Newsletter #10 June 19, 2026
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Term 2 has been a great one with lots of learning and extra-curricular activities and events.
- Grade 5/6 camp
- House cross country
- Jump rope for Heart
- Mother’s Day breakfast and Mother’s day stall
- Weekly cooking classes
- Prep excursion to Chesterfield Farm
- Grade 1 excursion to Scienceworks
- Grade 2 excursion to Melbourne Zoo
- Grade 3 excursion to Melbourne Museum
- Grade 4 excursion to Polly Woodside
- Grade 5/6 excursion to Immigration Museum
- Japanese Day
- Weekly school tours
- Teeth on Wheels
- Education Week Open evening and morning
Bringing our school community together and fostering strong connections with our families is always a priority.
We deeply value the partnerships we share with parents and carers and recognise the important role they play in the life of our school. By welcoming families into our classrooms, events, celebrations, and learning experiences, we strengthen the sense of belonging that helps our students thrive.
We are grateful for the ongoing support, involvement and contributions of our families and look forward to continuing to build a connected, inclusive, and vibrant school community together.
Term 2 Working Bee
A sincere thank you to the following families who attended our Working Bee last Sunday. Through their hard work, enthusiasm and generosity of spirit, an incredible amount was achieved, helping to make our school grounds cleaner, brighter and more welcoming for everyone.
We are grateful for their time, effort, and commitment to our school community.
A special thank you also to Mrs Oldham and her husband, who generously cooked the sausage sizzle and kept our hardworking volunteers well fed and fuelled throughout the morning. Their support was greatly appreciated and helped make the day such a success.
- Kanady family, Jordan family, Splawa- Newman family, Hester family, Howard family, Watters family, Adams family, Gorrie family, Hung family, McGregor family, Kee family and Lebaka family.
Attendance – Every Day Counts!
Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.
SCHOOL IS BETTER WHEN YOUR CHILD IS THERE – Why it’s important? We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.
There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.
Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in kindergarten or in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years and receive lower test scores than their classmates.
It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school.
The main reasons for absence are:
Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick. Developing good sleep patterns, eating well, and exercising regularly can make a big difference.
Family holidays – It’s vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term. If you are planning to go on holiday during term time, make sure you discuss your holiday plans with the Principal.
BEING AWAY FROM SCHOOL FOR ONE DAY A FORTNIGHT EQUALS MISSING 1.5 YEARS OVER 13 YEARS OF SCHOOL
Our school attendance data up until now is:
24 (7%) of students have attended school every day this year.
245 (70%) of students have been away for 0.5 – 9.5 days this year.
61 (17%) of students have been away for 10 – 19.5 days this year.
12 (3%) of students have been away for 20 – 29.5 days this year.
9 (3%) of students have been away for 30+ days this year.
Together, let’s make every school day count and support our children in achieving their best, both academically and socially.
School Council
The GHPS school council June meeting is next Monday June 22. The agenda items discussed will be published in the first newsletter next term.
Staffing
We are proud to announce that our much loved education support staff member Lili Hancock has been appointed as the performing arts teacher at McKinnon Primary.
She begins her role at the start of term 3. Congratulations Lili we will miss you.
Upcoming school production
Next term, we are thrilled to present our School Production 2026, “A Night at the Museum”. The performance will be on Monday September 7.
Every student will have the opportunity to shine on stage, and to help bring the performance to life, we are excited to welcome Kinect2Dance to our school.
Over nine weeks, students will take part in engaging and energetic dance and drama workshops, building their confidence, creativity, and performance skills as they prepare for this special event.
Don’t miss out on this exciting experience! Please ensure you complete your payment via Compass.
Communications about costumes and ticketing will be released next term, please stay tuned.
Planning Week
This week looked a little different from our usual routine as it was our Term 3 Planning Week. During this time, teaching teams were released from their classrooms to work collaboratively, analyse student achievement data and plan the curriculum that will be taught next term.
These planning days are a valuable opportunity for teachers to reflect on student progress, evaluate the effectiveness of current teaching practices and identify areas where students may require additional support or extension. By working together, staff can develop engaging, purposeful, and well-sequenced units of work that meet the diverse learning needs of our students.
This dedicated planning time ensures that teaching and learning remain responsive, evidence-based and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for every child.
Next Friday, 26th June, is the final day of Term 2. Students will finish at 2.30pm.
Mr White and I would like to wish all our families a restful and relaxing school holidays and hopefully have break from school routines.
We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday July 13th.
