Dear Endeavour Hills Specialist School community members,

Once again, I have the great pleasure of being the principal of this wonderful school. I hope that all our students had a wonderful holiday.

Monday 29th January saw the school abuzz with excitement as staff returned for another school year. We welcomed back our returning staff and welcomed the following staff to our school community:

Peppermint

Erin Neave: Teacher
Sharmaine Fernando: Education Support
Elaine Brady: Teacher
Kaja De Zoysa: Learning Specialist and teacher
Clara D’Moss: Education Support
Madeline Seargent: Education Support

Heath

Sophia Taylor: Teacher
Debra Evans: Teacher
Shaye Potter: Education Support
Andrea Thalongsengchanh: Education Support
Priscilla Kovelakonda: Teacher

Acacia

Chee Wan Yuen: Teacher
Rosie Ghasperidis: Education Support

Banksia

Shaye Meldrum: Education Support
Anna Nguyen: Education Support
Matthew Stephen: Teacher
Cody O’Connor: Education Support
Hayley Ralph: Education Support

Bursaria

Tegan Rowntree: Education Support

Therapy

Lisa Cruz: Occupational Therapist

Leadership

Kerri Harkness: Leading Teacher, Banksia and Peppermint

Staff participated in Community Understanding and Safety Training (CUST) as part of our commitment to the Murrung Education Plan. New staff participated in induction then had time with their Leading Teacher to ask questions and become orientated with our school.

We welcomed 60 new students to the school, 40 of whom are new Prep students. The new students are settling into the routine of EHSS. It is lovely to see them arriving and departing in a calm and happy manner.

I have seen many Green Chronicles being awarded to students who are demonstrating our school values of “Be Kind to yourself, to others and to the environment”. The notifications for these come to you through Compass. Please check and remember to celebrate these with your child.

If you still cannot access Compass or Seesaw, please contact the school and we will have a staff member reach out to assist you.

Reminder that the consent form questionnaire has been sent out via Compass. It is vital that you complete these consent forms. If you do not, we are unable to put any work or photos of your child’s learning on Seesaw. You will receive reminder emails to complete these.

Thank you to everyone for your patience as we implemented the new drop-off and pick up system. After a very busy first morning, the parking is flowing more smoothly, and students are entering and exiting the school in a timely manner. A reminder that educational programs begin at 9am. It is so important that your child be on time for school so that they may participate in the morning routines which establish the day’s schedule and expectations. Participation in this important learning assists in setting your child up for a successful day. Arriving late can cause a child to become dysregulated as they may not know what is happening or the expectations for the day.

We have such an exciting year ahead as we continue to learn and implement the Berry Street model of trauma informed practice and embed consistent routines, visuals, and expectations across the school. We continue our commitment to School Wide Positive Behaviour Support and develop our skills and understanding in this space. We will undertake training in the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) which will assist us into delving deeply into our teaching and learning to achieve best possible student outcomes.

Our first ever School Strategic Plan (SSP), which is the overarching four-year plan for the direction of the school, will be written and published in term 1. From this we will develop our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) which articulates the goals and targets for the school in a 12-month period.

I look forward to working with you and our staff in supporting your children on their educational journey.

Kind Regards…

Karen Hunt

Specialist Team

Visual Art, Physical Education, Life Skills, Performing Art