Principal's Report

Dear SEPS Families, 

Welcome back to our final term for 2026. The year has flown, the children have grown and there are not too many sleeps until Christmas! It is another busy term with some exciting events planned so please keep an eye on the calendar. 

Assembly 

Last term we changed assembly to fit in with our dance instruction. Teachers found that having Monday mornings free assisted with their English program so we have decided to continue trialing an afternoon assembly this term. Please feel free to join us in the gym on Mondays at 3pm. If you arrive late, we just ask that you wait at the door until the National Anthem is finished before entering to take a seat. 

Transition

It has been lovely meeting our new Foundation 2026 students this week as they visit for their Early Years Interview. Our Step into SEPS program starts in a couple of weeks and we look forward to their formal transition program after Melbourne Cup Week. 

Our Year 6 transitions are also underway. We are very excited for this term and our graduating students with Market Day kicking off the beginning of the celebrations next Thursday.

In the next few weeks, we will be asking students for their friendship preferences as we begin to prepare for 2026. As usual, students will be asked to nominate 5 people who are either good friends or who they work well with. We guarantee that at least one person will be in the class. We input their lists along with a variety of teacher data into a specialised computer program to assist with the formation of classes. Once classes have been finalised, it is almost impossible to make any changes without impacting a large number of children and their families. 

Should you have any concerns regarding your child’s placement and friendship choices, please email your requests by FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER via sandringham.east.ps@education.vic.gov.au.  Please note that I do not take requests for specific teachers.  

Parent requests WILL NOT be considered after this date for any reason. Please do not email your child’s friendship list for them. The teachers collect this information with their students. 

It is very important that we ensure that this is a stress-free process for our children. Remaining positive and supportive as adults will assist in supporting them to be positive and resilient. Changing year levels in a normal part of the school process and should be viewed as an exciting opportunity to broaden friendships and relationships in our community. We will not be asking students for preferences for another few weeks so please refrain from discussing this with your child just yet.  We want to alleviate any added anxiety or chatter here at school. There are still many weeks to go before our students need to start thinking about next year. 

If your child is moving to a new school in 2026, (apart from Year 6) please let the office know as soon as possible for planning purposes. 

Have a wonderful fortnight ahead. 

Jane Briffa