Principal's Item 

Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

I hope that you and your family are adjusting to the sudden change in weather and that you are avoiding sickness. 

Staff Update

I would like to let the school community know of the exciting news that Miss Harriman is expecting her second child. At this stage Alex will be able to continue teaching until the end of Term 3. I would also welcome Mr Zac Anderson to EEPS for a month. Zac is an Assistant Principal at Edgar’s Creek Secondary College and is completing an internship with us as part of a Principal preparation program.

Learning and Growing Together

This week we have hosted a visit from several teachers from Yarrambat Primary School to observe our practices in literacy, and specifically in teaching phonics and phonological awareness. We then had a reciprocal visit to Yarrambat. These observations and professional dialogues are always incredibly valuable for continuous school improvement. 

Last week, Lisa Jospeh, Melissa Egan and I attended the Victorian Government Schools Principal Conference at the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre. This was very reaffirming of our teaching and learning practices at EEPS and also gave us plenty of new things to think about and to reflect upon.

Feedback Reconciliation Week

Last week our School Captains and Cultural Leaders, together with Mrs James and a parent, Clare Z, represented EEPS at the Nillumbik Council Flag Raising ceremony to make the start of Reconciliation Week. This is the feedback we received from Council:

On behalf of Nillumbik Shire Council and the Events team, I would like to extend our sincere thanks for your support in allowing the four cultural leaders and school captains from Eltham East Primary School to participate in our recent Flag Raising Ceremony.

The students represented your school with great pride, they were exceptionally well-mannered, incredibly professional, and an absolute joy to work with on the day. Despite the last-minute changes due to the weather, they adapted seamlessly and carried out their roles beautifully.

Their contribution added a meaningful and memorable element to the ceremony, and we are very grateful for their involvement.

Please pass on our thanks and appreciation to the students, they should be very proud of the way they conducted themselves.

We truly value our connection with Eltham East Primary School and look forward to working together again in the future.

Thank you to Ms Simula and Mrs James who have coordinated the school-based activities for Reconciliation week and for our school choir who performed at our special assembly on Monday.

Scooter and Helmets

Please remind your child/ren that scooters and bikes are not to be ridden on the school grounds before or after school and that a helmet is absolutely essential. Children who do not follow these basic safety rules will not be able to continue to ride or scoot to school for a period of time. Thank you for your support.

OSHC New System

Parents, please be assured that the emails coming to you from Xplor, in relation to a new OSHC booking system are legitimate. This new system will go live next week but if you have any questions, please contact Jess or Marrisa. This will be a substantial upgrade from QuickKids.

Power Outages

Some parents have contacted us about the impact of local planned power outages on the school. Firstly, thank you for reaching out. There is one due for 10th June, but not in our immediate area. A second is planned for June 15th but our conversations with AusNet have led us to believe that we won’t be impacted. Regardless, all schools must remain open if power outages occur and continue modified programs. If we have any additional information then we will communicate this to parents.

Looking Forward - Concert

I think I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to flag it again in advance. At the end of term 3, there will be two non-attendance days, a week apart. Wednesday 9th September and Wednesday 16th September. These dates are unavoidable. Wednesday 9th is a Curriculum Day and the day after our big concert. Wednesday 16th is the Variation to School Hours Day (3 Way Conferences). This couldn’t really be any earlier and we are locked into the concert date. Whilst I know we enjoy a high level of parent support and trust in our processes and decision making; I thought I would just explain that I understand two days a week apart can put a strain on families, but this is unavoidable and only happens once every two years. OSHC will be available on those days, as always.

Coming Up

On the sporting front we have the Division Cross Country this Thursday and the Year 3-6 House Athletics next Thursday, 11th June. Please ensure that the necessary Compass permissions have been given to help the process in the office and for managing the event on the day.

This Friday is World Environment Day. The JSC has organised a special fundraiser for the day. Please read the detailed information in the Newsletter.

Thank You

I am constantly touched by the incredibly strong support that parents give to the school. The parents on the Year 3 and 4 Immigration Museum excursion reported that the EEPS students were incredibly well behaved and engaged with the learning. It certainly makes the experience rewarding and enriching for parents as well.

I thank the EEPS staff regularly in our meetings, but I thought another public acknowledgement is warranted. There have been some incredibly enriching teaching and learning experiences during the term that have been supplemented with powerful co-curricular activities. This only happens because of the hard working, collaborative EEPS staff!

Have a great week or Learning and Growing Together.

Kind regards

Warren Lloyd

Principal