Principal's report

Welcome back to Term 3! We are excited to continue our journey of learning into Semester 2, 2024. Throughout Term 3, students will work towards their individual and explicit learning goals. They will engage in differentiated learning activities in the classroom through a range of whole-class and small-group experiences. We look forward to monitoring your child’s progress and sharing this with you as the term progresses. If you have any questions about how you can further support your child’s learning, please don’t hesitate to talk to your child’s classroom teacher.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. It tests the essential skills of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. These assessments provide valuable insights into your child’s progress and help us tailor our teaching to better support their learning needs. The testing period for NAPLAN in 2024 took take place from May 14th to May 24th.

I am delighted to share that we have received the NAPLAN results, and I am extremely pleased with the outcomes. Our students have demonstrated significant progress across all tested areas, reflecting their hard work and dedication. Individual results have been provided to families this week, allowing you to see your child's achievements. Additionally, a more detailed report on the school's overall performance will be sent to families next week via Compass.

Derek Barry

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Derek Barry as our new French teacher. Derek brings a wealth of experience and a passion for language education that I am confident will greatly benefit our students. He will be onsite next week (Week 3) to get acquainted with our school community, and his French program will commence in Week 4. Please join me in welcoming Derek to our school, and we look forward to the enriching learning experiences he will provide for our students.

Principal’s Citizenship Award

Congratulations to Ben O in Year 3 on receiving the Term 2 Principal’s Citizenship Award. Ben always ensures others feel safe, valued, and respected at our school. He consistently practices consent, applying his learning from wellbeing lessons, and seeks permission when engaging with peers. Ben invites and includes others, fostering a sense of community on The Deck and in the yard. Ms. Smith and I are proud of your outstanding achievements and the positive impact you have made in our school. Congratulations, Ben!

2025 Prep Enrolments 

Whilst we believe we have most of our sibling enrolments for 2025, if you are a current family of EPS and you have a child commencing school next year please complete the enrolment process as soon as possible if you haven’t done so already.

Intention to Leave 

Whilst discussing ‘numbers’ for next year, it would be helpful if any family intending to leave our school community in 2024 due to relocation or any other reason could please advise us as soon as possible via the link below. For future planning purposes, we will be submitting an enrolment projection for 2025 to the Department of Education and Training this week, so such advice would be really helpful!

Emergency Contact Numbers

From time to time we need to contact parents for a myriad of reasons including sick children or to pass on important information or to arrange a meeting. Please ensure that when you change your contact details or the emergency contact’s details, the office is informed immediately.

Practice Emergency Drills

Schools have an obligation to provide a safe environment for students, staff, volunteers and visitors. Careful preparation, planning and regular practice drills are designed to equip staff and students to react quickly and calmly, to act in a coordinated and thoughtful manner and to minimise the risk of harm to all present in the event of an emergency. 

A practice drill is undertaken at least once each term at EPS. Students should now know that the drill is a practice so that panic and fear is reduced in a real emergency situation.

Types of emergency procedures we practice at EPS include:

• Lockdown/Lock-in e.g. a person is aggressive or violent and has not been contained by teachers, myself or the police, or an intruder is on-site and is unknown or is perceived as a risk.
• On-site evacuation e.g. serious car or other accident in sight of those at or near the school, on-site major water leak, indoor flooding, electrical issue or structural damage to the building.
• Off-site evacuation e.g. chemical hazard, fire, gas leak, explosion, bomb threat. Our off-site evacuation location is at Elsternwick Park.

Key things parents/carers can do to support students who are apprehensive or worried:

• Let students know that feeling inconvenienced, annoyed, scared or apprehensive by evacuations or lockdowns is normal. The fear or annoyance will subside as children get to know the procedures to be adopted during various emergencies.
• Provide perspective. Let children know that moving from one location to another is designed to keep everyone safe. Answer questions, or correct inaccurate information honestly, simply and age-appropriately.
• Promote coping behaviours. Have children identify things they can do to help them feel better.
• Focus on our schools return to normal operations once the drill (or an emergency situation) is contained or resolved. 

Children can be especially vulnerable to experiencing feelings of loss of safety, fear or apprehension following exposure to such events. Those that have experienced trauma can be vulnerable in a drill situation and may show signs of agitation. The office staff can arrange for upcoming drills to be communicated to families prior to the event for students that may require additional support. To opt into these comms, please give Laura a call on 8534 6100 .

Have a great weekend,Michael