Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

Last week, whilst I did write the principal column, I was actually on Long Service Leave at the start of the week. This time of year, is always tricky to be away however my youngest son and I completed 5 days of the Great Victorian Bike Ride, through his secondary school. It was an amazing event to be a part of, including the 113km ride on the last day through the monsoon rains! It did remind me of the importance of pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and having an adventure from time to time.

Assembly

This week we had a busy assembly again. It was lovely to welcome Vicki Ward, MP, to EEPS to present the David McKenzie award to Ryan S in Year 6. Ryan was fortunate to be presented the award twice - once at our assembly and once last week, at a special ceremony in Parliament House that Vicki had organised. Congratulations Ryan!

To acknowledge International Day of People with Disabilities on Tuesday, Vicki presented our inaugural Inclusion Acknowledgement awards. I am thrilled to announce that Alfred L Year 4 and Freddie W were the recipients this year for their outstanding and exemplary friendship to some of our fellow students who need some extra support.

We also had the Fiddlesticks String Group perform and we were treated to the Stretto Strings and soloists perform on Tuesday afternoon in the BER - well done to you all.

Family End of Year / Christmas Picnic

We are excited to warmly welcome our EEPS students and families to our 2024 end of year/Christmas family picnic this Thursday, 5th December, 4.00-6.00 pm. Please bring along your own picnic and rug or picnic chairs. We will be selling icy poles on the night and having a sausage sizzle! The approximate outline of musical items looks like this:

4:30pm - Percussion Ensemble performance on the Oval Steps4:45pm - Choir meet on the Oval Steps - 5:00pm - Choir performance (approximately 20-25min) on the Oval Steps5:30pm - Christmas Carol Karaoke

I look forward to seeing many of you there on the night.

2025 Student Leadership

At assembly this week we announced the 2025 student leadership team. Formal leadership positions are determined through a process of self-nomination, written application, speeches, student voting and teacher input. The focus throughout the process remains on the skills and attributes students have demonstrated that support and enhance our school values of being Respectful, Responsible and Resilient.

We, once again, had a very large number of nominees this year, which of course naturally means that there are more people who miss out on a role. Fortunately, at EEPS we value the importance of building leadership qualities among all our students and therefore provide a range of opportunities for Year 6s to contribute as leaders of the school. A Leadership Program throughout the year, Public Speaking Lessons and Gratitude Projects are just a few examples Year 6 students get to demonstrate and strengthen their leadership qualities. We are so proud of all students who nominated for a position showing a willingness and commitment to give back to their school community. I would like to thank Miss Deards for her coordination and to all the Year 5 teachers who supported and encouraged students through the process. Many congratulations to our 2025 student leaders:

School Captains - Scarlett A & William W

Junior School Council & CORE Leaders - Kitty M & James P

Sustainability Leaders - Millie P & Ruby E

Cultural Leaders - Ivy P & Adler W

Library Leaders - Emmie R & Sam D

Technology Leaders - Anni W & Morgan T

Visual Arts Leaders - Zoe K & Thomas L

Performing Arts Leaders - Evie B-C & Ethan B

Peer Support Leaders - Adel B & Ollie W

Norman House Leaders - Sunny J & Finn O

Bradman House Leaders - Piper W & Elijah M

Fraser House Leaders - Ruby J & Alex W

McKay House Leaders - Ruby D & Sarp C

I thank each and every one of our successful candidates for their commitment to uphold our school values, including, abiding by the stated social media policy and to act as a role model for other students both within their cohort and throughout the school.

Market Day

Our ‘world famous’ (or at least ‘EEPS famous’) Year 6 Market Day is on again this week as part of the Year 6 Gratitude Project. Each year the students raise a substantial amount to donate to some very worthy causes. Please take the time to read the short article elsewhere in the Newsletter, complete with a catalogue of stalls! The stalls operate over two days, Tuesday and Thursday.

Whole School Transition

Next Tuesday 10th December is the whole-school transition day. This allows the students to become familiar with their new classmates, meet their new teacher and learn about some of the new and exciting features of their new year level, both with the teaching and learning and the co-curricular offerings. The students will be bringing home a letter on this day with the name of their new teacher. The teaching structure will also be published in the newsletter next week.

School Savings Bonus

The Department, and our EEPS office staff, are trying their best to work through the roll-out of the School Saving Bonus. Please continue to be patient through this introductory phase.

Somers School Camp

It is wonderful that we can send 18 EEPS students off to the Network Somers School Camp next year. We completed the ballot system on Friday, after being very short-staffed on Thursday causing the delay - thank you to everyone for their patience - it is very exciting!

Year 5 and 6 Camp Updates

An update on the Year 5 and 6 camps for Term 1 2025, to help families.

Year 5 - cost $305

First instalment due - Friday 31st January 2025

Year 6 - cost $365

First instalment due - Friday 31st January 2025

The School Saving Bonus will be able to be used for this should families choose.

Christmas Kris Kringle / Gift Exchange

Last week there was note sent home to older year levels regarding end-of-year Kris Kringle gift exchange. It did state for there to be no food or Christmas themed presents. This was an error, and Christmas themed gifts are very welcome, as they always have been. The intention behind the ‘Acts of Kindness’, Christmas Kris Kringle gift exchange is to bring in a small gift that matches the personality and interests of the other child, hence increasing the value, understanding and empathy in the gift exchange. We still ask, no food is to be brought in due to concerns around food allergies. There was a separate Compass Newsfeed, however, please remember that families are always welcome to contact the office if there are any questions.

Assemblies and Graduation

The final assemblies for 2023 are:

Monday 9th December - presentation to the 2024 school leaders

Friday 20th December - Passing of the Keys ceremony and Gratitude Assembly

Parents and friends are most welcome to attend these assemblies.

The next three weeks continues the busy pace - Prep celebrations, Year 2 Activity Day, Graduation, Prep Breakfast, Transition Day, Market Day (Thursday), our End of Year/Christmas Family picnic and Passing of the Keys.

Please don’t forget that this Friday, 6th December is a Curriculum Day for teachers to plan their 2025 teaching programs.

Have a great week.