Principal's Report 

Dear BEPS Community,

Our Year 3–6 students enjoyed a fantastic Cross Country event on Friday, May 1st, at Highbury Park. It was wonderful to see students challenge themselves, demonstrate persistence, and fully embrace the spirit of competing for their house teams. The atmosphere throughout the event was positive and supportive, with students encouraging one another to do their best.

A big thank you to the many parents and family members who came along to support the students on the day. Your encouragement helped make the event such a success.

Congratulations to all students who participated today in the District Cross Country event at Jells Park. Our students did an amazing job, with many achieving their personal best. We extend the best of luck to the following students competing in the Division Cross Country in June:

TeamKids Update

This week we also said goodbye to Kelly, our valued TeamKids Service Director, who has resigned to pursue further opportunities.

We would like to acknowledge and thank Kelly for her leadership, positive approach, and dedication to the program during her time at BEPS. Kelly consistently placed the wellbeing, safety, and engagement of our students as her highest priorities and built strong relationships with both students and families.

Kelly’s presence and contribution to our school community will certainly be missed, and we thank her for the care and enthusiasm she brought to the role each day. On behalf of the BEPS community, we wish Kelly all the very best in her future endeavours.

Enrolments

We are also now accepting 2027 enrolments. Families with younger siblings are encouraged to contact Wendy at the office as soon as possible to obtain an enrolment form. Early enrolment information greatly assists us with future planning and organisation for classes and staffing.

AEU

With negotiations continuing between unions and the government regarding the next Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA), there has been some positive movement on key issues aimed at improving workforce conditions in schools. Please note that current stop work action is presently paused.

At BEPS, our staff continue to work above and beyond every day in support of our students and community. However, families are advised there may be a potential impact on Semester 1 Reports, with some staff choosing not to provide written student report comments as part of the current industrial action.

Attendance

The central message from the Education Department, and at Burwood East PS, is simple: every day counts when it comes to school attendance. As a school, we monitor student absence data closely and work to understand the reasons behind absences.

We absolutely recognise that school is not the place for unwell children, and we understand that special family events or trips don’t always align with school holidays. However, we ask families to be mindful of the impact that frequent absences can have on a child’s learning, social connections, and sense of belonging.

We have also noticed an increase in late arrivals. Our classrooms are open from 8:45am each morning, and this time plays an important role in supporting a smooth transition into the school day. It allows students to settle in, connect with their peers and teacher, and get organised for learning which starts promptly at 9:00am. When students arrive late, they can miss important information and may find it harder to begin the day confidently.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child attends school regularly and arrives on time, because it’s true, every day really does count.

Are you still carrying your child’s bag?

Promoting independence is an important part of every child’s school experience, and one simple way to support this is by encouraging students to carry their own bags to school. Taking responsibility for their belongings helps build resilience and gives students a sense of purpose at the start of the day—something particularly beneficial for children who find separation from parents challenging or who experience anxiety in the mornings. With the beginning of Term 2 approaching, now is a great time to consider supporting your child to take this step toward greater independence by carrying their own bag to and from school.

Before and After School Supervision

A friendly reminder to families that staff supervision begins each morning at 8:45am and finishes at 3:45pm. Any play before or after these times is unsupervised.

Where possible, we ask families to arrange drop off as close to 8:45am as possible. This allows children to arrive when supervision is in place and helps everyone start the day safely and smoothly. I understand that traffic can be very busy, so if you need to drop your child off earlier, consider enrolling them in TeamKids.

We also remind students that they are expected to play on age-appropriate play equipment before and after school unless supervised by parents. This is an important part of keeping everyone safe during break times.