Newsletter #10 27 June 2025
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Oh, What A Night….
Last Saturday our GHPS Trivia Night was held at McKinnon Bowls Club. Over 70 parents attended the super fun evening organised by our GPA spearheads, Fiona Davey and Hayley Clift.
The night was led by our own Ms Carly Draper. Carly orchestrated such a wonderful night of trivia, games, and challenges. It was entertaining, stretched our general knowledge and everyone had many laughs.
We hope that this will become a yearly event for our parents.
Farewell to Miss Jones and Miss Strain
We say goodbye to our wonderful music teacher Miss Strain who, in just one year, has made a lasting impact on our school. Your passion for music, your energy in the classroom, and the joy you brought to students have truly enriched our community.
You helped students find their voices and made music a meaningful and fun part of school life. Even in a short time, you became a valued and respected colleague, and we’ll miss your creativity and kindness.
Thank you for all you’ve given us. We wish you the very best in your next chapter—may it be as inspiring as the music you’ve shared with us. You will be missed!
We also say goodbye to Miss Jones our wonderful Prep teacher who has been with us for the past six months. In that short time, you’ve made a lasting impact—bringing patience, warmth, and a gentle touch to our youngest learners.
You’ve helped give our students a beautiful start to their schooling journey, and now you’re about to begin a very special new chapter of your own—as a mum!
We’re so excited for you and wish you all the love and joy that comes with welcoming your baby.
Thank you for everything—you will be missed more than you know. All the best and take care!
Next Years School Fair
In 2024 we had the most amazing Spring Fair. Our community cane together to showcase our school and together we raised $20,000.
I am now asking for a team of volunteers to head the planning of the 2026 Fair.
Ideally this could be in Autumn or, Spring (at the start of term 4). These events cannot happen without our parents putting up their hands and coming together to drive this initiative and raise funds to make our school even better for our students.
Suspension and Expulsion Powers
You may be aware of recent changes announced in the media to suspension and expulsion powers that will be available to Victorian principals from day one of Term 3, (Monday 21 July 2025).
We know that students’ behaviour outside of school, particularly online, can sometimes impact the safety of students and staff at school.
In exceptional circumstances, principals of Victorian government schools will be able suspend or expel students for behaviour that occurs outside of school grounds and/or hours including online, if it poses a significant danger to the safety and wellbeing of students or staff.
These powers apply only to serious incidents where there is a clear and close connection to the school and the behaviour of a student outside of school unreasonably impacts the safety and wellbeing of students or staff at school, and their ability to learn or work.
Please note:
- They do not apply to behaviours unrelated to the school or school community.
- They only apply to behaviour which occurs from Monday 21 July 2025 onwards.
Suspension and expulsion will remain measures of last resort – our primary approach continues to focus on proactive and positive behaviour support, including working with you to teach students the behaviours we expect of them, in school and in life.
Why Sport?
At GHPS our vision is to optimise student learning growth across all curriculum areas and levels of ability.
To develop all our students’ talents, knowledge and skills, sport and Physical Education play an important role. Weekly PE lessons, additional sport lessons, PMP, Gala Days, intensive swimming all contribute essential learnings for our children that goes beyond fitness and skills.
Please read this article, “School Sport and the development of life skills” by John Hendry OAM, an educator with more than 50 years’ experience.
He clearly explains why being actively involved in sport can enrich our students lives.
School Building Fund
Glen Huntly primary has a Building Fund for all donations to go towards building a better learning environment for our students. Your generous donations can be used to refurbish the school.
All donations to the Building Fund are eligible for an income tax deduction and a tax receipt will be provided.
This donation can be made through Compass. Please look for a prompt on the Compass newsfeed.
Phones at School
A timely reminder to all families that students’ phones are to be switched off and handed in at the office upon immediate arrival to school. Recently staff have observed
students going to their bag to check their phones.
If your child brings a device to school, please remind them about safe practices and that mobile device use on school grounds is strictly prohibited during school hours.
For more information, please refer to our Mobile Device Policy found here on our website – Policies & Forms
End of semester 1 reports
A sincere thank you also goes to our incredible teaching team, who have been working diligently to finalise mid-year student reports. This includes hours of writing and collaborative moderation to ensure each report is thorough, fair, and reflective of your child’s progress. Their professionalism and care for every student is deeply appreciated
Mid-year Reports will be released to parents via Compass on Friday June 27. Please enjoy reading all your child’s achievement and learning this semester.
