From the Principal Team 

It is difficult to believe that we have crossed the half way point of Term 4 and are racing towards the end of the school year. 

I have shared some of my observations and reflections in a separate article in this edition of Jumbunna

Mini Fete

It was wonderful to see so many current and former families come along to enjoy our recent Mini Fete that we held on Friday 23 October. We were fortunate that the weather was kind to us and gave students and families the opportunity to visit the many stalls on offer. Crowd favourites included the fairy floss and popcorn stalls, Trash and Treasure, fidget toys, lollies, night lights and the ever-popular Pokémon card stall. 

A special highlight was the custom t-shirts designed by Bastian (parent of Sophie and Manuel) which proved to be a huge hit with students and families alike.

Events such as the Mini Fete are only possible because of the incredible efforts of our staff, School Council members, volunteers, families, local supporters and community members who generously give their time, money and resources. Your willingness to help before, during and after the event ensured its success and we are incredibly grateful for your support. The strong sense of community is one of the many things that makes Lalor East Primary School such a special place.

Thank you to everyone who attended, supported a stall, made a purchase or volunteered their time or contributed in any way. We hope you enjoy the photos from the day that capture all of the fun. 

House Sports & Colour Run

The LEPS community spirit continued as we held our annual House Sports last week on Tuesday (10 November).

Whilst I was unfortunately absent on the day, I heard many reports and saw photos of students enthusiasm, participation and team spirit as they participated in the various tabloid sports, dance off, running races and tug-of-war; all to earn points for their respective houses colours throughout the day.

A key highlight and a Lalor East first was our colour run in the afternoon; proudly sponsored thanks to the fundraising efforts of our Junior School Council. By all accounts, many students enjoyed this experience (so much so they were rolling in the grass just to get the extra boost of coloured powder).

The final scores for the day's events were shared at the assembly on Monday with the results being:

🟡 YELLOW HOUSE:           800 points

🔵 BLUE HOUSE:                 803 points

🔴 RED HOUSE:                   805 points

🟢 GREEN HOUSE:             816 points

Congratulations to Green House who have broken the winning streak of Blue House (much to the delight of many staff!)

A special thank you to Julian Demarco for his work in organising his first ever House Sports and to our staff, parents and families who attended or helped run the day. 

Remembrance Day Service

On Wednesday, Linda and I attended the Remembrance Day Service at the Epping RSL alongside our School Captains, Alicia, Nia and Elias, Anabelle and Junior School Council members, Annabelle and Jaelyn.

As part of the service, Raydon was selected to recite the poem "In Flanders Fields" while Nia and Jaelyn shared a poem reflecting on remembrance and the sacrifices made by servicemen and servicewomen. Following the readings, our student leaders were then invited to participate in the wreath laying ceremony. 

Meanwhile, back at school, Lana and Liana from the Junior School Council lead our school community in a minute of silence at 11am. 

We are incredibly proud of the way all our students conducted themselves and grateful for the opportunity to be involved in such an important community occasion.

Behaviour Expectations

As we approach the final weeks of the school year, we are excited to celebrate the achievements of our students through many exciting opportunities and activities. Events such as the Graduation, the Funfields excursion, end-of-year sports activities, SWPBS Class Rewards, appointment of student leaders for the following school year and other classroom celebrations are wonderful ways to acknowledge the hard work and growth of our students throughout the year.

This time of year can also bring many challenges and we often see an increase in negative behaviours that do not align with our school values. This includes, but is not limited to:

• the use of physical aggression and violence to resolve conflicts
• defiance towards staff instructions
• bullying or harassment of peers
• persistent disruption to learning
• inappropriate use of technology or devices at home.

It is important that students understand that participation in these end-of-year events is a privilege, and may be withdrawn if student behaviour is not in line with our school values (Respect, Kindness, and Responsibility) and does not meet our expectations.

Further consequences for anti-social behaviours may include exclusion from class, after school detention or the issuing of an internal or external suspension. 

I am linking to this newsletter our Statement of Values and am asking all families to take time to read and discuss these expectations with their child.

Reinforcing these expectations at home helps us maintain a safe, respectful and productive learning environment for all. We also remind families of the importance of:

• Appropriate use of technology including mobile phones, gaming devices, and social media platforms
• Consistent sleep routines to support focus and wellbeing
• A balanced diet to maintain energy and mood
• Punctual attendance by ensuring students arrive at school on time and ready to learn.

We appreciate your continued support in helping your child finish the year positively and respectfully. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the office to arrange an appointment with a member of our Leadership Team.

Uniform Standards

A reminder that students are not permitted to wear makeup at school unless it is for a special dress up day. Please ensure your child follows this rule by checking their face before they leave for school each day.

Children who arrive at school with make up on a non-dress up day will be provided with a makeup wipe and asked to remove the makeup. Parents will be notified if this needs to occur.

Please refer to our Uniform Policy for further details. 

New Compass App

Compass has launched a new and improved mobile app, making it even easier for families to stay connected with everything happening at school. 

The updated app provides a more streamlined experience, allowing parents and carers to quickly access important information including attendance, school news, events, permissions, student reports and communications from the school.

We encourage all families to download or update to the new Compass app to ensure they continue receiving important notifications and have easy access to key school information. 

Staying connected through Compass helps families keep up to date with announcements, upcoming events and their child's learning journey.

For more information about downloading and setting up the new app please visit the Compass website or the parent guide for details. For details about accessing your Compass account, please contact the school office for assistance.

Will you be at LEPS in 2027?

Our team is hard at work to create our class structures for 2027. Over recent weeks we have had a number of new families apply for enrolment with us. Similarly, we have also learned that a number of families are moving to new locations or looking at alternative schools for 2027.

It is vitally important that we have a clear indication of our student numbers so we can structure our classes to ensure our students receive the best possible learning environment. Students numbers determine our level of government funding that we can put towards staffing. Fluid numbers make it difficult for us to finalise our class structure and recruit appropriate staffing if we need to bring on additional teachers. 

Similarly, we don't wish to be in a position where we need to look at reducing classes or staffing once the school year has started as this can be quite disruptive to students and school operations.

Notices were sent home to families this week asking families to confirm their enrolment intentions for 2027. We ask all families to please return these forms to assist us in confirming our student numbers for next year. 

SCOTT DUNCAN

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL