2 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

Message from the Principal

What a great start to the year! Already we have held our Senior Swim Carnival, Student Leader Induction Ceremony and Parent Teacher Information Evening.

As part of our commitment to drive digital communication, you will notice much more content being posted on our social media pages (Facebook & Twitter) along with email notices sent via our Schoolzine platform. Please ensure to follow us across all channels for up-to-the-minute news and photos.

As the school year is now well underway, our P&C will commence a wide range of social and fundraising events. If you would like to attend their AGM, please mark your diary for Tuesday, 13 February 2018 at 7pm in our Resource Centre. Further information about how to become a member, voting etc. is noted further below under P&C News.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Always our Best,

Phil Savill
Principal

Reminders from the Principal

Enrolment Growth

This week we reported to the Department of Education and Training on our Day 8 enrolment. I am pleased to advise our community that there has been significant growth in our numbers in 2018. This growth will lead to increased resourcing for your child as we aim to provide the best education for the students who are a part of our school. It is encouraging to see that Gumdale State School is continuing the school of choice for so many families.

Contact Details

Please ensure that you let our Admin staff know in writing of any changes to your contact details, email, home address, emergency contact or medical conditions that require updating in our database. Changes can be emailed to: admin@gumdaless.eq.edu.au.

End of School Day

Parents and students who are not participating in after school programs are reminded to exit the grounds by 3:15pm so that cleaning and maintenance staff can perform their duties. A reminder that play equipment is not to be used before or after school.

Uniform

All students are to wear their formal uniform each and every Monday, as well as on special school occasions. E.g. School Photo Day, Anzac Day etc.  Students are also expected to wear ALL black school shoes. An illustration of what shoes are appropriate are featured on our website under Facilities > Uniform Shop.

Assemblies

School Assemblies are held each Monday in Hollis Hall starting 2pm. Sometimes our Assemblies are for Prep – Year 2 only, Years 3-6 only, or a Whole School Assembly. Reminders about Assembly dates will be posted on our website as well as in our newsletter. Parents are welcome to attend.

Senior Swim Carnival

Thank you to our Swim Carnival Sponsor - Todd Gerhardt Realty, Gumdale parents, volunteers, teachers and all those involved in last week’s Senior Swim Carnival – what a successful day! Photos and results are highlighted further below in this issue.

Our Learning Priority - Reading

Aligning with the injection of resources from the Queensland Government, our improvement agenda will again focus on reading. It is my belief that while our students are performing well in this area, we can still do better. We appreciate parents' support as we endeavour to help every student reach their potential.

Badge Ceremony

Congratulations to our 2018 School Captains, House Captains and Cultural Captains who were inducted at our Whole School Assembly on Monday. Photos of the occasion are highlighted below.

2018 Student Leader Induction Ceremony

VIEW GALLERY

2018 Student Leader Induction Ceremony

Click images to enlarge

Community Business Network

Over the past two years, Gumdale State School has developed strong partnerships with businesses in our local community. The purpose of this program is to connect business supporters of our School in a practical and mutually beneficial way. This year, we are proud to welcome Todd Gerhardt Realty & YMCA Brisbane as our two Platinum Sponsors, joined by Ian Walkley of Place Estate Agents as our Gold Sponsor. If you or someone you know would like to discuss Sponsorship opportunities, advertising on our LED Sign or other joint initiatives, please contact Marissa Bowen, Executive Assistant on mbowe79@eq.edu.au or 3902 8321.

Sponsor a Perpetual Trophy

Gumdale State School is seeking interest from members of the parent community to sponsor perpetual trophies for annual swimming and athletics carnivals. We have just four vacancies to fill! These $100.00 sponsorships will be offered on a first in basis and we ask you to contact Marissa Bowen via email on mbowe79@eq.edu.au to express your interest.

Male and female age champions will be acknowledged on these perpetual trophies and will be kept on display in a cabinet in the Hollis Hall Foyer. Age champions will also receive a medallion.

