Principal’s Report
We are very excited to be holding our first-ever Junior School House Sports Carnival next Wednesday 13th March! Thanks to the Grade 6 House Captains and the Grade 6 teaching team, this fun event will run from 12pm until 3.30pm next Wednesday. Craig Appleby and Ben Kolb will be running the day for all Junior School students (Prep to Grade 2), with activities take place on the School Oval and in the Stadium. All students will rotate through all of the activities. The focus of the day will be FUN and encouraging everyone to try their best, in true EPS school spirit! Parents and carers will be welcome to attend – there will be a sectioned-off area for everyone to watch from on the Oval to ensure everyone’s safety. All of the Junior School students have been placed into one of the EPS House Teams – Nobelius (Green), Worrell (Red), A’Vard (Yellow) and Ryberg (Blue). Students are welcome to wear a touch of one of their house colours – or a lot!! Of course, we will need to remember to be sunsmart on the day.
We have said farewell recently to our Literature-Loving Librarian – Lynette Green, as she embarks on new adventures in retirement (although she has retired from different roles in education over many years, a few times now!). We thank Lynette for her amazing organisation of our Library and her passion for the enjoyment of reading. We are grateful that she has agreed to drop in and support with some of the admin tasks, working with our other Library Helper, Jill.
Our ICT Education Support Staff member, Kerrie Eva, will now be co-ordinating the Library (which she has done before!), and will work with our Literacy Area Leaders, Katie Weerasinghe, Eden Byron-Thomsen and Curriculum Leader, Cathlin Smart, who will oversee our Library resourcing.
For those who are not aware, Lynette is also my Mum! So, I will still be seeing her regularly (!!), but I know that many staff will miss her calming presence around the school and wish her all the very best with her future endeavours.
- Harmony Day (Friday 22nd March): Wear any colour you want to celebrate diversity!
- Last Day of Term (Thursday 28th March): Holiday Theme
The School Council plays an important role in policy decisions and setting improvement directions for the school. Our School Council team is very dynamic, vibrant and active at EPS!!
A reminder that we are calling for nominations for Parent positions and Department of Education employee positions currently and I hope you might consider nominating yourself or another parent in our school community. Nomination forms are available at the office or can be sent home or emailed (call on 5968 4311 or email emerald.ps@education.vic.gov.au). A scanned copy of each is also attached to this message.
Nominations open today (Monday 4th March) and close on Tuesday 12th March at 4pm. From there we can advise if an election is required. If a ballot is required, it will open on Wednesday 13th March and close on Monday 25th March.
Positions on School Council are elected on a 2 year basis in 2024. If a 2 year position cannot be completed then the election process has a one year vacancy for that position.
This year we have:
5 Parent Category positions (2 years)
2 Department of Education Category positions (2 years)
Nomination can be through a person seconding your nomination or by self-nomination.
Please see below some frequently asked questions and answers about what is involved in being a School Councillor.
What role does the School Council play at our school?
A School Council’s objectives are to:
Assist in the efficient governance and policy making of the school.
Ensure that the decisions affecting the students of our school are made having the best interests of all students in mind.
Enhance the educational opportunities of the students of the school.
Ensure the school and the council comply with any EDEC (Emerald District Education Community) requirements.
Have a say in how Fundraising monies are spent.
Who is involved in a School Council?
Our school council is made up of a range of people from our school community, including the Principal, the Assistant Principal, Teachers, Parents and Community members.
Do I need special experience to be on School Council?
No! What you need is an interest in your child’s education, interest in our school as a whole and the ability to work co- operatively with others to help shape the future of our school.
Why is parent membership so important?
Parents on School Councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school. Parents who become active on a School Council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.
What commitment will I need to make?
School Council must meet at least 8 times during the school year. The term is usually 2 years. The meetings begin at 7.15pm and are generally finished at around 8.45pm. Each member of the School Council is to take an active role on one of the following committees:
· Education/Curriculum
· Grounds and Facilities
· Finance
· Fundraising
How can I become involved?
The most obvious way to become involved is to nominate yourself in the elections that are held this year.
We look forward to some new parents and carers joining our School Council team!
If you have any queries regarding what is involved in the role and the time commitment, please contact myself at the school, or have a chat to any of our current School Councillors:
- Julie Bowyer – President
- Olivia McLeod – Vice President
- Fundraising Committee – Peta Woodyard (DET)
- Publicity & Communications Committee – Karen Giles
- Buildings & Grounds Committee – Patric Soussan
- Belinda Smullen
- Narelle Oberin
- Cherry Hynam
- Katie Weerasinghe (DET)
- Bianca Appleby (DET)
- Carice D’Rozario (DET)
Please be advised of the following student-free Curriculum Days for the remainder of 2024, for your calendars and future planning. Teachers and Education Support Staff will be involved in professional learning at school on the days in April and July, and will be at school for Parent-Teacher Interviews for the June date.
- Monday 15th April – Curriculum Day
- Thursday 27th June – Parent-Teacher Interviews
- Monday 15th July – Curriculum Day
We have been fortunate to be able to welcome our Emerald Kindergarten/Pre-School children and colleagues here onsite at EPS whilst the repairs and rebuild are completed at their regular site. I thank the staff from the kinder and EPS staff for the way they have collaborated to make this work. Students and parents/carers who are around the area of the Library courtyard, Grade 2R and Prep classrooms will have noticed some changes which are necessary for student safety in this space. All students and families have been wonderful in the way they have embraced this temporary change. Just a note to let families know that the Kinder staff do need to accompany their Pre-School children to the toilets – our EPS students have been informed of this possible occurrence, and that there are other toilets they can use if necessary. I will continue to keep you updated on the situation.
Their first role last week was to deliver Thank You Cards and pictures to the amazing volunteers at our local SES – well done team, and thank you to all of the students who created the very special messages!
- Monday 11th March – Labour Day Public Holiday
- Wednesday 13th March – Preps attend Full time
- Wednesday 13th March – NAPLAN Begins
- Wednesday 13th March – Junior School House Sports Carnival
- Sunday 17th March – Melbourne Ukulele Orchastra – Performance
- Tuesday 19th March – EDEC Athletics
- Friday 22nd March – Free Dress Day – Harmony Day
- Monday 25th March – Thursday 28th March – Grade 5 School Camp to Philip Island
- Thursday 28th March – Free Dress – Holiday Theme
- Thursday 28th March – Last Day Term 1 – Students dismissed at 2.30pm Cancel
- Monday 15th April – Term 2 commences – Curriculum Day – No Students at school
- Tuesday 16th April – Students Return
- Thursday 27th June – Parent-Teacher Interviews
- Monday 15th July – Curriculum Day
Emma Clark
Principal
This Week!
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