PUBLISHED
Enjoy this week’s edition of Footnotes. We hope that our Sydney community has a safe and restful break.
THE FOOTNOTES TEAM
SYDNEY NEWS
KEY DATES
FOR YOUR DIARY
- 15 JUN | LUMINOUS GALA BALL
SCHOOL TERMS
TERM ONE 2024
- MON 29 – WED 31 JAN | STAFF PD DayS
- THU 1 FEB | STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 12 APR | TERM 1 ENDS
TERM TWO 2024
- MON 29 APR | STAFF PD DAY
- TUE 30 APR | STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 5 JUL | TERM 2 ENDS
TERM THREE 2024
- MON 22 JUL | STAFF PD Day
- TUE 23 JUL | STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 27 SEP | TERM 3 ENDS
TERM FOUR 2024
- MON 14 OCT | STAFF & STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 20 DEC | TERM 4 ENDS
TERM ONE 2025
- DDD 00 MMM | STAFF PD DayS
- DDD 00 MMM | STUDENTS RETURN
- DDD 00 MMM | TERM 1 ENDS
Dear Parents,
This week, we celebrate Music Therapy Week and the many ways our music therapists improve the health and wellbeing of our students and adult participants. In particular, at Giant Steps, we tap into music to help with social communication, movement and coordination, memory, attention and cognition. And we see time and again that it is such a motivating way to increase positive engagement and enjoy being with friends!
Yesterday, I was fortunate to attend the annual Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta Luncheon. Thanks to Lady Angela Panzarino and Tania and Fred Carollo for hosting this incredibly successful charity luncheon and raising funds for Giant Steps.
Thanks to parent CJ Morello and hair stylists Ellie, Chad and Anthony, who were onsite again on Monday to facilitate the haircutting program for our secondary students. It’s been wonderful to be able to offer this initiative this term and we are looking forward to running this successful program next term.
Thanks to James Liew and nurse Lisa for coming onsite to provide flu jabs for the staff over the last week. We appreciate James’ ongoing commitment to providing this service for the staff!
Congratulations to Caz Portbury and the Drag Bingo committee on an incredibly successful fundraiser on Saturday night. All your efforts helped raise over $25,000 for Giant Steps.
Staff will return for a professional development day on Monday, 29 April. We look forward to seeing students again for their first day on Tuesday, 30 April.
If any urgent matters during the holiday period, please call me on 0419 499 783.
Have a safe and restful term break.
Andrew
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea
Wednesday, 8 May
Join us at Giant Steps to celebrate Mother’s Day next term. Afternoon tea will be served, and we invite all our attendees to stay and take part in school activities to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Please RSVP here by Monday, 1 May.
2024 LUMINOUS GALA UPDATE
Saturday, 15 June
The 29th Annual Giant Steps Gala is fast approaching. This year’s theme is luminous. We’re excited to light up the night in celebration of Giant Steps.
Corporate Sponsors
We want to acknowledge and thank our corporate partners:
Gold Sponsors
Chalouhi, Quay Business Services
Silver Sponsors
Addisons, Aera, AIPX, Australian Vintage Wines, Bega, BWS, Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Harris Page & Associates, Noumi, Team Global Express
Tickets Sold
Tickets sold: 85 (not including corporate sponsors)
Goal: 1000
Please visit our Luminous Gala website to purchase tickets and click the link below to download the corporate sponsorship packages.
Silent Auction
Prizes received: 8
Goal: 250 prizes
As a guide, can every family please source 3 – 4 auction items valued at over $150 each (total value of donated prizes $1,000 +) OR make a tax-deductible donation to BSB 082 443 Account No. 491677752 Ref. your surname/AUC and we will use the donated funds to obtain suitable prizes.
Please click this link to log your auction prizes before delivering to Giant Steps. If you have any questions, please contact Giant Steps’ Event Facilitator, Shaminie Chandra – shaminie.chandra@giantsteps.net.au.
Lucky Dip
The lucky dip is very popular and sells out on the night. Guests pay and then receive a mystery prize that is of higher value.
