Newsletter #1 January 31 2025

Glen Huntly Primary School > Newsletter #1 January 31 2025

GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY

    Learning Today.                     Leading Tomorrow.

Welcome to our first school newsletter of the year!

Principal’s Message

I hope this newsletter finds you all well as we welcome a new year at GHPS.

As we begin this new year, I am excited to see the growth and achievements that our students will make. I hope that the summer holidays were restful and gave time to spend together as a family.

I was fortunate to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia with my husband, Rohan, and what an incredible experience it was! Both countries are rich in history and culture. Hanoi, for instance, was buzzing with energy, the streets teeming with more cars and motorbikes than I’ve ever seen. The people were incredibly warm and welcoming, though it was clear that many face difficult daily lives. I witnessed people living and working right on the sidewalks, where the streets doubled as their homes, kitchens, and businesses.

In contrast, Hoi An was much quieter and stunningly beautiful. It was here that I bought a Confucius cup, a symbol of gratitude. The cup is designed so that when it’s filled to 80%, it symbolises contentment. If you’re too greedy and try to fill it beyond that, the cup empties, leaving you with nothing—a powerful reminder to be grateful for what we have.

Ho Chi Minh City felt like a modern, somewhat Westernized metropolis, though the sheer number of people and the traffic were overwhelming, even more so than in Hanoi. We took the time to explore the city’s rich history, and luckily, we also managed to squeeze in a wonderfully relaxing massage.

We have had a wonderful start to the school year, and I would like to congratulate everyone for commencing 2025 in a curious, confident, and connected way. There is a real buzz around the school as students reconnect with friends and teachers and make new acquaintances.

Our Prep students arrived at school yesterday for their first day bright eyed and full of wonder, accompanied by parents, grandparents, special friends, brothers, and sisters. I am proud to report that they have made a very positive start to their school life.

Last Tuesday marked our first Curriculum Day of the year, and it was a highly productive session.

We took time to welcome new staff, reflect on our achievements, and discuss our next steps. A key focus was how we can make the start of the year both welcoming and engaging for our students. Each class will explore our school values, using them to create a class mission statement and set class expectations.

Additionally, a variety of activities aimed at fostering connections among students will be incorporated into each day. To enhance our approach to behaviour management, we are implementing the Education Department’s Positive Classroom Management Strategies (PCMS). These eight evidence-based practices will further support student learning, wellbeing, and behaviour, ensuring our classrooms remain safe, structured, and conducive to success.

A priority now is preparing for our upcoming three-day school review, which begins on February 11.

A panel, including our SEIL Kevin Murphy, reviewer Tracy Hammill, and principals Rochelle Cukier and Lisa Banks, will be interviewing staff, students, and parents, as well as observing teachers in action.

Along with an analysis of school data, a new strategic plan will be developed, outlining goals for the next four years. This is an exciting time for our school as we look forward to implementing continuous improvements to make our school even better.

Child safety and wellbeing at Glen Huntly Primary

Information for families and the school community

Glen Huntly primary is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe.

Our child safety framework https://www.glenhuntlyps.vic.edu.au/forms-and-policies/ explains how we support and maintain child safety and wellbeing at our school. It includes our:

  • Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
  • Child Safety Reporting and Responding Obligations Procedures, and
  • Child Safety Code of Conduct, which outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for all staff and volunteers at our school.

Our students and families are important partners in providing a child safe environment. These regular newsletter reminders are one of the ways we ensure our school community is aware of:

  • our commitment to child safety, and
  • how to provide feedback or raise child safety concerns.

If you have any concerns about child safety at any time, please contact Nerida Burns, Principal, or, Cameron White, Assistant Principal on 95712931. Any child safety complaints or concerns are treated seriously. For more information about our school’s complaints process, see our Complaints Policy, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SwXR6aDUri_VqThvICy_Gp-cELSsL2JM/edit?tab=t.0

We also welcome your ideas on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing. If you have any suggestions or comments please contact Nerida Burns, Principal. Nerida.burns@education.vic.gov.au.

 Our Upcoming Events

Information sessions. Each session will start at 5 and conclude at 6pm.

 Monday February 3

Prep – in the Prep B room
Grade 5/6 – in Mr Macdermids room (on the oval)

Tuesday February 4

Grade 2 – In Mr Bowden’s room
Grade 3/4 – in Miss Piscioneri’s room (upstairs main building)

Wednesday February 5

Grade 1 – Mrs Attwood’s room (portable on the west side)

  • First whole school assembly – Friday February 7 at 2.40 in the gym
  • House Swimming – Friday February 14, grades 3-6
  • Welcome Picnic – Wednesday February 19, on the oval.
  • School Photo Day – Tuesday February 25.
  • Meet The Teacher Interviews – Wednesday February 26 (grades 1-6)
  • Year 5/6 Lightening Premiership – Friday 7 March
  • Curriculum Day – Tuesday March 11

Important Information

Communication

The start of the year is a busy time, with Compass notifications, permissions, calendar dates and the like flooding your inbox and phone as they are mine for my family.

Whilst we do our best to streamline these, I acknowledge it can feel like a lot.

I encourage you to stay connected and ask questions where they exist. Your class teacher and our lovely staff at the office are ready to help.

Our main form of communication will be through the COMPASS platform. Messages and reminders will be sent out via COMPASS. Teachers will also use COMPASS as a primary way to communicate to parents.

Please contact the office if you require further information about COMPASS.

Our newsletter will be sent out fortnightly.

