Principal's Report

Dear Members of the Glen Waverley Primary School Community,

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the very first newsletter for the 2024 school year!

Some important points about our school newsletter:

• It is distributed via our school website: www.glenps.vic.edu.au every second Thursday commencing Week Two of each term.
• Our newsletter is able to be translated into numerous languages, simply click on the languages icon and select the one you wish to use. 
• It is an important means of sharing information and
• Also, a means of sharing the children’s learning and achievements both within and beyond our school. 

To subscribe and receive future issues of our school iNewsletter please visit - https://inewsletter.co/1ZwJ6x/subscribe/

Welcome Back

Once again, welcome back everyone! As usual, the holiday period has passed by, and we have now started another school year. I hope all families have had a very happy Christmas/summer break and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather and time together. It has been wonderful hearing and sharing holiday stories with families and the children. It is also terrific to see the children returned happy, refreshed and ready to reconnect with everyone and continue their learning! 

Welcome to our new students, their families and also new staff

Our Foundation (Prep) students started last Wednesday and certainly demonstrated a sense of bubbly enthusiasm and feelings of true excitement as they experienced the first few days of their primary school education. 

I would also like to welcome all the other new children and their families and congratulate them on selecting our fabulous school as their educational setting. We do have a wonderful school and I am sure the new students will thoroughly enjoy being part of the Glen Waverley Primary School family. 

Also a sincere welcome to all of our new and returning staff who have either joined us for the first time or are returning after various forms of leave.

Facilities Update

The school holidays are the ideal time for tasks to be completed throughout our school as the contractors can work uninterrupted. These holidays the following tasks were undertaken:

• Re-stumped and painted Block A (the main building) and Block B (the Year 3 building). 
• Polished the gymnasium floor.
• Continued working on the school grounds such as the oval and garden beds. 
• Installed 66 solar panels on the Block A roof and
• Installed various roof safety devices throughout the school, which are designed to keep people accessing and working on the school’s roofs safe. 

What else is planned for this year?

In the coming weeks we will:

• Install 4 of the following seats and shade structures on the oval:

• Update the basketball court flooring 

During the next school holidays, we will:

• A shade cover over the main entrance and over 4A/4E and 6D/6F portable. 
• Update the flooring in the art room and
•  Install operable walls in between Prep B & Prep C, Prep A & Prep D and 3C and 3E. 

I look forward to sharing additional news in forthcoming newsletters. 

Congratulations to the following children for their amazing efforts outside of school.

As a school principal one of the joys of my role is not only watching the children grow and develop; it is also a real privilege to be a part of and share their achievements. As a result, our school newsletter often contains what the children have accomplished as per below:  

Australian Chess Championships

Vidushi (Year 6, 2023) is an avid chess player and in recent years has won or placed in the top three in numerous tournaments either individually or as part of a team. She has also competed against the best adult and junior chess players in the country with enormous success. Recently Vidushi competed in the Under 12’s Australian Chess championships and I am extremely proud to report that she placed 1st and is the current Australian Under 12’s champion! In fact, this is the third time Vidushi has won the Australian championships!

As everyone would agree, it is an amazing achievement to place in the top 3 in a regional or state championship, however to place first in the country is just PHENOMENAL, and to do so three times is simply OUTSTANDING!! Congratulations Vidushi and we look forward to hearing about your future achievements. 

Hair Donation

• Recently Klarisa (Year 3) and Akshara (Year 4) decided to donate their hair. Below are some reflections from the children:

Good evening Mr. Catalano, this is about my hair cut to help kids with cancer with the wigs they need. My hair had grown very long and it was hard to brush all of the knots out of it. 

I had heard of people with cancer and seen on tv, kids that had lost all their hair. This is  because of the treatment that they have to stop the cancer cells and shrink them to make them better. 

I have seen kids that have cancer wearing beanies, headscarfs or hats on tv to cover their  bald head and it makes me feel sorry for them. It is good that there is treatment for cancer like chemotherapy and radiation, but it is sad they lose their hair because of it. 

So I asked mum if I could donate my hair so that it could be made into a wig. She was surprised but agreed that it would be a nice thing  to do. Mum looked things up about how to go about it on the internet and where to send it to. 

After mum cut my hair, felt a lot lighter but I was happy that I donated it. 

And now I have short hair, for now! It will go to Ella Wigmakers on behalf of Kids with Cancer Foundation Australia.  

Klarissa – Year 3

A few years ago, I noticed some of my friend’s donating hair for a great cause, and I wished to do the same. I have been growing my hair for this purpose since then. My family held a small fundraiser and last weekend I cut my hair and sent it to the "Kids With Cancer - Wig for kids" institution. I am very proud of myself because it is important to help others!

Akshara – Year 4.

Klarissa and Akshara, I cannot express how proud I am of you as your spirit of generosity is something that will make a difference to others. Well done, congratulations and thank you for being wonderful ambassadors for your family, our school and yourself! 

