Principals Report

By Mr Frank Catalano

Dear Members of the Glen Waverley Primary School Community,

Welcome to the final newsletter for the 2020 school year!

It really is amazing to think that this really is the final newsletter for the year; that Term Four is coming to an end as is the 2020 school year! As we reflect on a year that is by far the most different in living memory, I think it is also important to remember that it still has been a terrific year we have had with so many significant projects completed and, above all, our students receiving a high quality education and achieved outstanding results across the entire curriculum.

Throughout the year the children at Glen Waverley have been recognised for their amazing talents and skills, receiving not only school based awards but awards from local, community, state and national levels. Congratulations to all of our students for their contribution to the school year – I am so, so, so proud of all of you!

Chess Team Update

Our school chess team have continued to achieve amazing things this year. Recently they competed not in one, but two national championship competitions and achieved the following:

Chess Kids National Championships:

Placed 1st after two gruelling days of competition against 34 schools from Australia and New Zealand. In fact, our school finished equal first and won on a countback down to our 6th ranked player!

National Primary Schools Championships:

These were held last weekend at Presbyterian Ladies' College Melbourne (PLC) and I am thrilled to report that our team placed second in Australia behind Queensland.

As you would be aware, qualifying for a national championships is an amazing achievement and to finish first in one and second in another is just AMAZING and absolutely BRILLIANT!!!

A sincere congratulations to all of the children who participated in the above tournaments and a particular congratulations to Nikhil, Tejas, Rahul, Sanuk, Hemish and Archit who played in the National Primary School Championships. Below is a recount of the event from the children:

2021 Student Leaders

With the easing of restrictions, I was very pleased that on Monday we were able to host a modified (yet, extremely special assembly) in order to announce the 2021 Student Leaders. The Year 5 children have undertaken a rigorous process, which culminated in the rest of the student body voting for their respective 2021 school leaders. Congratulations and a special well done to the following children and their families, as it is an honour to be a school leader and represent your peers, teachers and our school community:

Position	Name
School Captains	Mihika and Jash
School Vice-Captains	Hridhika and Manula
Mitchell House Captains	Emaan and Shaurya
Latrobe House Captains	Kiyara and Burhan
Fawkner House Captains	Anuki and Shazeb
Hume House Captains	Diti and Thehan
Science Captains	Kenuli and Maahir
Digital Learning Captains	Ishika D and Sithila
Art Captains	Tvisha, Niles and Ella
Music Captains	Alina and Isaac
Languages Captains	Tenu and Jack
Library Captains	Shuchi, Rory and Hirun
Environment Captains	Saloni and Jaden
Peer Mediation Captains	Dinara and Amali
CIS Captains	Jannat, Aditi and Thinuli
Performing Arts Captains	Saseni and Kiya

Once again, congratulations to the above students and their families. I would also like to acknowledge the children who were not selected, thank you to all of you for your efforts and remember at our school, all Year 5 and 6 students are considered as leaders and you will also be provided with opportunities to lead various school events.

Natalie Doyle, “Courage in Learning Award”

As you would be aware, earlier this year our school community lost one of our Learning Assistants, Natalie Doyle, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. In order to honour Natalie’s passion and commitment for the children on the Program for Students with a Disability, our school commissioned the Natalie Doyle, Courage in Learning Award. I am extremely pleased to report that the inaugural recipient of this very special award is Tvisha (Year 5) who has made outstanding progress with her learning and general demeanour.

Below are some photos of Tvisha receiving the award from Natalies husband Tim. Well done and congratulations Tvisha!

Thank you to Dr Paul van den Bergen

For those who may not be aware, Dr Paul van den Bergen, has been our School Council President for the past ten years. In fact, Paul has been on the Glen Waverley Primary School Council for a total of twelve years and in order to acknowledge Paul’s commitment to our school the 2020 School Council approached him with the idea of naming the STEAM Room in his honour. Naturally, Paul and his family were incredibly humbled by this gesture and below is a photograph of Paul receiving his special plaque.

Farewell to Mrs Lyn Clugg and Mrs Debbie Hunter

It is with a great deal of sadness and a huge amount of admiration that I announce the retirement of Mrs Lynn Clugg and Mrs Debbie Hunter who are both outstanding practitioners and will be missed enormously by all of the members of our school community.

Lyn commenced her teaching career with a “studentship” in 1969 and her first placement was at Wangaratta Primary School. She then taught at Yarrunga and Rutherglen PS’s before moving to our school in 1994. Lyn’s career spans approximately 50 years, which is absolutely amazing, and a real credit to her and to her passion for teaching and learning. At Glen Waverley PS she taught in various year levels and most recently Reading Recovery.'

