Principals Report

By Frank Catalano

Dear Members of the Glen Waverley Primary School Community,

I trust this newsletter finds everyone well and welcome to another exciting edition as we share news about our wonderful school.

Learning from Home (LFH)

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, as the days roll into weeks and weeks into months, it certainly appears that remote learning or LFH has become our new normal – at least for the immediate future. Never the less, the important thing is that we all remain safe, healthy and optimistic that life will return to normal as soon as possible.

May I take this opportunity to thank the entire Glen Waverley Primary School community for the manner in which you have embarked on LFH 2.0 as it has been wonderful to see the numerous emails from families acknowledging the work of the staff and also how much the children have grown since the initial LFH period. Most families also commented on how settled the children are and how they are now able to work a great deal more independently which is fabulous to hear!

I have been asked a few times, “When will school return?” The short answer is, “I don’t know.” Hopefully the rate of community transmission continues to drop and the children will be allowed to return to school – fingers crossed that this is sooner rather than later as we all need a sense of normality in our lives.

Please continue to keep an eye on Compass for updates.

Staffing Update:

I am really pleased to announce the following exciting news:

Mrs Penelope Polydoros and her husband George recently welcomed baby Alexis to the world and the GWPS family. Penelope and Alexis are both doing well and we look forward to meeting Alexis as soon as possible and

Last week we bid farewell to Ms Lindy Tran as she commences Family Leave due to the pending arrival of her second child. We all wish Ms Tran and her family all the very best and cannot wait to share a photo or two with the school community later in the year.

Congratulations to our Chess team

Recently our school chess team participated in a tournament and I am extremely pleased to report that they placed 1st overall. Please refer to Mr Welsh’s recount in this newsletter for further information.

2021 Enrolments

I would like to remind families with children who will be beginning school in 2021 that we are taking enrolments now and that they are also closing rapidly. I strongly encourage you to ensure you return your child’s enrolment form to Jenna, Kylie or Julie in the main office as soon as possible. Alternatively please email me at frank.catalano@education.vic.gov.au and I will send you an enrolment form.

We also ask that members of our school community assist us by informing any of their neighbours, family and friends of the enrolment procedures and direct them to, our website or my email address to obtain an enrolment form. Unfortunately due to the Covid – 19 restrictions, school tours are not possible, however please encourage them to contact me directly on 9802 9938 or via email.

Acknowledging the children’s efforts whilst LFH

As everyone would be aware, at our school we take great pride in acknowledging the children’s effort in various aspects of the learning and behaviour. Unfortunately LFH makes it difficult for me to distribute Principal Awards hence for the foreseeable future we will acknowledge the children who have been nominated for a Certificate of Success in our school newsletter.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE OF SUCCESS AWARD THIS FORTNIGHT:

Presented in Virtual Assembly Week 5 - Monday 10th August

Class	Student Name	Reason
Prep A	Ajeet	Ajeet, you have shown amazing improvement in your Reading, consistently achieving your reading goals. It is wonderful to see how you are developing your independence whilst learning from home and your engagement during group conferences is outstanding! Well done and keep it up!
Prep B	Anaisha	Congratulations Anaisha for demonstrating persistence with your learning. You have improved your focus during video calls and have shared many valued thoughts to our discussions. Well done and keep up the great thinking!
Prep C	Anya K	Congratulations Anya on your well deserved Certificate of Success! You always try your best at learning and are motivated to try a challenge. A wonderful effort!
Prep D	Pranit	Pranit for showing creativity in your learning and demonstrating a high level of understanding when using Digital Technology. You presented your Inquiry task confidently and used the screen sharing function on Microsoft Teams perfectly to showcase your learning. Well done Pranit!
Prep E	Krish	Krish has shown that he is able to adapt to any situation. He has shown a dedication to his learning even when it becomes challenging. Well done Krish, keep up the great learning .
1A	Jason	Jason demonstrates enthusiasm and positiveness whilst ‘Learning from home’. He is motivated and works hard by completing tasks to the best of his ability. During conferences, Jason is eager to share his thinking and learning.
1B	Aseli	Congratulations to Aseli for earning a Certificate of Success this week! You are a responsible and conscientious learner who is always willing to contribute your valuable thinking to discussions. It has been fantastic to see the deep learning you have uploaded onto Seesaw, where you also utilise other features of Seesaw to explain your learning clearly. Your dedicated approach to learning is evident while at home and I look forward to seeing you continue to achieve further successes. Keep up the sensational effort!
1C	Sid	Sid, you never cease to amaze me with your curiosity and eagerness to learn! It has been such as pleasure, witnessing your confidence and enthusiasm, as you shared your ideas and learning during this Learning from Home. Sid, you should be particularly proud of the way you have continually respond to feedforward, in a manner that is swift and full of deep thought. Congratulations!
1D	Kyaan	Kyaan has made excellent progress with his recount learning over the past week. His positive attitude and determination to improving his recount ability has shone through by the quality of his writing. Kyaan constantly posts to Seesaw and graciously takes on board feedback and feedforward and applying them simultaneously. He is a great contributor to group discussions, as he is always ready to share his thoughts. Congratulations Kyaan!
1E	Jimmy	For undertaking Learning From Home 2.0 with an increased level of Organisation and enthusiasm. It has been so pleasing to see you engaging with your group conferences and sharing your wondering learning. You should be so proud of your learning pieces that you have uploaded on Seesaw, particularly your 5 senses learning about Chinese New Year. Congratulations Jimmy, keep up your amazing efforts!
2A	Emily	This award has been presented to Emily for consistently producing work at a high standard and completing the learning tasks on time. She has demonstrated skills of orderliness and time management as she is always on time for her individual and group conferences. Emily has been contributing her ideas, knowledge and understanding to the online group discussions and shows patience and kindness to her peers during group conferences and the End of Day Reflections. Keep being a positive role model Emily and congratulations!
2B	Anaya	Congratulations Anaya on the learning you have been producing at home. It is consistently deep and rigorous and you value the feedback and feedforward that is provided to you. When attending your conferences, you are prepared and ready to share your ideas, which is wonderful to see. Keep up the fabulous learning, Anaya!
2C	Ryan	For showing persistence in adjusting to Learning from Home and finding a way to organise yourself and your time. I’m so proud of how you managed to implement strategies to overcome your struggle to be organised. You have shown great effort in all areas of your learning and it is fantastic to see you working independently to complete your learning and work through the struggle. Keep up the fabulous learning, Ryan!
2D	Hunar	Congratulations Hunar for a very well deserved Certificate of Success this week! Hunar has been showing incredible persistence when completing all learning displaying great initiative and trying her personal best. She collaborates with her peers contributing his valuable ideas and reflecting on her learning. Well done Hunar, keep up your wonderful efforts!
2E	Delina	For your deep self-evaluation of your progress and achievement towards your VOICES goal. You were able to identify where you currently are in the Learning Pit, as well as new areas of investigation related to your goal. Your motivation to understand your chosen strategies before moving on was great to see! Keep up the awesome learning Delina!
3A	Ileesha	Congratulations Ileesha, for being a responsible role model for 3A this week! You have shown respect and integrity towards all of your peers through collaborative group conferences with online learning,. It's always great to see your wonderful smile virtually, displaying positivity and joy. Well Done Ileesha, I look forward to seeing your dedication to your learning in upcoming weeks!!
3B	Shane	Well done for completing all the learning for Learning From Home 2.0 so far, Shane! I am so proud of how far you have come, and how much effort you put into your learning. Congratulations!! 😊
3C	Pun	Congratulations Pun on receiving the Certificate of Success. It has been wonderful to see your organisational skills develop while Learning from Home. You are continuously motivating yourself to work and trial different strategies to achieve your goals. Keep up the great work.
3D	VANSH	For consistently going above and beyond with his learning! In Literacy, you have developed your ideas and written clearly distinguishable letters and emails. In Mathematics, you have continued to present your learning clearly to show your strategies when solving problems with fractions. In Inquiry, you have been able to identify the challenges of European settlement in Australia and the effect on Indigenous Australians. Well done Vansh!
3E	Aahan	In recognition of taking the initiative to provide useful feedback and feedforward to his peers. Your reflective thoughts are very valuable!