School Assemblies

A reminder that our whole school assemblies will take place in the gymnasium on Monday mornings from 9:05 to approximately 9:45 am. As with all school events, parents are most welcome to attend.

School Crossings, Car Parking and Turning Circle

School Crossings:

Our school is fortunate to have Crossing Supervisors on the intersection of Springvale Road and High Street Road. It is imperative that we ensure everyone utilises the school crossings correctly particularly adults as we need to set the correct example.  

Car parking around our school:

Parking in and around schools is an issue in every context, however we are very fortunate that the Mountain View Hotel allow us to use their substantive car park both before and after school. I strongly encourage parents to utilise this however please park in the white bays only. 

Parking in McDonald’s:

Recently I met with the Store Manager and Owner of the McDonald’s restaurant adjacent to our school. Both are lovely people who have the best interest for the children and our school at heart. An issue that arose during our meeting was that some parents are choosing to park in their car park – please do not do so as it is not fair on their business and potentially places the children at risk due to the congestion the excess cars create. 

Parking in residential streets:

Please be conscious of the signs in all the “side streets” as bylaws officers frequently visit during pick up and drop off times. Please pay particular attention to the No Standing/No Parking areas.

Turning Circle

Our turning circle is a fabulous means for families to drop off and pick up the children. Please ensure you move to the front of the queue when the children alight or enter the vehicle as it is extremely dangerous if the children were to cross in front or behind other vehicles. 

When queuing in Kennedy, Fairhills and Brent Streets, please DO NOT leave the vehicle as this will be deemed as you have stopped/parked the car and you will be fined. Of most importance is NOT to turn your car’s engine off if you are in line as this will be deemed as you have parked your car as well and you will also be fined. If you are in traffic and are lining up to collect your child(ren), I suggest you leave your engine running.

Also a reminder that all surrounding streets are 40 km per hour from 8 – 9:30 and also 2:30 to 4:00 p.m

BRENT STREET TURNING CIRCLE

MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL CAR PARKING

If you have any queries with any of the above, please do not hesitate to see or contact me. 

Individual Book Supplies and School Accounts

I am extremely pleased to report that the vast majority of families have now settled their fees.   Thank you to everyone for your support and for ensuring that we have had a very smooth start with the children being well resourced and ready to go! As mentioned previously, the family contributions are a vital component of the school’s ability to provide resources for us to implement the best possible education for all the children. 

Please be aware that if you are yet to settle your school account and need some assistance, do not hesitate to see me. 

Extra-Curricular Programs 

As everyone would be aware, at our school we have a magnitude of extra-curricular programs and activities to provide the children with additional learning opportunities. An overview of these were distributed earlier in the week and if you have any queries regarding any of our extra-curricular programs please do not hesitate to contact the nominated person or our administrative staff - Helen, Daniel, Daria, Jacinta or Julie. 

Classroom Fruit Program (Brain Food)

A reminder that all of the children are expected to have some ‘Brain Food’ at 10am each day. Essentially a healthy snack consisting of fruit and vegetables which supports growing bodies, learning and wellbeing. 

Before and After School Care

A reminder that our school provides a Before and After School Care Program for those who require such a service. The Before School program operates from 6:45 to 8:45 and after school from 3:30 to 6:30. Prep children will commence when they are released at 1 p.m. however it is imperative that all children are booked in. Our program is run by Camp Australia and all the relevant information is located on our school website at https://www.glenps.vic.edu.au/page/168

Principal Awards

As Principal I ensure that I am involved in the learning process as much as possible and as such strongly encourage all students to share their learning with me. Those who receive a Principal’s Award have their names and the reason why they received an award printed in the school newsletter. This is something I cherish dearly as do the children and their families. 

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

Prep C

• Siya for making the most amazing flower out of cardboard 

2D

• Soha for sharing her learning on interconnection and the power of 'and'
• Mahika for sharing the physics of Earth 

3B

• Manuth for creating a very detailed poster about the importance of recycling 

3C

• Pavika for writing an excellent poster about the importance of being very careful to look after our environment 

3D

• Jayrene, Priyanka and Vidhi for being very responsible members of our school community 
• Sophie for making an outstanding start to her learning in Mathshub 
• Jimmy and Abby for making connections with the Learning Pit 

3E

• Dhrisha for making excellent progress with her writing. She wrote about the importance that the various gods have in her life and how she uses them to inspire her - well done Dhrisha!
• Mick for writing a fabulous recount of his family holiday to Thailand which is featured in the Kids Corner section of this newsletter 

4B

• Ivan for writing and learning about water safety and for completing a drawing about his identity 

5D

• Chenuka for continuing to challenge himself by focusing on his drawing skills. Over the holidays he spent quite some time drawing various pictures which are all outstanding! Well done and keep it up Chanukah!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy fortnight, 

Frank Catalano

Principal