Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Community,

As the end of term approaches, it’s hard to believe that ten weeks of school have already passed in 2025. It’s been such a busy and exciting time, full of learning and growth for the children. They’ve had so many wonderful experiences and have been so engaged in everything we’ve offered this term. During Monday’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day rehearsal, students shared some of their highlights, with many mentioning making new friends, enjoying specialist subjects, playtime, and even NAPLAN!

I’m sure your child has shared some of their highlights, such as Year 6 Camp, success at Inter-School Sport, welcoming our new Preps and the buddy program, incursions, excursions, Harmony Day, and the new shaded play area on the resurfaced Heights.

The last day of term is this Friday, April 4th, when we’ll also be celebrating Grandparents and Special Friends Day. As usual, students will be dismissed at 2.30pm, or earlier if arrangements have been made, as indicated in the Compass event notice shared earlier this week.

Parents and Friends Club

I was delighted to attend the Parents and Friends Club AGM on Wednesday 12 March. Thank you to everyone who attended and nominated for executive roles. Many exciting events are already being planned to ensure a fun-filled year for Essex Heights children and families while raising essential funds for our school. Many parents in this group are also helping to organise the Carnival later this year and support the school through other volunteer roles. If you have some spare time and would like to contribute to your child’s school, I encourage you to connect with the PFC to see how you can lend a helping hand.

School Council

I’d like to extend my thanks to the new School Council who met on Thursday 27 March night and welcome our newest parent member Nadeeka. All executive roles were successfully filled, with sub-committees also formed and ready to go. The commitment and involvement of this group of parents and staff is greatly appreciated. Thank you for the support and initiatives which drive the positive direction of our school. I look forward to presenting the 2024 Annual Report at our next meeting, when we will also welcome back our Principal, George Perini.

NAPLAN

We experienced a successful NAPLAN week, and I would like to thank all of our students and staff for their hard work and dedication. The students approached the assessments with great focus and determination, and our staff provided invaluable support to ensure the week ran smoothly. Well done to everyone involved for making NAPLAN week a positive experience for all.

Foundation (Prep) Enrolment 2026

School tours for Term 1 have been fully booked, reflecting the continued strong interest in our school. Enrolment applications for Foundation (Prep) 2026 will open on Tuesday 22 April. If you know any in-zone families considering enrolling their child in Prep for 2026, please encourage them to book a tour and collect our enrolment application information from the Office. This will greatly assist us with forward planning for 2026. Thank you for your support!

Class Parent Representatives Afternoon Tea

It was great to meet most of the Class Parent Representatives at afternoon tea on Friday 14 March. Led by Renée Dare, Year 6 teacher, Literacy Specialist and Term 1 Assistant Principal, we discussed how parent reps can help to improve communication within their class group, support the teachers and be a contact point for new families to the school. Thank you to all Class Parent Representatives for taking on this important support and liaison role this year.

Harmony Day

There was a joyful atmosphere and plenty of colour and culture around our school as we celebrated Harmony Day on Friday 21 March. This day celebrates Australian multiculturalism. It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core values. The day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Our diverse Essex Heights community was on display, and we celebrated and valued all cultures represented throughout the day. Children were involved in many activities related to culture and countries represented in our school, across Australia and around the world. We celebrated the day with a whole school Harmony Day parade in the stadium. Students are reminded to submit their entry to the poster competition to the Art Room by Thursday 3 April. For more details, please see Mr Hudson’s post on Compass.

Ramadan 

Muslims around the globe are observing the holy month of Ramadan (28 February to 30 March 2025), a period of deep spiritual reflection and celebration. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year in the Islamic Calendar. It remembers the month the Qur'an was first revealed to the prophet Mohammed. During Ramadan, Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset serving spiritual and social purposes and consciousness of belief.

Times of celebration … 

International Women’s Day - Saturday 8 March

A time to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. 

