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

Swimming Programs 

Thank you to the families who have supported our school’s swimming programs as I do recognise, they can be an additional burden to the usual family routines. Overall, I felt the programs have been very successful and look forward to the Year Prep to Two program culminating on Wednesday 18th March. 

Inter-School Sports Program 

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who have made an excellent start to the inter-school sport program as it has been fabulous to see the high level of sportsmanship and, most importantly, enjoyment. This program is always a highlight for the children, as it provides them with the opportunity to practice and develop their sporting skills in a competitive yet supportive environment. Beyond sporting skills development, students also build essential teamwork, communication, and leadership skills whilst simultaneously learning the value of collaboration and perseverance. Congratulations everyone and I look forward to sharing more inter-school sport news throughout the year.

Congratulations to Arunn

Towards the end of last year, Arunn (Year 6) was provided with the opportunity of a lifetime to play soccer in Thailand. Below is a recount of his amazing experience:

Hello everyone,  

I’m Arunn from Year 6 and I’m writing to thank you all for helping me raise money to support me attending a soccer tournament in Thailand.

The opening ceremony was really inspiring and holding up the Australian flag made me feel so much pride and very, very proud.  On the day of the tournament, I was feeling mixed emotions mostly excited and nervous. The bus ride to our tournament was a new experience since the police escorted us to our tournament venue. 

Walking onto the field with my fellow teammates made everything seem so for unreal. Wow, here we are about to play soccer in Thailand! 

We played against teams from Japan, Thailand, Laos, Taiwan and Singapore. The experience was amazing and I made friends with some of the Japanese players.  I am very grateful full for all support I have received from GWPS. 

Wow Arunn, what an experience this was for you and your family! Not only playing soccer overseas but also making friends with children from other countries and a police escort to the venue! Well done, congratulations and we all look forward to watching you progress with your football (soccer) career! 

Congratulations to Klarissa

Klarissa is extremely fond of learning both within and beyond our school and recently she sent the following message for me to share with everyone:

Good Evening Mr Catalano,

Last Thursday night was a really special for me because I got a trophy for Best in Education at one of my (outside school) classes called the Australian Air League. The awards night was for last year’s efforts, so it was really exciting to be recognised for all the hard work I did last year.

Before the end of last year, my mum and I were talking about how many points I might get on my badges. We were both wondering if I could beat the person who won it in 2024. It became a really “I really want this” challenge, and it made me want to try even harder with my AAL education study.

When my name was called, I wasn’t really surprised because I had been working really hard and was kind of expecting it. But I still felt really proud when I got the trophy.

In 2024, I also got a runners-up trophy that the officer of our squadron/ group made just for me as an honour because I did a lot of education work as a junior cadet, that made me want to keep improving and aim even higher this year.

Getting this trophy and having been honoured for my effort as junior cadet in 2024 reminded me it’s not about winning trophies it’s about the effort you put into it and learning new things in the education.

Kind regards,

Klarissa

Thank you and congratulations Klarissa and you are spot on – it is not about the awards, it is about the learning and the learning journey. Please keep up the amazing dedication towards your learning and enjoy every moment and opportunity it brings! 

Thank you to Manuth

May I take this opportunity to thank Manuth (Year 5) and his family for kindly donating a large number of books for our school library – thank you for thinking of our school Manuth, we really appreciate it! 

Congratulations to Bavitran

Bavitran loves competing in athletics. He is a member of the Berwick Athletics Club and recently he received a medallion for achieving 25 PB (Persona Bests) in:

• Voltex throw
• High jump
• Discuss throw
• 50m ,100m and 400 m run
• Hurdles and
• Long jump.

2026 Fundraising Program 

Recently the CIS Captains (Siddharth, Thinuli, Navya, Abiru and Krish K) distributed a copy of our Fundraising program for the year. Overall, our school takes immense pride in our student-led fundraising program, as it is engineered to support a wide range of organizations both locally and globally. The program reflects the children’s compassion, leadership, and commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others as true global citizens. 

Below is an overview of the program for this term: 

School Council Update

Thank you to the members of our school community who nominated for this year’s School Council, a reminder that the closing date for nominations is 5pm on Wednesday 25th February.

I look forward to announcing the composition of our 2026 School Council as soon as possible. 

Victorian State School Spectacular 

Congratulations to the following children who have been selected to represent our school in this year’s VSSS. I look forward to seeing their skills and talent develop throughout the course of the year and then performing at John Cain Arena on Saturday 13th November!

Mass Choir:

Year 3: Yaara, Janiru (Sihas), Emory, Anayah, Oliver, Aditi, Viduka, Nikshinth, Nila and Ava

Year 4: Eloise (Ella), Mahroosh, Shivane, Fan Xi (Leah), Vernika, Kiara, Ishana, Shanaya, Abha, Tanvi, Thiruni, Nethuli, Saneli, Fatima and Kavnoor (Megan)

Mass Dance:

Year 5: Aadhavan, Jacob, Nethmi P, Evelyn and Aneel

Year 6: Ramaiya, Tiana, Akira, Eva S, Myra K, Sasen, Khwaeesh, Rachel, Mehar and Rehmat

 I am also thrilled to announce and congratulate: 

• Akshara (Year 6) – who has been selected as a Principal Vocalist for the second year in a row, which means she will be one of the main performers! Wow, well done Akshara as this is an amazing achievement! 
• Aadyah (Year 6) – has been selected as a member of the orchestra playing the drums and percussion. Wow, well done Aadyah as this is an amazing achievement, and
• Theo (Year 5) also for the second year in a row, has been selected as a member of the VSSS Principal Choir, also another outstanding achievement!

Akshara, Aadyah and Theo, I cannot express how proud I am of you, particularly considering how competitive the selection for the VSSS is and the high calibre of children you competed against. Well done and congratulations! 

Wishing everyone a safe and happy fortnight, 

Frank Catalano

Principal