Newsletter #17 November 7th, 2025
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
I hope you all enjoyed the long Cup weekend, especially with the beautiful warm weather we had. And perhaps you even managed to back a winner in the Melbourne Cup! For the first time ever, I actually picked the winner myself!
During our Curriculum Day, staff refreshed their CPR and Anaphylaxis knowledge and skills before diving into the revised English Curriculum 2.0. The day concluded with moderation of a narrative writing piece, where teams collaborated to reflect on the strengths in student work—insights that will be valuable when preparing end-of-year reports.
Happy Halloween!
What an amazing array of costumes we saw last Friday! Although we couldn’t hold the Spook-a-thon this year, students absolutely loved showing off their creative outfits during the parade in the gym.
A big thank you to Billie, our Library Technician for organising, and Ruth for hosting such a fun event.
Walkathon
Yesterday our students walked, ran, and strolled around the senior campus for the annual walkathon. Although costumes were missing it was a beautiful day.
A big thank you to everyone who supported our School Walkathon—it was a fantastic day filled with energy, enthusiasm, and plenty of smiles!
We’re now collecting Walkathon sponsorship money, and we’d appreciate your help in returning all donations to school by November 21. Funds raised will go towards the purchase of new books for the school library, directly benefiting our students.
Please ensure your child’s sponsorship form and money are placed in a clearly labelled envelope and handed to the classroom teacher or the school office.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support and for helping make our Walkathon such a success!
Happy World Teacher’s Day
We also celebrated World Teacher’s Day last Friday. Our staff enjoyed a special lunch and sweet treats from the GPA.
This acknowledgement and celebration of our teachers is a small way to highlight the important roles that educators play at every level of learning.
To all our teachers here at GHPS and to all our teachers in our broader community, I would pass on my thanks and my admiration of the work you do each and every day to support and grow your students.
2026 School Contributions
Yesterday via Compass all families will have received the Financial Contributions for 2026. Whilst it does seem early, we are required to provide substantial notice to allow for payment, and we acknowledge that for some it is helpful to be able to plan for this now ahead of the Christmas rush (aka credit card rush!).
We work hard, alongside School Council to keep these fees to an absolute minimum. These contributions are invaluable in allowing us to provide critical support and programs to students, such as learning support and enrichment, as well as properly resourced specialist programs and classrooms.
We thank you for your commitment to supporting our programs, and in turn, your child’s educational outcomes. Please email Pip (Philippa.lewis@education.vic.gov.au), our business manager if you have any enquiries.
Class Placement for 2026
During week 6 of this term, our students will be asked to nominate five (5) other students who they ‘work well with’ in their year level. Note a couple of things:
- You can see we aren’t using the word friends here. We don’t always necessarily work well with some of our closest friends. That doesn’t mean we won’t be in the same class together; what we’re focusing on here is our educational relationships, more so than friendships.
- Your child will be in a class with at least one of the 5 students they nominate. We do not account for whether that child was listed first or fifth on the list, if they are a boy or a girl, or if they were in another class this year.
- On very rare occasions, your child may not be able to be paired with someone from their list. We will contact you and discuss this with you further if this is the case.
It may be beneficial to talk with your child prior to this about how they best identify other students who they work well with. Our teachers will also have this discussion with their class before the students complete this part of the process.
Somers Camp Adventure
I am very proud of the eight students who represented our school at Somers Camp. Throughout the week, they had wonderful opportunities to develop their independence, teamwork, and leadership skills while taking part in a variety of outdoor activities, including canoeing, bushwalking, environmental studies, and team challenges.
Unfortunately, illness made its way through the camp, and most students returned home earlier than expected. Despite this, the experience was certainly a memorable one, and we’re proud of the positive attitude and resilience they showed throughout.
Is your diary up to date with these important dates?
- Spring Fair meeting – Monday November 10, 10am senior staffroom
- Prep Transition #3 – Thursday November 13
- GPA meeting – Friday November 14
- Grade 5/6 Gala Day – Friday November 14
- Prep Transition #4 – Thursday November 27
- Christmas Celebration Night – Wednesday December 3, 5 – 7pm, Junior campus
- Statewide step-up day – Tuesday December 9
- Grade 6 Graduation – Wednesday December 10
- Final assembly – Wednesday December 17, 2.30
- Last day of 2026 – Friday December 19, 1.30 finish
Nerida Burns Principal Cameron White Assistant Principal
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Timofey 0A – Brilliant effort at the Walk-a-thon! You ran so many laps!
