Newsletter #4 March 13th, 2026
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Welcome to Autumn!
Please remember that whilst the weather cools, we still wear hats until the end of term. Term 1 is well and truly underway!
As the Principal Team visits the classrooms, it is wonderful to witness the hum of engagement and learning across the school. It has been especially pleasing to see how quickly our Prep students are taking to Reading and Writing. They have embraced classroom routines and are already demonstrating strong growth.
Students Arriving Late
Parents are reminded that if their child arrives to school after 9.05 that they must be signed in at the office, or at the Compass kiosk next to the staffroom on the Junior campus.
Parents cannot drop their children off at the gate, they must accompany them into the office to sign them in – our children are too young to sign themselves in.
We acknowledge that this may be inconvenient for some families, however it is for the safety of the children that we require the parent to accompany them into school.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Following the recent School Council election process, I would like to thank all parents who nominated. As all positions were filled, an election was not required.
On behalf of the Glen Huntly Primary School, School Council, I warmly welcome our new members: Lorenz Jedlicka, Louise Cato, Elizabeth Murray, Jacob Kanady, and Dale Gaskell-Kharsas. They join existing members Kristen Howard, Rob Holland, and Cecelia Kee. DET members are Nerida Burns, Cameron White, Pip Lewis, and Sue MacGregor.
Our first meeting will be Monday March 23.
Class Representatives
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to be a class rep.
I would still love to have volunteers from the Prep B and C, the grade 1 classes, 2B and C, the grade 4 and 5/6 classes.
I would love to have each class have a representative. The role includes:
- Set up and collate an inclusive class parent contact list
- Liaise with the teacher in respect to GPA events
- Seek parental assistance when asked by the teacher to support class activities e.g. Swimming, excursions
- Organising parent social events such as coffee mornings, lunch, and/or class dinners
- Regularly facilitating communication to the parents of each class about
- up-coming fund-raising events
- seeking parent volunteers to donate time to organise and or help at events
- Welcoming new parents to the class group supporting their transition and inclusion to the GHPS community
Leave
I’m very excited to share that I will be taking long service leave from Monday, 30 March, and will return on 4 May. My husband and I will be travelling to Switzerland (currently a chilly –4°C!), Ireland, and England.
Fortunately, we have been able to change our flights from Emirates to Cathay Pacific, which is a relief given the current situation in the Middle East.
During my absence, Mr White will be Acting Principal and Mrs Oldham will be Acting Assistant Principal.
Nerida Burns and Cameron White
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Rithya 0A – For showing amazing listening and developing her understanding of letter sounds and CVC words. Keep up the great work!
Lily 0B – Star of the week for resilience.
Sidhan 0C – For working hard on his writing. He has been trying his best to sound out words, stay focused, and complete his sentences. It has been wonderful to see his confidence growing each day.
Monish 1A – Excellent effort in Reading!
Tennyson 1B – For showing amazing courage in coming to school each day and trying your best! I am so proud of you for being brave and giving everything a go!
Lola 1C – For demonstrating excellent learning behaviours, showing respect to classmates and the teacher, and being resilient when learning new things. Keep up the good work!
Zaynab 2A – For your hard work and dedication during writing this week. I loved how you included unique details like funny speech bubbles for characters when showing the parts of the narrative. Way to go superstar!
Samvega 2B – For creating an awesome retell of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! Your pictures clearly described the main character, setting and different problems Alexander faced. Fantastic effort!
Sadvik 2C – for his enthusiasm this week in the classroom. He has been making meaningful contributions to class discussions, completing beautiful writing, and being inclusive of everyone during free play and in the playground! Well done Sadvik!
Ollie 3A – for making positive learning choices this week in the classroom. You have also really impressed us with your narrative writing, bringing your stories to life with descriptive language and exciting ideas. We love seeing how focused and passionate you are during our writing lessons. We are so proud of you, Ollie!
Asaha 3B – For your incredible daily contributions to our classroom. Thank you for always showing kindness to others and working so diligently on all tasks, including your ‘Tunnel’ narrative story!
Sukanthragav 4A – For his positive attitude towards everything we do in class, always being ready to learn, sharing his thoughts during discussions, and laughing at my jokes. Amazing!
Mia 4B – You are receiving Student of the Week for writing a fantastic narrative that used interesting dialogue and explored the theme of enriching friendships. Your story was engaging and showed a thoughtful understanding of how friendships can grow stronger. Well done, Mia!
Ashleigh 6A – For a confident and positive start to the year. You have demonstrated teamwork and inclusivity, especially through making sure new students are welcomed at the school. Awesome work Ashleigh!
