Principal's Item 

Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

Happy Lunar New Year to all our families, but especially our families with Chinese ancestry. I hope that the year of the Horse is prosperous for everyone.

As the weeks tick over, the level and number of additional activities and opportunities increases. The Preps, for example, have had their first Drama Toolbox session this week and are busy preparing for the very special Teddy Bears Picnic this Friday.

School Council - Call for Nominations for Election to School Council

School Council plays an important governance role in a school. The election process for 2026 School Council members starts today and further information is available in the Newsletter. Please consider whether this is something that you would like to be involved in and ask if you have any questions. The school certainly values highly the contributions that members of School Council make to the strategic direction of the school. 

Updates - Student Enrolment Information Form

This week you will receive the annual email requesting you to check your ‘Student Enrolment Information Form’. Please do double check all the contact details are correct. 

I would also ask that you check that your Parent Occupation Groups (under the ‘Family details’ section on page 3) are accurate. This piece of information has a significant impact on the level of additional funding that EEPS receives from the Department, as it is used to determine the level of ‘advantage / disadvantage’ of families across the government school sector. 

Eltham East Primary School has, over the last few years, been receiving proportionately less funding, due to a change in the Student Family Occupation Index. So please do review what occupation group you have listed for both parents (if applicable), to ensure that it is accurate. 

If you have any questions about any of the occupation groups, then please contact the office. 

Respectful, Safe, Engaged: Shared Expectations to Support Student Behaviour

Towards the end of last year, the Department released a new ‘Behaviour Statement’ for government school communities. The Department did this knowing that when schools, families and students work together, we achieve the best outcomes. These partnerships are essential to creating school environments that support all students to belong, learn and thrive. 

At Eltham East Primary School all students are expected to be respectful, safe, and engaged. These behaviours help make our school a place where everyone can achieve their best. They also align very strongly with ‘Our EEPS Framework’ that sets out our values, foundation and learner profile.

As a parent and carer, you play a vital role in helping your child to understand and meet shared behaviour expectations. By modelling and encouraging positive behaviour, you help your child build the skills and habits they need to be successful at school. 

You can see the Respectful, safe, engaged: shared expectations to support student behaviour statement on the department’s website. This outlines the shared expectations and how you can help. It will also be on our school website.

Further information, resources and support are available at Supporting positive behaviour in Victorian government schools. 

How to Solve Problems When They Occur

In line with the respectful way to communicate I would also like to remind the EEPS community of the most productive approach when dealing with minor challenges and problems when they occur. I often talk to students about the way to communicate to your friend or adult when something happens at school. I ask the students to consider breaking it into two parts: 

Part one - tell the adult what you actually saw or heard, the part you know for sure. 

Part two - is to tell the adult the part they think ‘may’ have happened, or someone else may have told them, the part that is not so clear.

My request to parents and carers is that when your child comes home after something has happened, please adopt the same approach and follow this guide:

1. Allow a little time and space, rather than immediately contacting the school
2. If possible, wait until both parents (where applicable) can be present
3. Listen for your child to tell you part one - what they actually heard, saw, experienced or witnessed
4. Be curious…seek to understand what was leading up to the event and exactly what their role in it was
5. Listen for part two - what they are uncertain about
6. Think and reflect upon this information yourself
7. Respectfully seek further clarification from the teacher, as your child only ever has one perspective and mostly, there are generally different perspectives, with a more comprehensive view of events. Please resist doing your own detective work by asking or inquiring for more information from other parents. 

Following this stepped process will produce the best outcomes for your child.

When I do offer advice or make requests from time to time, it comes from my combined knowledge and experience working with thousands of children and families over many years.

School Sports Victoria

A reminder to Year 5 and 6 students that the nominations for School Sports Victoria trials close in a week or so. These are for students who are already playing at a representative level. For more information, please speak to Mr Bain and refer to the additional information in the Newsletter this week.

Coming up…

We are delighted to let everyone know we have been able to secure the screening of Zootopia 2 for our annual movie night, coming up on Friday 27th March. Please look out for more information as we move through the term and we are on the hunt for donations for the raffle and for an energetic parent/s to coordinate this!

Have a great week!

Kind regards

Warren Lloyd

Principal