Welcome Back

I hope this message finds you well-rested and rejuvenated after what I hope has been a wonderful Summer break for everyone. My wife Rosanne and I had an amazing time traveling across the USA where we spent Christmas in New York City and NYE in Nashville. Following our time in the USA we popped over to Europe/UK to spend some time in Paris and London. Since returning to school, I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the holiday fun of our staff and students, with many students telling me about their domestic and international travel adventures.

As we step into the new year, I want to extend a warm welcome back to our students, parents/carers, and staff. The start of a new school year is always an exciting time, filled with anticipation and new beginnings.

As we continue on our journey together, I am filled with optimism and enthusiasm for the opportunities that lie ahead. Our primary goal remains unwavering: to provide our students with a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.

This year, we will continue to build upon our successes, while also embracing new opportunities for growth and innovation. Our dedicated staff are once again eager and prepared to inspire, challenge, and support our students in reaching their full potential.

I encourage all parents and guardians to actively participate in your child's educational journey by staying involved, communicating with teachers, and supporting school initiatives. Your partnership is invaluable and plays a crucial role in our collective success.

As we embark on this new chapter together, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

I am incredibly excited about the year ahead and all that we will accomplish together as a school community. Together, we will make this another memorable and successful CEPS year.

School Start Time

I would like to share an important reminder concerning the arrival time for students on school grounds before the commencement of the school day.

Our school's duty of care begins at 8.40am at which point our staff are supervising the school grounds. Until this time, it is imperative that students are not onsite without appropriate a supervision. This protocol is in place to safeguard our students and minimise any potential safety concerns.

We kindly request that students refrain from arriving before 8.40am unless they are under the direct supervision of a parent or carer. It is necessary for parents and carers to ensure that their children are not left unsupervised on school grounds before this designated time.

For families requiring early drop-off options, we offer the Team Kids before school program, providing a safe and engaging environment for students before the start of the school day. This program ensures that students are under the supervision of trained staff and can participate in various activities until school commences.

By adhering to these guidelines, we collectively contribute to creating a secure and safe environment for all our students. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in prioritising the safety and well-being of our school community.

If you have any questions or require further clarification regarding our arrival procedures, please don't hesitate to contact the school.

Whole School Communication

As we dive into a new year, it is timely to revisit our whole school communication processes.

Sentral

Newsfeed posts can be sent to the whole school or to particular year-levels. Sentral will be used to communicate the following:

Important information/reminders
Promotion of events/excursions/incursions

Class Dojo News Feed

Class Dojo will continue to be used as follows:

1:1 communication between teachers and families.
Staff posting pictures to celebrate classroom learning or school events.

Please also be reminded that I encourage the importance of work/life balance with our staff. Staff will send and respond to Dojo communication, between the hours of 8.30am - 5.30pm, and will not respond outside of these hours. Staff will always endeavour to respond to families within 24 hours as the priority of our staff is the face-to-face teaching of their students. The 24-hour response time also applies to email communication. Should messages be of a more urgent/timely nature, please do not hesitate to contact the school office between 8.30am - 4.30pm.

School Promotion - Social Media

We have such an amazing school with wonderful staff, students and families. Facebook and Instagram are used to promote our amazing school to our broader community.

Click on link below to access Facebook platform.

Facebook

Mobile Phones

We understand that many of our students, in particular older students, now have their own mobile phones. We also understand the necessity of students who walk/ride to school having the ability to communicate with their parents/carers. Upon entering the classroom, students are required to silence/switch off their phones, and hand them to their teacher for secure storage throughout the day. Teachers will return phones to students at 3.30pm. Please use the school office for all daily communication needs. Thank you in advance.

Communicating concerns/issues

Should you have an academic or well-being concern regarding your child, it is always respectful to first communicate with your child's teacher as your first point of contact. Our school offers an open-door policy, and our teachers are more than happy to meet with (coordinate a meeting) parents/caregivers to best support your child/ren.

