Newsletter - Term 1 - Week 8 - 19 March 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Ivanhoe East Community,

Parent Teacher Interviews are now open for bookings!

Teachers are available to conduct Parent Teacher interviews on Tuesday 1st April & Wednesday 2nd April between 8.00am - 8.30am and 3.50pm - 5.20pm.

Parents and students are expected to attend the meetings. However, interviews are optional for Prep to Year 2 students.

You have the option of attending either in person or online.

Please go to the Compass portal where you can make bookings by clicking the 'Book Parent Teacher Interviews' button available next to your child's photo on your Compass homepage, or by clicking the Dashboard Alert at the top of your Newsfeed.

On a separate note, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the staff at IEPS, recognizing each one of you for your unwavering dedication and hard work. 

Thank you.

Ben Phillips,
Acting Principal

Ensuring Safe and Timely Student Pickups

To ensure a smooth and safe pickup process, we ask that all students know their pickup arrangements before the start of the school day. This helps avoid confusion in the afternoon and ensures that every child knows where they need to be and who is collecting them. Recently, staff have been dedicating significant time and resources to locating students who are uncertain about their arrangements, leading to situations where:

• Students have taken themselves home or gone with other families without the knowledge of their designated guardian.
• Some students have been left waiting or we have been trying to locate, requiring staff to remain on-site well beyond their working hours.

To ensure student safety and streamline the process, please note the following:

• If your child has not been collected by 3:45 pm, they will be taken to the front office for supervision.
• If they remain uncollected by 4:00 pm, and they are registered in OSHC club, they will be taken to join that day’s program.

We strongly encourage all families to register their child with OSHC club as an extra precaution. Unexpected situations can arise, and having your child registered ensures they have a safe place to go if you are unable to collect them by 3:30 pm on a given day.

Additionally, if your child is booked into OSHC club but you decide to collect them from school instead, please inform OSHC Club to avoid unnecessary searches for students who have already been picked up.

If OSHC club is a service your family may require, you can register via the link below.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe and ensuring a smooth pickup process.

Respectful use of the toilets at IEPS

To ensure a safe, respectful, and hygienic environment for all students, we kindly request your cooperation in reinforcing the importance of respectful toilet use at school. Please take the time to have a discussion and encourage your child to treat school toilets with care and respect, leaving them clean and in full working order for everyone to use.

Here's a breakdown of what we'd like to see:

• Cleanliness: Students should be encouraged to clean up after themselves, including flushing toilets and using hand soap, paper towels and toilet paper appropriately. 
• Respect for Others: We need to ensure that students are respectful of others and avoid any behaviour that could be disruptive or unsafe, such as vandalism or inappropriate language. 
• Reporting Issues: If your child notices any issues with the toilets (e.g., broken fixtures, cleanliness concerns), please encourage them to report it to a teacher or staff member. 

Unfortunately we are having to highlight this issue as we are experiencing an unprecedented amount of vandalism in our school toilets this year, particularly in the Junior boys and girls toilets. Fixing these issues on a weekly basis is becoming extremely costly for the school and we are seeking your assistance to help prevent these issues in future.

NAPLAN 2025

We would like to extend our congratulations to our Year 3 and 5 students for completing the NAPLAN assessments! With the exception of a few catch-up sessions, the testing period has now concluded.

We are incredibly proud of each and every student for their effort, focus, and resilience throughout the assessments. A special thank you to our classroom teachers for their dedication in facilitating the testing days, ensuring a calm and supportive environment for all students.

We also sincerely appreciate the support of our parents and families in preparing their children for NAPLAN. Your encouragement plays a vital role in helping students feel confident and ready. NAPLAN results will be available later in the year. Hard copies will be provided to families, and results will also be uploaded to your child’s Compass account.

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

Alex Silvestro

Acting Assistant Principal

Announcement: Student Leadership Positions

Dear Parents & Carers of Senior School Students,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to inform you that after a thorough election process, in which students voted for their peers, we are pleased to announce the successful candidates for our student leadership positions for 2025. The election process was supported by the Senior School Teachers, Specialist Team, and the School Leadership Team, who guided students in preparing and delivering their speeches and facilitated the voting process to ensure fairness, inclusivity and student voice. 

House Captain, Vice House Captain, Specialist Captain and Peer Advisory Group (PAG) Representative roles were determined through student elections and voting, which took place during house and class meetings held this week. Teachers played an active role in supporting all students throughout the process, guiding them in writing and delivering their speeches with confidence. Additionally, teachers facilitated and conducted the voting process, ensuring that all students had the opportunity to have their voices heard in selecting their leaders.

We would like to congratulate all students who applied and presented speeches for these positions. It takes courage and dedication to put oneself forward for such roles, and we are incredibly proud of each and every student who participated in the process. Their commitment to leadership and willingness to contribute to our school community are truly commendable.

We invite you to the onsite assembly on Friday the 14th of March where the successful candidates will be presented with their 2025 leadership badges. 

