The Grapevine

The Newsletter of Glendore Public School

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land.

We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future.

We recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of the Awabakal People.

We celebrate with and respect members of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations.

Where Everyone Can Succeed

Celebrating Our Talented Students and Staff

What a truly wonderful week it has been! On Monday evening, we came together to celebrate our Year 6 farewell, a heartfelt occasion filled with laughter, memories, and the promise of new adventures ahead for our students. A massive thank you to all the staff (Mrs Budd, Mrs Queenan, Mr Lawrence, Mrs Butler and the entire team of supporting staff members) and students who contributed to making this event so special. Your hard work and dedication shone through, creating an evening that will be cherished by all.

Additionally, I would like to extend congratulations to our incredible staff members – Mrs. McDowell, Mrs. Armstrong, Miss Cook, Mrs. Cook, Miss Newling, Mrs. Goode, Mrs Walsh, Miss Bush, Mrs. Houston, Mrs Griffiths, and Miss Oakley – for the spectacular CAPA showcase held last night. The performing arts were celebrated in a vibrant array of dance, singing, drama, aerobics, and musical theatre. The talent displayed by our students was nothing short of remarkable, and it was a joy to witness their performances filled with confidence and enthusiasm.

Our dedicated teachers continue to provide outstanding extracurricular opportunities that allow our students to shine. Thank you for your unwavering support and commitment to fostering such a rich and nurturing environment for our students to explore their passions.

A special shout out to our General Assistant Kyle, for once again volunteering his time after hours in support of our students and school. So very much appreciated.

Reminder - Changes to applying for entry to Opportunity Class and Selective High School placement

Applications will be open each year from November to February (the following year) for both selective high school and opportunity class placement. Parents and carers will still apply online using the selective high school and opportunity class placement website.

Applications for selective high school and opportunity class entry in 2026 will be open from 7 November 2024 to 21 February 2025. There will be no late applications due to the longer application period, and the application closing date being closer to the test dates and logistical constraints around organising test centres and devices.

This change to the application period means that parents and carers will now need to apply for opportunity class placement when their child is in Year 3 (or early in Term 1 when their child starts Year 4). This change applies to students currently in Year 3.

For selective high school placement, parents and carers will continue to apply when their child is in Year 5 and can now apply when their child is in year 6 until the end of Week 4, Term 1.

Please see the attached documentation below for further information.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes

Important Notice for Families

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we kindly request that any families of students who will not be returning in 2025 notify the school office as soon as possible. This information is crucial for our planning and helps ensure we can allocate resources effectively for all our students.

Thank you for your cooperation and support!

End of Year Reflections and Gratitude

As we draw the curtains on another successful year, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all staff, families, community members, and our dedicated P&C volunteers. Your ongoing support and commitment have been instrumental in creating a vibrant and supportive environment for our students.

Congratulations to all our students for their remarkable successes and achievements throughout 2024. Whether in academics, the arts, sports, or community service, your hard work and determination have shone brightly, and we couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you.

As we approach the holiday season, I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and a well-deserved break. May this time be filled with laughter, joy, and relaxation with family and friends.

Thank you once again for being such an integral part of our school community. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2025 for another exciting year of learning and growth.

Warmest wishes,

Annette Van Egmond

What a wonderful year of learning and fun we have had at Glendore Public School this year. It has been amazing to witness the student growth and engagement throughout the year in Literacy and Numeracy. I worked closely with all staff from K-6 and the confidence displayed when delivering Literacy and Numeracy reviews was impressive. During the last couple of weeks of Term 4 we have undertaken a maths stocktake to ensure all classes have access to quality resources.

We recognised students’ achievements in home reading this week for those who read over 120 nights. We look forward to seeing more students engage with this program next year.

I hope everyone has a lovely and relaxing, well-earned holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all in 2025 for lots of learning fun!

• Please return all library books as they are now overdue for our stocktake.

• Stocktake helps us keep accurate records of what is in our library to make the borrowing process easier for everyone.

• Borrowing has now finished for the year.

• Year 6 Parents/Caregivers are welcome to join us in ‘Malang’ from 2.20pm to 2.40pm on Tuesday, 17th of December to Clap Out the ‘Class of 2024’ Year 6 students.

