Newsletter - Term 2 - Week 4 - 14 May 2025

Curriculum Day

A friendly reminder that Friday 6th of June is a Curriculum Day, where parents and carers will need to arrange care for their child as it is a pupil free day on-site. OSHClub will still be available on this day for parents and carers who require their services. During this day staff will be partaking in a range of professional learning including:

• Using elements of the 6+1 writing traits to continue to improve our Teaching & Learning pedagogical approach to Writing. This includes explicitly teaching the traits of writing, integrating them into planning and genre-based instruction, as well as improving rubrics used for assessment.

• Positive Classroom Management Strategies. These are evidence-informed instructional practices designed to create safer, purposeful learning environments. These practices support student learning and wellbeing through teaching positive behaviours.

• Annual Implementation Plan mid-year monitoring. An AIP outlines how we achieve the goals and key improvement strategies (KIS) from our strategic plan that we are focusing on for improvement throughout the year. This key documentation includes key actions, outcomes and indicators that drive the ‘why’ behind our Teaching & Learning and Wellbeing focuses. We prioritise a collective and collaborative approach to reflection, so all teaching staff are able to provide feedback and reflection related to our whole school priorities and focuses.

Leadership Update: Acting Assistant Principal Appointments

We would like to inform our school community of some upcoming changes to our leadership team for the coming weeks.

Amanda Dwyer and Ben Phillips will be taking approved Long Service Leave during Weeks 5 (Just Mr Phillips), 6 and 7 of this term. During their absence, Alexandra Silvestro and Joanna King will step into Acting Assistant Principal roles to ensure continuity of leadership and support across the school.

Ms Silvestro will be in the Acting Assistant Principal role in line with Mr Phillips portfolio of Teaching & Learning and Ms King will be Acting Assistant Principal in line with Mrs Dwyer’s portfolio of Wellbeing. Both will continue to be onsite and remain closely connected to their classrooms, maintaining strong support for their students while also contributing to school-wide priorities.

We will be covering both grades with experienced teachers who are well known to our community and students. Beth Stewart and Jennie Alagiozidis will cover for Ms Silvestro and Larissa Lamers for Ms King.

As mentioned above Ms Silvestro and Ms King will still be present at school and available to support students, staff, and families from their respective classes. We appreciate your support and understanding during this short period of time.

Thank you.

Tom Boyle,
Principal

As we move through 2025, Ivanhoe East Primary School is proud to share our organisational structure, built to ensure expert leadership, targeted support, and effective communication across our school. Meet the people leading key portfolios and find out who to contact if you need help in a specific area.

Principal – Tom Boyle
Tom oversees school-wide operations, finances, curriculum, wellbeing, and assessment. He also leads community engagement and chairs the School Council Executive.
Contact for high-level school operations, strategic direction, and community partnerships.

Assistant Principals
Ben Phillips
Leads Teaching & Learning, including data, reporting, facilities, OH&S, timetables, events, and staffing logistics.
Contact for curriculum structures, events, or operational planning.
Amanda Dwyer
Leads Student Wellbeing, student support services, NCCD, ES coordination, attendance, policies,
Contact for student wellbeing and services including attendance and school policies.

Learning Specialists
Alex Silvestro – Teaching & Learning
Supports curriculum planning, assessment practices, and staff development.
Contact for teaching strategies and assessment practices.
Joanna King – Engagement & Wellbeing
Leads disability inclusion, inclusive practices, and community tool Seesaw.
Contact for inclusive practices, engagement with School Psychologist or Seesaw family engagement.

AIP Portfolio Leaders

• Literacy – Meg Dickson

Leads school-wide literacy pedagogy and assessment.

• Numeracy – Lucy Foster

Leads maths teaching, assessment, and differentiation.

• Engagement & Wellbeing – Georgia Lay

Leads wellbeing programs including RRRR, Smiling Minds & Zones of Regulation.

