From the Principal...
Term 2 - Week 7
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
A big congratulations to the Student Council who ran their successful Pyjama Day fundraiser last Friday. The Student Council raised $204 toward the upgrade of the bus waiting area seating. Thank you to the families for supporting the students and for the generous donations. Nearly half of the money raised came through via the Qkr app. It’s great to see families using this app.
As the chilly weather sets in for winter the Student Council will be selling hot chocolate drinks next Thursday 10 June. Hot chocolates will be available at breakfast club and will be $1 each. If they prove to be popular, Student Council will look to sell hot chocolates more regularly.
Prep 2022 - Explore Prep and Play session and 2022 enrolments are open
To support a successful transition to school, Gympie Central is hosting a second Explore Prep and Play morning next Thursday 10 June. The session runs from 9-10am and is for any children who are prep eligible next year. These sessions are a great way to familiarise your child with the school environment, meet the staff and the current Prep students.
On the morning the children will start with a story in the library, followed by a play on the playground before joining our current prep class for time inside the classroom. The morning is open to all interested families and pre-preps! Further details are available by calling the office.
The school is also advertising individual tours of the school. Families can contact the office on 5480 2111 to make a time to walk through the school with Mr Cafferky or Mrs Vacher.
Reconciliation Week
Thank you to Henry Neill, cultural elder, who came to speak with the students this past Monday. Henry shared stories of reconciliation and we learnt about the role the Kabi Kabi people had in helping Gympie contribute to the early success of Queensland.
Recently the school has had Russell Bennet working with groups of students to teach kids about indigenous culture and he has shared his extensive knowledge of the flora found within our school grounds. The kids love his visits and light up each Wednesday when he’s here. Over the coming weeks Russell will work with some of our older students to include them in his groups.
Report Cards - Emailed 24 June
Teachers are preparing report cards at the present. Report cards will be emailed on Thursday 24 June. This year report cards will primarily be delivered by email. Printed copies will be available by request.
Attendance matters
Gympie Central’s attendance target is 92%. Students achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day because:
- they have increased access to learning opportunities
- they maintain friendships
- they stay connected to the curriculum progression
- they develop self-efficacy as a learner
- they have better long-term life outcomes.
Families will receive emails very soon informing parents and carers of attendance rates.
Gympie Central loves robotics!
A big thanks to our local Gympie Library – On Friday Curtis and Jess took part in our Digital Technology lessons doing some robotics with Gympie Central students. The kids were able to use Lego Ev3 robots to complete challenges, Sphero robots to move around the library and our younger students took control with Dash and dot robots also. A great day which will inspire our kids and they can’t wait to have them back in a few weeks.
Thanks to all that helped and took part!!
Discos are back! Thursday 17 June
Student Council, staff and the P&C will host the first disco in over 18 months on Thursday 17 June. Details are:
What: School disco for all year levels
When: Thursday 17 June 5:30pm-7:00pm
Where: Parade area
What to bring: Bright clothes and your best dance moves!
Athletics Day - Wednesday 16 June
Come along to watch the kids have a great day!
Tuesday Playgroup at the Early Years Family Hub (EYFH)- every week!
Playgroup is hosted at the EYFH every Tuesday morning from 9:30am-11:30am. It’s free and all are welcome. There’s also a ‘crafternoon’ each Tuesday afternoon from 12:30pm-2:30pm.
Give away - Agave plants
After the recent donation of native trees and shrubs from the fantastic Natives R Us nursery at Traveston, Bec (who’s doing an amazing job in our grounds) has removed a large number of Agave plants from gardens that will soon be planted with new natives. Do you want free Agaves for your garden? Grab some from behind the garden shed next to the O’Connell St carpark.
Car Parking
Dropping and picking up students in the school carparks endangers the lives of children - particularly immediately before and after school. New signage will soon be installed to remind people that school carparks are for staff use only. We thank you in advance for your support.
Creative Generation - Fundraiser for Gympie students
State School students, including kids from Gympie Central and other schools across the Gympie region, will be travelling to Brisbane to take part in the Creative Generation (CGEN). CGEN brings together talented performing artists from across the state. The committee is holding a fundraiser in conjunction with Tracey Devereaux Photography. See the attached flyer for details of the family photo opportunity.
Remember, we are here to help!
Like always, if there is something that you want our support with, or if your child is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher for support. If it is not a matter for the teacher please call the front office and arrange to meet with a member of the leadership team, so we can work through things together. It takes a village to raise a child, so let’s work together.
Have a great fortnight!
Warm regards,
Glenn Cafferky
Tuckshop - Friday 04 June
Reminder: All Tuckshop orders will need to be placed via Qkr! only.
Student Absence Notification System
Reminder: If your child is absent from school without explanation you will receive a SMS text message that morning to your mobile phone asking to explain their absence. Please reply (on the same day) with a simple SMS answer eg sick; specialist appointment. Alternatively, you can call and leave a message on the Student Absence HOTLINE—Telephone 5480 2166 to report your child’s absence.
Please contact the office by phone if you have any concerns regarding the message you have received.
Voluntary Contribution - $20 per student
Reminder: Each year Gympie Central asks for a voluntary contribution from families. The contribution is used to purchase texts, paper and resources used in classroom learning. This year the payment can be made via the Qkr! App or in person at the office. Your support in paying the voluntary contribution is greatly appreciated.