Principal's Report

Dear Members of the Glen Waverley Primary School Community, 

Welcome to the final newsletter for the 2023 school year!

In our previous newsletter I posed the question, “Where has the year gone?” As you would be aware, the years do seem to pass rather quickly, whether this is because of the ‘pace of life’ or the fact that we just seem to be busier, I’m not sure. However, what I am sure of is the fact that 2023 has been another outstanding year for everyone associated with our fabulous school. This being our final newsletter for the year, I take the opportunity to elaborate on some of the children’s magnificent achievements!

School Chess Team Update

As everyone would be aware, our school’s Girls Chess team qualified for the National (Australian) Primary Schools Chess Championships in Adelaide recently I am extremely proud to report that they placed 2nd just a few points behind the team from Queensland. Naturally this is a phenomenal achievement and something that we should all be incredibly proud of! 

Below is a report from Yehara for your enjoyment:

Good morning Mr. Catalano, teachers, parents and students. My name is Yehara from 4B and today l will be sharing you my experience in the Australian chess championship tournament that was held in Adelaide (Prince Alfred College).

Our school came second place in all of Australia, which is fantastic and something we are very proud of.

 

All of Our team, which was Vidushi, Amaya, Saheli, Thenugi and I received a medal, which Mr. Catalano is getting framed for us. Our school won a trophy.

 

As we started to play our chess games, we played against different states and it was very competitive. As a team, we work hard to achieve our goal.

I played 2 rounds and l won both of them. I felt really proud of myself. I am sure my teamates also felt the same. Thank you for listening!

As mentioned throughout the year, our school chess teams have had an outstanding year. The children have practiced at home, in each other’s homes, at the various clubs they are members of and have also undertaken numerous coaching sessions. The result of their commitment and dedication has been outstanding as indicated by the following results:

Girls Team:

• The National (Australian) Primary School Chess Championships – 2nd place.  
• Chess Victoria Grand Final - 1st place.  
• Northern Star Primary Girls State Chess Championships – 1st place. 

Open Team (Boys and Girls):

• Chess Victoria Grand Final: 2nd place.
• Northern Star Primary Open State Chess Champions – 3rd place. 

Junor (Year Prep to Three) Open Team (Boys and Girls):

• Northern Star Primary Junior State Chess Champions – 1st place. 

It is quite evident that the children have represented themselves, their families and our school with an enormous sense of pride, commitment, dedication and resilience. What is also evident is the colossal amount of support provided by their parents as they have escorted the children to numerous events throughout the state and country. A sincere thank you to all the chess families as we are incredibly grateful for your support and encouragement. May I also take this opportunity to thank Himath and Chamal for their time and commitment to coordinate the chess teams as your efforts are appreciated by our school and also all of the parents of the children in the teams!

On Wednesday 6th December, we held a Chess Team special lunch where all the children and their parents came together to celebrate the amazing year. The children also received a certificate and a trophy on behalf of our school. Congratulations, well done and thank you to everyone involved in this year’s chess competitions as you have been amazing ambassadors for our school, your family and, most importantly, yourself! 

2024 Student Leaders

On Monday 4th December we hosted a very special assembly to announce the 2024 Student Leaders. The Year 5 children have undertaken a rigorous process, which culminated in the rest of the student body voting for their respective 2024 School and House (Sports) Captains, whilst the staff selected the Curriculum Captains.

May I take this opportunity to thank Ms. Annie Lui for leading this process and all the staff who were involved in various ways. 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:

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. 

2024 Staff Team

Next year we are expecting to commence the year with approximately 920 students and a 36 classroom model. The 2024 Staff Team will consist of:

Specialist Programs:

• Visual Arts – Sandra Lyczba  
• Languages and EAL – Shasha Guo, Esther Wang and Allie Ding 
• Music – Nadia Cecconello 
• Physical Education – Riley Yousef and Abbey Lawlor 
• Mind, Body and Us – Alana Essa and Monique Kelly
• Digital Arts – Yvette Gavalovic and Natasha Margelis 

Innovation Programs

• STEAM – Lachlan Soo  
• Digital Learning (Robotics) – Nicole Pryde  
• Maths - Kathy Williams and Anat Garzberg-Grant 
• English (Writing) – Ivana Krsteska  

Student Support Targeted Student Learning (TSL):

• Lindy Tran, Samantha Rich, Eunice Lye, Ryo Sugihara, Adriana Parsons and Jason McCormick.

