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: grafton-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

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