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 2023 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.
• A Compass post will be distributed in order to inform our school community 
• Our newsletter is able to be translated into numerous languages. 
• 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. 

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! 

Novel Coronavirus Update

As everyone would be aware, the challenges associated with the pandemic are continuing although it is wonderful that the health-related issues have subsided. However, it is still incumbent on all of us to ensure we maintain a sense of vigilance associated with the virus.

As a school we will continue to implement the strategies as indicated in a recent Compass Post and look forward to the ‘Covid Normal’ easing further in the future. Once again, a sincere thank you the way you have accepted and supported our school in this space. 

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

Our Foundation (Prep) students started on Tuesday 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 of 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:

• Continued working on the school oval to ensure the grass is maintained and developed where necessary.
• Polished the gymnasium floor.
• Replaced and updated classroom shelving units throughout the school and
• Unfortunately we had to remove the trees adjacent to Block B as they had become somewhat dangerous. Soon this area will be converted to an Indigenous Garden. The Student Voice, CIS, School Captains and I look forward to sharing additional news ASAP. 

A sincere thank you to the numerous families who have supported our school by settling their school fees as the above works would not have been possible if it were not for your support. Thank you everyone! 

Thank you to Steve – McDonald’s Franchisee 

Another facilities project that is currently underway is the replacement of the fence between our school and the McDonald’s restaurant. For those who may not be aware, this projected is wholly funded by McDonald’s which is extremely generous. A sincere thank you to Steve and his team as this gesture is appreciated immensely! 

Steve and his team would like to introduce a give-away as indicated below:

"Our neighbours at McDonalds Glen Waverley are running a giveaway from today until Feb 24.  Any customer who spends $20 in store on their visit can go into the draw to win a $100 Officeworks voucher. Please see in store for more details.”

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) 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!

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! 

Vidushi, words cannot express how proud the entire school community is, we look forward to sharing this news with the children next Monday when we hold our first assembly for the school year. Well done, congratulations and keep up with the amazing effort, skill and commitment towards your passion! 

Australia Day Speech Competition

• Jessica Year 4 – recently competed in a speech competition during Australian Day and once again, I am thrilled to report that she placed 1st winning $300, a trophy, and a certificate.

Well done, congratulations and keep up the great attitude and effort towards your learning Jessica! 

Below is a copy of Jessica’s speech for everyone to enjoy: 

Hair Donation

• Recently Neervi (Year 5) decided to complete something quite special as she has indicated in the email, she wrote to me:

Dear Mr. Catalano,

I am Neervi from year 5 and I am writing to tell you about my hair donation. A few weeks ago my mum suggested we make a trip to the salon. I saw a hair donation poster about how our cut hair can be given a new life, especially for people in real need. This inspired me and I discussed it with my mother to which she happily agreed. Our path led us to a salon that helps the cause. We soon went there; I had an awesome haircut and my hair was sent to the Cancer Council of Victoria via postal mail. My obligation was to make someone happy through my actions. 

Sincerely,

Neervi

Neervi, I cannot express how proud I am of you as your gesture is something that will make a difference to another person. Well done, congratulations and thank you for being a wonderful ambassador for your family, our school and yourself! 

School Assemblies

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

Our first assembly for the year is being held next Monday 6th February.   

School Crossings, Car Parking and Turning Circle

School Crossings:

Our school is fortunate to have Crossing Supervisors on 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. 

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 stopped/parked 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 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.

If you have any queries with any of the above please do not hesitate to see 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 of 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 in order 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, Jenna, Daria and 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 to all families 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 www.glenps.vic.edu.au 

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: 

2A

• Jacob, Aaradhya, Hansen and Samuel for continuing to make excellent progress with their writing. 

2B

• Sineysha for writing lots of recounts about her holidays and for continuing to improve her writing skills. 

2D

• Tulara for being a very responsible member of our school community.

2E

• Aneel also for being a very responsible member of our school community.
• Navesha, Gowri and Teju for making lots of connections with their peers and for also learning about bar graphs

• Hasiru for painting a picture of nature.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy fortnight, 

Frank Catalano

Principal