Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of Epping Views PS.

This week we celebrated Education Week with a dress up day and an open morning for parents. It was wonderful to see so many parents visiting classrooms and spending time to have a coffee with our staff. We look forward to continuing to have parents on site to celebrate special events and students learning.

The Coordinator of School Crossings has reported to us that a serious incident occurred on Friday morning (12/5/2023). A crossing supervisor was nearly struck by a parent driving through the crossing while the supervisor was in the middle of the road. Luckily no one was hurt on this occasion but she was left shaken and upset and in disbelief at how fast the driver was travelling and the total lack of awareness.

The Coordinator of School Crossings insists that drivers need to ensure they are travelling at the appropriate speed, be prepared to stop urgently in the event a child steps out unexpectedly, and if a crossing supervisor is on the road at the crossing, stop and wait until the children and the crossing supervisor have left the road.

These are reasonable requests and for the safety of all I ask that you please drive carefully when in the vicinity of the school.

In addition to this concern, there are some serious concerns for the safety of our students who are exiting the school and crossing the road without using the crossing. A number of parents have reported some near misses. To mitigate these risks, as of Monday we will be encouraging students to use the crossing by only opening gates that are close to a crossing. (The front gate on Mansfield Street, the gate near the Lyndarum sign and Gate 2 on Dunolly Drive will be open each day from 8:45-9:00 and 3:25-3:45.) Please see the map below to indicate the gates that will be open.

I’m sure that you would agree with me that the Staff at EVPS are dedicated and committed to our students. It is important that they feel safe in the workplace and that members of our community understand Epping Views Primary School’s expectations for appropriate interactions with school staff. I am including a link to the “Respect for School Staff Policy”

Last week our Year 4 students and staff attended camp at Phillip Island. A wonderful time was had by all. Students who didn’t attend camp spend the day at the YMCA engaging in lots of sporting fun. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the staff who provided these wonderful opportunities for our students.

Over the coming weeks, our students in Years 4-6 will participate in the annual Attitudes to School Survey. The survey promotes student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction to find out how our students feel about the school.

Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity and life in general.

The information collected from the survey is used to understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve your child’s schooling experience.

I look forward to sharing the results with you later in the year.

Child Safety and Wellbeing at EVPS: information for families and the school community.

The Victorian Government announced new Child Safe Standards effective 1st July 2022 to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.

EVPS has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to view on our website page.

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.

If you have any suggestions, comments, questions or would like to consult further please contact us.

Warm regards,

Mandy O’Mara

Principal

Education Week in the Art Room