PUBLISHED
Happy Harmony Day! Today we celebrate and embrace Giant Steps’ diversity. We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of Footnotes.
THE FOOTNOTES TEAM
Corporate Sponsorship
As many of you would know, Giant Steps is partly funded by government funding and generous donations from the parent community and corporate donors. Over the wonderful 29 years that Giant Steps has existed, the funding that has needed to be raised from corporate donors has grown from $200,000 to $2.2m in 2024. This funding helps close the gap between generous parent donations, outstanding fundraising events and government funding. While the task of raising the required funds is not an easy one, we have successfully achieved it for the last 29 years!
So, what is it that inspires corporate donors to support Giant Steps? It is the Giant Steps spirit that has inspired and continues to inspire! It is the life-changing stories that our parent community warmly shares about their experience at Giant Steps. It is the tireless effort of staff who give so much of themselves day in and day out so our students have a place where they belong and thrive. It is the culture of Giant Steps which embraces and nurtures the individuality of every student! We want this Giant Steps Spirit to continue to roar and reach the hearts of many more corporates.
Each week, a brief note on Footnotes will explain more about corporate sponsorship and how you can get involved. The ultimate goal is not just to raise the funds needed to safeguard the future of Giant Steps but to raise awareness and inspire change. There are so many ways you can contribute, so watch this space…
SYDNEY NEWS
KEY DATES
FOR YOUR DIARY
- 25 MAR | COME TOGETHER
- 6 APR | DRAG BINGO
- 10 APR | ORDER OF ST. JOHN LUNCHEON
- 15 JUN | LUMINOUS GALA BALL
SCHOOL TERMS
TERM ONE 2024
- MON 29 – WED 31 JAN | STAFF PD DayS
- THU 1 FEB | STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 12 APR | TERM 1 ENDS
TERM TWO 2024
- MON 29 APR | STAFF PD DAY
- TUE 30 APR | STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 5 JUL | TERM 2 ENDS
TERM THREE 2024
- MON 22 JUL | STAFF PD Day
- TUE 23 JUL | STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 27 SEP | TERM 3 ENDS
TERM FOUR 2024
- MON 14 OCT | STAFF & STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 20 DEC | TERM 4 ENDS
TERM ONE 2025
- DDD 00 MMM | STAFF PD DayS
- DDD 00 MMM | STUDENTS RETURN
- DDD 00 MMM | TERM 1 ENDS
Dear Parents
The school is sparkling this week thanks to the tremendous efforts of parents, family and friends who helped out at the working bee on Sunday. From painting and gardening to organising and sorting, it has made a big difference to many of our programs and shared space. Many thanks to Linda for coordinating the day. We appreciate the efforts of all those involved in keeping our school looking so good.
Yesterday, we celebrated Harmony Day across Giant Steps! Inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging are the focus of Harmony Day celebrations, which aligns with our philosophy and outlook. It was wonderful to come together with the focus of celebrating the cultural diversity that exists in the school community. It was great to see so many students and staff wearing orange to mark the day.
The Giant Steps fundraising community has been a hive of action. Thanks to Giant Steps parent Niels Mosegaard and Bruce from Bruce Ward Training, who are running a group training session this weekend to raise money for Giant Steps.
Early next week, hairdressers from all over the country are coming together to share insights, all in a collective effort to raise money for Giant Steps. ‘Come Together’ is a Giant Steps first and we want to thank Giant Steps parent CJ Morello for organising such a fantastic, innovative event.
The dynamic Breakfast Point Men’s Shed team delivered two more custom-built steps for trampolines in upper-primary and secondary this week. Thank you to Giant Steps grandparent Ugo Tellini and all the incredible Men’s Shed Breakfast Point members for their ongoing support and assistance.
Over the weekend, Daniella and Tim, friends of Giant Steps parents Tina and Peter Papoythis, organised a spectacular fundraising evening at Lamrock Café in Bondi. The night had a ‘Duet’ theme, featuring performances of classic duets and was very well attended. Thank you to everyone who organised and supported this terrific event.