Parking and Traffic Movement

A reminder to be considerate of other users of the roads and parking areas around our school. Please ensure signage and traffic direction is adhered to. The speed limit through our carparks is 10 km/h. Our student safety as well as your own is a priority.

Please note that parking at the Eastside Village is not for school drop-off and pick-up. We understand that the start of the school year is a busy time for families, but please be respectful of our neighbourhood friends and businesses. Families are encouraged to use our Stop, Drop & Go zone within the Tilley Road School Carpark or the Formosa Road school entrance.

Food Allergies

Some students at Gumdale State School have allergic reactions to foods including nuts and eggs. As this reaction can be life-threatening, we ask that parents be aware of this when preparing food for their child to bring to school. We would also ask that parents make their child's teacher aware of any concerns they may have in this area.

Messages from the Deputies

Meet the Teacher Evening

Your attendance at the meet the teacher evening was appreciated. This is a great way for our teachers to share information about the year ahead and tell you about how they run their classrooms. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please make contact with your child’s class teacher in the first instance. They will know your child and work with you to support your child’s academic and social and emotional growth. If there are any issues that you feel are not adequately resolved, please contact the Deputy Principal in charge of your child’s year level:

Prep and Year 1 - Mrs Carmel Herbert cherb1@eq.edu.au
Year 2 and Year 3 – Ms Nikki Spanner nspan2@eq.edu.au
Years 4, 5 and 6 – Mrs Sarah Cracknell scrac6@eq.edu.au

GROW Expectations

At Gumdale State School we are:

Great Learners
Respectful
Organised
Working Together Safely

Each term, one of these values will be our focus. Teachers will use these values in everyday learning and interactions to discuss expectations around learning and behaviour with our students. In each of these areas, we are striving to develop resilience in our students. Resilience isn’t something we just have, it can be taught. Throughout their childhood, our students will take tests, learn new information, change schools, change neighbourhoods, get sick, get braces, make new friends and occasionally get hurt by those friends. Building resilience helps our children navigate these kinds of challenges. Resilient children (and adults) are problem solvers. They face unfamiliar or tough situations and strive to find good solutions. Resilience is about bouncing back, and developing the ability to turn situations around, brush yourself off and start again. At times growing up will be tough! We can work together to build resilience in our students.

Prep Reading

Reading continues to be a focus here at Gumdale State School. Not only do we work towards developing confident and capable readers but we also want to instil a love of reading in all our students. We understand the important role that parents and carers play in supporting children to learn to read at home and each year offer our prep parents the opportunity to come along to an information session run by our prep teachers that will provide some tips and strategies to help develop home reading routines. This year the session will be held on Thursday 15 February from 3:15pm-4:15pm in the Hall. We will provide supervision for school age children in the library to enable parents to attend the session. Further information about this session will come home with prep students.

Important Dates

2019 Enrolment Information

News from the Payment Desk

Thank you to all families who are continuing to make payments promptly. Statements will be issued to families today. If a negative amount appears on your statement, this is a credit on your account; so remember next time you receive an invoice, give the office a call and they will apply this to your account.

As a reminder, here is a list of upcoming events / payments that might be relevant to your family:

Paying your school invoices

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.

Please note that payments can be made one of three ways:

1. Online using the BPOINT Payment Gateway
   https://www.bpoint.com.au/payments/dete
2. Phone banking via BPOINT IVR (1300 631 073) or
3. In person at our Administration Office during office hours (8.00am-3.30pm)

Get Involved in the School Banking program

School Banking day is Friday

Gumdale State School is excited to offer the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program to all students.

School Banking is a fun, interactive and engaging way for young Australians to learn about money and develop good savings habits. Children who deposit money into their Youthsaver account through School Banking earn Dollarmites tokens, which they can save up and redeem for exciting rewards.

The rewards available during 2018 are:

• Twister Power Handball
• Secret Scratch Pad
• Sparkle Glitter Pens
• Glow Light
• Mighty Boom Handball
• Heat Reactor Pencils
• Slushie Maker Cup
• Zoom Flying Disc

School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school. Our school receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year.

