17-Mar-2023
Dear Families
“Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” – Voltaire
What a great week for our Dance Concert! It was amazing to witness our students enjoying today’s Kinnect to Dance Concert and the great energy and excitement this performance created. Over the last 4 -5 weeks our students have been learning to work together in teams, practising their dance moves and supporting each other to shine on the day. It was a great way to help us launch our Performing Arts Program and a huge THANKYOU to Mr. Craig Heywood for organising and promoting this wonderful event.
Easter Market
Preparations are in full swing for this Community event in a fortnight. Donations continue to roll in (THANKYOU) and these will be gratefully accepted right up until Market day. Next week we will also send home Easter raffle ticket. Prizes will include hampers from local businesses and large Easter themed gifts that will take care of your easter shopping . Please keep an eye for these in your child’s bag next week.
There will be a few alterations to our regular schedule to accommodate the set up of our Market on the day.
Information, including students wearing free dress and a change in break times, will be socialised shortly.
June 2 Trivia Night- Save the Date
After the success of last year’s Edi Trivia Night, we are keen to once more run this event in 2023. Once again, we will hold this at the Mordialloc Bowling Club and it will be run by the same team as last year. Tickets will be available in the last week of term and with a capacity of 160 seats, these will sell out quickly. Further information will be available later in the term and if you’re keen to connect with other families, please save the date- June 2.
NAPLAN
This week our Year 3 and 5 students commenced their NAPLAN testing.
NAPLAN is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken every year.
We believe that NAPLAN does not measure the worth of an individual, their character, strengths, humour, kindness, attributes, skills and all of the things that make them the person they are. We remain very proud of our students’ efforts and attitude towards their learning – no matter what the results show.
Annual Report
It was a privilege to present our 2022 Annual report to the school community at our School Council meeting on Tuesday evening. There were plenty of successes to share – including data sets for student connection, parent satisfaction and student achievement. The outstanding work undertaken by our students, staff and families throughout 2022 was a key driver in determining these outcomes, and validation of the hard work and commitment of our school community to make Edithvale Primary School the great school that it is today.
A copy of the report can be found on our website using this link.
School Council
On Tuesday at Edithvale Lifesaving Club, we had our AGM and election for the 2023 School Council at our scheduled March meeting. Please see below our 2023 school council members, positions on council and our sub committees.
SCHOOL COUNCIL 2023
PARENT MEMBERS
Lewis Brown, Michael Cummings, Nat Firth, Emma Gierschick, Briony Joy, Laura Moore, Andrew Murray, and Kellie Warwick.
STAFF MEMBERS
Sandy Dovey, Hayley Grindley, James Whitla and Ash Whitnell
SUB COMMITTEES
Our Sub committee members are listed below. If you’d like to get involved to help these teams achieve great things, please let us know here at school. Were always on the look out for community members with ideas for school and social events as well as developing our amenities and working on our master plan.
A brief description of each Sub committee’s roles is provided below and members of each team listed here are very keen to hear from you if you want to join them to keep making our school a great school.
| POSITION | ELECTED MEMBER | SUB COMMITTEE | COMMITTEE MEMBERS – |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Nat Firth | Finance | Andrew, Nat, James, Kellie |
| Vice President | Andrew Murray | Buildings and Grounds | Laura, James, Bri |
| Treasurer | Andrew Murray | Community Engagement | Emma, Hayley, Michael |
| Minute Sec | Hayley Grindley | EPS Families | Sandy, Lewis Ash W, Andrew |
| Correspondence Sec | Ashleigh Whitnell |
Community engagement is encouraged through involvement in School Council subcommittees or working parties.
Working on a subcommittee can provide an introduction into the work of council and that of the school. Community ideas and views can be incorporated into recommendations that are taken by the subcommittee to council.
The membership, purpose, and terms of reference of subcommittees are determined by the School Council.Members of a subcommittee may be school council and non-school council members. Subcommittees must have at least three members, including at least one school council member
Finance and Planning: The Finance and Planning subcommittee provides financial oversight for Edithvale Primary School through the review of its finance reports, budgets, income, and expenditure. For 2023, given the strategic importance of securing government funding for building upgrades, this subcommittee will also carry added responsibility for renewing the school’s Master Plan. This subcommittee will be convened by the elected Treasurer for 2023.
It is a legal requirement that school councils ensure that funds coming into the school council are being effectively use and authorised. School council helps develop the school’s program (non-staff) budget that shows how the school will allocate its resources to implement the key improvement strategies in the School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan. Council is responsible for how the school raises funds, over and above the funding provided by the government.
