Thursday's Tidings - 11 February 2021

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Our students can be commended on an outstanding start to the year. The students have settled into their routines very well and are making great use of the playground. The Year 6s can be proud of the example they are setting for their younger peers.

Parent Information Sessions - Tuesday 16 February 

All teachers will be hosting 30 minute parent information sessions next Tuesday afternoon.  Most classes will be at 3:15pm in the classroom. This is a great way to meet your child’s teacher and learn about the routines and expectations of your child’s classroom. For those unable to attend, teachers will be able to email the information from the session.  

Student Leadership Badge Presentation – Friday 19 February

Voting for the Student Council and the House Captains is complete and the badge presentation will take place at parade next Friday 19 February. Families of the successful candidates will be notified so they have the opportunity to see their children receive their badge.

Interschool Sport - Years 5 & 6

Friday afternoons are a highlight for many of our Year 5 and 6 students who will be starting Friday afternoon sport for 5 weeks commencing next week. Central is hosting volleyball while others will be travelling by bus to golf, soccer, netball and rugby league.  Activity consent forms including payment must be received by Thursday, 18 February.  Payment can be made using the Qkr app.

Year 6 Senior Shirt Orders

Notes for the Year 6 Senior Shirts were forwarded home last week and orders are to be placed using the Qkr! app by Friday, 19 February. Sample shirts for sizing are available at the office. Unfortunately no late orders can be accepted as there is only one print run produced and no extras are kept on hand at the school.

Instrumental Music

Instrumental Music payments due by Friday 26 February.  Payments can be made on Qkr.

Parade Every Friday

Parents and caregivers are invited to join us back at parade each Friday morning at 9am. See you there!

Check out Gympie Central State School on Facebook 

The school uses its Facebook page to send out reminders and to let the community know what’s happening in the classrooms. It was great to see 2/3S out and about yesterday collecting data on local traffic, then graphing and analysing this data in the classroom.

How can an Occupational Therapist help your child? Come and find out. 

Come along to a parent information session here at Gympie Central at 9am on Tuesday 23 February. Janet Scudamore, Occupational Therapist (OT) with the Department of Education, will be sharing how OTs can support families. OTs provide a wide range of support including developing fine and gross motor skills as well as self-regulation strategies, enabling children to participate in activities to the best of their ability.

True Relationships - Weeks 7-10

During the last 4 weeks of this term, all students will have the opportunity to attend personal development sessions facilitated by educators from True Relationships Qld. This is in place of Life Education.  During these sessions children will learn about personal safety and positive relationships in a safe and supportive environment.  In the next fortnight letters will be sent home with program and payment details.

Tuckshop Volunteers Needed 

Tuckshop will be available every second week during term 1. The P&C is seeking volunteers to help in the tuckshop to help share the load. Please contact the school if you can help out. 

All Tuckshop orders will need to be placed via Qkr! only. 

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

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.

Qkr! Payment App - Have you downloaded it? 

Reminder: Our school uses the Qkr! App which allows you to make payments for things like school uniforms, excursions, etc. Qkr is a Commonwealth Bank app that can link to your savings or credit account and helps to make payments so easy.

1. Download the app
2. Search for Gympie Central School
3. Register your child/ren and set up your details
4. Search for the payment you wish to make and follow the prompts.

Newsletters

Reminder: The school newsletter is produced on a fortnightly basis and sent to your nominated email address. We also use this email address to send other messages to ensure information is delivered in an efficient and timely manner. Please check your emails regularly. If you wish to change your nominated email address, please contact the office as soon as possible.

Dental News

Reminder:  The Dental Van will be leaving our school tomorrow morning.  If you would still like to make an appointment for your child/ren to see the dentist, please contact the Dental Van directly on 0412 365 164 so they can assist you at their next Gympie destination.   Please click on the link below for more information.

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It’s Healthy Lunchbox Week

School is back and so is the daily lunchbox routine.

Healthy Lunchbox Week, 7 to 13 February 2021, provides a great opportunity to highlight the importance of nutritious and tasty lunchbox fare.

Encourage your children to be involved in the process: let them choose their favourite fruit and vegetables from the supermarket. Allow them to prepare and pack their own lunchbox.

And remember – a balanced diet of nutritious food is an important part of everyday life and helps children to focus, develop and grow.

Visit Nutrition Australia’s Healthy Lunchbox Week website for hints, tips and tricks for healthy lunchbox items that kids will enjoy. 

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