Newsletter - Term 3 - Week 6 - 27 August 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

Amanda Dwyer’s Retirement

After many years of dedicated service to our school, Amanda Dwyer has announced that she will be retiring at the end of Term 3.

Amanda has been a much-loved and highly respected member of our school for many years. Throughout her time at Ivanhoe East, she has worn many hats: Classroom Teacher, Literacy Leader, Wellbeing Coordinator, and most recently, Assistant Principal of Wellbeing & Engagement. In each of these roles, she has dedicated her time and gone above and beyond the role to support the wellbeing and learning of students.

Amanda has supported countless families over the years, providing guidance, care, and encouragement during both the big and small moments of primary school life. She has also been an incredible leader and mentor for staff, modelling compassion, professionalism, and dedication every step of the way.

We know Amanda’s presence, wisdom, and warmth will be deeply missed across our school community, but we are also excited for her as she begins this next chapter in life. We will take time later this year to celebrate Amanda and give her the farewell she so thoroughly deserves, we welcome all families to come and say farewell to Amanda at the final in person assembly on September 12th at 9am in the gym.

On behalf of the entire Ivanhoe East community, we sincerely thank Amanda for her enormous contribution and wish her every happiness in retirement.

With Amanda Dwyer beginning her retirement at the end of Term 3, the school leadership team will be implementing changes to ensure that her responsibilities as Assistant Principal are covered and the school's strategic plan continues to operate efficiently and effectively. To support this transition, both Joanna King (1CK) and Alexandra Silvestro (4S) will be moving into full-time leadership roles outside the classroom from the beginning of Term 4. We are pleased to inform our community that Georgia Wheatley and Alex Attrill will be returning to IEPS to replace Alex Silvestro and Joanna King as classroom teachers.

Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Annual Survey

We value your honest feedback and ask all families to complete this survey at their earliest convenience. We are committed to our continuous improvement cycle based on what our community tells is working well and where things can improve.

The Department of Education’s Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is open Monday 18 August – Friday 19 September 2025. It takes about 20 minutes and can be completed on any device, in English or 10 other languages.

Your feedback makes a difference.

From last year’s survey, we:

• Introduced Seesaw Premium for real-time learning updates and feedback.
• Streamline Communication platforms to enhance accessibility and improve clarity
• Began a 10-week reporting cycle to give more regular progress updates.
• Offered multi-language support on our website and bulletin for greater accessibility

This year’s results will help us celebrate achievements and set our next focus areas for 2026.

Click here to take the survey: School Code: 752190

Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences – Pupil Free Day

We invite you to attend our Parent Teacher interviews to discuss your child's progress throughout the school year as part of our 10-week reporting cycle. 

Staff are available to conduct Parent Teacher interviews on Thursday 18th September. The conferences are 15 minutes each and will run from 11:00am-7.30pm. There is a variance to school day on this day and so it is a pupil free day. (For those who require it, TheirCare will be open for the entirety of the day).

Year 3 to 6 parents and students are expected to attend the meetings. However, student attendance is optional for Prep to Year 2.

You have the option of attending either in person or online. If you select to attend online, once you have chosen a suitable appointment time the classroom teacher will forward you their Webex meeting details. For in person appointments please go to your child's classroom at your confirmed booking time. 

Bookings will go live tomorrow, Thursday 28^th and a compass message will be sent outlining how to book your interview.

Please Note: -

Parent Teacher Interviews have already taken place for 1KC & 2L however these students will not be in attendance on this day. As this is a variance to school day, we will not have the usual resources to support student attendance as the teachers, support staff and school nurse will not be in attendance on this day. If you require care for your child on this day you will be required to book your child into TheirCare for the day.

Term 3 Principal Forum - Wellbeing

Last Friday afternoon, we welcomed our community to the Principal Forum on Wellbeing. The session was highly interactive, with attendees engaging in discussion.

We reflected on IEPS’s wellbeing journey from 2022–2024, highlighting the development of key roles as part of our organisational model, the introduction of Student Wellbeing and Behaviour Support frameworks, and the growth of restorative practices. We also shared the latest AToSS and PIVOT survey results, which showed significant growth in areas such as emotional safety (+18%), teacher–student relationships (+15%), sense of belonging (+14%), and peer relationships (+10%).

The audience then had the opportunity to choose which current initiatives to explore in more detail, leading to discussion on programs such as the Positive Classroom Management Strategies, PIVOT Wellbeing Surveys, Student Support Group Meetings, Tuning Into Kids, School and Multi Tiered Systems of Supports.

We concluded by looking forward to our strategic wellbeing priorities for 2025 and beyond, focusing on strengthening whole-school wellbeing, growing student agency, and refining our support for attendance.

Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive – with 100% of participants indicating they would attend the next forum. Looking ahead, in the final week of this term I will share the Term 3 Principal’s Report, which will build upon what was discussed in the forum, outlining our strategic plan, current outcomes, and direction for wellbeing at IEPS.

Our Term 4 Principal Forum will focus on Teaching & Learning at IEPS, with further details to be shared later this term.

Thank you.

