Principal’s Report
On behalf of the students and staff at Emerald Primary School, I am proud to announce that our School Captains for 2023 are:
- Judd Clarke
- Dakota Brown
- Lewis Garratt
- Madeleine Bucci
This year again we have 4 Captains, rather than 2 Captains and 2 Vice Captains, so that the workload and responsibility can be shared. Well done and thank you to all applicants and short-listed candidates – the speeches were very impressive and it was wonderful to hear from the students about how passionate they are about EPS, their hopes and dreams. Mrs. D’Rozario and I are looking forward to working with the Student Leadership Team this year.
We are excited to once again start off our Check Mates Chess Club for 2023! Thank you and welcome back to the Wegman-Wills family (Sharon and Mike), who set up and run our Chess Club weekly. In 2023, we would love to welcome any other parents or carers who would like to volunteer their time on Tuesdays at lunchtime (set up from 12.40pm, pack up at 1.40pm). Please email us at the school if you would like to be involved somehow – you don’t have to be a Chess Champion and don’t need to be available every week! We are planning on drafting up a Term 1 roster. School email for all enquiries is: emerald.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Our first School Council meeting for 2023 will be Thursday 23rd February, 7pm for Finance Committee and 7.15pm for the full meeting. We will be advertising the positions vacant on Council in a newsletter in the next few weeks – we love parents and carers to be involved in our school! If you have any queries, please contact me at school: emerald.ps@education.vic.gov.au
A reminder to all students to please wear their hats in the playground during recess and lunch. As part of our SunSmart Policy, all students need to wear hats in the yard for all of Term 1 and a few weeks into Term 2. We have this school policy of making sure students wear broad-rimmed hats (not caps) for all times outside, during terms one and four especially, to protect from the sun. Besides recesses and lunchtimes, this also includes outside grade activities like games and physical education lessons. We ask that parents support this policy by ensuring your child has the right type of hat (part of the uniform) and please make sure the hats are named and in good condition. Hats are available for purchase from the Uniform Shop for $16.
Once again a big thank you to Kylie Spry and Sharon Nicholls who run the Uniform Shop. They have done a fantastic job to get everyone up and running with their uniform needs before school even started! The shop will be open this year on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. If you cannot make either of these times, please contact the Office Staff and they will assist you.
In 2021, the Department of Education started funding a Tutor Program in all government schools to help support students who were particularly affected by the periods of Remote Learning in 2020. This program is continuing into 2023 again and we are lucky to have Mrs. Danielle Hardman running this program again. She will be working with grade teachers to determine where student learning gaps are and what support is required to ensure each student is achieving their expected learning potential throughout this year, with a focus on Literacy and Numeracy. The aim is for us to reach as many students as possible during the year, so if your child mentions they have been working in a group with Mrs. Hardman or an Education Support Staff member, it is most likely to support their learning growth in a specific area. Please contact myself, Carice D’Rozario (Assistant Principal) or Cathlin Smart (Learning & Engagement Leader) at the school if you have any queries.
Emma Clark
Principal
Are you or someone you know interested in joining Emerald Primary School’s Intergenerational Garden Project – “Gather and Grow”
A small group of students will connect with a group of volunteers from the community. You would participate in small activities in the garden together for an hour on Tuesday afternoons during the school term.
You don’t need to be a gardening expert, just willing to get involved and show students the fun you can have by trying something new.
The aim of this program is to foster strong relationships between our young Emerald community members at the primary school and older community members in Emerald and surrounds. We want to create a sense of belonging for all involved.
If you are interested in participating, or know someone who would like to get involved please contact:
Jess Tannock via email at jessica.tannock@education.vic.gov.au or call the school on 5968 4311
Community News
Canteen Special!
Friday Meal Deal
Pancakes with jam, sprinkles & cream
+ Billabong rainbow icecream
$6.50
Breaking up is hard to do!!!!!!!!
It’s time for the canteen to break up with single use straws, these will not be available in 2023
More than 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s ocean every year and over 90% is single use plastic.
So let’s say bye bye to straws and hello to BYO. We highly recommend reusable options over all disposables. Students can purchase a reusable silicone straw in its own case with the school Emblem for $4 from the canteen (over the counter or via online) or uniform shop.