Nerida Burns and Cameron White
Congratulations to the following students who received a “Student of the Week” award.
Aarna 0A – At our farm excursion, you showed kindness, responsibility, and enthusiasm. You tried new experiences and were a wonderful role model throughout the day.
Aadriti 0B – For always demonstrating resilience when trying new things and stepping outside of her comfort zone. During our visit to Chesterfield Farm, she was inquisitive, asked thoughtful questions, and showed a genuine curiosity about the world around her. She also wrote a fantastic reflection, sharing what she loved most about the day. Keep up the amazing work, Aadriti!
William 0B – For always demonstrating outstanding resilience in literacy. The incredible progress William has made over the past two semesters is a true reflection of his hard work, determination, and positive attitude towards learning. Through his dedication to phonics, reading, and writing, William has continued to challenge himself and grow in confidence every day. We are so proud of all that you have achieved, William- keep shining and keep up the fantastic work!
Jasmine 0C – Congratulations on being Student of the Week! You were a respectful member of our class on our farm excursion and showed great bravery when feeding the animals. Well done on being such a positive role model!
Mohammad 0C – Working hard when partitioning his friends of ten. You show pride in your work and persevere till the end. Thank you for being such a vibrant member of our class.
Kavir 1A – For excellent writing about your favourite first responder vehicle. You used adjectives effectively to describe your vehicle. You also made sure to use punctuation correctly and organised your ideas clearly. Well done!
Ztao 1A – For being a caring and positive member of our class. You are always friendly and considerate of others. We have loved having you as part of our class and wish you all the very best as you start at your new school in Term 3!
Logan 1A – For being a wonderful friend to everyone in our class. He is always kind and willing to help others. His positive attitude makes him a valued member of our classroom. We wish him all the best as he starts at his new school in Term 3. We will miss you, Logan!
Ezekiel 1B – for continuing to build resilience at school and always being a kind and considerate friend in the classroom and in the yard. Keep up the amazing work!
Daniel 1B – For your amazing work this week with your information report. You used interesting words and you are continuing to improve your handwriting! Keep up the great work!
Emily 1C – for showing resilience this week. You kept trying when your work was challenging and worked hard to complete your tasks. Well done!
Billy 1C – for making positive choices and showing great effort. You worked hard to stay focused and complete your learning tasks. Keep up the great work!
Billie 2A – For representing G.H.P.S with pride on our Melbourne Zoo excursion! You were an enthusiastic zoo explorer, getting up close with the animals and enjoying new facts along the way. Super job!
Mickey 2A – For being a respectful explorer on our Melbourne Zoo excursion! You moved around each enclosure with curiosity, kindness and care for both people and animals. Amazing effort!
Owen 2B – For creating a tree-mendous information report about the orangutan! Your catchy sub-headings grabbed the reader’s attention, and your carefully edited writing was packed with fantastic facts. Amazing effort, Owen!
Aniket 2B – For his awesome efforts in Cooking this week!
Hana 2C – For a tree-mendous Orangutan report full of wow-worthy facts! Your thoughtful writing, fantastic knowledge, and attention to detail made your report shine. Brilliant work, Hana!
Abigail 2C – For cooking with confidence and exploring the zoo with curiosity! You followed instructions carefully, showed fabulous chef skills and were a kind, thoughtful group member throughout our zoo adventure. Amazing effort, Abigail!
Alexandra 3A – For consistently giving your very best in everything you do, you should be so proud of the wonderful work you produce every day. Your enthusiasm, care and pride in your learning continues to impress us—keep it up!
Nora 3A – For her outstanding biography research and presentation on Cathy Freeman. Your delivery to the class was so well prepared and engaging. You really showed everyone how it’s done! Keep up the amazing work.
Avyaan 3B – For working eagerly on his research project, aboriginal biography and maths length lesson, where he correctly estimated the length of a pencil with informal units even before counting! Thank you for also always helping your classmates with instructions and digital technology. Well done!
Kai 3B – For working really well on all tasks this week, helping classmates and being a fabulous computer monitor! Thank you and well done!
Vividha 4A – For demonstrating a wonderful curiosity and enthusiasm during our Polly Woodside excursion. She impressed me by sharing interesting facts that I did not know, such as how the ship was named after the wife of its original owner. Well done on being such an inquisitive learner!
Hannah 4A – For her outstanding engagement during our Polly Woodside excursion. She listened carefully to the presenter, eagerly answered questions, and showed a genuine interest in learning throughout the experience. Amazing!
