🎭 Celebrating Our 2026 School Production

What an incredible week for GIPS!

After weeks of rehearsals, dance practices, costume fittings, prop making, script learning and plenty of excitement, our 2026 School Production will finally hit the stage this evening and we could not be prouder of our students.

Seeing our students perform with such confidence, enthusiasm and joy will be very special. From our youngest performers through to our senior students, every child will play an important part in bringing the production to life.

A production of this scale simply does not happen without an enormous team effort.

A very special thank you must go to Debbie McDermott, who led the production and coordinated the countless moving parts required to bring such a significant whole-school event together. Her commitment, organisation and determination have been extraordinary.

We are also incredibly grateful to Karen, our Head of Costumes, who has spent countless hours sewing, altering, creating and organising costumes to make sure our students looked fantastic on stage. The amount of work that happens behind the scenes in costumes alone is remarkable.

Thank you also to Shanae Hill for her outstanding administrative leadership and support throughout the production process, and to Charlie Collopy-White, Judd Harley, and Lisa Gough for their work supporting the script, actors and senior students. Thank you to Peter McClure and Kate Watycha for their sound and visual supports. And thank you to Darcy from STOMP and Sammy Chapman for their choreography.

Across the school, staff have sewn, glued, painted, practised dances, organised students, supervised rehearsals, solved last-minute problems and stepped in wherever help was needed. We are enormously appreciative of every staff member who contributed.

Thank you, too, to our families. Whether you helped your child practise at home, organised costumes, sewed costumes, adjusted family schedules, purchased tickets or simply arrived ready to cheer, your support helped make this experience possible.

Most importantly, congratulations to our students. School productions create memories that stay with children long after the final curtain closes. We hope our students feel enormously proud of what they achieved together.

It will be a wonderful celebration of creativity, confidence, teamwork and belonging and a beautiful example of our school motto in action:

Aim High.

See you tonight! 🎭🌟

Maddie Witter

In prep classrooms

To finish our topic, “Down on the Farm,” our Prep students put their learning into practice by writing a description of a farm animal for Stop and Pause. They used knowledge from our wonderful excursion to Chesterfield Farm, as well as the fiction and non-fiction books we have explored throughout the term.

During Term 3, Preps have been learning about adjectives and how descriptive words can help make their writing more interesting. They have also been developing their sentences by using the joining words “and” and “because” to add more detail and explain their ideas.

It has been wonderful to see the students use their growing knowledge and vocabulary to create interesting and detailed descriptions of their favourite farm animals. We are so proud of the effort and enthusiasm they have shown in their writing!

At home: Choose a favourite animal together and challenge your child to describe it using three adjectives. Encourage them to extend their ideas using “and” or “because”.

In grade one

Understanding Our Body’s Warning Signs

Over the last two weeks in our Respectful Relationships Lessons, Grade 1 students have explored an important body-safety concept: warning signs. We have talked about how our bodies often react in specific ways when we feel uncomfortable, scared or unsafe — things like a racing heart, sweaty palms, tears, a dry mouth or tense muscles.

Our learners have reflected on and identified their own personal warning signs, drawing and writing about how their bodies signal that something doesn't feel right. Helping children recognize these physical cues is a powerful tool — it teaches them to trust their instincts and know when to speak up, seek help or remove themselves from a situation. This ties in closely with the concept of consent — helping children understand that they are the boss of their own body and that their feelings and boundaries always matter. The song "Boss of My Own Body" by Teeny Tiny Stevies is a great, kid-friendly way this idea comes to life.

At home, you might like to:

• Ask your child what their body does when they feel scared, nervous or unsafe
• Share one of your own "warning signs" so they see adults notice these feelings too
• Practise naming feelings together (e.g. "My tummy feels funny when I'm worried")
• Remind your child that their feelings - and their body's signals - are always worth listening to, and that it's okay to tell a trusted adult when something doesn't feel right
• Listen to "Boss of My Own Body" by Teeny Tiny Stevies together as a fun way to reinforce these ideas at home

In grade two

As part of our Social Crew learning, the Grade 2 students explored the friendship values that are most important to us and discussed what these values look like in our everyday actions. We talked about qualities such as kindness, respect, honesty, trust and inclusion and shared examples of how we can demonstrate these when playing, learning and working together.

The girls then worked collaboratively to represent their ideas through colourful chalk drawings in the playground. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate what makes a good friend and remind ourselves that our words and actions can help everyone feel happy, safe and included.

