29 May 2020

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

A warm welcome back to school to all our students. As we enter the second half of Term 2, I would like to thank you for your support and resilience during the period of remote learning. It was a steep learning curve for everyone involved and I am pleased with the way staff, students and parents all worked together to ensure continuity of learning.

We have worked hard to ensure the transition back to school this week has been as smooth as possible. Thank you for your cooperation with the staggered drop off and pick up times and for not entering the school grounds.

This week, teachers have been working to re-establish expectations in classrooms along with applying additional hygiene and hand washing protocols. Across the school, we are reiterating our GROW expectations: being great learners, behaving respectfully, being organised and working together safely. Students are also being reminded of our expectation that they wear the full school uniform every day, which includes the school jumper.

Our key reminders are:

• Due to physical distancing protocols, we are limiting adults on school grounds. Students are to be dropped off and collected from school gates.
• Students and staff who are unwell must not attend school.
• Students will engage in regular hand washing with soap and water (or using hand sanitiser) and will be reminded to cover coughs and sneezes.
• Parents and carers are asked to maintain 1.5m social distancing at school drop off and pickup. Please refrain from congregating around school gates.

As I communicated last week, assemblies and excursions are postponed until further notice, but we look forward to using alternate methods to keep students connected and engaged for the remainder of the term and the 2020 school year.

All the best to you and your families.

Always our Best,

Phil Savill, Principal
Gumdale State School

Welcome Back Students

Reminders from the School

Stay up to date with QParents

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with the 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

• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details

Prep 2021 Enrolment

To enrol your child for Prep 2021 at Gumdale State School, please complete the Student Enrolment Application Form and submit to our Administration Office or email to: admin@gumdaless.eq.edu.au

The calendar of events for the Prep Information Sessions and Orientation are currently being reviewed due to the COVID-19 requirements. This information will be emailed through as soon as it becomes available.

From the Deputies

Staggered class times

A reminder that staggered class times are now in effect. Please ensure students are on site ready to begin learning by the start time.

If your child is sick

Please be advised that if your child is sick, they must not go to school. You must keep them at home and away from others. Please seek advice from your doctor or 13Health before sending your child back to school.

Parents and carers of children at school experiencing or reporting symptoms of illness while at school will be contacted promptly. These children must be collected by a parent/carer as soon as possible.

We thank you for your continued vigilance.

Food Allergies and Nut Minimalization

Please be aware that we have a number of students attending our school who are at risk of anaphylaxis if exposed to nuts or other foods. As a community we work together to ensure we have the safest possible environment for all our students. Therefore we ask that you do not send nuts or nut products in your child’s lunchbox. This does not include products that are labelled as “May contain traces of nuts”. Additionally, our staff actively discourage students from sharing food with their peers during eating breaks. Please note:

• If you are sending in food for a student’s birthday celebration, please advise our staff of the ingredients or provide the original packaging.
• We encourage parents and carers of students at risk of anaphylaxis or with food intolerances to discuss their child’s individual needs with the class teacher.
• Kindly ensure that you update your child’s school record if there are any changes such as a new diagnosis or change in action plan). This can be done at the front desk.

Stop, Drop & Go

As we are now limiting adult access to the school grounds, the Stop Drop Go area in the Tilley Road carpark is a popular place to collect students. Our pick up area on Formosa Road is another convenient and often under-used option. Please be mindful of your child’s safety and the safety of others when using these facilities.

1. Display your child’s surname clearly on your passenger sun visor.
2. As you approach, keep left while queuing for Stop, Drop & Go. We will direct your child to one of the four coloured zones for you to collect them.
3. Children enter cars from the curb side only. You (the driver) must stay in your car. Store bags inside the car and not in the boot.
4. Instruct your child on independent seatbelt use – or park your car if you need to help them.
5. Give way when exiting Stop, Drop & Go as cars may be circling. If your child is not yet at Stop, Drop & Go, drive slowly through the carpark and turn right just before the exit to re-join the queue.

We thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our students safe.

Uniforms

As the weather cools and we reach for warmer clothing, a reminder of our Uniform Policy:

Uniforms can be ordered online from Flexischools and delivered to classroom teachers for your convenience. More information on our uniform policy is available on our website here.

