Principal's Report
Dear Parents/Carers,
We’ve reached the midpoint of Term 2 and there is so much to celebrate at EPS! Our Year Six students returned from another incredibly successful study tour of Canberra — a memorable learning experience that continues to be a highlight of the final year of primary school. Our community came together to honour and celebrate the important carers in our lives at a highly regarded Mother’s Day event at Elwood Bathers. Meanwhile, our Preps are rapidly approaching their milestone 100 days of school, and our school Instagram page has just reached 1,000 followers — a fantastic sign of how connected and engaged our community continues to be. There’s a strong sense of momentum and pride around the school, and it’s been wonderful to see students, staff, and families thriving together.
Family Contact Details
Please contact the office to ensure your family’s contact details are up to date. These can change over time, and having accurate information is essential for staying connected and ensuring we can reach you when needed.
Education Support Personnel (ESP) Week
Every day, education support staff work to keep our school running, support our students to learn, and enable our teachers to teach. On 16 May, we celebrated the hardworking Education Support Personnel at EPS with a special morning tea. A number of appreciation messages were shared by colleagues, highlighting the incredible impact and value of our ES workforce. We sincerely thank each of our Education Support staff for their dedication, warmth, and commitment to our students and school community — you are truly appreciated.
Gratitude Stall for EPS Carers
A sincere thank you to the parent/carer volunteers who supported our Gratitude Stall. The gifts were thoughtful and well-received, bringing smiles to many mothers and carers across our community. Thank you for your time and effort in making this event such a success.
2024 Annual Report
The 2024 Annual Report was recently endorsed by School Council and is now available on our website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N93Zo3IwAy4bJiUWGhVErPyzaWDnOken/view
The Annual Report provides a valuable overview of our school’s achievements, progress, and operations throughout the 2024 school year. As a legislative requirement for all Victorian government schools, it offers a transparent account of key metrics including student outcomes, attendance, wellbeing, and financial performance. I often reference this document during school tours with prospective families, as it provides a clear and consistent way to understand how our school is tracking. I am incredibly proud of our 2024 report — it reflects a fantastic year of learning, growth, and connection at EPS, underpinned by the collective efforts of our students, staff, and families.
Curriculum Day Reminder
A reminder that next Friday is our third Curriculum Day for the year. With the King’s Birthday public holiday the following Monday, this means a four-day break from school for students. Staff will be onsite for a professional learning day focused on assessment and reporting, in preparation for Semester One academic reports and parent/carer–teacher conferences, which will take place in the final week of term on Tuesday 2 July.
Attendance Matters
Ensuring your child comes to school every day is one of the most important ways you can support their learning. Missing one day a fortnight adds up to four full weeks of school a year — and over the course of their schooling, this can mean missing up to 1.5 years of learning. While we understand that absences are sometimes unavoidable, we ask families to plan holidays during school breaks whenever possible.If you'd like advice or support with your child’s attendance, please reach out to their classroom teacher or a member of the Principal Class Team. This link outlines common reasons for absence and how best to manage them.
Have a great weekend,
Michael Portaro
Principal