Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

It is not often we have an 11-week term 2. Well done for making it to the end! It certainly is a mixed term in every possible way. Being so long, we started it with hot days and ended with the chilly winter weather that we have been experiencing over the last two weeks.

Assembly

Well done to the students who performed on Monday for the EEPS of Talent showcase. There were some fantastic performances and as I said to the audience, it certainly reminds us, as educators, why we do what we do. To see the courage, and to see students push themselves beyond their comfort levels is always uplifting, and a wonderful way to start the week.

Meeting with Vicki Ward and Kate Thwaites

Last Friday I was able to have a meeting with both our local, and federal, Members of Parliament, Vicki Ward and Kate Thwaites, regarding our significant pedestrian and traffic issues around the school, especially in Grove Street. I am hopeful that we can move this important issue along. I was also able to share our recently completed Masterplan with them both. I have been assured that they will keep their eyes open for potential funding options.

St Vincents’ Healthcare-Birthday Celebrations

It was lovely to be invited to the 70th birthday celebrations at St Vincents’ Healthcare in Eltham on Tuesday. It was heartening to see some of the history come to life and be reminded again, how important the EEPS connection is. They did ask the school if our choir was available, but sadly it wasn’t possible at short notice.

Learning and Growing Together

At the end of every semester, we hold a ‘Connect and Reflect’ Professional Learning session as part of our weekly training for teachers. Our semester 1 reflection on Tuesday was, once again, very powerful. The teachers have done a powerhouse of work throughout the last two terms around changes to our approach to teaching some aspects of literacy. In small mixed groups, teachers were able to reflect upon the achievement and challenges of the Professional Learning Community cycles of inquiries. They were also able to articulate the ‘what’s next’ part. As I said to the teachers, we don’t have a ‘set and forget’ model of implementing change. We constantly review, reflect and modify as we move through the year to meet the needs of the students.

Soul Sonics

It was wonderful to have a group of Year 5 and 6 students experience the Soul Sonics music workshop on Thursday. This was a special workshop in digital music creation with an expert in the field, organised through the Music Futures International group connected to the Department’s Challenge and Enrichment Series. Thank you to Mr Day for organising this opportunity for our EEPS students.

Enrolments

Prep enrolments for 2026 officially close at the end of the first week back, next term. With the clock ticking please remember to bring your sibling enrolments in as soon as possible and pass the word around to your friends! Concrete plans for numbers will be made very soon, and we don’t want anyone to miss out.

Year 6 to 7 transition

Our Year 6 students were excited to receive their Year 7 school offers on Tuesday. It is always an exciting time and starts to make the transition very real. Thank you to Mrs Gale and Julianne, in the office, for their many hours of work and preparation that goes into the process each year.

Staff News

Good luck to Ms Schopf as she heads off on family leave. We greatly look forward to hearing news of the safe arrival of another bundle of joy for the extended EEPS family!

Whilst on staff news I do want to publicly thank all the hardworking EEPS staff for their ongoing dedication and commitment to your children and everything we do. This includes teachers, our CRTs, our Education Support staff, OSHC staff and Leadership - all play a vitally important role. It is an honour to be the Principal of such committed and dedicated staff.

As always, we have lots of different projects planned over the break to continually improve our buildings and grounds. I look forward to sharing the results in two weeks’ time!

Holidays

Don’t forget that Team Kids will be operating our first vacation care program over the holidays. There are still places available so please consider this an exciting option if needed over the break. Perhaps a respite day! They offer screen free activities and an opportunity to meet up with other EEPS children.

I do hope that everyone can have a fabulous holiday break and don’t forget that Monday 21st July is a Curriculum Day. So, we will see everyone on Tuesday 22nd July, ready for term 3. OSHC will be running a care program on this day, if needed, so please contact Jess or Kathryn. Please also see find a page of Health and Wellbeing Supports for families, as a valuable resource page for families over the upcoming break.

Don’t forget that this Friday is a 2.30 pm finish!

Thank you again for the wonderful support of everything ‘purple and gold’ during the term. Your support is deeply appreciated.

With gratitude

Kind regards

Warren Lloyd

Principal

ICAS