Thursday's Tidings - 25 January 2024

What a great start to 2024 here at Gympie Central! Welcome to all our new and returning families who have had their child start their schooling journey here or have moved to Gympie Central. You will find our experienced staff professional and welcoming. Our small school has a big heart.   

Our preps are settling with the routines in the first few days and they will spend the first term learning about the routines and learning to work together inside and outside the classrooms. Our new students in the other years have started making connections with the Central students and are learning to navigate their way around the grounds. 

In the coming months, we will start to see work commencing on the new fence around the perimeter of the school. It will be a complicated project and due to the heritage nature of the school, a great deal of pre-planning is required. Once the construction commences, the build should take place over a period of weeks. 

Welcome New Staff 

There are some new and returning faces among the staff here at Central. 

Welcome to Mrs Tammy Hayden who has joined the school as Support Teacher and will be focussing on literacy during this first term. Mrs Hayden has taken over the role previously filled by Mrs Thomas. Mrs Thomas has taken leave this term and after being at Central for over 40 years, has seen many changes. Mrs T will be enjoying some more time for herself, but is also missing being here. Our school has been a significant part of her life and we wish her well as she transitions into retirement. Thank you for all you have done for the community at Central! 

Mr Mark van Muyen has joined our cleaning team. Welcome Mark - it’s great to have you on board. 

Mr Joe Barbaro has rejoined Central as a member of our student engagement team. Mr Barbaro taught here a number of years ago, but has since moved into this role where he supports students from schools across the Gympie region. 

Miss Sharon Valamis has returned to the team as Arts Teacher. She’ll be here each Monday and had a great Monday this week. 

Mrs Bec Child will continue working across the grounds while Mr Burke has extended his leave. She’s easy to spot in her pink work shirts and does an amazing job around the grounds. Give her a shout out when you see her on these hot days - she even gave up some of her own time over the holidays too!

Priorities in 2024 - Reading and Targeted Student Feedback  

During 2024, our staff will refine the way we teach reading to students. We will review our resources and our teaching practices, then collaborate to implement consistent, effective evidence-based practices across our classrooms.  Keep an eye out for tips, tricks and information on the strategies we will use at school, so you can support your children at home. 

Gympie Central is continuing its focus on providing students effective, targeted feedback. We do this by helping students understand the assessment task requirements, then checking in on their progress work during the term and providing specific feedback to improved particular areas of their work. These successful practices have been in place for the past couple of years and we will continue this journey. 

Parade is every Friday at 9am 

Our first parade is next week. Our four school captains; Jasper, Summer, Alex and Liam with take the reins. Awards are handed out at parade and if your child is to receive an award, teachers will be in touch to let you know prior to the day. 

Student Leadership - Badge Presentation Ceremony Friday 8th March at 9am 

Over the coming weeks, the students and staff will be electing sports house captains and student councillors. The badge presentation ceremony for these students will take place on Friday 8th March. School captains already have their badges and will lead the parade on this day. 

No Tuckshop in Term 1 

Due to water damage in the tuckshop, tuckshop will be postponed until Term 2.  The school is working to rectify the cause of the water damage. 

Mr Cafferky on leave 14-27 February

I will be taking long service leave for a fortnight from 14th February. An expression of interest for the acting principal position will be advertised and I will communicate who will sit in the office once the person is confirmed. 

Playgroup @ Central - Tuesday mornings from 6 February

Anglicare is going to run a playgroup here at Central each Tuesday morning. This will start on Tuesday 6th February. All Gympie community families with young children are invited to join Millie from Anglicare. Save the date: 

What: Anglicare playgroup 

Who: Parents with before school age children 

When: Each Tuesday from 9am-10:30am 

Where: B Block (lower level), Gympie Central SS right below the Toy Library 

It’s Storm Season 

Dear parents and caregivers, 

With the summer season upon us, it is timely to remind our school community of weather changes in our region which may affect school events or routines; including fires, storms or flooding.  

These weather events specifically impact students who travel to school by bus. The Gympie school bus system is heavily interlinked, with most bus runs dependent on other connecting bus runs.  

During severe weather events in the Gympie region, schools consult with and take direction from the Local Disaster Management Group and our relevant governing authorities in relation to school closures or changes to bus routines.  

I ask that you familiarise yourself with the below severe weather instances and how the school may manage student safety (should they occur).  

