From Mr Chaplin

As this will be my final newsletter for 2026, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire Cheltenham East community. It has been a privilege to work alongside you this year. I have genuinely loved getting to know so many families through Student Support Group meetings, parent committee discussions, School Council and our many conversations before and after school during yard duty. Our community events have been a highlight, and your ongoing support, warmth and partnership have made my transition to CEPS incredibly rewarding.

Thank you for welcoming me so openly and for the trust you place in our school every day. I wish all families a safe, happy and restful break, and I look forward to seeing the continued success of our wonderful CEPS students in the years ahead.

A Community Effort

With the festive season approaching, roads are busier, routines shift and distractions are higher than usual. By taking a little extra care, we can ensure all CEPS students arrive at school and return home calm, safe and ready for learning.

Over the past few months, Mr Ridgway and I have been working closely with the City of Kingston to propose improved traffic management measures around Cheltenham East Primary School. These include a review of signage, clearer line-marking, and additional safety considerations to support the high volume of families travelling through the area each day. While these measures will help create a safer environment for our community, the greatest risk to student safety continues to be poor driver behaviour during drop-off and pick-up times.

We are increasingly seeing parents stopping in the middle of the road to let students out or to collect them without pulling into a legal parking space. This is extremely dangerous. The area directly opposite the school’s main entrance is a blind spot, and students cannot safely judge oncoming traffic. Several near misses have already been reported in this exact location.

Children need adult support when crossing roads, particularly in busy school zones. We ask all families to avoid using the road opposite the main entrance for drop-off or pick-up and instead direct students to the supervised crossing on Silver Street. If your child needs to cross elsewhere, please walk with them and ensure they cross safely.

We appreciate the cooperation of our community as we continue to prioritise student safety. The small everyday choices we each make as drivers have a significant impact on keeping all CEPS children safe.

Thank you for working with us to keep our school community safe.

Curriculum Day - Monday 15 December

A friendly reminder that our final Curriculum Day of the year will be on Monday, 15 December. On this day, the staff will be busy planning the teaching and learning for 2026.

Early Finish Friday 

Friday 19 December students will finish at 1:30pm.

 Final Assembly Friday 19 December

Our final whole school assembly is scheduled for next Friday at 12:50pm. If high temperatures are forecast for that afternoon, we will consider adjusting the schedule holding the majority of the assembly in the morning after drop-off, followed by a short afternoon session before dismissal for some important farewells, including those for our Year 6 students. We want to ensure that students are not seated outside in the afternoon heat for an extended period. 

If the assembly is split, the schedule will be as follows:

Morning Assembly - 9:00am

• National Anthem
• Happy Birthday in Italian
• Acknowledgement of Departing Families
• Farewell for Departing Staff
• Announcement of 2026 Student Leaders(Badging Ceremony to take place early in 2026)

Afternoon Assembly - 1:15pm

• Special Community Farewells
• Year 6 Graduation Dance and Guard of Honour
• Return to classrooms for dismissal at 1:30pm

A final decision will be shared early next week to allow parents and carers time to plan to attend.

Thanks for your support and understanding.

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Jared Chaplin

Assistant Principal