Once again, congratulations to all students who applied and presented speeches. Please be reminded that there are many opportunities for our senior students to be an active leader of IEPS, including:

• Being selected to represent IEPS at sporting events
• Year 6 interschool sport/round robins captaincy roles
• Victorian State School Spectacular
• Presenting at onsite assemblies
• Presenting on IEPS News YouTube assemblies
• Year 6 Student Graduation Committee
• Year 6 Graduation Speeches

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the student leadership selection process please do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind Regards, 

The Senior School Teaching Team

Hot Cross Bun Morning Tea – End of Term 1 Celebration! 🐰

To celebrate the end of Term 1, students can enjoy a Baker’s Delight hot cross bun for morning tea on Thursday 3rd April!
Choose from Traditional or Chocolate – a delicious way to wrap up the term! Bookings strictly close Wednesday 27th March.
Order now: https://www.trybooking.com/CZQGD

**This is an parent run event. Please do not contact the school to place late orders or with special requests as we are unable to assist. Bookings strictly close Wednesday 27th March.

Parents Battle of the Bands

Parents Battle of the Bands are happening once again this year on June 26 at the Croxton Bandroom Thornbury.  
Support your school.  Grab a few parent friends, hire a babysitter and make a night of it dancing to 80s and 90s hits you grew up to. 

Check out a preview of last year’s battle and purchase your tickets by clicking on the links below.

Get your tickets early this year.  Many families missed out last year after tickets were sold out 5 weeks in.  
Ticket sales from last year’s battle went towards the purchase of 2 marimbas which our music teachers are happily using with the kids in our school music program.  

School Photos - 25th & 26th March

SchoolPix will be coming to IEPS soon. Please keep an eye out for a hard copy of your order form with your child's unique ordering code which will be coming home sometime this week.

Please contact SchoolPix directly with any order queries you may have.

Sports Update

IEPS Swimming Update

On Friday, February 14, IEPS held its annual swimming trials for students in Years 3 to 6 who were eager to secure a spot on the district team. We had a fantastic turnout, with over 100 students diving in at Richmond Recreation Centre, all demonstrating great effort, determination, and outstanding sportsmanship. It was wonderful to see so many students giving their best and representing the school with pride.

Following the trials, a strong IEPS team competed at the District Swimming Carnival in Northcote on the 24^th of February, delivering exceptional performances. Seventeen students progressed to the Division competition, where they once again showcased their talent and determination. Our swimmers put in a fantastic effort at Division, achieving outstanding results and making our school proud.

A special congratulations to Melanie P, Oliver T, and both the boys' and girls' 11-year-old relay teams, who have now qualified for the Regional Championships on Thursday, March 20. We wish them all the best as they take on the next challenge!

A huge thank you to all the parents and supporters who came along to cheer on our swimmers—it made a real difference on the day. Go IEPS!

IEPS Cross Country – Years 3 to 6

The IEPS Cross Country event is taking place in early Term 2, with our Years 3 to 6 students set to compete at Chelsworth Park on Tuesday, April 29 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Students will race in their respective age groups, with the top 12 boys and girls  in each group progressing to the District Cross Country, which will also be held at Chelsworth Park on Monday, May 12.

For those looking to put in a strong performance, now is a great time to get comfortable with running longer distances. Light jogging, practising steady pacing, and building endurance in PE lessons will all help on the day. For students with an eye on district, 9 and 10 year olds run 2km and 11 and 12 year old students run 3km.

We are also looking for parent volunteers to assist as track markers on the day. A sign-up form will be sent out closer to the date for those able to help. More details, including event logistics and reminders, will be shared in the lead-up to the event.

Looking forward to a fantastic day of participation, effort, and school spirit!

Whole School Tabloid Sports Day – Friday, April 4

We are excited to announce that on Friday, 4th April, the last day of Term 1, Ivanhoe East Primary School will be running a Whole School Tabloid Sports Day! This event is all about fun, teamwork, and getting active, with a range of engaging games designed to build collaboration and enjoyment for all students.

The day will be facilitated by the Educational Sports Carnivals team, who will bring the necessary equipment and activities. Our school staff and student leaders, including House and School Captains, will also be assisting to ensure a fantastic experience for everyone.

The event will be split into two sessions:
Prep  – Year 2: Sessions 1 & 2
Year 3 – Year 6: Sessions 3 & 4

Students are encouraged to wear their house colours on the day to show their team spirit!

A detailed note has been sent out via Compass, so please refer to this for further information.



Second Hand Uniform Shop- Volunteers needed for Term 2

To keep the Second Hand Uniform shop running we need some new volunteers to take over the job in Term 2 

As you are already aware, the Second Hand Uniform shop would not exist without our parent volunteers. We are in need of some new volunteers to take over the running of the Second Hand Uniform shop from the start of Term 2 onwards.

In general, the running of the shop involves sorting the donations and point of sale transactions. It's also a great way to get to know your school community.

Therefore, if you have availability, please contact the school office on 03 9499 2171. (**If you are keen however the day/times do not suit, we would still love to hear from you to see if we can find another option that works).

Unfortunately, if we do not get any volunteers then it is unlikely we will be able to continue to offer this service and all uniforms will need to be purchased directly from PSW.

Student of the fortnight - Week 9

Assembly update

Assembly & Fortnightly Bulletin 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: