Newsletter #3 March 1st 2024
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Good afternoon GHPS Families.
I cannot believe we are halfway through term 1. Our teachers and students are in a grove of learning and there is a wonderful feel in the school. Last Friday morning I had many families join me in the library for a coffee and chat. It was great to hear parent’s insights, feedback, and suggestions for making our school even better. I plan to have another coffee morning in term 2.
I love our school assemblies on Friday afternoons and feel very proud of the school leaders presenting them. If you haven’t been to an assembly yet, please come along, you won’t be disappointed.
The hot weather continues and reminds us that summer is not finished. It is important that all our students have a sun smart hat to wear outside. Please ensure your child brings their hat to school for all of term 1.
We value at GHPS the partnership between school and families and genuinely welcome open communication between staff and families. Meeting in person is great but not always possible. Please email your child’s teacher if needed but a reply maybe up to 48 hours in coming. If you wish to chat in person, please keep in mind our staff have commitments Monday morning at 8.30 (staff briefing) and after school meetings and planning on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 3.45.
NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.
NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students learn through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards over time. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.
NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities, and governments with information about how education programs work and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
We always do keep in mind that assessment like NAPLAN target particular areas, and do not necessarily assess what makes your child special and unique. They don’t know that our students can be trustworthy, kind, or thoughtful, and that they try every day to the very best they can….these test scores will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything.
NAPLAN begins on March 13 and finishes on March 22. If families have any questions about NAPLAN please see your child’s teacher.
Supervision of Students Before and After School
Our school staff are out in the playground on yard duty at 8:45 am in the morning and until 3:45 pm in the afternoon.
Any students that are in the playground unsupervised outside of these times are at risk. We ask that if your child does need to be on the school grounds outside of school hours that you please book them into Before and After School Care with Their Care to ensure their safety.
Thank you in advance for your consideration as we work together to keep our children safe.
Prep News
The end of February marks the end of the Prep students’ assessment days, so from next week they will be joining us for the five days. This may be an adjustment for some of our Prep students, as they may need more relaxation and downtime after school for the first few weeks.
Celebrating OUR Diversity at GHPS
We are fortunate to be part of such a diverse school community. As I walk through the classrooms, I see staff and students positively learning together.
I see a school that has created a secure, supportive environment where students and staff can feel safe to grow academically and socially.
2024 Student-Free Days
Each year government schools are provided with four student-free days for professional development, school planning and administration, curriculum development, and student assessment and reporting purposes.
The first day of Term 1 is a student-free day in all government schools to allow for appropriate planning to take place for the arrival of students. The remaining three student-free days are determined by each individual school.
Teachers are also granted one Professional Practice Day (PPD) per year from 2024 onwards. Schools have the option of scheduling the PPD as a common, student-free day which we are electing to do this year.
School Council has confirmed the following student-free days for the remainder of 2024:
- Mon 29 Jan– Curric 1 (Statewide)
- Fri 26 April – Curric 2 (Curriculum Focus – student data literacy)
- Fri 7 June– Curric 3 (Curriculum focus)
- Wed 14 August– PPD (common – student free)
- Monday 4 November Curric 4 (First Aid and report writing)
It’s that time of year where we call for nominations from our parent and carer community to join School Council. The GHPS School Council is a group of active and passionate individuals who are dedicated to improving the outcomes for our students and our school. Joining School Council is a great way to get involved, meet others, and support the school. All are welcome to apply, no special skills or experience necessary.
Joining the GHPS School Council or one of our sub-committees is a great opportunity for our families to gain an insight into the governance structure under which our school operates and be actively involved in our school community. With regards to the minimum time commitment, School Council members are required to attend eight School Council meetings per year, along with eight short sub-committee meetings per year.
The President chairs the meetings, and all members of the council are expected to attend. Meetings typically last between 1.5-2 hours. The principal in consultation with the President will ensure an agenda is prepared for each regular meeting and will distribute the agenda, minutes from previous meeting and meeting reports such as sub-committee reports, Principal & Staff Report to school council members. Each member contributes to one or more Sub-Committee and leads/attends the meeting.
Some sub committees, duties, and key responsibilities:
COUNCIL General Business:
- Strategic Planning: participating in the development and monitoring of the school strategic plan.
