Newsletter - Term 1 - Week 3 - 12 February 2025

Principal's Report

School Council 2025

We would like to announce that the School Council nomination process for 2025 is now complete, and share that our School Council for 2025 will be:

Community Members:

• Michael Vosbergen
• Ryan Murphy
• Amy Crosthwaite
• Peter Lynch
• Kate Perryman
• Adam Zembrzuski
• IEPS Staff x 4

We would like to acknowledge and thank Josh Hunter and Emily Baxter as their current tenure on School Council will expire at the March 2025 - School Council AGM. We would like to thank these members of School Council for their services to our school. They have been a great support, and I appreciate their efforts! 

 Ben Phillips,
Acting Principal

Cyber Safety Incursion & Parent Information Session

We are excited to welcome the Cyber Safety Project to IEPS for an engaging and educational incursion on Wednesday, 19th March. This important event will equip students in Years 1-6 with essential skills to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.  

Throughout the sessions, students will explore:  

🔹 Digital Defenders (Years 1 & 2): Recognising unsafe online situations, understanding emotions, and learning when to S.T.O.P. and seek help.  

🔹 Privacy Protectors (Years 3 & 4): Identifying personal, private, and public information, understanding online risks, and creating strong passwords.  

🔹 Cyber Citizens (Years 5 & 6): Exploring cyberbullying, responsible online behaviour, and protecting personal information.  

In addition to the student sessions, we encourage all parents and guardians to attend the Cyber Safety & Wellbeing Parent Information Session from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM on the Wednesday 19th of March. This interactive workshop will provide insights into:  

✅ The latest gaming and social networking trends  

✅ Parental controls and privacy settings  

✅ How to report cyberbullying and online abuse  

✅ Managing screen time and fostering digital wellbeing at home  

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from leading educators and ensure we are all working together to create a safe and positive digital environment for our students.  

Extreme Heat & IEPS Approach

We recently experienced some hot weather and student safety is always the priority at our school.

To support this the following guidelines are in place to support the health and safety of both students and staff.

• No Hat, No Play policy, students who do not have a hat MUST sit in the shade
• Students are reminded to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and before heading outside
• Students are reminded that they need to monitor themselves and to sit out in the shade if they get too hot
• Students are provided with ample time to apply sunscreen before heading outside to play

If the temperature reaches 35 degrees Celsius outdoor school events including, but not limited to, PE classes, recess and lunch time play, concerts and sporting events will be cancelled or postponed. At 35 degrees or above the students will spend recess and lunch times inside their classrooms. These will be called 'Hot Day' timetables. PE classes will take place inside the gymnasium or Performing Arts room if available.

The temperature will be determined by the Bureau of Meteorology website
Australia's official weather forecasts & weather radar - Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au)

Anaphylaxis & Allergies

In our continuous effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, especially those with anaphylaxis and allergies, we have recently updated our protocols. 

As part of our risk minimization strategy, we are no longer able to accept or share homemade baked goods with classes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with these changes. Below are the guidelines and practices relevant to our parent community to support risk minimization:

Food Sharing and Canteen Purchases

• No Food Sharing: To prevent exposure to allergens, students must not share food.
• Canteen Purchases: Students are not allowed to buy food items from the canteen for others.

Celebrations and Birthdays

To celebrate student birthdays and milestones while ensuring the safety of those with allergies, we have set specific guidelines:

• Permissible Items: Only individually pre-packaged foods or small, inexpensive non-food party favours (e.g., fidget toys) are allowed.
• Distribution: Items for sharing must be given to the class teacher at the start of the day and will be distributed at the end, ensuring controlled exposure.
• Allergy-Safe Alternatives: Students with allergies will select treats from their provided treat box during celebrations. This allows them to participate safely and ensures parental oversight.

By following these guidelines, we can create a safer and more inclusive environment for all our students. Thank you for your cooperation and support in these efforts.

NAPLAN Online 2025 (Year 3 & Year 5)

Dear Parents and Carers of Year 3 and Year 5 Students, 

We are writing to provide you with some information about the upcoming National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Online Testing for 2025. Attached to this email you will find a document that outlines the key pieces of information for parents and carers. We ask that you read through this information carefully in regard to how the testing will be conducted for 2024

The NAPLAN testing window for 2025 is between March 12th and Monday 24th March. Please find below the schedule that shows which tests will be conducted on which days.

If you have any questions in regard to your child’s participation in NAPLAN please speak to your classroom teacher, Ben Phillips or myself.

Kind Regards, 

Alex Silvestro

School Saver Bonus

How to Use Your SSB Funds:

Log in to the SSB Portal: https://www.schoolsavingbonus.vic.gov.au/s/

• You should have received an email last year with login instructions.

Allocate Funds to School Activities:

• The system requires school staff to manually allocate funds, so step 1 is critical.

Send an Email to Confirm Your Allocation:

If you would like to use all or part of your $400 bonus for a specific school event, please email us at 

4386-SSB@schools.vic.edu.au with the following details:

• Student’s Full Name
• Event Name(e.g., Excursion, Camp, Sports Program)
• Dollar Amount to be Allocated

📌 Important: Each event requires a separate email to confirm allocation. A general request will not be accepted.

Additional Information:

• Initially, we expected Compass to introduce a payment feature for this initiative. However, as this is a one-time government initiative, Compass has chosen notto update its platform for this purpose.
• Please ensure you submit your request well in advance of the event to allow us enough time to process the allocation.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Student of the Fortnight!

Assembly Update

In 2025, we will continue to alternate between onsite and online assemblies, however given the amount of work that is required to create a YouTube episode, these will only be showcased twice per term in weeks 4 and 8. 

Each year level will host at least one onsite assembly, share their learning and present the Student of the Fortnight and green card awards and announce house points. 

Assemblies will be held onsite in the school gym at 9am on Friday mornings. Please refer to the schedule below:

Follow Us

A reminder that we now have a community Instagram account, this account is used to connect with our wider community, promote school events, and give an insight into our facilities, incursions, excursions, and all of the wonderful teaching & learning that is happening at IEPS. You can follow our movements by networking with us @ivanhoeeastprimaryschool on Instagram.