Dear Members of the Glen Waverley Primary School Community,

I trust all is well with you and your family and welcome to this fortnight’s newsletter where so much is shared about our wonderful school.

As per usual, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on 9802 9938 or via email at frank.catalano@education.vic.gov.au

Chess Team Update

Our school chess team continue to train hard and do their best to prepare for a number of tournaments. Recently the children participated in the Northern Star tournament at Balwyn North PS and I am extremely proud to report that they performed exceptionally well and placed first. Congratulations, well done and thank you to:

Year 3: Ved, Sithev, Kivein, Aaren and Reyashi

Year 4: Ethan, Naveen, Reyansh, Bhoomin, Thehan, Agastya, Jamie, Arya, Manish, Grayson, Lucas, Samuel, Siddhant and Prahan

Year 5: Jaden and Ayaan

Year 6: Daiwik, Yehara, Swara, Sarvang, Reyan and Sarah

Keep up the amazing attitude and commitment everyone and I look forward to sharing how you go at the next tournament.

Council of International Schools (CIS) Visit

As you may be aware, recently I had the privilege of participating in the CIS Preparatory Evaluation Review at the Anfield School, in Hong Kong. Overall, it was a very successful review that has provided the Board, Leadership Team and school community with a raft of recommendations which will see the school’s improvement journey come to fruition.

Attached are a few photos of the school for your enjoyment.

Pyjama Day for the HeartKids Foundation

Congratulations to the CIS Captains (Adrisha, Akeesha, Rishaan and Yash) and the entire GWPS community for the very successful implementation of this year’s Pyjama Day as our school came together to raise funds for the HeartKids Foundation. I was most impressed by the deep connection the entire student body made with this cause as expressed in the CIS Captain’s piece below. If you would like to know more about the HeartKids Foundation, please click on the following link: https://www.heartkids.org.au/

Well done and thank you everyone as we all should be incredibly proud of our achievement! Below is a message from our 2025 CIS Captains:

On Wednesday 21st of May our school held Pyjama Day to raise money for the HeartKids Foundation. The day was a huge success and it was fabulous to see so many students get involved including the teachers! As a school we raised a total of $819.90 which is a wonderful result and we should all be very proud. The Service Learning Junior School Council members thank everyone for their generosity and for getting into the spirit of the day.

Satvi (3D): Pyjama Day was fun because we all got to show our personalities through our pyjamas and it was fun to see everyone in their own clothes before they go to sleep! It was good to see how much money we raised so we can help the HeartKids Foundation and all the sick children.

Hasan (4D): Pyjama Day was a huge success, so many people wore their pyjamas to school. I am so proud of the amount of money we raised for the HeartKids Foundation and how many sick children we can help.

Ruhani (2E): I loved how excited everyone was about Pyjama Day. People were wearing cool pyjamas and looked very comfortable - so comfortable that it looked like they were sleeping during play time!

Out of School Hours Care Update (OSHC)

Our OSHC program often implement a range of activities designed to engage the children in various ways. Recently Meththa and her team implemented a Lego competition, and I am proud to report that Jared (Year 5) was selected as the school champion for his efforts in building an amazing Lego city – well done and congratulations Jared!

Congratulations to the following children who have used their voice and agency to enact change

One of the highlights of being a school principal is when I see the children initiate change through their actions. Recently two events occurred that made me incredibly proud, these are:

Shawn, Aaren and Kivein (Year 3) – paper aeroplane issue. Earlier in the year, quite a few of the children decided that they wanted to play with paper aeroplanes in the yard. However, and disappointingly, some of the children left their planes on the ground which made our school grounds quite messy. Hence, I made the decision to ban them. Recently Shawn wrote to me and was then joined by Aaren and Kivein to discuss this issue in a very proactive manner as they argued the benefits of making paper aeroplanes and most importantly, the expectations they developed pertaining to how this playground activity will be managed. Below is a copy of the speech they delivered at Monday’s assembly:

Dear students, teachers and parents,

Our names are Kivein, Shawn and Aaren. We love paper aeroplanes and we love playing with them during snack and lunch. We know there are others who love it as much as we do.