Should you feel that a concern or issue is not being addressed or improvement is not evident, then a meeting with either myself and/or Leisel can be arranged. We also offer an open-door policy however, to ensure our availability, please contact the office via email or phone to book a meeting. Please note that Leisel and I don't access any individual messages sent to us via Class Dojo. Our preferred method of contact is via email or phone.

cheltenham.east.ps@education.vic.gov.au

9583 5746

Respectful Communication

This is a friendly reminder to ensure that all communication (written or verbal) demonstrates our school values of Respect and Courtesy. We understand that every parent/caregiver wants the best possible education and school experience for their child. Respectful communication enables the school to work positively with families toward solution-focused outcomes.

Community Engagement

A strong focus at CEPS this year is to strengthen our engagement with families and the broader community. Initially this year we will be trialling two new initiatives.

Celebrating Student Learning

We will be offering two open classroom afternoons on the following dates:

Friday 9 February - 2.15-3.00pm

Friday 8 March - 2.15-3.00pm

This will be an opportunity for parents/carers to visit their child/ren's classrooms to celebrate their learning. Students will proudly share their workbooks and talk about the exciting learning they have been engaging in. Pending the success of this trial, this initiative may become an ongoing fixture in our school calendar.

Morning Tea with Robert and Leisel

Leisel and I would like to offer an ongoing opportunity for parents/carers to have a coffee/tea and biscuit with us on the first Monday of every month in the staffroom from 9.00-9.30am. This will allow parents/carers to connect with us on both a personal and professional level in an informal setting. We look forward to engaging in wonderful conversation and building positive relationships with our parent community. March 4th will be our first gathering.

School Security

As communicated over the holiday break, our school continued to fall victim to mindless acts of vandalism. The culmination and ongoing nature of such incidents has prompted us to take swift and decisive action to ensure the protection of our school grounds and the well-being of all who enter them.

The most significant change involves the securing of our external gates after school hours, starting at 4.00pm. These gates will remain closed until 8:40am the following morning, aligning with student arrival times. This measure aims to safeguard our premises during the vulnerable hours of the evening and night.

Additionally, our main school entrance on Silver St will be accessible from 7:00 AM onwards each morning and locked promptly at 6.30pm to accommodate access to the Team Kids program. This adjustment ensures that our facilities remain open for community use while also maintaining a secure environment for our students and staff.

While these security enhancements may present minor inconveniences, please understand that they are essential steps in safeguarding our school's buildings and grounds. We prioritise the safety of our students, staff, and visitors above all else, and these measures are a reflection of that commitment.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work together to maintain a safe and nurturing environment for everyone in our school community.

Buildings and Grounds

Inclusive and Passive Play Space

As you will have seen, the development of this space is well underway. Despite delays in commencing this work, we anticipate the space will be complete by next Friday 9 February and should this be the case, students should have access from Monday 12 February. At this point, the pedestrian gate access on Coolac St closest to Silver St, will again be open for families to use.

New Carpet and Classroom Doors

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the learning environment for our students, we have recently completed some significant renovations.

Firstly, we are pleased to announce the closing off of the open classrooms in the Year 1 area with extended walls and newly installed doors. This modification aims to create a more focused and conducive learning environment for our young learners. With the addition of walls and doors, we aim to reduce distractions and provide a defined space where our students can thrive academically and socially. Furthermore, we are delighted to inform you that new carpet has been laid in the Year 1 end of the corridor. This improvement not only adds a fresh aesthetic appeal to the area but also contributes to a quieter and more comfortable environment for both students and staff.

Rejuvenation of Garden Beds

Over the holiday break, we engaged a contractor to give our grounds and garden beds a much-needed facelift. These works included:

Weed Removal

Removal of Dead Trees

Pruning

Installation of New Tanbark

As we continue to maintain and enhance our school gardens, we are seeking parent volunteers who are passionate about gardening to assist us in this endeavour. If you have a green thumb and some time to spare, we would love to have your help! We are also seeking parents/carers to assist us with odd jobs around the school. For everyone who volunteered in this space last year, we will make contact with you soon. If you would like to volunteer and haven't yet done so, please complete this Google Form. The support from our community to maintain our buildings and grounds is important and greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Robert Ridgway