Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Community,

School Council Elections 2024

I am pleased to advise that at the close of the recent nomination period for School Council in 2024 that we have received four nominations to fill the four Parent member positions and two nominations to fill the two available school employee positions. Consequently, there was no need to conduct a ballot.

Congratulations to Pia Ahmet, Jennifer Bittner, Andrew Cain and Carolyn Mott who will take up the two-year parent positions and to Paul Davis and Kristi Lloyd who will be the school employee representatives. I look forward to working with our new School Council members over the next two years. The new School Council will meet for the first time on Thursday 21 March. 

I would like to again thank our retiring parent representatives for their commitment to our school, their guidance, advice and in particularly for the continual support of the school leadership over the past two years. 

EHPS Welcome Picnic

Congratulations to the Parents and Friends Club for conducting a marvellous welcome event on 23 February. It was fantastic to see so many families coming together and having a great time. The DJ really had the children hopping!! The Essex Heights Spirit was truly evident. Well done to all the organisers. 

Year 6 Camp 2024

On Wednesday I visited the Year 6 Camp at Forest Lodge Farm at Jack River. At this great adventure camp, the children participated in team building activities, such as the giant swing, flying fox, the mud run, and yesterday they went on an excursion to Wilson’s Promontory including a walk from Squeaky Beach to Tidal River. The children and staff are having a wonderful time and have great memories to share for many years to come.

NAPLAN 2024

Next week our Year 3 and 5 students will take part in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). It is the only national assessment all Australian students can undertake. 

Why do NAPLAN?

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. 

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. 

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Your child will do the NAPLAN tests online 

Online NAPLAN tests are designed to provide precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive) which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment. 

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway. 

All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

What can I do to support my child? 

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests; however, it is not necessary for parents/carers to do this. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. 

ACARA does not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN or the use of services by coaching providers. 

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is a day to celebrate Australian multiculturalism. It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core values. The Day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

At Essex Heights we have a very diverse school community, and we celebrate and value all cultures.

We will be celebrating Harmony Day on Thursday 21 March. For further details about Harmony Day at EHPS, please refer to the Harmony Day Celebration page in this newsletter.

Public holiday reminder

Parent/guardians are reminded that next Monday, 11 March, is the Labour Day public holiday and the school will be closed, so students do not attend school on this day. 

As there is no school on Monday, the next School Assembly will be on Monday 18 March.

Enjoy the long weekend.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day is back!

Grandparents and Special Friends Day will be held on Thursday 28 March. We invite all families to set the date aside and plan for this special day. On the day, a whole school assembly with all our guests, will be conducted in the Stadium. At that time a series of fun activities will be held, followed by an opportunity to visit classrooms, and concluding with an opportunity for our special visitors to have lunch with their child/children. We hope that we have a Stadium full of special friends and Grandparents. More details will follow in coming weeks.

See you around at school.

Kindest regards,

George Perini

Principal