Debbie commenced her teaching career at Altona North Primary School in 1981. She then taught at Oakleigh, Carnegie, Maralinga, Brighton Beach, Cheltenham, Southmoor, Dingley, Kingswood, Le Page, Berwick Fields and Amsleigh Park before moving to our school in 2016. Debbie’s career spans approximately 40 years which is also absolutely amazing and a real credit to her and to her passion for teaching and learning. At Glen Waverley PS, Debbie has taught various year levels and most recently the Targeted Student Learning program.

Lyn and Debbie, on behalf of the entire school community, may I take this opportunity to wish you both a long, happy and prosperous retirement and also thank you for your amazing contribution to State Education in particular with the Glen Waverley Primary School community. Take care, best wishes and we look forward to you visiting in the future!

Ms Wang and Family

On Monday we were all thrilled to see Ms Wang, her mother and her gorgeous baby Lyla at school. Due to the pandemic, this visit was postponed a few times however we were all exceptionally pleased to be able to see and hold Lyla. Below is a lovely photo for your enjoyment and we look forward to welcoming Lyla (and her mum) back to our school next year.

Christmas Cards Fundraising Event

Throughout the course of the year the children often come to me requesting to hold various fundraising events. This occurred a few weeks ago when Seyara and Hiyara, siblings who are in Year 4 and 2 respectively, requested to make Christmas cards and then sell them to the staff and children in order to make a donation towards our school’s Hardship Fund. Naturally I was incredibly humbled and overjoyed by this act of kindness and awareness. To date the children, along with their friends, Kenuli, Lehara and Jennifer, have sold numerous cards and have raised in excess of $300! Girls this is an amazing gesture and effort and something that I know the staff, your families and the entire school community is incredibly proud of – well done, congratulations and thank you very much for being responsible and proactive citizens of the world!

Living Through a Pandemic – Time Capsule

I am thrilled to report that our “Living Through a Pandemic” time capsule has now been sealed and marked to be opened in the year 2060, when our school turns 100. Thank you to all of the children for their written and visual arts pieces and the staff and school community members for your contributions as well. Fingers crossed that we are all here when the time capsule is opened so we can share our experiences in person.

2021 School Accounts

I would like to thank the numerous families who have already settled their 2021 school account. We would really like to have as many accounts as possible paid before the end of the school year so families will be able to collect their book bags and commence labelling and covering the contents.

A few reminders to be aware of:

Payments may be made at any time through Compass
Book Packs can be collected immediately from the school office
If you prefer to settle your account in 2021, please do so by Friday 5th February
Book packs can also be collected from Thursday 21st January, 2021
Payment Plans: Please do not hesitate to see me if you would like to arrange a payment plan as these are totally confidential.

As mentioned throughout the course of the year, our school is able to continue to update facilities and provide the children with additional resources because of family contributions. A sincere thank you to the families who have settled their 2020 School Account and I look forward to your continued support in 2021 and beyond.

Student Reports

As a learning community, it is extremely important that we value the children’s reports as they are a means of celebrating how much the children have grown socially, emotionally and academically throughout the year. The teaching staff have been working extremely hard to ensure your child’s report accurately reflects their current level of achievement and also their growth throughout the year.

The Semester Two student reports will be distributed electronically via Compass today (Friday 11th December).

Please ensure you have access to Compass and if you need any assistance, see Jenna, Kylie or Julie in the main office.

Also ensure you read the report carefully and if you have any queries see your child’s classroom teacher, Mr Lewis, Mrs Tomecek, Mrs Coffey or myself. Families are most welcome to arrange to meet with their child’s teacher if you would like to discuss the report.

End of year celebrations

Prep Prom

Due to the restrictions, pertaining to the number of people allowed indoors, this year’s Prep Prom was held virtually this morning. A link will be distributed to all families early next week. Although the Prep Prom was virtual, I still firmly believe that it was a fabulous school community event! Congratulations to the 2020 Prep children as not only were you brilliant but you also showed everyone just how much you have grown and developed throughout your first year of school – even though you spent the first 6 weeks of Term Two and the entire Term Three ‘Learning From Home’!

A special thank you to our fabulous Prep Teachers (Mr. Sugihara, Mrs. Caruso, Ms. Smith, Ms. Tsang and Mrs. Parsons) for their fabulous organisation of the event and the numerous staff who assisted in various ways. Well done and congratulations everyone!

Below are numerous photos for everyone to enjoy!

Year 6 Graduation

Well done to our Year 6 students for being outstanding role models throughout the year and congratulations on the wonderful celebration, which was held last Thursday night.

A special thank you to our fabulous Year 6 Teachers (Mr. Edwards, Mr. Clark, Mr. Hanson, Ms. Lui and Ms. Fisher) for their fabulous organisation of the event and the numerous staff who assisted in various ways. Well done and congratulations everyone!

