Principal’s Report

Term 3 – What a Great Term!

As we head into the final week of Term 3, it is hard to believe how quickly the term has gone! It has certainly been another busy and rewarding term at Emerald Primary School, and we are looking forward to finishing it together with a fun final day.

Friday will be our Sports Theme Dress Up Day! Students are invited to come dressed as their favourite sport, sporting team or athlete. There is no gold coin donation required for this day – we simply want everyone to have some fun and get into the sporting spirit!

Our Whole School Morning Assembly on Friday will include our Growth Mindset Awards, where we will celebrate students who have demonstrated perseverance, resilience, a willingness to learn and a positive approach to challenges.

To finish the day, we will hold our Sports Theme Parade at 2.00pm. We look forward to seeing all the wonderful and creative sporting outfits as we celebrate together. Please remember that the school day will finish at 2.30pm on Friday.

We hope our Grade 6 students are having a fantastic time at Woorabinda Camp this week. Camp is always such an important part of the Grade 6 experience, providing students with opportunities to challenge themselves, build friendships and create memories together. A big thank you to our Grade 6 team and staff who have supported the students throughout the camp and helped make the experience possible.

Looking Ahead to Term 4

We have another action-packed term ahead! Term 4 will include our Grade 6 Production, Rotary Speech Night, visits from our 2027 Prep students as part of their transition program, the final Human-Powered Vehicle event for the year, and Grade 4 Camp, along with all the other exciting learning and activities that make up life at Emerald Primary School.

Changes to the Way We Use Class Dojo

As we continue to look at the best ways to communicate with our school community, we will be making some changes to how we use Class Dojo from Term 4. Class Dojo will continue to be used for whole-school and grade cohort posts, including sharing important information, reminders and celebrations with families. However, the direct messaging function between individual parents/carers and staff members will no longer be used for communication.

If you have a question, concern or matter you would like to discuss with your child’s teacher, we encourage you to touch base with them briefly before or after school, where appropriate, or contact the school to arrange a meeting time. You can also email the school emerald.ps@education.vic.gov.au and your message will be directed to the appropriate staff member. For anything urgent that needs to be addressed on the day, please contact the school office by phone so that we can ensure the message is received promptly.

We appreciate that families are busy and that communication between home and school is an important part of supporting our students. These changes will help us ensure that communication is managed consistently, that staff have appropriate time to focus on teaching and learning during the school day, and that parents and carers have the opportunity to discuss concerns directly and constructively.

Reminder – 2026 Voluntary Contributions

All families will note on Compass that the Voluntary Curriculum Contribution amounts are accessible there for payment. We understand that 2026 has continued to be a challenging year for families economically, and so really appreciate it if you are able to make a payment plan to finish off the year, or pay outright when you can. If there are any more families who could put some money toward these this year, so that we can continue to conduct a full, rich program of learning at EPS, that would be wonderful. Please contact myself or Fiona Hogben, our Business Manager, for a chat if you would like to discuss payment options further. We understand that every family’s circumstances are different, and we certainly appreciate that not everyone is in a position to contribute. However, if you are able to still make a contribution at this end of the year, we would be very grateful for your support. Every contribution, large or small, helps us continue to provide the best possible opportunities for our students.

2026 Parent/Carer Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent and Carer Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. The Parent and Carer Opinion Survey is open online from Monday 24 August to Friday 18 September 2026. All families have been invited to participate in the survey. The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. Please see the Compass message sent this week with the link to undertake the survey.

Important Health Information for EPS

Please see attached some very important information in regards to protecting the health of a student at Emerald Primary School. Your support and co-operation is very much appreciated.

Important Letter from Monash Childrens Hospital 2026

EPS Student Free/Curriculum Days 2026

Please be advised of the following student free days, when our staff will be completing professional learning activities or parent teacher interviews:

Friday 4^th December – Assessment & Reporting Day

For those families using the TheirCare childcare service, they are preparing to have students on the 4^th December dates: https://theircare.com.au/

Exciting Events & Must-Know Dates!

Term 3:
September Events:
- Monday 14th September – Friday 18th September – Grade 6 Camp – Woorabinda
- Thursday 17th September – School Council @ 7.15pm
- Friday 18th September – Sports Theme Dress-Up Day
- Friday 18th September – Growth Mindset Awards Assembly
- Friday 18th September – Last Day of Term 3 – 2.30pm Finish
Term 4:
October Events:
- Monday 5th October – Term 4 Begins
- Monday 5th October – Friday 9th October – Grade 6 Production Rehearsals
- Monday 12th October – Tuesday 13th October – Grade 6 Production Rehearsals
- Wednesday 14th October – Grade 6 Production Matinee @1pm
- Thursday 15th October – Grade 6 Production Evening Show @6.30pm
- Friday 16th October – Grade 6 Production Evening Show @6.30pm
- Thursday 22nd October – School Council @ 7.15pm

Thank you to our students, staff, families and wider school community for another wonderful term. We hope everyone has a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for a fantastic Term 4!