Principal's Report

Dear EHPS Parents and Carers,

Learning is fun at EHPS

These past two weeks the children have been involved in so many exciting activities to further their learning and engagement at school.

Science

Prep and Years 1, 3/4 and 6 students have each experienced a session from the Mad about Science incursion team. The children had fun learning more about science which complements the excellent work being done by Mr Liao and Ms Capsalis every week in their science classes. 

Again this year the school is working very closely with Deakin University in our ongoing partnership in Science Education. Our Years 5 and 6 students are working on topics related to climate change with two of the world leaders in science education, Professor Russell Tytler and Dr Peta White. The feedback from the children has been very positive. They are really enjoying the topics and the class activities. The children have access to not only our school resources but the specialised science equipment from Deakin. Many children are reporting just how much they love science and want to continue studies in this area in the future.

Excursions

The Prep classes went to the Zoo on Friday to learn more about animals and their environments. This is always a very popular outing and the children came home with many stories about what they have learnt.

Our Year 5 classes set off very early on Friday for their excursion to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. This is a very important activity as part of their study into the Gold Rush and its impact on Victoria in the 1850’s. 

Maths Competition

About 130 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition last week. We look forward to hearing about their excellent work when the results are published later in the term.

Book Fair

The annual Book Fair was held again last week. It was very well attended by parents and children. There was a wide selection of books available, and many parents were seen carrying the purchases home with smiling children. We encourage all families to read with your children every night. Please try to have your own collection of favourite books and create a reading routine with your children. This will help to develop a love of stories, characters and reading within all children. A big thank you to Ms Fitzpatrick and our wonderful Librarian, Noora Mustaffa, for their organisation of this event.

Indonesian Speaking Competition (Sayembara Lisan)

Over the past few months, many children have participated in the Indonesian Speaking Competition. A large number reached the finals which is a credit to their hard work and to their preparation by Bu Gladys. On Friday evening, Ms Wangke and I attended the presentation of the competition winners at Melbourne High School. Congratulations to the EHPS students who reached the finals of the competition, and to the six students who received awards in this statewide competition on Friday; refer to the Indonesian page in this newsletter for more information. 

Inter-School Sport

Our successes in Year 6 sport continued this week with the Girls Soccer and AFL teams as well as the Boys Tee Ball team competing in Division Finals. The continued successes this year highlights the excellent skills of the children and their preparation for the event. Thank you to Monique Hocking, Cassie Kemp and Alicia Boles for coaching and preparing the students so well. 

Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

Every year the school in conjunction with the Department of Education conducts a survey to seek family feedback about their perceptions of the school. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement.

On Monday last week 185 families chosen at random by computer received a link which would enable them to complete the survey. If you received that email, can I please encourage you to complete the survey. 

Your opinions are important to us and will contribute to identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. The Department will use the results from the survey for research purposes and to improve outcomes for students.

The survey is being conducted online and only takes 20 minutes to complete. It can be completed on any internet enabled device (desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone) and is compatible with most browsers.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will remain open online until Friday 30 August 2024.

More success for our wonderful students

Jeremy L (2H) performed in the Australia-China International Music and Arts Competition and won the First Prize in the Category of Piano. What a marvellous effort! Congratulations Jeremy!

A few weeks ago, Shihao H (6C) and Liam L (34T) performed in the Junior Brass Band category at the State Championships. The best news is that they won First Prize!! This was such a great effort given that they were also performing with high school students. Congratulations to both boys on a truly marvellous effort.

STOP PRESS! I was pleased to attend and support our Chamber Choir at the Monash Youth Music Festival and our AFL Girls team at the Region competition on Monday 12 August. Congratulations to our Chamber Choir for placing second -  a fabulous result! Our AFL Girls team played so well, despite not winning on the day, they should be very proud of reaching the Region competition.

Student-Free Day this term

Monday 12 August was a Student-free Day at EHPS. Staff participated in a day of wonderful collaborative learning and professional development with education consultant, Greg Mitchell. 

As previously advised, the School Council have also confirmed the following additional days in 2024 when students will not attend school:

• Friday 1 November - Student-Free Day
• Monday 4 November - Professional Practice Day for staff.

Please ensure you note these dates in your family calendar when your children do not attend school.

Leaving EHPS 

It is essential for our planning and preparation for the rest of this school year and next school year that you advise me in writing as soon as possible if your child will not be returning to EHPS. Use the school email address – essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au – to advise the following details: 

• Child's name and 2024 class
• Date of last day at EHPS 
• Name of the school your child is enrolled at 
• Commencement date at new school 
• The reason for leaving EHPS  
• New contact details, e.g. address, phone number, email

I look forward to seeing you around school.

Kindest regards,

George Perini

Principal