Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please help us to keep our school community healthy and well

In recent weeks we have seen a significant spike in the number of children who are sick with RSV, colds, flu and COVID-19.

I would like to remind you of the advice from the Department of Education and Department of Health to minimise the spread of these illnesses, so that our school continues to run effectively and as safely as possible.

To help protect our school and the wider community, we ask that students who are unwell stay home.
If children present at school with cold and flu symptoms, families will be contacted to come and take the child home.
We have a collective responsibility to every member of our school community to act responsibly and protect the wellbeing of all.

COVID-19 cases are still prevalent in our community both in adults and children. To minimise the impact upon our community, the Department of Health strongly recommends that students:

who test positive to COVID-19 stay home and isolate for 5 days.
should not attend school after 5 days, if still symptomatic.
who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school. This does not include students with pre-existing conditions such as hay fever.

To help reduce the spread of flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, students are being encouraged to:

wash and sanitise their hands regularly.
avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze.
get tested for COVID-19 if they feel unwell and follow the current Department of Health isolation requirements if a positive result is shown.
if unwell, stay at home until their symptoms pass.

Face masks are still available at schools and strongly recommended for all staff, students and visitors, including those who are medically at risk. At school, any student who wishes to wear a mask can continue to do so.

To keep our school as safe as possible, we will also continue to use air purifiers and other COVID-19 prevention measures.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our school community safe and well.

Parents and Friends Club (PFC)

Our Parents and Friends Club (PFC) are doing such a spectacular job in bringing our community together, supporting school events and providing great opportunities for the children. The also try to raise funds for the school so that it can be used for the benefit of all the children. Even though this is not their prime focus, it is an aspect of their role that many families see.

Year 1/2 Playground

The new Year 1/2 Playground is coming; installation starts on 17 October. The PFC through fundraising have contributed $50,000 to this exciting new piece of playground equipment.

Father’s Day

Yesterday and today, we have seen other examples of the support that the PFC provides our community. Thanks to the PFC for organising two great Father's Day activities. Yesterday’s special Treat breakfast was very well attended and the dads and special friends really enjoyed spending time with their children. The raffle created a lot of interest with the children, they were really hoping to win 5th prize (a huge back of sweets!!). Today’s Father’s Day Stall was also a marvellous success. Children from each class had the opportunity to purchase a gift for their dad or special person. The children were fully engaged in counting their money and seeing how many things they could purchase for their allocated funds.

Refer to the Parents & Friends Club page in this newsletter for some photos from these activities.

School Disco

Thank you again to the PFC for organising the excellent School Disco a few weeks ago. It was a special evening for the children. Staff and students have commented upon how much they enjoyed the evening, and the organisation of the event was impeccable.

Refer to the Parents & Friends Club page in this newsletter for more photos.

Book Week

Book Week was very successful last week with a big emphasis on reading, enjoying books and knowing more about authors.

The assembly with Andy Griffiths had all the children very excited and engaged. Andy was most impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of our children. He gave a unique insight into the history of his tree house books and a glimpse into the last 13 storeys of his upcoming book. Andy spent well over 1.5 hours signing books for children.

A big thanks must go to Shona Misso and Emily O'Mahony for their organisation of all aspects of Book Week.

The Book Fair held in our Library was also very successful with many families purchasing books for their children. A very big thank you to Kristi Lloyd, Marg Fitzpatrick, and many volunteer parents for running such a successful event.

1O have shared their experiences of Book Week in the Student Voice page in this newsletter.

Indonesian

The school has once again celebrated Indonesian Day and three of our children have done very well in the Sayembara Lisan Indonesian speaking competition. They were presented with certificates at Melbourne High School on the same evening as the Disco. In addition, seven students won prizes for their Indonesian posters for Indonesian Day and were invited to the Indonesian Flag Raising Ceremony, held at the Indonesian Consulate.

Refer to the Indonesian page in this newsletter for more photos and information.

Prep Dioramas

On Thursday morning the Prep classes presented their animal dioramas. Many parents were present to see the children’s excellent work. The aim was for the children to find facts about their chosen animal and then create a diorama to show their animal’s environment. The children would then be able to talk about their animal to visitors including their parents, friends and children from other classes. The children were very proud of their work and it was obvious that much care had been taken by the children, with some help from families, to create a marvellous depiction of their animals surroundings. Congratulations Prep, well done!!

Swimming Program

By the end of the term, the whole school will have participated in the swimming program that is a compulsory part of the Victorian Curriculum for all students. We have now transitioned the whole school to have their lessons at Huntingtower Sports & Aquatic Centre. The feedback from families, and staff is that the program provided by Huntingtower is of a very high standard and that the facility is private and of a high quality. A big thanks must go to Verity Bright who has coordinated the whole school program, with the assistance of Elisha Cotterell and Kirsten Lightfoot with respect to timetabling the program.

Leaving EHPS

Sadly, for a variety of reasons a few children and their families leave Essex Heights each year. If your child is leaving EHPS during this year or at the end of this school year and not returning in 2024, it is essential that you please notify the school as soon as possible. This is required for our planning and preparation for the 2024 school year. Please email me at the school email address - essex.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au - with the following details:

Child's name and 2023 class
Date of last day at EHPS (the last day of the 2023 school year is Wednesday 20 December)
Name of the school your child is enrolled at
Commencement date at new school (Term 1 2024 commences on Monday 29 January)
The reason for leaving EHPS
New contact details, e.g. address, phone number, email