Wellbeing

Resilience Building

With all of our students returning to school this week, we have been proud of the way in which they have transitioned back, especially in adapting to our new morning and afternoon routines. Change is never easy but our Gumdale students have taken this change in their stride and have shown great strength and resilience during this time of change.

Well done also to our parent community who have adapted to our new drop off and pick up procedures, especially those with children in Prep and Year 1. Your trust and encouragement has been greatly appreciated. Children look to us during times of uncertainty and change and their strength and resilience is a credit to you all.

For more information on building resilience, click here.

For more information on talking to children about COVID-19, click here.

Growing @ Home

Thank you to everyone who participated in Growing @ Home each week. It has been lovely seeing so many students engaging in fun activities to enhance not only their PE and Music skills but also their social-emotional wellbeing. All the videos are available to view on our YouTube channel.

STEM News

STEM Learning

Year 1 students have made an enthusiastic return to Term 2. We have been investigating materials and how they can be strengthened for different purposes, and, what types of materials are useful in water. Students were asked to create a container that could hold about 12 marbles. They could not use glue, scissors, sticky tape or staples to hold their containers together, only the material they were given. As you can see from the photos, Year 1 were able to come up with some great ideas for containers using only plasticine, paper, aluminium foil and fabric.

Sustainability @ Gumdale

Sustainability Steve is very excited to have students back at school and being mindful of their waste. Our worms are enjoying the return of organic food scraps!

2020 Premier’s Coding Challenge

The Premier's Coding Challenge is an annual statewide initiative for all Queensland students in Year 3 to Year 10. The Premier's Coding Challenge aims to encourage an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Queensland students. Students can enter as individuals or as a pair, in one of 8 categories. See examples from previous winners (ZIP, 67.8MB). Winners receive prizes (PDF, 65KB) of coding and robotic kits (total prize pool $10,000).

Sports News

Get Voting

Help support our Gumdale Sport Aerobics squad! They are entered to win vital funds to assist in keeping costs down for our students. Voting is simple through Facebook or email.

The group with the most votes will win the campaign, so getting voting and share the link to make sure Gumdale is in with a chance to win!

Keep moving!

Music Notes

A huge welcome back to school from all of us in Music! Thanks to everyone who completed the Growing at Home music challenges over the past weeks. It was exciting to see your creativity at home. Thanks to all our singers and instrumentalists for keeping up with your home practise. We are proud to see our musicians always giving their best, whether at home or at school.

Our classes began their weekly music lessons and Instrumental Music and Piano lessons resumed at school this week. Please note there will be No Choir or Band rehearsals or performances for the remainder of Term 2 to ensure the safety of all our musicians. Updated information will be communicated to you once restrictions have eased.

Choir

Choir Rehearsals Cancelled

To ensure the safety of all our singers at Gumdale, there will be NO choir rehearsals for the remainder of the term. The Gumleaves and Gumtrees Choirs have access to all the repertoire, lyrics and audio on Showbie. Please start committing lyrics to memory and listen to both alto and soprano parts regularly so you are ready for when rehearsals start again. The Gumnuts Choir have their choir folders and should be singing through the songs every week. I look forward to seeing you and hearing you sing again soon.

Instrumental Music

Instrumental Music Lessons

We resumed Instrumental Music lessons this week and it was great to see our musicians so keen and eager to share and play music together. Term 2 lesson Timetables have been emailed and distributed to the students.

Please note that there will be NO band rehearsals or performances for the remainder of Term 2 but we look forward to starting rehearsals again later in the year. More information regarding rehearsals and performances will be communicated to you in due course.

From the Music Department,

Student Council

Student Council Returns in Term 3, 2020

It’s no secret that Student Council and Friends of 2020, are an exceptional group of Gumdale students working together to make our school an even better place to be.

The wonderful news is, that in Term 3 (coming up soon), our amazing Student Council community will be back in action at our wonderful school.

There’s exciting and rewarding ventures ahead and from the beginning of Term 3, our weekly Tuesday morning meetings will recommence at 8:00 a.m. in the 3R classroom.

I am so looking forward to seeing you all and very importantly, working with you all again.

See you soon!

Best Wishes,
Mrs Ros McAuliffe

Community Business Network

Gumdale State School is pleased to have the support of businesses in our local and nearby community by way of sponsorship. Each year, our school resources are enriched courtesy of members in our Community Business Network.

