From the Principal

Welcome back everyone

It was great to be able to see everyone return to school with happy smiles on their faces. There were so many illnesses at the end of term 3 that getting to the end was quite a struggle. Julie and I both finished the term with COVID which was a very unwelcome surprise for us both!

Thankfully, I did manage to get to Western Australia and did get to finally see Wave Rock. It was different to what I had expected but I am definitely happy we visited. We also saw some gorgeous beaches (too cold for me to swim!) and explored caves.

Vale Ray Wilton - 0.5.11.1937 - 22.09.2024 

It is with sadness that I share the news of the passing of one of the school's former Principal's, Ray Wilton, on 22 September 2024. Ray was the Principal at LEPS in the early 90s. He played an instrumental role in ensuring the school has the oval the students play on now. Prior to that, the oval was covered in portables as there was not enough space in the classrooms for the students who attended the school. Ray attended the 5/6 camps even after he retired and was a volunteer at the Zoo for over 30 years. He made significant contributions to the community through his work with Rotary. Heather Campbell (another former staff member) and I attended the funeral during the holiday break to represent LEPS.

Ray had been unwell for a while but  was happy he was able to visit the school in 2022 to see the rebuild and to meet our students.

Plans for 2025

Term 4 is traditionally a very busy one with lots of work being completed to finish the 2024 year while also preparing for the 2025 school year. With that in mind, can we please ask families to contact the school if your child will not be at LEPS in 2025 because they are moving to a new school. This does not include grade 6 children as we already know where they will be in 2025, it is for students in Prep-5.

If you have a child who will turn 5 by 30 April 2025, please speak to the office to arrange to complete an enrolment form. We have a number of students who are telling us that younger brothers or sisters are coming to school next year but we have no forms for them. 

Knowing this information in advance makes it easier for us to plan our class structures to create classes which are balanced and will best support all students. 

Ambulance Subscription

Each year I remind families about the importance of having an Ambulance Victoria membership. Children are full of energy and sometimes mishaps occur which means they need to go to hospital. There have been times when students are injured at school and we have needed to call an ambulance to ensure we are looking after our students properly. This has caused some issues in the past if families do not have an Ambulance membership and families end up having to pay a huge bill of over $1000.

I am providing a second reminder to families about this important service. It is not free if you do not have a membership. A family membership only costs $106.73 for a one year subscription which covers your whole family. Membership fees can also be paid quarterly.

Everyone always thinks they won't need to call an ambulance but we can't guarantee we won't. Join today and save yourself the worry of 'what if'.

Linda Richards

Principal