Possible Industrial Action (Tuesday 24 March)

The VGSA is an industrial agreement that sets the pay, working conditions, and rules for staff working in Victorian government schools. Presently, it is being negotiated between the government and staff of government schools. The Australian Education Union have foreshadowed the possibility of industrial action on Tuesday 24 March. Once this action is confirmed we look forward to informing parents and our wider community about the impact that such action will have on Ivanhoe Primary School.

Thank you for your understanding while we wait for confirmation.

Mark Kent / Pam Wright

Welcome to IPS

Dear Class Parent Reps,

Thank you for volunteering to take on this important role this year. Being a class parent rep is both rewarding and meaningful, as it helps strengthen the connections between teachers, parents, and students. Your involvement plays an important role in building a supportive and inclusive school community where families feel informed, valued, and engaged.

The role of the class rep includes supporting classroom and school initiatives. You also play an important role in building community spirit, such as organising informal social gatherings within your class and year level, helping families connect and build lasting relationships.

We sincerely appreciate the time, enthusiasm, and commitment you bring to this role. Your support makes a genuine difference and is greatly valued. if your child’s class does not yet have a class rep please consider taking on this important role.

Warm regards,

Mark Kent and Sue Kelly

Microsoft Office 365

At Ivanhoe Primary School, like many other schools, we make use of Microsoft Office 365 with our students to create and store digital products students make. It may also be used as virtual classroom to provide a space for teachers and students to collaborate, submit work and work together. It can also form an important communication tool between teachers and students with reminders for important school events.

Students are given access to Word, PowerPoint, Excel and other Microsoft office Apps as part of this service. It has been great to see what students can create with access to these tools.

This tool is provisioned by the Department of Education and adapted with privacy and educational use in mind. The Department of Education has developed a guide to provide more information about this tool and it is attached to this post.

We are excited to see how students and teachers can continue to make use of this tool in the future. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact your child's classroom teacher.

Microsoft Office 365 is used by Students from Year 3 to Year 6.

Booking into the OSHC Program

With program numbers growing it is now more important than ever that ample notice is given when making a booking for your children, particularly for casual bookings. Due to regulations Outside School Hours Care programs must run at a 1:15 ratio, 1 educator for every 15 students.

Our rosters are put together with this in mind ensuring we are within ratio for the following week based on current bookings. We are seeing an increasing number of bookings coming in with less than 24 hours notice which makes it incredibly difficult to find an extra educator at short notice, risks putting us over ratio and puts added pressure on our educators.

Bookings MUST be made 24 hours prior otherwise there is a very strong possibility that your child may not be able to be cared for in the program. We do understand that occasionally, emergencies occur and sometimes a late booking is unavoidable, however if we are not able to meet the legal 15:1 ratio then we will be unable to take a late booking and families will need to collect their child from school.

The more notice we have, the less stress there is for everyone. Please help us and organise your bookings as early as possible and within 24 hours so that we can staff the program. Read more on the OSHC Page.

Thank you from Lexi (OSHC Coordinator and Sarah OSHC Assistant Coordinator)

PFA Events

Our school PFA organise some wonderfully exciting events for the community enjoy. Take a look at what's been planned. Make sure you get involved in supporting these fun events or even volunteer a little bit of your time to join PFA. See the PFA page for more information.

Presentation of the 2025 Annual Report

The 2025 Annual School Report to the community at 6:00pm will be presented online on 25th March. This presentation is open to all members of our community and a link will be distributed via Compass and included in a future newsletter.

The Annual Report provides an overview of the school’s performance in 2025 and covers:

Learning
Wellbeing
Engagement
School finance

Following the community presentation, School Council will formally endorse the Annual Report. It will then be published on the school website, and a link will be shared in the newsletter so families can access it easily.

We encourage interested community members to attend the online presentation and learn more about the work and achievements of our school.

Finally

“Today was a Difficult Day,” said Pooh.

“Do you want to talk about it?’ asked Piglet.

“No,” said Pooh after a bit. “No, I don’t think I do.”

“That’s okay,” said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.

“What are you doing?” asked Pooh.

“Nothing, really,” said Piglet. “Only I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don’t feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either. But goodness,” continued Piglet, “Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you’ve got someone there for you. And I’ll always be there for you, Pooh”

And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs… he thought that his best friend had never been more right.

A.A. Milne

I'm sending thoughts to those having a Difficult Day today, and I hope that you have your own Piglet to sit beside you…

I choose to include this because often we don’t feel like speaking about our ‘Difficult Days’ as we try to process our emotions and rationalise how we feel. I believe this applies to every student, sister, brother, parent, family member, teacher, support worker, in fact anyone that is a part of the IPS community. But know that on ‘Difficult Days’. There are friends, family and colleagues who are there for you and can support you.

I strongly encourage you to reach out for support on these days. Importantly, reflect on the great things that happen every day as well. The positive conversations with a friend, family member or teacher always help cheer us up. Remember… you are important, and loved.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mark Kent

Principal

http://www.ivanhoeps.vic.edu.au/

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and pay respect to the ongoing living cultures of First Peoples.

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