Newsletter #13 August 29th, 2025
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Book Week Celebrations
What a fantastic way to end last week with our traditional Book Week Parade! Our school takes great pride in fostering every student’s love of reading, and this year’s 2025 Book Week theme, “Book an Adventure!”, perfectly captures the magic of books — the amazing places you can explore and the enchanting worlds you can escape to every time you open a book.
As always, our students and staff embraced the chance to dress up as their favourite book characters. The schoolyard was alive with a vibrant mix of beloved characters, from timeless classics to modern favourites. The joy, colour, and creativity on display truly brought the spirit of Book Week to life. Among the many fantastic costumes we saw were Little Red Riding Hood, Dogman, Harry Potter, Barbie, The Crayons, Where’s Wally, and many more.
Events like this spark excitement throughout the school and warmly welcome our wonderful community. We absolutely loved seeing so many parents and carers joining in this joyful literary celebration!
Disco Fever
A huge thank you to our amazing GPA team, led by Gayle, along with all the wonderful parent volunteers, for creating such a fantastic student disco. The event was well-organized and ran smoothly, making it enjoyable for everyone involved. It was heartwarming to see our school community come together for a night filled with fun, music, and great spirit. The students had an amazing time, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s disco! Your time, effort, and energy are truly appreciated.
Curriculum Day
Last Monday, our staff participated in a highly productive day of professional learning.
The morning session focused on restorative practices, led by Kristy Elliot, Director and Lead Trainer of Restorative Pathways. At GHPS, relationships are at the heart of everything we do and the purpose of this work is to build staff capacity to “facilitate learning communities that nurture the capacity of people to engage with one another and their environment in a manner that supports and respects the inherent dignity and worth of all.” This session provided staff with valuable insights into the connection between relationships and behaviour. While the next session is scheduled for Term 4, staff have already begun reflecting on their learning and implementing key practices in their classrooms.
In the afternoon, Mrs Oldham, our Learning Specialist, led a session on aligning our inquiry units with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. Teachers collaborated to ensure that units are robust, relevant, and engaging for all learners.
The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey
Last week, all families received a link via COMPASS to complete the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey. The results of this survey will help our school identify areas for improvement, guide professional development, and shape our school planning and improvement strategies.
The survey is open online until Friday, 19th September 2025. Participation is confidential, and we greatly encourage and appreciate your valuable feedback.
Father’s Day and Special Friends
Our much-anticipated Fathers and Special Friends Breakfast and Stall is happening on Friday, 5th!
The breakfast will be warmly hosted by our dedicated staff and parent volunteers, starting at 8:15 AM in the canteen at the Senior Campus. Enjoy delicious scones with jam and cream, alongside tea, coffee, and hot chocolate.
We warmly invite all dads, uncles, and grandfathers to join their child(ren) for a delightful morning together. Following breakfast, a friendly game of soccer will take place in the gym.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Out of School Care Tender Process
The Glen Huntly Primary School Council established an Outside School Hours Care working group last term to lead a competitive tender process for the school’s OSHC services.
Following an assessment of EOI’s, interviews and thorough referee checks, school council has appointed Their Care as the preferred provider.
We are looking forward to continuing our positive partnership with Theircare, who we believe will continue to provide an excellent service for our families and support our school.
School Uniform
I love our school uniform and seeing our students wearing it with pride.
The last 18months has been a transition period from the old to the new uniform.
From the start of 2026, the old uniform will not be available, and the second-hand uniform stall will only be taking donations of the new uniform.
Our SunSmart policy is currently under review by school council. As the UV rating can now be 3 or above, I am asking that our students wear their school sun hats from September 1.
I appreciate your support of this.
Staff Spotlight
I hope the week ahead brings you joy as you spend time with family and friends.
Nerida Burns Principal Cameron White Assistant Principal
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Micky 0A – For raising his hand during the agenda to confidently circle the number of days we have been at school!
Emily 0A – For her detailed explanation about capacity and how to use containers to measure it.