Learning Assistants:

• Soula Lucas, Elizabeth Steinke, Vani Muregesan, Nicole Rowland, Sumungali Dissanayake, Karli Bell, Ishpreet Manchanda and Wendy Wallace. 

Library:

• Sabrina Aung and Katheryn Stroud

Allied Health Team:

• Grace Wong (Speech Pathologist) and Ryo Sugihara (Counsellor) 

Education Support Staff:

• Business Manager – Julie Milward
• Executive Assistant – Helen Hassiotis 
• Administrative Assistants – Daniel Itsines, Daria McCullough and Jacinta Gaffy
• School Nurse – Emma Attrill 
• Library – Sabrina Aung and Katheryn Stroud
• Maintenance Manager – Michael La Rosa
• School Employed Cleaner – Brian Hogan
• DET Employed Technical Assistant – Batool Nawrozi

Learning Specialists:

• Samantha Stefanidis – English
• Peter Shen – Maths 
• Ivana Krsteska – Digital and Global Citizenship 
• Stacey Cupo – Pedagogy and Student Voice & Agency

Leading Teacher: 

• Kylie Bailey – Data Literacy  

Principal Class:

• Principal – Frank Catalano
• Assistant Principal (Wellbeing) – Daniel Addison
• Assistant Principal (Teaching, Learning and Curriculum) – Amanda Seach and 
• Assistant Principals – (Operations and Advanced Learning Programs) - Roland Lewis and Anat Garzberg – Grant 

Overall, I am exceptionally pleased with the 2024 staff team and am very confident that we will be able to provide a high quality education for all of our students. 

2024 Parent Payments (School Fees)

Recently a Compass Post was distributed outlining information about the 2024 Parent Payments/school fees, which families were able to settle from Monday 30th October. The children’s stationary packs can be collected from the office from Monday 27th November. 

As per all school events, if you require support with settling your school fees, please do not hesitate to contact me on 9802 9938 or at frank.catalano@education.vic.gov.au.

2024 Enrolments

I would like to remind families with children who will be beginning school in 2024 that we are taking enrolments now and that they are also closing rapidly as we only have a very small number of positions available. I strongly encourage you to ensure you return your child’s enrolment form to Daniel, Daria or Julie in the main office as soon as possible. 

We also ask that members of our school community assist us by informing any of their neighbours of the enrolment procedures and direct them to the office to collect an enrolment form or our school website – www.glenps.vic.edu.au.

School tours are available every Tuesday morning commencing at 9:30 and also upon request.  Please call the school on 9802 9938 to book a tour.

Congratulations to the following children for their achievements beyond our school

• Sasavi (Year Prep) loves learning about and completing various types of artworks. Recently she entered a painting in the "One Fine baby Expo" event which was held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and I am thrilled to report that her submission was ranked 1st! As a result, Sasavi received $1000 worth of gift cards from the "Black & White Studio". Well done and congratulations Sasavi as it is wonderful to see you achieve something so special at your age – keep it up!

• Arjun (Year 2) is an avid athlete and he loves to run! Recently he participated in a 3km walk, which he enjoyed immensely and now he is busy training for a 10km run next year! Well done and congratulations Arjun and we look forward to hearing how you go in the 10km race! 

• Baanushan (Year 4) is an avid and very competent mathematician and recently he was awarded the State High Achiever award for the Australian Maths Competition (AMC). The AMC is an extremely popular assessment program and to be awarded the State award is an outstanding effort. Well done, congratulations and keep up the fabulous learning Baanushan! 

• Thenugi (Year 5) is an avid participant in the Australian Air League Cadets program, and I am thrilled to announce that this year she was nominated and was the successful recipient of the Victorian Air League State Junior Cadet of the Year (Female). Well done and congratulations Thenugi as this is a wonderful and inspirational achievement! 

Ananda (Year 5) has been learning Kathak, an Indian classical dance form with Ghungroo School of Dance since 2020. Recently she was selected to perform a solo dance at her school's annual concert, a very special honour as usually solos are undertaken by senior students who have been learning for many more years. 

Ananda was also asked to perform at an outing at the Hindi Language forum's annual gala, held at Clayton Townhall in mid-November.  

