Just like that, this is our last newsletter for the year! What a two weeks it has been! And what a year it has been! It is truly extraordinary what we manage to fit into a year!

We celebrated student learning with the remarkable Student Led Conferences! What a highlight that was to see just how proud our students were in sharing their learning and growth with family members. Such a special moment for them all! Thank you parents and carers, for making that so special for them and sharing in their joy!

Our Year Sixes also had the tremendous opportunity to spend two days at high school, along with our ENPS Year Six teachers, to really experience life at secondary school at Buckley Park College. Thank you to the team at BPC for their support to extend our Year 6-7 Transition Program. It was a huge success, regardless of what secondary school our students are heading off to in 2025. This was topped off last week with individual schools holding their Orientation Days.

And that was just the past two weeks! How about the year…..

With just one more week to go, it really seems like we only just got started! The end of the school year is such a bittersweet time. There is so much to reflect on. So much to be proud of and so much we have achieved together. We look back at what has been this year, while there is also so much to look forward to for our holidays and new year ahead. However, it is also a time to say goodbye; a time of endings and farewells.

While we get excited to meet our new Foundation students and families for 2025, and look forward in anticipation to Step Up Morning tomorrow, it is also the end of the primary school journey for a number of our ENPS families. For some, an end of an era.

With the last week of our school year ahead of us next week, we acknowledge our Year Six students with their Graduation this Wednesday. We will bid goodbye to families that have been within the family of our school community for years - some less than others, and some (with older siblings attending ENPS in the past) much more. We say goodbye to students and their families moving to new places and starting new adventures together. We thank you all for your contributions to ENPS and we are grateful for our time with you. Our school community is richer because of you all.

In 2025 we will have new students, families and staff join our ENPS community too. We welcome them with open arms.

2025 Staffing Updates

As mentioned in our last newsletter, the end of 2024 will see a number of staff finishing up at ENPS.

We will say goodbye to a staff members who have become such a special part of our ENPS community. This year we say goodbye to teachers Samantha Hanks, Sylvia Zanati, Lisa Do, James Reid, David Harris, Jo Nolan, Emma Wasson and Ryan Stringer. In further updates, we will also say goodbye to Lachlan Anderson and Louise Ryan. Lachie is moving back to Sydney, while Louise is taking up a great opportunity for 12 months in the Department of Education, in the Career Start program supporting graduate teachers. At this stage, we also say farewell to Education Support Staff: Laura Serratore, Chantelle Crisci, Annelise Galea, Brigette Coulsell, Samantha Cook and Eliza Pitman.

We thank these staff members for their endless contributions to our school, to our students and to our staff.

With the late departure of some staff, we are thrilled to confirm that Amy Wirth will now return for 2025 along with Jemma Strbac Low who will begin the year with us in Year One while we undertake a recruitment process in Term One.

Like I said; a bittersweet time of year.

2025 Staffing

I can now confirm the organisation of staffing for 2025. This includes the year level teaching teams. Please refer to the attachment below.

2025 Classrooms

Each year we try to minimise the change of classrooms across the school, however, it is important to ensure the classroom environments reflect the needs of the students at each year level. This is done to maximise the learning and teaching potential as impacted by the physical classrooms.

As always, we have made a concerted effort to connect all classrooms within a learning neighbourhood (year level). This close proximity to each other enables connection within and across all home groups. In 2025, all year levels will remain in the same areas as this year.

Transition for Students (2024 Foundation to Year Five)

Even though our students (and families) will not find out the classroom teachers until tomorrow’s Step Up Morning (on Tuesday 17th December), transition support has already begun.

Prior to Step Up Morning, all students inadvertently begin familiarisation to new classrooms and new teachers. This is to support our students manage the complexities and adaptations to change. There is also an extensive teacher handover process. This is to ensure next year’s teachers have the necessary information on all their students to begin with success from day one of the new school year.

Our Last Week of 2024

Last week we have already seen some movement of classrooms, cleaning up and preparing for our new year ahead. Teachers have this week begun working out of their 2025 classrooms (as applicable) with their current 2024 home groups. This will mean a change for some students to physically be in a different classroom for the final week of the year.

Please check Compass from last week for all room moves.

Our final week….

This week will be a very big week at ENPS!

Step Up Morning

On Tuesday 17th December, we will have our Step Up Morning where your child/ren will spend some time with their 2025 teacher and classmates in their new classroom. This is such an exciting moment! All students will bring home in writing their teacher's name and home group. (Refer to the 2025 School Map above for classroom locations)

Semester Two Progression Point Student Learning Reports

On Wednesday 18th December, your child’s Semester Two report will go live through Compass. A Compass notification will be sent when these are accessible. We always recommend that families download their reports. Please note that if/when a family leaves the school, they will no longer have access to Compass and therefore lose access to any reports.

Year Six Graduation

On Wednesday night, the 18th December, we will celebrate our Year Six students at their Graduation from primary school. Family members will witness the formal elements of the evening from the school oval at the beginning of the evening. Families attending will watch from an allocated area (facing the gym). The weather forecast is promising however please take note that the angle of the sun at this time of the evening can be a little troublesome and we recommend being sun smart. Following the Graduation Ceremony, our Year Six students will enjoy a dinner and disco together in the gymnasium, with an 8:30pm pick up.

2024 Final Whole School Assembly

On Friday 20th December, we will have a final whole school morning assembly on the oval. We invite our parents and families to join us from 8:55am.

Beginning at 9am, our final assembly will celebrate our year with a performance from our Year Six students and talent show winner, announcement of the Marcus Rosin Scholarship recipient for 2025, staff farewells and the announcement of the 2025 School Captains and House Captains.

For parents and families attending, we will open the McCulloch oval gate from 8:55am for entry. The weather forecast is promising and we ask that all visitors are sun smart.

Early Finish - Friday 20th December 12:30pm

Please remember that students will be dismissed at 12:30pm on Friday as our last day of school. TeamKids are available for after school care. On the last day, gates will be opened for families at 12:20pm and closed at 12:40pm.

2025 Start of School Year and Curriculum Day

The Department of Education (DET) mandates that all schools use the first day of the school year as a Curriculum Day for teacher planning and preparation. The first Curriculum Day for 2025 is therefore on Tuesday 28th January.

All Year One to Six students will have their first day of school on Wednesday 29th January. Our Foundation students will have their first day on Thursday 30th January with assigned staggered start times. Foundation students will have each the Wednesday in February off school as a rest day and for their scheduled 1:1 assessments.

Thank you…

What an incredible year it has been and we are so incredibly proud of what we have achieved together at ENPS. We have continued to maximise our potential and prioritise our support for one another right across our school community. Our ENPS school community really is like a big family and that is something each and every student, staff, parent and carer should be truly proud of. Our continued sense of connection and belonging is so evident and will continue to grow in 2025.

To be the Principal of our school and to lead our outstanding, compassionate and dedicated staff, our wonderful, resilient and caring community, and most of all, 627.6 of the most remarkable, inspirational and exceptional students, continues to filled my heart. (Expect many tears next Friday!) Thank you for your ongoing support, your understanding, patience and kindness this year. I have made so many amazing memories with our community this year, below is a small snapshot!

May the week ahead be filled with special moments and reflection on what has been yet another very big year! Bring on 2025…..

Have a wonderful weekend, great last week of the 2024 school year, and a safe and happy holiday season.

Kate Barletta

Principal

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