23 June 2023

Dates to Remember

Principal News

This is the last newsletter for the term so I will take the opportunity to wish all the students a restful and safe vacation. I would like also like to say a huge thank you to staff, students and families for a successful term. Our students have all been involved in so many learning opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom including incursion, excursion, performances, culminating events, competitions and sporting events. These opportunities provide some of the most memorable days of school life and also create experiences that help students develop and apply positive life skills. I have a strong belief that positive impact on school engagement and maximising academic success. I would like to thank families for their support of our school and our wonderful staff who put our students first at all times at times giving up time from their personal lives to make wonderful memories for our students.

Semester 2 Reports

All students will receive their first formal report card at the end of the term via email. Parents are to share this report with their child/children and encouraged to make contact with teachers if they would like to discuss the report further. We will also host our 2^nd Parent Teacher Interviews at end of term 3 for parents to discuss further learning goals and improvements made in term 3.

Thriving Kids and Parent Project

As part of the Thriving Kids and Parents School Project, you are invited to attend three highly relevant Triple P – Positive Parenting seminars from one of the most effective evidence-based programs in the world, FREE of charge. These interactive seminars will be delivered to parents/carers from your school/via a videoconferencing platform.

The three interconnected seminars will provide you with a toolkit of practical strategies to help your child thrive. These strategies will help you guide your child’s behaviour, manage everyday worries, and build healthy peer relationships.

Attending all three seminars will provide you with the strategies you need to best support your child’s development.

• The Power of Positive Parenting (Triple P Seminar) helps you to understand why kids behave the way they do and introduces practical strategies to support your child’s social and emotional development.
• The Helping Your Child to Manage Anxiety (Fear-Less Triple P Seminar) is designed to equip you with the skills and strategies you need to support your child to manage their emotions and overcome challenges.
• The Keeping your Child Safe from Bullying (Resilience Triple P Seminar) helps you maintain good communication with your child, develop positive peer relationships, and address conflict and bullying.

How can I get involved?    

1. Register for the seminar series and complete a short (approximately 15 – 20 minutes) online questionnaire.
2. Attend the three online seminars in the TKPSP series (90 – 120 minutes each seminar).
3. Complete post-seminar series questionnaires 6 weeks and 12 weeks following the registration. Each questionnaire will take around 15 minutes to complete and will help us understand how helpful the strategies have been. 

Yes, I want to be involved. What’s next?  

Register through this link:

If you have any questions, you can contact the project team at: thrivingkidsandparents@uq.edu.au

STAR House Tokens

Congratulations to SUNBIRD who are our Term 2 STAR House Points Winners!

It was so wonderful to see so many students add House Tokens for their Team. Students are able to add a House Token for every 10 Star Stamps they earn at school. Well done to all who contributed. Final scores for this term’s house points are below. 

Kingfisher – 325
Firetail – 386
Lorikeet – 398
Sunbird - 491

Staffing Farewell at the end of Term

We will say farewell to the following staff members for semester 1.

Mrs Liz Broad, Ms Teegan Jones and Helen Brereton

We would like to acknowledge Mrs Liz Broad who has been an enthusiastic classroom and arts teacher, mentor and dance coordinator at Grand Avenue for the past 22 ½ years. Liz has a passion for the arts and especially dance. She will be leaving knowing that she was behind the passion of dance for our school community.

We would like to thank both Liz and Teegan for setting up the school year so successfully with their students and creating a warm and inviting classroom environment. We wish them all the best for their next move ahead.

We would also like to thank Mrs Helen Brereton for stepping in to teach our budding musicians. We wish you all the best in your future role.

Happy Holidays

As this is the last newsletter for Term 2, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Winter break. See you all back for a busy Semester 2.

Until next time,

Prep, Year 1 & Year 2 News

Under 8’s Day

Under 8’s day is taking place on Friday 23 June from 9.00 – 10.30am. Students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2, along with their young siblings and parents/carers are invited to join us for lots of fun and games in the junior school precinct. A fire engine will be visiting along with Cricket Australia and AFL Queensland. We will have plenty of hands on activities and games for the children to interact with.

