Principal's Report

The HERRRby Extravaganza Fair is on Sunday

We hope all families can come along and enjoy the fun and vibrant atmosphere of our HERRRby Extravaganza Fair. The event will take place from 11:00am to 4:00pm at the Senior Campus.

This is a true whole-school community event, and we are grateful to the many parents and teachers who have already volunteered their time by adding their names to the rosters. Their support builds on the tremendous work already carried out by the organising committee.

Year 5 Bike Education

From Monday to Friday of last week our Year 5s were actively involved and enjoying their Bike Education program. Our students learnt riding skills, especially advanced balancing, knowing how to stop quickly, and selecting the right gears. The culmination of the program put all the learning together and, on Friday, a bike ride to Albert Park Beach, was held, a 20-kilometre round trip. This was a great achievement for our Year 5 students; one they should be very proud of! We thank all the staff and parents who either; rode, delivered a special treat, drove a support vehicle. It is the combined effort of many adults that made it a very enjoyable and valuable day for our Year 5 students.

Year 3 Camp

Tomorrow morning our Year 3 students, teachers and volunteering parents will board the buses for their journey to Phillip Island Adventure Resort for their 3-day camp.  We wish our Year 3 students a wonderful time as they learn new skills and make new friends on their first school camp.  We sincerely thank the teachers and parents attending the camp, who make it possible for the students to have this rewarding experience.

Year 6 Transition Program

Our Year 6 students are currently involved in a very valuable Secondary School Transition fortnight. This program is unique to Gardenvale and has been developed and run for the past 7 years. The Year 6 students will follow their own individual timetable, which is based on a secondary school model.  The students start the day with a home room teacher and then are responsible for getting themselves to classes on time.  Some of the classes they are attending include Politics, Geography, Food Technology, Philosophy, Textiles, Ancient History and Woodwork. Past students will be returning to speak to current Year 6’s about their experience in transitioning to Secondary School.

Year 4 – 6 Swimming Carnival

This Friday, 28th November, our Year 4 to 6 students, will have the opportunity to put their swimming skills into practice at our House Swimming Carnival. For the first time our Carnival will be held at Mentone Aquatic Centre.  A big thank you to our PE Teacher, Kirsten Travis, for all her work in preparing for this event. 

Billy Cart Grand Prix

On Friday December 12th December our Year 6's will test their billy cart building prowess as they race off in their teams at the Annual Gardenvale Grand Prix.  All members of our school community are most welcome to join us at the Senior Campus as we cheer on the Year 6 Billy Cart Teams. Each team and cart will be decked out in their colours and competitors will wear their specially designed costumes.

First Curriculum Day for 2026

At last Tuesday’s School Council meeting, a Curriculum Day was approved for Friday, 6th February 2026. We recognise that this date falls very early in the school year; however, highly regarded educator Nathanial Swain, who will be working with our teaching staff in 2026, has limited availability at the beginning of the year. Nathanial will be delivering professional development focused on Reading Comprehension and Novel Studies. Holding this professional learning early in the year is also highly beneficial, as it allows teachers to embed the strategies and approaches into their classroom practice from the outset.

Professional Practice Day

A reminder that Monday 8th December is a pupil free day. Staff will be accessing a Professional Practice Day (PPD) that is allocated to them as part of their workplace arrangements. They will be involved in planning for the 2026 school year. Team Kids will operate a long day program on this day, you can find the details on their website.

Student Newsletter

Well done to Aidan, 4A for putting together a student newsletter, please see further in the newsletter. 

See you at the Fair,

Janine