The Power of Explicit Teaching at GIPS

At GIPS, we are committed to ensuring every student experiences success in their learning. One of the most effective ways we achieve this is through explicit teaching, which is a structured, evidence-based approach that makes learning clear, intentional and accessible for all students.

What is Explicit Teaching?

Explicit teaching is a method where teachers clearly show students what to learn and how to do it. Rather than assuming students will infer skills or concepts independently, teachers:

• Clearly state the learning objective and success criteria

• Break learning into small, manageable steps

• Model new skills and thinking processes

• Provide guided practice with feedback

• Gradually release responsibility to students

This approach removes ambiguity and ensures students understand exactly what success looks like. At GIPS, as part of our annual improvement process, teachers have been investigating learning objectives, success criteria, and where to pitch explicit teaching.

What does this Look Like in the Classroom?

In a GIPS classroom, you may see teachers:

• Demonstrating how to solve a maths problem step-by-step

• Thinking aloud while analysing a reading passage

• Providing worked examples before independent tasks

• Modelling mistakes purposefully

• Checking for understanding regularly

Building Confidence and Independence

Explicit teaching builds strong foundations. Once students have secure understanding and skills, they are better equipped to think critically, problem-solve and work creatively. Clear instruction does not limit independence. It enables it.

At GIPS, we know that clarity, consistency and high expectations matter. By continuing to prioritise explicit teaching, we are ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed and feel confident in their learning journey.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to provide the very best educational experience for our students.

In Prep

Last week, our Prep students met their Grade 6 buddies for the first time! The buddy program pairs each Prep student with a Grade 6 student, who will be their helper and friend throughout the year. Buddies will meet every fortnight to read together, play games, and help each other feel confident at school. The program helps our younger students settle in and gives older students a chance to be positive role models.

What you can do at home after a buddy session: Ask your Prep child, “What did you and your buddy do together today?” “Did you learn something new from your buddy?”

In Grade One

Grade One: ‘Mad about Science -Light and Sound Incursion’

The Grade One students were engaged in a Light and Sound incursion this week. Here they learnt that both light and sound come from a source and give out light or sound energy. They explored how light moves through objects and they were introduced to the terms- transparent, translucent and opaque. Students investigated whether various materials were transparent, translucent of opaque. The students explored how sound vibrates through objects in the form of a soundwave.

You can support this at home by:

• Pointing out/ identifying light sources in your home and discussing whether they are natural or artificial
• Going on a soundwalk in your garden/ backyard /local park/shops and noting the sounds. Ask your child, “What sound do you think that is? Where is it coming from? How do you think that sound is made? “

In Grade Two

This past fortnight, Year Two students embraced the Winter Olympics, learning about the Games and medals. Students collaborated across the cohort to design their own medal. The engaging activity highlighted their creativity and artistic flair whilst enabling them to mix between classes.

At home, you could continue the conversation about the significance of the Olympic Games by discussing different aspects of the Games, such as the opening and closing ceremonies, the countries that participate, the sports, spectators, how often the Games are held, and some fun facts. Ask your children if they can name any sports from the Winter Olympics or the Summer Games.

In Grade Three

In Grade 3 we have been focusing on developing our mental addition and subtraction strategies. We have focused on the jump and split strategies which involve partioning numbers and adding or subtracting by their place value.

At home you might like to look for opportunities to practice mental addition or subtraction problem solving in areas of everyday life such as:

• calculating number of pages read of their take home readers
• scoring sports games
• spending or saving money

Quick car maths is fun for those long commutes. Your goal is to add the digits on car number plates together. For an extra challenge you can add the number plates of two different cars. Go and have some fun with maths!

In Grade Four

In Year 4, we have been exploring our Integrated Studies topic ‘Endangered Animals’. Students have read and researched a range of animals, learning why they are endangered and what we can do to help protect them. In 4M, we recently learnt about the rare Saola (known as the Asian Unicorn). Students are also looking forward to an upcoming Endangered Animals incursion on Friday 6th March to further support their learning, and over the coming weeks will be creating their own endangered animal diorama at school using a shoebox brought from home.

You can support this learning at home by:

• Asking your child questions about the endangered animals they have been learning about
• What endangered animals have you learnt about recently?
• How have they become endangered and what can we do to protect them?
• Helping them find and label a shoebox to bring to school
• Ensuring permission has been completed for next Friday’s incursion

In Grade Six

Our grade six students have begun our GIPS writing program. Students have choice writing each day which are sometimes inspired by teacher modelled pieces such as "If my teacher were an animal" or by music and sounds. Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about writing to build up their ideas bank of what interests them and what they can write about. We encourage students to bring in mementos from their weekends that can be glued into their writer's notebook as inspiration.