Below is an overview of the awards presented and also numerous photos for everyone to enjoy!

Award	Nominees/Recipient Girls	Nominees/Recipient Boys
Trish Perry - Academic Excellence	Tia 6A	Kisara 6D
Lion’s Club Award Service to the Community	Savreen 6B	Senula 6B
Music	Zaara 6E	Rithila 6B
Multimedia	Kudrat 6E	Rishan 6A
Languages	Christina 6C	Ruhan 6B
Art	Oneli 6C	Marco 6E
Performing Arts	Pooja 6B	Ryan 6A
Sport	Anika 6D	Gabriel 6C
Camp Australia - SMILE All-rounder (attitude and behaviour)	Hansalee 6D	Neev 6E
School Council Award Attitude and Persistence	Malachy 6B	Omar 6A

2020 Year Book

The 2020 Year Book was distributed recently much to the delight of the children as they have been eagerly awaiting its arrival. The Year Books are a wonderful memento of the marvellous achievements throughout the year, something which I know the children really look forward to receiving and also keeping for many years to come.

Thank you to Mrs Bailey and Mrs Tomecek for leading the 2020 Year Book and congratulations to all of the children who had their front cover design published this year as listed below. Below is also a report from Ms. Peele, our fabulous art teacher:

Congratulations to all the year 6's who have submitted artworks for the 2020 Year Book competition. We had many fantastic artworks submitted and the selection process was challenging due to the incredibly high quality of the artworks. Congratulations to the following students who will have their artworks printed on the 2020 year book covers.

Kisara – 6D, Anya – 6A, Vidu – 6D, Hemish – 6B, Marcus 6E, Kevin – 6E, Diya – 6C, Zaara – 6E, Claire – 6B, Pooja – 6B, Sruthika – 6B, Mayon – 6B and Oneli – 6C.

Thank you to everyone who has submitted an artwork to the competition. If you would like to see the entries they are on display in the cabinets outside the art room.

School Holiday Vacation Care Program

Once again Camp Australia have organised a wonderful school holiday program which consists of a number of exciting activities. The dates for this year’s the program are as follows:

Monday 21st to Thursday 24th December and
In the new year, Monday 4th to Wednesday 27th January.

Please be aware that all families are entitled to a 50% rebate on the total cost plus a further discount depending on the family income. To book your child, access the Before and After School Care link on our website at https://www.glenps.vic.edu.au/page/168 or at www.campaustralia.com.au

End of Term Awards

In Term Four we have to break protocol and announce the recipients of our end of term awards because if we don’t the children will not be recognised in the school newsletter.

Congratulations to the following children who have been selected to receive the Term Four Kiwanis Club Terrific Kids award:

Eva (Prep A) - Eva is a thoughtful and kind student who is always there to support her peers. When there is a classmate who is upset, she will take the initiative to help them find a solution. Eva's confidence and determination to challenge herself in learning has been outstanding. She consistently applies her learning goals, reflects on how she has applied them and extends herself by ensuring she has applied other strategies as well. It was wonderful to see Eva demonstrate leadership during a teamwork session. She ensured that everyone on her team were given a designated role and they all got a fair turn at the task. Congratulations Eva on being a TERRIFIC kid!

Senula (2B) - Senula has been an incredibly dedicated student throughout the semester. He is a respectful class member, always including others and demonstrating empathy to those around him. Senula displays enthusiasm towards his learning, particularly when digital technology is used. He is eager to share his achievements and consistently puts his best effort into tasks. Congratulations on receiving the Kiwanis Award for Term Four, Senula!

Saanvi (4A) - ‘Kiwanis Terrific Kids’ awarded to Saanvi in 4A for: Always displaying courtesy, respect and kindness in our community. Your work continues to be of a very high standard. You consistently strive towards being an incredibly self-regulated learner by challenging yourself, having a growth mindset and powering through with persistence. You have proved yourself to be an outstanding role model of integrity, initiative and striving for excellence this year. Congratulations Saanvi!

Diya (6C) - Congratulations Diya, for a fantastic semester to finish your primary school journey. You were proactive in your learning and were always willing to take risks and challenge yourself. Your positive attitude towards learning and all of your endeavours at school has been noticed and highly appreciated. You are organised, trustworthy and responsible. You always strive to apply yourself to the best of your ability in everything that you do. You show kindness and respect to not only teachers, but also to your peers. We are very grateful to have you as a member of our learning community. Congratulations again, this award is very well deserved!

Once again, a special thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Glen Waverley for having the fortitude to implement this program and for supporting our school. The children will receive a certificate, trophy and also a $20 book voucher.