A few more practises later, Ananda performed at Hawthorn Arts centre, the biggest stage yet of Ananda's life. Attendees in the Clayton event included Monash Mayor Cr. Nicky Luo, John Mullahy MP and Matt Fregon MP. The Hawthorn event had the presence of Boroondara Mayor Cr. Felicity Sinfield and John Berger MP.

Making the event even more special for Ananda was a surprise prize, an excellence medal from her teacher.  Well done and congratulations Ananda as this is a fabulous achievement, I look forward to you performing for our school sometime next year. 

• Hirun (Year 6) is a very talented athlete who has competed at State level both for the Knox Little Athletics Club and our school. Hirun is also an extremely humble young person and this year he was nominated and received the Rotary Club of Waverley’s “Sporting Attitude” medal. Congratulations and well done Hirun as you should be exceptionally proud of yourself as we are of you!  

• Lucy (Year 6) is an inspirational young lady who has worked tirelessly to assist others throughout our school. She displays kindness and compassion, by volunteering to support younger students in the school community during Quiet Play, and in the school yard. She is an excellent role model. As a result, Lucy recently received the Community Spirit and Leadership Award, which was presented by Barabara Harman, Member for Chisholm, at an Awards Ceremony. Well done, congratulations and keep up the fabulous attitude towards helping others Lucy!

• Anishka (Year 6) -  A heartfelt congratulations to student Anishka on receiving her Super Speak Achievement Award. This award is presented to students who have completed 2.5 years of training in Public Speaking & Communication Skills at Super Speak (equivalent to 100 hours) and have presented 15 formal solo speeches.

• Congratulations to Arena who has capped off her stella season of golf be placing 1st in the Victorian State School Sports final! 

Arena, you have had an amazing year by achieving so much in your chosen sport of golf such as:

• Placed 1st in the Vietnam Junior Open
• 13th in the Vietnam Amateur Open 
• Competed in the Australian Junior Amateur Golf Championships
• Was also awarded the School Sports Victoria, School Sporting Award 
• Qualified for the Victorian Primary Schools Golf Team
• Represented Victoria in the Australian Primary Schools Golf championships where the team placed second and
• Placed 1st in the Victorian State School Sports final! 

The above can only be described as AMAZING and we look forward to hearing what you achieve in the coming year – well done and congratulations! 

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 reports will be distributed electronically (via Compass) on Monday 18th December. Please ensure you have access to Compass and if you need any assistance, see Daniel, Daria or Julie in the main office.

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

Christmas Charity Fundraiser - School Hardship Fund

Congratulations and thank you to Shaya, Swanya, Manuthi, Sahana (A), and Manuth for actioning our school value of Global Empathy by organising their very own fundraising event. The children worked tirelessly in their own time and homes, to make Christmas cards so they can sell them to raise additional funds for our school’s Hardship Fund. The result of their work was that they raised $421.80, which will be used to support families with purchasing school uniform, settling the school fees and contributing to camps, excursions and incursions. 

Well done, congratulations and thank you Shaya, Swanya, Manuthi, Sahana (A), and Manuth for being incredibly considerate and generous members of our school community and thank you to all of the families who supported the children. Well done everyone! 

End of year celebrations

Prep Prom

The Prep Prom was held on last night and, once again, what a fabulous school community event it was! Congratulations to the 2023 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! 

A special thank you to our Prep Teachers (Mrs. Stefanidis, Mrs. Javidi, Mrs. Baguley, Ms. Scanlan, Ms. John and Ms. Chow) for their fabulous organisation of the event and the numerous staff who assisted in various ways. Well done and congratulations everyone!

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 Year 6 Teachers (Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Gilbert, Mr. Lou, Mr. Yousef, Mrs. Hardy, Mrs. Parsons, Ms. Beh, Ms. Liburti ) for their fabulous organisation and the numerous staff who assisted in various ways. Well done and congratulations everyone! 

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

2023 Year Book

I am hopeful that the 2023 Yearbook will be distributed by the time this newsletter is published as I look forward to seeing the delight in the children’s eyes as they read it from ‘cover to cover’ and then feverishly obtain autographs. The Yearbooks are a wonderful memento of the marvellous achievements throughout the year, something which I know the children really look forward to receiving and keeping for many years to come. 

