Newsletter #3 February 27th, 2026
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Oh, what a night! It was so wonderful to see so many of our families at the Welcome Picnic and to have the chance to reconnect.
The rain kindly stayed away, giving everyone the opportunity to relax, catch up with friends, and enjoy being together. Thank you for coming along and embracing this special time to gather as a community so early in the school year.
Our students had an absolute ball—getting delightfully messy making slime with Mrs Oldham, creating colourful masterpieces with Miss DeBruyn, singing, and listening to music with Mr Wunderlich. The ‘sumo’ competition with Sensei Tran was a highlight, along with the fun and games and laughing together under the giant parachute organised by Miss Price. There was truly something for everyone to enjoy.
It was a beautiful evening filled with smiles, laughter, and that warm community spirit we cherish so much at GHPS.
A special shout out to Josh, who kept everyone well-fed with the most delicious toasties from his food truck—they were a big hit!
Swimming Carnival
Congratulations to our swimmers who made a splash at last Friday’s Swimming Carnival! It was an impressive display of talent, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm.
All our students are to be congratulated for their have a go attitude and supportive spirit.
Thank you to Miss Price and all the 3-6 staff for the organisation before and during the event. Well done to all, we are very proud of GHPS.
NAPLAN
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 11 and finishes on March 19. If families have any questions about NAPLAN please see your child’s teacher.
Preps
Next week will be our Prep students’ first full week of school. We are so proud of how well they are settling in and getting to know their teachers and class members.
A huge shout out to their parents and carers, too. We recognise this is a big transition for the whole family and the support they receive from you goes a long way towards contributing to their positive start!
Lunchtime Clubs
As part of our extensive wellbeing program, we provide a variety of clubs. We encourage our students to join in the fun.
Buddy Program in full swing
The Prep students were very excited to meet their Year 5 buddies last week.
The Buddy Program is eagerly anticipated by both our newest students and our Year 5’s who thrive on the opportunity to make a new friend, who they can care for and support with the transition to primary school.
The buddies meet regularly to complete structured activities or enjoy a picnic lunch. The purpose of these interactions is to ensure that the Prep students feel safe and happy in the school grounds and confident to approach the older students.
The program also has the added bonus of seeing the older students at their nurturing best!
Curriculum Day March 10
Please note that March 10 is a curriculum day. Students do not come to school on that day, while our teachers and staff undergo professional training on student wellbeing.
Note that TheirCare is open all day for those families that need the service.
And I also have some exciting family news to share, my son Jess and his wife Emma are expecting their first child, a baby girl at the end of July.
We are all can’t wait to meet her, especially Alexander (he is 5 months now). Looks like I’ll be having even more Nanny cuddles. I feel truly blessed.
Enjoy your weekend
Nerida Burns and Cameron White
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Shanaya 0A – For always being friendly and kind to everyone in our classroom, and for walking in each day with a bright smile that makes our room a happier place. Your positive attitude and caring heart make a difference every single day. We are so proud of you!
Anayra 0B – For her outstanding enthusiasm in every aspect of school life, her genuine kindness and inclusivity toward her peers, and the incredible pride and dedication she consistently shows in her schoolwork. Keep up the amazing work Anayra!!
Dibyana 0C – shows confidence and enthusiasm when participating in Japanese activities, often modelling respectful listening and encouraging others to join in.
Jacob 1A – made an excellent prediction this week while reading the story Where the Wild Things Are. When writing up his prediction, he used adjectives to describe nouns. Well done, Jacob. You should be very proud of yourself!
Hazel 1B – For being an excellent helper in the classroom and staying on task when on the floor and at your desk. Keep up the incredible work!
Albie 1C – For showing fantastic curiosity in your writing! You have been using our question stems to ask interesting questions about space. Keep up the amazing effort!
Aiden 2A – For showing outstanding resilience and determination over the past few weeks with your injured hand. You haven’t let anything slow you down, plus you have been confidently putting your hand up to participate in class discussions. Incredible!
Coco 2C – always going above and beyond in the classroom, being an excellent role model for her classmates, and constantly helping others to understand and complete their learning tasks.
Alexandra 3A – For her outstanding use of vocabulary when writing a Tightening Tensions scene for a narrative. We’re so proud of you!
Pak Ki 3B – For a wonderful start to the year, always displaying all the school values. Your effort with your classroom activities and organisation is impressive. Well Done!
Charlotte 4A – For the motivation and hard work she has demonstrated in all her tasks—especially her positive approach to the daily Maths review questions and her quick, accurate use of the vertical algorithm. What a wonderful start to the year!