What you can do at home : Talk with your child about what makes a good friend. Encourage them to share the values that are important to them and discuss what kindness, respect, empathy and inclusion might look like and sound like at home, at school and when playing with friends.

In year three

On Tuesday, Grade 3 took a trip into the city to visit the Immigration Museum, cross the Sandridge Bridge and explore ACMI.

At the Immigration Museum, students investigated artefacts that shared stories of Australia’s Indigenous and immigrant past. They then followed the journey of someone leaving their home country and travelling to Australia through a range of engaging, interactive exhibits.

On the way to ACMI, students enjoyed a stroll along the Sandridge Bridge. The bridge features an installation that highlights the countries of origin of Victoria’s diverse population.

At ACMI, students explored a wide range of exhibits focusing on how story telling using film and video games has changed over time. They particularly enjoyed the opportunity to play video games developed in Australia.

With some fantastic weather on our side, we had a wonderful day exploring the city. A big thank you to our parent helpers for their support and for helping the day run so smoothly.

At home, you might like to continue some of the discussions we had during our excursion:

• How and why did members of your family travel to Australia?
• What special objects did they bring with them?

In year four

Year 4 had a successful trip to the Melbourne Museum. We were impressed by how our students presented themselves and conducted themselves on public transport and while walking around the city. There were many insightful questions posed about the exhibits within our groups, particularly reflecting on everything we have learned so far about our Australian history. Our research into key events and our learning to write a newspaper as part of our ‘Stop and Pause’ has been engaging! We have learnt specific features, such as headlines, bylines, opening paragraphs, the delivery of facts and quotes from different perspectives, and the sharing of the impact afterwards. We have been publishing this using their own templates on Canva, also bringing in the skill of typing and making their articles visually appealing and eye-catching! We are now finalising our topic, creating biography lapbook displays and a history timeline.

How you can help at home:

Discuss key events in history that may be visible in current articles or history going back thousands of years. It has been about 250 years since Lieutenant James Cook first set foot on our shores, but we know Aboriginal peoples have been living here and held connection to this country for at least 65,000 years.

In year five

Last week, the grade fives showed their concert dance to their kindergarten buddies. The grade fives put on a performance for them and then walked them through a few steps. The grade five students do buddies with the kindergarten students to build their capacity, getting them ready for when they are big buddies to next year's preps.

In Semester Two, there is a large focus with the Grade Fives on building their leadership skills as they move forward into new and exciting leadership opportunities next year.

In year six

Jacqui Williamson, a GIPS parent, came to speak to us about her work as a sole trader. This aligned with our economics and business integrated studies unit. Students have learnt about how to create a service business or goods business. Jacqui gave us valuable insight into working as a sole trader, highlighting both the challenges and benefits of running your own business as a sole trader. Students were engaged and asked many questions. They found it valuable and insightful. We would like to thank Jacqui for her time and expertise.

How can you connect this learning at home? This is a great time to chat with your children about what they might like to do when they grow up!

Garde 6s have been reviewing angles this week. Using our knowledge of angle names, complementary and supplementary angles, angle sum of a triangle, vertically opposite angles as well as many other parts, students have begun designing their own mini-golf course. Students need to follow a set of requirements to meet mini-golf course standards, such as including a range of angles on each hole, label and measuring all angles and including other parts of angles we have learnt. You can support students at home by hunting for all angles around the house, such as the angles made by clock hands or the swing of a door, naming the angles and discussing how they relate to other angle work we have been learning.

En clase de español

Year 1 students continue to build their Spanish vocabulary through Las aventuras de Coco. As they follow Coco on her adventures, students are developing their understanding of familiar words and simple sentences, and demonstrating their learning through a range of activities in their booklets.

Thank You to Our 2026 Fun Fair Sponsors 🎡

We are delighted to recognise the wonderful businesses that have already come on board to support the 2026 Glen Iris Primary School Fun Fair.

🏡 Marshall White Ashburton – our local real estate specialists, supporting families across Ashburton, Glen Iris and the surrounding community. Marshall White has a long history in Melbourne real estate and a strong commitment to the communities in which they work.

⭐ TeamKids – our Outside School Hours Care partner, providing before and after school care and holiday programs designed to keep children active, engaged and having fun. We are very grateful for TeamKids' continued support of our school community.

✨ NueMode – a local business we are thrilled to have supporting this year's Fun Fair and our Glen Iris Primary School community.

The generosity of our sponsors directly contributes to making the Fun Fair bigger and better for our children and families, while helping us raise important funds for the school.