Thank you to Mrs Tran, Ms Rich and their team for leading the 2023 Yearbook process and congratulations to the following Year 6 children who had their front cover design published this year:  

6A: Dilu, Jenny, Vinu and Lu Lu

6B: Senuli and Savinu 

6D: Sahiba, Julie, Lucy and Mai

6E: Henry 

6F: Saumya, Snigdha, Ileesha, Vaneesha, Vidushi and Isabel.

School Holiday Vacation Care Program

Once again Camp Australia have organised a wonderful school holiday program which consists of a number of exciting activities. This year the program will be implemented as follows:

• Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd December 2023 and 
• Monday 8th January – Monday 29th January 2024 (inclusive).

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 or at www.campaustralia.com.au.

End of Term Awards

In Term Four we 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:

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, medallion and a $20 book voucher at our whole school assembly on Monday 18th December at 9.00am. 

Term 4 Principal Learning Awards:

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

Goodbye to some of our friends

As the end of the school year draws closer, we will be saying goodbye to a few 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 or pursuing other avenues. 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. 

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 led 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 School Captains Amellia, Vivaan, Dilu and Ranveer 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 and this is reflected in our School Council; thank you to all of our Councillors for your unwavering support as we continue to work for the betterment of the entire school community. 

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 Wednesday 20th December 

A reminder that we will finish school at 1:30pm on Wednesday 20th December; as a result the students will not need their lunch unless they will be attending After School Care which will commence at 1:30pm. 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.

2024 Return Dates

• Year 1-6 students will return to school on Tuesday 30th January and 
• Foundation (Prep) students will begin on Wednesday 31st January.  

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 2024! 

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have received a Principal’s Award recently:

Prep E

• Henry for successfully passing his preliminary Piano exam with Honours - well done Henry and keep up the great piano playing. I look forward to seeing you play at assembly very soon. 

1A

• Eric for making amazing progress with his writing. Eric writes regularly and he constantly stretches himself to write even more detailed and engaging pieces. Well done Eric and keep it up! 
• Jathy for writing a very clever card for my office. 
• Myraa for being a wonderful friend. 

1C

• Owen for coming 6th place in the Australian Dancesport Championships. 

1D

• Liam for making great improvements with his handwriting. 
• Nicholas and Edwin for writing the most beautiful poems.
• Advika for painting a beautiful sun setting scene. 
• Lyneta and Samiksha for being very supportive friends. 

• Max for building a paper plane which even has our school emblem on the wings. 
• Samiksha for receiving a medal from Kumon for being an advanced honours student in maths. 
• Jamie for her participation at the 2023 Gymnastics Display

2A

• Aaradhya for writing a very persuasive text about the benefits of joining the Chinese choir. 
• Elaina for being a wonderful friend. 

2B

• Evelyn and Sineysha for continuing to make outstanding progress with their writing skills. Well done and keep up the amazing attitude towards your learning. 
• Vidhi and Japnoor for being responsible members of our school community. 
• Aryan for his public speaking skills. Well done on delivering a speech to over 50 people as part of the SuperSpeak Public Speaking Program. 

2E

• Navesha and Jayrene for writing beautiful posters about our school including all of the specialist lessons. 
• Aneel for receiving 2 trophies from her gymnastics club.

3A

• Sam and Javis for making the most amazing progress with their writing skills. 
• Congratulations to Suditi who participated in the annual production of Jacinta Murphy School of Ballet and gave a remarkable performance on classical Ballet on theme "Animalia". Her character was a mouse who disturbs the people in the forest having a picnic and steals cheese from them - all depicted through graceful dance forms and delicate expressions. 

4A

• Hridu for working exceptionally hard to publish his very own book. The book was about a bully, who ends up being a very good friend. Well done, Hridu! 

4B

• Sarvang for receiving a meal from a robotics championship for passing the very challenging inspections stage. 

• Chenuka for continuing to practice his drawing skills which have developed exceptionally well over the course of the year. 

5A 

• Neervi, Sayumi and Oscar for learning about brain teasers in their inquiry lessons  
• Kanav for working extremely hard on his home learning task by producing an outstanding poster that depicts lots of information about food, such as the amount wasted per year in Australia, the cost of this and how to reduce it too. Well done Kanav!