Goal:
– 130 lucky dip prizes of $20 value
– 375 prizes of $50 value
– 130 prizes of $100 value
Prized collected:
$20 prizes = 15
$50 = 10
$100 = 3
As a guide, can every family please source 5+ lucky dip prizes valued between $20 – $150 each (total value of donated prizes $200 +) OR make a tax-deductible donation to BSB 082 443 Account No. 491677752 Ref. your surname/LD and we will use the donated funds to obtain suitable prizes in bulk.
Enter lucky dip prize donations via the Gala website.
Gala Tip
One tip for sourcing silent auction prizes is to cash in Coles and Woolworths Flybuys and Everyday Rewards and donate items to the auction!
Download our Luminous Gala e-invite, sponsorship information sheet, and check-list below. Feel free to also reach out to any fundraising team member if you have any questions or need any help. We look forward to celebrating with you on June 15th!
FUNDRAISING
Australia 108 Stair Climb
Sunday, 28 April
There are less than three weeks to go until we tackle Australia’s Biggest Stair Climb!
We have 481 participants, and we want this to increase to 800 by event day. We really need our community to come together to help us market this event! Please reach out to your network, share our social media posts, and distribute posters at your workplace, your child’s school, or your local café and shops. If you have any contacts in the media world that you think may be able to help us, please reach out to Kat Hender in Fundraising.
We are so excited to see our incredible community come together for this fun event.
FUNDRAISING | SYDNEY
Thank you!
We want to thank all our event organisers, committees, volunteers, and fundraisers for making this a fantastic first term! Giant Steps has never had this many events take place in the first term of the year, and we appreciate all the support.
Drag Bingo
Over $25,000 raised for Giant Steps!
Drag Bingo was a smashing success, raising over $25,000! Thank you to all our guests who dressed to impress, channelled their inner Barbie and Ken, and once again supported Giant Steps.
Special thanks to Giant Steps parent Caz, who once again orchestrated this event and shared her family’s Giant Steps journey. Thank you to the organising committee for assisting and coordinating the night, the Stromquist family and Giant Steps parent Rob for emceeing the night.
Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta Luncheon
9th annual luncheon to support Giant Steps.
Yesterday, we had the privilege to once again attend an annual luncheon that the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta hosted to raise support for Giant Steps.
We’d like to extend a special thank you to Lady Angela Panzarino, Lady Filippa Indovino and Tania and Fred Carollo for making this event a success. Your dedication and hard work are truly appreciated.
CLASS UPDATES | SYDNEY
Gayamay
As the curtain closes on term 1, here are a few photos from Gayamay’s highlight reel. It’s been an enjoyable term with plenty of wonderful experiences to look back fondly on, including bowling, rock climbing, swimming, touch football training and band practice. Term 2 will bring a new set of adventures with outdoor education focusing on urban walks for the first half of the term and bushwalks for the second half.
We hope you all have a pleasant two weeks, and we look forward to seeing everyone back after the break.
Parriwi
What a term Parriwi has had. As the term has progressed, the students of Parriwi have adjusted well to their new routines, staff, and environment. There have been many highlights from the term, including our music sessions with Edwin, participation in our daily Maths Exercise program (Matherscise), exploring different forces in our science lessons, and finally, our learn-to-surf outdoor education program with Manly Surf School.
Well done, Parriwi!
UPCOMING GIANT STEPS PROGRAM
Siblings Groups – Term 2
📅 Save the date for next term’s Siblings Groups:
- Junior Siblings – Saturday, 18 May
- Senior Siblings – Saturday, 1 June
More details will be sent through in the next month. Please contact Giant Steps’ Family Support Coordinator Sarah Robertshaw if you have any questions.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Australian Museum’s Upcoming Program
Saturday, 4 May
The Australian Museum has created new programs for neurodivergent audiences with modified sensory environments:
- Early Birds (Saturday 4 May)
Early Birds provides a reduced sensory, relaxed and supportive environment for visitors of all ages, prior to the Museum opening to the public for the day.
BLOOM: Nurturing the wellbeing of autistic children
Griffith University and Macquarie University researchers are working in partnership with community organisations such as Giant Steps and invite families with autistic children aged between 3 to 8 years to trial a new Australian program focussing on young autistic children’s wellbeing.
Please see the flyer attached to learn more and contact Prof Dawn Adams (+61 7 3735 5854) to access more information and consent forms.
