Principal's News

Our School Vision

“Cheltenham East students are empowered learners who are flexible thinkers with the skills and knowledge to respond critically and creatively to their world.”

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered, the Bunurong People and pay our respects to the elders past, present and emerging of the Kulin nation and extend that respect to other indigenous Australians present.

It’s been an extremely busy week with NAPLAN being conducted, Cross Country on Friday for Years 3-6 children, Foundation Tours, Foundation barbecue on Saturday and the Working Bee on Sunday. Well done to our Year 3 and 5 teachers for successfully supervising our students during NAPLAN and thank you in anticipation to those staff and Parents’ Committee volunteers who will attend school on the weekend to reinforce our wonderful community.

Mrs Ward on Leave

Mrs Ward will be on Long service Leave for the next four weeks. Mr Bourke will step up into the Assistant Principal’s chair for this period of time. We wish Mrs Ward all the best on her time away from school.

NAPLAN Testing

The National Assessment of Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) was conducted with all Year 3 & 5 students this week. Most of these tests were in electronic form and completed on computers apart from the Year 3 writing test. The children did well to maintain focus and get through the tests. These assessments provide a snapshot of where each students’ learning is currently placed and this information, combined with the comprehensive teacher assessments conducted all year, assist in identifying student academic achievement as well as learning needs for the future.

Year 6 Camp

Thank you to the following teachers for giving up their own family time and volunteering to take the Year 6 children on camp: Miss Boucher, Mr Packham, Mr Hughes, Mrs Divya Rai, and Mr Bach. The Year 6s had a ball in Echuca this week with riding and grooming a horse, riding on a paddle steamer, Bungee Trampolining and the commando course being among the highlights. The children showed plenty of resilience whilst they were away and they have hopefully learned more about themselves and their capabilities from the experience.

Foundation BBQ

Parents of prospective Foundation students for 2023 will be coming to school on Saturday May 14th for the first of several transition visits. It will give the families an opportunity to visit classrooms and find out more about the programs we are running at CEPS. A huge thankyou goes out to our current Foundation teachers for giving up their time and co-ordinating the activities as well as our Parent Committee for providing sausages in bread for the families.

Enrolments for 2023

If you have a child commencing at school in Foundation (Prep) for 2023, please call by the office and collect an enrolment pack, and leave your details including email address and child’s name etc, so we can keep you updated. 

If you know of neighbours with Foundation 2023 students who may wish to enrol, or organise a tour, please let them know.

GROUP TOURS

Tuesday 10th May - ** BOOKED OUT **

Saturday 14th May -  FAMILY BBQ AND GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER (RSVP 9/5/2022)

Wednesday 18th May -** NEW DATE **

Monday 23rd May - AVAILABLE

Places are filling fast so spread the word.  Enrolments are open and we ask that siblings coming to Cheltenham East Primary in 2023 please enrol now. 

Federal Election on 21st May 2022

Our school has been selected to host voting and it is a wonderful opportunity to welcome back the community to our school and to raise some much needed funds towards new soccer goals. In conjunction with the Parent’s Committee, we will hold a BBQ for the day. I ask that you volunteer and get involved so we can make the most of this opportunity and I assure you that you will have fun doing so and making connections at school after the last few years at home.

Working Bee

We are looking forward to having a Working Bee this Sunday May 15th starting at 9am and finishing at 11am sharp. This is a great opportunity for parents to connect with each other and the school again after two years of COVID restrictions as well as helping to make the school look better.

We will be re-planting and mulching some of our gardens at the front of the school entrance way as well as a variety of other important jobs around the school. Many hands make light work! Please help!

Jobs to do include:

• Replace split borders around the adventure playground area

• Clean out roof gutters

• Gurney entrance ways of buildings

• Redesigning and weeding front garden beds at entrance ways

• Redesigning and weeding hall garden area

• Putting up more seating around the school using the old eating area seats

• Painting seating at the front of school

• Repairing fly screens

• Raking mulch

• Removing dead shrubs and trees

• Putting painted bollards back into the ground near the eating area

• Relocating old seats around the school

• Removing cobwebs around buildings

• Pruning shrubs

The following tools would be helpful:  Ladders, Wheel barrows, spades, rakes, blowers, gardening tools.  

Graffiti

Unfortunately we have been badly hit by graffiti vandals over the last couple of weekends which has provided me with some busy Sunday mornings trying to remove it. If you happen to be passing by or in the school grounds and notice something or someone suspicious please immediately contact Cheltenham Police station so they can investigate.

Happy Mother’s Day

Thank you to Parents’ Committee for organising such great gifts for our students to purchase for Mother’s Day and then conducting the stall for our excited children on Friday. The children were delighted with their choices. We hope every mother was made to feel special, not just last Sunday, but every day.

Students Attitude to School Survey

Each year, the DET issues an Attitude to School Survey to all Years 4, 5 & 6 students. These surveys are designed to identify the positive aspects of school life for students, as well as identify if there are areas to be considered for improvement. Student Engagement and Well-being are at the forefront of our students’ success at school so the feedback provided will lead to positive outcomes for the children. Students in Grade 4, 5 and 6 will complete these surveys next week and we look forward to receiving the results later in the year.

Shade Sail

The engineering phase of the shade sail installation near the school oval has been completed and the installation of the new shade sail is not far away.

School Hats

Just a reminder that school hats are no longer required to be worn by the children. They can be taken home and washed ready for the summer months later in the year.

Lost Property

Our lost property collection is still significant. Please check the lost property area and reclaim any items that haven’t made their way home. Clearly named clothing items can be returned to their owners, so please make sure your child’s clothing items are clearly named.

Silver Street Road Works

Asphalt road resurfacing works will occur in Silver Street, Wed 11th – Tue 17th May. Vehicles should not be parked on the street during this time between Cavanagh and Herald Streets. If you require further information, please contact Braeden 0458402 or Ehteshamul 95814349 from Kingston City Council during business hours.  

The Importance of Play

Positive and purposeful play promotes healthy bodies and healthy brains. There are numerous research studies linking active play and academic success. Furthermore, exercise increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and this is important for reducing stress or anxiety. Kids NEED to play in order to develop in every way possible to be their best! Play allows children to master their fears, try new roles and expand their imagination and worldviews; play helps kids develop social skills, including conflict resolution skills and self-advocacy skills. Play also helps children develop patience, a sense of belonging and essential communication skills. There will be days where the children may be kept inside due to extreme weather conditions such as too hot or too wet and cold. As Principal I make that call on a daily basis based on the conditions of the day. During the cold months please send children with coats and warm gear to wear. Please remember not to send sick

children to school as it spreads germs to other children very quickly and we end up with a lot of children away.

Medication Reminder

A reminder to all parents that any medication your child is to receive at school must be clearly labelled and explained to their teacher. All anaphylactic and asthmatic sufferers need an ASCIA action plan from their GP for staff to follow in case of emergency.

COVID Update

COVID cases continue to be a part of our daily life. The Rapid Antigen program will continue this term. Children are not required to wear masks at school. If your child contracts COVID virus please continue to send in an email detailing when they contracted the virus and include symptoms if any. Children displaying COVID symptoms or signs of illness at school must be collected and returned to school after 24 hours (if testing negative to a RAT test).

School Values

The children will continue working closely together through the coming winter months. This is a great time to reinforce our school values of RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, COURTESY and CO-OPERATION with all children. Filling someone’s bucket of kindness should be a priority for all children and adults. Helping others is to be encouraged by everyone and can be done in a variety of ways. It is great to see our Year 6 children looking after the younger children out in the yard.

Thought For the Week

Principal

Wayne Bach