Principal's Message 

Welcome to Term Three! Thank you to everyone for making our start to the term such a success. It has been wonderful to hear about holiday adventures and welcome everyone back to school. I take the opportunity to especially thank our community for your support of our staff yesterday as we stood firm through industrial action to fight for better funding and conditions for Victorian Government schools, students and staff. We have an incredibly hard working and dedicated staff at ENPS and we certainly acknowledge that industrial action can be challenging for families and students. The decision to take this action is never easy for any of us at ENPS, acknowledging that every staff member striking gives up their day’s wage to stand strong in our fight for fair and equitable funding and conditions for our schools. The support from our families is enormously appreciated. Thank you also to our remarkable staff. 

Along with yesterday’s sea of red, it has been a fabulous two weeks back at school. I have had the pleasure this week of joining 3SM and 3MG on their excursion to the traffic school as they enjoyed their introduction to their inquiry unit ‘Rules, rights and responsibilities help people work together in communities’. I have also been thrilled to join our Year Fours in their latest text study, reading along with them as they read ‘Evie and Rhino’ by Neridah McMullin. Today I had the best time reading to 4CT and engaging in some marvellous accountable conversations about Chapter 11! Lucky for me I even received a 'role model' token from the class. 

We continue to enjoy special Thursday lunches with our School Wide Positive Behaviour token lunch recipients, and while there were no lunches yesterday due to the industrial action, it was a wonderful lunch with Asher (FKJ) and Sebastian (6AI) and their friends last week following their end of Term Two awards! With no lunch yesterday, it means next Thursday we will have a double up from Weeks One and Two token recipients! 

Another magnificent highlight included seeing the 5/6 playground re-open (finally!).

Staffing Updates

As previously communicated, this term we have welcomed a new teacher into our Year Four team, with Ruby Mills joining 4AK and 4CG throughout the week. A big ENPS welcome to Ruby!   

We also have some more ENPS baby news! Right before the end of last term, we welcomed a new edition to the ENPS family with Serena Walker and partner Wade announcing the safe arrival of a baby boy, Alfie! Big sister Charli is absolutely smitten with her little brother, and we congratulate Serena and Wade on their new bundle of joy. 

And while on baby news, we also have another ENPS baby on the way! Not only is Sian Watson expecting before the end of the year, we also are thrilled to announce Morgan King and her husband Paddy are expecting their first child in November! 

In some sad news, over the school holidays Carole Upton’s mother passed away. We have spent the past weeks wrapping our ENPS arms around Carole and Stuart as they have navigated the difficult time. Our love and condolences go out to Carole, Stuart and their children Ben, Jemma and Genevieve and extended family.

Capital Works Update

In exciting developments, we have today been involved with the Victorian Schools Building Authority (VSBA) as the tender process to decide on the architects for our upcoming and very extensive building project. Today we had the opportunity to meet with, talk about and tour our school with the prospective architect groups, with the decision due to be made by the end of August. This will then then begin the next stage of concept designs and planning for our $24 million capital works. 

As a potential timeframe, the below graphic has been shared with us, with an expected construction start date proposed for the end of 2027 and completion of work by 2029/2030. 

2027 Enrolments

It may only be half way through the year, however 2027 planning is well underway. We are currently in the process of offering places to 2027 Foundation students (this window will close on 7th August). While we wish we could take every Foundation student wanting to come to ENPS, unfortunately we do not have the classrooms or room to do so and only have capacity to take 88 students. 

A reminder to current ENPS families with younger siblings due to start Foundation next year, your child's enrolment application for 2027 must be submitted to the office.

We also ask that if you and your family are planning on leaving ENPS at the end of 2026, please let the school office know as soon as you are in a position to do so. (This excludes Year Six students.)

With the announcement of our Capital Works funding, we have also been advised that our enrolment capacity has also been reduced moving forward, from 700 to 600 students. Our current student enrolment is 602 students. This change will significantly impact our capacity to take enrolments beyond our local boundary in all year levels from 2027 and beyond.

The Term Ahead....

We have lots of wonderful things to look forward to this term across the school; the Year Threes and Fives have their intensive swimming lessons coming up, there are a multitude of excursions and incursions including the highly anticipated chickens in Foundation, along with Book Week (I am already trying to work out my costume!), our fabulous ENPS Trivia Night and Silent Auction, another wonderful VIP Morning celebrating our ENPS Father figures and some very excited Year Fours as they prepare for camp early in Term Four!! 

Yet one of the biggest celebrations is of course next Friday as our Foundation students commemorate their 100 days of school! Unfortunately for me, I will miss the big party next Friday, however look forward to seeing and hearing about all of the magical memories made as they become 100 days brighter! At the end of next week I will be taking a few days of Long Service Leave to head to Queensland and while I miss the 100 days celebrations, I look forward to spending quality time with my dad, brothers, nieces and nephews on the Sunshine Coast as we celebrate what would have been my mother's 80th birthday. 

Wishing everyone a marvellous weekend and good luck to all of our incredible Aussie athletes competing in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from today! 

Kate Barletta

Principal