2 May 2025

Dates to Remember

Principal News

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable school holiday! It's wonderful to see our students return with smiling faces and a readiness to learn. A special welcome to our new families – we’re thrilled to have you as part of our school community.

As we start this new term, I want to highlight the importance of community connections. At Grand Avenue, we believe that when schools, families, and communities work together, our students thrive. Whether it’s attending school events, volunteering in the classroom, or simply chatting with staff at drop-off and pick-up, these everyday interactions create a stronger, more supportive environment for our children.

Every Day Counts

A gentle reminder that regular school attendance is key to student success. Every day at school is an opportunity to learn, grow, and build confidence. Missing even a few days can make it hard for children to catch up, especially with the fast pace of the curriculum. Please help us support your child’s learning by encouraging consistent attendance and letting us know if your child is facing any challenges that might keep them from being at school.

Working Together – Parents and Teachers

We also want to celebrate the vital partnership between parents and teachers. When this relationship is strong, students benefit enormously. Open communication, mutual respect, and a shared focus on your child’s progress can make a real difference in both academic and emotional development. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher, whether to ask a question, share a concern, or simply to stay in the loop.

Let’s make this term a great one, filled with learning, kindness, and collaboration. As always, my door is open – please feel free to pop in or reach out anytime

M block repairs

M block is now officially blocked off to all for structural repairs to be completed, this includes the Steam room and Kids space. Please see below the alternative offices and work spaces for our M block staff for all of term 2.

W Block

All Inclusion teachers, Mrs Linda Leegwater (HOSES), Mr Reece Neyland (Student Engagement Coach) Ms Sam Fosse (Flexi Teacher), Mrs Madeline Tubus (Social Worker) and Speech Pathologist, OT and other visiting specialists 

Admin

Miss Ashleigh Granzin (Guidance Officer)

As we head into a new season and weather becomes cooler, please ensure you are clear around the winter dress code.

Grand Avenue State School uniform dress code reinforces in students a pride in their own appearance, instils recognition of themselves as an integral part of Grand Avenue State School community, and assists in developing pride in representing the school. Issues of equality, health and safety, and expense are also factors that contribute to the establishment of the following Student Dress Code.

The aim is to:

• Promote equality amongst all students.
• Develop a sense of pride in, and identification with our school.
• Provide durable clothing that is cost effective and practical for our school environment.
• Maintain and enhance the positive image of the school in the community.

Grand Avenue State School believes as a school community that there are benefits in students following an agreed dress code. These benefits include:

1. Appropriateness: Guarantee that all students are dressed appropriately for all school activities.
2. Safety: Promote a safe environment for learning by enabling identification of our students in the school grounds, while travelling to and from school and on excursions.
3. Equity: Promote an effective teaching and learning environment by eliminating the distraction of competition between students to wear more expensive or fashionable clothing and avoid the pressure on parents to purchase fashionable clothing.
4. Expense: To minimize the cost to families.

In line with the Education General Provisions Act 2006, staff and the Parents and Citizen’s Association of the Grand Avenue State School have endorsed the following Student Dress Code for all students.

Grand Avenue has a dress standard in relation to

• Clothing worn by students, including headwear and footwear
• Students’ personal grooming and hygiene

The Grand Avenue student code reflects school community standards and is consistent with occupational health and safety and anti-discrimination legislation.

Uniform Shop

During school terms, the Uniform Shop is open daily from 8:15am to 9:30am. At the end and beginning of the school year, extra opening hours will be available, and details will be posted on the Facebook page and placed in the Prep Welcome pack.

Cash and EFTPOS are available.  Uniforms can also be ordered online via Flexi schools www.flexischools.com.au. Uniforms ordered this way are given to the child's teacher and sent home with the child.

Our Winter Dress Code is

We have a busy term ahead – don’t forget we have Active School Travel Day – every Friday!

Until next time,

QPARENTS

Do you know how amazing the QParents App is? Stay Connected and setup your account now !!

JUNIOR YEARS NEWS

MIDDLE YEARS NEWS

Growing a Love of Reading at Home: How You Can Help

As parents, you play a powerful role in helping your child develop a lifelong love of reading. Your support at home—through stories, conversations, and library visits—makes a world of difference. It’s not about doing more, but about weaving reading and talking into the everyday moments you already share.