Please note in the event of a severe weather, the school has rigid risk-management guidelines in place, with student and staff safety our highest priority. In the event of severe weather, you are strongly encouraged to continue to check your email, the school website and/or the school Facebook page for updates. Blanket text messages may also be sent to your nominated phone number.  

Storms 

Violent storms are not uncommon in our area during the summer season. The risk posed to staff and students occurs as a result of exposure to the impact of wind, rain and or hail.  

In the event of severe and inclement weather, students will be kept safely inside away from effects of the storm. They will not be allowed to travel to and from buildings. 

Students will be retained until the storm has passed and are safe to leave school. 

We strongly discourage parents from attempting to pick up students when the risk is imminent.  

If required, we will arrange delayed departure for bus transport. 

Depending on the timing of the storm, the following two options are considered most likely: 

• Altered lesson or break lengths to minimise exposure of students to inclement weather. 

• This process will be managed by the activation or deactivation of the school bells along with messages to staff to advise of the situation. 

• The length of the school day may be altered. This will normally be the result of afternoon storms. In this instance, we will hold students in classes until the event passes. This may mean that we need to extend the day for our staff and students. In this event, the school will coordinate the buses to delay their runs. 

Fires 

While fires are unlikely to impact schools themselves, they do pose a threat to the safe transport of students to and from school (via buses or other means).  

In the event of a fire, if you have concerns about your ability to get your student/s to and from school safely, we ask you to consider keeping them at home until such time as you deem it safe to travel. 

In the situation where a fire may directly impact the school grounds and persons onsite, we will communicate with parents to arrange for the safe transportation of students and evacuation if necessary.  

Floods 

Flooding tends to have two (2) categories – localised flash flooding and general riverine flooding. 

Riverine Flooding 

In periods of prolonged heavy rainfall, the school actively monitors water levels at major creeks and river crossings via the Gympie Regional Council Disaster Dashboard. This allows us to predict with some certainty when roads would become impassable. Bus runs that travel low-lying routes may be cancelled ahead of time after periods of heavy rainfall and predicted flooding. This alleviates the possible need to run the buses earlier than normal on the day.  

In unpredicted riverine rises, it is possible that buses will collect students from school and return them home early. In this situation ALL buses will run as per their normal afternoon schedule at an earlier time. It is important that we consider not just the safe transportation of our students’ home but also the safe return to town of our bus operators and school staff.  

In both instances, parents and caregivers will receive advance notice via text message and email home.  

Local flash flooding  

In the event that a bus service is unable to run due to local short-term road closure the options are: 

1. manage through parent communication to facilitate the pick-up of students and/or the making of alternate arrangements for them. 

1. The enacting of all buses to run earlier than normal as per riverine flooding. 

In any severe weather event, families are encouraged to tune-in to local media, monitor weather conditions, heed the warnings and follow instructions from emergency services. 

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. 

Warm regards,
Glenn Cafferky

DENTAL NEWS:  

School Dental Services - DENTAL TREATMENT FOR STUDENTS

The Dental van is now located at your school Gympie Central State School. 

-Children with Child Dental Benefits Scheme are eligible for the services from the age of o to 17 years old  

-Children without Child dental benefits scheme are eligible from Prep to Grade 10  

If you would like your child to have a check-up with the School Dental Service, please complete both sides of the form in the link below and return to school ASAP (by emailing or printing and returning). Paper copies are also available from the office. Dental staff will then contact parents directly to arrange suitable appointment times.  

If you did not receive a form from you child, you can follow this link to an online form, that can be completed and returned:  

Any enquiries, please contact Van staff (Mon- Fri 7.30AM - 4PM) on 0412365164.

Other payment options that we provide are:

1. BPOINT - (for invoiced activities) Pay online or by phone using credit/debit card: https://www.bpoint.com.au/payments/dete or phone 1300 631 073

2. CENTREPAY - (for invoiced activities) We now offer Centrepay as a payment method for instrumental music and school camps. Use Centrepay to arrange regular deductions from your Centrelink payment. You can start, change or stop using Centrepay whenever you like. If you would like to set up a Centrepay payment, or know more information about this payment method, please contact the school office.

3. EFTPOS - We accept Mastercard, Visa and all Australian bank, building society and credit union cards.