4A	Sanjana	Congratulations Sanjana! For always uploading work onto Seesaw of a high standard. You continue to go deeper with your thinking in your reflections by always connecting your personal goals to your daily tasks. You demonstrate optimism, resilience and an openness to grow through all your challenges. Thankyou for being everything we want to see in our future leaders!
4B	Russel	Congratulations Russell for receiving the Certificate of Success this week! Your ability to continue shining your positive and bubbly personality with your class in such unprecedented times is admirable. Thank you for being attentive during class and group conferences and always being prepared to ask or answer questions. We love hearing your stories and I enjoy watching you remain connected with your peers through the screen. Keep up the fabulous effort, Russell! I’m very proud of you.
4C	Sanjay	This is awarded to Sanjay for demonstrating gratitude and optimism during remote learning. His positivity is felt and appreciated by the class as he is approaching his learning with great focus and his interactions with genuine empathy. Congratulations Sanjay on a tremendous start to the Term and I look forward to the continuation of this growth throughout the year.
4D	Jake	Congratulations Jake on earning a Certificate of Success this week. Throughout learning from home, you constantly demonstrate persistence and great resilience. Well done for all the effort you have put into your learning this week and for consistently sharing your learning, ideas and experiences. Well done for taking on feedforward you receive and implementing it to your learning. Keep up the fabulous effort Jake!
4E	Ria Kenuli	This certificate of success is proudly awarded to Ria for her resilience and stamina during learning from home 2.0. This is shown in the way you show up to conferences ready to learn new ideas and build your thinking. You are always ready to share your learning and ask clarifying questions in order to move deeper into the success criteria. Well done Ria! Kenuli, you consistently bring your positive brain and self to every encounter. This models your absolute courage in engaging with challenges, knowing that misconceptions help you build new thinking. You value sharing and also hearing ideas from your peers, often pausing, to generate an idea before adding into our group conferences. You are always a valued contributor and we look forward to hearing your thinking more and more each day!
5A	Japneet	Congratulations to Japneet for demonstrating excellent initiative and taking positive risks in sharing during morning social interactions. He is regularly asking questions to stay engaged in the learning, and put forth great effort to improve his English and Mathematics skills whilst Learning From Home. Well done and keep it up, Japneet!
5B	Minuli	You have made a fantastic start to term 3. You were able to reflect onto term 2 and make improvements for a more successful experience this time around. You are following teacher instructions and your learning indicates your best effort! You have been collaborating more by being vocal in conferences and having a go! You are submitting your learning on time and presenting it in a way that makes sure it is easily understood by your teacher. Keep up the great attitude Minuli!
5C	Shahzeb	Congratulations to Shahzeb for demonstrating excellent self-motivation and initiative. He showed this by completing all his learning to a very high standard and stretched himself by undertaking all extension tasks. He should also be commended for attempting learning tasks even when he faced a struggle. Congratulations Shahzeb, you should be extremely proud of yourself.
5D	Anuki	Congratulations to Anuki for an amazing start to the year LFH 2.0. Anuki demonstrates a positive attitude and a growth mindset in these unprecedented times. As well as asking great questions during group conferences, Anuki uploads learning of an exceptional quality. Keep up the fantastic learning Anuki!
5E	Parnika	Parnika shoes continued engagement in the Learning From Home materials, as well as being a bright and vibrant member of our class Community Circles. She is punctual with all of her learning and has made deep connections to her learning during LFH2.0, including producing some fantastic poetry samples. Well done, keep up the excellent efforts, Parnika. It is wonderful having you in 5E 😊
6A	Nithilan	Nithilan always brings an outstanding attitude to his learning, whether it has been online or from home. He consistently is one time for all of conferences and is willing to take on feedback to improve in his learning. He demonstrates the school values of integrity, respect, initiative and global on a regular basis when interacting with his peers. Recently, Nithilan has been working hard on his drawing skills and built the knowledge and skills of how to draw using 3-point perspective. Well done Nithilan!
6B	Varun	In recent months, you have been reliable with sharing interesting ideas, challenging questions and insightful observations. You have made a positive impact in the online classroom environment due to your enthusiasm for learning and willingness to share. It has been an absolute pleasure having you in our learning community. Keep up the good work, Varun!
6C	Diya	Dear Diya, you are a driven, responsible and enthusiastic learner. You have a demonstrated a strong sense of empathy and an ambitious attitude towards all of your endeavours at school. During the Learning From Home periods you have showed exemplary integrity and initiative in your learning. Your temperament is always bright and you have already proven yourself as an invaluable member of our learning community. Well done and thank you!
6D	Bineth	Congratulations Bineth for this week’s certificate of success. You have demonstrated great integrity and responsibility with your own learning journey over this term, which has enabled a role model. Continue to thrive in your own strengths and successes. Well done, you should be proud of yourself! ☺
6E	Yaneesha	Yaneesha, it has been a delight to observe your diligence, attitude and level of organisation during your learning from home this term. Your ability to prioritise your learning and your prompt attendance at video conferences has helped ensure you are set up for success. You are to be commended for your positive attitude and your level of engagement in your learning experiences. You have also demonstrated an improvement in your confidence and diligence when involved in the roll call and discussions with other learners. Thank you for demonstrating a consistent positive attitude and high level of organisation during this time spent learning from home.