Tom Boyle,
Principal

I’d like to warmly invite all our IEPS dads and/or father figures to join us for a special Father’s Day Breakfast next Wednesday, 3rd September from 8:00 – 8:50am outside the Year 1 classrooms.

Come along and enjoy a bacon & egg roll, with a coffee on us to kickstart your day. ☕

Please RSVP here!

A big thank you to our OSHC partner, TheirCare, for generously providing the breakfast and coffee.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Tom Boyle,
Principal

An evening of laughter, music, and community spirit — all in support of life-changing treatment for a rare genetic disease.

Archie, a bright and brave Grade 4 student at our school, inspires us every day with his courage. This special night is our chance to come together, share in the joy, and make a difference for Archie and children like him.

📅 Date: 04.Oct.25

📍 Venue: The Greenhouse, Welcome to Thornbury 

Let’s fill the room with hope, generosity, and good company.

Tom Boyle,
Principal

We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support around our recent message about the “Italian Brainrot” trend. We are pleased to share that our students responded incredibly well to the discussions held in classrooms.

Across all year levels, students showed a strong understanding of the concerns raised. In our senior classes especially, conversations naturally expanded into broader themes such as:

• The importance of managing screen time.
• Thinking carefully before repeating things seen or heard online.
• Considering the impact that online trends and content may have on others.

These are big, important conversations, and we are so proud of the way our students engaged with them.

As always, we encourage families to continue these discussions at home. Great starting questions might be:

• “Where do you think that content originally came from?”
• “What do you think the impact could be if people repeat that online or in real life?”
• “How much time do you think is healthy to spend on a screen each day?”

For further guidance and resources, we recommend exploring the Cyber Safety Project, who continue to provide us with expert insights into navigating the online world safely and positively.

Thank you again for helping us make Book Week a celebration of stories, creativity, and respectful conversations. Together, we are building students’ capacity to think critically and responsibly about the digital spaces they engage in every day.

At Ivanhoe East Primary School, the safety of our students and community is always a top priority. With more and more e-scooters appearing around Melbourne, it’s important that we all understand the rules to help keep everyone safe.

In Victoria:

• You must be 16 or older to ride an e-scooter.
• Riders must always wear an approved helmet.
• E-scooters must not exceed 20 km/h.
• They can only be used on roads with a 60 km/h or less speed limit, as well as on bike paths and shared-use paths.
• They are not permitted on school grounds or footpaths.

Recently, we have been informed that community members under the age of 16 have been riding e-scooters without helmets on the school oval after hours. This does raise safety and legal concerns. We kindly ask families to have a conversation with their children if they have access to an e-scooter, helping them understand both the rules and the importance of safe behaviour. By working together, we can make sure our children are safe, and our school grounds remain a place for everyone to enjoy.

As kids travel to and from school it’s important for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to be aware and take extra care during these busy times. Your actions on and around school crossings keep our community safe. Look out for posters around our school to help us share the importance of safety at School Crossings with your children.

• Never let children get in or out of your vehicle when stopped waiting at a school crossing.
• Respect School Crossing Supervisors, they’re trained to support children’s safety.
• Never overtake a vehicle stopping or stopped at the crossing.
• Stop at a handheld "Stop" sign display, or if a child or adult is about to cross or is crossing, even if there is no crossing supervisor. Wait until the school crossing is clear of all pedestrians, including supervisors.
• If you’re driving in a school zone, it usually means a school crossing will be nearby. Slow down around school crossings at a speed slow enough to stop safely, if necessary.

Celebrate Footy Day with us for the last day of term 3! 

Dress up in your footy colours to celebrate your team! Don't follow footy? Wear any team colours. All inclusive! We have a great day of footy-themed activities planned: 

• 9am - 11am Activities on the Oval
• 11:30am - 12:15pm Footy parade in team colours on the bottom basketball courts (weather permitting) in gym if raining. Run by School Captains
• 12:40pm – 1:30pm Staff Vs Student game at lunch time on this day

• 2:30pm Early Finish! Last session of day will be from 1:30pm – 2:30pm with an early finish

A reminder we have Lunch Clubs on everyday this term - all students are welcome! 

The Smile Squad free school dental program is coming to our school

Dear Ivanhoe East families,

The Smile Squad team from Holstep Health (formerly known as Banyule Community Health) are coming to our school. Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program.

The Dental treatment truck is on-site from 20 October and the Placement Students are on-site from 13 - 24 October.

This means ALL students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian. Please complete and submit the consent form as soon as you can.

The electronic consent form can be translated into more than 100 languages, and the paper form is currently available in 30 languages. 

Sign up to Smile Squad using the link below.

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 alternate Friday mornings.

Please refer to the schedule below: 

Enrolment & Exits Update 2026 - Please refer to the previous newsletter on 13 August. 

Update: Working with Children Check requirements - Please refer to the previous newsletter on 13 August. 

MS Readathon - Sign up here https://www.msreadathon.org.au/join/ivanhoeeastprimaryschool

Balance of SSB after June - Please refer to the previous newsletter on 14 May or the home page of the website where it is a 'featured article'.