Term 4 Principal Learning Awards:

Congratulations to the following students who will receive the Principal Learning Award for this term.

Student Name	Class	Reason
Abiru	Prep A	Congratulations Abiru on a fantastic year of growth and achievement! You have consistently applied your learning goals to tasks and reflected on how you used them through Seesaw. This has been evident through your successes in writing as you apply a range of strategies such as onomatopoeia, quotation marks to indicate speech and use of powerful verbs and adjectives. It has been wonderful to see you approach challenges with confidence and dive into the Learning Pit with persistence and resilience! You are a caring friend, always on the lookout for your peers when they are in need of assistance. Well done Abiru!
Sam	Prep B	Sam has relished returning to school, connecting with his peers and teachers. Every day, he arrives happy and excited for the day to begin, organises himself efficiently and leads others to follow his good example. He demonstrates kindness and respect towards his peers by being courteous and polite. Sam shows empathy and often assists others with orderliness around the classroom, by packing up and assisting peers with uploading learning onto Seesaw. Sam is a diligent learner, who achieved pleasing results through persistence, often completing his learning promptly and always to his personal best. He will then seek feed forward, to make improvements or to go deeper. Well done Sam we are so proud you are a member of Prep B and GWPS!
Aibel	Prep C	Congratulations to Aibel for receiving Prep C’s Term Four Principal’s Learning Award! Aibel always strives to achieve his best at all learning and readily adopts feedback and feedforward to move to the next step in his learning. He is kind to all members of Prep C and listens very attentively to his teachers. He works independently and clarifies aspects of his learning as needed. He shows confidence in his strategies and when expressing his ideas to others. You are a fantastic learner Aibel, we are so proud of you!
Pranit	Prep D	Congratulations Pranit, you are an integral member of Prep D, whose dedication to learning has been nothing short of impressive. You have shown initiative in your learning and always strive for a challenge. This has been shown through your impressive achievements this term, in your Mathematics. It was wonderful to see you explain how you ‘Bridged to 10’ using concrete materials and linked your thinking to the SURF proficiency of Reasoning. Pranit, we are incredibly proud of your persistence towards learning as you continually show a growth mindset. Well done Pranit.
Myra	Prep E	Myra, congratulations on receiving the Principal Learning Award, the dedication you have shown to improving your learning has been evident this term. When you are in the Productive Struggle you are able to ask for help when you need it. When writing your very own narrative, you made a great plan which set you up for success when completing your writing. Your caring nature makes you a valuable member of the Prep E community. Well done Myra and best of luck in Grade One next year.
Akaine	1A	Akaine is a kind and gentle member of 1A. He has a positive attitude towards school and approaches his learning with a positive mindset. Akaine is not inhibited by challenges, in fact he thrives on them which motivates him to continually deepen his learning by using different strategies to solve problems. Congratulations and well done Akaine!
Olivia	1B	It has been incredible to see Olivia's growth in her initiative and mature approach to her learning. She is a proactive member of 1B whose behaviour reflects the mantra of 'Actions speak louder than words'. Olivia is an inspiring role model who illustrates exemplary learning behaviours inside and outside of the classroom. She is often observed supporting her peers and reminding them of what mindful choices look like. Furthermore, Olivia does so with a kind and helpful nature. Congratulations on a fantastic year of learning, growth and success. It has been a pleasure to guide you on your learning journey and I wish you all the very best for your coming years at GWPS!
Srideep	1C	Srideep Bodapati of 1C will be awarded our Principal’s Learning Award for his outstanding learning during Term Four, 2020. He has proved to be a beacon of Respect, as he consistently made positive choices during learning time and regularly reminded his peers to follow our rules and expectations. Furthermore, Srideep was a kind and inclusive member of our classroom community, who shared his passion for art and craft with others. He collaborated with his friends, and taught them different techniques for making paper helicopters and origami balls. Srideep has certainly flourished and achieved many successes in his learning, upon his return to face-to-face learning. Congratulations and all the best for next year!
Yash	1D	Yash Malviya of 1D is receiving the Term Four Principal’s Learning Award. He demonstrated a thorough understanding of our school values, as he implemented them within the classroom and in the playground. Yash completed all learning tasks to a high quality, as he constantly strived for his next steps, particularly when he sought out feedback and feed forward. He ensured that he persisted through the different stages of the ‘Learning Pit’ with a positive mindset. Yash has further developed his independence and maturity by taking the initiative to solve any challenges independently. He has made wonderful progress during this term and is well prepared to accomplish his future learning goals next year. Congratulations on a fantastic year of learning!
Saneli	1E	Throughout Term Four, Saneli has shown exceptional growth in developing her confidence as an author. Her mindset towards writing has shifted and she is transferring her reading skills to help sound out unfamiliar words. It is so wonderful to see Saneli’s bright smile when she reads her writing pieces aloud to the class. You should be so proud of all of your success throughout the year I cannot wait to see what you achieve in 2021!
Thenugi	2A	Thenugi is a diligent and conscientious learner who demonstrates excellence in all areas of the curriculum and her social and emotional learning. She has a high standard of work ethics and responsibility, utilising her learning opportunities efficiently and effectively, showing ownership of her learning. She contributes to class discussions to further her understanding and achieve academic growth and development. Thenugi consistently models an exemplary attitude to her education and community that reflects the school values of Initiative, Respect, Integrity and Global Empathy. Thenugi demonstrates the values by showing respect to her peers and teachers, assisting others when they need support and showing gratitude to her teachers for the learning opportunities she is given each day. Thenugi displays a growth mindset, full of positivity, optimism and enthusiasm, making her an exemplary student who continues to encourage and motivate others to achieve their potential making her the exceptional and worthy recipient to receive the Principal Learning Award. Congratulations, Thenugi.