Tennyson 0B – For demonstrating pride and creativity in his work this week while investigating sinking and floating, using the mentor text Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen. He posed predictions, wrote about his findings and worked collaboratively with his peers. Keep up the amazing work Tennyson!
Daniel 0B – For demonstrating persistence and pride during maths this week. Daniel clearly demonstrated his understanding of numbers and skip counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. Daniel your determination and work ethic is showing that you are ready for Year 1. Go you!
Sonny 1A -For your terrific work in maths this week. I love how you challenged yourself to write the matching multiplication and division fact families for our equal groups. You’re a maths wizard!
Harrison 1A – For being an awesome member of 1A this year! We’ll miss your sparkle, but we know you’ll shine just as bright in New Zealand. Good luck on your next adventure.
Aayansh 1B – For always demonstrating our school value of Respect by checking in on your friends, offering a helping hand, and encouraging others with kind words like “I know you can do this!” and “You’ve got this!” Thank you for always spreading kindness and positivity.
Amelia 2A – For sharing your amazing news about your family’s special honey cake recipe! You spoke with confidence and expression and the best part…you brought in mini cakes for everyone to eat! The class said it tasted ‘like heaven.’ What a sweet effort, our very own master chef!
Mohammad 2B – For your fantastic efforts this week in fixing up sentences using punctuation. You showed great focus and understanding when identifying sentence types and choosing the correct punctuation marks. Well done!
Summer 3A – For her excellent contributions as the Literary Luminary during her group’s Literature Circle.
Mubiyna 3B – For working on all her tasks with determination and pride. Thank you for making everyone around you feel special and for always showing your outstanding care and manners. Your classmates think you are always ready for action, are super organised and an excellent source of encouragement. Congratulations!
Sophia 3B – For being a wonderful role model to all students in class by always displaying your school values. For listening attentively to all instructions and lessons and showing incredible focus and determination. Thank you for continuously showing acts of kindness to others and making our room very special. Congratulations!
Shirley 3C – For always showing pride in her handwriting and being brave in maths decimals. Great job Shirley.
Lia 3C – Expert handwriting while staying consistent and adding some personality to her style. Congrats Lia.
Charli 4A – For showing excellent commitment to your learning this term. It has been wonderful to see you trying your best and actively joining our focus groups to ask questions and check your understanding. We can see the positive impact this is having on your work. Keep up the great effort, Charli!
David 4C – For pursuing his wildest dreams when multiplying 6 digit numbers and also working hard for his pen licence.
Haru 5B – For showing the GHPS school values of Teamwork and Respect by continuously supporting his classmates and bringing positive energy to the room throughout the week. Your positive attitude is infectious!
Tommy 5B – Dealing with challenging situations more respectfully and improving his communication skills.
Ruby 6A – For a great year in Grade 6. You have led by example. I have loved your input to class discussions, your inclusiveness and the positive attitude you bring to school. You should be very proud of what you have achieved.
Max 6C – For always working hard and showing our school values of respect, pride, and teamwork, he sets a fantastic example for others. His positive attitude and dedication make him a valued member of our school community.
Student Achievements
Anna, in 3/4C who thrives in our gymnastics club, has won a gold medal at this year’s State Gymnastics Championship!
What makes this achievement even more special is that one of the judges was the same person who judged rhythmic gymnastics at the Paris Olympics.
We are so proud of Anna’s dedication, skill, and hard work. A fantastic achievement for our school community!
Zac, 6C, was successful in being offered a position in the Dandenong City U13 Youth Premier League 1 soccer team for 2026.
Zac was also selected for the Little Athletics Junior Development program for the coming season.
Java in 3/4C proudly competed at the Melbourne Judo Competition, where he fought in three intense matches and won two.
His hard work and determination earned him an impressive third place and a well-deserved bronze medal!
Second-hand Uniform Sales
The Second-Hand Uniform shop will be open on the following dates:
Wednesday 12th November 3.00 – 3.45 pm
Thursday 13th November 8.15 – 9.00 am
Donations of good condition new logo items or continuing uniform items (eg dresses, navy skorts) are welcome.
Note:
We have limited stock of 2nd hand new logo items.
We are no longer accepting old logo items for sale.
However, in the coming weeks there will be information on sustainable disposal of the old uniforms, so they don’t have to end up in landfill.
GHPS Facebook
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Calendar 2025
Term 4
November
10 – 18 Life Education
Fri 14 GPA Meeting
December
Wed 3 Carols Night
Tue 9 2026 Step Up Day
Wed 10 Year 6 Graduation
Wed 17 Final Assembly
Fri 19 End of Term 4 Early Dismissal 1.30pm
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.