Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Parents and Carers,
Childcare Abuse Allegations
The following message has been shared on Compass today with the school community from our OSHC Coordinator, Paul Davis, and myself.
It is a confronting time for the Childcare industry given the current news of the insidious and vile allegations levelled against individuals who have breached the trust of families and communities in Victoria.
All our OHSC educators have found this information highly distressing and we are aware that concerns will be raised within communities.
We want to assure the Essex Heights community that our OSHC program is committed to the safety and well being of all children who attend The Essex Heights PS Outside School Hours Program.
Any issues pertaining to children’s safety are handled with deliberate and absolute action. Our program provides safe and effective structures for the supervision of children whilst in our care.
We want to convey to parents the steps that our OSHC Program takes to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your children.
- No agency staff are used by the program
- All staff are employed directly by Essex Heights Primary School
- The program only uses regular staff across Before, After, Vacation Care and Curriculum Care, providing families with consistent educators
- All staff have current working with children checks which are screened through the Department of Justice
- Multiple staff are used daily to ensure children are safe and always cared for. The program employs more than prescribed ratio standards
- We are a community-based program that is governed by The Essex Heights PS School Council, not a third-party entity
- Staff recruitment follows a comprehensive procedure which is a central consideration when employing future educators
- Staff will only be employed if they are interviewed by program / school management and referenced checked
- The program has a rigorous reference check which is in accordance with the Child Safe Standards
- The program has reviewed the 11 Child Safe Standards this year and adjusted program operations to ensure we are strongly aligned with these protocols
- Staff have completed mandatory reporting training that is required and endorsed by the Department of Education
- The program does not use social media platforms
- In last year’s independent review of our OSHC program, it was rated as EXCEEDING, which is the highest rating and emphasises the quality of the programs and processes that are in place.
- Considering recent events, the program will review all policies pertaining to Child Safety and adopt any new recommendations by governing authorities. We invite your feedback in this process.
On behalf of all the OSHC staff, we want to reassure our Essex Heights community that we are committed and will always prioritise your children’s happiness and safety.
We understand the dismay and unease that may have been caused to some families due to this week’s serious allegations made against individuals who have worked in the child care industry.
We invite parents to contact Paul Davis or me with any concerns. It is imperative that ongoing and open communications are maintained to try and alleviate any reservations families may have.
Semester 1 Reports
Reports for first semester are now available through the Compass portal. Please take the time to read through the report and learn about your child’s progress in the first half of the year. You will be able to see their achievements, the progress in their learning as well as areas that still need further work.
If you are unsure about how to read your child’s report, please refer to the cover letter included in every report, which outlines the progression points and other relevant information such as understanding English as an Additional Language (EAL) or Individual Education Plans (IEP) reports.
This year there has been a significant change in the reporting of Mathematics due to the introduction of the new Mathematics curriculum. This new curriculum has resulted in a different way to report you child’s progress in Mathematics.
The excerpt below from the report cover letter, explains the change:
Mathematics Curriculum 2.0 Reporting
All Victorian Government Schools have begun using the Mathematics Curriculum 2.0 in 2024 and 2025. At Essex Heights Primary School we are reporting against the revised Mathematics Curriculum 2.0 standards for the first time in semester 1 2025.
In your child’s previous report, teachers gave a progression point for the three strands of Mathematics (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability), as well as giving a judgement against selected curriculum descriptors for each strand. This year, teachers assess students across all relevant strands and determine one aggregate progression point for Mathematics. Due to this change, students will receive one progression point followed by a judgement on a five-point scale as to your child’s achievement in each strand. As this is the first report of this kind, there will be no comparison to previous achievement in Mathematics. For all future reports progress will be shown.
Please note that in reviewing the published reports on Compass we have become aware of some errors due to a possible technical glitch in a particular class. If in reading your child’s report you have a query about their result, please email Felicity O’Flynn at felicity.oflynn@education.vic.gov.au.
It is timely to remind all families to ensure that you copy your child’s report to an external source so that you have access to it after you leave EHPS.
Parent Teacher Discussions
There will be an opportunity in the second week of Term 3 to meet with your child's teacher to discuss the report and your child's progress. You will be able to make appointments in Compass with your child’s teacher from Tuesday 22 July.
Instrumental Music Concerts
Over the past three weeks, the instrumental students have had their mid-year concerts. The six concerts showcased the talent of the children. They were all very excited and performed so well, some for the first time. Thank you to all the parents who attended and a special recognition for the great work done by our marvellous instrumental music staff, led by Alyssa Kennedy.
Holidays
Our school appreciates that holidays are an important and special experience for families. However, we highly recommend that you minimise your child's absence from school during school terms. Absences during term time interferes with the children’s formal learning and their social continuity at school. If you decide to take a holiday during a school term, it is a requirement of the Department of Education student attendance guidelines that you request my permission for your child to be absent. Please send an email to essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au, marked for my attention, with the details of your planned holiday. You will receive an email response with the necessary next steps.
Leaving EHPS
It is essential for our planning and preparation for the new term and next school year that you advise me in writing as soon as possible if your child will not be returning to EHPS. Use the school email address – essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au – to advise the following details:
- Child's name and 2025 class
- Date of last day at EHPS
- Name of the school your child is enrolled at
- Commencement date at new school
- The reason for leaving EHPS
- New contact details, e.g. address, phone number, email
Congratulations
Congratulations to Courtnee Johnston and her husband Toby and their two sons, on the safe arrival of their daughter and sister, Winter. We wish the family well and look forward to their first visit to Essex Heights.
Farewell
We farewell the following students and their families from the EHPS community:
- Abhee C (34M)
- Ezaz K (6D)
Term 3
Next term we have many great learning activities for the children. Every year level will be involved in the Swimming Program, Book Week and Indonesian Day. In addition, there will be a variety of Year Level specific incursions or excursions. Also, the PFC are organising the school disco, a parents night, as well as Father’s Day treat morning and the Father’s Day stall.
In closing, I wish all families a safe and happy holiday period. I hope that this will be an opportunity for family time as well as a relaxing break for the children. We look forward to welcoming our community back for Term 3 on Monday 21 July.
Kindest regards,
George Perini
Principal