Dear Families,

On Tuesday 10th June, which was our Student Free Report Writing Day teachers spent the time working in teams to review and collate their assessments as part of the report writing process. School Council has also approved that Monday 21st July be a Student Free Curriculum Day for teachers to work on designing and developing lessons for our new School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) Matrix.

We are very excited to let the school community know that after a significant delay we have finally received the news that the much awaited and anticipated playground project is about to commence. The contract has been executed, and Mary and I will have our first site meeting with all parties involved in the project to develop a schedule next Friday. At this stage we are expecting that the yard will be set up to start construction possibly in the last week of term but more likely during the school holidays. We already have a plan and yard duty schedule ready to implement which will involve teachers escorting and supervising students at Windy Hill for the duration of each playtime, to reduce any congestion in the remaining yard.

The work will be contained to the East side of the school yard (basketball courts and pay equipment area) and we will know more about when each section will be worked on after our first site meeting. We will inform the school community about the schedule and timeline as soon as we know. Before anyone asks, I am very keen to share the final master plan with everyone. However, I will need to gain permission from the Victorian School Building Authority which has not been the case to date.

Child safety and wellbeing at Essendon Primary School

Essendon Primary School is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe.

Our child safety framework explains how we support and maintain child safety and wellbeing at Essendon Primary School. It includes our:

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
Child Safety Reporting and Responding Obligations Procedures, and
Child Safety Code of Conduct, which outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviours for all staff and volunteers at our school.

Our students and families are important partners in providing a child safe environment. These newsletter reminders are one of the ways we ensure our school community is aware of:

our commitment to child safety, and
how to provide feedback or raise child safety concerns.

If you have any concerns about child safety or any suggestions, ideas or comments on ways we can improve our approach to child safety and wellbeing please contact Mary Fazzari or Christine Nash on 9370 7819. Child safety complaints or concerns are treated seriously. For more information about our school’s complaints process, please see our Complaints Policy.

A message from School Council: Thank you to the families who have already responded to the Compass post.

Next year, in 2026 Essendon Primary School is scheduled to participate in a school review. Reviews happen every four years and the purpose is to inform the development of the school's 4 year School Strategic Plan (SSP) and to provide assurance of ongoing compliance for school registration. Community voice and opinion is vital to the review process.

The first step is for School Council to review our Vision, Mission, Objective and Values to shape and direct our work for the next 4 years. We are also seeking feedback and ideas on an Acknowledgement of Country to put on our signage at the front of the school and on our website.

Please take 5-10 minutes to complete the survey using the link below. Members of School Council appreciate your time and contributions. We will be reviewing your responses at our next meeting which is on Tuesday 24th June.

https://forms.gle/3o82iEP6Cx1NYWR47

Christine Nash

Principal

ACD (Advocating for Children with Disability)