Paris 0B – For demonstrating pride in her work this week while investigating setting, using the mentor text What the Ladybird Heard. She showed a clear understanding of how the setting changes throughout the book, through drawings and key vocabulary. Keep up the amazing work Paris!
Finn 0B – For demonstrating pride in his work this week while investigating setting, using the mentor text What the Ladybird Heard. He showed a clear understanding of how the setting changes throughout the book, through drawings and key vocabulary. Keep up the amazing work Finn!
Sai 0B – For consistently demonstrating kindness and respect toward all her teachers and peers within the Glen Huntly School community. She is also a dedicated learner who actively engages in all aspects of her learning and strives to always do her best. Keep up the fantastic work Sai! You should be proud of yourself.
Cameron 0B – For demonstrating enthusiasm for his learning in Maths, particularly in the topic of mass. He has been eager to participate, share his thinking, and clearly articulate his understanding. Cameron explained that a bowling ball is heavy because it has a large mass, and that it is heavier than an apple, a fantastic connection!
Keep up the amazing work, Cameron! You should be very proud of the progress you’ve made
Harrison 1A – For coming to school each day with a smile on your face and an excitement for learning that is truly contagious. You are a joy to teach!
Skyla 1B – Congratulations to this week’s recipients for your wonderful participation in class! I’ve loved hearing all of your ideas, especially the thoughtful questions you created in data and the cool vocabulary you shared during reading. Keep up the amazing work!
Alicia 1C – This student brings a bubbly, positive attitude to our classroom and shows Pride in her learning by always trying her best. She is making excellent progress in reading, using great strategies, like tracking with her finger, to stay focused and accurate. Keep up the fantastic effort, Alicia!
Sai 2A – For being an awesome teammate in all our activities this week! You helped guide your partner on the Chromebooks when creating your Inquiry presentation and you shared your ideas when designing your team’s ice-cream dessert and mascot. What a superstar collaborator!
Hera 2B – For making an entertaining tangram masterpiece of Mr. Bowden tripping over. You thought outside the box and made everyone smile with your clever design.
Ailana 2B – For creating a fantastic fox during our tangram challenge! Every piece was carefully placed, and the result was a picture that really stood out.
Eleanor 2B – For convincing us that Alex should definitely not get a new room in your persuasive called ‘Nice but No Room’. You backed up your reasons with great examples and used paragraphs like a pro. Well Done, Elly!
Nikita 3A – For her outstanding writing stamina and creative ideas during our Rocket Writing time. We loved seeing you share your work confidently to your classmates.
3/4A – We are so proud of how you all showed sportsmanship, kindness, respect and resilience during sport this week. Keep up the great work!
Charlotte 3B – For showing the values of teamwork, kindness, resilience, pride and determination in the classroom. Congratulations for always putting in 100% and for your help with regularly problem-solving issues that arise in the classroom. You are a star!
Aileen 4A – for making a creative spinner and accurately recording the results of her chance experiment in our numeracy lessons this week. Keep up the awesome work, Aileen!
Sophie 4C – For getting up to date and working hard in biographies. Especially paraphrasing ideas.
Rachel 4C – For showing great determination during our biography writing unit. She took on constructive feedback and paraphrased her ideas with confidence.
Rajvi 5B – Completing her homework to an incredibly high standard and her positive attitude towards classwork and her peers.
Audrey 5C – For showing great persistence during our maths lessons related to algebra, using her knowledge of the order of operations and her understanding of mathematical reasoning to solve problems with accuracy and confidence. Keep it up!
Daniel 6C – For the great patience he has shown when working collaboratively with his peers, aiding and making sure they are all on track and working towards the same outcome during our Debating lessons. Well done!
Policy Update
We are currently updating our SunSmart Policy, and we really value your feedback.
Please see our SunSmart Policy (not yet endorsed)
Feedback can be provided using the following survey link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K7DRFFM
This policy will be discussed at all levels of the school including School Council, Junior School Council and staff.