Presented in Virtual Assembly Week 6 - Monday 17th August

Class	Student Name	Reason
Prep A	Vacha	Vacha, you have made amazing progress with your reading and it is evident how you are focusing on your Reading goals! It has been lovely to see your confidence grow throughout this remote learning period as you use a nice clear voice to contribute to discussions. Your persistence with your learning is to be highly commended as you have shown great focus even when there are technical difficulties. Well done and keep it up!
Prep B	Chloe	Congratulations Chloe on your fantastic narrative in Writing, while Learning from Home showing excellence in learning. I am also so proud of how you presented your story to your peers during afternoon reflection time, demonstrating confidence and pride. Well done!
Prep C	Kevin	Congratulations on a well deserved Certificate of Success this week Kevin. You are showing excellent determination and motivation for learning. It is also wonderful to see your confidence to contribute your ideas to class meetings. Keep up the wonderful effort!
Prep D	Helen	Helen for being a diligent learner in Prep D. You always give 100% to online tasks and persist even when they are challenging. You have shown a thorough understanding with place value, identifying tens and ones confidently. Well done Helen!
Prep E	Ayaan	For showing resilience and persistence when completing learning that challenges his thinking. Well done Ayaan, keep up the great learning.
1A	Janiru	During a Maths Talk, Janiru demonstrated confidence by explaining how he solved a subtraction equation, by sharing his thinking with the other students in the conference. Congratulations Janiru!
1B	Sadew	Congratulations to Sadew for earning a Certificate of Success this week. He is a responsible and dedicated learner who consistently ensures he is present for group conferences, as well as uploads his learning in a timely manner onto Seesaw. Sadew takes on the feedback and feed-forward that is given to him, including when he experimented with different adjectives in his writing related to the five senses. Keep up the fantastic effort Sadew, well done!
1C	Janhavi	Janhavi, congratulations on a smooth transition to a new country and school! I am particularly impressed by the way you have adapted to Learning from Home and the challenges that it presents. In these short few weeks, you have amazed me with your incredible level of organisation and dedication. You have attended each conference ready to learn and consistently shared your learning during our roll calls. Well done!
1D	Sanjay	This is awarded to Sanjay for demonstrating gratitude and optimism during remote learning. His positivity is felt and appreciated by the class as he is approaching his learning with great focus and his interactions with genuine empathy. Congratulations Sanjay on a tremendous start to the Term and I look forward to the continuation of this growth throughout the year.
1E	Meenu	For undertaking Learning From Home 2.0 with an exceptional growth mindset and positive attitude. It has been so pleasing to see how you have deepened your Organisation and Independence while learning onsite or at home. You should be so proud of your detailed descriptions using the five senses within your recounts, especially when describing the taste and sound of ‘popcorn’. You have shown such growth as an author and I am so pleased with your efforts! Congratulations Meenu!
2A	Senuk	This award has been presented to Senuk for all the hard work and effort he has been putting into his learning while learning from home. Senuk has completed all of his learning tasks making his teacher very proud of him. He has contributed to the class discussions sharing his ideas and knowledge on all topics during group conferences and class meetings. Senuk is also showing continual development in his writing skills and spelling. Well done Senuk.
2B	Nakul	Congratulations for putting dedication and effort into your learning. It is wonderful to see your video reflections each day. You have been a wonderful participant during the morning and afternoon meetings, always sharing, participating and engaging in discussion. Keep up the fabulous job, Nakul!
2C	Tahj	Tahj you have shown excellent maturity during Learning from Home. You are always willing to help out your fellow classmates with their learning and answer questions on the Teams chat. You consistently give effort in all of your learning, showing persistence and a can do attitude. You have shown you are always ready to learn and think deeply about your work. Keep up the fabulous learning Tahj!