Aidan DEP	2B	Aidan has shown tremendous dedication towards his learning throughout Term Four. He values feedback and feedforward and strives to improve all aspects of his learning. Aidan works diligently each session to challenge himself and is willing to collaborate with others to seek new information. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement. Keep up the effort to pursue all learning opportunities offered to you, Aidan.
Patrick	2C	You have continued to have an amazing attitude to your learning, always showing that you are ready to learn and focussed in class. You consistently produce your best learning and will continue with the learning task even when you find it challenging. You work well with others, always collaborating and showing kindness to your partners. Thank you for always listening and being respectful in the classroom to myself and others. Congratulations on an amazing year of learning Patrick, keep it up!
Sachith	2D	The Principal's Learning Award for 2D goes to Sachith for being a conscientious, empathetic, and dedicated member of our school. Sachith always shows respect for others through his words and actions. He is a passionate global citizen always thinking about sustainability and the small things that we can do to make our world an even better place. Sachith has shown immense growth in his learning due to his persistence, always striving for academic achievement and pushing through productive struggle in the Learning Pit. Well done Sachith on all your fabulous achievements, we are all so proud of you!
Dusmika	2E	Dusmika has been an exceptional learner in 2E this term, working hard and exhibiting enthusiasm towards all aspects of her learning journey. She is always committed to applying her best efforts and strategies to everything she does and has embraced challenges with an optimistic and open attitude. Dusmika is a thoughtful and caring learner who strives to support her peers both inside and outside of the classroom. Well done and congratulations Dusmika!
Nethuka	3A	Congratulations Nethuka, for demonstrating incredible efforts in Term Four, 2020. You have consistently exhibited a growth mindset and persistence throughout all aspects of your learning journey in Year Three. You have shown inspiring dedication through the use of questioning and any inquiries that you may have, which demonstrates your initiative. Nethuka, you should be proud of yourself and the challenges you have overcome this term. Especially throughout Mathematics, where you have taken risks in our deep-thinking concepts and used your metacognitive skills to achieve this. Keep up the fantastic efforts Nethuka!
Logan	3B	Congratulations Logan, on a fantastic Term Four in Year Three! You have shown amazing initiative in your learning, through always being focused and organised while in the classroom. You have also shown that displaying respect to your peers and classmates, is high on your priority list. I am very proud of your motivation to learn, and the way you always try to challenge yourself, in order to reach the Deep Consolidation stage of each lesson’s Success Criteria! Keep up the exceptional efforts, Logan!
Harish	3C	Congratulations Harish for a fantastic Term of Learning. You have shown exceptional dedication this term and have demonstrated our GWPS school values while transitioning back to school. It has been great to see your motivation and dedication towards your learning this term as you continue to challenge yourself while learning new concepts. This is clear evidence of the deep level of thinking and learning you are working at. Well Done Harish you should be extremely proud of yourself.
Isabel	3D	Isabel has demonstrated the ability to improve her knowledge and skills by challenging herself in all areas. She shows determination and attention to detail to make sure her learning is completed neatly and on time. In Reading, Isabel is attentive to a range of interesting vocabulary in her books and adds these to her word list. In Writing, she is able to transfer this new vocabulary to her writing pieces to engage the audience and add pizzazz to her writing. She has established herself as a respectful, caring member of the classroom through the way she shares her ideas and listens to others. You should be proud of your effort Isabel. Well done!
Shirley	3E	It has been such a joy teaching you this year, Shirley. I really admire how you are never afraid to ask question when you are unsure and never giving up until you have the answer you need. You put 100% effort into all of your learning tasks, taking care to incorporate your chosen CAFÉ, VOICES and SURF goals to achieve success. As a new student to GWPS in this challenging year, you have never shied away from opportunities to make new friends both inside and outside of 3E. You should be very proud of the growth you have made this year, Shirley!
Sethumi	4A	The Principal's Learning Award recipient for 4A is Sethumi, for always displaying courtesy, respect and kindness in our community. Your work continues to be of an exceptionally high standard. You consistently strive towards being an incredibly self-regulated learner by challenging yourself, having a growth mindset and powering through with persistence. You have proved yourself to be an outstanding role model of integrity, initiative and striving for excellence this year. Congratulations Sethumi!
Vihas	4B	Congratulations on receiving the Principal Learning Award, Vihas! You consistently demonstrate the GWPS School Values of Initiative, Respect, Global Empathy and Integrity. You are such a kind, thoughtful and caring member of 4B and you endeavour to make sure everyone is happy at all times. I am extremely impressed by your approach to life and learning, it has been wonderful to see your confidence blossom as the year has progressed. Thank you for always applying your personal best to everything that you do. I am very proud of you and I hope you feel a sense of pride for all that you have achieved this term. Thank you for always demonstrating a kind and friendly nature to all of your peers and teachers. Keep up the wonderful work, Vihas! Congratulations.
Trisni	4C	The Principal's Learning Award for 4C goes to Trisni Peiris. Trisni is an outstanding learner who communicates with her peers in an empathetic and calm manner. She approaches social interactions with a tremendous amount of respect, and this is greatly appreciated by her classmates. Her enthusiasm and eagerness to learn new concepts and strategies is fantastic, as Trisni will often ask clarifying questions and seek more information when she is uncertain of something. Congratulations Trisni, on a superb year where you faced adversity, but showed courage and adapted to what was a challenging year.
Daivik	4D	What a tremendous effort Daivik has put into his learning this term! He has has thrived in all the learning tasks and challenges that he undertook, by applying a positive attitude and a growth mindset. Daivik is leader in our class, being respectful of others and demonstrating empathy towards all. 4D can always rely on him to lend support, whether it be a listening ear or guidance through his thinking. He is always committed to applying his best effort to everything he does, striving for accuracy and success. What a fantastic term of learning Daivik! I wish you the best of luck for Year Five, I know you will achieve wonderful things!
