Dear Parents and Carers,

I find it hard to believe that the first term has come to an end. It has been a busy time for us all but a wonderful and joyful 11 weeks. Most importantly it has been a happy and great learning time for the children. The children have had a range of learning experiences and this year we are fully immersed into a full school program. Next term is just as exciting with swimming programs beginning, our Dance Concert, Winter Inter-School Sport, House sports, camps, and really valuable curriculum incursions.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

What a marvellous day was had by all today at our Grandparents and Special Friends Day. It was fantastic to see so many families make the effort to spend a special day with the grandchildren and loved ones. I am always surprised by the distance that some people travel to be here on this day. Thank you all so much for working together as a school community to make this day memorable for the children. I would like to thank Jess Wynne and Alyssa Kennedy for the amazing overall preparation of children and the organisation of the day. Thank you also to all the staff who helped to prepare their class or performance for our concert. Such a big day is a complete team effort, so thank you to everyone who helped in any way to make this day special for the children. Our school community is very fortunate to have so many wonderful families and individuals who want to be involved in our school and support so many of our events. The children and the staff really appreciate your involvement!!

Michael's Triathlon

I congratulate Michael B (4P) on his recent participation and success in a triathlon. Here is his reflection:

"Hi, my name is Michael. I want to talk to all of you about my triathlon. I did a 100m swim, then a 700m cycle, and a 700m run. But when I reached the last part of the triathlon which was the 500m run, I was so tired but I told myself not to stop running! After I said that, I came 1st place! I know it is not a race, so it was so much fun!"

Well done Michael!

Prime Drinks

I want to alert all families about a new product that has made its way into our school and you need to be aware that it is not an appropriate beverage for primary aged children.

Prime drinks were introduced to Australia earlier this year. They are a sports drink and are being marketed heavily especially to younger males. There are two Prime products available at present:

Prime Hydration: A still, coconut water-based electrolyte drink that claims to be fortified with "BCAAs and vitamins". It is available for purchase in Australia through retailers and bottles have a disclaimer saying it's not suitable for children aged under 15.
Prime Energy: A carbonated drink that contains 200mg of caffeine per 355mL can – double the Australian legal limit of caffeine per 100mL. This product is not available to purchase through retailers in Australia but can be bought through online marketplaces and resellers. The Prime website says it's not suitable for under 18s.

Despite being caffeine-free, bottles of Prime Hydration — the one available in supermarkets — have a disclaimer on its containers, saying it's not suitable for children under the age of 15, pregnant or breastfeeding women.

It also says it should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision.

On Prime's official website it states; "PRIME Energy is not recommended for children under the age of 18, women who are pregnant or nursing, or individuals who are sensitive to caffeine."

Due to the evidence above, Prime Drinks are not to be brought to school because as they are not safe for children of primary school age. As well please do not reuse old Prime Drink containers as water bottles because they send the wrong message. Water bottle should be of the traditional type.

Are your children getting enough sleep?

I am becoming increasingly concerned that some children are reporting that they do not get to sleep until quite late at night. Research tells us that tired children do not learn effectively and that it also has implication for their compliance and behaviour. Please read the excerpts from an article that I have made available previously that gives good and useful tips regarding sleep.

“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 year 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.”

‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ Dance Concert - coming in Term 2!!

The children have been so excited in their rehearsals for this year’s Dance Concert. The dance teachers are very pleased with the children’s progress, and we are all looking forward to their amazing performances. Tickets for the two shows will go on sale at 10am on Monday 24 April. You will receive notification via Compass, including the link to access the Trybooking ticket site to purchase your tickets online. The cost of the tickets are:

$28 for an adult
$18 for a child under 14, Social Security Card holder or Seniors Card.

Please note that your child has been allocated to perform on a particular night, so please ensure that you book for the right night.

We have the luxury of having the capacity to accommodate a large crowd each night so there should not be the capacity issues that we have encountered in previous years. This is a great opportunity for the whole family to come along and to watch the children perform.

I am really looking forward to seeing you all at the concerts on 8 or 9 May.

Term 2 Start

As notified in previous comunications in Contact and on Compass, I would like to remind all families that the first day of school for the children next term is Wednesday 26 April. On the Monday 24 April, all teaching staff are having their Professional Practice Day and student do not attend school, and 25 April is the ANZAC Day public holiday. Therefore, classes will resume on Wednesday 26 April.

Please note that we will be conducting our ANZAC Day commemoration service at 11.30 am on Wednesday 26 April and parents are welcome to attend.

Absence on a family holiday during the school term

Thank you to those families who have notified me of their holiday plans that are occuring during school term. I am very encouraging of the experiences and opportunity that a holiday provides, but it is a requirement of the Department of Education attendance guidelines that permission from me must be granted to take a holiday during a school term. Send the details of your holiday plans by email (please use the school email address – essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au), and on receipt of my acknowledgement, add a Family Holiday attendance note on Compass for the period of your child's absence, and email your child's classroom teacher.

An abundance of celebrations!

We have a wonderfully diverse, multicultural community at EHPS. There are an abundance of significant celebrations for many in our community at this time of year. Some of these are:

Nouroz New Year (21 March) - Norouz means ‘new day’ in Farsi and is a traditional festival of spring that has been celebrated for more than 3000 years. The ancient celebration of Norouz is shared by many peoples from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, and others in the Black Sea basin, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Western, Central and Southern Asia.
Ramadan (22 March to 20 April) & Eid al Fitr (21 & 22 April) - the most auspicious month on the Islamic Calendar, being the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During Ramadan Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset. Eid al Fitr is the festival at the end of Ramadan; a celebratory meal breaks the fast, and good deeds have special significance during this time. Eid is also a time of forgiveness and making amends.
Christian members of our community are currently in the period of Lent, the 40 days of preparation before Easter, the most significant event of the Christian calendar. Palm Sunday (2 April) is the final Sunday before Easter Sunday, and marks the beginning of (Christian) Holy Week which is celebrated in all major Christian churches, including Roman Catholic and Protestant. Maundy Thursday (6 April) commemorates the Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, as described in the canonical gospels in the Bible. Good Friday (7 April) is a solemn Christian remembrance of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Easter Sunday (9 April) commemorates the resurrection (return to life) of Jesus Christ following his death by crucifixion. The Orthodox Christian community, which follows the Julian calendar, will celebrate Pascha or Easter Sunday on 16 April.
Pesach/Passover (5 to 13 April) is the first and most significant of the Jewish pilgrim festivals. It celebrates the redemption by God of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Work is not permitted on the first two and last two days. Many people refrain from work during the whole festival.
Buddhist members of our community celebrate Theravada New Year (6 April) which is the New Year Buddhist festival. Theravada Buddhists believe in reincarnation, dharma, karma, nirvana, the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path. It is celebrated in Theravadin countries, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Lao.
The Sinhalese and Tamil New Year (14 April) – the beginning of the solar New Year, traditionally celebrated by Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka and Tamils in India. This festival is known as Puthandu or Puthu-varusham among Tamil and Aluth Avurudda among Sinhalese.

I would like to wish our whole community a joyous time with family and friends if you have recently celebrated or will be celebrating in the coming weeks. We hope that our community will be blessed by the riches of our many cultures so that we can grow together in harmony and goodwill.

Welcome

We welcome the following students and their family to the EHPS community:

Lucy L (2F)
Manashi D (2BN)
Pragyan D (4O)

I hope that all families have a great holiday period and a Happy and safe Easter with family and friends. I look forward to seeing you all once again in Term 2.

Kindest regards,

George Perini

Principal