From Mr Ridgway
Education Support Staff Appreciation Day
Last week, our school celebrated our amazing Education Support (ES) staff. The celebrations began with a morning tea on Tuesday, followed by several year-level celebrations throughout the school. During these celebrations, our ES staff were presented with a wonderful collection of heartfelt, handmade cards and messages from our students.
Education support staff play a crucial role in the ongoing success of our school. From our integration aides to our dedicated administration team, their hard work helps ensure that every student receives the best possible education and care.
Whether assisting in classrooms, providing first aid, managing school operations or supporting student wellbeing, their contributions are invaluable.
Thank you to all our incredible ES staff for everything you do to make our school a better place each day, in every way!
R U OK? Day 11 September
Yesterday marked R U OK? Day, a national day of action that reminds us to check in with one another and start meaningful conversations. At Cheltenham East, our school values of Courtesy, Respect, Co-operation, and Responsibility align closely with the spirit of this day.
Sometimes a simple “Are you OK?” can make all the difference. It’s about taking a moment to notice when someone might be struggling and letting them know they’re not alone. These conversations don’t need to be complicated — just showing you care can open the door to support.
We encourage families to talk at home about the importance of looking out for each other and to practise ways of asking gentle, caring questions. For students, this might mean checking in on a friend in the yard, or speaking with a trusted adult if they’re worried about someone. For staff and parents, it might mean taking the time to pause, listen, and offer understanding.
As a community, we thrive when we support one another. Let’s keep building a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up, share, and know they’ll be heard.
If you or someone you know needs extra support, services such as Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) and Lifeline (13 11 14) are available 24/7.
Together, let’s make every day an opportunity to ask the question: R U OK?
Celebrating Our Year 1 Mathematicians
This year, CEPS participated in the Department of Education’s pilot of the new Year 1 Numeracy Check, which will become mandatory across Victorian government primary schools from 2027.
Alongside the Year 1 Phonics Check, the Numeracy Check provides teachers with an early snapshot of each student’s foundational learning. While the Phonics Check assesses important early reading skills, the Numeracy Check explores students’ understanding of number relations, number representation and number operations. The information gathered helps teachers identify strengths, recognise areas requiring further development and carefully target future teaching and support.
Our Year 1 students achieved outstanding results:
- 97.1% accuracy in Number Relations
- 96.3% accuracy in Number Representation
- 96.0% accuracy in Number Operations
We are incredibly proud of the confidence, focus and mathematical understanding demonstrated by our students.
A special shout-out and congratulations must also go to our 2025 Foundation teaching team and 2026 Year 1 teaching team. These impressive results reflect the strong foundations, explicit teaching and carefully targeted support provided across both years of learning.
Fathers and Special Friends Day 2026
Last Friday, our school community came together to recognise and celebrate the fathers and special people in the lives of our students.
The celebrations began in the morning with a coffee van generously provided by TeamKids, allowing our fathers and special friends to enjoy a coffee at the beginning of the school day.
Students also had the opportunity to purchase special gifts from our Fathers and Special Friends Day Stall. We sincerely thank our wonderful Parents Committee for organising and running the stall.
On Friday afternoon, families were welcomed into our open classrooms to spend time with their children and participate in a range of enjoyable activities. It was wonderful to see students sharing their learning spaces and creating special memories with their fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other important people in their lives.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the celebrations so successful. We also extend our appreciation to TeamKids, our Parents Committee and our staff for their support and organisation.
Help Make Our 70th Anniversary Carnival a Success
Please see the designated 70th Year Carnival Page within this newsletter. This page will continue to be updated in future newsletters.
Good luck to District Athletics team
Best of luck to all students participating in the Cheltenham District Athletics Carnival. The carnival will be held next Monday 14 September 2026, from 10:00am to 2:30pm, at Duncan McKinnon Reserve, Murrumbeena.
We know our students will represent CEPS with pride, determination and excellent sportsmanship. We hope they enjoy the experience, support one another and achieve their personal best.
Thank you and early dismissal next Friday
As we approach the end of another busy and successful term, I would like to wish all our students, families and staff a happy and restful Winter School Holiday break. A reminder that Term 3 concludes next Friday 18 September with an early dismissal at 2.30pm, and students will return for Term 4 on Monday 5 October.
Robert Ridgway