Tevin	4E	This Principals Learning Award is proudly presented to Tevin! Tevin joined our learning community earlier this year with excitement and dedication. Since his first day, Tevin consistently challenged himself to apply his personal best within our academic and social foci. Tevin is an incredibly valuable member in our class as he always leans into challenge, prompts others' thinking and models resilience in learning. Tevin has grown towards actively working towards his learning goals in order to create a positive impact on his learning journey. Alongside this, Tevin models our school values every day as he listens to and applies feed-forward with absolute passion and zest. As we moved through a truly unique year, Tevin applied flexible thinking throughout Learning from Home and returning to school. He guided others online and harnessed a positive mindset throughout. Tevin, you should be incredibly proud of everything you have achieved this year!
Isaac	5A	Isaac is an outstanding learner who lives and breathes our school values every day. He demonstrates terrific initiative in helping with classroom duties and exhibits a love for learning that is simply infectious. With high critical and creative thinking skills, Isaac should be proud of going above and beyond across all learning areas and in particular, with Mathematics. I hope you continue to inspire and enthuse all those around you with your delightful wisdom and humour too, Isaac! Congratulations!
Aki	5B	Congratulations Aki on a well-deserved award! Your attitude towards learning has been incredible this term. You have continuously self-reflected each term and improved the next. Term Four has been a culmination of your wonderful learnings. You always contribute to class discussions and give each task your best effort. You ask questions when unsure and you always do this in a polite manner. This term also had you overcome the challenge of public speaking by completing your speech in front of the class with flying colours. You should be very proud of yourself. Best of luck for Year Six!
Shan	5C	This is awarded to Shan for always working to the best of his ability across all areas of learning. You have such a positive attitude towards learning and were extremely driven to do your best throughout this term. You are consistently organised and ready for all subject areas which demonstrates the positive role model you are. You also showed the school values of empathy, respect and initiative throughout learning this term. Well done on working extremely hard to accomplish all of your goals. Also congratulations on working on your getting along skills and making strong connections with your classmates this year. Congratulations Shan, you should be extremely proud of yourself.
Anna	5D	Anna is a determined learner who has a positive attitude towards all of her learning. At all times, it is inspiring to see her uphold a Growth Mindset. She embraces challenge as an opportunity to progress in her learning. Anna has taken positive risks in class discussions to develop her speaking and listening skills - especially when she presented her speech to the class about why we should have ‘More Playtime!’. It is also fabulous to see her acknowledge feedback and apply feedforward effectively to drive her own learning. Congratulations on your outstanding efforts, Anna! Keep up the fabulous attitude!
Jordan	5E	Jordan is an honourable young man, who is a worthy recipient of this award. Throughout this term, he has proven time and time again that he has reached deep consolidation across all areas of his learning. In Literacy when creating Persuasive Speeches, Jordan’s presentation, ‘Should people stop eating meat?’ argued both sides with well-researched points, invoking a strong engagement with his audience. He consistently shows his leadership potential, portraying the attributes that make him a leader, even without a title. Well done, Jordan. You should be very proud of all you have achieved.
Nithilan	6A	Nithilan is an outstanding student who show great dedication to his learning. With his journey at GWPS coming to an end, it is fitting that he is a recipient of a Principal's Learning Award. Nithilan embodies the school values of Integrity, Initiative, Global Empathy and Respect on a daily basis in his interactions with his peers and teachers. He is a reflective learner who listens to feedback and applies feedforward to improve his learning. These attributes make him an outstanding role model to both his peers and younger children in the school. Well done Nithilan!
Juhana	6B	Juhana, your academic achievements this year have been numerous and noteworthy. The positive and proactive attitude you bring into class each day is impressive and infectious. The energy, effort and care placed in your learning is evident in every piece you have created and within every interaction observed with your peers and teacher. You are a true professional and the artefacts of your journey this year clearly stand out from the crowd in terms of depth, presentation and reflection. It has been an absolute pleasure to have had you in our learning community and we are all certain that you are bound for success, thanks to your brilliant learning behaviours. Well done!
Shreya	6C	Congratulations Shreya, for being valued and active member of our learning community. You have maintained strong connections with all of the learners in our class and been a contributing member to class discussions. Your positive attitude towards learning and throughout all of our daily activities is both infectious and highly appreciated. You are organised, trustworthy and responsible. You always strive to apply yourself to the best of your ability in everything that you do. You show kindness and respect to not only teachers, but also to your peers. We are very grateful to have you as a member of our learning community. Congratulations on a well-deserved award!
Dhinuk	6D	Congratulations Dhinuk on receiving this Principals’ Learning Award. Your dedication for your own learning journey is something to be proud of. You have consistently demonstrated high levels of effort during Learning From Home, transferring this to school learning to ensure you achieve your own personal best. You should be extremely proud of yourself and your achievements! Continue to strive for what you love doing and work hard to do your best! Well done Dhinuk and wish you all the best for your learning journey!
Yaneesha	6E	Congratulations Yaneesha, for your continual contribution of positivity during your final year of Primary School. You are to be commended for your sensational effort in all areas of your learning. You constantly act in a respectful manner and display empathy to those around you. Your teacher and peers are impressed by your continual enthusiasm since the beginning of the year. Throughout this term you have consistently demonstrated your caring nature, positivity and organisation across all areas of your learning. 6E is incredibly fortunate to have a respectful, motivated and collaborative learner like you. All the best for your future journey Yaneesha!