Everyday moments at home offer the perfect opportunities to build your child's language, knowledge of the world, and love of books. Research continues to show that children who are read to regularly have stronger language skills, greater emotional understanding, and better outcomes at school. In fact, just 10–15 minutes of shared reading each day can make a real difference to your child’s growth (Australian Early Development Census).

Reading together not only builds vocabulary, but also helps children make sense of the world around them. When you share books, you're helping your child connect new words to ideas, feelings, and experiences—important building blocks for learning.

Look for every day, simple ways to connect words and knowledge to your daily routines:

• At the shops: Talk about different types of fruit, read labels together, or compare signs.
• In the kitchen: Follow a simple recipe together. Talk about measurements, ingredients, and steps.
• Outdoors: Name plants, insects, or weather you see on walks. Explore how nature changes through the seasons.
• On the road: Read road signs, numbers on letterboxes, or town names on maps.
• Family stories: Share stories about when you were little, or talk about family traditions, special places, and celebrations.
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Making reading a regular part of the day by setting small, predictable routines your children will look forward to it. You might:

• Share a story before bed each night.
• Start the morning with a picture book over breakfast.
• Have a "quiet reading time" after school or before dinner.
• Keep a few books in the car for trips to the park or shops.

When children feel that reading is a fun, warm, and connected part of family life, they grow not only in skills but also in confidence, imagination, and curiosity about the world.

Every book you open, every conversation you have, is helping your child grow. You're doing an excellent job.

SENIOR YEARS NEWS

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you all had a well-deserved and restful Easter break, and are feeling recharged and ready for another exciting term of learning and growth.

This term promises to be full of wonderful opportunities, and it all starts with being here, every day. Regular attendance is so important for every student’s success – each day at school builds on the last, helping students develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to thrive. We encourage all families to support their children in arriving on time and ready to learn each day.

Year 4-6 Cross Country

A big congratulations to all students who participated in our recent Cross Country Carnival! It was fantastic to see so many students giving it their all and showing great sportsmanship. A special congratulations to those who qualified for the District Cross Country team – we are so proud of your efforts and can't wait to see you represent our school with pride.

Books for Babies

At Grand Avenue, we believe that reading with children from birth is one of the most powerful ways to support their future success in reading and writing. The foundations for literacy are built very early in life, and we are passionate about nurturing a love of reading from the very beginning.

To celebrate this important journey, we are excited to introduce our new Books for Babies initiative. As part of this program, each 'new baby' in our school community will be gifted a beautiful book during one of our school assemblies. Parents and siblings will be invited onto the stage to receive this special gift on behalf of their newest family member.

This exciting new initiative is a wonderful way for us to continue strengthening our partnerships with families and supporting the love of reading from the very start. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

We’re looking forward to a fantastic term ahead, full of learning, kindness and achievement. Let’s make Term 2 our best one yet!

EAL/D (English as an Additional Language/Dialect) and First Nations update

Hi everyone,

Learning English can be a confusing process. There is lot of things that you can do at home to help support your child’s learning of English.

You can:

• Read to your child in your home language and in English every day or as often as possible.
• Encourage your child to read a variety of texts – newspapers, novels, picture books, magazines, and recipes and talk about the text.
• Ask your child questions while they are reading to check that they understand what they are reading.
• Give your child time to process when they are stuck on a word.
• Encourage your child to develop their home language.
• Encourage your child to talk about their schoolwork and what they are learning.
• Encourage your child to write lots of things – lists, thank you notes, made up stories.
• Discuss new and unusual words that you come across and learn the meanings together.
• Play games with your child.
• Ask questions at school if you have concerns or want to know about your child’s progress.

I hope this was helpful.

Until next time.

Rebecca Carruth
Deputy Principal
EAL/D and First Nations Student

Across the Desk of the Guidance Officer

Starting Term 2 Strong: Routines, Expectations & Wellbeing

Welcome back to a brand-new term! I hope the break gave everyone a chance to rest, reset, and recharge. As we step into Term 2, it’s a great opportunity to build strong momentum right from the beginning—by setting clear expectations, re-establishing routines, and supporting wellbeing across home and school life.

In these first few weeks, students thrive when they know what’s expected of them—both in the classroom and beyond. Whether it’s a consistent bedtime, regular reading habits, or respectful behaviour, strong routines help our young people feel secure, focused, and ready to learn. As a school, we’ll be reinforcing positive behaviour expectations through our values, classroom agreements, and regular check-ins. Your support at home makes all the difference—thank you for being part of that team effort.