A huge thank you to Marshall White Ashburton, TeamKids and NueMode for getting behind GIPS!

Sponsorships still available

There are still opportunities for businesses to become a 2026 Fun Fair Sponsor. We are looking for sponsors for two more rides. If we can get our rides sponsored, we would love to add pony rides, a patting zoo and maybe even camel rides to this year's Fun Fair! If you own a business, work for a business that supports local community initiatives, or know someone who may be interested, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact the school to find out more.

Thank you,

The Fun Fair Committee (Maddie, Debbie & Karen)

Reminder to complete the parent survey

Dear Families,

A friendly reminder that our annual Parent / Carer Opinion Survey is now open, and we would love to hear from as many of our families as possible.

As of this morning, 17% of households have completed the survey. If your household has already participated, thank you! We really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.

If you haven’t completed the survey yet, please take up to 20 minutes to complete it before Friday 18 September. The more families who participate, the more accurately the results reflect the views and experiences of our whole school community.

The survey is offered by the Department of Education and gives families an opportunity to share their views about a range of areas, including school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. Your feedback helps us understand what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve. We use the results to help shape our school improvement priorities, planning and professional learning, so your voice really does matter.

Check your email for your personalised Parent / Carer Opinion Survey invitation and please complete the survey by Friday 18 September 2026.

Can’t find your invitation? Please contact the school and we will happily resend it to you. We can also assist if you need support completing the survey or require assistance in another language. We would love to see our participation rate continue to grow over the next two weeks. Thank you for your continued support and partnership with Glen Iris Primary School.

Get ready for possibly the comfiest school day of the year!

Footy Day September 18th

The school is having a footy, sport and free dress day on the last day of term (18^th September). Come dressed in your favourite team colours, sports gear, or free dress to celebrate the end of term. No gold coin needed.

Pyjama Chocolate Bar Day 9 October

On Friday 9 October, our GIPS SRC and Student Voice & Agency SALT Team are inviting everyone to come to school in their PJs or free dress and help us prepare for one of our Fun Fair favourites- the Chocolate Toss! 🎪🍫

Instead of a gold coin donation, we’re asking each student to bring along one large, flat chocolate bar. See attachment for images of what suit the Choc Toss well. All donated chocolate will go towards the Choc Toss at our upcoming School Fun Fair.

📅 Friday 9 October

Wear: Pyjamas or free dress
Bring: One large, flat chocolate bar to participate (approx. 170g)

A couple of important reminders when choosing your outfit: clothing still needs to be SunSmart (short sleeves or longer), and students must wear their normal safe school footwear, no slippers, please!

So raid the PJ drawer, grab a chocolate bar and get ready for a fun and cosy Friday at GIPS! 🌙✨

Thank you to our SRC and Student Voice & Agency students for leading this initiative and helping make our 2026 Fun Fair fantastic!

Parents evening thank you

It takes a village to make an event like this happen, and every contribution - big or small - helped shape a wonderful night.

👨‍👩‍👧 Our Parents & Guests

Thank you to the parents who attended the event and to all our online raffle participants. Your contribution and involvement in the activities directly helped our fundraising efforts.

🏫 Maddie & the School Team

A heartfelt thank you to Maddie, Joanne and the front office team in the lead‑up for contributing ideas and facilitating administration.

🤝 Event Volunteers & Table Captains

Thank you to our table captains and parent volunteers who helped organise groups, facilitate activities, payments, setup, and pack‑down. Your contribution kept the night flowing and made every activity easy for everyone to enjoy.

🎉 Who Were the Lucky Raffle Winners?

Congratulations to our raffle prize winners! Please pick up your raffle prizes from the front office. If you won a school-based raffle, the school will be in contact with you this term.

Principal for a day – Sarah Ferrier (online raffle)

Staff vs Student Game of Your Choice – Sunita Toraty (online raffle)

Nintendo Lunch with a Staff Member – Shehara Fernando

Darling Corner Osteopathy & Allied Health – Yean

Tilnak Portraits (2 prizes) – Sunita Toraty. Thank you for generously donating one of your prizes back to the school.

Tilnak Portraits – Jacqueline Williamson (online raffle)

Piccoli Portraits – Barron Gardiner

For GIPS experience prizes, please contact the front office to claim your prize. For Tilnak Portraits, prize winners will receive an email with details on how to claim their prize.

🎤 Event Catering & Entertainment

Glen Iris Central Park Cellars, Blue Diamond Catering and FunkyBunch provided seamless service throughout the night.

Glen Iris Primary School Council Fundraising Subcommittee