11-Aug-2023
Dear Families
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall
Relocatable: Arrives Tuesday 15 August
There has been a slight delay in the arrival of our newest building. The preparation has begun and on Tuesday next week we are anticipating this modular space to be delivered onsite. The assembling of the building will take 1 Day and will involve large trucks and a crane. It’s a relatively quick process but there will be disruptions for students and families who use the Haig Avenue side of the school.
Pedestrian access should not be impacted too greatly but parking down the street will be very limited to allow for the large cranes and trucks to deliver the building unimpeded. There may be a time in the next fortnight that pedestrian access will be restricted and if this becomes the case, we’ll communicate this via Compass.
A Traffic Management Plan designed by the company entrusted with the construction of the portable is included, as well as a copy of a flyer they are providing local residents is attached.
Letter Drop regarding Building Delivery
Traffic Management Plan regarding Building Delivery
School Council
This week our Council met to provide and receive updates from our Sub-committees
One action for us is to again socialise the roles and purpose of each of our committees and extend an open invitation to our school community to join these. Broadly speaking, we have Sub – Committees established to strengthen links to our broader Edithvale Community, support Events (Christmas Picnic, Art Show, etc) and provide options for the physical upgrades of our school surroundings. A brief outline of their roles are included in the table below – and our School Council is always keen to hear from families who can help and support our endeavours.
In the coming weeks and months we’re looking to successfully organise and run an Art Show, Working Bee, Christmas Picnic (including raffle and a Footy fun day at the back end of this term. If you would like to find out a bit more about each of the Committees please email us at school (edithvale.ps@educationvic.gov.au) and we can direct your inquiry or interest to the convenor of each committee.
Buildings & Grounds –
Identifying project areas for targeted work around the school e.g., painting
EPS Families –
Developing stronger, more connected relationships between our school and our student families.
Mother’s’/Father’s Day stalls, cultural awareness and inclusivity, social events – trivia night, family meet & greet, class BBQs. Internal school fundraising drives Baker’s Delights, mangoes.
Reading Tip from Why Reading Aloud to Students is So Critical to Vocabulary | Teach Like a Champion
A brief article I read the other day piqued my interest and reminded me of trying to prioritise reading with our own kids at home. When our students hear discipline specific words eg. In science we may hear adaptation geological, evaporation n- infused with inflection and expression it communicates more about these words and thus enhances meaning for the child. An excerpt from the article eis included here:
‘….most of the words that comprise a student’s reading vocabulary will appear in their lives only in written texts… in one’s night’s reading from Island of the Blue Dolphins, my daughter and I came across glisten, befall and pelt. Like other vocabulary words they are rarely if ever used in oral conversation. They live almost exclusively in print. So what do you do if the words that are hardest and most powerful for students to learn appear in a setting with less context to help them learn?
You read aloud to them. One of the great benefits of reading aloud to students is that they are exposed to vocabulary at maximum frequency–written text, especially difficult text, multiples the number of rare words they hear; it ensures exposure to a much wider range of words, with particular emphasis on rare words that only appear in print.’
Student online safety
As part of our efforts to ensure students are safe when accessing online platforms staff regularly touch on our Acceptable Use of Technologies agreement and teach safe behaviours such as not sharing passwords, being respectful with messages etc. A copy of this agreement is attached
2023_ICT_-_Acceptable_Use_Agreement_EPS_Primary
The eSafety website contains some wonderful resources for parents and staff alike.
The safety guide link below contains information about a number of Apps that many of our students may be exposed to. If you are interested in learning about the latest games, apps and social media – including how to protect your information and report harmful content, this guide might be worth a visit.
https:/ /www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide
To prompt some thinking around this, What do you believe are the recommended minimum age for the following apps, games or social media?
Student Free day – Friday 25 August
Our Student Free day on Friday August 25 focuses on Wellbeing – as part of the DET’s framework for Improving Student outcomes. We will be working with Anthony King who is a School Wide Positive eBehaviour (SWPB) Coach and the focus on this day, and in professional learning for all staff in the lead up to this day, will be on:
- Deepening our knowledge of the Function of behaviour
- identifying strategies that we can reduce the frequency of low-level disruption to learning and ways to reteach the desired replacement behaviours
- Identifying areas outside the classroom where students exhibit unwanted behaviours for recorrection n
- Check in check out templates that can be used to support and monitor students each day.
Anthony will be with us for a staff meeting on August 15 and be presenting with our SWPB team on the student free day.
TeamKids will be running a full day program for any families requiring this service. Please book in with them directly.
Progress Reports
Term 3 Progress reports for your child will be available through Compass in the last week of term. These reports provide a snapshot of your child’s learning progress as well as their effort behaviour and attitude during this term. These are regularly updated by our teachers and are designed to ensure parents and carers have regular and informed updates.
DET Parent Surveys
Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional but we encourage families to participate.
A random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents / caregivers / guardians has been generated to allow participation in this year’s survey.
Key dates in Term 3
- Drop Everything and Read PJ Day – Wednesday 23 of August
- Art Show – Thursday 24 August 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm at school
- Curriculum Day (Student free day) – Friday 25 August
- District Athletics – Friday 8 September
- Performing Arts Incursion– Friday 8 September
- Last Day of Term Friday 20 September. 2:00 pm assembly and dismissal at 2:30 pm
James Whitla
I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this is being read – for most of us – the
Bunurong- members of the eastern Kulin Nations – and pay my respects to elders past present and emerging. I
wish to acknowledge our First Nations people and pay respects to them. I note further that these lands were
never ceded and are, and always will be, Aboriginal Lands.