Principal's Item 

Dear parents, carers and friends of EEPS,

Welcome back to Term 4. This is always a busy term, and I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. Having said that, I do hope that all our families had a good break over the holiday period and had some time to recharge. I was able to spend a few days in the Whitsundays, which was magical.

New EEPS Framework

I am very excited at the launch of the new EESP Framework this week. Below is a repeat of my Newsfeed from Monday, for those parents who may have missed it.

After a year of extensive consultation and discussion, this morning at Assembly I officially launched our new EEPS Framework. There are three parts to this Framework which relate to all members of our community.

- Our Values, Our Learner Profile, and Our Foundations

Our EEPS framework

School Motto

Learning and Growing Together

Our School Values - The 3 R’s

Eltham East Primary School shared values:

• Respectful: means to be considerate, polite and understanding towards everyone and everything
• Responsible: means to do the right thing and own it if you don’t
• Resilient: means to challenge yourself and bounce back when things don’t go your way

Our Learner Profile 

Eltham East learners strive to be:

• Curious
• Collaborative
• Persistent and
• Invested

Our Foundations

• Safe: physical, psychological and cultural safety is a given at EEPS
• Inclusive: including everyone underpins our work
• Aspirational: high achievement for everyone at the level that fits each learner

I have taken the opportunity to attach a PDF version of the new EEPS Framework. Please take some time to discuss the Framework as a family and remember that the support you provide across all areas is critically important to the success we have, as a school, with your child/ren.

Over time, we will be developing some additional classroom resources and supports that will sit alongside the Framework, such as a whole school positive matrix to help unpack the values.

I would like to thank all members of the EEPS school community for their input and contributions and I look forward to this important new Framework continuing to guide and shape our work and interactions together as a whole school community.

Staff Update

I would like to again congratulate Mrs Melissa Egan; she starts this week as substantive Assistant Principal - Instructional Practice and Strategy at Eltham East. Mrs Egan has performed a number of leadership roles over several years with us and I look forward to her broader contributions as an Assistant Principal.

Holiday Work

As always there have been several projects completed over the holidays. We were able to have more fencing completed, as well as a total rebuild of the main wooden staircase outside the office. Whilst it did last well, over the last couple of years, more holes and cracks have been appearing rendering it unsafe. A ‘last minute’ project was replacing concrete driveway crossovers on Luck Street. As a result of a small amount of damage to the lower Luck Street truck entrance the Council did some investigations and, unfortunately, our top drive did not meet the current regulations. Being a large school, with two street frontages and a very long boundary, there will always be things that need repairing or improving. I would like to thank Garry Wynne, for assisting to coordinate many of these projects. 

Family Updates

Over the holidays the school was informed about several families who have recently been experiencing significant health challenges. Our thoughts go out to these families. Please always remember to let us know if there are changes in family dynamics or significant family events in your lives so we can keep an extra eye out for your children.

Google Drive

Another substantial holiday project was moving the school Google shared drive from a school-based platform to one managed by the Department, as is required by all schools. The only impact for parents and carers is that some of the links to surveys or sign-up forms may not work immediately, however we will resolve to fix these problems as soon as possible.

New Beginnings

A new term is always a good opportunity to reset, refocus and renew our efforts in different areas. Can I please remind all members of the EEPS school community that respectful behaviours, in words or in writing, are a non-negotiable aspect in relating to any members of school staff - OSHC, the school office, support staff, teachers and the Leadership Team.

Please take a moment to review the Department’s Respectful Behaviours within the School Community policy.  It is a fact that respectful behaviours are important in building strong, healthy and thriving school communities.

I take great heart from this fact and that almost universally, families do, and have continued to engage, in respectful ways with school staff and the Leadership Team, over a long period of time.

SunSmart

As the sun is out and the UV index is high, please remember that school hats are compulsory for all students during recess, lunch play and for PE outside. If you could help your child/ren to locate their hat that would be wonderful. 

Middle East

As you know there has been an escalation in violence in the Middle East over the last few weeks. I would like to extend the school’s sympathies to any of our families who have relatives or friends caught up in this violence.

Finally…

We have our next round of Prep transition sessions this week, two teams participating in the Maths Association of Victoria, Maths Event and the eagerly awaited Year 3 camp on Thursday and Friday.

Please keep an eye on your Compass events to ensure that you have given consent, and/or payment, for things coming up. Japanese Day is next Friday 18th October and Prep swimming starts next Tuesday. 

Have a great week.