Three Way conferences will be conducted the week beginning August 4. More information will be posted on Compass in week 1 next term.
Lost Property
Has your child lost a jumper, coat, lunchbox, or drink bottle? If they are named there is a good chance they will find their way back to you. But in the meantime, please look in the lost property located.
- In the library next to decking doors (junior side).
- In a basket outside Their Care (junior side).
- Under the staircase behind the sick bay in the main building (senior side)..
IMPORTANT DATES:
- Working Bee this Sunday, June 29 from 9.00.
- Last day of Term 2 is Friday 4th July. Students will be dismissed at 2.30 pm.
- Term 3 starts Monday July 21.
- 3 Way conferences week beginning August 4
- Kids Disco Friday August 22
- Pupil Free Day August 25.
Staff Spotlight
Thank you for a wonderful term. Stay warm and enjoy a restful break.
Nerida Burns Principal Cameron White Assistant Principal
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Logan 0A – For trying his hardest to sound out words and write sentences with complete ideas, when writing about Chesterfield Farm. Great Work, Logan!
Skanda 0A – For trying his hardest when writing about his time at Chesterfield Farm. Great Work, Skanda!
Hazel 0A – For writing a variety of sentences to add detail to her weekend recount. Your ideas were clear and helped the reader picture exactly what you did. Great work, Hazel!
Muhammad 0A – For beginning to use initial sounds in your writing and attempting to read back what you wrote. You are growing confidence in your writing every day!
Kavir 0B – For excellent effort and participation in Maths this week. Kavir confidently demonstrated the part-part-whole strategy by breaking numbers into parts and clearly explaining his thinking. Well Done, Kavir!
Isabella 0B – For showing our school values by looking after the learning environment and always being helpful to others. Well done, Isabella!
Saavi 1A – For being superstar in our class! You always shine bright by showing our school values and giving it your all. Keep being amazing – well done!
Jack 1A – For your writing about wind this week. It was absolutely fantastic! You put in so much effort and tried your best to make sure your writing was neat. Way to go!
Taylor 1B – For writing an incredible information report about tornadoes! You used subheadings and paragraphs like an absolute pro – it looked just like a real book! Twister-iffic job, Taylor!
Olivia 1C – This student is a kind and caring member of our class who always demonstrates wonderful teamwork. She is eager to help others and shows pride in her learning by completing tasks thoughtfully and to the best of her abilities. Well done, Olivia!
Isabella 1C – For showing pride and taking responsibility for your learning, always trying your best. It is wonderful to see the progress you have been making, joining in class discussions, and sharing your ideas. We are so proud of your growth – well done, Isabella!
Albert 2A – For your amazing effort on our excursion to the Melbourne Zoo! You showed such enthusiasm for seeing the animals and were curious and engaged when learning new facts. You represented Glen Huntly with pride and respect. Well done Wildlife Warrior!
Avyaan 2A – For always putting your hand up with clever, curious, and spot-on answers! You dive into every topic with enthusiasm and bring great energy to our class chats. I love hearing what you have to say! Super effort!
Gus 2B – For being a terrific tour guide on our Melbourne Zoo adventure! Your expert knowledge of the zoo was so impressive, we’re pretty sure you knew more than the map! We would have been totally lost without your nifty navigating. Well Done!
Vividha 3A – For her exceptional effort creating a non-fiction poster on ‘Green Sea turtles’. She used creative text boxes, a timeline of the Turtle life cycle and excellent text features. You are always supporting your class and teachers; we appreciate your hard work and enthusiasm!
Jake 3B – For being a wonderful contributor to classroom discussions, thinking outside of the box when problem solving, using expression and phrasing during his poetry recital and helping others in the room. Congratulations!
Bhagya 4A – For her outstanding and thoughtful questions she created for her information report.
Bhuvi 4B – Exceptional effort in all classroom tasks, researching your Indonesia project in detail, then summarizing the points accurately and volunteering to look after the school chooks! Congratulations.
