In our classrooms

Year One Camp

On Friday the 25^th of October, the Grades One took part in Games Night as part of the GIPS camping program. The children had a fantastic afternoon with the crew from Proactivity and had lots of fun playing team games, completing an obstacle course and rolling around in the zorb chamber!

In our Art Room

Students from Prep to Year 3 have used their time in Art to pause and reflect on Remembrance Day. We have made some new poppies to refresh our heart display near the oval. Students have used a variety of materials to print a poppy artwork, on display throughout the school.

Year Two Camp

Last week our camping program continued with a full day of adventure for our grade two students. From magic to movies, nature walks to fruit shish kabobs, the day was full of resilience and fun. Thank you to all of our parents who helped volunteer during the event.

Halloween Disco and Halloween Learning

The Year 6 Performing Arts SALT Team hosted a fantastic day of Halloween fun! Each year level was invited to the Halloween Disco where our SALT team hosted music and dance as well as fun and inclusive games. Well done to the Performing Arts team and all the students for dressing to impress and giving all the activities and events their best go!

Last week, the Year Four students participated in a Halloween Themed Maths Escape Room session. Students were grouped into pairs or threes to work through a number of mathematical problems which challenged their thinking whilst creating a sense of fun and engagement. Students who do not celebrate Halloween were involved in tailored maths problem solving tasks.

Green Day

On Friday 1^st November, the Year 6 Environment SALT team hosted a ‘Green Day’. On this day, the SALT team engaged all classes in a lesson about protecting our environment. They spoke about pollution and how important it is to look after our environment in any way that we can, including nude food practices. They led a clean-up of the school in which all classes picked up litter in a focussed area of our school grounds. Working together, the GIPS students managed to fill up 4 large rubbish bags! Thanks to our Environment SALT Team and all the GIPS students, our school has never looked better!

2025 Prep Take Off

We hope you felt the buzz this morning as we welcomed our new students and their families to Prep Take Off! Thank you to the entire team who helped make the event so smooth. Thanks to our grade five and six student leaders, our staff, Team Kids Director and Assistant Director Maddie and Maggie, and of course all of our new and returning families.

Structured Synthetic Phonics

This week, students in 1W have been diving into the fascinating world of consonant sounds! We've been exploring the difference between consonant digraphs and consonant blends. We have been learning that a consonant digraph is when two letters come together to make one sound and a consonant blend is when two or three letters are pronounced together, but each sound is still heard. Students have been spotting these patterns and practicing them in their writing, helping to build their phonics skills and boosting their confidence with spelling and reading! (Miss Wellington 1W)

Updates on Two Upcoming Building Projects

Please find exciting updates regarding two pending building projects.

Inclusive School Playground Last week, our new Inclusive School Playground was tendered. Thank you for everyone on the Inclusive School Playground committee that helped bring it to fruition in 2023. Now that the project has been tendered, the playground equipment is being ordered. We hope to have the new playground areas (in the Prep-Two areas and near the oval) complete in Term Two 2025. Delays can happen with builds, particularly playgrounds, so we eagerly await next steps with the Victorian School Buildings Authority (VSBA). Check out the updated drawings below for a sneak peak:

Repair to the Damage Done by the Falling Branch The VSBA has commenced repairs to the damage done to the 5/6 building by the fallen branch. We are awaiting the new awning to be purchased and installed by the VSBA. We hope that these repairs will be completed this term. Once completed, we will be using the money raised by the Walk-A-Thon to repair the 5/6 deck.

In our staffroom

For the past fortnight, we have been focussing on two of our annual improvement initiatives: improving writing and improving our consistent approach to supporting wellbeing.

Writing Our learning specialist Meagan led staff in finalising our collaborative work building our Prep to Year Six writing scope and sequence.

Wellbeing Our Leading Teacher Wellbeing and Inclusion Shaye led our staff in ways to deepen the use of our ready to learn plans. A Ready to Learn Plan, from the Berry Street Education Model (which our Principal Maddie co-authored), is a pre-arranged agreement between students and teachers, providing clear strategies which students use to feel regulated for learning. It also includes a 5-point scale check in for students before a lesson regarding their learning readiness. If students self-reflect that they aren't quite ready to learn, they draw upon strategies that they've identified previously that help them become more ready to learn. Used in conjunction with The Zones of Regulation (Kuyper, 2019) these two tools together assist students to understand their stress response and learn self-regulation skills. Students then can create their own differentiated goals based on their unique ready to learn plans.

In our community

Upcoming Working Bee

Kids welcome | Snacks provided | Many hands make light work | Come for as little or long as you can.

