From the Principal

Welcome to IPS

After 29 years  Edwina Coates and Monika Reilly are both retiring. Monika finishes up at the end of this term and Edwina at the end of term two.  Sarah Emerson will be working closely with Edwina to lead the program until a suitable replacement can be found. The coordinator position will be advertised mid term two for a start in term three.

Edwina has been with the program from the very beginning, caring, nurturing and supporting the many students and families who have been a part of the OSHC family over the journey.

Not only has Edwina been a support for our students and families but also the large number of staff who have worked at OSHC. She has played a vital role in the mentoring and inspiring her team to continue to uphold the high standards of the program. 

Her passion for Outside School Hours Care is second to none and our fabulous program here at IPS is testament to that. 

Edwina will be coordinating one day a week throughout Term 2. Sarah Emerson will take the role of Acting Coordinator during this time. Edwina’s official last day will be the 26th of June 2021 and while she will be greatly missed we wish her every happiness in her retirement. 

Monika Reilly will be joining the party of retirees. Monika has worked alongside Edwina as a ‘partner in crime’ for 29 years. She will be retiring on the 30th March. Monika has provided us with creative ideas and inspired us with her passion for upcycling, mosaics, needlecraft, sustainable gardening to name a few. We will miss Monika and wish her a fabulous retirement. 

What do we value?

As part of our school review we have been listening to the voices of our students. We began a Values project that culminated in five students telling us what they think about IPS and our school values and how those values are relevent to them.

The big project was filmed yesterday and will be showcased at the beginning of Term Two. In the meantime other students contributions were so good we had to share. They were so prolific we will spread them out over the coming weeks.

Check out Maddie and Asher on the Student Voice and Agency page.

Staff breakfast

As a part of our own wellbeing program our staff enjoyed breakfast together this week outside the Beehive. Thank you to Ms McCormick and Ms McCarthy for organising this.

Reminders

Tonight is Thornbury HS Open Night. See the Community News page for details. This school is definitely worth checking out.

The Fair is our biggest fundraiser and social event for the year and there is a Fair / Class Reps  meeting in the staffroom (Waterdale Rd. entrance) on  Wednesday 12th May at 7pm.  Followed up by a Fair meeting on the 26th May. All welcome. 

More on this on the IPS FAQ page.

Don't forget to bring your forms back to the office for Barefoot Bowls!  Only $10 per family!  Sunday 28th March, 3pm-8pm at the Ivanhoe Bowls Club (John St, Ivanhoe). More information on the Community News page.

National Ride 2 School Day is TOMORROW. 

Sticker on arrival – For all students who have come to school actively on Friday. Live far away? No problem! Park 3 streets away and then walk to school! This still counts as active travel! 

Competition – Decorate your bike! - This is happening all week! There is a box located at the office. Students can decorate their bikes at home, take a photo and place in the box with their name and grade! You could be a winner! 

Free Fruit – There’s no better way than starting the day with a healthy snack. All students will be offered a piece of fruit on Friday morning after arriving. Make your way to the Treehouse where a table will be set up! 

Golden Shoe – Every class will collect their Ride2School data on Friday and the winning Junior and Upper school classes will receive the Golden Shoe and Golden Bike awards. 

*More information on the National Ride to School page.

School Photographs - PHOTO DAY IS 24/03/2021

Ivanhoe Primary School PHOTO DAY IS 24/03/2021. You will need to open the pdf below the picture for the live links to find the ordering information you will need.

Finally

Soon the temporary fences will be removed and our new building, The Beehive, will be handed over. There will still be some landscaping to be completed and a path connecting Tate St to the precinct should alleviate congestion in Ailsa Grove. 

Many of the bike racks will be moved from the front of the school to this area as many of the older students ride to school.

Rectifaction works to the oval are scheduled to be done during the break which should see the oval come back to life with the installation of a sprinkler system and more effective drainage.

In the break a section of our ageing sewerage system that has been the cause of expensive and smelly issues over the years will be replaced.

Much of this cost is managed through the Section B of the voluntary contributions system. I hope by keeping you informed you  can see where this public money goes and you see value for your child(ren) in what we do. 

I am seeing more children in uniform which is terrific. Don't forget to check lost property regularly. There are a lot of unnamed drink bottles etc which will eventually be thrown away.

Remember at the top of the stairs near reception is what we fondly refer to as the swap shop and it is full of near new 100 percent cleaned school clothing including schoolbags. If you need a larger top or other items please come to reception and then you can take a look. Prices are very friendly so save yourself some money and check out these terrific items.

School bags  $5      Polar Fleece jumpers  $5    Library bags  $3     Hats $3

Uniform (frocks, t-shirts, shorts) $3     Drink bottles $1

Stay safe, mind the roads and be kind to each other.

Mark Kent

Principal