Goodbye to some of our friends

As the end of the school year draws closer, we will be saying goodbye to a number of students who are moving out of the area. We wish them all the best in their new schools and hope that they keep in close contact with their Glen Waverley Primary School friends for many years to come.

We are also saying goodbye to some of our staff who will be working in other schools. Naturally we thank you for being part of the Glen Waverley PS community, strongly encourage you to keep in contact and sincerely wish you well with your future endeavours.

2021 Staff Team

The 2021 Staff Team will consist of the following:

Prep Team: Ryo Sugihara, Michelle Caruso, Samantha Chow, Tracy Tsang and Adriana Parsons
Year 1 Team: Manuela Pertile, Robert Lou, Gordon Gerada, Samantha Dell’Aquilla and Amanda Sierp
Year 2 Team: Ben Stirling, Dilan Ratnayake, Kristy Smith, Blair Ippolito and Monique Kelly
Year 3 Team: Christine Marotti, Alana Essa, Peter Shen, Cath Chen and Gemma Simmons
Year 4 Team: Yvette Gavalovic, Stacey Cupo, James Dean, Alicia Bird and Lauren Lee
Year 5 Team: Ivana Krsteska, Bianca Liburti, David Joyce, Samantha Graham and Trish Singh
Year 6 Team: Lauren Anderson, Annie Lui, Greg Edwards, Ellen Morton and Alexandra Fisher

Specialist Programs:

STEAM – Ben Welsh
Digital Learning – Jason Mulder
Visual Arts – Cherie Peele
Languages – Ying Ling, Esther Wang and Shasha Guo
Music – Jess Wood
Physical Education – Leigh Fotheringham and Glen Parker
Performing Arts – Ben Clark
Reading Recovery – Anna Meng
Advanced Maths – Kathy Williams

