From Mr Ridgway
Welcome Back
I trust that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season, whether you stayed local or ventured abroad. My wife, Rosanne, and I took the opportunity to again travel to the USA for National Parks, Theme Parks and of course, some NBA.
Our travels across the United States were an unforgettable mix of adventure and thrills. We hiked through incredible national parks around Phoenix and Colorado, including the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Our absolute favourite was Rocky Mountain National Park, where we trekked through snow-covered trails and across frozen lakes under bright sunshine. We also made a quick detour to Philadelphia to catch a couple of games of my beloved 76ers. The trip ended perfectly in sunny California, enjoying the thrills of Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott’s Berry Farm, and the magic of Disneyland. I popped in some photos below.
The staff and I are excited to have kicked off another great year, continuing our commitment to supporting each child's success both in and out of the classroom. Here's to a productive and exciting 2026 at CEPS. A year in which our school turns 70!
Curriculum Day
On Monday 23rd February, we will have a student-free day. All staff will be participating in a professional development day, with speech language pathologist Shane Pearson training in PhOrMeS (PHonology, ORthography, Morphology, Etymology and Semantics).
Whole School Communication
As we dive into a new year, it is timely to revisit our whole school communication processes.
Compass
Newsfeed posts can be sent to the whole school or particular year-levels. Sentral will be used to communicate the following:
- Important information/reminders
- Promotion of events/excursions/incursions
Please turn Notifications on, so you don't miss anything.
Class Dojo News Feed
Class Dojo will continue to be used as follows:
- 1:1 communication between teachers and families.
- Staff posting pictures to celebrate classroom learning or school events.
Please also be reminded that I encourage the importance of work/life balance with our staff. Staff will send and respond to Dojo communication between the hours of 8.30am - 4.30pm, and will not respond outside of these hours. Staff will always endeavour to respond to families within 24 hours as the priority of our staff is the face-to-face teaching of their students. The 24-hour response time also applies to email communication. Should messages be of a more urgent/timely nature, please do not hesitate to contact the school office between 8.30am - 4.30pm.
School Promotion - Social Media
We have such an amazing school with wonderful staff, students and families. Facebook and Instagram are used to promote our amazing school to our broader community.
Click on the link below to access our Facebook page.
Mobile Phones
We understand that many of our students, in particular older students, now have their own mobile phones. We also understand the necessity of students who walk/ride to school having the ability to communicate with their parents/carers. Upon entering the classroom, students are required to silence/switch off their phones, and hand them to their teacher for secure storage throughout the day. Teachers will return phones to students at 3.30pm. Please use the school office for all daily communication needs. Thank you in advance.
Communicating concerns/issues
Should you have an academic or well-being concern regarding your child, it is always respectful to first communicate with your child's teacher as your first point of contact. Our school offers an open-door policy, and our teachers are more than happy to meet with (coordinate a meeting) parents/caregivers to best support your child/ren.
Should you feel that a concern or issue is not being addressed or improvement is not evident, then a meeting with either myself and/or Jared can be arranged. We also offer an open-door policy however, to ensure our availability, please contact the office via email or phone to book a meeting. Please note that Mr Chaplin and I don't access any individual messages sent to us via Class Dojo. Our preferred method of contact is via email or phone.
cheltenham.east.ps@education.vic.gov.au
9583 5746
Respectful Communication
This is a friendly reminder to ensure that all communication (written or verbal) demonstrates our school values of Respect and Courtesy. We understand that every parent/caregiver wants the best possible education and school experience for their child. Respectful communication enables the school to work positively with families toward solution-focused outcomes. Disrespectful communication will not be tolerated, nor responded to.
Parent/Carer and Teacher Meetings
Following parent/carer feedback specifically in reference to 'Teachers communicate with me often enough about my child's progress,' we have again decided to improve the frequency and purpose of academic and social/emotional progress to families.
To facilitate this, we will again move the start of Term 1 'Getting to Know You' interviews to a Google Form. Please take a few minutes to complete it.
You can access and complete this form here.
This form will allow you to provide important information to your child's teacher, ensuring that we can best support their needs from the very beginning of the school year. At the conclusion of 2025, staff also engaged in a thorough student handover process with the 2026 classroom teachers. If your child has specific medical needs and/or learning difficulties that require an urgent scheduled face-to-face meeting or phone call (not more than 10 minutes), this can be organised with your child's classroom teacher through Class Dojo.
Term 1
- Student Support Group meetings for PSD and DIP-funded students (Dates/Times TBC)
Term 2
- Early Term 2 - Learning Progress Meetings (more information to come
- End of Term 2 - Semester 1 Written Report Provided
- Student Support Group meetings for PSD and DIP-funded students (Dates/Times TBC)
Term 3
- Additional Face-to-face Progress Meeting
- Student Support Group meetings for PSD and DIP-funded students (Dates/Times TBC)
Term 4
- Semester 2 Written Report Provided
Student Support Group meetings for PSD and DIP-funded students (Dates/Times TBC)
This provides families with multiple opportunities to be informed of their child's progress. Please keep in mind that at Cheltenham East PS, all staff offer an open-door policy and are available as required throughout the year. Class Dojo can also be used to communicate regularly with your child's teacher.
We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to working together to support your child's learning journey.
Kiss and Go - Ensuring Community Safety
The 'Kiss and Go' signage installed on Silver St is designed to improve community safety, in particular student safety during the busy 3.30pm pick-up period. Unfortunately, several parents/carers are continuing to park in these spaces for durations well beyond the designated 2-minute limit. The Kingston Council has provided some information below for your reference. Due to increased safety concerns, the council has also advised that their law enforcement team will be patrolling this area during drop-off and pick-up periods. In addition, we will be reinforcing with students the importance of using our many manned school crossings at all times. We ask families to continue this conversation at home. Community safety is, and will always be, of utmost importance.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Robert
