Principal's Item 

Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

Welcome to our new and existing families to EEPS for the 2024 school year. It was lovey to see so many happy and smiling faces yesterday morning. It was also lovely to hear about the summer holiday stories from some students and families. I did finish our end of year assembly by hoping that families could ‘make memories’ over the holidays and I certainly know that many families were able to do this.

School is an important place of learning but also an important place for forming connections and for belonging. Starting off the journey together is always filled with hope and encouragement. Whilst there are always ups and downs, we will all work together to harness the starting energy of this week and look forward to a great year.

Welcome to our new staff

A very warm welcome to our new staff who have joined EEPS this year- Jacinta Claridge, Hannah Glynatsis, Samantha Keane, Lamya Kwan, Sophie James, Madeleine Elliott, Sarah Gale, Paul Kearney and Katrina Moore. Welcome back our returning staff, Brooke Harbour and Ashleigh Harris. I hope that your time at EEPS is both professionally and personally rewarding.

Exciting staff news!

The school was very pleased to hear of the safe arrival of two babies last Thursday. Mrs Carson welcomed Charlotte and Miss McIntyre welcomed Oscar. Many congratulations to them both and their families! We look forward to them visiting soon.

                                    Baby Charlott

Baby Oscar

Holiday projects

The ‘holiday’ break was a very busy time at EEPS. Many of you would have seen the significant landscaping project on Level 2. This is a ‘once every 30 years’ project and I am thrilled with the way it has turned out. In addition to this we have taken delivery of a significant shipment of new furniture for our Year 2 and 3 students and had two huts installed in the kitchen garden, which have very received this morning. Whilst he is on secondment away from EEPS, I would still like to thank David Tyndall, in his absence, for getting both of these projects up and going. Thank you to parents, Lynton Boyle, Sarah Hamilton and Tim Eyles, who assisted with a mini working bee last week, and to grandparent, Garry Wynne, who helped tidy up the school earlier this week. Thank you to the teachers and support staff for the hard work that went into the school readiness preparation last week. 

Our School Goals for 2024

Every year we have clear goals that connect to our Annual Implementation Plan. This year we have two goals, which are connected through the tenner of ‘understanding the learning needs of ourselves and others’. The goals are;

• Learning- academic growth through targeted teaching in an engaging and stimulating learning environment
• Wellbeing- building connections, to further enhance our inclusive practices

You will see our goal posters around the school, please take a moment to look at them as you are moving around. Continual school improvement is of critical importance to EEPS and we work closely with Regional staff in this endeavour.

Open Afternoon- next Tuesday 6th February 2024 2.40-4.50 pm

This year we are changing the timing of the 3 Way Conferences. In 2024 they will be held at the end of Term 1 and Term 3. Over the last few years we held the Term 1 conferences earlier in the term as a way to helping students, parents and teachers to connect. In place of this we are holding an open afternoon next Tuesday from 2.40-4.50 pm where families are very welcome to pop in to say hello. For those families not able to make it then please remember that teachers are always very happy to be contacted for you to impart important information.

Start of the year reminders

A couple of reminders for the start of the year;

• Hats- please remember that school hats are essential for outside play and learning
• Phones and devices- a reminder that students with mobile phones, that they must be securely in bags or stored in the safes during the school day and on school grounds. Smart watches must also be set in ‘school mode’ during the day.
• Nude food- we actively and strongly encourage students to have ‘nude’ food in their lunch boxes as much as possible. This means to minimise the wrappers and plastics that they bring to school.

Important opportunity- Webinar- ‘Talking Tech with Tweens and Teens’

To start the school year off we are pleased to let parents know about a very valuable Webinar next week, titled ‘Talking Tech with Tweens and Teens’, presented by Michelle Mitchell, which we highly recommend. Here is some further information directly from Michelle;

School Sports Victoria

For our parents of our older sporty students there is additional information from Mr Bain in the Newsletter about School Sports Victoria. We always like to encourage the pursuit of sporting ambition and excellence for those who seek it.

Communication

Now that we are back into swing for the school year please keep an eye out on Compass communication and Newsfeeds. Over the next week there will start to be events and activities that will need parent approval or payments.

Finally, we warmly invite parents and carers to our Flagpole Assembly next Monday 5th February where we will present our Year 6 student leaders with their badges.

Have a great week of Learning and Growing Together as we start the year off.

Warren Lloyd

Principal