, to make it look like they had large colourful wings and before we knew it, the morning became a fairy morning.

The girls asked for some pipe cleaners to make some butterfly headpieces and began planning a fairy party complete with a fancy invitation on a scroll secured with gold ribbon. The girls then went to work making butterfly bracelets for everyone, so that everyone could come into the secret fairy party.

Insert image: Student

We have also been having fun getting active and as always soccer, cricket and dodgeball have been very popular. However, trampolines have also been very requested the past couple of weeks. This is such a fun activity, and often the Preps will play it with their Senior Buddies.

Reminder: With the holiday break coming up in only a couple of weeks we will begin taking bookings for Vacation Care. We will have a full program of fun activities, themed days, incursions, and excursions. Please pop us an email on graceville@schoolplus.com.au or come by and see us in the OSHC room if you’d like to start an enrol to ensure your child can come along to Vacation Care for all the fun events we have planned! Vacation Care program will be out soon, pop us an email if you would like a copy once it is released. Thank you

Tennis

JUNE/JULY SCHOOL HOLIDAY TENNIS COACHING CLINICS

MONDAY 26th, TUESDAY 27TH, WEDNESDAY 28TH JUNE 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 - Tennis Holiday Programs at School Venues | Tennis For Kids

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 -

TENNIS HOT SHOTS – LIMITED PLACES STILL AVAILABLE FOR TERM 2!

Limited places are still available for term 2 tennis lessons.

ENROL ONLINE from 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 2 WILL RECEIVE A FREE JUNIOR TENNIS RACQUET!

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