Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Parents and Carers,

Showcase 2025

We enjoyed a wonderful Showcase at Robert Blackwood Hall on Friday 24th October. This special community event highlighted the talent of our students and reflected the strength of our classroom and instrumental music programs. The variety and quality of performances were a real credit to everyone involved.

Our students’ performances were very well received by families, staff, and visitors alike. Several guests and parents commented on how much they enjoyed the evening, noting both the professionalism and maturity of the Music Captains and the musicianship shown throughout the concert in performance and accompaniment.

Each performance was a joy to watch, and the hard work behind every item was evident. Thank you to all parents and friends who attended and supported the children. We are also very grateful to our teaching and support staff for their weeks of preparation, rehearsals, and dedicated supervision throughout the event.

As mentioned on the night, special thanks go to our instrumental music teachers, led by Alyssa Kennedy. Their skill, professionalism, and commitment make our program one we are very proud of.

We also thank Grace Cordell, our classroom music teacher, for her coordination, planning, and production of the evening, along with her leadership of the choirs. Her efforts helped the children perform at their best. In addition, Blake Hansen and Olivia Rose deserve recognition for their preparation of the ensembles, bands, and the choirs, all of whom performed beautifully.

We are very proud of our teachers and students at Essex Heights. The Showcase was a true celebration of their talent, teamwork, and dedication! Congratulations everyone!

World Teachers’ Day

Thank you to the PFC for organising the coffee van and lovely scones for our staff to celebrate World Teachers’ Day a week early last Friday (on Showcase day), 24 October was our designated day for WTD, as our students and teaching staff were not onsite to celebrate on Friday 31st. The teaching staff greatly appreciated the yummy treats.

Transition for new students

We are looking forward to the transition program commencing for our incoming Foundation (Prep) students this Friday, 7 November.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the children starting school at EHPS to familiarise themselves and be comfortable at school.

We will also welcome those children who are enrolled to start at EHPS in Years 1 to 6 next year on Monday 10 November for their orientation to our school and community.

Pink Stumps Day

We’re looking forward to celebrating our annual Pink Stumps Day on Wednesday 12 November. This much loved tradition brings together our school community to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation while enjoying some friendly competition on the cricket field.

The highlight of the day will be the Year 6 students taking on the teachers in the always entertaining cricket match on the school oval. Families are warmly invited to come along, watch the game, and join in the fun from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Please sign in through the Office.

To support this important cause, students are encouraged to wear pink on the day. An opportunity to donate through the school will be available with a Trybooking link to be shared soon. All funds raised will go toward funding breast care nurses across Australia.

Let’s turn the oval pink and show our community spirit for a great cause!

Smile Squad

Families have been advised that Smile Squad will be visiting our school later this term. This free school dental program is provided by the Victorian Government. For your child to participate, please complete the consent form (link or QR Code in your Compass News Feed message) not later than Friday 14 November.

A Smile Squad dental pack containing tooth paste and brush has been distributed to each student.

More details are on the Smile Squad page in this newsletter or in your Compass News Feed.

SunSmart & hats in Term 4

As the weather warms up, it’s time to remember our SunSmart practices for Term 4. All students are required to wear a SunSmart hat whenever they are outdoors during playtime, recess, lunchtime, or sports activities.

Our school uniform hats are dark green and come in legionnaire, bucket, or wide-brimmed styles for maximum sun protection. These are available from our uniform supplier, Spartan School World.

Please ensure your child’s hat is clearly labelled with their name and that they bring it to school each day. Students who do not have a hat will be required to stay in an undercover area during outdoor activities for their safety.

Let’s all work together to stay safe in the sun this term.

Planning for 2026

As advised in the previous issue of Contact, in Term 4 much of the planning for the following year occurs. At this stage we expect to have 24 classes, including four Prep classes. There continues to be significant enrolment interest in our school, as many families in the Mount Waverley area look for outstanding educational opportunities for their children coupled with and exceptional facilities and resources. We expect our student population to again exceed 600 next year, and enrolments will be limited to families residing within our designated school zone. The class structure for next year will consist of Year level groupings. The table below outlines the classes by year level along with the 2026 coordinators who will form our Leadership Team.

I would like to thank the 2025 Leadership team and welcome this continuing and new group of Leaders for 2026. The table below shows the classes per year level and the coordinators for 2026:

In recent issues of Contact, we have advised the planned classes provided details of the planning process including class placement for students.

Reminder: As always, in the formation of new classes, the children’s educational needs and the maintenance of positive working groups will be important criteria used to guide placement. If you have matters that are of interest to the educational needs of your child, please put them in writing and return to me by Friday 7 November. This, of course, is an opportunity for me to gain an insight into the matters that you see as important for the educational wellbeing of your child. Our staff will consider requests carefully when allocating students to classes and I can assure you that all information will be always handled confidentially.

Also essential to our consideration in our planning and preparation is knowing if your child is leaving EHPS and not returning in 2026. Please email the school email address as soon as possible – essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au – if your child is leaving EHPS to advise the following details:

Child's name and 2025 class
Date of last day at EHPS (2025 school year ends on Friday 19 December)
Name of the school your child is enrolled at
Commencement date at new school (2026 school year commences on Tuesday 27 January)
The reason for leaving EHPS
New contact details (if applicable), e.g. address, phone number, email

Please also remember that it is a requirement of the Department of Education student attendance guidelines that parents/carers must notify me in writing of any planned absence during school term for:

Family holiday.
Cultural observance.
Bereavement (such as a death of a family member, attendance at a funeral and/or related mourning activities).
Leisure or social activities.
School refusal.
Other – special event or participation in elite sporting event/training.

Send details in writing by email to essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au including your child’s name, class, and first and last dates of absence, and why your child is absent.

Remembrance Day & Poppy Appeal fundraiser

Remembrance Day is on Tuesday 11 November 2025. Our School Captains and I will conduct a service of remembrance on this day at 11am, including one minute’s silence.

On behalf of the Waverley RSL Sub Branch, we are selling fundraising items for their 2025 Poppy Appeal. Purchase a Poppy Appeal fundraising item from Year 6 students who will be at the front gate of the school in Essex Road before school from Wednesday 5 November. More details are on the Remembrance Day page in this newsletter or in your Compass News Feed.

Carnival

Excitement is building!

Don’t forget – the early bird price for wristbands, tokens and superpasses closes on Tuesday 4 November. Use the link in your Compass News Feed or on the Carnival page in this newsletter to purchase at the early bird rate.

Thank you to those families who have collected flyers or posters to deliver.

Refer to the very detailed information on the Carnival page in this newsletter.

Changes to digital device use

From 2027, the Victorian Government is introducing changes to the use of digital devices for students from Prep to Year 6.

Under the new guidelines, schools:

will no longer invite families to purchase or bring their own digital devices to use at school for Prep to Year 6
will follow new recommended digital device times, including minimal device time for Prep to Year 2; and a maximum of 90 minutes per day for Years 3 to 6.

These changes are intended to support families by reducing cost-of-living pressures. They will also support students by reducing screen-time which can reduce the risk of eye strain, sedentary behaviour, and reduced peer interaction. These reforms complement Victoria’s nation-leading mobile phone restrictions, ensuring an integrated approach to addressing digital distraction and the inappropriate use of technology.

As you know, we already provide school-owned digital devices for student learning, so there is no impact on our school’s BYOD programs.

Students with disability who use a digital device as a reasonable adjustment are exempt from these changes.

You can read more about the changes on the department’s website: Digital Learning: Policy.

I look forward to seeing you around school.

Kindest regards,

Elisha Cotterell

Acting Principal