Smart Phone & Watch Sign In

In line with a statewide policy, students are required to sign in all phones and smart watches at the office each morning so that it can be locked away in a safe for the day.

Should you have any questions please see your class teacher or, Laura at the office.

Parent Contributions

Thank you to all families that have paid your contributions already. Contributions are due by today.

If you need assistance or have any questions, please email our Business Manager at phillipa.lewis@education.vic.gov.au or call to organise other arrangements. Payment plans are available for any families who require this assistance.

PRIVACY

Our school collects, uses, discloses, and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the GHPS Privacy Policy Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website.

For more information about privacy, see Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents. 

INSURANCE

The Education Department does not have accident insurance.

Items of personal property that are lost, stolen or damaged at school, such as iPads or other valuables, are not the responsibility of Glen Huntly Primary School or the Department. Staff and students are reminded not to bring items of value to school.

The Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to school and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property.

Updating Medical Records

The Department of Education requires School Asthma Action Plans and Anaphylaxis Plans to be updated annually.

Existing and newly diagnosed Asthmatics must have an Asthma Action plan. Please complete this form and return to school as soon as possible. A doctor`s signature is required. Anaphylaxis Plans are obtained through the doctor also.

If your child no longer requires an asthma plan, can you please notify the office.

MEDICAL AUTHORISATIONS

If your child requires medication during school hours you must complete a Medication Authorisation Form. These can be obtained from the front office. The medication must be brought to the office before school.

ALL MEDICINE MUST BE SUPPLIED IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER

If your child requires Panadol etc. during school hours, please complete a Medical Authorisation Form and supply your own Panadol to the front office.

Students are not permitted to carry any medication in their schoolbags or self-administer any medication.

If your child requires Antibiotics and are to be given three times a day you can give to your child in the morning before school, after school and before bed.

Thank you for your support with helping us to manage student medical needs.

Parent Volunteers

Glen Huntly Parents Association: Our GPA has been working hard to organise various events and activities for our students and parents. Yesterday they put on a very delicious and welcoming morning tea for our new prep families.

If you are interested in joining the GPA, please attend our next meeting on Friday February 7 at 9.15 in the library.

Tissues

We are asking that each student please donate a box of tissues to their classroom.

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved with the school or have any feedback, please contact us at glenhuntly.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Closing

I would like to conclude by saying thank you to everyone for their hard work and commitment to our school community.

We are looking forward to a fantastic year and hope to see you all at our upcoming events.

Enjoy your weekend.

 Nerida Burns   Principal               Cameron White   Assistant Principal

Prep News

We have had a fantastic first week of school and are enjoying all aspects of our learning.

This week students were introduced to our Little Learners Love Literacy program.

Each week, we read a new page from the book ‘Milo’s birthday Surprise’ and meet two new characters in the story that help us learn the letters and sounds of the alphabet. This week we focused on the letters: M and S.

 

Students met Milo the Monkey and Sally the Snake and learned how to correctly write and sound out the letters M and S. Students also learnt how to draw Milo the Monkey and their drawings are now proudly hanging in our classrooms!

Ms Marini & Ms Jones

TheirCare News

Guitar Lessons

Glen Huntly Primary is delighted to offer guitar lessons at the school again for 2025.

Guitar has been the most popular instrument of our time. It’s inexpensive, easily portable, and extremely versatile – an excellent vehicle for increasing self-confidence.

Here are some other benefits:

Providing it at GHPS affords parents more time for other important tasks, rather than having to take an hour or two to deliver children to an after-school-hours music school or teacher, wait whilst they have their lesson and then take them home again.

Guitar provides easy access into the rewarding world of music and the joys found in melodies and rhythms, plus it improves children’s fine motor coordination of hands and fingers, leading to improved writing skills.

Learning guitar offers children numerous other benefits, which integrate well with other school subjects, for example, to improve mathematical and language skills. Without going into minute details, music involves patterns, rhythms, and timing, which are closely linked to mathematical concepts like fractions, ratios, and symmetry.

Furthermore, it aids language by enhancing auditory discrimination and developing listening skills via their ability to distinguish between sounds, tones, and syllables. Thus, supporting phonemic awareness, which is a key for reading and language development.

Above all, sometimes it’s just plain fun to ‘Rock out’!

  • Lessons are available for children in Years 1 – 6, starting in week 2 of first term.
  • The sessions are group lessons, lasting 30 minutes each.
  • Normally lessons are conducted during the lunch hour.
  • Children have the opportunity to display their skills to the school by performing at assembly.
  • Students must have their own guitar and bring it to school on the day(s) of their lesson.
  • Cost per lesson, per child is the same as last year: $19.80

·        The guitar tutor – Perry Vlahos (perryvlahos33@gmail.com) is happy to provide details of what type and size guitar to purchase for a modest price, if you don’t have one.

GHPS Facebook

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Calendar 2025

Term 1

February

Fri 14            Year 3-6 House Swimming

Wed 19         Welcome Picnic

Tue 25           School Photos

Wed 26        Year 1-6 Meet the Teacher Interviews

March

Tue 11            Curriculum Day

Mon 24         Year 5/6 Camp

 

Fee payments and Excursion Permissions and Payments.

All Communication notices regarding excursions will be sent through COMPASS.

Permissions are to be given through COMPASS.

Preferred payment method for Fee payments and Excursions is through COMPASS.

This will allow us to always keep all the correct information available to staff whilst on an excursion.

If you have any questions, please contact the office or see Guide below.

CLICK HERE for Parent’s Guide to Compass

Thank you.