Our prep classes need volunteers!! If you are free to supervise a small group of Prep students as they make their way around the activities, please see your child’s teacher. The P&C are also organising a coffee van to visit for the adults. We look forward to seeing you there on the day!

Playgroup

Year 1 News

Some of our Year 1 students were asked about their favourite thing they have learnt this term. 

• My favourite thing I learnt was about 3D shapes. My favourite shape is a cube! - Lillian R 1A
• We learnt about the weather. It gives me ideas about how it's hot or sunny or cold or stormy. - Lukas V 1B 
• My favourite thing has been sounds write. I like the 'ng' sound. - Akhilesh T 1C

• I liked space science and day and night. When the night time is dark the stars get brighter and the sky we see is space. - Ryan H 1D 

• My favourite was subtraction because I already know it and I am good at it.  - Aanvi P 1E

• My favourite was addition and subtraction because I like doing maths - Charlotte P 1F 

Enjoy your well deserved holiday Year 1’s!

Year 2 News

It has been a busy term of learning and exciting events.

In Science this term, 2F have been investigating how different types of soil and growing conditions change how a bean plant grows. This week, the bean plant that had been grown in the best soil began to produce beans.  The students were so excited to see how their plant had developed.

In English, students used their imagination and information they learnt to send a familiar story character on a new adventure. Lucy Goosey had all kinds of experiences from forgotten birthdays to getting a brand new Tesla. Students used descriptive language to create a picture of what was happening in the readers minds and in every story Lucy Goosey solved her problem with the help of friends or family.

In HASS, students experienced what it was like to live in the past when they visited Cooneana, a historical centre in Ipswich. They dressed up in olden day clothing, washed clothes by hand, experienced an old school, played games, and discovered how hard it was to use manual equipment in the kitchen to do tasks that you only have to push a button for today. Students left with an appreciation of how changes in technology have made life easier for them today.

Middle School Moments

This week sees the wrapping up of the semester.  The students have completed their assessment, but continue to work hard.

The students from 3F needed to vacate their classroom this week, so they just picked up what they needed and continued their learning in the library.  They will be back in the classroom by the end of the week.

Genius Hour was being enjoyed in 3A.  The students choose an area of interest and presented their findings to the class.  In this presentation, there were hidden emojis to discover as they learning about the “Deadliest Animals”

In 3E, ‘the great end of semester clean up’ was in full flight.  It is always interesting witnessing the students’ ideas of a tidy tidy tray

4B created some very interesting self-portraits.  One side of the picture is a photograph and the other is a drawing of themselves.

4D used items from nature to create a creature.

4F were very engaged in giving and receiving feedback about their work.

Please look out for your child’s report card as it is emailed home this week.  The report card encapsulates the learning across the semester.  This report card is one where goals can be set and worked toward across semester 2.

I would like to wish our families a lovely winter break.  I hope you and your family gets out and enjoys this glorious Queensland weather. We will see you back at school on July 10.

Year 5 & 6 News

Year 5 – Designing for Nature

This unit involved the creatures that live alongside us every day, in our backyards, our schools, and in our community.

The aim of the project was to provide a niche that would encourage or support these creatures to live beside us, without encroaching upon their natural habitat.

The children had to plan the design, resource materials and then make their project. They had to evaluate their work and provide information about their chosen creature to justify their design.

These are some of 5E’s projects.

Well done to these designers.

News from 5G

The last few weeks have been exhausting! Nothing but hard work and assessments since the end of camp time. Of course the students have loved every moment of it!

In light of the hard-work, tears and dedication to their work in 5G, the students have achieved excellent results and should be very proud of their achievements. As a group, they are very much looking forward to a well earned break over the holidays.

