Principal's Update
Angelika Ireland
Welcome Back
Welcome back to the 2025 school year! I hope all families had an enjoyable holiday break with their children.
What an exciting, busy start we saw at Greenvale Primary School last week with our students from Year 1 to Year 6 returning to school on the Wednesday. We have just on 600 students enrolled from Foundation to Year 6. They were excited to be back, happy to meet up with their friends and looking forward to another challenging year in 2025.
The Foundation students started school one week after the other students to allow each student to take part in some individual assessments by their classroom teacher. We had 66 new Foundation students starting with us this week for 2025. We welcome these children and their families and know that they will love their schooling at Greenvale.
I look forward to meeting our new families and to continue building the partnership with all of our current families at Greenvale.
Holiday Happenings………..
It was great to come back to the school and see it in such good presentation. With our maintenance person Joe’s care, the grass on our oval is looking great!! The holiday period was relatively busy. We had a specialist come in to paint new line markings onto the resurfaced basketball courts. We also had 3 new split system air conditioners installed in the main building, whole school cleaning, general maintenance, Testing & Tagging of all our electrical equipment and resurfacing of the Gym floor. Many thanks go to Joe, our maintenance person for overseeing these works and contractors.
Welcome
We are delighted to introduce our newly appointed / returning staff.
My name is Emilia Kotevska. This year marks my second year of teaching, and I’m excited to be working as a Year 4 teacher at Greenvale Primary School. I love spending time with my family and friends, exploring new foods, and reading whenever I get the chance. I’m looking forward to the year ahead and the new experiences that come with joining the Greenvale community!
Hi, my name is Makayla D’Angelo. I did some work experience at Greenvale Primary School a couple of years ago and completely fell in love with helping students progress with their learning so when I was given the opportunity to apply for a job here, I was really excited, as I love helping kids. In my spare time I like to play football and hang out with my family and friends. Thank you for embracing me into the Greenvale community.
Hello my name is Tanya Smith and I'm a new teacher at Greenvale Primary School. I am really looking forward to spending my time across various classrooms in the school and connecting with the wider school community. Some things I like doing in my spare time are reading, watching my kids play sport and hanging out with friends. If you see me in the yard feel free to say hello.
Hi I am Rebecca Hart I am part of the Year One teaching team. I have taught at Greenvale Primary for the past 3 years. Last year I was relief teaching as I had my second son at the end of 2023. Outside of school my two boys keep me very busy as well as our new puppy. I look forward to getting to know the Greenvale community more this year!
Hi everyone! My name is Lauren Hartnett, and I am so excited to be back full time at GPS. You may remember me as a Year One teacher from a few years ago, before I left to travel overseas. I’ve now returned and couldn’t be happier to see all the smiling faces in our amazing school community! When I’m not teaching, I love going to concerts, playing footy and spending time with my pets. If you see me around the school, please come and say hi, or come and visit me in my office in the BER.
School Council Elections 2025 - Parents in Partnership
All schools are required to conduct annual elections for School Council during the February/March period.
There are three different categories of members on School Council – Parents, School Employees and a Community Member.
At our 2025 election, we have 3 parent vacancies. The term of office for these vacancies is two years. We also have another vacancy that is tagged Community Member. This person is not required to be a parent, and is invited by the existing School Council members to be on school councils.
School Councillors provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging. You do not need any special experience to be on School Council. What you do need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future and a commitment to fulfilling the expectations of the role.
School Council meets about two times each term i.e. 8 times over the course of the year. School Councillors are also required to be on a sub-committee of School Council – Finance, Buildings and Grounds or Community Links.
Can I encourage parents who would like to be part of School Council to ensure that they are nominated. Parents may be nominated by another parent, or they can nominate themselves. Nominations open Thursday 13th February and close on Thursday 20th February. Nomination Forms will be available at the Office.
Please see the school website at https://greenvaleps.vic.edu.au/school-council/ to find out more parent information and an election timeline.
Morning School Drop Off
BRINGING YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING
Please be aware that in the morning there is NO PARKING allowed on Bradford Avenue or Langdon Way on the school side right around the perimeter fence of the school. From 8:00am to 9:00am the parking areas / bays are 2 minute Drop Off Zones only to allow a flow of traffic as cars pull in, unload and then drive off. We call these Kiss & Drop zones. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THESE ZONES AND LEAVE YOUR CAR IN THE MORNING. You will need to find parking in the surrounding streets and then accompany your child into the school.
The school car park is for staff cars only. There is NO parent parking in the school car park.
Meet and Greet - Parents in Partnership
This year, families will have the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher at the beginning of the year in a Meet & Greet session. This is scheduled for Thursday, 13th February, from 4pm until 6pm. The Meet and Greet session is not a one-on-one meeting with your child’s class teacher but, rather an open classroom and an opportunity for you to speak with the teacher and see your child’s classroom. There will be an information session for each year level outlining details for the year. Students are expected to attend also. If you have more than one child attending our school, you will be able to visit each of your children’s classrooms.
This early meeting is intended to strengthen the ties between the classroom teachers and parents, in that both get a chance to meet each other with the student present. Building better links between our school and your homes encourages positive learning experiences for students. The more you as parents know about our school, the more likely we will be able to support your child’s learning in partnership.
The Meet & Greet is not a typical Parent Teacher Interview where the teacher talks about your child’s academic progress. This will occur mid-year.
Sun Smart Term
Just a reminder that Term 1 is a Sun smart term. Students are expected to wear their school hat outside at all times. If your child requires a new hat, they may buy it at the Office for $15 or from our Uniform supplier.
Please make sure your child’s hat is clearly labelled with their full name.
Food for Thought:
Regards
Angelika Ireland