Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

Welcome to Week 4. A special mention to the finalists in our Year 5/6 EEPS of Talent this week at assembly. Well done to Will C, Scarlett A, Will W, Alex W, Piper W and Eve BC for their varied, and talented, acts on stage. It is always a great way to start the week.

We look forward to welcoming back our Year 4 campers. I am told that they have had a fantastic time. A massive thank you to your parent helpers and to the dedicated teachers who attended.

Staff News

We farewell Ms Cullen this week as she commences family leave from next week. We wish her all the best in the coming months. Welcome to Mr Ryan van Oosterwijck as he takes over teaching in the Year 1 class.

JSC Requests

The JSC has been busy all year, not just in organising fundraising activities but also with lots of other ideas and by providing feedback to the school on a variety of topics. At assembly this week I spoke about two requests that came from the JSC. One was remembering to respect everyone’s property and things that were borrowed, and also to remember to include other people when playing games outside. They were both fantastic reminders and it is great that we can channel this student input from the Junior School Council in addition to hosting events.

What Does Christmas Mean to You?

The local Member of Parliament, Vicki Ward, has announced a colouring competition for students at local schools around the theme of ‘What does Christmas mean to you? Please see further information in the newsletter and send applications to Vicki’s office by next Tuesday afternoon.

A Message in a Different Way

We were very pleased to host Aidan, a representative from the Patrick Cronin Foundation on Tuesday. He spoke to our Year 5 and 6 students. The central messages from the Foundation sit very close to our own important messages and school values. It is also very valuable for students to hear similar messages in a different way from a different presenter. A big thank you to Aidan for visiting EEPS this week. It was also a great follow-up from the earlier Reach Foundation visits.

Renewable Energy and the SEC

Families may be aware that the Victorian government has re-established the SEC. All government schools must now use the SEC as our energy provider and this energy is sourced purely from renewables. So, as well as being mindful of reducing any unnecessary usage and having a large bank of solar panels installed, purchasing renewable energy is a simple but effective step to help reduce our environmental impact as a school.

World Teachers’ Day

This Friday, 31st October is World Teacher’s Day. As Principal, I would like to express my enormous gratitude to the amazing EEPS teachers. They are an incredibly dedicated, passionate, caring and capable group of individuals. If you get a moment, I know that all our classroom teachers, specialist teachers and support teachers, always appreciate being acknowledged. As a staff we will have a small morning tea and teachers will be receiving a small gift as a token of our appreciation. More broadly, it is disappointing that the narrative around teachers, isn’t more positive in the media, in the community and in some circles. However, all we can do is to play our own, small part, in celebrating and acknowledging the value of teachers and teaching.

2026 Dates

Following the tabling of these dates at School Council last night I am pleased to let the EEPS school community know of the student free days for 2026.

Curriculum Days

Tuesday 27th January (state-wide, start of the year)

Wednesday 9th September (day after concert)

Monday 2nd November (report writing day) - Cup Monday

Friday 4th December (2027 planning)

3 Way Conferences (Variation to School Hours Days)

Monday 30th March

Wednesday 16th September

Please also mark the date Tuesday 8th September 2026 as the EEPS School Concert night.

Reminders

Lastly, please remember that next Monday 3rd November is a Curriculum Day and Tuesday 4th November is Melbourne Cup Day, Public Holiday. I hope that families can have a short recharge over the weekend in preparation for the run up to the busy Christmas period.

Have a great week of ‘Learning and Growing Together’.

Kind regards

Warren Lloyd

Principal

Remembrance Day