We very much look forward to greeting Ms De Alwis as the new 5G teacher next semester. It has been Mr Whitten’s upmost privilege to teach such amazing students in Semester 1 and will very much miss seeing 5G every day at school. Whilst being a very boisterous and enthusiastic class, they are a hard-working bunch who are dedicated to their studies and I wish them well along their learning journeys.

Now a word from 5G’s Student Councillor, Sabiha.

This term has been amazing. My favourite subject I learned this term was Mathematics. Sadly, Mr Whitten will be leaving us and we will miss him. The camp this year was fun and brilliant. Overall this term has been fantastic fun.

Exciting News from Year 6: Unleashing Creativity with Scratch!

In a world driven by technology, our Year 6 students are stepping up their game, quite literally! Harnessing the power of visual programming, our aspiring programmers have been having a blast creating their very own “Crossy Roads” maze game using Scratch.

With their imaginations running wild, our young innovators took on the challenge of designing a captivating user interface that would keep players engaged while navigating through the maze. From vibrant colours to catchy sound effects, they left no stone unturned to create an immersive experience for gamers of all ages. However, their journey didn’t end there. These brilliant minds also delved into the depths of algorithms, meticulously crafting the game’s mechanics to ensure a seamless and challenging gameplay. Each decision made by our young programmers had an impact on how their game would be played, making it all the more rewarding when players successfully crossed those treacherous roads.

Beyond the technical aspects, our Year 6 students also explored the concept of meeting defined needs and considering sustainability. The energy and enthusiasm displayed by our Year 6 students throughout this project have been truly remarkable. Their dedication, teamwork and creativity have resulted in remarkable creations that not only entertain but also educate. We can’t wait to see what other innovative projects lie ahead for these budding programmers as they continue to push the boundaries of their abilities.

Let’s give a round of applause to our Year 6 students for their outstanding achievements in visual programming with Scratch! We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to witnessing their future endeavours in the world of technology.

Here are some screenshots and statements from some of our Year 6 students:

Administration

QParents

Check your email for your QParents invitation and sign up for your account today!

Sport

Senior Sports carnival

On Friday the 16^th June the year 4,5 and 6 students competed in the Annual Grand Avenue State School Athletics Carnival. It was a perfect day for Athletics, the sun was shining and students enthusiastically competed in their House groups. Students competed in the: 100m race, 200m race, Shot Put, Ball Games, High Jump and Long Jump.

Students that competed in the competitive groups during the carnival were also in the running to represent the school at the District Athletics Carnival that will be held in Term 3. The Grand Avenue District Athletics team will be announced and students will be notified this week.

Across the day, the four House Teams were battling it out to be the Athletics Day Champions. The team with the most points at the end of the day was declared the Champion House.

Well done to all students who participated in the day, you all did a fantastic job!

The champion houses for Senior Athletics Day is…….

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Junior Cross Country

Well done to all students who participated under uncertain weather conditions on the day. You all put your best effort in.

The champion house for Junior Cross Country is……

Japanese Corner日本語のコーナー

Brown & Walker Sensei have had another fabulous term with our wonderful GASS global citizens.  There are many ‘Konnichiwas’ with little bows being observed, lots of hiragana (Japanese phonetic alphabet) being attempted on the back of scrap paper, origami folding, chats about obento eating and chopstick handling, parent business travels and family holiday stories being shared. It is an EXCITING time!!

This term students in years 3-6 had the exciting opportunity to experience a taste of Japan. Students were able to order from a range of Japanese foods from an external Japanese company and put their chopstick skills into practice.

Year 3’s, have been learning about Japanese style houses and vocabulary for furniture and rooms. They were able to replicate their rooms and label accordingly. The Year 4s have been studying about family. This has included creating and presenting family profiles. They have enjoyed learning about diverse families within their class.

The Grade 5 and 6’s, have spent their lessons exploring Japanese characters and have created their own versions.  They have all written a Japanese script introducing their characters. They have also created small Manga (comic strips) in both English and Japanese.