Support Programs:

Targeted Student Learning (TSL)
Anat Garzberg-Grant (Prep), Mel James and Anna Meng (Year 1), Jackie Gilbert (Year 2), Anna Hardy (Year 3), Kylie Bailey (Year 4), Ben Clark (Year 5) and Samantha Rich (Year 6)
Jason McCormick and Lisa Baguley – throughout the school

Samantha Stefanidis – Mentoring and Support role for new and beginning career teachers (Term One)

Innovations Programs and Staff:

Sarah Donald: Year 2 Maths and English
Anat Garzberg-Grant: Year 3 English
Arezou Javidi: Year 4 English
Nicole Pryde: Year 5 English
Roland Lewis: Year 6 English
Kathy Williams: Years 3,4, 5 and 6 Maths
Jess Wood: Music
Cherie Peele: Visual Arts
Jason Mulder: Multimedia
Ben Welsh: STEAM

Learning Assistants:

Soula Lucas, Elizabeth Steinke, Vani Muregesan, Nicole Rowland, Sumungali Dissanayake, Karli Bell, Sabrina Aung and Shivani Agarwal

Education Support Staff:

Business Manager – Julie Milward
Office Manager – Kylie Sayer
Administrative Assistant – Jenna Kasapidis
Executive Assistant – Helen Hassiotis
School nurse – Tina Ludlow-Hoyer
Maintenance Manager – Andy Platt
Cleaner – Brian Hogan
Library - Gurbiner Bhagat
Library Assistant - Katheryn Stroud

Learning Specialists:

Anat Garzberg-Grant – Staff pedagogical development
Sarah Donald – Student Engagement in Learning
Samantha Stefanidis – English (Term One)
Peter Shen – Acting Learning Specialist English
Trish Singh – Maths
Jason Mulder - Digital Learning

Leading Teacher – Greg Edwards (Council of International Schools)

Principal Class:

Principal – Frank Catalano
Assistant Principal Curriculum - Sue Coffey, Curriculum Development
Assistant Principal Pedagogical Development - Helen Tomecek
Assistant Principal: Data Literacy and Student Wellbeing – Roland Lewis
Assistant Principal: Daily Organisation and STEAM – Ben Welsh

Overall I am exceptionally pleased with the 2021 staff team and am very confident that we will be able to continue to provide a high quality education for all of our students.

In closing,

I would like to bid a fond farewell to our fabulous team of Year 6 students. This year the Year 6 students have set a fine example and have lead the school with a true sense of commitment, sincerity and pride. I am absolutely thrilled with the leadership of all our Year 6 students particularly our 2020 School Captains Akein, Keyuri, Kisara and Sruthika who all must be congratulated for their outstanding leadership commitment, endeavour and qualities. I look forward to seeing and hearing all about the Year 6 students’ successes as they progress through their secondary education and beyond.

I would also like to wish every Year 6 student the very best in the years ahead and remind them that “once you are a part of the Glen Waverley PS family, you are always a part of the Glen Waverley PS family”. I strongly encourage all of you to come back and visit us!

Also, a sincere thank you to our wonderful team of parents who have helped with many and varied events and programs throughout the year. On behalf of the staff I would like to thank every single parent for their support, assistance and encouragement as we have made our way through the year. Team spirit, trust, loyalty and integrity are part of what makes Glen Waverley such a fabulous school. It is great, that our parents are willing to support their children, the staff and the professional judgements that are made to ensure that our school provides the very best learning environment for their children. As you know our team of staff certainly give their heart and soul to their job and their passion for education is evident. I would like to thank the numerous parents who provide us with support and feedback and for also realising that at times our job is not easy. We have a fabulous school community who are generous with the time and effort they give to nurturing, assisting and encouraging all that we do at Glen Waverley.

Naturally it would be rather remiss of me not to mention our extremely hard working staff. The teachers and support staff at Glen Waverley are relentless in their quest to make our school the best school possible. Thank you one and all!

Final Day of school arrangements Friday 18th December

A reminder that we will finish school at 1:30 on Friday 18th December; as a result the students will not need their lunch unless they will be attending After School Care which will commence at 1:30. Please ensure your child has a snack for the day. Due to the early finishing time, lunch orders will not be available on this day.

Unfortunately we are unable to hold an assembly, so the children will be dismissed from their classrooms at 1:30.

2021 Return Dates

Year 1-6 students will return to school on Thursday 28th January and
Foundation (Prep) students will begin on Monday 1st February.

Happy holidays everyone. I sincerely wish all members of the Glen Waverley Primary School community the very best throughout the forthcoming summer break. To those members of our school community who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you all.

Please stay safe and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Take care and I look forward to seeing everybody in 2021!

Frank Catalano

Principal