Dear Prospective Families,

Welcome to Glen Iris Primary School (GIPS), where our mission is to foster academic excellence and personal growth in a nurturing environment where every child is supported. As the proud principal of this vibrant community, I am delighted to share with you the unique qualities that make GIPS a wonderful place for your child's educational journey.​

At GIPS, we believe that happy children who feel safe learn better. Our approach focuses on a supportive classroom culture with strong teacher and student relationships.

We are committed to providing engaging and differentiated teaching in a nurturing and calm environment. Our dedicated teachers employ evidence-based strategies to ensure that each student receives the support they need to thrive academically and personally.​

We are a small school with an involved community. We believe that strong partnerships between families and the school are essential for student success. We encourage parents to participate actively in school activities and decision-making processes.

I invite you to explore our website at www.gips.vic.edu.au to learn more about our programs, values, and community. Please feel free to contact us to arrange a tour or to discuss how Glen Iris Primary School can support your child's educational journey.

Warm regards,

Maddie Witter

Principal

Enrolments open 22 April

Enrolments will open at the beginning of Term 2, on 22 April 2024.

This year our school is using an online system for new enrolments to Victorian government schools called VicStudents.   VicStudents is available for students who are enrolling in a Victorian Government School for the first time. This includes Foundation (Prep) enrolments for 2025.

VicStudents has been assessed by the Department of Education to a high degree of security in line with the Victorian Protective Data Security Standards and is compliant with ISO 27001, the leading international standard for information security.

To commence online enrolment: Visit https://students.educationapps... to create an account and complete the online application form. Please ensure that all documents required are attached to the application. This process can commence on 22 April 2026.

A Quick Reference Guide to using the online system is available here.

2026 Foundation (Prep) enrolment

Our school zone

Our school zone is available on findmyschool.vic.gov.au which hosts the most up-to-date information on school zones in Victoria.

Students residing within our school zone are guaranteed a place at our school, which is determined based on your permanent residential address.

Our school manages enrolments using the Placement Policy to ensure that students have access to their designated neighbourhood school and may enrol at another school, if there are available places.

For more information, you can:

• visit School zones for answers to frequently asked questions

• call the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) on 1800 896 950

• email the VSBA at vsba@education.vic.gov.au

2026 Foundation (Prep) enrolments

The Department of Education has released the statewide Foundation (Prep) enrolment timeline for the 2026 school year.

The timeline advises families when and how to enrol their child into Foundation (Prep) at a Victorian government primary school, including [insert name of your school].

All government primary schools will follow the timeline in 2025 to support Foundation (Prep) enrolments for the 2026 school year.

You can find information and resources about the timeline, including factsheets and a poster at: Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).

You will be able to apply to enrol your child in Foundation (Prep) 2026 at GIPS from 22 April 2025.

What you need to do:

1. Contact our school to book a school tour or to learn more about our school and the enrolment application process.
2. Download the Foundation (Prep) enrolment information pack from Enrolling in Foundation (Prep) (available by 22 April 2025). Please note that GIPS only can accept enrolments via the Insight platform which is detailed above.
3. Submit an enrolment application for Foundation (Prep) by Friday 25 July 2025.
4. You will be notified of the outcome of your application between Monday 28 July and Friday 8 August 2025. If you receive an enrolment offer, you should accept the offer on Insight by Friday 22 August 2025.
5. Take part in enrolment information and transition sessions during Term 4, 2025.
6. Prepare your child to start Foundation (Prep) from Wednesday 28 January 2026.

Enrolment applications submitted after 25 July 2025 will be processed by our school as they are received, in accordance with the department’s Placement Policy. Following 25 July 2025, we can only accept paper enrolments which can be found in the Enrolling in Foundation (Prep) pack.

2025 enrolments or Year 1-6 2026 Enrolments

Enrolment forms (for use outside of the Prep 2026 Enrolment Process) can be found here. They cannot be made on the Insight platform. Please contact our front office at (03) 9885 3624 if you are interested in enrolling your child in 2025 or you are interested in enrolling your child (outside of Prep) in 2026 with your enrolment form.

For all other enrolment enquiries please contact our Front Office at (03) 9885 3624.

Storytime bookings now open

All kindergarten children are invited to join our Pre-School Storytime sessions in the school library.

Held by one of our Prep teachers, the children will listen to a story and then do an activity. You may attend as many of the sessions as you wish, to help the children begin to familiarise themselves with the school environment. We would love to see you at all of our storytimes.

Parents, please stay with their children for the duration. If your kindergarten would like to attend a Pre-School Storytime, please contact our main office.

GIPS Open Day

This year, our Open House Day is designed to supplement a school tour and Information Evening. This day is specifically designed for the children who may be enrolled at our school. It is unlike our Information Evening (designed for families) or our School Tours (also designed for families).

During Open House Day, GIPS students will take small groups of prospective students (with their parents) around to different activities aimed to capture "A Day in the Life at GIPS". Please only enrol if you are an interested 2026 Prep family. Future enrolments can attend a following year. To register your interest, please fill in the form below. Bookings are required. If you have any questions, contact our front office at (03) 9885 3624 or glen.iris.ps@education.vic.gov.au .

Book here

GIPS Information Evening

Designed for parents, this information evening provides in-depth details about our school from the Prep teachers, Assistant Principals, students and parents.

Bookings are required. If you have any questions, contact our front office at (03) 9885 3624 or glen.iris.ps@education.vic.gov.au .

Book here

In our literacy classrooms

Reading

Our reading curriculum is rigorous and consistent. The building blocks start in the first days of Prep. Across all grades, students participate in shared reading sessions every day where teachers explicitly teach strategies and skills using texts pitched above instructional level. Students then engage in guided reading or literature circles, where students are targeted with specific feedback and support pinpointed exactly where they need it. We regularly assess our students using a variety of formal and informal assessments to track progress building lifelong readers.

