Newsletter #5 March 27th, 2026
GHPS IS COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY
Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
A Very Successful Term 1
This term has been filled with energy, creativity, and a strong sense of community. From engaging classroom projects to exciting extracurricular activities, it has been wonderful to see everyone getting involved and making the most of every opportunity.
Students have taken part in a wide range of enriching experiences, including hands-on learning activities, collaborative group work, and special events that brought our community together. Highlights included the welcome picnic, Harmony Day, professional learning for staff, house swimming sports, Gala Day, information sessions, Meet the teacher interviews, school council meetings, NAPLAN and many entertaining assemblies, all of which showcased students’ talents, enthusiasm, and willingness to try new things.
A big thank you goes to our staff, students, and families for their continued support and involvement. Your contributions help make these experiences possible and truly meaningful.
We look forward to another exciting term ahead, with even more opportunities to learn, connect, and celebrate together.
Harmony Day
Last Friday, we came together to celebrate Harmony Day, GHPS style, and what a vibrant and memorable occasion it was. The school was filled with an incredible abundance of colour, as students proudly represented their cultural backgrounds through traditional dress, while others joined in by wearing a bright splash of orange—the colour symbolising harmony and respect.
It was truly special to see our community come alive with such diversity and pride. Students embraced the opportunity to share and celebrate their heritage, sparking meaningful conversations and a deeper appreciation for the many cultures that make up our school.
Friday’s assembly was a highlight of the celebration, showcasing the spirit of the day in a fun and engaging way. A lively parade brought smiles to everyone’s faces, as students confidently walked together, displaying their cultural attire and celebrating what makes each of us unique. The sense of inclusivity and belonging was evident throughout, reminding us of all of the importance of respect, understanding, and unity.
Harmony Day at GHPS was a wonderful reflection of our values, and a celebration of the rich diversity that strengthens our school community.
School Council
Last Monday March 23rd, we held our first School Council meeting with the new membership. Congratulations to the following people who have been nominated and have accepted office-bearing positions:
Kristen Howard – School Council President
Lorenz Jedlicka – School Council Vice President,
Dale Gaskell-Kharsas – Treasurer,
Jacob Kanady – Secretary
Junior School Council
On Wednesday I met with the 2026 Junior School Council. We discussed meeting protocols and the purpose of the JSC.
I will introduce the council members in the next newsletter.
Junior Playground Renovation
Exciting news! Over the holidays both junior playgrounds will be repainted and broken parts replaced.
There will also be new parallel bars.
Grade 5/6 Limericks
The grade 5/6 students have been exploring poetry and this week tried creating their own limericks. Here is one from Ashleigh, 5/6A.
A huge thank you to all the families who kept their children at home last Tuesday when many of our staff attended the stop work.
We appreciate your understanding and support.
Important dates to note in your diary
April 20 – Term 2 starts
April 24 – ANZAC day assembly
April 27 – School Council
April 30 – School cross country
May 8 – Mother’s Day stall and breakfast
May 13 – 15 – Grade 5/6 camp
May 19 – 20 – Education week open sessions
June 8 – Kings Birthday Public Holiday
June 9 – Curriculum Day
June 26 – End of term 2
Nerida Burns and Cameron White
Congratulations to the following students who received a ‘Student of the Week’ award.
Kelly 0A – For showing great enthusiasm in phonics and always being eager to contribute to class conversations, sharing ideas confidently and helping make our learning environment engaging for everyone.
Leo 0A – For always giving everything a great go and putting in a big effort.
Hendrick 0B – For his resilience, hard work and positive attitude towards school and learning. You should be super proud of all you have achieved in 8 weeks! Keep up the amazing work Hendrick!
Reyansh 0B – For his hard work and positive attitude towards school and learning, specifically in phonics. You should be super proud of all you have achieved in 8 weeks!
Chloe 0C – demonstrating great creative ideas through her family Narrative.
Lou 0C – For working hard on finishing his learning and sentences. Proud of your confidence. Keep it up.
Inna 1A – doing an excellent job planning her fairy tale story. She created an interesting problem and came up with a creative solution, making her story engaging and imaginative. Well done, Inna! You should feel very proud!
Abigail 1A – creating a detailed drawing of her character in writing, using lots of colour and ensuring her work was neat and presentable. She used excellent adjectives to describe her character and bring it to life. Well done, Abigail!
Tim 1B – For your awesome effort during our maths lessons this week! Keep up the great work!
Zara 1B – For demonstrating excellent effort and enthusiasm in Maths this week. You have shown great focus while learning about measuring length, carefully using your piece of strong to measure longer or shorter. Well done!
Mason 1C – For consistently challenging yourself, always trying your best, and kindly offering to help anyone in need. Well done!
Junru 1C – for doing an excellent job brainstorming adjectives and writing a fantastic sentence using one! You showed great thinking and creativity, well done!
Alexey 2A – For working hard during our ‘Game On’ incursion yesterday. You had great ideas, and your group looked like they were having so much fun! Well done for showing Legendary Leadership!
