15-Sep-2023
Dear Families
Our focus on wellbeing and student engagement this week was a wonderful way to wind up a successful Term 3 at Edithvale Primary. The Proactivity visit, District Athletics, and Footy day created great energy and excitement.
It was fantastic to see students engaging in wellbeing activities on Wednesday afternoon as we aim to build strategies and techniques to assist students to take a lead in their own health and wellbeing. Among the activities some students participated in were yoga, mindfulness colouring, sports training, chess, arts and crafts, card tricks, quizzes, dancing and drumming. These activities were developed, planned and offered by our talented staff who continue to go above and beyond to ensure our students have access to a vast range of opportunities to learn, grow and develop.
This has been another term packed full of experiences and events – all aimed at bringing joy to our school community. Along with this week’s activities, other Term 3 events included:
- Art Show
- Camps
- Athletics carnivals
- Excursions
- Indigenous Dance and Drama visit
Engagement and wellbeing is hugely important and helps to drive and support our students’ learning. The NAPLAN results released earlier this term shone a bright light on our successful learning and teaching practices that use student wellbeing as their starting point.
District athletics carnival
After the awful weather last week, our Athletics team finally had the opportunity to perform at the District athletics carnival. Over 60 students headed off to Ballam Park to compete against other schools in our district and we couldn’t be prouder of our students’ efforts and their respectful behaviours throughout the event, where they could be heard cheering and celebrating the teams’ successes.
There were a few standout performers who qualified for the Divisional Carnival to be held early next term.
Congratulations and good luck to the following students:
Jenna B– Girls 12-13 – 200m Dash and Girls 12-13 Long Jump
Rose W – Girls 9-10 – 1500m Run
Lucy W – Girls 11 – High Jump
Indi R – Girls 12-13 – High Jump
Aura P – Girls 9-10 – Long Jump
Zoe F – Girls 11 – Shot Put
Blake S – Boys 11 – 100m Dash and Boys 11 – 800m Run
Freddie F – Boy 9-10 – High Jump
Thomas M – Boy 12-13 – Discus Throw
Success in Maths Minds Competition
On Wednesday 13th September, four students from Year 5 attended a high-level maths competition at Mentone Girls Grammar. The MathsMinds competition is a unique event designed to provide girls with an opportunity to immerse themselves in high level mathematical activities while collaborating with like-minded peers. We are so pleased to announce they came first out of 12 schools. Mentone Girls Grammar came second with Mordialloc Beach finishing in third. Well done to our successful girls Lucy, Kana, Shara and Jasmine.
This from the organisers of the event as well “Thank you for entering your girls into MathsMinds. Your team did well not only winning the competition, but also being excellent ambassadors for your school with their teamwork, enthusiasm and behaviour”
Thanks also to our Maths Extension leader – Belinda Ahern and our Year 5 teachers in preparing this team for the event.
School Council
Our School Council met again this week. Among the items discussed were:
- Our school’s enrolment plan and likely composition of class structures
Year Leve No. of Students No. of Classes Foundation 75 4 Year 1 80 4 Year 2 75 4 Year 3 90 4 Year 4 72 3 Year 5 75 3 Year 6 48 2 - An Activities Week for our students in week 11 of Term 4 that will kick off with a Christmas Concert at school on Friday 8 December. The plan is in its infancy but we are looking to get external providers for cooking, organising a Fun Day at a swimming pool for our younger students, a Nippers program for our older students, sports sessions and more. All heavily subsidised and a minimal expense for families.
- Child Safety standards are a regular and important talking point at our meetings and this week we looked at our school’s strategies to identify and remove the risks of child abuse. We referenced policies that are on our website – child safety, code of conduct etc and tabled a risk management plan that has been adapted from DET advice and supports
- Our Buildings and Grounds Sub Committee has consulted with our Senior School students to help develop a plan to reinvigorate the space at the back of the oval between the relocatable and the Art Studio. The aim is to create an inviting eating space with benches and seats alongside some new gardens. The team are also wanting to rebuild the gaga pit as soon as possible (in a different space) and are looking at a Working Bee in the middle of October (potentially) to help create a bush tucker garden that will support our Science program
- Our EPS Families Sub Committee are looking to source a few fun sports clinics in Term 4 and have started planning on a social event in Term 1 next year for our new families. The team are creating a calendar of events for next year and this could include a shift in our traditional Market date away from March and closer to Term 4. This will provide the time needed to organise the event alongside volunteers – and hopefully we can avoid the poor weather that we have experienced at our market in the last couple of years
Emergency Evacuation Drills
We have completed 2 Drills in the last few weeks and our students have responded to these very positively. The drills (1 x onsite evacuation and 1 x offsite evacuation) have been invaluable in helping us tighten a few structures, roles and systems to ensure our community is safe in the event of a real emergency. Thank you to all family members, students and staff who have engaged with these drills recently.
Sunsmart
Spring has arrived! With the warmer weather, it is time for students and staff to start wearing their hats and sunscreen at school. Hats should be worn from now through to the 30 April – as per our Sunsmart Policy. All students must wear a sun protective hat that shades their face, neck and ears for all outdoor activities. Baseball or peaked caps and sun visors are not considered a suitable alternative, as they do not protect the ears, cheeks or neck.
Students who are not wearing appropriate protective clothing or hats will be asked to use available areas of shade when outdoors or a suitable area protected from the sun.
In addition to hats, appropriate sun protective uniform/clothing applies on and off-site unless otherwise advised. When students are not required to wear school uniform (such as athletics, free dress day such as footy day). Parents are respectfully reminded to ensure their child wears appropriate sun protective clothing, particularly when UV levels are above 3.
We encourage all students to apply SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen daily whenever UV levels reach 3 and above. Sunscreen should be applied before coming to school (at least 20 minutes before going outdoors) and reapplied every two hours, or more frequently if sweating or swimming.
Students are encouraged to have sunscreen available in their school bags, and Edithvale Primary School supplies SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen for staff and students to use and the location is communicated to all students, so it is readily accessible. Edithvale Primary School has strategies in place to remind students to apply sunscreen before going outdoors [reminder notices, sunscreen stations near entry and exit points of classrooms].
We also have a SunSmart notification on our school website, that allows you to check the UV forecast. It is located at the bottom of the homepage.
Thank you for cooperation in keeping our community and students SunSmart throughout Term 4.
Wellbeing from the Department of Education
Positive mental health and wellbeing is important for your child or teen’s healthy development and learning. It supports them to manage the normal challenges of life. In 2024 schools in our network will receive some funding to support students’ mental health and wellbeing and the information below is included as a taster of things to come.
This from the DET…..
Environments, experiences, relationships and individual characteristics all contribute to mental health and wellbeing.
For children and teens, wellbeing is supported when they:
- feel valued, loved and safe
- have their basic material needs met
- have physical, mental, emotional and social health
- can learn (in and outside the classroom)
- participate in decision-making
- are connected to their community
- have a positive sense of identity and culture.
It can be helpful to think of mental health and mental ill-health as existing along a continuum.
We all move along the continuum as we face challenges and situations that test our capacity to cope and change our mental health. Our mental health can change slowly or quickly.
Most people will experience changes in their mental health at some point during their lifetime. Social, emotional and environmental factors all influence our position along the continuum.
Learn more about the mental health continuum by visiting their website or reviewing the document attached below:
Included within the attachment is a list of evidence-based actions that we as educators take to support mental health of our students and you may find these useful at home over the holiday break.
Key dates Term 4
- Monday 2 October – Term 4 commences. Hats to be worn outside please
- Wednesday 4,14,21,28 October – Indigenous Science Incursions
- Friday 6 October – Year 3 excursion to LUME Connections
- Friday 6 October – Foundation excursion to Moonlit sanctuary
- Monday October 30 – Year 5 Camp
- Wednesday 1 November – Year 6 Camp
- Monday 6 November – STUDENT FREE DAY
- Tuesday 7 November – Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday
- Tuesday 14 November ‘Wear it Blue’ World Diabetes day Free ‘BLUE’ dress day for students
- Tuesday 5 December -Thursday 7 December- Whole school transition for 2024
- Friday 8 December – Christmas Concert at school from 3:45pm
- Monday 11 December – ACTIVITIES WEEK
- Friday 15 December – Class Parties and Colour Fun Run
- Monday 18 December – Year 6 Graduation
- Tuesday 19 December – Students’ last day of the Year – Assembly from 1:30 pm
- Wednesday 20 December – Staff final day of Year – STUDENT FREE DAY
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.