Newsletter #11 August 1st 2025
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Welcome back for Term 3. It’s difficult to believe that we are in the second half of the school year.
It’s been a wet and chilly start to the term, but at least we’ve reached the final month of winter.
I hope you all had an opportunity to relax and reconnect with family and friends over the winter break—some, like Mr White and his family, were even fortunate to escape north and enjoy warmer weather up in Northern Queensland.
As always, we are in for another action-packed term at GHPS. Below are just a few of the exciting things that teachers have planned for our students.
- July 31st – 100 days of Prep
- August 4th – House Athletics grades 3-6
- August 5th – District Soccer
- August 4th– 7th – 3 way conferences
- August 11th – Science Fair in the gym 5.00 -6.30pm
- August 22nd – Book Week dress up day
- August 22nd – GPA Kids Disco
- September 5th – Father’s Day Stall
- September 19th – End of term, 2.30 dismissal
As always further details will be made available closer to the date with many other things still to be arranged.
I am delighted to share that the 2025 NAPLAN results have now been released — with Individual Student Reports distributed to all Year 3 and Year 5 families following the release of final school‑level data last week.
Once again, our students have achieved outstanding results across all four assessment areas: Reading, Writing, Conventions of Language (Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation), and Numeracy. We are particularly thrilled to report that our school performed above expectations in nine out of ten comparison categories when benchmarked against similar schools and our broader network.
This remarkable performance reflects the dedication and expertise of our teaching staff, the strength of our curriculum initiatives, and the outstanding commitment of our students. Your ongoing support and partnership play a key role in sustaining this high standard of achievement.
Thank you to our entire school community for contributing to this success — these results are a testament to what can be achieved when we all work together.
Year 3– % of students in the exceeding and strong proficiency levels.
| Glen Huntly | Similar Schools | Network | |
| Reading | 88% | 85% | 82% |
| Writing | 100% | 91% | 91% |
| Spelling | 88% | 78% | 77% |
| Numeracy | 100% | 85% | 82% |
| Grammar and Punctuation | 82% | 76% | 73% |
Year 5 -% of students in the exceeding and strong proficiency levels
| Glen Huntly | Similar Schools | Network | |
| Reading | 84% | 87% | 87% |
| Writing | 89% | 86% | 86% |
| Spelling | 89% | 81% | 82% |
| Numeracy | 95% | 88% | 87% |
| Grammar and Punctuation | 84% | 80% | 82% |
Last term, our school received a generous $10,000 gift from the family of former Principal Wendy Wilson.
Mrs Wilson served as Principal from 1989 to 2006, and the original school hall—prior to the construction of the gymnasium—was named in her honour.
The donation was left to the school in the will of her late husband, who sadly passed away late last year.
This thoughtful contribution will be used to purchase a new sound system for the gym.
The New Playground Has Been Ordered!!
Exciting news, after careful consideration by the Junior School Council and staff the new playground has been chosen and ordered.
The plan is to install in the first week of term 4 and then we can enjoy it.
Staffing Update
I am pleased to announce that we have secured a new music teacher, Mr Rodolfo Wunderlich Contreras.
He is currently teaching at Preston South PS and begins at GHPS on August 18.
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open, and Glen Huntly Primary is excited to be taking part!
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children and aims to help young readers develop a lifelong love of reading.
It is not a competition; it is a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 5th September 2025.
Students from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 6 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
Keep reading @ Home!
We work extremely hard to provide the highest quality learning for all students at our school. In order for us to maximise on student capabilities we require your help.
As parents and guardians, you have a crucial role to play within the learning framework. Your assistance at home in discussing school is an invaluable aspect of student learning. This provides opportunities for students to reflect and consolidate their understandings.
As a minimum it would be fantastic to set aside some time each night to share a love of literacy. Reading to your child, reading with them, listening to them read to you and discussing the book (pictures, themes, characters, plot, setting, what might happen next etc..) are all helpful ways of engaging with your child around literacy.
2026 School Fair
The GPA are already looking ahead to our 2026 School Fair and need a dedicated, enthusiastic coordinator to help bring this beloved event to life!
If you enjoy organizing, working with a team, and making memorable experiences for our students and families, we’d love to hear from you.
You won’t be doing it alone – support from the PA and past coordinators will be available. Please email Nerida or, come in for a chat.
Library News
Our library technician, Bille O’Connor would appreciate any parents who could pop into the library on Thursday morning to help put books back on the shelves. Even 10 minutes would be appreciated. No need to sign up just turn up.
Thank you!
PREP 2026:
Our offers for Prep have been sent out. If any families have not yet put in their enrolment, please do this ASAP.
Staff Spotlight
Nerida Burns Principal Cameron White Assistant Principal
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Lola 0A – For using adjectives in her detailed Holiday recount. Great Work Lola!
Evie 0A – For using adjectives in her detailed Holiday recount. Great Work Evie!
Janesh 0A – For stretching out the sounds and using digraphs when writing multiple sentences about Bears in his information report.
Charlie 0A – For his detailed writing about where bears live. It was great to hear about your knowledge of bears noting ‘Bears habitats are mostly a den. They live there for all of the winter’.
Alice 0B – For demonstrating enthusiasm towards learning and always looking for ways to improve her work. Keep up the fantastic work Alice!