See above for more info.

Please sign up via the QR Code or this link https://forms.office.com/r/Ew5s7HuUQh?origin=lprLink so we can plan and cater.

With thanks, from your Buildings & Grounds Committee, School Council

Support for Auburn South Primary School

Thank you to everyone in our community who has reached out with support for Auburn South Primary School. Maddie and Debbie delivered the GIPS Care Package last week, and several of our staff have supported the school with relief teaching this week. The overwhelming amount of support shows how much our community cares. Thank you. Below are Go Fund Me's created by members of Auburn South's Parents Association:

For Jack Davey's family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-davey

For the families of the other injured children: https://gofund.me/ceb8939d

GIPS Tea Towel Orders Close Monday

A BIG THANKS to all of our teachers and children who did such a wonderful job drawing their unique self-portrait. For $20, you can get this beautiful piece of history. Why stop at one? Grandparents and friends would also love this (& a great way to tick off that Christmas present list).
Go to https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1309990 to order now. Orders close Monday.

Remembrance Day Poppies and Wrist Bands

On Monday we will continue to sell Remembrance Day poppies and wristbands. The proceeds will go towards our local RSL club. Wearing a poppy is a show of support for the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces, veterans and their families.

Representatives from Grade 5&6 will show the items that are for sale to each class today. Poppies are $2 and wristbands are $3. These items will be on sale each recess if your child would like to purchase an item. We would appreciate the support for the RSL. Thank you, Shelley Morrison

Volunteers Needed for the Next Make and Bake

The next GIPS Make & Bake Sale is on Friday 15 November 2024 at school pick-up!

Each class is requested to contribute items to sell for the stall once a year. This term we are asking for donations from Prep, Grade 2 and Grade 4 families.

Children in prep, grade 2 and grade 4 will soon receive a food pack including further information and lots of ideas for easy food items you can make (no baking required!) or bake (if you're feeling inspired!) Parents with children in other years are also welcome to contribute.

Volunteering

We need volunteers to ensure this much-loved event can go ahead. We’re looking for help on both Tuesday 12th November and Friday 15th November.
Even an hour of your time is greatly appreciated! Please sign up via this link - https://signup.com/go/Cdgvna

Please note all volunteers need to have a current Working With Children check and have completed the GIPS Safety Induction.

Allergens

· Please note that items for the event should be nut-free in line with the GIPS Food Policy.

· Food items will only be sold as gluten free or dairy free if they come from a home/kitchen that does not contain these potential allergenic items.

· Please check ingredient lists to ensure the items you are purchasing are suitable for your child/family before consuming.

If you have any questions, please email gipsparentsassoc@gmail.com.

Thanks in advance for your support,

The Make & Bake Team – Nadia, Mala & Brooke

Help Us Grow Our School Garden

We are excited to announce that we are enhancing our school garden, and we need your support! Our garden not only provides a beautiful space for students to learn about nature but also fosters teamwork and creativity.

We are seeking donations of the following items:

• Seeds (vegetables, flowers, and herbs)
• Bird netting
• A scarecrow
• A mechanical lawn mower
• Bird feeders and seeds
• Outdoor weatherproof paint (colourful for the fence!)
• Paintbrushes
• Planter boxes of all sizes
• Soil
• Growing stakes
• Pavers for a path
• String or wire
• Small planks of wood for signs
• Anything else you think would be useful!

If you have any of these items or can help us acquire them, we would greatly appreciate your support! Please bring any donations to Miss Wellington’s room in the Grade 1 portable.

We will purchase anything we don’t receive, but your contributions will help us keep costs down.

Thank you for helping us create a vibrant learning environment for our students!

Kind regards,
Mae Wellington, Kyle Hosking and the Garden Club

Scholarships Now Open for Students in Grades 4 and Up

Department of Education scholarships are now open for students in grades four and up to assist with the cost of education and engagement. Scholarships are available for students who are studying in Victoria and who are citizens or permanent residents of Australia enrolled in Years 4 to 11.

Scholarships are awarded to students who can demonstrate excellent academic achievement, participation in school and local community activities, and financial need as determined by the parent or carer receiving a Centrelink income support payment.

To view available scholarships, please visit this link: Student scholarships | vic.gov.au

GIPS Christmas Tree Sale

Orders are now available for a School Council sponsored Christmas Tree sale. Proceeds will go to the school. See the QR code below or visit this link to order: https://www.trybooking.com/CWZ...

Could This Be You?

Thank You Morning Tea

To show our appreciation, GIPS Parents and Community Members who have volunteered in any capacity are invited to a morning tea hosted by the GIPS staff.