• Please refer to your Sentral Parent Portal push and information note which will sent home in week 9 for further information.

• To pay it forward, Year 6 students are asked to donate their school hat at the end of their Year 6 Clap Out.
• Hats will be washed and sanitised by staff before being donated to younger students during 2025.

• Year 6 students will be able to wear any sun safe hat they choose for their last day.

Congratulations to all competitors at our Swimming Carnival today! You all raced hard and earned lots of points for your sports houses during our novelty events.

Thank you so Miss Borrow for her organisation of the day and thank you to all staff that attended. A great day was had by all.

• On Monday evening, we gathered at Wallsend Diggers to celebrate our Year 6 students at their farewell dinner.

• Our students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with friends and celebrate this significant milestone together.

• A huge thank you to our Year 6 staff, led by Mrs Budd, for their dedication in making this event so memorable. It took a lot of planning, coordination, and teamwork to create a special send-off that marked the end of their primary school journey.

• We wish all our Year 6 students an exciting and successful journey ahead as they embark on their high school adventures in 2025.

To celebrate a wonderful year of Kindergarten, students visited Adventure play world at Green hills! Students enjoyed hours of playing on the equipment a wonderful meal and a bus ride! The students had the biggest smiles on their faces the whole time and it was wonderful to see them all enjoying themselves after a hard working year! Well done Kindy!

Stage One had a wonderful time on their Party Day on Tuesday 19th of December. The students went to Glendale Cinema and watched Moana 2. All the students were very well-behaved and reported that they loved the movie. What a fantastic way to celebrate a wonderful year of learning in Stage One!

Years 3-5 celebrated the end of the year by seeing Moana 2. The students had a fabulous time and the behaviour was outstanding. It is great that all students in 3-5 are ending the year on such a high. Thank you to all the staff for supporting students and celebrating all the wonderful learning across Year 3-5 this year.

To celebrate a wonderful end to our year 6 students primary schooling we visited Green Hills for a fun day of movies and arcade games. Students enjoyed a popcorn and drink in the cool air-conditioned theatres where we watched Moana 2 and enjoyed a sing along or two. Students then enjoyed an hour's session at Timezone on various arcade games and skill testing machines. It was a great day our for all involved!

On Thursday 12th of December 2024, the GPS CAPA groups performed at three showcases. There were wonderful performances from Junior and Senior Dance, Junior and Senior Drama, Primary Proms Choir, Aerobics Teams and our Musical Theatre ensemble.

Thank you to Miss Cook, Miss Newling, Mrs Armstrong, Miss Bush, Mrs Walsh, Mrs Goode, Miss Oakley and Mrs Houston for organising the items. We are very proud of our talented students.

Ms McDowell

Students will receive a Glendore GOTCHA when they are displaying our values of Respect, Safety, Engagement for the weekly focus. The Glendore GOTCHAS will go towards a whole class reward.

Our Behaviour Focus for Week 8 was:

• Basketball Court

Congratulations to our Premier's Reading Challenge Gold Award Winners.

A Gold Award is for students who have completed the Premier's Reading Challenge 4 times.

This term, Kinan from 3BD has made a difference by leading a meaningful project that combines art and community. Kinan has volunteered his time and expertise in tactile art to guide his class in creating beautiful thank you gifts for presenters at the upcoming biannual SPEVI (South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment) Conference being held in Brisbane. The theme of the conference is Empowerment.

For the students involved, this project is a fantastic opportunity to shine as artists, with their work being valued and appreciated by the broader community. It’s also a wonderful way to give back, as they contribute their time and effort to support an organisation that empowers people with lived experience of blindness and low vision to become independent and achieve their potentials.

We are incredibly proud of Kinan and all students in 3BD for their creativity, generosity, and teamwork. What an inspiring example of inclusion, leadership, and community spirit!

It is with much excitement that we would like to congratulate our student and classmate Jenson in his sporting success. He has won the Newcastle Kart Racing Club 2024 Championship for his racing class. What an amazing achievement. Who knows we might see him as the next F1 driver for Australia in 2031. Congratulations Jenson we wish all the best for your win and your upcoming 2025 season.