EHPS Contact

Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Community,

Cybersafety Community Forum

Often when speaking with parent groups, the topic of online safety is discussed. Many families have informed me that they want to know more about the challenges that need to be addressed and how they can do something about it.

School Council has discussed this issue and organised a community forum on this topic next week. As a result, next Monday evening (18 November), our school is hosting a 'ThinkUKnow' presentation in our Hall from 7pm to 8.30pm.

The school council and leadership team strongly encourage a representative from every family to attend this essential online safety presentation.

Please note that this is a Parent ONLY event. The content is NOT suitable for children.

The information presented will empower you to help protect your child from online child sexual exploitation and is led by the Australian Federal Police. The presentation will provide an honest understanding of the types of things that our young people see, say and do online when they have access to the internet and consume content including videos, images and text. As a school, we know that students are using apps and games where they can be vulnerable to many challenges. Online child sexual exploitation can be confronting and something that you should consider as an issue that can affect you and your child, online challenges can vary depending on your child and the activities they may be doing online. Some people may think once a device is switched off, then the issue stops. This is not the case, and often online challenges can have impacts offline. Knowing the challenges and how they can be prevented or managed with the right information will help you be prepared and take action.

Please see the flyer on the ‘ThinkUKnow’ page in this newsletter and RSVP via the QR Code or direct link here:  ThinkUKnow RSVP

School Council and the school leadership team urge you to make the time to attend this very important community information session.

Additional information for parents is available on the eSafety Commissioner website:  https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents 

Showcase 2024 – ‘What a fabulous night!!’

Last Friday night we experienced a truly outstanding Showcase at Robert Blackwood Hall. This marvellous community event is a celebration of the talent of our students and the quality of our classroom music and instrumental music programs. The quality of the show and its diversity of performance is a beacon for many other schools. The children’s performances not only impressed our families and staff but also many visitors to the performance. Our special guests made a point of telling me how impressed they were with the standard of the show and how much they enjoyed it. Several parents have also complimented the outstanding quality of Showcase, the excellent presentation of our Music Captains and also the standard of musicianship displayed on the night. 

All the items were fantastic and the hard work that had gone into preparing the students for their item was obvious. 

Thank you to all the parents and friends who attended and supported the children in our sold out concert. Having an appreciative audience is a highlight for the children and is the major reason for their enjoyment and enthusiasm to perform. Thanks also to all the teaching and support staff for the weeks of preparation and rehearsal with the children, and for their work in supervision and carrying out key responsibilities throughout the evening.

As was mentioned on the night, special thanks must go to our amazing group of instrumental music teachers that make our program so sought after and prestigious. Coordinated by Alyssa Kennedy they are a highly skilled and professional team of musicians and teachers. We are so fortunate to have them teaching our children at Essex Heights. They are the reason we have a high-quality program at the school.

A big thank you must go to Grace Cordell, our classroom music teacher, for her meticulous planning and organisation of Showcase. In addition, the overall production of the night and the wonderful performances of all choirs were a credit to her, resulting in the children living up to her high expectations. Finally, we must acknowledge the outstanding work of Blake Hansen and Olivia Rose for their preparation of various ensembles, bands and Year 5/6 choir respectively who all performed brilliantly. 

We are so fortunate to have such outstanding teachers and talented students at Essex Heights.

Well done to all at Essex Heights, a great community event!

Foundation (Prep) 2025

On Tuesday evening the families of our 89 Foundation (Prep) students for 2025 attended an information night. The evening was very well attended, and we look forward to the children and their families joining the Essex Heights Community next year. On this coming Tuesday the children will have their third transition day and I know they are all looking forward to it. The new Prep students will also participate in an Orientation Day on 6 December.  A big thank you to the Prep team for their preparation and presentation of these events.

Remembrance Day

Last Monday, 11 November, was Remembrance Day. At 11am, we stopped to commemorate the sacrifice made by members of the armed forces that have served our country in so many battlefields across the world. Our School Captains led a service to mark this special day. Classes were involved in activities to mark the day. A special display is featured on the Library windows. This day is very important, because we take a moment to reflect upon how fortunate we are to live in this great country and for the dedication and courage of our armed forces. Throughout the past week, poppies have been sold at the front gate by Year 6 student leaders. Lest we forget.

Congratulations Jeremy

Earlier this year, Jeremy L (2H) won the second prize in the ‘Music Singapore 2024 International Competition’ in the Open Solo Piano category. And he received his Second Prize Medal this week. We are all very proud of Jeremy’s great achievement. 

He has also performed in other concerts over the past two weekends. This has included playing an eight handed version of ‘The Nutcracker’ with three other boys. What an amazing effort. Well done Jeremy!!!

Free internet at home 

Support your child's education with free internet at home until December 2025. 

The School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) is a Federal Government initiative offering free home internet to 30,000 unconnected households with school-aged students. Households have until Tuesday 31 December 2024 to apply. Free services will continue until 31 December 2025.

The initiative seeks to boost educational opportunities and narrow the digital divide.

To be eligible, households must:

  • have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school (up to Year 12 including Prep)
  • not have an active NBN Co. network internet service at home (excludes mobile internet services)
  • live in a premises that can access the NBN Co. network via a standard connection
  • not have had an active NBN Co. connection during the previous 14 days.

To be assessed, please contact the NBN National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 or visit anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet to request a call back. Please note:

  • NBN will check your nominated home address for an active NBN connection. 
  • You do not need to provide financial information. 
  • Translation and interpretation services are available. 

Some families might also be contacted via their school with information about how to apply. The Victorian Department of Education has been working with the NBN to review Victorian school student home addresses. Only home addresses have been provided to NBN to check. No other personal information has been shared with NBN. NBN handles this data in accordance with privacy law.

Find out more

No School Assembly

Due to transition activities, there will be no whole school Assembly for the next two Mondays - Monday 18 and Monday 25 November. The next School Assembly will be on Monday 2 December.

Leaving EHPS

Planning and preparation for the 2025 school year is well underway. Essential to our consideration in our planning and preparation is knowing if children are leaving EHPS. As has been requested in recent issues of Contact and on Compass, if your child is leaving EHPS either this term or not returning in 2025, it is essential that you advise me in writing as soon as possible to the school email address with the following details:

  • Child’s name and 2024 class 
  • Date of last day at EHPS (e.g. last day of Term 4 and 2024 school year is Friday 20 December) 
  • Name of the school your child is enrolled at 
  • Commencement date at new school (e.g. Term 1 & 2025 school year commence on 28 January) 
  • The reason for leaving EHPS
  • New contact details, 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 request my permission to be absent 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.

If your child will be absent from school for any of the above reasons, including finishing school before the end of Term 4, please write an email to the EHPS email address – essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au – for my attention with the details of your child’s absence that is explained by one of the above categories and requesting permission to be absent. On receipt of my reply, enter an attendance note in Compass for period of absence under the relevant category, and email the classroom teacher.

Welcome

We welcome the following students and their families to the EHPS community:

  • Jaasritha S (34R)
  • Yu Duo (Royce) M (34L) 
  • Youqi (Jeremy) L (34R)

Looking forward to seeing you around the school. 

Kindest regards,

George Perini

Principal