Valika 4B – For always putting in great effort into her work, exhibiting a wonderful poem during the Poetry Slam, showing maturity during classroom conversations and researching her information reports with careful analysis! Well Done!
Ruby 4C – For being welcoming to our new students and continuing to build strong connections with friends. You show social skills that celebrate teamwork and respect for peers.
Shenan 5C – For consistently working so well in Literature Circles, taking your role seriously and always coming prepared. You show respect by listening thoughtfully to others’ opinions and is quick to help your classmates who need support with their roles. Well done!
Luluo 5C – For actively participating in Literature Circles, reading the text and completing your role with great effort. Your motivation to join group discussions shows enthusiasm and supports your team. Amazing, keep it up!
Ashleigh 5C – For showing great courage by facing your nerves and delivering your inquiry news report presentation with a confident, clear voice and great knowledge of your information. Well done for pushing through and doing your best!
Congratulations to Sara in 6C who has been selected as a recipient of an ICAS Student Scholarship in recognition of her outstanding academic potential.
As part of this award, she received a $100 voucher to use toward ICAS 2025 Assessments and/or official ICAS past papers.
Only 200 students in Australia have received this scholarship.
Well done, Sara.
Chess Club
A Chess Victoria Zonal Inter-School Tournament was held on Thursday 19 June 2025, and GHP ranked 3rd amongst the ~20 Schools that Participated (based on taking the top 5 students at each school).
GHP chess players continue to be very adept and will progress to the state championships later in the year.
A total of ~110 players competed and each one competed in a total of 7 rounds with progressively matched difficulty, i.e. players were paired with the stronger opponents as they won, and difficulty levels were reduced in case of losses. 0.5 points are awarded in the case of a draw.
Each GHP chess player competed very well and the top 5 collectively earned 22.5 points:
5 points – James
5 points – Winston
4.5 – Alex
4 – Mickey
4 – Sean
We look forward to more players joining the tournament next term.
Regards,
Felix Chandler Director Chess Fanatics
On Thursday the 19th of June, we attended a chess tournament at Galilee Regional Catholic School in South Melbourne, and GHPS came third!
We would like to congratulate the participants in our school which included Winston, James, Sean, Alec, Mickey, and Mitchell. For most of the kids, it was their first tournament. Everyone did their best, and everyone’s points counted toward our third-place medals.
We would also like to thank our school for the opportunity to attend this tournament. Some other participating schools include Gardenvale Primary School (who came 2nd), Toorak Primary School (who came 1st), Galilee Regional Catholic School, Whitehorse Primary School and more.
Because of our victory, we get to go to the State Championships in Term 4! Chess is not always about winning.
Sometimes it’s simply about learning. And so is life. We’ve certainly had the privilege to learn and grow through this event.
We would love to see more GHPS kids at the next tournament in Term 3!
Best regards
Cecylia and Winston 😜
School Savings Bonus
Dear Parents,
This is a reminder regarding the Victorian Government one-off $400 School Saving Bonus. The School Saving Bonus was for eligible government school students in 2025. This support was provided to help with the cost of uniforms, textbooks, and school activities.
🔔 Key Dates to Remember
- Voucher Use Deadline: You can use the bonus for uniforms until Monday, 30 June 2025.
- Remaining Funds: Any unspent funds after 30 June 2025will automatically become a credit for school activities on your family account. This credit will be available in your family account at our school from late July 2025 and can be used for all future events.
✅ Action Required Before 30 June 2025
To ensure you have funds available to use in July 2025, please log in to the School Saving Bonus online system and allocate the funds to school activities before 30 June 2025.
📞 Need Assistance?
Before 30 June 2025: Contact the Department of Education’s SSB contact centre by:
- Calling 1800 338 663(Weekdays, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm)
- Completing the SSB enquiry form
After 30 June 2025: Please reach out to our school administration team for any SSB-related questions.
Kind regards,
Administration
TheirCare News
GHPS Facebook
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Calendar 2025
Term 2
July
Fri 4 End of Term 2 Early Finish 2.30pm
Term 3
July
Mon 21 Term 3 commences
August
Mon 11 Science Fair
Fri 22 Kids Disco Night
Mon 25 Professional Practice Day (Student Free Day)
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.