From the Principal 

Message from the Principal

Welcome back to Gilgai Plains Primary School for 2023!

I hope you all had a lovely safe summer and had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. I know that many of our families were lucky enough to travel overseas to catch up with loved ones who they haven’t been able to see in a number of COVID hit years.

Whilst we missed our gorgeous students, it was great for our staff to have a well earned break after a very busy year. We have returned ready and happy to start a new successful year at GPPS in 2023.

A very warm welcome to all our new families joining us for the first time this year. When I take tours or chat to new parents, I am often asked about the community and students at the school. I always reply with how lucky we are to have a community who display the values that we hold so dearly at Gilgai Plains. We are very grateful to have families who are kind, humble and respectful. Our families know that our staff are always doing their best and show gratitude for their efforts. We live in a world where it is so easy to be negative or angry via social media, however we appreciate that our families assume the best and will personally inquire when they have questions or concerns. This is also reflected in our students, who strive to be kind, respectful and zesty!

We are very fortunate to have started the year with a full complement of excellent staff. Staffing across schools is a major concern, with many schools unable to put teachers in front of students. I feel very grateful to be in the position we are in.

The council has finally put in a crossing on Toyon Road. We are now waiting for them to staff the supervisor position. In the meantime, we will do our best to have our staff out there to ensure our kids can cross safely.

Last Friday was our first (official) day back for our staff. We spent the day planning for a successful 2023. What will this success look like?

It will involve us continuing to develop and build upon positive student learning outcomes, working hard to ensure all students experience growth in their academic, social and emotional learning. I shared our GPPS Mission Statement and then staff worked together to explore how we would achieve this for every student.

At Gilgai Plains Primary, our mission is to ensure that every child:

• Is kind to self, others and our environment
• Feels safe, happy and well
• Is greeted with a smile and a hello and loves coming to school
• Is seen
• Is literate and numerate and experiences continual growth and success
• Has diverse learning opportunities
• Works hard and allows others to be their best
• Has at least one good friend and knows how to make friends and keep friends
• Has someone to go to when needed

We can’t wait for our new Foundation students to start next Monday- our whole school is excited to meet them. 2023 is off and running!

Please see further down for some important dates and information.

I look forward to catching up and chatting with you soon.

Anthea Jamieson,

Principal