Principal's Report

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 see me at school or contact me on 9802 9938 or via email at frank.catalano@education.vic.gov.au.

End of Term Three

I find it very difficult to believe that tomorrow is the final day of Term Three and that we are three quarters of the way through the 2024 school year – where has the time, term and year gone? Nevertheless, a sincere thank you to the children, their families and our amazing school staff for an outstanding term and I look forward to this continuing after the school holidays. 

Victorian State School Spectacular (VSSS)

Wow, wow, wow! For those who have the pleasure of attending the VSSS, you would be aware as to why it is titled a SPECTACULAR because every year it just gets bigger, better and even more spectacular! As usual, the children were absolutely amazing as they proudly represented themselves, our school and their families as they sang and danced through the various aspects of the concert. Congratulations, well done and thank you to the following students: 

Mass Choir:

3A –  Minza, Nathan, Oliver and Ritisha

3B – Theo, Jahnavi, Sithuki

3C – Ngo Chi

3D – Evelyn, Ashley, Aneel and Jayrene

3E – Methuli, Austin

4A – Pavirna, Grace, Yug and Yenuk

4B – Timmy

4C – Radinsa, Thinuli, Shanosh and Javis

4D – Rehmat, Sakthi and Asees

4E – Arjun and Kate

4F – Rudra and Sanuli

Mass Dance:

5A - Krisha

5B - Akaine

5C - Thinuli , Meshavi, Adrisha, Emilia

5D - Jaik

5E - Thamika, Aaria  

6A - Alyssa, Anuki

6B - Diyoni and Izzy

6D - Maahi, Esandi

6F - Hansiga

Principal Choir – Congratulations to Akshara (Year 4) and  Ayaan (Year 6) who were members of this year’s Principal Choir which consists of approximately 25 children. Naturally, it is an almighty effort to be selected as the selection process was extensive and gruelling. Ayaan, Akshara and their family were also required to attend numerous rehearsals throughout the year including most weekends. Well done and congratulations Akshara and Ayaan I hope you are as proud of yourself as we are of you!

For those who may not be aware, our school also had 2 of our alumni in the Principal Choir – Gargi (Year 7) and Senudi (Year 8) and Ria (Year 8) was one of the principal vocalists! 

May I take this opportunity to once again thank the families of the children involved in this year’s State School Spectacular as this too is another imposition for busy families. However, it is such an amazing opportunity for the children and most likely a “once in a lifetime” experience. 

As with all school events, our school’s participation in the Victorian State School Spectacular would not have been possible if it were not for the commitment and enthusiasm of our wonderful staff. A sincere thank you and well done to Ms. Cecconello and Mr. Clark for leading the Mass Choir the Mass Dances (respectively), and for their wonderful leadership and coordination leading up to, and throughout the Spectacular. Also, a sincere thank you to Ms. Aung (Sabrina), Ms. Bayly, Michael and Ms. Seach for their assistance.  

Congratulations and well done everyone!! Please refer to Mr. Clark’s piece for additional information. 

Congratulations to Thinuli

Thinuli (Year 4) is an avid and very talented artist, and she is about to host her very own exhibition! Please refer to her message and invitation below:

Art exhibition

Hello everyone, my name is Thinuli and I am in Year 4.

I'm here to share about my upcoming Art Exhibition.

I have started painting when I was 4, and now I'm 10. My art has improved so much, from kindergarten to now. It started as a hobby and now I have this art exhibition. This means so much to me and it will be really awesome if you could be able to join me.

Being a young artist is really fun because I get to use my imagination and create all sorts of cool things. Sometimes, I like to paint pictures that are abstract art or patterns, and other times I just let my brush go wild and create a symphony of colours. It makes me feel proud when I finish a piece, and I can’t wait to show it to my friends and family. Art helps me express how I feel, even if I can’t put it into words.

Art speaks to me in a way that words sometimes can’t. When I paint or draw, it’s like I can show my feelings and ideas without even talking. The colours, shapes, and lines all tell a story that comes from inside me. Sometimes, when I’m happy, I use bright colours, and when I’m feeling calm, I use soft ones. Art lets me be myself and share what I’m thinking, even when I’m not sure how to say it. It’s like my own special language that everyone can understand in their own way.