Hashel 0B – For embracing the challenges of starting at a new school, demonstrating resilience in adapting to new surroundings, making new friends, and embracing new learning opportunities.
Tennyson 0B – has demonstrated a growth mindset and resilience by making a smooth transition back to school for Term 3. We love having Tenny’s positive attitude and infectious smile brighten Prep B each day! Keep shining, Tenny!
Hazel 0B – has been consistently demonstrating initiative and a growth mindset in the classroom. She ensures that her learning tools are always ready, sits in STAR on the mat, and shows respect to those around her. Additionally, she chooses a seating location that supports her success as she completes her tasks. Well done, Hazel! You should be very proud of yourself!
Sadvik 1A – For showing great teamwork when interviewing his classmate about his family. Sadvik created a detailed Venn diagram comparing their two families and took great pride in the presentation of his work. Keep up the fantastic work!
Nilan 1C – This student has been showing fantastic growth in their learning by staying focused and making great choices during class. He is seeking help when needed, demonstrating responsibility for his learning. We are so proud of your efforts, Nilan, well done!
Nate 1C – This student has had an amazing week, showing kindness and respect during MiniLit by cheering on his classmates and encouraging them to keep trying. He has been proactive and focused on his learning. We love seeing your effort and enthusiasm. Well done, Nate!
Kate 2A – For your imaginative and entertaining holiday recount. You used expressive language, included talking marks, and took me on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish! Keep up the great work!
Alice 2A – For your fantastic persuasive writing inspired by the text ‘I Wanna New Room’. You argued that Alex should get his own room with strong reasons, a rhetorical question, and clear supporting details. Amazing effort!
Navya 2B – For writing a fabulous recount about your thrilling day at Circus Rio! You took us on a big-top adventure, using brilliant sequencing words to order the events and describing each act thoughtfully. Well done!
Dhruvi 2B – For creating an eye-catching Think Board in Numeracy this week! With 9 times 7, you didn’t just show the answer, you showed your thinking behind it using arrays, repeated addition, and groups of. Keep it up Maths Mastermind!
Sharier 3A – staying focused on your work and this showed in the work you presented.
Ananya 3B – For working beautifully in class on all the many activities, keeping her table organised and helping others with her enormously kind heart – and all of this achieved even with only one working arm! Congratulations!
Daisy 3C – showing great determination is her maths multiplication strategies.
Chintan 4A – For his hard work to recall and use his times tables facts. Keep up the great work, Chintan!
Nora 4C – Nora has shown an exemplary strong start to term 3. She gets straight into her rocket writing and writes clear structured sentences with strong ideas. Well done, Nora.
Vamsi 4C – showing great care and respect towards his peers. He also demonstrates initiative in the classroom in his teacher assistant role.
Saambavi 5B – Showing the GHPS school value of Pride towards her work, and an incredible job budgeting in Inquiry.
Thomas 5C – For turning around your behaviour after reflecting on your actions and choosing a more positive path forward. It has been amazing to see you also offering assistance to both your peers and teachers too. Well done!
5/6C – For an AMAZING start to Term 3! You’ve shown fantastic focus, teamwork, and positive energy. Your enthusiasm for learning and kind support for each other haven’t gone unnoticed. Keep it up, 5/6C.
Prep News
Last term, the Preps explored the topic of Food Production.
They learnt about where different types of food come from, identifying whether certain foods originate from plants or animals.
The students developed their understanding of the basic needs of plants, such as sunlight, water, air, and nutrients from the soil, and how these elements help plants grow and produce food.
Through a range of hands-on activities, discussions, and observations, the Preps began to make connections between farms, gardens, and the food they eat every day.
The Prep students travelled to the historic Chesterfield Farm. The students were involved in hands-on experiences of farm life.
Some activities included milking cows, handling baby animals and watching the working dog show, feeding the deer, goats, camels and emu, and tractor rides.
Working Bee Success – Thank You!
A huge thank you to all the families who gave up their Sunday morning to attend our Working Bee from 9am to 12pm. We had a good turnout, with approximately 30 families rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into a wide range of jobs around the school.
Despite the rain, everyone pushed through with enthusiasm and energy! Together, we planted over 50 new plants, spread soft-fall mulch across the playgrounds, cleaned out drains, weeded garden beds, tidied up general areas, filled sandpits with fresh sand, and even tackled some much-needed repairs to stuck windows and taps in the student toilets.
The chicken coop was also given a big clean-out, and our much-loved chickens received a medical check to ensure they’re happy and healthy.
To celebrate everyone’s efforts, we held a BBQ sausage sizzle and handed out certificates and icy poles to all students who participated. It was a wonderful morning of community spirit, teamwork, and school pride.
Thank you again for your support – we couldn’t do it without you!
Kind regards,
Cameron White Assistant Principal
TheirCare News
CLICK HERE for the latest report.
GHPS Facebook
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Calendar 2025
Term 3
August
Mon 4 Year 3-6 House Athletics
Tue 5 3-way conferences
Mon 11 Science Fair
Fri 22 Book Week Parade
Fri 22 Kids Disco
Mon 25 Professional Practice Day (Student Free Day)
September
Fri 5 Father’s Day Stall
Fri 12 GPA Meeting
Fri 19 Last Day Term 3 (Early Finish 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.