Getting involved in School Banking is easy!

All you need to get involved in the School Banking program is a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account. You can open an account for your child in one of two ways:

1. Online

Visit the link below and click on the link to open a Youthsaver account.

2. In branch

Visit a Commonwealth Bank branch with identification for yourself and your child, like a driver’s licence and birth certificate. If your child has an existing Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account they can start banking straight away. They just need to bring their deposit in every week on School Banking day using their Dollarmites deposit wallet.

School Banking day is Friday. Each week you need to place your banking books in the grey satchel in your child’s classroom. If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2018 School Banking program information pack from the school office or visit the link below:

STEAM news

STEAM Clubs

STEAM Clubs will be starting in Week 3 and will be open to Years 1 through to Year 6.

The STEAM Clubs for 2018 will have a Sustainability focus with a variety of projects pencilled in.

• Waste - recycling, compost and landfill bins in eating areas. Education campaign for students, teachers and families.
• Garden beds & Kitchen Garden – sponsored by IGA.
• Composting and worm farm design and construction
• Coding for younger years
• STEAM projects

Days and times to be confirmed.

News from the Sports Desk

Senior School Swimming Carnival proudly sponsored by Todd Gerhardt Realty

Congratulations to all participants in the 2018 Todd Gerhardt Realty Gumdale State School Senior Swimming Carnival. It was fantastic to see such a high level of participation and I’m sure all involved enjoyed the experience. A big thank you to all staff and parents who assisted during the day. It is greatly appreciated! We were also lucky enough to have former 50m Breaststroke world record holder, World Championship Gold medallist and Commonwealth Games Silver medallist Jade Edminstone to present awards and to talk to the students. Thanks very much Jade for your generosity in giving up your time.

Thanks also to our Age Champion perpetual trophy sponsors and our event sponsor Todd Gerhardt Realty.

2018 Senior Swim Carnival

VIEW GALLERY

2018 Senior Swim Carnival

Click images to enlarge

Congratulations to the following students who are the 2018 Age Champions:

Congratulations also to our 31 record breakers at the carnival last Wednesday. A great achievement.

If any parents are interested in splits or overall times from the carnival for their child, please contact James Doherty jpdoh0@eq.edu.au for further information.

Well done to Moreton House on winning the Interhouse Swimming Carnival Shield.

2018 Sporting Calendar

Please click the link to view an attached listing of all upcoming sporting events. Dates are subject to change and the latest versions will be posted on our website.

2018 Camps

This year there will be a change to our Year 4-6 Camp structure. This will allow three different settings and experiences for students in our Senior School. More information regarding camps will be made available as the camps draw closer. The camps will be as follows:

Bayside District trials

Below is information about the Bayside District Sporting trials throughout 2018. Students will need to follow the strict criteria laid out by the district if they are wishing to trial. Only three Gumdale State School students can be considered per sport.

Forms have been given to your child if they are born in 2006, 2007 or 2008.

Important things to remember

• Students born in 2006, 2007 and 2008 can trial.
• Students need to have experience in the sport.
• Current club experience is preferred.
• Students and parents need to commit to taking students to the trial if selected as one of 3 students.

Bayside District Sports 2018

*Dates are subject to change

Sport Aerobics at Gumdale 2018

Competition Sport aerobics at Gumdale State School will be getting underway very soon. If your child is wishing to audition to be a part of a team, they will need to collect a form from Ms Goddard and return it to the sports office by the 5th of February 2018.

Auditions: Please refer to table as to when your child’s audition will be.

Competitions: Below are the competitions Gumdale State School Teams will be competing at during 2018.

For more information please contact Ms Goddard at ligod1@eq.edu.au.

Keep Moving!

