Principal's Report

Book Week

Last Friday, our school was transformed into a wonderful collection of much-loved book characters as students arrived ready for our annual Book Parade. It was fantastic to see the thought, creativity and imagination that went into the costumes, with students proudly bringing their favourite stories to life. A big thank you to our staff, who fully embraced the spirit of the day by coming dressed as their own favourite book characters. It was also wonderful to see so many parents and grandparents attending the assembly to help celebrate this special event. It was also lovely to see the children carrying the book from which their character comes from in the parade.  Special thanks to Holly Ife, Christine Brodie and Tom Pitts for their excellent organisation, and to our Literacy Captains, Elly and Indi, for doing an outstanding job hosting the Book Parade.

Hats! Hats! Hats!

We ask all children to find their hats, make sure they are clearly named and have them at school to wear when they are at play or outdoors. Our school is a SunSmart school, and we have a policy that aims to protect the students and staff from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. As from the beginning of September hats are now to be worn when students are outside through until the end of April next year. 

District Athletics

A total of 72 students proudly represented Gardenvale Primary School at the District Athletics on Wednesday, 27th August. Our students performed exceptionally well, 15 students broke District record and 32 students are advancing to the Division Competition on the 9th October.

Once again, our teachers reported how beautifully behaved and respectful our students were throughout the day - a true credit to our school community!

A heartfelt thank you to Kirsten Travis for her outstanding work in organising and facilitating our students’ involvement in the event. We also extend our sincere thanks to Holly Ife, Nancy Merrick, Debbie Powell and Tim McRae for braving the elements and representing Gardenvale PS as staff volunteers on the day. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Year 1 Old Fashioned School Days

It was lovely to see the effort our Year 1 students and teachers put into dressing in their olden-day clothes today. As part of their Looking Back Inquiry Unit, our Year 1 students explored what school was like in the past and shared their learning with the children.

It was wonderful to see the students embracing the experience and imagining what it would have been like to attend school in the olden days. I’m sure we all agree that school is much nicer nowadays!

Father’s Day Breakfast

We are looking forward to seeing all our dads, grandads and special friends this Friday morning with their children for our Annual Father’s Day ‘Dudes and Donuts Breakfast’, organized by our hard-working Parents Association. The breakfast is being held on the Senior Campus, under the COLA from 7.45am.

Footy Day

Footy Day will be held on the last day of Term 3, Friday 18th September. Students are asked to dress up in their footy gear or sports team colours.  Students will participate in activities involving AFL football skills at the beginning of the school day. If there are any parents that are available and able to help out with the footy skills rotations, for approximately 1 hour from 9.10 – 10.20, could they please email the school on gardenvale.ps@education.vic.gov.au and indicate which campus they would like to volunteer at.  After recess the whole school will assemble and sing all of the clubs’ songs. Our Assembly will be held at the Senior Campus from 11.15am, parents are most welcome to attend! 

Parent Opinion Survey

Last week a Compass message was sent regarding the Education Department’s Parent Opinion Survey. Thank you so much to those who have already completed the survey. If you have the time, we would really appreciate it being completed by as many parents as possible. The survey will be conducted online and should take 20 minutes to complete. You will find the survey link and pin code in the ‘Parent Opinion Survey’ Compass message.

2027 School Year

With our Prep enrolments almost completed for 2027, we are now asking parents to inform the Office in writing if their child/children will be leaving Gardenvale PS at the end of this year (not current Year 6 students). This will greatly assist planning and ensure we have accurate projections for class structures, planning and room allocations.

Have an enjoyable week,

Janine