From the Principal's Desk

Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of Term 3! It has certainly been a busy few weeks, with lots happening across the school and a number of projects that we have been working on finally starting to come together.

Improving Our School Environment

It has been wonderful to see our classes return to their usual rooms following the completion of the ramp and decking works. We are now waiting on the final door sensors, after which this significant accessibility project, including the refurbishment of our accessible toilet, will be complete.

Parent Opinion Survey – We Need Your Voice

A reminder that the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is currently open, and we would really appreciate more of our families taking the time to complete it.

Your feedback gives us an important picture of how our community is experiencing the school. It allows us to celebrate the areas where we have grown and are doing well, while also identifying where we need to continue improving.

The greater the response from our families, the more confidently we can use the results to inform our planning and priorities. If you have not yet completed the survey, please take a few minutes to have your say.

Link: https://research.orima.com/parent

Survey Pin: 727031

School Name: Epsom Primary School

Campus Name: Epsom Primary School

New Play Equipment

We are very excited to have ordered a new bouldering unit for our playground, supported by $30,000 in Active Schools grant funding.

For those wondering what bouldering actually is, it is a form of climbing undertaken at a relatively low height, without ropes or harnesses. Rather than simply climbing to the top, students work their way across and around the structure, using different climbing holds and routes that provide varying levels of challenge.

Bouldering has grown significantly as a sport and is now part of Olympic sport climbing. It is another great opportunity to expose our students to a different form of physical activity, particularly for those who may not naturally gravitate towards traditional team sports.

We deliberately chose bouldering rather than another traditional piece of playground equipment because of the opportunities it provides for healthy risk-taking. Students need to assess where to place their hands and feet, decide what they are comfortable attempting, problem-solve when a route doesn't work and build the confidence to try something more challenging when they are ready. There is also something really valuable about encountering a challenge that can't necessarily be mastered on the first attempt. Students may need to stop, rethink, practise and try again.

The structure will be installed on the flat grassed area in front of Mod 10, with bark chip providing the required soft-fall surface. The bouldering unit has been designed to meet Australian playground safety standards.

Staff will undertake professional learning, and our students will also participate in workshops to learn how to use the space safely and get the most out of the different challenges it provides. 

During recess and lunchtime, the bouldering unit will be available to Grade 3–6 students only. Our Prep–2 students will also have opportunities to use the structure at other times as part of supervised activities with their teacher.

We are hoping to see it completed by the end of the year.

Howard Street Safety

Our advocacy for improved safety along Howard Street has reached an important stage. School Council has worked persistently over a number of years to keep the safety of our students and families on the agenda.

The proposed time-based heavy vehicle access trial is not the complete solution, but it represents an important step forward. Thank you to the families who have already responded to the City of Greater Bendigo consultation. We really do need the voice of our school community behind this work, so if you haven't yet completed the survey, please do so before it closes.

Proposed Howard Street heavy vehicle access trial | Let's Talk Greater Bendigo

Looking Ahead to 2027

Our Foundation enrolments for 2027 are looking very strong, with 56 students already confirmed and further enrolments expected. It is wonderful to see continued confidence in our school, and we look forward to welcoming our newest Epsom students and families through the transition process.

Auslan Trial

Next term, our Grade 5/6 students will begin trialling a new Auslan program in place of Green STEM.

We have been working to find a sustainable model for delivering our LOTE program. This trial will allow us to see how a classroom teacher-delivered approach works before determining our next steps.

Fathers and Special Persons Afternoon

Finally, thank you to everyone who joined us for our recent Fathers and Special Persons afternoon. We had a fantastic turnout, and it was great to see so many families able to come along and spend some time with us at school.

As we head into Term 4, there is still plenty happening.  It is exciting to see a number of projects we have been working towards for some time finally coming together, with plenty more to look forward to before the end of the year.

Have a safe and enjoyable term break.

Kind regards,

Julie Ladd

Principal