Contact the relevant leader for AIP-aligned strategies in literacy, numeracy or wellbeing.

School Psychologist – Zoe Bloore
Supports student wellbeing through group/individual sessions, staff capacity building and community connection.
Contact Jo King who can provide support on student mental health or psychological services that Zoe can offer.

Specialised Whole-School Roles

• Sustainability – Megan Lannen & Larissa Lamers

• Indigenous Perspectives – Beth Stewart & Lucy Foster

• Digital Technologies – Candice Koranias

• Student Leadership – Jessie Wright

• Anaphylaxis – Cosette Pearce

Contact for area-specific programs and initiatives.

Year Level PLC Leaders (Main Contacts)

• Foundation – Madison Brown

• Year 1 – Octavia Pini

• Year 2 – Cosette Pearce

• Year 3 – Candice Koranias

• Year 4 – Connor Thomson

• Year 5 – Ashley Hamilton

• Year 6 – Adrienne Posar

• Specialists – Lauren Fairbairn

PLC Leaders are your go-to for curriculum, wellbeing, and engagement queries at each year level.

We’re proud of our dynamic and distributed leadership team that works together to drive improvement, wellbeing, and engagement for every learner.

2025 Organisational Model

The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus (SSB) – a one-off support of $400 for eligible government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.

The SSB can be used for uniforms and textbooks until Monday 30 June 2025.

Any funds remaining after 30 June 2025, including online voucher amounts that have not been redeemed, will become a credit to use on school activities. However, the credit will not be available on your family account at our school until late July.

To use any remaining SSB funds to cover the cost of school activities in July, please refer to the SSB online system and allocate the funds to school activities before 30 June 2025.

To learn more about the SSB online system, download the step-by-step System guide for parents and carers (DOCX, 945KB) or watch this School Saving Bonus video. System guide translations are also available in 14 languages.

The Department of Education’s SSB contact centre will remain available until 30 June 2025. The contact centre can be reached by:

• completing the School Saving Bonus enquiry form 

• calling 1800 338 663, between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays.

After this date, please contact our administration team for any SSB related questions.

The Smile Squad team look forward to visiting IEPS for a few weeks starting from Tuesday 10th June.

The Holstep Health (formerly known as Banyule Community Health) Smile Squad team are heading back to our school to complete six-monthly fluoride varnish applications for those students who have already had consent provided.

Fluoride varnish applications help make sure students have the best chance of preventing tooth decay, so we’re excited Smile Squad are coming back. 

Consent for this fluoride varnish application was given when students’ initial consent forms were returned. (If you do not recall doing this, please contact Smile Squad directly). However, if anyone has had a change of mind and now do not wish their child to receive a fluoride varnish application, you must contact Holstep Health directly to let them know.

Please contact the Smile Squad team directly via: 9450 2000.

We would like to provide our school community with an update on the Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) tender process currently underway at Ivanhoe East Primary School.
 
At this stage, we are still in the tender process and continuing our careful evaluation of prospective providers. Please be rest assured that throughout this process, our priority remains clear: we are committed to selecting a provider that best aligns with Ivanhoe East Primary School’s values and the needs of our students, families, and wider community. As part of our due diligence, we are also reaching out to other schools currently working with the shortlisted providers to gain further insight into their experiences.
 
We anticipate being in a position to make an announcement in the coming weeks, and we look forward to sharing the outcome with you as soon as a final decision has been made.

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate French Day at IEPS! A special welcome to the foodies or ‘les gourmands’ who are choosing to indulge in a famous French pastry - le croissant! 

French Day (Whole school incursion) will take place on Friday 4 July - this event will be added to Compass in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, students are invited to order a croissant for French Day, which can be done via Trybooking before 4pm on Friday 6 June. (Strictly no orders will be accepted after 4pm on Friday 6 June)

Please refer to Trybooking for order instructions and ingredients lists. 