Holi (Festival of Colours) - Friday 14 March

A time to celebrate and welcome spring. A Hindu festival celebrated since ancient times as a time of new beginnings.

St Patrick’s Day - Monday 17 March

A time to celebrate Ireland’s National Day recognising St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Nowruz - Wednesday 19 & Thursday 20 March

A time to celebrate the New Year.  Iranian members of our school community celebrated this festival of the Spring Equinox, and we hope that all our Iranian families had a joyous celebration. Nowruz means ‘new day’ in Farsi. 

Region Swimming

On Friday Monique Hocking and I were very pleased to attend the Eastern Metropolitan Region swimming carnival at Aquanation in Ringwood to support our students who had qualified to compete. Josh C (12/13yo boys freestyle) and Liam (11yo boys backstroke) qualified for individual events. These students participated to the best of their ability and we were very proud of their effort - Josh finished 1st in his heat and 4th overall. Liam finished 7th overall. Monique and I were particularly impressed with how these two students performed at this high level in their chosen sport, but moreover how they represented our school. They also presented a report of their experiences at Assembly, sharing their appreciation and inspiring others. Well done Josh and Liam!

House Cross Country 

Please see the Compass News Feed post by Ms Hocking for important details of the Year 3 to 6 House Cross Country on Thursday 3 April, and on the Health & P.E. page in this newsletter.

School dismissal reminder

A reminder that students are dismissed at 3.30pm and should be collected at that time. We understand that unexpected situations can occur delaying your arrival at school. If this occurs, we ask that you make arrangements for your child to be collected by another family member or friend, or book in to After School Care. Please phone the school on 9807 4944 as soon as arrangements are in place so your child can be informed of their changed pick-up arrangements on that day and avoid potential distress. 

Please be aware that yard supervision concludes at 3.45pm. Teaching staff have responsibilities after school, including team or staff meetings as well as preparation for the next school day.  Likewise, the administration staff are working and cannot supervise children after 3.30pm. For the safety and wellbeing of your children, they must not be allowed to wait or play unsupervised in the school yard until you arrive. 

If you cannot collect your child at 3.30pm, we strongly encourage you to use our excellent After School Care program. Students are cared for in a safe and stimulating environment, receiving afternoon tea and supervised activities. You must be enrolled in the Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program to access care. Arranging enrolment in the OSHC program is a great option, even if you don't expect to need it often. If you are eligible for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) through Centrelink, OSHC charges are offset. Contact the OSHC Coordinator, Paul Davis, by email on paul.davis@education.vic.gov.au to arrange enrolment. If you would like further support please speak with your child’s class teacher, year level coordinator or member of the Principal Team. 

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

We’re looking forward to Grandparents and Special Friends Day this Friday, 4 April. This day is a special tradition in the EHPS calendar, and a lovely way to end the term. On the day, a whole school assembly and concert will be held in the Stadium beginning at 11.30am. At that time a diverse program of music, songs and fun activities will be held. This will be followed by classroom visits and will conclude with an opportunity for our special visitors to have lunch with their child/children. We hope that we have a Stadium full of special friends and Grandparents. Please respond to the event on Compass if you consent for your child to be dismissed early on this day.

End of Term Reminder

Term 1 comes to an end this Friday, 4 April. Families are reminded that students will be dismissed early on this day at 2.30pm. Please remember that if your child is leaving earlier than 2.30pm with their grandparent or special friend, to please give that permission by completing the Early Dismissal on Grandparents and Special Friends Day event notice in Compass, and also enter an attendance note in Compass for the early departure. 

Term 2 commences on Tuesday 22 April. 

Farewell

We farewell Tiara P (2G) and wish her and her family well as they move overseas. I hope you will always have fond memories of your time at Essex Heights.

Welcome

We welcome Mia I (1H) and her family to the EHPS community.

I look forward to seeing you around the school, at the House Cross Country on Thursday and Grandparents & Special Friends Day on Friday. 

Kindest regards,

Elisha Cotterell

Acting Principal