More details regarding our program and the packages available can be found on our school website or by contacting Marissa Bowen, Executive Assistant.

Phone: 3902 8333 Mail: mbowe79@eq.edu.au

Our Platinum and Gold Sponsors are:

Platinum Sponsor

Todd Gerhardt Realty goes above and beyond for his clients. Todd has broken countless street records, priding himself on getting the best possible price for his vendors. Todd Gerhardt is considered a real sellers agent, but he is equally devoted to his buyers and he knows how to close the deal leaving both parties more than satisfied (which in today's market cannot always be the case).

Todd leaves no stone unturned in the search for the right buyer for your home. It is Todd's mission to offer the best real estate experience you can get.

Gold Sponsor

Alpha Home Maintenance is a handyman service designed to save time, money and energy for all your property maintenance needs and those general repairs around the home. We provide a free consultation prior to any job so we can work together on an option that will ensure you choose the service that is right for you. We strive to work hard and deliver outstanding results and exceptional customer service every time. Call us today on 0400 823 868.

P&C News

A warm welcome back to school to all Gumdale Families.

Due to restrictions on gatherings, we held our May meeting via Zoom on Thursday 21 May. The next meeting will take place on Thursday 11 June on the same platform. Members can watch for the link which will be emailed out ahead of time.

Follow the P&C

To stay up to date with all things P&C, follow us on social media:

• Facebook at Gumdale State School Parents & Citizens
• Instagram at gumdale_ss_pandc
• Twitter at gumdaless_pandc
• Or contact us on pandc@gumdalesspc.org.au

Aaron Beake
P&C President

GOSHC

Making a Booking

If you require your child to attend BSC or ASC, you must create a booking either via email or the MyFamily Lounge App. Gumdale Outside School Hours Care will be operating at a limited capacity due to the Emergency Childcare Relief Package. It is imperative for families to only use the service if it is essential for your family.

Unfortunately, GOSHC will be unable to accept any children that DO NOT have a booking for BSC or ASC session, this includes walk-ins.

Our Program

Thanks so much to our education leader Jodie for programming such great activities for the children to participate in when they attend GOSHC. The children have been exceeding in building their relationships with one another and having effective communication between each other and educators.

The children have been using their imaginations to do different drawings and craft activities. They have been using different colours, stencils and utensils to create different images on paper. It is great to see children of all ages getting involved and seeing some of the older ones give ideas or offer help to the younger GOSHC members.

We have also been seeing lots of creativity through construction at GOSHC. The children have been using different toys from our playroom, and using them to create little towns, buildings, houses and so much more.

We cannot wait to be able to have everyone back at GOSHC to unleash their creativity!

Gumtree Eatery

Reduced service

We are continuing to operate with a reduced service until further notice. However, once again we are offering over the counter service for snacks and frozen items (students in Years 1-6). All meal items need to be ordered on Flexischools.

Winter Warmers

There’s a chill in the air and the Eatery is offering some winter warmer specials. Our popular hot chocolate is back on the menu and can be ordered via Flexischools or can be purchased from 8:00am over the counter. $2.00 per serve.

Check out our soup of the day, served with a fresh bread roll for $5.00.

We will also offer monthly specials so check out our Facebook posts!

Carol Matheson
Gumtree Eatery Tuckshop Convenor

Uniform Shop News

In line with current guidelines the Uniform Shop is closed for over the counter sales until further notice. All purchases are to be made on Flexischools. Items will be delivered to teachers’ pigeonholes for them to deliver to students. Any incorrect items can be exchanged or returned for refund by emailing the Uniform Shop staff and leaving item at the front office or with one of the supervisors at Stop, Drop and Go.

Measurements of winter items, polo shirts and new Microfibre shorts have now been uploaded to Flexischools to make purchasing Uniforms online easier.

Due to recent high demand, hoodies in sizes 6, 8 and 12 are currently out of stock. Our supplier is working hard to get stock to us as soon as possible. Alternatively we have Microfibre Jackets in stock or a plain royal blue jumper is suitable until stock arrives.

With winter arriving students are still required to wear approved uniform items. Navy stockings and royal blue fleece track pants are acceptable to be worn with the School Uniform.

The Uniform Shop is clearing discontinued and overstocked items by up to 80%. Items and prices can be found on Flexischools.

Michelle Moffatt
Uniform Shop Manager

Community Notices

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