Some classes have had the opportunity to talk to Japanese students on a live video link. The GASS students taught their Japanese counterparts how to sing Baby shark and performed our Grand Avenue Song! More to come in term 3!

Japanese Hiragana Club on Monday mornings has seen lots of homework completed, Japanese Minecraft buildings created and over 1,000 paper cranes now folded and ready to send to the peace park in Japan. Only another 1,000 to fold to send to another peace park too! It has been great seeing the enthusiasm from students and the willingness to try to speak Japanese.

Any feedback or suggestions/questions, please do not hesitate to contact Brown Sensei on albro1@eq.edu.au or Walker sensei on cxwal14@eq.edu.au.  We are always looking at ways to bring language and culture into our classrooms. 

またね。よろしくおねがいたします

Brown & Walker sensei より
“ONE language sets you on a corridor for life.
TWO languages open every door along the way.”
Frank Smith, 1992

Instrumental Music String News

Farewell to all the students and staff!

It has been a pleasure teaching violin, viola, cello and double basses. It was a pleasure to teach you and a wonderful experience being part of Grand Avenue Community.

Don’t forget to practice 20 minutes every day, even during school holidays and have fun in your musical journey

Kind regards,
Helen Brereton

Chess News

On 16 May, 14 students from Grand Avenue SS travelled to Fernvale State School to represent our school at the Term 2 Gardiner Chess Interschool Tournament. Students played well and learned valuable lessons to improve their chess and apply in other pursuits. We had a reduced team due to Year 5 camp so many students faced more challenging pairings than usual.

Thank you to the families who transported students to and from the venue on the day. Thank you as well to Annie Chang, our wonderful parent volunteer who stayed for the day to support our team. Please see the attached posters for highlights. Full results can be found at the Gardiner Chess website.

Through chess, our students are learning patience, thinking strategically and developing a growth mindset where effort and success are connected. 

If you would like your child to be involved in chess at GASS, here are the options: 

1. Come along to Chess Club at the Library at First Break on Wednesdays. All welcome to this free activity.
2. Join the after-school lessons run by Gardiner Chess on Wednesdays in the Library from 2:50-3:50pm. Contact Gardiner Chess for a free trial and for current pricing.
3. Sign up for ChessKid.com

Inter-School Competition, Gardiner Chess

Chess Association of Queensland and Gardiner Chess Official Queensland Inter-School Chess Championships.  Here you will find the results from the current year of events as well as last years events. With the new site, you can sort results by region, year and term to make it so much easier!
gardinerchess.com.au

If you are looking for school based chess coaching or interested in attending one of our chess competitions, contact Gardiner Chess on 07 5522 7221.

This is a photo collage from the Interschool Tournament in Term 1.

Dance Moves

Term 2 was a huge term for dance and the next one is going to be even busier for our dance program!  Classes continue as we get continue with competition season and head towards the end of the year.

Term 3 dance will not start until week 2 due to teachers on leave and students attending Creative Generations Onstage that week.  Keep an eye on your emails for messages from the new dance coordinators.

School Performances

The dance students will perform at a few more school events this year.

• *** End of year Dance Night – Date TBC
• Various assemblies & events
• Choreography Competition Oct

Mid-Year Showcase

The mid-year showcase was held earlier this term and involved performances by all the dance students, troupe, and Culture Group.  It was a short but fabulous evening showcasing the different types of dance our students are learning about at school.  It was also amazing to see all the previous troupe dancers all the way back from 2017 through to 2022.  Our alumni performed brilliantly with little or no rehearsing, and it all came back to them so easily.  We can’t wait until our end of year Dance Night.

Troupe Competitions

We have entered 2 more eisteddfods this year for dance.

• DanceLifeUnite – Saturday 22July at St John’s Secondary College
• Beenleigh Eisteddfod – Friday 4 August at Logan Entertainment Centre

BPAC

The Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge was on June 19 and was an early start to the day!  It was the first time for many of our dance students competing in a dance competition and the competition was fierce!  Our students were fabulous and received a 1^st and a VHC for our jazz routines, as well as a 2^nd for Men in Black and a VHC for our contemporary.  All the dancers had a fun day and were very tired by the end of it!

