Principal's Report 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term Four

On behalf of the BEPS team, I would like to welcome everyone back to Term Four. We have such an exciting and busy learning program planned for our students over the coming term, with many engaging extracurricular activities, leadership opportunities and rigorous academic tasks for students to demonstrate their skills and progress.  We look forward to an exciting term with many exciting activities planned including;

• Hooptime
• Foundation and Year 6 Transition
• 2025 Day
• The Colour Fun Run
• Year 3, 4 & 6 Camps 
• District Athletics
• Zooper Dooper Fridays return
• End of year Celebration Concert
• Year level excursions
• Year 6 Graduation
• Year 5 Leadership speeches and announcement of 2025 Student leaders
• And many more!

Parent Contributions 2025

By the end of November, we will inform the school community of the Parent Payments for 2025. The cost for Parent Payments is discussed and approved at our School Council meetings prior to being announced to the school community. 

Are you leaving BEPS in 2025?

We ask that you let us know if you are moving or have enrolled in another school in 2025. We require this information as soon as possible to establish classroom structures for the start of the new school year. If your child is currently in Foundation to Year 5, and will not be at BEPS in 2025, please notify the school as soon as possible.

Year 3 and 6 Camp

This week our Year 3 and 6 students attended their yearly camp. What an opportunity for these cohorts to disconnect from technology and focus on developing social skills whilst building stronger connections with their peers and staff. These camps expand a student’s experience of nature and provide exposure to learning new skills, enabling them to develop their independence to navigate different situations that arise as they get older. These camps do not go ahead without parent support, therefore, a big shout out to Peter, Terence, Thushara, Kat, Diana, Ummy, Athula, Cindy, Joanna and Grace. I would recommend that any parents who are hesitant about sending their child to school camp speak with these mighty helpers.

ICAS Assessment

Students whose parents chose for them to complete these assessments are now receiving their results. Congratulations to the students below who were awarded a High Distinction.

Social Media

Social media continues to be a divisive topic with calls to ban children from accessing certain platforms. Regardless of where the politicians land, the decision will almost certainly cover all primary school aged children. As people would be aware, many sites currently used by children are rated as 13+, although it has always been easy to get around this. One of the greatest challenges any school faces is student conflict and, without a shadow of a doubt, social media has blurred the lines between home and school in this regard. 

At BEPS we strongly urge parents to talk with their child/ren and discuss the dangers of social media, and hopefully ensure that their child/ren are not using platforms that are rated 13+ such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Each of these platforms can lead to serious harm if not used properly and the risks to children are too great. At the school level, we do what we can to educate students in cyber safety, but we do appreciate the support of parents in monitoring their children’s use of devices.

School Savings Bonus

As shared with you previously, parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.

In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.

By Friday 18 October 2024, please ensure that your child’s 2025 enrolment is completed and that your contact information is up to date.

The 2 emails from the Department of Education will:

1. Confirm your email address between mid-October and late-November.

2. Provide you with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code by the end of November.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from the department by late-November, please check your spam or junk folders and contact our office team if needed.

You can read more about the School Saving Bonus on the Department of Education website, with key information now available in 14 different languages.

Celebrating Student Success

Ethan D for winning a singles and doubles championship on the holidays.

Jayden G has been awarded the International Maths Challenge Champion for his outstanding performance in the IMC 2024.

Congratulations to Erin Y for placing 3rd in a Chess Competition.

Celebrating Tanvika's classical music and dance performance and Sanvitha's classical music performance.

Parent Opinion Survey Results

We would like to thank the parents that completed the annual Parent Opinion Survey. We recently received the results, and we are very happy with the feedback. Please note that we always welcome and embrace feedback from community members as all the staff at Burwood East Primary School are working on their teaching craft to improve our school in all areas for its students.

These are excellent results, and we will continue to strive to improve and ensure BEPS provides a creative learning environment for all our students.

Yours in Partnership,

Darren.