- Representing and taking views of the community into account
- Curriculum & Policy: Policy development and review: developing, reviewing, and updating selected policies that reflect the school’s values and support school’s broad direction outlined in its strategic plan.
- Finance: overseeing the development and expenditure of the school’s annual budget and ensuring proper records are kept of the school’s financial operation
- Out of Hours School care (OHSC TheirCare): Regulating and facilitating after-hours use of school premises and grounds including Out of Hours School care (OHSC TheirCare). Additional use of the premises includes lessons in Cooking, Chess, Guitar, Keyboard, Tennis, Soccer, Cricket as examples.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
- Publicity & Marketing: promoting, stimulating, and creating interest in the school.
- Building and Grounds: maintaining school grounds and facilities. Monitoring and reporting on the progress of the Capital Works project/s
- Glen Huntly Parents Association (GPA): Raising funds for school related purposes, informing GHPS of community social events and projects.
ALL members enthusiastically volunteer their time and expertise to provide opportunities that improve outcomes for our superstar students.
I look forward to receiving a full complement of nominations for Council and encourage people to feel free to contact me if they require any further advice or information.
If the number of nominations is equal to the number of vacancies, there will be no further call for nominations. It will also not be necessary to hold a ballot. If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted on Compass and in prominent positions at the school.
Nomination forms need to be received and lodged by:
- 4.00 pm on Friday 15 March 2024
The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows:
| Membership category | Term of office | Name of nominees required |
| Parent member
2 year vacancy |
From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll on Friday March 1, 2024, to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2025 | 5 |
| DET employee member
2 year vacancy |
From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll on Friday March 1, 2024, to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2025 | 2 |
Fact sheet 1: school council elections- information for parents HERE
Nomination Forms are included via the following links.
Please complete the self-nomination form 3 or have a member of the school community nominate you with form 4. (see links below) Additional forms are also available:
- East Site: At the Main Office
- West Site: TheirCare Before/Afterschool Care in the Activities Centre
Five parent vacancies need to be filled for School Council as of March 19. Parents who are finishing their term of office may renominate as well.
Parents CLICK HERE to self-nominate use Form 3
Parents CLICH HERE to nominate a candidate: use Form 4
Thank you very much to the outgoing Parent Members of the School Council whose term of office will conclude:
- Kristen Howard (Ellie Yr 3), Supriya Arikarevula (Kiara Yr 2), Alexis Weekes (Thomas Yr 3, Maggie Yr 1), Kathryn Dench (Elka Yr 6) and Joseph Yeung
Thank you to the four Members of Council who still have one year to serve in their term of office: Nicole Healy (Ben Year 5, Charlie Year 3), Noel Duffy (Isla year 4), Daniel, Sharbani Dhar (Avyaan Yr 5) and Rob Holland (Emma Yr 4, Madeline Yr 2)
Two staff need to nominate for the two school employee member vacancies: Thank you very much to the outgoing staff members of the School Council whose term of office will conclude:
Libby Alessi, David Jenkins, and Liz Howard
Two Staff Members continuing their term of office: Thank you very much to Cameron White and Melinda Oldham whose terms of office will conclude in 2026 and 2025, respectively.
Staff Click here for a self-nomination form for school employee member: use Form 5
Staff Click here for a nomination form for school employee member: use Form 6
The first newly formed school council meeting will be on Tuesday 19 March, 7pm in the East Site Staff Lounge which newly elected members will attend.
I look forward to the newly formed school council for 2024.
Please click the link below to complete our Cultural Festival survey.
Cultural Festival 2025 Survey
Enjoy your weekend,
Nerida Burns Cameron White
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Jacob 0A – For using his letter-sound knowledge to sound out words when writing a sentence. Great Work Jacob!
Saanvi 0A – for sounding out CVC words when writing. It’s great to see you using your letter- sound knowledge!
Thomas 0B – For showing the school value of Teamwork in our literacy sessions. Thomas, you created a superb Cooper the Caterpillar this week and were able to support your peers when creating theirs. Thomas you always go above and beyond to help others in the classroom. Keep it up Cooperation King!
Anvitha 0B – For your smashing efforts this week when learning about measuring in numeracy. You were able to measure your foot, which was ten cubes long. Way to go, magnificent measurer!
