EHPS Contact

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

As we now get ready for two weeks of school holidays, we can now look back on a busy and exciting term. The children have been engaged in so many different activities. For many this was their first Dance Concert and what a great time was had by all over those two nights as well as the 10 weeks of dance lessons. In addition, children at different levels were involved in Swimming Programs Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 Camps, Year 1 Minibeasts Day, Prep Teddy Bears Picnic and Pyjama Day, JSC Leadership event, excursions like Mont De Lancey Year 2, House Athletics and Cross Country, as well as incursions from Police, Fire Brigade, and the Suburban Rail Loop Authority, all of which have supported the children’s learning and engagement at school. Once again, the PFC were active in Term 2 with their marvellous Mother’s Day morning ‘Treats’ as well as the Mother’s Day Stall. Last week's Flip Out event was also very well attended and was great fun for all families. All these special activities have created a real buzz with the children and has made their term enjoyable and very productive.

Music Concerts

Over the past two weeks, the Instrumental Music Program has been conducting its mid-year concerts. The six different concerts have been very well attended and the children have displayed the learning and expertise that they have gained over the first half of this year. A big thanks must go to all the Instrumental Music teachers for their tutoring and preparing the children so well for their performance.  Special thanks to Alyssa Kennedy for her impeccable organisation of all six concerts.

Staff Changes

During this term we have had a few staff changes brought about by staff moving interstate or to a new job. Even though we are in a very difficult and challenging teacher shortage in Victoria, we have been able to find outstanding replacements for these changes. From next term we will welcome Cassie Kemp, a very experienced PE and Sport teacher, who will be working in Health and PE, as well as Lauren Davies, who will return from family leave to join Prep L on a part time basis. Recently we also welcomed Tara Greenall to Essex Heights in a teaching support role in Year 4 and Year 2.

Next term, Ina Kuehlich will be on Long Service Leave for the whole term. I am pleased to announce that Natalie Zaibak and Kristi Lloyd will share the acting Assistant Principal role in Ina’s absence. I congratulate them both and look forward to working with them throughout Term 3. Finally, we all wish Ina safe travels overseas and look forward to hearing of her globetrotting adventures across the continents.

Communication

Good communication between home and school is very important so that we all know what is happening in our school community. It also ensures that students benefit the most from all opportunities offered at Essex Heights. 

All EHPS families are reminded that we communicate with you regularly using:

  • Compass; 
  • Contact, our online school newsletter; and
  • Year level and Classroom posts

Compass is the main avenue for communication between home and school. All important messages for parents and carers will be sent through our Compass News Feeds. It is essential that you check Compass regularly for information from school. 

All families have been provided with their own unique login to access Compass. If your Compass access is no longer working, please contact Jo in our School Office to reset your password. 

When you receive a notification requiring your response, please ensure that you action this no later than the specified due date. If you access Compass on a smart device, ensure that you have turned your notifications on so that you receive an alert when information is published.

At Essex Heights we value the communication between parents and the school, however a few things must be kept in mind so that we have a common understanding of the procedures and expectations.

  • Staff are in class and teaching throughout the school day, as well as attending meetings after school. Therefore, sending an email or Compass post during the day is not the most effective way to communicate with a classroom teacher if the matter is urgent. 
  • For matters requiring a rapid response, families should ring the School Office on 9807 4944and a message will be passed to the teacher.
  • We encourage our staff to have a healthy work life balance and we have agreed that their workday should be between 8.30am and 5pm. I have therefore asked staff to only reply to written correspondence during those hours. It would therefore be fair to expect a reply to a written communication within two business days.
  • All too often, staff receive texts or messages late into the evening. Staff will not reply to such correspondence until they are able. Please refrain from messaging at these times and please be assured that staff will respond to your message in due course. 

Year 5 Camp

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the Year 5 Camp at Cave Hill Creek. The children had such a great time. The camp site is a picturesque location near Beaufort. All facilities were immaculate, and the children developed a very positive rapport with the camp staff. The camp activities included Canoeing, Giant Ladder, Low ropes and Bouldering, Bush Cooking and Archery. A huge thanks must go to the staff and our parent volunteers for making this great experience possible for the children.

Claims for Property Damage and Medical Expenses

The Personal Property policy was recently updated by School Council, as noted later in this newsletter. Please note that the Department of Education (which includes our school) does not have accident insurance. Items of personal property that are lost, stolen or damaged at school is not the responsibility of Essex Heights Primary School or the Department. Staff and students are reminded not to bring items of value to school.

Farewell

We have farewelled the following students and their families from the EHPS community:

  • Saira K (PZ)
  • Mahta K (3L)
  • Yuchen (Eric) F (4P)
  • Francesca D (5R)
  • Tim F (6E)
  • Mehrdad K (6T)

Welcome

We welcome the following student and their family to the EHPS community:

  • Pranish T (6E)

 

Finally, I wish all families a safe and happy holiday period. I hope that this will be an opportunity for family time as well a relaxing break for the children. We look forward to welcoming our community back for Term 3 on Monday 10 July.

 

Kindest regards,

George Perini

Principal