Principal's Message

Dear Families,

This is near the end of another very busy term. Please remember that students will be dismissed at 2:30pm on Friday 20th September after the assembly that is scheduled to begin at 2:00pm. Please ensure that arrangements have been made for your children to be collected by 2.30pm on Friday 20th September.

Congratulations to all the Essendon Primary School Athletics representatives who competed in the District and Divisional Athletics competitions. Well done to Kylie N (Hurdles), Zander V (Hurdles), Raphael L (Triple Jump), Rosie R(800m), Tamsin M (Long Jump), Lachlan W(Long Jump), JD P(Discus), Luca B(Shot Put) and congratulations to Lachlan W and Raphael L, who have both progressed to the Regional Athletics Finals in October.

Classroom programs and planning for 2025 are well under way.  During the last week of Term 3 each government school receives their indicative budgets for the next year.  The projected school population largely determines the amount of funding we receive and therefore the number of staff and the programs we can run.  It is from that base that schools can begin to organise staffing, classes, resources and programs for the following year.  We are in the process of managing and allocating teaching positions for 2025.  A draft of the 2025 Program Budget is soon to be finalised and will be presented to staff and then School Council in October for approval.

2025 Foundation Orientation will take place from 9:30 to 10:30am on 4 Friday mornings commencing Friday 22nd November (22nd and 29th November and 6th and 13th December).  At the same time, all year levels in the school will step up to their 2025 year level.  This will allow us to explore different groupings of students, seek feedback from teachers, students and parents and collect student-learning information in preparation for a smooth transition in 2025. In the meantime, the year 6 students will be able to work on graduation preparation and their own transition program in preparation for secondary school.  Our final transition day, when students will meet as a 2025 Homegroup with their 2025 Learning Community teachers in their designated learning space will be Friday 13th December. 

An important role of School Council is to report the activities of the school including student learning data, an educational plan, our financial position and activities and plans of the School Council to the school community.  These take the form of the School Annual Report and the Annual Implementation Plan which are available on the school website, as well as a School Council Reporting meeting which is held annually. You are invited to join the 2024 School Council Annual Reporting Meeting on site, in the school administration building, at 6:30pm on Tuesday 22nd October.  School Council members and office bearers will be introduced along with a presentation of the Essendon Primary School School Council achievements and activities in 2024 and plans for the future. We hope to see you there but if you are unable to make the meeting we plan to publish the minutes of this meeting to families before the end of the year.

Essendon Primary is a Sun Smart school.  The school’s Sun Smart Policy requires students to wear an approved ‘Sun Smart’ hat when outside during terms 1 and 4 or when the UV rays are above 30.  The black wide brim or bucket hat that is part of the Essendon Primary School uniform is available for purchase on line through the uniform store.  School staff members are expected to act as role models by wearing hats when outside and parents are encouraged to do likewise.  

Students who do not have a ‘Sun Smart’ approved hat are required to play or sit in a designated shaded area during recesses and outside activities. Sunscreen is provided in each of the learning spaces with student being required to apply it before they go outside. It is recommended that parents ensure their children use sunscreen appropriately at the commencement of the day. 

We hope everyone has an exciting, enjoyable and safe two-week break and we look forward to seeing you on Monday 7th October for the start of Term 4.

Christine Nash

Principal