However Mr. Catalano banned them paper planes on school grounds because we kept leaving them all over the school grounds.

We love paper planes so much that we took the initiative to write to Mr. Catalano to show him the reasons why paper planes should not be banned.

We told him that it enhances our imagination, creativity and teaches us about aerodynamics, physics, troubleshooting and problem solving.

We have really good news …… drum roll please …….. paper planes have just been unbanned! We can play with them and have fun, but we need to ensure that we follow some rules:

If you make a paper plan you must write your name on it
- We are not to throw the planes off the playgrounds
  - Do not leave them on the ground – remember to pick them up after your throw it

If we don’t follow these rules, paper planes will be banned again.

The three of us will make sure these rules are followed by everyone at school.

Now, who is ready to make paper planes and have some fun?

Thank you for listening!

The other incident involved some of our Year 6 learners, Agam, Sanjay, Aseli, Kimaya, Swara, Aarika, Kevon, Sanuri & Vaani who are part of the English Innovation (advanced learning) program who have been responsible for leading the new school mascot campaign.

Part of this process has involved the children writing to various organisations and asking whether they have the capacity to make a costume of ‘Glen the Roo’ for our school and if yes, negotiate a price. I am thrilled to report that the children have found a suitable manufacturer and also negotiated a price that was approximately 50% lower than first quoted.

Well done Agam, Sanjay, Aseli, Kimaya, Swara, Aarika, Kevon, Sanuri & Vaani and I look forward to you sharing this journey in forthcoming newsletter.

Student Choice, Voice and Agency has been a focus for our school and it is wonderful to see the children utilising these skills to make and lead changes, well done everyone!

Student Achievements

I would like to extend a big congratulations to Swara (Year 6) for her wonderful participation in the Ikebana Exhibition on 25th May at Box Hill Town Hall. It was fantastic to see Swara alongside talented Ikebana artists from five different schools, each sharing their own beautiful interpretations of this elegant Japanese art form.

Swara represented the Sogetsu School of Ikebana, which celebrates creativity, freedom of expression, and a deep connection with nature. She showcased an arrangement in the Slanting Style Moribana—a style that thoughtfully represents the dynamic relationship between the Sun, Moon, and Earth, symbolizing heaven, humanity, and the earth itself.

We are incredibly proud of Swara’s achievement. Well done, Swara!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED A PRINCIPAL’S AWARD RECENTLY:

1B

-Amana and Sihara for being really responsible members of our school community

2B

-Sankrith and Gabriel for ensuring our school yard is neat and tidy

2E

-Rivini, Atiya and Abhi also for ensuring our school yard is neat and tidy

2E and 3A

-Oscar(2E) and Owen(3A) for being very creative and challenging their scientific minds by making an air suspension ball holder and a vacuum cleaner robot

3D

-Vicky for writing a very persuasive letter that contained strong arguments, clear structure, and powerful language to convince the reader

4C

- Tulara, Naveen, Ashley and Kenu for writing a very comprehensive persuasive text requesting a class pet - a cat!

⁃ Naveen and Siddhant for researching the possibility of purchasing table tennis tables for the children to use during breaks and PE classes

- Sineysha for creating an amazing 'stop motion' of a house being built

4F

-Foram for being a fabulous and very supportive friend

5F

- Prisha and Radinsa for writing very impressive reflections about their excursion to the Botanical Gardens as featured in the Kids Corner section of the newsletter

6A

- Meshavi for continuing her outstanding commitment to developing her karate skills. Recently she placed first in a sparring competition with the Kobe Osaka organisation

-Methasha for being a wonderful friend

Wishing everyone a safe and happy fortnight,

Frank Catalano

Principal

Birthdays