22 August 2025

DATES TO REMEMBER

PRINCIPAL NEWS

Term 3 is flying by, and it has been wonderful to see so many of our students actively engaging in the wide range of opportunities on offer.

PJs, Free Dress, and Fundraising

This term, students and staff have had plenty of fun while supporting important causes. We kicked things off with a cosy Pyjama Day and a free dress day raising funds for mental health organisations. Students then dressed in blue to recognise Diabetes Week and most recently in purple to support Bullying. No Way!

These events not only sparked conversations and raised awareness but also generated valuable funds for three very worthy causes. A heartfelt thank you to all families for your generosity and continued support.

Dance, Music, and Sport in Full Swing

Our dance students have been performing beautifully in competitions this term. I’ve received numerous compliments from members of the public on how well our students presented and conducted themselves. A huge thank you to our dedicated dance families and teachers for their ongoing support.

Our school bands and ensembles have also been working hard, enthusiastically practising and performing alongside other local schools in our cluster. It's a joy to see their confidence and musical talents developing.

Our sporting students have proudly represented the school at District Sports, achieving excellent results. Congratulations to all involved!

Celebrating Learning and Wellbeing

Week 5 was a busy one, with students participating in class lessons and lunchtime activities for both Science Week and Bullying NO Way. It was great to see such high levels of engagement and positive participation.

This week, we’re celebrating Book Week with a range of exciting lunchtime and classroom activities. The week will culminate in our much-loved Book Week Parade on Friday:

• Prep to Year 1: 9:00am – 10:00am
• Year 2 to Year 3: 10:15am – 11:00am
• Year 4 to Year 6: 12:00pm

We look forward to seeing all the creative costumes and celebrating our love of reading!

Year 5 Camp

On Monday, our 88 Year 5 students headed off for a memorable camp at Yandina. They return on Wednesday with many stories, new skills, and stronger friendships. We hope they had a fantastic time!

Life Education Visit

The Life Education program began last week and has been very well received. Students and staff have praised the engaging presenter and the way the content connects with our learners. It’s always a valuable experience for our students.

Attendance Matters

Our current attendance rate is 91.5%, which is a strong result and higher than the regional average – well done! However, we’re still seeing some illness-related absences, especially among our younger students.

We continue to encourage families to prioritise daily attendance. Promotional materials will soon be sent home to highlight the importance of:

• Avoiding family holidays during school term time
• Scheduling appointments outside school hours where possible

Every day counts when it comes to building a strong learning culture.

Teaching and Learning Focus

This term, our school is focusing on strengthening reading through the Australian Curriculum, with school leaders participating in professional development supported by our regional and state education leaders.

Student Engagement Initiatives

We are committed to building a strong learning culture and ensuring all students feel connected. Our new Flexi Space learning area in M block has begun, supporting students who need a more flexible learning environment. This space features soft lighting, flexible furniture, and tailored support, and it’s already making a big difference.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 9 on Tuesday, 9 September from 3:00pm to 6:30pm, with some teachers offering additional times before and after school. More information will be sent out shortly.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s learning. We are proud of the many achievements this term and look forward to finishing strong as we head towards the end of Term 3.

Don’t miss your chance to provide feedback in the School Opinion Survey before it closes on 22 August. Parents, carers and students in selected year levels have been emailed a link to participate.

Your responses are highly valued and will help to shape better learning environments. Find out more on the School Opinion Survey webpage or contact school administration.

Upcoming Events – Term 3 Highlights

Week 6
📅 18–22 August: Book Week
📅 Friday 22 August: Book Week Dress-Up Day – Come as your favourite book character!

Week 8
📅 1–3 September: P&C Father’s Day Stall
📅 Thursday 4 September: Prep–Year 3 Athletics Day
  – Year 2–3: 9:00am
  – Prep–Year 1: 11:45am
📅 Friday 5 September: Student Free Day

Week 9
📅 Tuesday 9 September: Parent–Teacher Interviews
📅 Thursday 11 September: R U OK? Day
📅 Tuesday 16 September: P&C Meeting – 6:00pm & 2026 Prep Information Session

Week 10
📅 Friday 19 September: Final Day of Term

Let’s continue working together to ensure this school year is a rewarding and memorable one for all students. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Until next time,

MIDDLE YEARS NEWS

SENIOR YEARS NEWS

This term has been an exciting one as we continue to focus on building teacher capability and ensuring consistency of practice across our school. Recently, our Head of Department David Robertson and I attended a cluster moderation with Pallara State School, where we worked collaboratively to review our Term 4 English units. This was a valuable opportunity to develop a collective understanding of the curriculum, which we will take back to our teaching teams to support high-quality learning experiences for all students.

I also had the privilege of attending the Leading the Reading masterclass facilitated by the Department. This professional learning deepened our knowledge of word reading and language comprehension through evidence-based research, while also strengthening our leadership practices to support a whole-school approach to reading at Grand Avenue. This work is an important step in ensuring every child has the tools and confidence to be successful readers.

We know that a love of reading begins at home. Families play such an important role in supporting children as readers, not only by listening to them read, but also by modelling the joy of reading. Sharing a story together, talking about books, or simply encouraging your child to read something they love all helps to build strong reading habits. When children see reading as both enjoyable and valuable, they develop the confidence and motivation to keep growing as learners.

Together, through our work at school and your support at home, we can foster a culture where every child values and enjoys reading. As a young child, my most memorable book that was read to me was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. A reminder that one special story can stay with us for a lifetime. We would love to hear about the books you and your child enjoy reading at home. Please feel free to share these with your child’s classroom teacher, as your experiences can help us continue to nurture a strong reading culture across our school.

SPOTTED in Year 6 – Bob’s Weekly School Scoop.