Structured Synthetic Phonics

Structured synthetic phonics is a highly effective approach to teaching reading and writing, focusing on the systematic and explicit instruction of letter-sound relationships. By breaking down language into its smallest phonemic units, this method allows children to decode and blend sounds to form words. Its structured nature ensures that learners progress through clearly defined steps, building confidence as they master foundational skills. This approach not only improves reading fluency but also enhances spelling and writing abilities, making it crucial for early literacy development. Research consistently supports that structured synthetic phonics helps struggling readers by providing a solid framework for understanding the connection between sounds and letters, leading to better long-term literacy outcomes. We use the SoundWaves program for students in Prep through Grade Two for our structured synthetic phonics program. We use the same program for students in Grades Three to Six for our spelling program.

Writing

In writing, teachers model writing every day, demonstrating a specific skill. Then, our students launch off to independent work where they spend dedicated time every day independently writing. Teachers provide targeted feedback one-on-one and in small groups whilst students are independently writing. At the end of every lesson, children participate in the Author’s Chair reflection and feedback sessions to receive positive feedback and next-step suggestions so that our children have the voice and opportunity to provide each other feedback. Each term, students do a Stop and Pause writing piece, taking one piece of the same genre through every stage of the writing process from brainstorming to publishing. We also administer one timed writing piece per term, again to build high school readiness. As a teaching staff, twice per year, we gather as a school to moderate writing ensuring that each child has rigorous next-step goals.

Spelling

Teaching phonemes, graphemes, and morphology is essential for developing strong spelling skills because they lay the foundation for understanding how words are structured and how they work. Phonemes, the smallest units of sound in language, help students connect sounds to letters, enabling them to decode and encode words accurately. Graphemes, the written representations of these sounds, further solidify this connection, helping learners see how sounds are represented in writing. Additionally, understanding morphology—the study of the structure of words, including prefixes, suffixes, and roots—empowers students to break down complex words and make educated spelling choices based on patterns and meaning. By teaching these critical components, we equip students with the tools they need to spell both regular and irregular words with confidence, as well as to enhance their overall reading and writing skills.

In our numeracy classrooms

At GIPS, we intend to focus our attention on developing sophisticated and refined mathematical understanding across all year levels with a strong focus on mathematical conceptual understandings targeted at every child’s point of need.

Under the structure of the Victorian Curriculum, across all year levels GIPS follows the Big Ideas, a student-centred approach focused on mathematical concepts that link to numerous mathematical understandings. The Big Ideas provide a framework for our students to build understanding by connecting related ideas and support development of the understanding in number from early to advanced concepts. Our curriculum allows students to deeply build number sense and it enriches student mathematical thinking.

“One of the main aims of school mathematics is to create mental objects in the mind’s eye of children which can be manipulated flexibly with understanding and confidence.” - Professor Dianne Siemon, RMIT University

The Big Ideas focus on helping students understand the deeper concepts behind math, rather than just memorising rules or procedures. These include things like recognising patterns, understanding numbers and their relationships, and learning how to solve problems in different ways. One of the key ideas is the idea of "structure"—understanding how numbers and operations work together, like how addition and subtraction are related or how multiplication can be seen as repeated addition. Another important concept is "reasoning," where students learn how to think logically and justify their answers. By focusing on these big ideas, students develop a stronger, more flexible understanding of math that helps them apply it to real-life situations, rather than just learning isolated facts. This approach helps children become more confident and capable problem-solvers in the future.

Recently in our community- Evening on the Green

A few Fridays ago was a celebration of our GIPS community at its best. So much fun for our kids, a laid-back evening for families – and we raised money for our school.

Evening on the Green aims to build a sense of belonging and community early in the year – in line with our vision: Growth through belonging; a community where every child thrives.

Thank you to the 40+ families who volunteered and organised the event.

Sincere thanks to these supporters: Cannings, Bakers Delight, Team Kids, Academe Time, Scorpions, Marshall White and Glen Iris Cricket Club.

Finally, thank you to the Grade 5/6 volunteers in the canteen who demonstrated their amazing leadership in action.

A snapshot of student voice recently

Led by two grade six students Cameron and Brendan, our students designed, created, and participated in a Lunar New Year parade earlier this term. From music to a parade map, this event was 100% student led. Well done to the voice and agency of all students who participated, whether in an official role or as a parade spectator.

Inclusive school playground update

We are thrilled to announce that works on our inclusive school playground are scheduled to commence on Friday 28 March. Our junior playground will be revolutionised with a new sensory playground including heavy pulling and pushing equipment. Our senior playground also will include new additions for patterned repetitive activity with additions of a trampoline and swing set.

Dr Tom Brunzell visits GIPS

Dr Tom Brunzell, Director of the Berry Street Education Model and researcher at Melbourne University visited GIPS earlier this term to teach us practical strategies for deepening our relationships with students.

Dr Tom Brunzell presents internationally on topics of transforming school culture, student engagement, trauma aware practice, wellbeing and positive psychology, and effective school leadership.

His research at the University of Melbourne investigates both the negative impacts of stress and the positive impacts of wellbeing on teachers and leaders working towards educational equity in their communities.

His new book: Creating Trauma-informed Strengths Based Classrooms, co-authored with Dr Jacolyn Norrish, is now available as part of Berry Street's professional development resources and bookstore, as well as booksellers world-wide.

Berry Street Education Model School of Impact

Our very own Maddie Witter and GIPS have been featured as a school of impact with Berry Street. Read here to find out more about the work we are doing.

Lael Stone coming to GIPS