Principal's Report 

Dear Burwood East Primary School community,

Welcome back! It is wonderful to return and begin 2026 together. Thank you to our students for coming back with such energy and enthusiasm for learning, and to our parents for ensuring students are well prepared and ready for a positive start to the year. It has been an absolute pleasure to have everyone back together. To our new students, families, and staff, we warmly welcome you to the BEPS community and look forward to working in partnership to achieve success. We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to working every day with your children.

At Burwood East Primary School, we seek to provide all students with a safe and supportive educational environment and continually work to improve our knowledge of programs and practices so that every student has the best opportunity to succeed at school. Our school is a partnership of students, parents, and staff who share these values that connect us as a learning community:

Respect

Responsibility

Resilience

Honesty

Confidence

The Department of Education values also include Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights.

Celebrating Student Achievements

Our whole-school assemblies will be held in the COLA on Monday mornings from 9:05am to approximately 9:30 am. As with all school events, parents and carers are most welcome to attend.

At BEPS, we are fortunate to have many talented students whose achievements often extend well beyond the school gates. With community sport, artistic pursuits, cultural activities, and other events now back in full swing, we are keen to recognise and celebrate these successes.

Our assemblies and school newsletter provide a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge students who demonstrate excellence, commitment, and personal growth in a wide range of endeavours outside of school. We encourage families to share information about student achievements so we can proudly celebrate the diverse talents and accomplishments of our students as a school community.

If you know of a student who has achieved something beyond the school gates which should be celebrated, please email darren.mcdonald@education.vic.gov.au

Communication

The school would like to bring our families along with us on the journey that is the 2026 school year and would like to encourage and promote positive and valuable partnerships between home and school. All staff will share their work email address with the following expectations:

· Please allow 48-72 hours for an email response to be provided

· Urgent messages should be directed to the office OR leadership (Darren, Teri, Edwina)

· During the day, teachers are teaching, there is limited availability to respond to emails      

  between 8:45am – 4.00pm.

· We encourage face to face communication to resolve complex matters

· Responses will not be provided over the weekend

· Please be respectful and polite in communication with staff

· Absences are still to be communicated to the office and teacher(s)

· The nature of flexible working hours means that you may be sending an email at a time of   convenience for you, please note, our staff will reply at a time that is convenient and 

  available for them

· Communication about a particular issue may be reflected upon by the whole area team 

  and leadership to discuss an appropriate action/response

Camp and Curriculum Days 2026

We are pleased to share that Camp and Curriculum Day dates for 2026 have been approved by School Council. 

Curriculum Days 2026

Tuesday 27th Jan - Statewide Curriculum Day

Friday 5th Jun  - Assessment & Reporting

Friday 21st Aug – School Programs

Mon 2nd Nov - Assessment & Reporting

Camps 2026

Year 6 Camp  - Philip Island: 5th-7th of Oct (surfing)

Year 3 Camp  - Weekaway 21st - 23rd of Oct 

Year 4 Camp  - Alexandra 11th - 13th of Nov 

Year 5 Camp  - The Golden Valley Flinders  9th-11th Sept

Extra-Curricular Programs 

As everyone would be aware, at our school we have a magnitude of extra-curricular programs and activities to provide the children with additional learning opportunities. An overview of this can found on our website from next week. If you have any queries regarding any of our extra-curricular programs, please do not hesitate to contact Karen at school 98028618 or email karen.leetham@education.vic.gov.au

Kiss and Go Parking

The Kiss and Go parking zone is for short term use only. Parents and carers are not to leave their vehicle unattended at any time or they can incur a fine. Leaving a vehicle unattended also leads to the Kiss and Go parking zone becoming congested, reducing its effectiveness and negatively impacting other families trying to drop their children off at school. Please, do not leave your car unattended and please keep to the time limit.

At this busy time of the year, please be mindful of students and other drivers when parking around the school. The safety of our students is the responsibility of all of us. The car park is for staff only. Please do not use the staff car park for pickups and drops offs at any time and please do not walk your children through the car park.

Medical

If you child has developed a new medical condition or had changes to their existing medical condition please ensure you contact Jess Symon at the school office with these updates at jess.symon@education.vic.gov.au

Working With Children Check (WWC)

All parents and carers wishing to visit or volunteer at the school need to hold a valid Working With Children Check (WWC). This can be done online at https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au. 

Once you have received your card please present it to the office.

Accident Insurance: Personal Goods brought to school at the ‘Owners’ risk

The Department of Education and Training (DET) does not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents are generally responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs.  The Department of Education states that reasonable low-cost accident insurance policies are available from the commercial insurance sector. Similarly, DET (which includes the school) does not offer replacement of personal items which are brought to school and are lost, broken or stolen. Sentimental or expensive belongings and toys, including sports equipment and electronic devices, are normally best left at home.

Student birthdays, celebrations and parties

This notice is a reminder of the requirements for celebrating a student’s birthday or other milestones at BEPS.  Some parents like to send something small to school for their child’ class to share when it is their birthday instead of having a party elsewhere.  At BEPS, this is allowable, however, there are strict parameters that must be adhered to for Child Safety, including medical and equity purposes.  

Please note and ensure the following:

• Only individually pre-packaged food, where the ingredients are clearly visible is allowable

  OR

• A very small, inexpensive, non-food party favour such as a fidget toy to take home.

   

Please note that any items brought to school to share must be:

• Given directly to the child’s class teacher at the beginning of the day by the parent.

• Will be shared with the class at the end of the day by the teacher/student.

• Taken home by each student to show their parents who will decided when it may be eaten / played with.

   

Please note: Classes will often sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to students or teachers on their celebration day, but we are also aware that some students do not celebrate this way and are therefore, not required to sing celebratory songs, if they choose.  This is one way to celebrate at school.  

Heat Policy

The school operates a heat policy and we keep the children indoors in air conditioned classrooms on very hot days where the temperature exceeds 34 C.  We have also been asked to remind our parent community about the dangers of leaving children in cars on very hot days. 

Our playground has taken adventure to the next level with the introduction of a brand-new Ninja Activity Course and an exciting new senior playground with students enjoying the challenges new elements bring.

The Ninja Activity Course has quickly become a favourite, encouraging students to test their agility, balance, strength, and problem-solving skills. Designed to be both fun and physically demanding, the course gives students the chance to push themselves, set personal goals, and build confidence as they navigate each obstacle.

Meanwhile, the new senior playground elements are proving to be a fantastic challenge for older students. These additions promote coordination, perseverance, and teamwork, while also providing a dynamic space for active play and healthy risk-taking. It’s been wonderful to see students supporting one another, celebrating successes, and returning again and again to improve their skills.

As we begin a new school year, we are excited to welcome a mix of new staff members and returning team members to our community. Each brings unique skills, experience, and enthusiasm, and we are grateful to have them as part of our school. We look forward to the fresh ideas, energy, and passion you bring to our learning environment.