Have a great weekend
Andrew
MELBOURNE NEWS
KEY DATES
FOR YOUR DIARY
- 28 APR | AUSTRALIA 108 STAIR CHALLENGE
- 24 MAY | MAYDAY CHARITY LUNCH
SCHOOL TERMS
TERM ONE 2024
- WED 24 & THU 25 JAN | STAFF PD Days
- MON 29 JAN | STUDENTS RETURN
- THU 28 MAR | TERM 1 ENDS
TERM TWO 2024
- MON 15 APR | STAFF & STUDENTS RETURN
- MON 20 MAY | STAFF PD DAY
- FRI 28 JUN | TERM 2 ENDS
TERM THREE 2024
- MON 25 JUL | STAFF & STUDENTS RETURN
- FRI 16 AUG | STAFF PD DAY
- FRI 20 SEP | TERM 3 ENDS
TERM FOUR 2023
- MON 7 OCT | STAFF & STUDENTS RETURN
- MON 4 NOV | STAFF PD DAY
- WED 18 DEC | TERM 4 ENDS
TERM ONE 2025
- DDD 00 MMM | STAFF PD DayS
- DDD 00 MMM | STUDENTS RETURN
- DDD 00 MMM | TERM 1 ENDS
Dear Parents,
If you haven’t already saved the date, Saturday the 1st of June is important for your diary: The Giant Steps Social! This year we will host the social at the Glasshouse, Olympic Park. Together we can build brighter futures for children and adults on the autism spectrum. Help us share the date widely and make this an exceptional event.
Staff came together this afternoon to celebrate the results of The Buzz, a whole-organisation diagnostic that staff completed at the end of 2023. The diagnostic asked about three core areas of learning intelligence: mindset, environment, and belief. Our results have been calculated using survey results from 8,000 educators from hundreds of schools. Our school was placed in the top quartile (82%), meaning Giant Steps Melbourne is amongst the top 25% of schools, which is worthy of celebration.
Last week, the NDIS audited our adult program, outreach, and therapy services. I’m pleased to share that we successfully passed this audit and received extremely positive feedback from the auditor. I want to acknowledge the National Director of Adult Autism Services, Semray Ali, and the Director of Adult Autism Services in Melbourne, Andy Smith, and the team for their enormous effort in navigating the audit process.
A reminder that next week is the last week of Term 1 with Thursday 28th March being the last day. School returns for students on Monday 15th April.
Have a lovely weekend,
Davina
Meet The Team
Melbourne
Mia Penso
Hi, I’m Mia and I have been an educator at Giant Steps since the end of 2022. As part of my volunteering, I had the pleasure of visiting Giant Steps and was blown away by the set up and the people there. I instantly enjoyed working with the students and appreciated the culture. I knew Giant Steps was something I wanted to be apart of. It’s truly an amazing place and I have never looked back.
I was born in Melbourne and lived in Istanbul, Turkiye, for parts of my childhood. I graduated from high school and then spent the following year living abroad, travelling and volunteering as much as I could.
For the past six years, I have worked in the community with NDIS participants and also worked at Fizz Kids for a couple of those! When I’m not at work, I love travelling, trying new foods, painting, and all things creative. I recently found a new passion for creating miniature art!
I am excited to continue to grow at Giant Steps and get to know you all.
FUNDRAISING
Australia 108 Stair Challenge
Sunday, 28 April
We are just over 5 weeks out from this year’s stair climb and while numbers are looking good, we would love to increase our number of climbers.
We are calling on our GSM community to help us market this event. Reach out to your network, register a team with your workplace, family or friends, share our social media posts that go out weekly, and help us distribute posters in your local area. Please email Katherine.Hender@giantsteps.net.au to ask for some posters—we have loads ready to go!
A giant shout out to our teams and individuals who are doing incredible work fundraising for this event, with a very special shout out to Xavi’s Climbers, who have raised a whopping $8000! We are absolutely blown away by the generosity.
We are so excited to see our incredible community come together for this fun event. We’ll see you at the top on Sunday, 28 April!
Click the button below to register now!
FUNDRAISING | SYDNEY
Come Together
Monday, 25 March
Be quick – tickets are still on sale for this unique Giant Steps first!
Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets for this exciting Giant Steps event. Our supporters A.H Salon, have organised this groundbreaking event, where the biggest names in Australian hair will share industry insights and graciously support Giant Steps.
This event and fundraiser will offer practical advice and cutting-edge techniques. Please click below to learn more and share with your friends and family!
🔗 Purchase tickets before they sell out
Drag Bingo
Saturday, 6 April
Drag Bingo is back, darlings! This year’s theme is all things Barbie, so come dressed to the nines and prepare for a unique game of bingo and roaring good time.
Tickets are $60, and a pre-ordered set dinner is $25. The Asian-inspired dinner includes a vegetarian option.
Please note that this is an adult-only event. All proceeds will go towards supporting children and adults on the autism spectrum.
Charity Luncheon
Wednesday, 10 April
Beloved Giant Steps family the Carollos and the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta invite our Giant Steps parents and community to a Charity Luncheon on Wednesday, 10 April.
All proceeds from this wonderful annual lunch at Aqua Luna Waterfront Dining in Drummoyne will go to supporting Giant Steps.
RSVP by 27 March to Lady Angela Panzarino via email.
Luminous Gala
Saturday, 15 June
The 2024 Giant Steps Gala Ball tickets are available through our Gala Ball website.