Having my own art exhibition feels like a dream come true! I've been waiting for this day to come since I was 5. It’s going to be so exciting to see my paintings hung up on the walls for everyone to see. I worked really hard on them, and it feels amazing to know people will be looking at something I created. I hope when they see my artwork, it will make them smile or think about things in a new way. Maybe one day, I'll be a famous artist, but for now, I’m just happy to share my art with my fellow peers and community. 

If you want to, feel free to come along to my exhibition, the invitation is below.

Celebrating Sahas' Generosity

We're incredibly proud of Sahas from 6D, who is making a remarkable contribution to help children in need. Sahas has decided to donate his hair to Variety - the Children's Charity, supporting kids who lose their hair due to medical conditions. This selfless act reflects the values of integrity, initiative, respect, and global empathy that we uphold in our school community. Well done Sahas! 

If you'd like to support Sahas and this wonderful cause, you can contribute through the link below. 

Support Sahas' Hair Donation

Congratulations to Cian in 3A!

I’d like to extend heartfelt congratulations to Cian in 3A and his mum, Herath, for organising a successful lemonade stand on Friday, 13th September, to raise funds for the Monash Children’s Hospital. Thanks to their hard work and the generosity of our school community, they raised an impressive $236.85!

The event was a huge hit with the children, who absolutely loved it. A special thank you goes to Cian’s mum, who made an incredible 70 litres of lemonade for everyone to enjoy. Your efforts have made a big difference, and we’re incredibly proud of this achievement!

Well done, Cian!

Sister Schools Update

Throughout this term our Year 3, 4 and 5 children have been completed some learning with their peers in New Zealand (Araria Springs PS) and Nepal (The Jhapa Model English School). 

As you may be aware, this week, Ms. Seach and I are in Christchurch, New Zealand as we are attending the Australian Primary Principal’s Conference. Araria Springs PS happens to be located a short trip from where we are staying hence we organised to visit our sister school. Below are some photos of us with our friends and colleagues from Araria Springs. 

The Year 3 children have been conducting Zoom sessions with their friends in Nepal, which have proven to be very successful and highly educational. Below is a short email from Jasmine, their Assistant Principal Curriculum:

Today, we had a very good interactive session with Class 3E. The students really enjoyed the session and learned a lot from each other. Students from GWPS wanted to listen to our National Anthem and our students performed our national anthem in the zoom session. To give the tribute, students of GWPS stood up to show respect while our students sang the Anthem. Isn't that wonderful?

Below are some of the reflections written by the Year 3’s:

Shivaan: "I loved standing for their national anthem to show respect. I now know what their flag looks like. They pray to God like us."

Hansen: "I learned that Nepal is landlocked because it is between China and India. I also learned they worship cows."

Riddota: "I discovered that Mt. Everest is in Nepal. They have a different currency than us. Nepal’s climate is different from ours; it is the opposite of here. I enjoyed sharing cultures."

Thrisha: "I learned that in Nepal, they have a lot of traffic. Many things are similar in our cultures. However, they speak a different language than us."

Australian Primary Principal’s Conference and Kids Academy International School 

As mentioned above, throughout this week Miss. Seach and I are attending the Australian Primary Principal’s Conference in Christchurch and during the second week of the school holidays, I will be conducting the Council of International Schools (CIS) review of the Kids Academy International School in Thailand. 

I look forward to providing an update in our next newsletter. 

Prep Transition Program 

Last Tuesday we held our first Prep Transition session, and it is always a sheer delight to welcome and host our new Prep students and families. These sessions are extremely important as the children begin their transition from kindergarten to school. Every year I marvel as to how ‘mature and prepared’ the children are as they seamlessly attended their lessons and complete the learning tasks. 

Thank you to everyone involved and I look forward to this extremely important aspect of our school’s programs continuing next term. 

Thank You to the Hon. John Mullahy, MP. 

