EHPS Contact

Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Community,

Carnival 2023 – What a show of the Essex Heights Community Spirit!

How amazing was last Saturday’s Carnival? We were blessed with amazing weather and our community turned out in droves. Current and past families, former students and staff, as well as local members of our broader community shared in this fantastic event.

Every aspect of the day was well planned and executed. The variety of stalls and attractions was comprehensive and so many people commented on the professional look of the whole event. The school looked a treat! I was stopped many times by people saying it was the best Carnival they had attended and that I should be very proud. I can assure you that I was very proud of our amazing school community and in the commitment of our organisers, volunteers and helpers.

A huge thanks must go to the Carnival committee, other PFC members and the Class Representatives for their efforts in all aspects of their preparation and subsequent delivery of such a great day. The total raised will be announced at our assembly on Monday.

Please refer to the Carnival page in this newsletter for more photos of this great day.

Pink Stumps Day

Today the whole school joined together for the annual Year 6 vs Staff Pink Stumps Day cricket match, that raises money for the McGrath Foundation. All classes gathered on the school oval to witness this exciting match between the ‘traditional rivals’. The bowling was tight from both sides, but in the end the difference was the extraordinary inning by our highly priced staff imports Cassie Kemp as well as Sahith and Brendan from IT. The scores were tight throughout, and at the end the scorers had to reconcile their scorebooks before the final result was announced. The game was played in great spirit with students from across the school encouraging both sides. The final score was:

Staff 3/132 defeated Year 6 6/122. 

Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic day!

Car Parking & Safety 

Following a few near misses and issues that have been brought to my attention, it is again necessary to discuss traffic safety and issues that impact everyone’s safety.

Our primary focus is the children’s safety and respecting the rights of our neighbours. I raise these matters with you to ensure that we are doing our best to provide a safe and secure environment for the children and members of our community as they travel to and from school. 

  • The Staff & Permit car park at the front of the school is for nominated staff and allocated Permit Holders only. It is not a ‘Drop Off Zone’ for children and it is not safe to use it as such. 
  • Also, this car park is not for pedestrian access and it is not safe for children to enter and leave school via those gates. As cars enter and leave that area regularly, we ask that no children enter school via that route. The only entrance to school, from Essex Road, is through the front gate opposite the School Office. 
  • The ‘Two Minute / Kiss and Drop Zone’ at the front of the school is not a car park and parents are not able to leave their car there and walk away. Council By-Laws Officers will patrol this area frequently and parents not complying risk a fine. 
  • Children should get out of cars on the side of the footpath not to the centre of the road.
  • When merging back into traffic on Essex Road from the Kiss and Drop Zone, drivers must be very careful to avoid collision with other cars doing exactly the same thing. This week I witnessed at least three very near misses. 
  • As there is a solid white line in front of the school, it is not legal for parents to conduct a ‘U-Turn’ across this line. I ask parents to continue travelling in the same direction and go around the block. Again, Council By-Laws Officers will patrol this area and issue fines for infringements. 
  • Parents should respect our neighbours and follow all designated parking laws e.g. please do not park across/in driveways.
  • Please ensure that all children cross Essex Road at the supervised crossing in front of the school. I have noticed some parents encouraging their children to cross at other places and this is a very dangerous practice when Essex Road is busy at 9am and 3.30pm. 
  • The 40 km/hour speed limit must be observed in the school zone.

I again seek the support of all parents to follow these guidelines so that all children and families can be safe whilst traveling to and from school. Thank you for your support.

COVID-19

There is at present an increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria.

You can help us keep our school as safe as possible by taking two important steps:

  1. Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.
  2. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT). Free RATs are available from your local council where you can collect two packs of five RATs and an extra two packs for each person in your household. People with disability and their carers can get four packs of five RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms.

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they stay home for at least five days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support – these steps will help us all stay well.

Scholarships to support students - final reminder

The Department of Education administers a number of scholarships that are available to eligible students who are enrolled in Grade 4 to Year 12 in 2023. Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their: 

  • participation in school activities 
  • community involvement 
  • academic achievement. 

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study. Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria so please refer to individual applications for more information. 

Applications are open and close on Thursday 1 February 2024. 

For more information and a list of available scholarships, refer to the 2024 Student scholarships for Grade 4 – Year 12 fact sheet. 

For information on how to apply, refer to Student scholarships.

Hats – Terms 1 & 4

Consistent with our SunSmart School Policy we expect our students to wear a hat in Terms 1 and 4 to protect against UV and the sun. This is a reasonable position and I would ask that you assist us in this area. Whilst caps might be popular, they usually give little protection, particularly for the ears. 

Please note that for your child’s safety and protection, students not wearing a proper sun smart hat will not be allowed to play in the yard and will have to spend recess and lunchtime in the shade being supervised by a member of staff.

Sometimes hats are misplaced, so if your child says that they have lost their hat, check the lost property boxes located around the school. If your child does not have a hat that protects their neck and ears, that is either broad brimmed, legionnaire style or bucket, I strongly urge you to purchase an approved EHPS hat from our uniform supplier, Spartan School World, located in Essex Road, Mount Waverley.

Farewell

We farewell the following student and their family from the EHPS community:

  • Max T (PS)

 

After 15 years service on the Huntingdale Road and Rocklands Road supervised crossing opposite the Essex Heights Reserve oval, Christine is retiring from the role of crossing supervisor at the end of this year. She wanted to say goodbye and farewell to all the children and parents she has got to know over the years in this role.

 

I look forward to seeing you around the school.

 

Kindest regards,

George Perini

Principal