Principal's Message
Welcome and welcome back to all our EPS Families,
We are looking forward to another wonderful year of learning, opportunities and partnerships. I hope you all enjoyed a safe and relaxing break.
I look forward to working with you all as we strive to achieve our vision of providing a safe, supportive environment which has high expectations for our students’ academic progress, engagement to our community and overall wellbeing.
Our year has started smoothly thanks to the efforts of our amazing staff who took time during the holidays to set up their classrooms, prepare the grounds and organise everything our students need for their return.
This year our enrolment is 433 students across 20 classes. Despite some staffing and recruitment challenges faced across the state, I am proud that we have a full complement of wonderful classroom teachers, specialist teachers and leadership staff.
A special mention to our 2024 Preps who had their first day of school last week and to all the new families who have joined EPS this year.
New staff
I would like to welcome the following staff members to EPS:
Georgia Gilbert (Year 3 Teacher)
Charlotte Harper (Year 4 Teacher)
Aoife Harrington (Year 5 Teacher)
Dyon Hunt (Year 3 Teacher)
Alyssa Mackenzie (Year 3 Teacher)
Rachel Steele (Year 2 Teacher)
Gemma Wall (Prep Teacher)
Diana Telford (Business Manager)
Leave
After almost 30 years at EPS, Ms Sue Goddard will be taking some unexpected leave this year. We wish Sue all the best and look forward to seeing her back at EPS later in the year.
Britt is pregnant! Congratulations to Britt and her partner, Ash, on the wonderful news. We look forward to meeting their TWINS later in the year. We will be recruiting a staff member to the office team in the coming weeks to take part in an extensive handover.
EPS Tutor Enrichment Program (formerly TLI)
Thanks to your donations through the Library Fund, the EPS Tutor Enrichment Program will continue at EPS in 2024. Funding for the initiative has been reduced from $71K to $26K in 2024 making your contributions the reason we can continue to run and expand this valuable program.
We welcome the following tutors that will support students in Literacy and Numeracy:
Kalliopi Tsavaris (Coordinator)
Katherine Bell
Natalie Bowerman
Brian Norris
Libby Kurc
More information relating to this DET initiative can be found here.
Principal Points
Principal points are back for 2024! Each staff member has 5 points each week to award to any student not in their class, for displaying leadership qualities. All points are tracked on a whole school database and tallied throughout the year with updates being provided to students during my address at assembly each week. The student with the most points towards the end of the year will be awarded ‘Principal for a Day’.
Last year’s recipient, Elke M initiated a year level dodge ball tournament, a whole school Basketball shootout to crown the best shooter at our school and some gratitude activities in the morning that included classes designing a tree with inspirational quotes.
School Council
All government schools in Victoria have a School Council.
School councils are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within state-wide guidelines. In doing this, a School Council can directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students. Parents/Carers on School Councils provide important viewpoints and can have valuable skills that help shape the direction of the school. Each year, approximately half of the School Council retires to allow new members to become involved.
In coming weeks, we will call via Compass for Council nominations for the 2024-2026 EPS. Council membership is for two years and meetings occur twice each term. Councillors also become members of one of the following subcommittees: Education, Buildings & Ground, Finance or Marketing. If you would like to know more about joining the School Council, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send an email at Elsternwick.ps@education.vic.gov.au.
Parent Payment Arrangements 2024 (School Fees)
Thank-you for all families who have contributed or committed to contributing to our school via Parent Payment Arrangements on Compass (formally known as school fees).
If you have not given this your attention yet, please refer to Compass Course Confirmations/2024 School Fees to make a contribution online.
This School Council letter outlines how the contributions you make support your child and all students at EPS.
School Council – Parent Payment Arrangements 2024
If you have any queries or require a more flexible payment plan, please contact the school office elsternwick.ps@education.vic.gov.au.
Nude Food
EPS encourages all students and staff to bring healthy, rubbish-free food to school. By doing this, our school grounds can remain litter-free and we minimise any contribution to the unfortunate waste that ends up in the canal, the drains and in Port Phillip Bay.
I hope everyone has had a great start to the year. It has been wonderful to see the students so settled and engaged as they work together developing their classroom learning communities for 2024. Please do not hesitate to contact me over the course of the year; I look forward to working with you as your child continues to learn and grow at EPS.
Have a great weekend,
Michael