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Honourable John Mullahy, State Member (Labour) for Glen Waverley District, for joining us at our school assembly on Monday, 16th September. Mr. Mullahy generously presented our school captains with new Australian, Aboriginal, and Victorian State flags to replace our current flags, which had become a little weathered.

We are incredibly grateful for this generous contribution, which will proudly fly at our school and represent the unity and diversity of our community. Thank you, Mr. Mullahy, for your support!

Thank you Monash Glen Waverley Rotary Club and congratulations Kylie and Grace in 4A! 

On Monday during assembly, we were thrilled to welcome Bev and Tina from the Monash Glen Waverley Rotary Club, who joined us to present awards to Kylie from 4A and Grace for their outstanding achievements in the 2024 Writing Competition.

Kylie earned first prize, which included a $40 voucher, for her captivating piece about the Olympics, while Grace was recognised as the runner-up for her beautiful poem about the seasons. Both students also received certificates for their impressive work.

A special thank you to the Rotary Club for sponsoring this competition and supporting our young writers. Congratulations to Kylie and Grace for their hard work and creativity—we are incredibly proud of you both!

Vacation Care Program

Once again our school will be implementing our very own Vacation Care (Holiday Care) program during the forthcoming holidays. Included in this newsletter is an overview of the program and the associated costs. 

Please be aware that ALL FAMILIES are entitled to a 50% rebate (which is not means tested) plus a further rebate which is determined by your family’s 2023-2024 annual taxable income. 

If you have any questions pertaining to the Vacation Care program, please do not hesitate to contact or see Meththa (OSHC coordinator) or me at school. 

What’s planned for our school during the school holidays?

Throughout the forthcoming school holidays, we plan to:

• Continue works associated with the new Year 6 play and recreational 
• Top up the softfall material around the adventure playgrounds 
• Top up the sand in the sandpits and
• Lay new asphalt in the new car parking spaces in the staff car park next to the oval. 

I look forward to sharing some photos in the first newsletter of Term Four. 

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving a Principal’s Award recently: 

Prep A

• Ashley and Sahana for learning all about words that start with the letters WH and TH 
• Taksh, Sohana and Tia for learning how to say the colours blue and purple in Mandarin. 

Prep C

• Deena, Hareem and Milaan for working very hard on their timelines 

2A

• Reyashi and Abisshna for writing a detailed report about the Moon. Did you know that the Moon is 9,383,748,198 hectares in size? 
• Agam, Amelia, Siana, Abisshna and Ayaansh for researching and writing fabulous reports about Victorian landmarks 
• Jamie, Hareem, Aoun and Aatheesan for being really responsible members of our school community 

2E

• Congratulations Shenelle, two gold medal ribbons and one silver metal ribbon is quite an achievement for a young gymnast. Shenelle won these amazing awards at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Invitational cup for the Ball, Rope and Freehand events. 

3B

• Minadi, Anay and Kenu for making excellent progress with their writing 
• Minadi for her outstanding attitude towards her learning, particularly inquiry and writing 

3D

• Devanshi, Evelyn, Shanaya and Aneel for learning about Translation in Maths and lots of things about angles 
• Rey for writing a terrific letter to a fictitious Council about a noisy neighbour as a means to develop and demonstrate his use of emotive language 
• Evelyn for producing an excellent 3D drawing with includes a hand that ‘pops out’ of the surface and for learning about how emotions can be written to influence a piece of writing 
• Sai for learning how to use emotive language and cues when writing 
• Diniru and Aneel for being wonderful friends 

4B

• Dylan for researching and presenting a speech about the famous Chinese author and story teller, Liu Zhigang
• Lesara for writing and delivering a very interesting and humorous speech about Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

4F

• Congratulations to Rudra in 4F and Sohum in 1D for their excellent piano playing skills which earned them a metal at the Forte Festival at the Karalyka Centre on 16 September. Two very talented members of the Glen Waverley Primary School community. Well done! 

Wishing everyone a safe and happy school holiday period.

Take care and to those who are travelling, please do so carefully.  

Frank Catalano

Principal