MUSIC NOTES

Class music lessons are off to a great start and we have an exciting year planned for music making! This year we welcome Mrs Nicole Lane to our Music Team who will be taking music classes on a Thursday and Friday. To assist with any specific queries relating to year levels or performance groups, please see our staff list and contacts below:

Miss Lauren Slater (Mon, Tues & Wed) lslat29@eq.edu.au

• Prep, Year 1 & Year 2 Class Music
• Junior Choir (Years 1 & 2)
• Senior Choir (Years 5 & 6)

Mrs Nicole Lane (Thurs & Fri) nmlan0@eq.edu.au

• Year 3 & Year 4 Class Music
• Intermediate Choir (Years 3 & 4)

Mrs Vivienne Thomas (Mon, Tues & Thurs) vthom38@eq.edu.au

• Years 4, 5 & 6 Instrumental Music
• Beginner Concert Band (Year 4)
• Senior Concert Band (Years 5 & 6)

CHOIR 2018

Choirs at Gumdale will commence next week (Week 3) see days at times below. Being part of a choir not only helps to develop singing and improve musicianship, but builds on performance skills, confidence, team work & relationships all while having great fun!

Official Sign-Up will occur in the first rehearsal, with a short meeting about the program and performances this year. All rehearsals will be held in the STEAM Music Room. If you love singing or would like to check it out, NEW members as well as those continuing are welcome to come along.

“I can’t wait for choir to start, I’m so excited. We had the best time last year, rehearsals are the best!” - Elise Ross (2018 Cultural Captain)

CHOIR REHEARSALS

ALL choir rehearsals will be held in the STEAM Music Room, please take note of the new times this Semester. Looking forward to seeing you there!

CHOIR FOLDERS

An A4 display folder is required for all choir members so copies of words and music may be taken home for practise. Any colour folder is acceptable for the Junior and Intermediate singers however, the Senior singers will need a black folder which may be used for performances this year. If you are continuing with choir you may keep your folder from last year and add to your collection of songs.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC 2018

A few notes for assistance organising the start of the new year:

• Instrumental Music Lessons begin Week 2, continuing students on Mondays and beginning students on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
• Timetables and a full year Music Events Calendar will be sent home with students this week.
• Senior Concert Band Rehearsal begins Week 3 on Monday mornings before school in the STEAM Music Room (this is an exciting change of rehearsal space for us!).
• Senior Concert Band is for any student beginning their second or third year of the Instrumental Program (gr 5's & 6's).
• Beginner Concert Band will not begin until after Beginner Band Week (June).
• Beginner Concert Band is for any student beginning their first year of the Instrumental Program.

All Instrumental students have access for an intensive Music "Camp" at their level this year (3 Camps), we also have the Senior Concert Band representing our school at the State-wide Bands Competition: "Fanfare". All students in the program are expected to be on time, prepared, and ready to participate at all lessons, rehearsals and performance events, unless negotiation with Mrs Thomas has occurred prior to the events. Failure to attend events without notice is detrimental to the team's performance, so please feel free to contact Mrs Thomas on vthom38@eq.edu.au at any time.

Just a reminder about why playing music is awesome!

Please take time to check out the links below if you haven't had a chance yet. I know juggling many activities can be daunting for both you and your child, but I hope this reinforces the benefit of the commitment to join the band and establish a consistent routine of home practice.

From the Music Department,

Gumdale Gives Thank You

We would like to extend another warm thanks to everyone in our school community who donated to our two appeals at the end of last year. We gave close to 300 brand new toys to GIVIT to give as Christmas gifts to children living in care, as well as a few basket loads of non-perishable food items for MICAH Projects who packaged up food hampers for those in need over Christmas.

We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our families. It was so lovely to see our school community supporting such wonderful causes. Thank you for helping to put smiles on so many people’s faces.

We will continue to run these collections and others throughout the year. Please keep an eye out for details in future newsletters.

On Entry to Prep: Early Start

We recognise that before starting school our students have already begun to learn about reading, writing and numbers through everyday experiences with their families and caregivers.

At the beginning and end of Prep, our school uses a resource callled “Early Start” to determine each students level of familiarity with a range of mathematical and literacy concepts and skills. We then use this information to plan programs that support each student’s learning needs.