Our Year 6 students in 6E have been busy stepping into the role of journalists! Each week, they create their very own newspaper, The Weekly School Scoop, capturing current news both within our school and from the wider world.

From classroom highlights and sporting updates to broader events beyond GASS, the students are showing great creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking as they craft articles to inform and entertain their readers. Not only are they building their writing and communication skills, but they’re also learning how to engage an audience and share perspectives on what’s happening around them.

We’re so proud of their enthusiasm and effort, well done, 6E!

Grade 5 Students Shine at STEM Day Challenge

Last week, Grade 5 students travelled to Glenala High School to take part in an exciting STEM Day challenge alongside other primary schools from our area.

Throughout the day, students rotated through six engaging STEM stations, each designed to test their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. The activities included Bridge Building, Alien Message, Circuit Sprint, Build the Tallest Tower, Balloon Powered Rover and Flying Machines.

Our school’s STAR expectations of Respect everyone, Take Responsibility, and Successful Learning allowed the students to work together and support one another, as they tackled each challenge with enthusiasm and determination.

Their outstanding efforts earned our school first place on the day, and the experience left everyone feeling inspired and excited about the possibilities of STEM learning in the future.

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ACROSS THE DESK OF THE GUIDANCE OFFICER

Last week at Grand Avenue, we recognised Bullying. No Way! Week, a national initiative that empowers students, staff, and families to take a stand against bullying. Across the week, classes engaged in discussions and activities about kindness, respect, and inclusion, highlighting the important role we all play in creating a safe and supportive school community.

We are also excited to share some upcoming opportunities for parents and carers:

• Parent Information Evening with Karen Young

We are delighted to welcome Karen Young, author and founder of Hey Sigmund, to our school on Tuesday 16th September. Karen will present to parents and carers from 5.30pm in the Auditorium on the important topics of Behaviour, Big feelings, and Self-regulation. This promises to be a valuable session full of practical strategies and insights.

• Triple P Positive Parenting Program
  In partnership with Life Education, we will be hosting a Triple P Positive Parenting Program on the 15th of October in the evening. This program offers practical, evidence-based strategies to support positive family relationships and child wellbeing. More information will be shared soon.

At Grand Avenue, we are committed to supporting both students and families. We look forward to seeing many of you at these wonderful events.

SOCIAL WORK UPDATE

Play On! Sports Vouchers

The QLD Government has recently released vouchers up to $200 for families to cover the cost of sport for children between 5 and 17 years. 

- Parents/carers/guardians can apply for a voucher up to $200 
- Limited to one voucher per child per financial year
- Vouchers can be used to cover membership, registration and participation fees
- Can be used any time before June 2026
- Vouchers must be used with a registered activity provider listed on the QLD Government website

Applications close on the 17th of December (or earlier if they are fully allocated). You can apply using this link: https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/playon/apply

Raising Healthy Minds App

Raising Children have created an app designed to help parents of children aged 0-12 understand their child's behaviour, emotions and wellbeing. The app covers a range of topics including anxiety, depression, conflict with friends, bullying, peer pressure, school refusal, neurodiversity and many more.

You can download the app for free and tailor the advice to your child's age/stage of development. The app helps you understand  the issue or topic in the context of your child's developmental stage, and provides several practical tips you can start using immediately. 

THE RESILIENCE PROGRAM

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AT GASS

From the Student Engagement Coach

Over the past few weeks, our PBL focus has been on Respect. Students have been learning what it means to show respect online, and more recently, how to be kind and caring towards others. This learning has tied in beautifully with Bully No Way Day, where it was wonderful to see so many of our students dressed in purple to spread the message of kindness, respect, and inclusion across our school.

Another exciting initiative happening at Grand Avenue is our Valour E-Sports Program. Earlier this year, our school was fortunate to receive a $5,000 grant to bring this program to life. E-Sports is much more than just playing games — students are quickly discovering it’s about dedication, discipline, teamwork, and showing up to training to improve their skills. Those who have committed to the program have already noticed big improvements in their game play and confidence. We’re looking forward to seeing how far our students can go this year as they continue to train and compete!

Reece Neyland
Student Enhancement Coach

PREP NEWS

YEAR 1 NEWS

MUSIC NEWS

 *** BAND and STRINGS Recruitment now ***

Now is the time to think about whether your child would like to join the 2026 Band or Strings program. Last week families were sent a survey, to show their interest in joining our Instrumental Music Program. This survey closes on 25 August, and late submissions will not be accepted. Please email Ms Alisen McLeod with any questions, amcle71@eq.edu.au

If your child is currently in year 2, they are invited to join our Strings program.

If your child is currently in year 3, they are invited to join our Band program.

Learning a music instrument has been proven to increase discipline, coordination, memory, patience, self-confidence and can help build neural pathways in the brain. It’s also a fun thing to do, that releases those happy chemicals in the brain. The survey link is in your emails.

Alisen McLeod
Class Music Teacher
Instrumental Music Coordinator

P&C NEWS

Grand Avenue State School P&C

Jessica Watson
GASS P&C President

OSHC NEWS

This week OSHC children have been talking about ‘Bullying No Way’ week. Educators have been talking with children about different types of Bullying. We have made posters and signs.

Over the past few weeks our BSC children have been enjoying Zumba every Thursday morning. This week we say Goodbye to our instructor. Starting next week, for the last 5 weeks of term we will be welcoming Hip Hop on Wednesday mornings.

We are now taking bookings for Pupil Free Day on September 5^th. Children will enjoy a farm themed day with Pony rides, farm animals and various organised activities throughout the day.

Vacation Care Program for September holidays is almost ready to be sent out.

Regards,

The OSHC Team

Regards
OSHC Team

QPARENTS

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