grafton public schoolgraftonpublicschool.com.au/newsletter/060616.pdf · 7 june - nsw pssa boys...
TRANSCRIPT
In this week’s newsletter…….
* Eisteddfod success
* Athletics Carnival next Tuesday
*Principal’s Message
Upcoming events
7 June - NSW PSSA Boys Hockey and NSW PSSA League
13 June– Public Holiday Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend
14 June - Athletics Carnival
Term Calendar - Click Here School Website - Click Here
Grafton Public School A Tradition of Excellence
Term 2 Week 7: Monday 6th June 2016
Locked Bag 9024 Grafton 2460 PHONE: Primary - 66421000 Infants - 66422286
Email: [email protected]
Grafton Public School groups blitzed the local Eisteddfod last week. We had over 200
children perform over the two days in various groups and we were very proud of all of
them.
Our school band and choirs in particular earned amazing praise from the adjudicator,
with all three groups earning 1st place. Their performances were outstanding and
we have had many positive comments from the general public congratulating the
children. Well done boys and girls, and well done and congrats to our choir director
Mrs Robertson and our band maestro Mr Keogh.
The Infants Dance Group and Verse Speaking groups were so cute and so very
excited to be performing on stage. We are sure their performances made the
audience smile. Mrs Wallace’s verse speaking group, with their cat ears and
whiskers on, won first place in their section, whilst the Year 1 dance group who
performed “Walk like an Egyptian”, earned a highly commended.
Our large Junior and Senior Dance ensembles looked fantastic on stage and had
worked hard on their performances. Many in the audience were grooving along in their
seats. Well done dancers!
Eisteddfod Success
The GPS Athletics Carnival for students in Years 2-6, (all of the Year 2 students are included), will be held next
Tuesday, 14th June on the bottom Primary playground. Commencing at 9.15am, after a house march down to the
playground with warcries in full voice, all the children will be involved in a rotation of athletic events being shot putt,
long jump, age races, tug-o-war, ball games and novelties. Whilst everyone will participate in the age races and game
events, finalists have already been pre-selected in the two field events from trials held over the past few weeks.
The children can come dressed in their house colours in clothes suitable for the activities and are reminded that they
must stay with their groups at all times.
We welcome spectators on the day to come along and cheer on the children!
A canteen will operate on the bottom field selling sausage sandwiches, chips, lollies, muffins, slices, poppers, water and
cans of drink.
Athletics Carnival next week
Sporting News
We have 2 boys who are heading away for PSSA sport this week. Jesse McGarvie is today travelling to Wollongong to
take his place in the North Coast PSSA Boys Hockey team at the State Carnival, whilst Grayson Reimer and his dad
are heading west up the range so Grayson can be a part of the North Coast Rugby League team playing at the State
Carnival in Tamworth. Congratulations and well done boys on your selection and good luck this week!
Congratulations to the Yr 5/6 and Yr 3/4 Dance Ensembles who
performed at the Grafton Eisteddfod last week. Both groups were
outstanding in their performances demonstrating the outcomes of
their commitment to lessons and practice. Both groups will be
performing at the Central Network Dance Festival held in Coffs
Harbour on Thursday 16th June, 2016. Parents are most welcome
to attend this event by purchasing tickets via the information on
the brochure featured at left.
Dance Ensembles
Dear Parents and Carers,
“Practice makes perfect”, is an old adage yet a truism. Last week aspects of our creative and
performing arts curriculum were on display at the Grafton Eisteddfod where our students
performed that which they had been practicing – dance, choir, band and verse speaking. It was
indeed a delight to behold as faces beamed with pleasure at the end of a concentrated period
of performance. Our students gave their best effort and received due recognition for this. You
don’t learn to sing, play an instrument, paint or sculpt to keep the talent hidden under a bushel,
especially children. They deserve an appreciative audience and encouragement to continue.
Resilience is an essential life skill, one which comes from enduring training, failure and then the
ultimate – success. Well done to all of our students who performed at the eisteddfod as you did
yourself and our school proud.