Crew – “The Avenue”

Crew rehearsals are progressing slowly and we have temporarily changed the finish time to 4.30pm until our first competition on Aug 4.  Costumes have been ordered and are being personalised.  We will advise everyone shortly regarding the costs for costuming this year.  Parents will pay for the shirts and students will keep them at the end of the year.  The hip hop pants are being purchased by the P&C and will be hired by the students but kept by the school.

We are entering three competitions this year.  Beenleigh Eisteddfod is on Aug 4 at the Logan Entertainment Centre and is a practice run for the two big competitions later in the year - Rumble on Sept 2 and the House of Champions Hip Hop Competition on Oct 21.  These are huge events on the hip hop calendar and our dancers enjoy it enormously.  Please ensure everyone is present at ALL rehearsals as positioning and spacing is a large part of our marks.  It is impossible to get right when people are absent.

Creative Generations Onstage

We have 27 students performing in Creative Generations Schools Onstage this year in the dance category and we are going full tilt in rehearsals.  Eight students feature in different dances.  This year the performances are in the 1st week of Term 3 July 11-15.  Tickets are on sale through Ticketek. 

Final Farewell

As my time here at Grand Avenue comes to a close after 15 ½ years, I would like to thank everyone for supporting the dance program.  Without students turning up consistently, parents running around after them, staff volunteering, and the admin team supporting what we do, there wouldn’t have been a dance program.  Our program has never been about competitions and winning (though that is awesome as well!), but about the personal and social connections we form through dance, as well as the many life skills we learn.

I am so very proud to be have been a part of something fabulous like this and I hope it goes from strength to strength in the future.  I’m sure I will continue to see our students dancing in the future.

I’m including below reasons why we dance. Why do we encourage our children to dance?

• Those moments when my child becomes so tired, they feel like quitting but don't.
• The opportunities that my child can have and will have to make life-long friendships.
• The chance that they may have amazing instructors that will teach them that dance is not just about movement but about life.
• My child will learn to be disciplined.
• My child will learn to take care of their body.
• My child will learn to work with others and to be a proud, supportive, kind and respectful team member.
• My child will learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that score they hoped for, or fell during a move they have practiced a thousand times, but still get up and are determined to do their BEST next time.
• My child will learn to make and accomplish goals.
• My child will learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.
• My child can be in the studio instead of in front of a screen.
• And for the opportunities that dance provides my child to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their life and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others.

Keep Dancing,
Liz Broad

Chaplaincy News

How can we be safe online during the holidays?

With holidays almost here, I have included some ways that our young people can stay safe if they are online, whether they are gaming, watching YouTube or messaging friends. Have a chat with your child today to see if they know these 10 handy tips to staying safe.

1. Explore together — ask your mum, dad, carer or a trusted adult to play new games or apps with you at first.
2. Stay close by — when you use a phone, tablet or computer by yourself, make sure your mum, dad or carer is nearby so you can get help if you need it. Bonus tip — don’t use your device alone in your bedroom.
3. Ask before you download, install or buy anything — check with your mum, dad or carer first.
4. Keep your personal information private — don’t give out your address, which school you go to, phone number or passwords. 
5. Check your privacy settings and talk about what to share — make your online accounts private and talk to your mum, dad or carer about the kinds of photos and information it is OK for you to share online.
6. Cyberbullying — if you receive a mean message, or a message that is mean about someone else, try not to respond and don’t forward it. Tell an adult you trust about it.
7. If you see something online you don’t like — show your mum, dad, carer or a trusted adult immediately. 
8. If someone you don’t know sends you a message or you receive a message that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe — tell your mum, dad, carer or an adult you trust straight away.
9. Only ‘friend’ or add people you know in real life — remember that not everyone online is who they say they are, so don’t accept friend requests or followers you don’t know.
10. Don’t meet up with online friends — It is best to keep ‘online friends’ online, so if you do chat to other kids in online games don’t meet up with them in person.