Alec 6B – Showing excellent sportsmanship by cheering and supporting both teams during sport. Their positive attitude makes games fun for everyone!
Fidget Tools at GHPS
Purpose
Fidgets are small, tactile tools that can support students to improve focus, manage stress, and regulate their sensory needs. They are commonly used by students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, or other sensory processing needs.
Fidgets are tools for learning, not toys. When used appropriately, they can provide sensory input that helps some students remain calm, attentive, and engaged in classroom activities.
Appropriate Fidgets
Examples of suitable classroom fidgets include:
- Stress balls
- Therapy putty
- Tangles
- Sensory rings
- Small squeeze or tactile items
Items that require significant visual attention or make noise (e.g. spinners, toys, clicking devices) are generally discouraged as they may distract the student or others.
Guidelines for Use
To ensure fidgets support learning, the following expectations should apply:
- Clear expectations
- Fidgets must remain on the desk, in the student’s hand, or on their lap
- They must not distract other students
- Purposeful use
- Fidgets are intended to support concentration and self-regulation
- They should not be used for entertainment or play
- Teacher monitoring
- Teachers should monitor the use of fidgets during learning time
- If a fidget becomes distracting, it should be temporarily removed or put away
- Learning remains the priority
- Fidgets should support attention, not replace engagement with the learning task
Department of Education Guidance
Department of Education guidance generally identifies fidgets as regulation tools rather than toys. They should be:
- Quiet and unobtrusive
- Used in a way that does not disrupt others
- Kept in the student’s hand, pocket, or a designated place
Where appropriate, the use of fidgets may be recommended by an Occupational Therapist or included as part of a student’s individual learning or wellbeing support plan upon advice from a professional.
School Approach
Our school supports the use of fidgets as part of a broader range of strategies that assist students to regulate and engage in learning.
Where required, staff may consult with:
- The school wellbeing team
- Department of Education Occupational Therapists
- External specialists
This ensures that the most appropriate supports are used for individual students.
Sport News
Years 5/6 Interschool Sport Lightning Premiership
Last Thursday, students from Years 5 and 6 at Glen Huntly Primary School took part in the annual Interschool Sport Lightning Premiership against several neighbouring schools. It was a fantastic day of competition, teamwork, and school spirit.
Students have been training each week in their chosen sports throughout the term, preparing for the event and developing their skills. Teams competed in basketball, cricket, volleyball, and softball across a range of venues. Our basketball team travelled to the Waverley Basketball Centre where they played a number of fast-paced and exciting games.
All of our students represented the school with great enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship. It was wonderful to see the effort they have put into training paying off during the competition.
A special congratulations goes to our volleyball team, who performed exceptionally well throughout the day and have successfully qualified for the next stage of the competition. We wish them the very best as they continue to represent the school.
Well done to all students involved and thank you to the staff who supported the teams during their training and on the day.
Free Dress Fundraiser – Life on the Farm
Last Friday, Glen Huntly Primary School held a fun and successful Free Dress Fundraiser Day organised by a group of enthusiastic Grade 5 student leaders. The students came up with the idea as a way to raise money for improvements to the school’s chicken shed, showing fantastic initiative and leadership.
The theme for the day was “Life on the Farm”, and students across the school embraced it with great creativity. We saw a wonderful range of costumes, including farmers, ducks, cows, sheep, and even a few scarecrows roaming the school grounds for the day!
At lunchtime, a fashion parade was held where students proudly showed off their outfits. Prizes were awarded for the best dressed student in each year level, which added to the excitement and fun of the day.
Thanks to the generosity of our school community, the event raised over $370, which will go towards improving and expanding the chicken area for our school hens.
A big congratulations to the Grade 5 students who organised the fundraiser. Their hard work made the day a huge success and demonstrated some excellent leadership and teamwork.
School OHS Audit Update
Recently, Glen Huntly Primary School participated in an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) audit conducted by the Victorian Department of Education. These external audits occur every four years and review school procedures, documentation, and the physical environment to ensure schools are meeting required safety standards.
We are pleased to report that the school successfully passed the audit. The auditor noted that the school has strong systems in place to support the safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors.
In addition to this external review, the school also conducts its own internal OHS audit each term to regularly check safety procedures, identify potential hazards, and ensure any issues are addressed promptly.
As part of the recent audit, a small number of minor items were identified for improvement, mainly relating to documentation updates and a few maintenance matters around the school. None of these items posed any immediate safety concerns and they will be addressed over the coming weeks.
Maintaining a safe learning environment remains a key priority for the school, and these regular audits help ensure we continue to provide a safe and well-managed environment for our whole school community.
TheirCare News
GHPS Facebook
——————————————————
Calendar 2026
Term 1
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.