Over the next few weeks Gumdale Prep students will complete a series of Early Start literacy tasks one-on-one with a teacher or teachers’ aide. While schools do not report on Early Start results, our teachers are able to provide parents with feedback.

Parents can access further information by discussing Early Start with their child’s teacher or by clicking on the following links:

Frequently Asked Questions

Early Start Literacy Guide

Early Start Numeracy Guide

P&C News

Notice of the P&C Annual General Meeting

The 2018 Annual General Meeting of the Gumdale State School Parents and Citizens’ Association will be held on Tuesday 13 February commencing at 7:00pm.

Following acceptance of the minutes from the 2017 AGM and the tabling of the Audit Report for the year ending 31 December 2017, all current office bearer roles will be declared vacant and nominations called for the following positions:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer

Nominations will also be sought for membership of the following P&C Sub-Committees:

• Fundraising

All current P&C members are encouraged to attend the AGM to vote and/or nominate for vacant positions on the executive and sub-committees.

For more information concerning any aspects of the P&C including the conduct of the AGM, and the roles of executives and sub-committees, please email pandc@gumdaless.eq.edu.au

The AGM is open to all parents and carers who wish to attend, however only members are eligible to vote and/or nominate for vacant positions (including sub-committees).

At the completion of the AGM the February general meeting will be held.

P&C Membership

Please download the following documents regarding P&C Membership and related application forms.

Online Ordering

The Tuckshop and Uniform Shop offer an online ordering service called Flexischools. Online ordering is convenient, provides you with 24/7 payment and ordering system that can be accessed from home, work or on a mobile device. You won't be fumbling around for coins in the morning or looking for a brown paper bag. You can also purchase uniform items when the shop's not open and our volunteers will deliver the items to your child's classroom. Flexischools registration is free and only takes a few minutes so get online at the link below.

Tuckshop News

We would like to take this opportunity to advise the school community that Flexischools is the only option available for ordering lunches from the Tuckshop. The bag system is no longer available due to a change in P&C policy and procedure.

Over the counter purchases for years' 1 - 6 students during breaks will still be available. Fruit, drinks and snacks can also be purchased over the counter before school.

Order Cancellation

If you need to cancel an order for any reason, and can't through your Flexischools account, please contact us before 8:45am

Sushi

Friday's sushi orders need to be in by 11:00am on Thursday through Flexischools. Sushi orders cannot be cancelled once they are place as they are ordered specifically.

Tuckshop Volunteers

The tuckshop is always in need of volunteers. If you can spare anywhere from as little as 30mins up to a couple of hours, please don't hesitate to stop by or drop us a line.

Contact

If you need to contact the tuckshop for any reason, please do via one of our contact methods:

(please note – our emails are not checked in the mornings)

Phone: 3902 8304
Email: tuckshop@gumdalesspc.org.au
Stop by and see us anytime

Rachelle & Amanda
Tuckshop Convenors

Uniform Shop News

Mondays: 8:15am – 9:30am
Fridays: 8:15am – 9:30am

Any variations to the days and times will be published on the Gumdale State School P&C Facebook Page.

Senior shirts can still be ordered through Flexischools, and this will close on the 8th February. Orders are expected to arrive in late March. Senior Shirt orders placed at the end of 2017 are expected to arrive in store in mid February.

Some second hand items including hats are now available to purchase at the Uniform Shop. Items are priced as marked and stock is limited.

Donations of second hard uniform items which are in good condition are most welcome. A donations box has been placed outside the door of the Uniform Shop. Coat hangers and plastic bags are also required.

Don’t forget we are located on Level 1 of Block A so drop by and see our friendly volunteers when the shop is open.

Contact

Phone: 3902 8335
Email: uniform@gumdalesspc.org.au
Orders: Online through Flexischools
Payment: cash and EFTPOS facilities

Shaunesy Pegg
P&C President
pandc@gumdaless.eq.edu.au