P&C NEWS

Diary Dates Term 2

School Trivia Night: Friday 23 June  
P&C Working Bee: 1-4 July  

Term 3 - Save the Date

P&C General Meeting: 18 July
Disco: Friday 4 August
Meal Deal Day: 6-10 August
P&C General Meeting: 15 August
Movie Night on the Oval: Friday 18 August 
Father’s Day Stall: 29-31 August 

Term 4 - Planning

Disco
Meal Deal Day
Family Portraits
Whole School Fun Run – Splash & Dash

School Trivia Night –  Friday 23 June  

We would like to thank all those who purchased tickets to our School Trivia Night and wish you all a fantastic evening.

Uniform Shop News 

Year 6 Shirts: Only 10x shirts remaining. Please pop in if you wish to purchase.

P&C Working Bee

Our Working Bee is Saturday 1 July through to Tuesday 4 July.

Access to the school will be via the Gate near the Oval on Grand Avenue. Please ensure you wear enclosed footwear and appropriate clothing.

We are painting and organising the P&C Meeting Space and Uniform Shop ready for business in Term 3. If you have a spare 30min or a few hours please sign up:  volunteersignup.org/RW788  or email p&cSecretary@grandavenuess.eq.edu.au.

We look forward to seeing you there. Many hands make light work!  

Term 3 Disco 

Our Favourite DJ – ‘Bop til you Drop’ is back again!
When: Friday 4 August
Sensory: 4.30pm – 5.15pm 
Years P-3: 5.30pm – 6.30pm 
Years 4-6: 6.45pm – 7.45pm
More Information will be in the next Newsletter and on Facebook.

Father’s Day Stall

Get ready to spoil Dad or that Special Someone. Who’s your Hero!
Father’s Day Stall: 29-31 August 
Class timetables will be shared in Term 3.

Facebook

Like and Follow our Facebook Page to keep updated with information on upcoming events. Feel free to share this with family and friends and others in our Grand Avenue Community.

Your input

Do you have any feedback, comments, suggestions or ideas? We would love to hear them! Please email p&cpresident@grandavenuess.eq.edu.au   

Next General Meeting

All are welcome to attend our General Meetings. They are held the third Tuesday of the month during school term. If you would like items added to the agenda, please email p&cSecretary@grandavenuess.eq.edu.au. Want to become a member? Membership Forms can be found on the School Website or email the Secretary above for a form.

School Holidays

We wish all our families a safe and happy time during the Holidays. We look forward to your return for an awesome Term 3.

Regards
Your P&C

OSHC News

Payments

Families using child care must pay the gap fee using electronic means from 1 July 2023.

The gap fee is the difference between the provider’s fee and the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) amount.

Electronic funds transfer, or EFT, is when a customer pays a bill using electronic means. Typical EFT payment methods include:

• bank or credit card, including mobile wallets
• direct deposit or bank transfer, including PayID
• online payment systems through third party software
• BPAY or Centrepay.

This change will help us protect CCS against fraud and non-compliance. We will check EFT payments against provider and service bank statements and receipts. This way, we can prevent fraudulent CCS claims for care that did not take place. In turn, this ensures CCS flows fairly to families.

Most services already accept EFT payments. This is because it’s safer for staff and easier to administer.

Similarly, over 98% of families already use EFT to pay their gap fee. Most families get salaries or benefits electronically, making it easy to pay the gap fee using EFT.

Vacation Care

The Vacation Care Program, booking and permission forms are now available on the iParent Portal. Copies have been emailed to all current families.

Please complete and return via email oshcbookings@grandavenuess.eq.edu.au or drop to the OSHC Centre.

Please note bookings cannot be made on the iParent Portal.

Thanks

Community Notices