District Swimming

Congratulations to all of our swimmers who took part in district swimming this week! We are proud of everyone who participated.

Hoop Time

We are excited to announce that our school has entered Hoop Time basketball teams for both Juniors (Grade 3/4) and Seniors (Grade 5/6) students this year. The Senior (Grade 5/6) Hoop Time competition will take place on Friday, June 19, while the Junior (Grade 3/4) Hoop Time competition will be held on Friday, July 24. For each competition date, we have entered four teams in total, consisting of one All-Stars team and one Future Stars team for both boys and girls. This provides students with the opportunity to participate at a level that best suits their skills and experience. We will also be seeking coaches for each team. If you are interested in supporting our students on either of these days, please let us know; your involvement would be greatly appreciated. To express interest please email glen.iris.ps@education.vic.gov.au attn: Tayla Sjogren.

Trials for all divisions will be held towards the end of the term, with further details to be shared closer to the date.

In the art room

In art this week the Preps were looking at the celebration of the Lunar New Year. They were very focused tracing their hands to create a horse to celebrate The Year of the Horse.

In Performing Arts

Lately in Performing Arts, students have been exploring beat and rhythm in music. While the Preps have been looking at different ways of keeping a steady beat, the Grade 1’s and 2’s have been investigating the percussion instruments in the learning space. Some challenging rhythms have also made their way into the Grade 5 & 6 sessions; ask them, and they’ll tell you all about ti-tika, tika-ti, and tika-ka.

In Wellbeing

In our Lead the Way session today, students explored personal strengths by identifying a strength within themselves and recognising strengths in others in the group. This activity encouraged self-awareness, positive peer connection, and appreciation of individual differences. By sharing and celebrating each other’s strengths, students built confidence, strengthened relationships, and developed a deeper understanding of how their unique qualities contribute to a supportive team environment.

In our staffroom

Take Home Reading Has Begun!

Take home reading has now begun for students in Grades 1–3, with hundreds of new books added to our book boxes. We hope students are enjoying their new books and have settled back into a daily reading routine.

Our Prep students will soon be joining the fun! From late next week, as they settle into full weeks at school, Preps will begin bringing home their very first books. These decodable books are designed to give beginning readers a positive start and support the skills they are learning in class.

Whatever the age, reading at home every day makes a real difference. It gives students the chance to practise their reading, build confidence and develop independence — all while enjoying their books.

Helpful Tips for Families

• Keep it short and relaxed.
  A few minutes of reading each day is enough to start, and you can gradually increase the time as your child’s stamina grows. If they’re tired, it’s fine to stop early — keeping reading positive is most important.
• Create a calm space.
  Choose a quiet, comfortable spot and turn off distractions like TVs or devices.
• Let your child take the lead.
  Encourage them to read and give them time to work things out.
• If they get stuck, gently guide them.
  You might say:
• “Look at the letters — what sounds can you see?”
• “Can you blend those sounds together?”
• “Does that word make sense in the sentence?”
• Keep it flowing.
  If a word is too tricky, it’s okay to tell them so reading stays enjoyable.
• Re-read to build confidence.
  Reading the same book over a few days helps improve accuracy, fluency, and understanding.
• Build understanding.
  Ask simple questions after reading, such as “What happened in the story?” or “What do you think might happen next?” Many take home books include prompts inside the cover to guide discussion.

If you have any questions about take home reading, please see your child’s class teacher. - Meagan Cofield

In our community

From School Council

The GIPS School Council is aware of the ongoing issue of graffiti and damage to the school premises on weekends. We are currently looking into various options to discourage the people responsible from returning. Considering this, we would also like to ask all members of the GIPS community to call the Boroondara Police (Ph: 8851 1111) if they see any unusual or suspicious activity on the school grounds. 'If you see something, say something'. Thank you.

Evening on the Green

It was wonderful to see so many families taking part in Evening on the Green on Friday. Thank you to all families who volunteered for School Council to help support the event. Thank you to Claire for organising and leading the event this year!

Prep BBQ

Our Prep families enjoyed and BBQ last week hosted by the school and grade one families. It was a lovely afternoon with some beautiful sunshine!

Parent Payments

Thank you to all those who have already made your Parent Payments for the year.

If you haven’t yet, please pay via the Compass app today.

Parent Payments are needed to cover curriculum consumables (e.g. paper, pencils, printing, photocopying, art supplies); library and digital resources; and for maintaining and enhancing our indoor and outdoor learning environments.