Join us in celebrating 29 years of supporting children and adults on the autism spectrum at our largest fundraiser. With over 1,000 guests, a preeminent venue in the heart of Sydney harbour, and lots of entertainment and dancing with the Glassbreakers, the Giant Steps Ball is not to be missed!
📅 Saturday, 15 June from 7pm
📍 International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour
Thank you
Stapleton family – The Giant Lunch
Thank you to the Stapleton family for organising The Giant Lunch in beautiful Barangaroo. The Meat & Wine Co. were fantastic hosts and over $15,000 was raised for Giant Steps.
Tina Papoythis and Lamrock Cafe
Thank you to new Giant Steps parent Tina Papoythis, Daniella and the whole team from the Lamrock Cafe for hosting a spectacular show, Duets, and a four-course dinner, where all proceeds will to Giant Steps!
FUNDRAISING | MELBOURNE
May Day Charity Luncheon
Friday, 24 May
MayDay is an annual sports-themed charity fundraising lunch, organised by the Corcous Club, that will take place on the 24th of May. The objective of MayDay is to raise money for Melbourne charities while giving them a platform to bring awareness to their cause, and Giant Steps is thrilled to be the chosen charity for the upcoming luncheon. The event has been running for over thirteen years and has raised over $1.3 million so far for a number of charities.
This year’s event is held at the RACV Club, Bourke Street, Melbourne.
Tickets are $175 each. To purchase tickets, click here.
Sponsorship packages are also available.
The Giant Steps Social
Saturday, 1 June
SAVE THE DATE
The biennial Giant Steps Social is on this year and we can’t wait to celebrate with you all. Put it in your diary!!
Tickets will be on sale mid-April.
CLASS UPDATES | SYDNEY
Wullaba
This term, Wullaba class has been exploring their community through our lesson, Wonders of the World. For our 4 and 5 years old, the wonders of their world are those special places they discover in our community like our bike track, occupational therapy and music room, library, boat shed and Banjo Park. All these places are part of the routine for many, but for Wullaba class, they are places of wonder.
Yarrah
For many students, cooking is a highly preferred activity and the students in Yarrah class love all things food!!! So far this term we have made chocolate crackles, honey joys, and waffles during our cooking sessions. We love it when our lessons incorporate food into them, and we have been learning about whole numbers using food items such as popcorn. We are also learning to use visual supports to request our favourite foods!
CLASS UPDATES | MELBOURNE
Opal
Several members of Opal class have been delighting in forest adventures at Sherbrooke Falls through our Adventure Club. There’s nothing quite like immersing ourselves in the natural beauty of towering trees and cascading waterfalls while enjoying the company of students from various classes across the school.
Back in the classroom, we’ve been delving deeper into the theme of ‘friends and family’ during our shared reading lessons. We’ve been honing our writing skills and even crafting sparkly superhero masks for added fun.
Outside, we’ve been captivated by the ongoing building work next door, often donning hard hats and high-visibility vests in the playground to observe all the action. Amidst all the excitement, we’re also diligently working on our numeracy skills and sentence construction while enjoying each other’s company and having a blast together.
ADULT SERVICES
Melbourne
Work experience has been keeping us busy here at Adult Services, and it’s been great learning a range of new skills. From making spanakopita at All Things Equal Café to running reading sessions at Collingwood Children’s Farm, we have been taking on new challenges in our stride! Keeping fit and active has also been another focus for us. A huge highlight has been a juggling workshop our educator, Santiago Reynoso, ran for staff for our professional development day. Our participants have loved testing our new juggling board– a brilliant addition to our program.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Holiday Program – Sydney
Monday 15 – Friday 19 April
We are excited to announce that the holiday program will be returning in the first week of the April school holidays, Monday 15 – Friday 19 April. The holiday program does not replicate a school day. It is focused on the kids having fun and getting offsite as much as possible.
The number of days we will be able to offer each student will be dependent on the interest we receive from families and staff. NDIS rates will be charged for a 9am-3pm day.
If you are interested in your child attending the program for any of the days, please email holidayprogram@giantsteps.net.au by Friday 29th March.
Sensory Friendly Session – Melbourne
Thursday, 21 March
SuperPark would love to invite you down for their very first “Sensory Friendly Session” on 21 March from 5pm – 7pm. (if a 4 pm/4.30 pm start is better suited, and you have a larger group reach out and they will accommodate).
The goal of this session is to invite guests down at a reduced fee to enjoy the park so they can trial some sensory friendly situations and seek feedback on how they can become a better provider in this space. The team at SuperPark want to understand when the best time in the week for blocked sensory sessions is, what works and what doesn’t in the park and how they can make SuperPark a place everyone can enjoy.
Click here to book, numbers are limited so get in quick if you are interested.
For those who haven’t heard of SuperPark, you can view their website here.
