Principal's Report
Dear Essex Heights Community,
Parent Meet and Greet discussions
Thank you to all the families that made the time to meet their children’s classroom teacher or specialist teacher last week. This was a valuable opportunity for the teachers to get to know more about your child from your perspective. Please remember that this was NOT intended to be a parent teacher reporting session. The aim of the meeting was to get to know more about your child and to share information. Teachers are following up families that were unable to attend to make an alternative arrangement.
School Council Elections 2026
All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within state-wide guidelines. School Council in collaboration with the school leadership sets the strategic direction for the school.
Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.
This year nominations for parent and Department of Education representatives on school council will open next Monday, 23 February 2026. Nomination forms will be available from the office or from the school website. Nominations for the four (4) available parent positions and two (2) School Employee positions will close at 4pm on Monday 2 March 2026.
Please refer to the School Council page in this newsletter for the Notice of Election, School Council Election Timeline as well as School Council Information for Parents.
Assembly and Student Leaders presentation
We will welcome our State Member for Ashwood, Matt Fregon MP, to our School Assembly next Monday, 23 February, for the presentation of badges and certificates to our student leaders for 2026. All the EHPS community are welcome to attend assembly, and we look forward to sharing this special assembly with the parents/carers of our new student leaders.
Parent Payments
All families were recently advised of the annual parent payments that our School Council has endorsed for this school year.
Though the contributions are voluntary, all families are strongly encouraged to contribute the requested contributions. With your help and support we can continue to ensure the quality of the facilities and additional resources available for our children. Through your support over the past year we have provided additional literacy resources, computer technology as well as more resources for classrooms e.g. maths equipment and the library. With your help our children continue to enjoy programs and facilities that are the envy of many other schools.
If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our Business Manager, Barbara McCann.
More information can be found on our website by following the link: Parent Payments.
Welcome Cuppa & Welcome Event
We hope you took up the invitation from our Parents & Friends Club (PFC) to have a cuppa and chat this morning. It was great to see so many people enjoying the free hot drink and having a chat about the PFC and how we can keep this essential part of our community a viable and vital group within our school.
Don’t miss the PFC Welcome Event next Friday, 27 February, from 5:30pm at The Heights at school. I strongly encourage families to come along and meet families from your children’s year level, class or other Essex Heights parents. This annual event is always hosted by our PFC.
The Parents and Friends Club work together to bring joy and excitement through organising events and raising funds. Special experiences for your children, such as the Disco, Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls and the secondhand uniform stalls can only exist thanks to the time and energy of volunteers in this group. I look forward to chatting with you next Friday.
Please remember the Annual General Meeting of the PFC will be held on Tuesday 3 March in the Staff Room, commencing at 7:30pm. Come along to learn more about this group and how you could get involved in any way.
Are your children getting enough sleep?
Some children are reporting that they do not get to sleep until quite late at night. Educational and scientific research tells us that a good night’s sleep is essential for learning. A good night’s sleep helps children concentrate, learn effectively, remember things, and behave well. Poor sleeping patterns or a lack of restful sleep has significant impact upon a child’s development both educationally and socially. In summary, tired children do not learn well or behave well.
Effective learning at school requires children to be well rested and for their brains to be active and alert. Well rested children engage in learning activities better, are able to think clearly and then apply it to their learning. Also, children that have had the appropriate amount of sleep are happy at school and do not get tired as the day progresses.
Good sleep is critical in children’s growth and development. Research tells us that children who do not get enough sleep on a consistent basis are more likely to have problems at school and develop more slowly than others that are getting enough sleep.
Children between 3-5 years need about 12 hours sleep and from 5-12 years about 11 hours. Therefore, if your child in Prep needs to wake up at 7.30am to get ready for school, the child needs to be in bed by 7.30pm to get the right amount of sleep to help their development.
I know that we may all have different routines at home for our children, but I urge you to seriously consider the need for your children to have more sleep. Even if you believe that your children are doing well at school and they are managing even though they go to bed late, imagine how well they could be doing at school if they received the appropriate amount of sleep.
Here are some useful tips:
- Have a bedtime routine
- Have a light snack
- Take a bath.
- Put on pyjamas.
- Brush teeth.
- Read a story.
- Make sure the room is quiet and at a comfortable temperature.
- Put your child to bed.
- Say goodnight and leave.
- Make bedtime the same time every night.
- Make bedtime a positive and relaxing experience without TV or videos. According to one recent study, TV viewing prior to bed can lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep. Save your child’s favourite relaxing, non-stimulating activities until last and have them occur in the child’s bedroom.
- Keep the bedtime environment (e.g. light, temperature) the same all night long.
For additional information please follow this link: Sleep and Learning.
Please note that there are options for languages other than English on this site.
Other resources:
Every Day Counts - the importance of regular school attendance
At EHPS, we prioritise regular school attendance. We will work with families to ensure students are in class with their peers and teachers and enjoying all the benefits that brings.
Attending school every day means experiencing what counts – the learning, friendship, fun and opportunities that can shape your child’s future.
Last year, 25% of students at our school missed 20 or more days of school. Even though this is better that the state average of 38% it still means that too much valuable learning time is being missed.
We understand that there are times when your child will need to miss school but to ensure minimal disruption to their education, please consider scheduling family holidays or medical/dental appointments outside of school time.
If your child is well enough to attend but is worried about friendships, schoolwork or exams, please encourage them to come to school. Avoiding school can make these feelings worse and can create a negative pattern of behaviour.
If your child is having difficulty attending school, talk to their teacher or a member of the principal team to discuss ways that we can improve the situation.
We understand that parents and carers can be juggling challenges daily to get your children to school. If your child must miss school, notify us as soon as possible by entering an attendance note in Compass (refer to the Parent Guides on the school website if required) and email your classroom teacher so we can work together to support them.
For more information about the importance of everyday attendance, see Attendance and Missing School.
Remember, Every Day Counts.
Ramadan
This week marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is regarded as the holiest month for Muslims, marked by daily fasting from dawn to sunset. It commemorates the period when the Qur’an is believed to have been first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, so it is a time of intensified prayer, Quran recitation, and remembrance of God. By abstaining from food, drink, and immoral behaviour, Muslims aim to purify their hearts, strengthen self-discipline, and grow in compassion for those in need. The month is also deeply communal, as families and communities gather to break the fast together and increase acts of charity and kindness.
Ramadan will end on 18 March.
We wish members of our Islamic Community “Ramadan Kareem – May the month be generous to you.”
Lunar New Year - Year of the Horse
This week many members of our community have celebrated the lunar New Year. This year it is the Year of the Horse. It is one of the 12 animal years in the Chinese zodiac and is especially associated with strength, energy, and freedom. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes speed, perseverance, and aspiration, so a Horse year is often seen as a time for bold action, adventure, and pursuing dreams. Because the zodiac is woven into festivals, family traditions, and personal identity, many Chinese people pay attention to Horse years when thinking about luck, personality, and hopes for success in the coming year.
We wish all our families celebrating the lunar new year a year of prosperity, wealth and good health.
Welcome to Essex Heights
We welcome the following students and their family to the EHPS community:
- Anisa S (6W)
- Thia N (2RO) & Yatika N (5L)
I look forward to seeing you around the school and at the Welcome Event next Friday.
Kindest regards,
George Perini
Principal