2D	Nathan	Congratulations Nathan for a very well deserved Certificate of Success this week! Nathan has showed a considerable amount of effort when completing his learning. He did a tremendous effort at creating a fabulous poem utilising his goals and applying feedforward to his writing. Well done Nathan on your learning, we are all so proud of you, keep it up!
2E	Oscar	For sharing your videos of stories and reading skills with your classmates. You never fail to take risks in demonstrating your progression and achievement of CAFÉ strategies. Your “I Can Do It” attitude is always present, especially when you address a misconception. Keep up the awesome learning, Oscar!
3A	Blake	Congratulations Blake, you have shown a wonderful effort in our group conferences and class meetings throughout this term which is great to see. Your dedication in Maths and being able to challenge yourself in each session is incredible which demonstrates great confidence within yourself. Keep up the great work Blake, and continue taking risks in your Maths as it truly shows your wonderful persistence, especially through online learning! Well Done!
3B	Rosy	Congratulations Rosy for a exceptional start at Glen Waverley Primary School! I am so proud of how you have conducted yourself, with such a positive attitude since being in 3B. Well done for also posting all your learning, and having such a neat and organised learning space! 😊
3C	Senupa	Congratulations Senupa on receiving the Certificate of Success. It has been wonderful to see your motivation throughout the Learning from Home period. You demonstrate respectful behaviours in group conferences by muting yourself and raising your hand when you want to share. Well done and keep up the great work.
3D	Chanumi	For consistently challenging herself and being motivated to continue her best learning from home! In Reading, you have been able to identify areas in a text to use your reading goal to improve your comprehension. In Inquiry, you have shown Global Empathy through your understanding of how British settlement affected the Australian Aboriginals. Well done Chanumi!
3E	Inayat	Inayat, in recognition of always being prepared for group conference and never being afraid to share ideas with others. It has also been great to see you think deeply when answering the daily reflection questions. Thank you for all the effort you put into your learning!
4A	Ady	Congratulations Ady! For always uploading reflections onto Seesaw of a high standard. You continue to go deeper with your thinking in your reflections by always connecting your personal goals to your daily tasks. You self regulate by clearly articulating your thinking using mathematical and formal language. You demonstrate optimism, resilience and an openness to grow through all your challenges. Thankyou for being everything we want to see in our future leaders!
4B	Imansa	Congratulations Imansa for receiving this week’s Certificate of Success! You should be incredibly proud of your increase in organisation during LFH 2.0. You are attending your conferences prepared and sharing your strategies and ideas with your peers. Your positivity and bubbly personality is truly appreciated during times like this! Keep it up. I’m very proud of you.
4C	Cynthia	This is awarded to Cynthia for challenging herself in reading and writing. Her confidence and willingness to experience productive struggle has been most pleasing to see. Her enthusiasm for learning has not been lost during this time of remote learning and that brings me much happiness. Congratulations Cynthia on a tremendous start to the Semester and I look forward to continuing this improvement once we return to the classroom.
4D	Daivik	Congratulations Daivik on a fabulous start to your learning journey at GWPS. Well done on consistently staying focused, on task and deep in thought. I can always count on you to set a wonderful example for the rest of the class by always giving effort, sharing your ideas and by completing your learning to a high standard. You are respectful of others, understand their needs and use your problem solving skills to work through difficult situations. Keep up the great effort Daivik, you are a superstar!
4E	Jordan Zachary	This YCDI award is proudly presented to Jordan for being an incredibly organised and diligent learner in 4E. During LFH 2.0 Jordan is often seen contributing into class discussions with ideas and questions. Alongside this, Jordan utilises his technical understanding of teams to ‘invite’ or ‘check the status’ of group members to ensure everyone is included in their learning. Jordan, is always open to feed forward, applying this in his learning immediately, especially in writing. Well done Jordan, I look forward to hearing your collaborative language grow whilst learning from home. Keep using your sentence frames and building critical friends while learning online. Zach has been incredibly organised and present in online conferences during LFH 2.0. This is shown in the way he arrives to conferences ready to share his accomplishments and struggles. Zach’s greatest growth was seen in his awareness of how ‘feedback and feed forward made him feel’ recognising that it can be emotive however it is important to always surround yourself with ‘critical’ friends that will tell you the truth even if it is hard to hear as this will always help us to grow in our learning. Zach, I look forward to hearing you continue to grow in your collaborative communication and applying valuable feed-forward whilst LFH. Well done Zach!!