EPS Families: This subcommittee will be focused on developing stronger, more connected relationships between Edithvale Primary School and our student families – including parents/carers and students. Examples of initiatives supported by this subcommittee include: Mother’s/Father’s Day stalls, Cultural awareness and inclusivity, Social events (Trivia night, school/class BBQs, Foundation family meet ‘n’ greet), internal school fundraising drives (Baker’s delight, mangoes etc). All fundraising activities must be approved by the School Council
Community Engagement: This subcommittee is focused on building Edithvale Primary School’s profile and relationship with the external community. Examples of initiatives supported by this subcommittee are: Marketing (Social media, communications, advertising), Sponsorship, Community Events (Easter Market), Bunnings & Election BBQs
Buildings and Grounds: Maintaining and uplifting school facilities, including gardens and playgrounds – ensuring functionality and safety compliance, along with increasing general aesthetic appearance. This subcommittee will plan, schedule and coordinate any Working Bees required throughout the year. This sub committee and Council is responsible for general oversight of the school buildings and grounds and ensuring that they are kept in good order and condition.
Each subcommittee’s role is to design and develop plans that enables EPS to achieve its goals and seek support from the school community to implement initiatives where needed. Subcommittees are led by a school council representative, who is responsible for convening meetings, completing and tabling council reports and seeking approval from school council for any proposed initiatives.
The School Council remains independent of the Subcommittees – its role is to provide efficient governance of the school and ensure that Subcommittees are aligned to the goals and interests of the school.
Supporting sleep health – advice from DET
While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.
Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds and half of 16- to 17-year-olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.
Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:
- low mood and irritability during social interactions
- reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
- falling asleep during the day
- difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
- changes to communicating or interacting at home.
You can help your child to improve their sleep by:
- establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
- supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
- encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
- encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.
If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length sleep, they should see a doctor.
For more information on sleep health, you can refer to: · Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation · Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline’s · Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel.
Student leaders
Our 2023 student leaders have been busy identifying a few fundraisers and awareness days to promote causes close to our community. In the interests of planning out the year and giving families plenty of time to consider these events, our student leaders have locked in the following Free Dress/ Theme Days and Giving Events for 2023. Our leaders are eager to have your support to help them continue to make a positive difference to our broader community.
| Date | Event Name | Supporting | How we Support | Giving Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, March 21 | Lots of Socks Day | Down Syndrome Victoria | wearing crazy socks | Gold Coin Donation |
| Friday, May 26 | Wear It Yellow (Friday before Reconciliation Week) | Children’s Ground | Wearing a splash of Yellow | Gold Coin Donation and promoting the optional giving page. |
| Friday, June 9 | Edithvale Big Freeze | Fight MND | Hosting a Big Freeze Event | – Gold Coin Donation Free Dress Day -Fundraising Page -Cash Donations -Selling Beanies and Socks via QKR |
| Term 3 Whole Launch Friday, August 4 |
Homeless Awareness Term | Chelsea Church of Christ Kitchen Pantry Program | Food Drive Smith Family Cup Cakes RoughIt@Home |
Donating Non Perishable food and hygiene goods. Purchasing Cupcakes Getting sponsors to sleep rough for the night at home. |
| Wednesday, August 23 | DESR-PJ Day | Story Dogs | Free Dress Day Wearing PJ’s to school for the Day and having a Drop Everything and Read Session | Gold Coin Donation |
| Tuesday, November 14 | World Diabetes Day | TBC | Free Dress Wearing Blue. | Gold Coin Donation |
| November 25th- End of year | Oz Child Giving Tree | OZ Child Frankston | Giving gift under the giving tree until Christmas Concert. | Donation of toys and gifts. |
Term 2 Calendar
A calendar of events is on our school website. Please note that the first day of Term 2 for our
students is Wednesday, April 26.
Term 2 Calendar 2023 (as of 16/3/2023)
Key dates in Term 1
- March 15 -27 NAPLAN (Years 3 and 5)
- Friday – 24th of March Inter School Sport Lightning Premiership Friday – Year 5 and 6
- Friday 31 March Easter Market 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm
- Thursday 6 April – Final assembly at 2:00pm with an early dismissal at 2:30 pm
Student Free days
- Monday April 24
- Friday August 25
- Monday November 6
- Wednesday December 20
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.