Owen 0C – For showing active listening during our lesson about the Zones of Regulation. You have a very strong understanding of the different emotions we can feel in each zone. Incredible effort!
Daphne 0C – For the incredible effort and detail you put into your drawings of Tip the Cat. Many students picked your work as their favourite during our gallery walk. Super Star Effort!
Nora 1A – For being so supportive and encouraging towards the other students in our reading group this week. You make your peers feel accepted and help to build their confidence. We love having you in our class!
Ryker 1B – For rocking our values of resilience and pride during our literacy circles. Your super star segmenting and letter sound knowledge makes reading a walk in the park. Well done!
Pavneet 2/3A – For your extraordinary effort with your persuasive writing this week. I loved how you used one of our juicy words of the week in your writing. You are a superstar!
Matty 2/3A – For your amazing effort with all of your classwork this week! You kept on task and completed everything. Well done Matty!
Eden 2/3B – For delivering a wonderful and heartfelt student council speech. We believed every word of it! Be proud. Well done!
Adam 2/3B – For using our WOW words effortlessly in our Literacy Group discussion this week. Love to see your vocabulary growing! Well done!
Vamsi 2/3C – for your commitment to learning during our Area Lessons. When creating your Area Robot, you demonstrated curiosity, determination, and overall pride for your work. Keep it up, superstar!
Olympia 2/3C – for using high modality words, two rhetorical questions and juicy vocabulary when writing your persuasive text. You used the examples shown and openly received feedback from your teacher. Outstanding work!
Makayla 4/5A – For your positive attitude, kindness, and enthusiasm. Thank you for brightening our classroom with your smile every day!
Vanshika 4/5B – For her positive and thoughtful contributions during Get to you know interviews this week. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with you and your family and hearing the goals you have for yourself. I look forward to watching you grow stronger this year!
Ivy 4/5C – For consistently displaying kindness, care and emotional intelligence to her peers, organising the computers every morning and sharing her persuasive writing arguments confidently in front of the class! Well Done!
Tengyi 6A – For outstanding results in your Number & Place Value testing. You consistently apply yourself to all of your work with maximum effort, and always with a smile on your face; A pleasure to work with! Congratulations, Tengyi!
Sport News
I would like to say a very big thank you to St Patricks Murrumbeena tennis club for donating us a very generous amount of tennis balls from their club.
We really appreciate the kindness and community support!
Sarah Price, PE teacher.
FOODBANK FOODFIGHT
With only a week to go, our amazing school community has managed to raise almost $9,000 to support Foodbank Victoria, we should be so proud. This also means that 9 teachers are going to get slimed on the day.
Remember any child, that raises $10 is eligible for a prize.
Next Friday 8th March, at 2.30pm, our actual food fight will take place. Of course, it isn’t real food we are using. We will use substitutes that look like food, and it will very messy!
Children should come to school wearing old clothes with a change of clothes and maybe even a towel in their bag.
Come along and join the fun, it’s going to be a great way to end the week.
TheirCare News
GHPS Facebook
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Calendar
March
Fri 8th FoodBank Food Fight
Mon 11 Public Holiday
Fri 15 Year 3-6 House Swimming
Mon 18 Family Fun Night / Colour Run
Thu 21 Harmony Day
Fri 22 Yr 5/6 Lightening Premiership
Mon 25 Yr 5/6 Camp
Thu 28 Final Day of Term 1 (early finish 2.30pm)
Fri 29 Good Friday
TERM 2
April
Mon 15 Term 2 commences
Join our 2024 Keyboard program!
Enrolments are now open to students in grades 3-6.
Features of this program include:
- Lessons for students in grades 3 upwards.
- Qualified and experienced music teacher.
- Small intimate classes of 4 to 5 students.
- Or tuition in group of 2 offered; please enquire.
- 30 Minute classes held weekly.
- Classes held at school during school hours.
- Each student learning the keyboard is provided with their own instrument to use during lessons.
- Lessons are approx. $140.00 per Term. GST is included.
- Lessons are held at school face to face. · Please enrol online at: https://musicmelodies.com.au/
Looking forward to helping your children achieve their music potential!
Lili Katz Director – Music Melodies
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.