Principal's Report
Dear SEPS Families,
Welcome back to Term 4. I hope you all had a lovely break and enjoyed some quality time together. We have another big (and slightly longer) term ahead with lots of events and celebrations to be had. This is a very important time for our Year 6 students as they prepare for their graduation milestones. Please ensure that you take an extra close look at the important dates coming up so that you don’t miss anything. It can be an expensive time of year with the summer holidays looming so please do not hesitate to reach out if you require some financial assistance for any of the events this term.
Finance
Speaking of school finances, you have probably seen a lot of information shared via the news and social media. This follows a policy update released to all schools by the Department at the end of last term. You will be receiving updated information regarding our Parent Contribution Arrangements for 2027, including voluntary contributions. Full details will be provided in our official Parent Contributions overview, which will be distributed in coming weeks. Voluntary parent contributions support schools in providing an enhanced school environment as well as additional resources and opportunities that support our educational programs.
We are currently reviewing our approach to classroom resourcing. During last term's School Council meeting, we discussed feedback from parents who expressed concerns about the waste associated with annual stationery packs, including the accumulation of items such as scissors, pencil cases and glue sticks at the end of each school year. In response, we are exploring a centralised approach to classroom resourcing. By managing resources centrally, we can ensure teachers and students have consistent access to the materials they need, while reducing unnecessary duplication and environmental waste.
We welcome your perspective on this new direction. Please feel free to reach out to School Council with any thoughts or feedback as we finalise these arrangements.
Planning for 2027
It is that time of year when I ask for any parent requests regarding friendships/peers. If you have a special request, it must be emailed to me no later than FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER. It is very important that you note that any late requests WILL NOT be considered. Every year I receive a handful of calls in the last week of school from very upset parents regarding their child’s class placement. Due to the incredible logistics that it takes to consider the academic and wellbeing needs of every student, while also considering each student’s peer requests and requests from parents, it is near impossible to make changes once classes have been finalised. If we change even one child, it will directly impact on at least a dozen other students and their families, which is grossly unfair. I will always honour parent requests but can only do so if you email by the due date. Please ensure the following:
- Please email me by FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER.
- I do not take requests for a particular teacher.
- Please do not send me your child’s friendship lists. Every student will be asked to provide a list of 5 names (friends and/or people they work well with) and these will be entered into our class creator program by their teacher.
We thank you for your understanding with this process.
Second-Hand Uniforms
Thank you to Julie Woods and her team of parent helpers for all their hard work in the Second-Hand Uniform Shop. They have been very creative in developing a Click & Collect system to make it easier for our community to purchase items. Please see full details later in this newsletter.
Have a great fortnight ahead!
Jane Briffa