Harrison 2A – For working hard to complete your narrative, ‘Ella Kazoo Will Not Put on Her Sunscreen’. You stayed focussed, listened to teacher feedback and wrote a wonderful “good” copy with great ideas. Awesome way to end the term!
Atticus 2B – For going full game-designer mode during our Game On incursion this week. You listened to your team, shared great ideas, and helped create the arcade game ‘Air Whack-a-Moley’. Superb effort!
Freddie 2B – For writing a fantastic narrative that was packed with humour, creativity, and clever ideas. The part where Ella dressed up as a real estate agent to trick her Mum was very funny! What an awesome effort and brilliant imagination this week!
Todi 2C – for being an awesome teammate during our Game On incursion this week! You shared great ideas, helped your group build a super fun arcade game, and kept a big, positive smile all day long.
Abraham 2C – for a wonderful first two weeks at GHPS! He has settled into 2C so well and has shown fantastic effort when working on his Ella Kazoo narrative, putting great care into developing his ideas.
Rishik 3A – For his persistence with telling time to the minute on an analogue clock. We love how you’ve dedicated yourself to reaching your SMART goal!
Lily 3A – For the wonderful progress you have made in your learning this term. You have shown great dedication and growing confidence, always trying your very best. We are so proud of you, Lily!
Albert 3B – Showing dedication, persistence and exceptional effort while grid mapping his name 3 times in maths, gathering facts for his persuasive piece effectively and supporting our new student, Taigen, during his transition session. Thank you and congratulations!
Daisy 4A – For her confidence and dedication during our Maths lessons. It has been wonderful to see her persistence, especially with using the associative facts strategy to work out tricky multiplication questions. Well done!
Jake 4A – For his persuasive writing on how pollution is harming our environment, he successfully used the rule of three and a rhetorical question in his introduction to create a strong and engaging sizzling start. Amazing!
Vivaan 4B – You are receiving Student of the Week for always trying your best and showing independence in your learning. You consistently do the right thing without needing reminders and produce excellent work. Your quiet effort is outstanding, well done!
Kafka 4B – for actively participating in our book study sessions. You have enthusiastically unpacked the symbolism in the text and consistently written thoughtful and insightful responses, even while managing a broken hand!
Ernest 5A – For going out of his way to make it easy for his buddy to settle into school and for assisting a classmate set himself up properly for NAPLAN. All without being asked.
Rishaa 5B – doing an excellent job working with complementary and supplementary angles and solving missing angles in triangles and quadrilaterals. She has shown great understanding and a consistently positive attitude towards her learning. Keep it up, Rishaa!
Aela 5B – settling into school really well and showing great improvement in Maths. Well done on your effort and positive attitude!
Iris 5C – For her creative limericks, dedication to all her classwork, and care for students in our class! Keep it up, Iris!
Mahati 6A – For setting a fantastic example for the rest of the school to follow. You consistently have a positive attitude, put maximum effort into your work, and support all those around you. You are a great role model.
Thomas 6C – For showing great resilience, discussions with his peers, and creative mic-drop moments in your persuasive writing. Great job, keep it up Thomas!
Kai 6C – For always putting in lots of effort in all classwork and kindness to others in our class. We will miss you in 5/6C, but we know you will be amazing in Japan. Well done Kai!
ThinkUKnow Cyber Safety Presentation Years 3-6
ThinkUKnow Australia is an evidence-based education program led by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), delivered nationally in partnership with police and industry partners to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
The program is pro-technology and addresses topics including self-generated child abuse material, online grooming, sexual extortion, and importantly encourages help seeking behaviour.
This week, we welcomed Leading Senior Constables Leah Fitzsimon and Caroll Runnalls to talk to students about how to stay safe online and she answered the many questions our students posed to understand the online world.
COMMUNITY PANTRY
Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to let you know that our Community Pantry will remain available throughout the upcoming school holidays for families who may wish to access it.
If you would like to make use of the pantry during this time, please contact Ruth via email to arrange a suitable time for access.
We hope this service continues to support our community, and we encourage anyone who may benefit to reach out.
Warm regards
Ruth Smyth-Kinyua
Ruth.kinyua@education.vic.gov.au
Community Pantry Coordinator
TheirCare News
Please CLICK HERE to read our end of term report.
GHPS Facebook
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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
Mon 27 School Council
Thu 30 House Cross Country
May
Fri 8 Mother’s Day stall and breakfast
Wed 13 Grade 5/6 camp
Tue 19 Education week open night
Wed 20 Open morning
Fri 22 Year 5/6 Lightening Premiership
June
Mon 8 Kings Birthday Public Holiday
Tue 9 Curriculum Day
Wed 10 First Responders Appreciation Day
Fri 12 Teeth on Wheels Senior
Tue 16 Teeth on Wheels Junior
Fri 19 Jump Rope for Heart
Fri 26 End of term 2 Early Dismissal 2.30pm
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.