5A	Hirun	Congratulations to Hirun for demonstrating excellent initiative and taking positive risks in sharing during morning social interactions. He is regularly asking questions to stay engaged in the learning, and put forth great effort to improve his English and Mathematics skills whilst Learning From Home. Well done and keep it up, Hirun!
5B	Diti	Congratulations on a well-deserved certificate. Your commitment to your learning is incredible! You have kept positive this whole time and continued to focus on your improvement. You always contribute to discussions, share your thinking and take a risk. This is showing a great example to your peers. You are no doubt a leader in our classroom! Keep up the incredible attitude!
5C	Ishika	Congratulations to Ishika L for demonstrating excellent self-motivation and initiative. Ishika has attended every conference on time and is submitting all her learning. Congratulations especially on doing so well in the maths project, you are showing excellent learning. Well done on all your incredible efforts, Ishika!
5D	Nancy	Congratulations to Nancy for an crafting a clever poem about her iPad. You have demonstrated perseverance during the productive struggle to achieve a wonderful poem. Keep up the fantastic effort in writing.
5E	Anirudh	My weekly COS goes to Anirudh. Anirudh is a new student who has come into our Learning From Home community and adapted extremely well. He has connected well with the learning materials, producing some deep learning in his studies. This week, Anirudh showed resilience in taking risks when trying new activities. He took the opportunity to try cooking with his family, creating a traditional Indian dish called Idly and documenting for his classmates to try. Well done on a smooth transition to GWPS, Anirudh. We are so delighted to have you 😊
6A	Raya	Raya has made tremendous progress in recent weeks regarding her learning. She is to be commended for the commitment and organisation she has been able to show over the last few weeks, regularly attending conferences online with punctuality and contributing in a meaningful way. Well done Raya, we are so proud of the improvements you have made this term.
6B	Jordan	Jordan, you have regularly demonstrated a higher level of responsibility, independence and a dedication to learning. I am delighted to see you taking more risks and stepping outside of your comfort zone. When you show enthusiasm for sharing learning with your classmates, you shine! Maintaining this level of motivation and self-regulation, you are certain to find great success in your high school years ahead. Well done!
6C	Gabriel	Gabriel, you have had an excellent year so far. You are a thoughtful and respectful individual who shows initiative and a displays a thirst for knowledge and understanding! Our class appreciates your positive attitude and energy. The supportive way in which you learn collaboratively has been highly appreciated in our learning community. Congratulations!
6D	Nuoyan	Congratulations Nuoyan on your success. You have demonstrated huge growth in self-regulating your own learning and giving it your full effort. The progress that you have made is reflective of how you have taken ownership of your own learning and improved on it. Be really proud of yourself and keep up the amazing effort! Well Done!
6E	Zaara	Zaara, it has been a pleasure to observe you settle into learning from home this term. Your ability to persist and problem solve has helped ensure you are set up for success in your learning. You are confident to ask questions when unsure and have demonstrated a high level of organisation with your attendance at rolls calls, video conferences and submitting your learning. Your positivity and enthusiasm towards the class band is contagious. I am so pleased with your progress and look forward to observing your achievements over the coming weeks. Thank you for demonstrating consistent confidence and resilience during this time spent learning from home.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy fortnight,

Frank Catalano

Principal