Dear EVPS Families,

Yesterday we gathered to celebrate Harmony Week which highlights the importance of cultural diversity and the value it brings to our school community and beyond. While celebrating multiculturalism, Harmony Day also provides an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the rich cultures and contributions of Australia's First Nations peoples, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. At EVPS we pride ourselves on fostering an environment where everyone is respected, valued, and included, regardless of their background or culture. It was great to see everyone join in with the performances and parade yesterday and we thank all of the parents and families who came along to help us celebrate.

Cultural diversity is one of the greatest strengths of our community. It’s what makes us unique, and it’s what makes us stronger together. Every culture has its own story, traditions, and ways of seeing the world, and when we embrace these differences, we create a richer, more vibrant environment for learning and growing.

Our school values of respect, responsibility, caring, excellence, and honesty serve as the foundation for how we interact with one another.

Respect reminds us to honour each other’s differences and to approach each person with kindness and an open mind.

Responsibility means that we all have a part to play in creating a welcoming and inclusive community.

Caring encourages us to show empathy and support for one another, especially when faced with challenges.

Excellence drives us to strive for the best, not only in our learning but in how we treat others.

Honesty calls us to be truthful and sincere in all our actions.

Ramadan – Prayer Room

A number of our families and students are observing Ramadan at the moment. We have set up a prayer room for students to perform Zuhr (prayer) together, supported by a staff member/s. This is taking place at lunch time in the STEM room at 1:45pm each day. Students are able to go during lunch eating time to do Wudu (preparation).

Celebrating Our Students’ Efforts for NAPLAN

We are proud of our Year 3 and 5 students for their hard work and dedication during the NAPLAN assessments over the last two weeks. Their commitment to doing their best in literacy and numeracy, and their focus during the tests, is to be commended. Our completion rate is 95.69%.

Online safety and mobile phone policy

A reminder from our mobile phone policy: Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and given to the classroom teacher who will keep it securely stored during school hours. We also ask that mobile phones are not to be used on school grounds before or after school. Please read further on in this newsletter for more information about online safety, cyberbullying and the importance of parental guidance.

Easter Raffle

We are holding our annual East Raffle again this year. Raffle Tickets have been sent home with every student this week. The Raffle will be drawn at the Assembly on 3rd April.

Additonal Raffle Tickets are available at the Office.

E-Scooters

We are still having challenges with safety around the school in relation to our students riding e-scooters. A reminder that all students at EVPS are by law, under the legal age to ride an e-scooter and we will not condone this behaviour, for the safety of everyone.

Penalties apply. Please ensure you read the information here:

https://transport.vic.gov.au/Road-rules-and-safety/E-scooter-road-rules

There is a $296 penalty if you ride an E-Scooter under the age of 16.

Reminders:

Celebration of Learning: 1st April 2.40pm

School Photos: 2nd April

Whole School Assembly: 3rd April 2.40pm

End of Term 1 4th April: early dismissal 2.30pm

Rachel Griffiths,

Acting Principal

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Year 2 News