Condolences and Love

We send our heartfelt condolences to the members of the Jewish and broader community who were impacted by the horrific events that occurred at Bondi Beach on Sunday 14 December. Death is always challenging when it occurs but is even harder to deal with when it is a result of hate.

I have always been proud of the diverse multicultural community at Lalor East Primary. It is why I have chosen to stay working here for over 30 years. In times of challenge, I know the LEPS community steps up and supports each other. Please let us know if your child or you are struggling with what has occurred in the last week and we will work out ways to best support your child and you.

As communicated earlier this week, please limit the exposure of children (and yourselves) to the graphic content on media accounts. Be kind to yourself and hug those you love a little more frequently than usual.

2026 School Captain Elections

On Tuesday 9 December we held the elections for our 2026 School Captains. Seven students had been shortlisted to speak and convince the other students to vote for them to become a captain. All students spoke incredibly well and it was a tough decision for the voters. In the end, our new 2026 School Captains will be: Anabelle, Nia, Alisha and Elias! Scott and I are looking forward to working with these amazing new leaders in 2026.

I would like to acknowledge the work of our 2025 School Captains, Yousef, Artin, Banin and Aleena. You have been an absolute delight to work with and you have made a very positive impact at LEPS in your numerous leadership roles.

2026 Staffing

We have been very busy working behind the scenes to secure staffing for 2026 and are excitred to have several new staff joining us in 2026. Welcome to Julian, Melanie, Sarah & Jane. I am confident our students and families will make our new staff feel very welcome when you meet them. Welcome back to Brad Jones, we have missed you!

2026 Staffing

Classes
Prep/1A: Princess Galaraga	5/6A: Brad Jones (Mon-Wed) & Kristian Carrocci (Thurs-Fri)
Prep/1B: Aarti Hooda	5/6B: Will Ponton
1/2A: Shona McCulloch	Specialists
1/2B: Vanessa Omerhodic	Art: Bianca Vecchio (Mon-Wed)
3/4A: Jane Joske (Mon-Tues) & Steph Chan (Wed-Fri)	Phys Ed: Julian Demarco (Tues, Thur-Fri)
3/4B: Daniela De Vincentis	Music/Spanish: Luis Rios Gonzalez
3/4C: Melanie Karagaslis (Mon-Wed) & Sarah Krupa (Thurs-Fri)	STEAM: Kristian Carrocci (Mon-Wed)

ES Classroom Support: Athena Dimitriou, Amanda Einsiedel, Manal Ghaly, Daljeet Kaur, Natalie Pomeroy & Pauline Sandford

ES Office Team: Bev Ashley, Robyn Coghlan & Suzanne Grant

Wellbeing Team: Julie Gatt & Grace Macintosh

Principal Team: Linda Richards & Scott Duncan

Farewell and Good Luck

As communicated previously via Compass, we are saying farewell to several staff members:

Angela Pobjoy - Angela has worked at LEPS for 37 years and given her heart and soul to the students at LEPS. She has taught at every grade level and will be missed by many. After some time off to travel, Angela hopes to return to LEPS to do relief teaching when staff are absent.

Dean Sharples - after 9 years running the Physical Education program at LEPS, Dean is moving on to Mernda Central College to continue his passion for teaching Physical Education. Thanks to Dean for his dedication over the last nine years to ensure our students had the opporutnity to be physically active and have fun with all the extra sporting activities Dean arranged including swimming, athletics, cross country, interschool sport, Jump Rope for Heart and House Sports.

Dharshika Nair - Dharshika has provided invaluable support ot the students in the classroom over the last 18 months. She leaves us to take up her first teaching position.

Kim D'Angelis - Kim is leaving LEPS to continue her studies and to provide counselling support to adults. We have loved having Kim work with us the last two years and will miss her greatly.

Amanda Matlen - Thanks to Amanda for her work in the 1-2 and 3-4 learning spaces in 2025 filling the gaps when we needed it.

2025 Graduates - We have loved watching you grow and mature since you first joined our family. We are excited for the next stage in your education journey. Make every day matter and remember to always be kind!

Thank you and Happy Holidays

A humungous thank you to ALL the 2025 LEPS staff for their dedication and commitment to our students and families throughout the year. The number of hours you complete in a given year at school and at home to ensure positive outcomes for our students cannot be measured. I am extraordinarily lucky to be able to lead such an incredible team!

Thank you to all our families who support the work we do. Your positive greetings, thanks, support and generosity help make LEPS the wonderful place it is.

We hope everyone enjoys a well earned break. Take time to enjoy being with each other. Recharge your batteries so we are all ready for an impressive 2026!

Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you all back at school on Wednesday 28 January!

LINDA RICHARDS

Principal

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