Please see SunSmart information below:
Top tips for sunscreen at school
Suggested strategies for schools to help remind students to apply sunscreen
GPA NEWS
Father’s Day Stall – Friday 5th September
Kavitha (Nabila, 2), Claire (Freddie, 1) and Sarah H (Rachel, 4) have been busy sourcing gifts for the children to purchase. Prices will be between $1 – $6 and up to $10. It is lovely to see the care students take in making their choices.
We have lots of roles for volunteers so please SignUp Here if you can help – just an hour of your time is valuable to us.
Thursday afternoon Stall set up (east site)
Friday various shifts 8.30 – 3.00pm manning the stall and packing up.
Coordinator for Cake Raffle and Icy Pole / Hot Chocolate Needed
We are looking for someone to take on the coordinator role for the Friday Cake Raffle and lunchtime Icy Pole / Hot chocolate events. This could be separated into 2 roles. It can also be done mostly out of business hours/school hours.
If you would like more details, please email ghpsgpa@gmail.com or speak to Hayley.
Pie Lunch Friday 19th September
Order Forms will be out soon.
Winter Disco Recap
Over 200 students hit the dance floor last Friday for the annual GHPS disco. Yunus, back as DJ for his 3rd year kept the “discs spinning”. Again, this year Lili’s (Aiden,1) polaroid snap mementos were very popular, particularly with the Junior Disco.
A “high C” for the parent volunteers who helped with Sign in & out, hot dog cooking and dance floor supervision and clean up – a suburb team. A special shout out to staff Mrs Burns and Mr White for the most genial “security” you will find.
Excess hotdogs (packs of 12) are available for sale $10, while stocks last.
See you next year!
Disco Star Volunteers
| Sanchita (Navya, 2) | Ernesto (Jonah, 6; Zara, 0) | Bronwen (Emma, 5; Maddie, 3) |
| Sue (Talia, 1) | Gayle (Alice, 2) | Lakshmi (Akhilesh, 6; Janesh, 0) |
| Lindsay (Taylor, 1) | Rebecca (Eden, 1) | Lilian (Sophia, 3; Abigail 1) |
| Rose (Gus, 2) | Fiona (Daniel, 6) | Mandy (Elsie, 5; Nora, 2) |
| Sean (Jaylen, 6) | Sarah D. (Henry, 3) | Michelle M. (Arav, 6; Audrey, 5) |
| Nicola (Lyra, 0) | Lili (Aiden, 1) | Abbi (Lewis 5; Eden, 4) |
| Karen (Christian, 1) | Shaun (Ellie, 5) | Hayley (Harvey 6; Adam, 4) |
| Amy L. (Sonny, 1) | Kanchen (Paris, 0) | Monica (Daisy, 3; Billie 1) |
Second Hand Uniforms
Items for the 2nd Hand Uniform Stall can be left at the Office.
We are no longer accepting old log tops or jackets.
All new logo items, dresses and navy shorts and pants in good condition (no glue or ink stains) are most appreciated.
Please check the knees of long pants carefully before donating.
Some options for recycling old logo items will be publicised in Term 4. If you have textile recycling ideas or contacts, please let us know ghpsgpa@gmail.com
Next GPA Meeting: Friday 12th September 9.15am Library (Junior site)
TheirCare News
GHPS Facebook
——————————————————
Calendar 2025
Term 3
September
Tue 2 Year 3/4 Excursion
Fri 5 Father’s Day Breakfast 8.15am
Fri 5 Father’s Day Stall
Thu 11 Year 5/6 Excursion
Fri 12 GPA Meeting
Fri 19 Last Day Term 3 (Early Finish 2.30pm)
October
Mon 6 Term 4 Commences
Mon 13 – Wed 15 Year 3/4 Camp
Fri 17 GPA Meeting
Mon 20 Art Show
November
Mon 3 Curriculum Day
Tue 4 Melbourne Cup Holiday
Fri 14 GPA Meeting
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.