If you have any further queries please contact Lauren Turner and Mia Gargano directly.

Trybooking Croissant Order link:

https://www.trybooking.com/DBTFH

Trybooking Croissant Order QR Code:

The Stand Up Project (SUP) is a program that IEPS is investing in, aimed at reducing discrimination, harassment, and bullying through promoting student voice, agency and leadership.

Our Year 6 cohort has been working hard for a few moths to familiarise themselves with their message they wanted to spread throughout the IEPS community. From making scripts, scenarios, creating videos, posters and spreading the word, the SUP leaders have done a brilliant job in becoming teachers in the fight against bullying. On Wednesday 30th of April the SUP leaders presented to their students in two different sessions, one for teachers and one for parents.

The SUP leaders taught their students about the Bystander Effect (Darley and Latane 1968), the Four D’s and why students being in charge of their own problem solving is so important.

The SUP leaders will now take their program they have constructed tailored to IEPS community’s needs and teach the students of IEPS during Term 2. Well done SUP leaders we are so proud of the work you’re doing to stand up and make a change!

Learning outcomes for all IEPS students include:

✅Demonstrate an understanding of the drivers of discrimination, harassment and bullying, as well as the history and research behind the ‘bystander effect’. 

✅Analyse and reflect on evidence to guide appropriate Upstander actions.

✅Identify and articulate social justice issues that matter to students and our community.

✅Develop the ability to recognise poor behaviours (e.g. friendship fire, mean on purpose, bullying, etc), assess situations, and determine appropriate responses through games and interactive activities. 

As part of our Year 5 Science Inquiry unit on Earth and Space Sciences, students will embark on an exciting excursion to IMAX this Friday 16th May to watch two engaging 3D films: Extreme Weather and A Beautiful Planet. This immersive experience will enhance students' understanding of natural phenomena, weather patterns, Earth’s systems, and the vastness of the universe.

The excursion will also serve as a springboard for sparking curiosity and inspiring ideas for science projects later in the term.

Back at school, students will continue their learning with discussions and activities to deepen their knowledge of Earth’s systems and space science.

• Extreme Weather explores the powerful forces behind tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires, offering insight into the science of extreme weather events.
• A Beautiful Planet provides a stunning view of Earth from the International Space Station, showcasing how both natural and human activities shape our planet.

This excursion promises to be a valuable and thought-provoking experience for our Year 5 students!

Hands On Science Incursion
Year 4 - Wednesday 21st May

Year 3 - Thursday 22nd May

In this incursion, students will explore the relationships between the Earth, Moon and Sun; including relative sizes and their orbits. Students will model the positions of Earth, Moon and Sun during solar and lunar eclipses to understand how they occur. Through a variety of hands-on activities, students will gain an understanding of gravity, day and night and Earth’s seasons.

Thank you,

Year 3 & 4 Teachers

Our Foundation Students are heading to the Melbourne Zoo next Thursday 22nd May.

Students will engage in an educational program called ‘Wild Explorers’.
Wild Explorers nurtures children’s love and care for all animals. Children will learn about three very special and endangered Australian species that are cared for in Zoo Victoria’s Fighting Extinction breeding program. Set in an engaging outdoor play-space, students will have their senses turned on and their love, connection and curiosity of the natural world celebrated.
Children will learn:

• An increasing knowledge of and respect for natural environments
• A growing appreciation and care for natural environments
• An awareness of the impact of human activity on environments and living things

MUST READ - Dress Code & What to bring:
Students are required to wear their full school uniform as well as bring a small bag (NO school bags) to carry their snack, lunch, and water bottle in. Students must wear comfortable shoes, as we will be walking around all day.

Thank you, 

Meg Dickson
Foundation Classroom Teacher

- Second Hand Uniform shop term 2 opening hours

https://ivanhoeeastps.vic.edu.au/school-uniform

- Thursday 26 June - Parents Battle of the bands - Book tickets below