Uma 4B – For creating captivating Sizzling Starts that hooked your reader straight away, and you built powerful tension in your action scene by using all six senses to bring it to life. Your description helped us see, hear, feel and experience the moment alongside your character.
Lulou 6A – For consistently demonstrating responsibility and resilience, both in and out of class. You have started the year on fire.
Yasmin 6B – Showing great maturity by calmly approaching a teacher with a problem and then being patient while waiting for it to be resolved.
Somaya 6C – For confidently speaking at assembly, stepping outside her comfort zone, and contributing thoughtful ideas that inspire classmates to participate.
School Attendance
New Insights form AERO (Australian Education Research Organisation
This report includes work undertaken from May to December 2023 and draws on 3 activities:
- analysis of Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) attendance data
- a rapid literature review on barriers to attendance
- a rapid literature review on approaches to supporting attendance/addressing absence.
Findings A national picture of student attendance in Australia Attendance declined in the years leading up to COVID-19 . For students in Years 1 to 6 across all sectors, attendance rates have declined. Students in remote locations and First Nations students had consistently lower attendance rates than the overall government-school student population.
“Missing 1 day every 2 weeks?”
20 days/year- 10% of school missed
7 years of Primary School – 140 total missed days
This equates to more than half a year of missed school
GHPS School Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term, unless:
- there is an approved exemption from school attendance or attendance and enrolment for the student, or
- the student is registered for home schooling and has only a partial enrolment in a school for particular activities.
Attendance records
GHPS will record student attendance twice per day in primary schools and in every class in secondary schools and must record, in writing, the reason given for each absence. This is necessary to:
- meet legislative requirements
- discharge schools’ duty of care for all students
- assist calculation of the school’s funding
- enable school councils to report on student attendance annually
Punctuality
It is extremely important that students arrive punctually at school on time, ready to learn for every school day, prior to the first bell, which occurs at 8:50am. Parents must aim to ensure that their child/ren arrive at school by 9:00am, but not before 8.45am, when a member of staff will be on yard duty.
If a student arrives late after 9:00am, this disrupts the teaching and learning of other students and the normal routine at the beginning of the school day. When a student is late, the teacher will then be required to repeat and redeliver essential teaching and learning information and instructions for that student, who will have missed essential pieces of information and the rich learning opportunities that occur, when students learn best when together and the dynamics and benefits of group learning.
Encouraging a reliable and timely attendance for each school day is allowing your child to learn, practise and experience the desirable habits and benefits of being considerately and
politely punctual.
Recording absences
For absences where there is no exemption in place, a parent/carer must provide an explanation on each occasion to the school.
Parents/carers should notify Glen Huntly Primary School of absences by 9:00am by:
- Phone
- Compass or email
- In writing (letter to the school or classroom teacher)
If a student is absent on a particular day and the school has not been previously notified by a parent/carer, or the absence is otherwise unexplained, the Compass system will automatically send a notification to the parent/carer and Glen Huntly Primary School may also notify parents/carers by SMS, telephone or via email.
Melinda Oldham
Sport News
COMMUNITY PANTRY – SEEKING DONATIONS
Our Community Pantry is currently seeking donations to support local families and individuals experiencing food insecurity.
If you are in a position to donate, your support would be greatly appreciated. If you need to access the Community Pantry, please attend during the times listed below or contact Ruth via email if these times do not suit.
Most Needed Items:
- Healthy school snacks
- Pasta and pasta sauce
- Hygiene items (soap, toothpaste, shampoo)
Every donation — big or small — makes a meaningful difference. Together, we can help ensure no one in our community goes hungry.
Drop-Off Locations
School Office – Anytime
West Side Staffroom
Pantry – During the times listed below
Pantry Donation Hours
Tuesday or Thursday: 8:15am – 8:45am
Friday: 3:00pm – 3:30pm
OR
Contact: Ruth at ruth.kinyua@education.vic.gov.au
Thank you for your continued generosity and support.
TheirCare News
GHPS Facebook
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Calendar 2026
Term 1
March
Thu 5 Lightening Premiership Yr 5/6
Mon 9 Labour Day Public Holiday
Tue 10 Curriculum Day (Student free day)
April
Thu 2 Easter Hat Parade
Thu 2 Last Day of term 1 2.30pm early finish
Fri 3 Good Friday Public Holiday
Term 2
April
Mon 20 Term 2 begins
Fri 24 ANZAC Day School Service
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.