Essex Heights Primary School

22-30 Essex Road, Mount Waverley VIC 3149

Phone: 9807 4944

Email: essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Website: https://www.essexheightsps.vic.edu.au

Principal: Mr George Perini

School No. 4903

Office Hours: 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday during school terms.

School Values

Friendliness
Honesty
Inclusiveness
Respect
Persistence

Parent Portal on Compass

https://essexheightsps-vic.compass.education

Compass is one of our primary methods of communication with our school community. Each family has a unique login to access Compass. If you cannot access Compass or you've forgotten your password, please contact Jo in our School Office who will reset your password.

School Documentation under the Community menu contains information and resources.

COVIDSafe

The current COVIDSafe guidelines for our school community are defined in the School Operations Guidelines provided for all Victorian government schools by the Department of Education & Training (DET). We seek your support and cooperation to ensure that our school and the wider community remain as safe as possible as we navigate our way through the COVID19 pandemic. The current guidelines were published on 26 April.

If your child is unwell then they must test negative on a RAT/PCR and have no symptoms to be at school.

Face masks are recommended, but not required. The exception to this is if a student is a household contact but at school during the period that would previously have been the seven day isolation period (required for students 8 years and over, recommended for those younger than 8 years).

Screening requirements: Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation.

Household contacts: Students who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are not required to quarantine. They may return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times during their 7-day period (school days recommended). They are required to notify the school that they are a household contact.

Students aged 8 years and above who are household contacts are required to wear face masks when indoors at school unless they have a valid exemption. Students under 8 years are encouraged to wear a face mask.

If a student household contact returns a positive RAT result, they must isolate for 7 days.

RAT screening program: RATs will be supplied until the end of Term 2 to support the early detection of COVID-19 in our school.

Students are only required to test if they have symptoms or are a household contact and must test every day they attend school for the 7-day isolation period of the household contact.

If you report a positive test result, please inform the school (phone 9807 4944) and the Department of Health.

Contact Newsletter

Published on Friday each fortnight during school terms.

Current Issue: No. 11, 24 June 2022

Next Issue: No. 12, 15 July 2022

Previous issues from 2022 are accessible in School Documentation in Compass. Earlier issues (2021 and earlier) accessible on our school website.

2022 Term Dates

Term 1: Friday 28 January* to Friday 8 April

Term 2: Tuesday 26 April to Friday 24 June

Term 3: Monday 11 July to Friday 16 September

Term 4: Monday 3 October to Tuesday 20 December

* Statewide student-free day in all Victorian government schools.

Students are dismissed at 2.30pm at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 3, and at 1.30pm at the end of Term 4.

For dates of future school terms - click here.

Student-Free Days in 2022

Friday 28 January
Monday 31 January
Wednesday 25 May
Tuesday 14 June
Thursday 4 August

Care provided by OSHC program from 7am to 6pm for students enrolled in the OSHC program.

Public Holidays during school terms

Students do not attend school on the following public holidays that occur during school terms in 2022:

Monday 14 March - Labour Day

Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday

Tuesday 1 November - Melbourne Cup

Click here for dates of all public holidays in Victoria.

School Hours

8.30am	Office open
8.45am	Yard duty supervision commences
8.50am	First bell Students go to their classroom. Bags away, change reader, hand in lunch orders, notices or payments handed in to teacher. Roll marked at 9am.
9.00am - 11.00am	Learning Session
11.00am - 11.30am	Recess/Morning play
11.30am - 1.30pm	Learning Session
1.30pm - 1.40pm	Lunch Students eat their lunch in the classroom supervised by teaching staff
1.40pm - 2.30pm	Lunch Play
2.30pm - 3.20pm/3.30pm	Learning Session Prep & Year 1 students dismissed at 3.20pm Years 2 to 6 students dismissed at 3.30pm
3.45pm	Yard duty supervision concludes
4.30pm	Office closes

School Council

DET Representatives: George Perini, Ina Kuehlich, Paul Davis, Kristi Lloyd.

Parent Representatives: Jennifer Bittner, Anthony Netkow, Kim Huynh, Nicole Allison, Kaye Nolan, Carolyn Mott, Oudom Chhit, Angela Millan, Graham Hawtin.

School Council Election was held in Term 1.

Annual Reporting Meeting will be held on Thursday 16 June at 7pm. If you would like to attend, please contact the School Office and leave your details.

School Policies

Our school policies are accessible on our school website - click here.

Whole School Assembly

Our whole school Assembly is held every Monday at 2.40pm in Stadium.

Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)

Before School Care - 7am to 8.45am

After School Care - 3.30pm to 6pm

Student-free/Curriculum Day (four per year) - 7am to 6pm

Vacation Care (Monday to Friday during school holidays) - 7am to 6pm

Enquiries must be directed to the OSHC Coordinator, Paul Davis.

Email: Paul.Davis@education.vic.gov.au

Phone: 9807 2615 or 0417 941 986

Parents & Friends Club

Joint President: Betty Ciorciari and Sam Watson

Joint Secretary: Kaye Nolan and Kelly Lukies

Joint Treasurer: Somya Rastogi and Naheed Sanusi

Fundraising: Carolyn Mott, assisted by Laurissa Rosewall

AGM held on Tuesday 22 March 2022.

PFC meetings held twice each term, mid week at 7.30pm. Meeting details published in Contact newsletter. All welcome.

PFC membership is free.

Contact by email - ehpspfa@gmail.com

Uniform

Our uniform supplier is PSW.

New uniform purchased from Waverley PSW Retail Outlet is at 342-350 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley.

Secondhand uniform is managed by our Parents & Friends Club. Contact the Office if required. Donations of good quality, clean items with the current EHPS logo are always welcome; deliver to Office during office hours.

Lost property - there are four boxes for lost items that are located outside the Eucalyptus, Violet and Banksia buildings and in the foyer of the Stadium. Ensure all items brought to school are clearly named so they can be returned if lost. Students may check the boxes during school hours; parents/guardians are permitted to attend after school hours to check the boxes.

School Hats

SunSmart compliant hat to be worn every day in Terms 1 and 4.

Volunteering at School

As a Child Safe school all parent helpers/volunteers at EHPS must have:

a current Working with Children Check; and
lodged and signed Child Safety acknowledgement at our School Office (this confirms that you have read and will adhere to our Child Safety policy and code of conduct).

With these in place through the School Office, we welcome your offer to assist in the many volunteering opportunities at school.

Go to School Documentation on Compass to access copies of documentation.

School Tours

For 2022 & 2023 entry - Wednesday & Friday at 9.30am. Bookings essential. Commenced Wednesday 2 March.

Enrolment Enquiries

For 2022 & 2023 entry - contact our Office between 9.30am and 2.30pm Monday to Friday during school terms.

Prep 2023 - enrolment documentation due Thursday 26 May 2022. After 26 May, contact our Office.

Year 3

Melbourne Museum excursion