For flexible payment options, contact the office on 9885 3624 or glen.iris.ps@education.vic.gov.au

– School Council

Cyber Safe Parents – Online Safety Webinars for Families

We’re thrilled to announce our school has partnered with https://cybersafetyproject.com/ to offer parents access to the Cyber Safe Parents 2026 Webinar Series.

These practical, easy-to-understand sessions, available live or on-demand, will provide simple strategies to help families manage online safety, screen time,

AI, and digital wellbeing. Pop these important dates into your calendars now:

2026 Topics & Dates:

1. Cyber Safety at Home (Family session) – 10 March
2. AI & Critical Thinking (Parent/Guardian session) – 20 May
3. Balancing Life & Tech (Parent/Guardian session) – 3 August
4. Cyberbullying & Resilience (Parent/Guardian session) – 27 October

All sessions start at 7.30pm AEDT/AEST.

Can’t attend live? Register to receive the recording and resources to watch at a time that suits you.

👉 Register via the link shared on Compass. Please do not share the link.

GIPS School Uniform Update

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to provide an update regarding our school uniform. Firstly, thank you for your ongoing support in ensuring students attend school in the correct uniform in line with our school policy.

As endorsed by School Council last year, we are gradually transitioning from the yellow short- and long-sleeve polo tops to our new design (shown below). This decision was made based on continuous feedback from the parents about the difficulty of keeping the tops clean. We believe the updated tops will be easier to keep clean and also look fantastic. Our Grade 6 students are proudly wearing the new tops for the first time this year.

As existing stock of the yellow polos runs out in each size, the new design will be available for purchase. Note that the yellow top prices have been reduced at PSW. Replacing all yellow tops at once would require the school to buy back all remaining stock, which is not financially possible. For this reason, the transition will occur gradually over time.

We would also like to make families aware that the new polo top is slightly more expensive than the previous yellow top (before its price was reduced to clear stock). This reflects increased manufacturing and supply costs being experienced across all school uniform suppliers. We understand that any price increase can be frustrating, which is another reason we are taking a gradual transition approach. Families are not expected to replace existing yellow tops and can continue using them until they no longer fit or need replacing.

Thank you for your continued support as we make this gradual transition. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.

Kind regards,

Debbie McDermott

We have put together some frequently asked questions to help clarify what this change will look like over time.

Can students still wear the yellow polo tops?
Yes. Students can continue to wear their current yellow polo tops. There is no expectation that families replace uniforms immediately.

When will the yellow tops be phased out?
The transition will happen gradually over time as existing stock sells out. Once a size in the yellow top is no longer available, the new design will be the only option to purchase in that size. We expect this to take a few years.

Do families need to buy the new top now?
No. Families only need to purchase the new top when their child requires a new size or when their current top needs replacing.

Why is the school not replacing all tops at once?
To remove all yellow tops immediately would require the school to purchase all remaining stock, which is not financially possible. A gradual transition ensures the change is manageable and cost-effective for both families and the school.

Who will wear the new tops first?
Our Grade 6 students are wearing the new design this year. Other year levels will move to the new top as they require new sizes and as yellow stock sells out.

Will students be in trouble for wearing the yellow top?
No. Both the yellow and new polo tops are acceptable during the transition period. We ask that whichever top is worn is in line with the school uniform policy.

Where can we purchase the new tops?
Uniforms can be purchased through our uniform supplier (PSW). Details and links are available via the school office and newsletter.

Is the new top more expensive?
Yes, there is a small price increase on the new polo top due to rising manufacturing and supply costs. To minimise the impact on families, there is no requirement to purchase the new top immediately. Students can continue wearing their current yellow tops and only purchase the new design when needed.

Why is the school changing the polo top?
Over time we have received consistent feedback from families that the yellow tops were difficult to keep clean. They tended to show marks easily and became more transparent over time, whereby under garments worn by students could be seen. The updated design and fabric were selected in response to this feedback so that the tops are more durable, maintain their colour and provide better coverage for students.

Will second-hand uniforms be available?
Yes. As families move to the new design, we encourage donations of good-quality yellow tops to our second-hand uniform supply to support other families.

Meet the Teacher- Important Information

Meet the Teacher will take place on Monday 16 February 2026. Thank you to all families who signed up. As shared, bookings closed on 12 February.

Please note that Monday 16 February is a pupil-free day. Students do not attend school on this day. Team Kids is available for care.

During Meet the Teacher, each family books a 10-minute, student-free appointment to meet with their child’s teacher and discuss their child.
Please arrive on time so our teachers can keep appointments to schedule. You can find your booking on Compass under conferences.