This term, we’re also excited to offer two fantastic wellbeing supports:

1-2-3 Magic & Emotion Coaching Program (for Parents)

We’re running this well-regarded program for parents and carers who’d like to learn more about effective behaviour management strategies at home. The 1-2-3 Magic approach is all about setting boundaries in a calm and consistent way, while also supporting children’s emotional development. If you're looking for practical tools and new ideas, we’d love you to join us. More info on dates and how to register will be sent home soon.

Grade 6 "Choc and Chat"

Back by popular demand, our Grade 6 students will have the chance to join the Choc and Chat group—a relaxed, supportive space where they can come together, share, and talk through the ups and downs of the final year of primary school. There’ll be hot chocolate, good chats, and guidance from staff. It’s a great way to help them feel connected and supported through what can be a big year of change.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to discuss how we can support your child this term. Together, let’s make Term 2 a great one!

SOCIAL WORK UPDATE

HEAD OF CURRICULUM / Library News

STAR+X

YEAR 1 NEWS

MUSIC NEWS

Congratulations to the Music Ensembles who recently performed at the Grand Avenue SS, ANZAC Day Ceremony. The Junior and Senior Choirs performed a moving song called “Spirit of the ANZACs”, along with both the Australian and New Zealand National Anthems. Singing the New Zealand Anthem in the Maori language was a bit tricky for many of us.

The Senior Strings Quintet also played at the ceremony, performing the lovely hymn “Abide With Me”, while the students and community laid down their wreaths. These talented young musicians performed without the direction of their teacher and showed great leadership and confidence on stage. Congratulations to year 6 students: Suyeon, Neha, Sachi, Anna and Abithra.

Easter Parade

What a fun time we all had on Wednesday 23 April, celebrating Easter with our lower school year levels.

Students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 gathered in the Auditorium to parade across the stage and show off their creative and colourful Easter hats.

Once the parades were done, students stood and sang a few Easter songs for the audience, including Hot Cross Buns and Peter Rabbit Had a Fly Upon His Nose.

It was lovely to see how many family and friends from our school community come along, to support our young students.

What a fun and exciting afternoon!

Alisen McLeod
Class Music Teacher
Instrumental Music Coordinator

OSHC NEWS

Regards
OSHC Team

P&C NEWS

P&C Updates

P&C Vice President role still open
We are still seeking a vice president to join our executive committee. The P&C Vice President oversees executive minutes, summarises discussions, and ensures necessary agenda items are presented at general meetings. This role also requires stepping in for the President when needed.

Please reach out to P&C President Jessica Watson if you’re interested in this role: pandc@grandavenuess.eq.edu.au

Upcoming Events

Mother’s Day Stall – 6-8 May. Sign up [here] to volunteer and help with setting up and selling items.

Next P&C Meeting – 20 May 2025 at 6:00 PM
We encourage all parents and carers to attend and participate in discussions that shape our school community. Student Engagement Coach, Reece Neyland, will be joining us to share information on an extensive range of volunteer opportunities at Grand Avenue in the “Grand Helper” program.

Save the date for the following P&C meetings on 17 June and 15 July. The July meeting will include a 30-minute parent information session on the Life Education lessons that will be provided to students in August.

School Disco – Friday 23 May. Sign up [here] to help with various roles on the night of the event, including check-in, first aid, drink and glow stick sales, and cleaning up.

Outdoor Movie Night – Date to be confirmed

Ekka Day – 13 August

Father’s Day Stall – 2-4 September

Family Photos – 15 November

Tuckshop & Uniform Shop Updates

• Tuckshop – Flexischools remains our preferred payment method. We have observed an increase in over-the-counter purchases, requiring students to queue before school from 8:30 AM. If you need assistance with Flexischools, please let us know.
• Uniform Shop – The uniform shop is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 8.15-9.30am. Orders can also be made on Flexischools daily.

Thank You!

We sincerely appreciate the ongoing support of our wonderful parents, carers, and volunteers. Your contributions, whether big or small, help make Grand Avenue a fantastic place for our children.

For any questions, suggestions, or if you’d like to get involved, please contact us at pandc@grandavenuess.eq.edu.au or stay updated via our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gasspandc.

Looking forward to another fantastic term ahead!

Grand Avenue State School P&C

Jessica Watson
GASS P&C President

Road Safety