4A – For the way you have worked hard in our lessons, shown kindness and respect to your classmates, and helped make our classroom a fun and exciting place to learn.
Dominik 4B – For impressing everyone with your incredible Australian history and naval knowledge during our excursion to the Polly Woodside! You eagerly answered the presenters’ questions, listened carefully, and showed genuine curiosity and excitement throughout the day. Your enthusiasm made you stand out as a true history detective and future sea captain. Fantastic work, Dominik!
Abhiram 4B – for your enthusiasm and engagement during our Letter from a Convict project. You convincingly wrote from a convict’s perspective, describing sleepless nights in a small hut, the stench of mould on the voyage, and how much you missed home and familiar food. Your detailed and creative writing showed a strong understanding of what life may have been like for a convict on the First Fleet.
David 5A – For an outstanding first semester. You always strive to put in your best effort and add so much to our class discussions. I was delighted to see how engaged you were at the Immigration Museum and the effort you went to, to answer the questions. Well done!
Sophia 5B – showing great determination in improving her reading and writing this term. She always brings a positive attitude to class, regularly shares her work, and takes pride in her learning. Keep up the fantastic effort, Sophia!
Nimsa 6B – For always helping her peers at her table and bringing positive energy to the classroom. Your kindness, teamwork, and great attitude help make our class a welcoming place for everyone. Well done, Nimsa!
Dhruva 6C – For his focused effort during class time and for embracing and applying feedback to improve his work. Great job, Dhruva!
On Friday 19 June, our school celebrated Japanese Children’s Day (Kodomo no Hi), a special day traditionally celebrated in Japan on 5 May each year to honour children’s happiness, health and growth.
Students participated in a range of exciting multi-age Japanese cultural activities throughout the day, all taking place on the senior side of the school, and with foundation students performing a song in assembly.
Parents and carers were warmly invited to come along and join in the fun. Students dressed up in something related to Japanese language and culture or wore Japan’s national colours of red and white.
A huge thank you to our wonderful Japanese parent community who helped to prepare for the event and supported activities on the day.
Tran Sensei
Year 4 News
All about Polly Woodside!
Last Thursday on the 11th of June, the year 4’s went to a ship called Polly Woodside. We got on the Frankston line to Southern Cross station. Then we walked all the way in front of Polly Woodside to have a break so we could eat our lunch before we started the session.
When our tour guides, Erin, Micheal, and Audrey (Also known as first mate Erin, first mate Micheal, and first mate Audrey) explained all the rules and activities that we were going to experience, group 3 and 2 started their voyage on the ship.
The first activity was steering the wheel. One side of the ship was called starboard and one was called port, which are different ways of saying left and right on board. The next activity we did, because they had no music on board, was scrubbing the deck while the other half of the group made a song to cheer us on.
Another activity we did was the bell signalling danger or shift change. We each got a turn to ring it. We could choose either to ring it once for port or twice for starboard. If it rang twice it meant that danger would be on starboard, if it rang once it meant that danger would be on port.
Next we got to go down into the bottom of the ship. Because the ship was a coal ship we got to pull up potato sacks. After that we figured out that the thing pulling the potato sack was a pulley system. But because Polly Woodside is formally known as a coal ship they would usually use the pulley system to bring up coal.
Our last activity on the ship was going to all the rooms and we had to guess if the room belong to the captain, cook, or the navigator. Luckily, we got them all right. After when all the year 4’s were sitting down ready to go they gave us a certificate that meant we can go to Polly Woodside whenever we want. And then we hopped on the train back to GHPS.
Grace 4A, Uma 4B, Rishan 4B
COMMUNITY PANTRY NEWS – SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
If you would like to access the School Community Pantry during the holiday break, please email me to arrange a suitable time – ruth.kinyua@education.vic.gov.au
Please note that there will be no pantry access on 29 and 30 June.
Unfortunately, fresh fruit will not be available during the holiday period.
Have a safe and fun break!
Ruth Smyth-Kinyua
Community Pantry Coordinator
TheirCare News
End of Term 2 Report
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Calendar 2026
Term 2
June
Fri 19 Japanese Children’s Day
Fri 19 Reports Distributed
Fri 26 End of term 2 Early Dismissal 2.30pm
Term 3
July
Mon 13 Term 3 commences
August
Wed 5 House Athletics Yr 3-6
September
Fri 4 District Athletics
Mon 7 School Production
Wed 16 Year 3/4 Camp
Fri 18 End of Term 3 (Early Dismissal 2.30pm)
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.