Part of our school’s 2016 implementation plan is to enhance our students’ opportunities within
the creative arts allowing them access to forms of expression that may have eluded them due to
the tyranny of being in a regional town. We are bridging the equity gap of location and hopefully
encouraging others to believe that it is fine to strive and achieve within the creative and
performing arts. Our school has a ‘Creative Arts’ shingle and we are now in a period whereby we
are polishing this shingle which is starting to gleam due to the passion of staff and the belief of
you, our parent body. Thank you.
I recently read a sign – ‘each life is a book with each day a page’. How’s your book looking? It is
up to us to ensure each page has an entry with which we are happy. Our growth through change
and re-balancing allows each of us to become a better person. Sometimes I hear children, and
some adults say, ‘I’m bored’. One of boredoms antithesis is that of creativity. Your life is a
finite odyssey, it is up to each individual to ensure their life is fulfilling and parts of this may
(should) include meditative reflection and peaceful nothingness. Boredom is a necessary learning
tool, for without experiencing it you miss the need to ensure your life is rich with the many
simple and enjoyable things including peaceful nothingness.
There is a subset of people who are the planners – they make sure theirs and in turn their
children’s lives are filled, every second of every day and constantly monitored, once described
as the helicopter parents. This life-long lesson with activity is one which misses the resilience
building target of being at peace with non-activity.
Enjoy your week allowing time for reflection, peace and non-activity.
Will Randall
Principal.
From the Principal
Financial News
With the end of another term and the end of the financial year fast approaching, we would just like to remind families
that some still have annual school fees unpaid. The GPS school fees are very reasonable in price and are an important
part of our school budget. These fees go directly towards the cost of materials and resources used to enhance your
child’s learning experience. By paying these contributions you are supporting your child’s learning and helping our
school provide the best educational opportunities. Please pay your fees as soon as possible.
From next term, parents will be offered the chance to make payments for fees, excursions, sporting events etc
online. A link will be placed on our website and payments can be made from any mastercard or visa credit/
debit card. More details will feature in upcoming newsletters.
Bike Bus
Canteen
Infants Roster
7/6/16 Help needed
8/6/16 Kelly James
9/6/16 Bonnie and Tracey
10/6/16 Paula and Ingrid
14/6/16 Help needed
Primary Roster
7/6/16 David and Cheryl Maunder
8/6/16 Sally Cutts
9/6/16 Help needed
10/6/16 Jayne Grieve
14/6/16 Help needed
Community Notices
Each week we will try to acknowledge the children who received awards at their grade assemblies in the previous
week. Congratulations to the following students who received awards last week:
Kinder: Tully Clarke, Roseanna Marsh, Rhani Abrahams, Alva Eastwood, Charlotte Evans, Ethan House, Saxon Green,
Rhys Austen, Benson Landrigan, Keoni James, Charlie Astorga-Gonzalez, Milla Stephenson, Shanara Cameron, Armani
Nash, Stella Lauchlan
Year 1: Talia Causley, Beau Cookson, Naithanial Lasker, Chloe Donohoe, Ciarna Gardiner, Sasha White, Anabel Bridges
-Hanson, Izac Shelton, Isla Norris, William Maddrell, Kaiva Gillies
Year 2: Tylissah Third, Isabelle Russell, Rachel Murdoch, Shalisse Chard, Rion Crouch, Taylor Joyce, Yuna Stavely-
Alexander, Lillian Lougher, Cadence Anderson, Alexis Pace, Harper Davison, Chelsea Willard, Chelsea Gosper
Year 3: Kobey Jackson, Jade Middelbosch, Xavier Corcoran, Lilly Milson, Grace Kennedy, Ruby Deefholts, Levena
Schembri, Madisyn Murdoch
Year 4: James Collins, Julia Hennessy, Laura Hoade, Rugeesthan Kumaradasan, Zoe Penfold
Year 5: Phoebe Clarke, Noah Greedy, Joshua Donovan Skinner, Bobby Hart, Zieke Hodge-Blanch, Selina Leslie
Year 6: Whitney Moon, Levi Smith, Jack Brown, Shayla Hayton, Bradley Hollett, Monique Masters, Lydia Breadsell
Support Unit: Kalobe Bateman, Jamie Plunkett, Annisha Turnbull, Patrick Kennedy, Isabelle Philp, Josh Wall, Zion
Litchfield, Lillian Burke
Assembly Awards
Community Notices