In our Classrooms
Concert Rehearsal
Thursday 12th September was our rehearsal day at the Besen Centre. Students were focussed on following directions to navigate the environment, lights and space. This Friday evening performances will be a showcase of resilience and teamwork. These photos are a small snapshot of students in action. We can’t wait to share our creation with you.
In our Art Room
Throughout this term the students have been working on props to wear or use in the school concert. They have worked very hard to make them look brilliant. A big thank you to the Visual Arts SALT team who spent several lunchtimes working on the amazing Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, which set the scene for the concert. A huge thank you to Starlet, Noah, Mihika (5/6B), Seb, Nicci, Charlotte (5/6C), Izzy, Ava, Simone (5/6K) and Brendan, Renee and Austin(5/6M) for creating the Prep Chef hats! And finally, thank you to fabulous parents, Kate, Stella, Fiona, Chloe, Miho and Kirsten for assisting too! I am very grateful for the awesome GIPS team effort!
Polly Woodside
On Monday September 2nd the Grade 4s headed off to South Wharf to visit Polly Woodside. We were immersed in cultural experiences with our Wurundjeri educator and learned about life on the seas with a tour of the ship. We were fascinated to learn that the convict ships were only about 2/3 the size of Polly Woodside, and that Polly Woodside was purchased by the National Trust for just 1 cent!
District Athletics
On Wednesday 11th September, 54 GIPS students took to Bill Stewart Athletics Track to compete in our local District Athletics event. The weather tested us but we were able to push through and avoid the large downpour that hit us as we departed.
Throughout the day, students showed great team spirit in the way they supported and got around each other. Congratulations to all students who were selected to represent GIPS and further congratulations to those who finished in the top 2 in their events who have qualified for the Divisional event in October.
Upcoming events
Monday 14th October - Divisional Athletics
Wednesday 4th December - Grade 3-6 Swimming Carnival
Life Ed
Over the last two weeks, students have had the opportunity to participate in Life Ed with Healthy Harold. Students shared the following reflections:
Prep Reflections
Healthy Harold taught me to have a shower or a bath once a day – Teddy Q
Healthy Harold taught me to brush my teeth twice a day – Mackenzie
We learnt we need to eat vegetables and fruits every day – Kayla
We need to wash our hands after going to the bathroom and before we eat – Xavier
Don’t be lazy and watch the telly and lie on the couch eating junk food. We need to do exercise! - Storm
Grade 4 Reflections
At Life Ed we learnt about big feelings and how to control them. Some examples of how to control them are deep breathing and counting backwards from 100. We also learnt about character strengths and how to recognise them. We played a couple of games and we met Harold!- Eva 4WB
Grade 5/6 Reflections
On Monday and Tuesday the 9th and 10th of September, Healthy Harold came to visit our school. We started off by going off in groups and talking about the words Respect, Connect and Relate. We were talking about what these words meant such as respect meaning kindness. After we shared, we played a game with Harold Junior , where we passed him around a circle and each gave an example of something that might be disrespectful. Then they put phrases on the whiteboard and we split to different sides of the classroom and the different sides of the class meant different things such as one side meant respectful and one meant disrespectful. Furthermore, different online conversations were put on the board where the messengers used emojis to represent what they were saying. We again got into groups of 3-4 and decided which emoji would best represent what was being said, then had to justify our response. At the end of the lesson, Harold the Giraffe came out and we made up problems that are at a place like home where the parents might be faced with a problem such as the favourite child and we had to find a way to solve the predicament and Harold came out and judged the fix to the situation. We got a class photo with Harold and everyone had an educational and fun time. -Austin and Darcy 5/6M
Choir Soiree
Congratulations to our Junior and Senior Choirs for their afternoon performance last Thursday 5th September. All members sang with confidence and musicality. Thank you to parents for your enthusiastic attendance and continued support of the children.
Please note we have begun our new songs this week.
Junior Choir are singing songs by leading Australian choral composers - Annie Kwok and Dan Walker- experts in creating music for young voices.
Senior Choir music can be previewed through the attached links:
You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile – from the musical ‘Annie’ arranged Sia.
Obwisana (Goin’ to Ghana) – Ghana folk songs arranged by Mary Donnelly.
New members are always welcome. Please contact Eleanor Hardie to complete the permission slip.
Please stay tuned for our plans for Christmas and End of Year Celebration performances.
In our Community
Parking at Drop Off and Pick Up
Thank you to our community for abiding by traffic and parking laws at school drop off and pick up times. Please remember that disabled spots are only for those families with disability parking permits. Thank you for helping lookout for everyone in our community.
Emotion Coaching with Dr Bridget McPherson
Recently, Dr Bridget McPherson presented to GIPS families about emotion coaching. The Community Relations Sub Committee created this one-page summary for the event that we hope you find useful. Click on the link below to check out some helpful tips.
Parent/Carer Opinion Survey
Thank you to the 50% of households that have responded to the Parent/Carer Opinion Survey. Our Promotions SALT student leadership group are hoping to get that number up to 80%. Can you help us get there?
School Saving Bonus
In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus. The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks. The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.
Actions for parents and carers
Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:
- Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School.
- Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us directly.
We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:
- in October, to verify your email address
- in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus and access to an online system.
Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.
To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.
Preventing and Managing Whooping Cough
Whooping cough cases are continuing to increase across Victoria, particularly among school-aged children. Whooping cough is a very contagious infection, mostly spread through coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include:
· blocked or runny nose
· tiredness
· mild fever
· severe bouts of coughing, often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound on breathing.
Whooping cough can lead to life threatening infections in babies.
If your child is unwell, they should not attend school. Please see a doctor if you or your child develops whooping cough symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment will help reduce the spread of the infection.
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, they must not attend school for 21 days after the onset of the cough, or until they have received 5 days of antibiotic treatment. You must notify the school if your child is diagnosed with whooping cough. To further reduce the spread of infection to your child and the school community, the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 require that some students who were in the same classroom as a student diagnosed with whooping cough should not attend school.
Your child should not attend school for 14 days after they were last exposed to a person diagnosed with whooping cough, or until they have taken 5 days of a course of antibiotic treatment if they are:
· aged less than 7 years; and
· not fully vaccinated with 3 doses of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.
This exclusion is required by law – refer to the School exclusion table for primary schools and children’s services.
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.
Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of whooping cough. The Department of Health recommends staying up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. A free booster dose of the pertussis vaccine is covered under the national immunisation program for students aged 12 to 13. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.
I hope we can work together to protect the whole school community by following the recommended advice. For more information about whooping cough, refer to Whooping cough on the Better Health Channel.