School Council Update - Term 3

From the President – Andrew Murray

The School Council set itself some ambitious goals for the term. It probably felt a little bit chaotic for families with the sheer volume of activity and communication. We’re already looking towards next year to make that experience more cohesive for everyone. A special thanks to our class representatives who have helped keep everyone informed of what we need to know and when.

Our sub-committees have been working hard to deliver the school a number of events and improvements which you’ll hear more about in this report. Thanks to our sub-committees for their hard-work and planning, but also to our school community for getting behind and supporting these plans – whether that was through volunteering, donating or simply attending. Fundraising efforts from this term will go towards much needed upgrades around the school.

We had over 50 volunteers contribute their time over Term 3, which not only lightened the workload, but also created a great atmosphere at all of our events. I’d encourage all families to find one event throughout the year to get involved with. It’s not only a rewarding experience and a great way to meet other families in the school, but most importantly, it all goes towards improving the quality of learning experiences we can offer our students.

Congratulations to our students and teachers in particular, who continue to meet a high standard as reflected in performance indicators comparative to similar and network schools. Have a happy and safe holiday break.

From the Principal – Hayley Grindley

Assessment and Reporting
Our Assessment and Reporting team is working on a modified report for students who have additional learning needs to better support providing families with a more accurate assessment of their child’s progress.

Literacy
Our whole school is currently engaged in a Writing cycle of inquiry during cohort PLCs (Professional Learning Communities)

• Foundation – Letter formation
• Year 1 – Narrative introduction (character and setting)
• Year 2 – Fluidity of paragraphs
• Year 3 – Compound and complex sentences
• Year 4 – Writing moderation
• Year 5 and 6 – Single paragraph outlines

Numeracy
Our Numeracy team is working with one of our regional Educational Improvement Leaders to focus on our scope and sequence of teaching and learning across the school and establishing our Guaranteed and Viable Mathematics Curriculum.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports
Our SWPBS team has been looking at our Student Attitudes to School Survey data (Yr 4 – 6) and discussing supports that we have in place and potential focus areas.

The team has spent a lot of time working on improving consistency within classrooms and out in the yard so that we can foster positive behaviours across all year levels.

Buildings & Grounds – convenor Briony Joy

 

We held our first Working Bee since Covid this term. Thank you to the 30 adult volunteers plus EPS students and siblings who came along to contribute to improving our school grounds.

The following tasks were completed:

• Rubbish removal, weeding, and general garden maintenance in and around the following areas:
  – the school’s veggie garden
  – the quiet play area
  – along French Ave into the Foundation area
  – along Edithvale Rd up to in front of the hall and front of the main building/admin office entrance
• Removal of the old filing cabinet/garden shed in the veggie garden.
• Rubbish removal and tidying of the space between Haig Ave and the Bike Cage
• Rubbish removal and organising of items in the two shipping containers

Upcoming works:

• Toilet block renovation
• Installation of outdoor furniture in between the Art room and Yr 6 portables
• New concrete path at Haigh Ave entrance

Next Working Bee:
Friday 15th November 3.30 – 5.30 pm

TERM 4 WEEK 1

The EPS Families Sub-Committee focuses on developing stronger, more connected relationships between Edithvale Primary School and our student families – including parents/carers and students.

Recent events:

Fathers’/Special Persons’ Day Stall – we had a dedicated group of volunteers for the stall. The students appreciated the opportunity to buy gifts to acknowledge the important people in their lives. The afternoon was spent with our dads and special people enjoying a range of activities on site; thank you to the teachers for their care and organisation.

Trivia Night – We sold 121 tickets for the event held at the Mordi Bowls Clubs. It was a fantastic event with some highly competitive trivia and lots of fun and laughs. We are so grateful for the generous donations that further contributed to funds raised on the night. A big thank you to all in attendance, we raised $2673 to go towards school improvement.

We have some great events in the pipeline for next term and into 2025. We are always looking for interested people from our school community to join any of our subcommittees. Please touch base with the office if you are keen to get involved.

EPS Community – convenor Alysha Murton

The Communities sub- committee purpose is to make connections with the wider community. How EPS is seen in the community and how we communicate our teaching and learning in the community.

Most recently the committee prepared and hosted a Bunnings BBQ at the Keysborough store. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers from across the school that took the time to volunteer on the day.

It was a great event engaging with our local and wider community all while raising funds for the school.
$1523.31 was raised to go towards improvements of the school grounds.

We are looking forward to running future BBQs at Bunnings and at school events. If you have links to any businesses that could donate supplies, please contact the office.