From the Principal...
Term 2 - Week 5
Dear families,
Less than a week until Under 8’s Day!! Remember to tell your friends and family to bring their Under 8’s for a morning of great fun next Wednesday. Under 8’s Day commences our prep 2023 transition process.
Year 7 Transition
Gympie SHS and James Nash SHS will be hosting combined parent information sessions between 30 May and 9 June. These information sessions will take place at 5 locations throughout Gympie; Gympie West SS, Gympie South SS, One Mile SS, Jones Hill SS and Chatsworth SS. Families who are transitioning their Year 6 child into Year 7 are invited to attend one of these sessions. Enrolment packs for both schools are available from our school office.
Student Council Hot Chocolate Fundraiser
The Student Council will start selling $1 hot chocolates at Breakfast Club from next Thursday 26 May. These are cash sales.
Staffing update
A big congratulations to Mr Martin who has accepted a permanent teaching position in Sarina. He will start up there at the start of Term 3. Thank you to Mr Martin for making such a great start in 4D this semester. Ms Davis is looking forward to returning to Gympie Central ready for Term 3.
Our school will also welcome our new Head of Department - Curriculum next term. Mrs Hooklyn is currently at One Mile SS and is looking forward to joining our Gympie Central team from the first day of Term 3.
Reconciliation Week
Reconciliation Week runs every year from 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in Australia’s reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
27 May 1967 - On this day, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.
3 June 1992 - On this day, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. This decision paved the way for Native Title.
Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
NAIDOC week also takes place during the June-July holidays. See the attached flyer for details of events.
A big thank you to Domino’s for their support of GCSS’s and OMSS’s P&Cs.
Have a great week and hope to see you at next Wednesday’s Under 8’s!
Warm regards,
Glenn Cafferky
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.
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.
