While we were on holidays recuperating and spending time with those we love, there were some important dates that IEPS would like to acknowledge and celebrate.

Autism Awareness Month

The month of April acknowledges and brings awareness to those diagnosed with Autism. Throughout Week 3, this Term we will bring understanding and awareness of this diagnosis amongst our students and families through the classrooms and school bulletin. Neurodiversity is becoming much more common as society delves into the exploration and understanding of this condition. IEPS celebrates that we all see the world in a different light and encourages these different perspectives to shine.

April 25^th – ANZAC day

Yesterday was ANZAC day, where we took a minute of silence to commemorate and pay our respects to those who have fought and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions. This day marks the anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Troops landing in Gallipoli in 1915. IEPS will be acknowledging this date this coming Friday at our assembly with special guest John Sanderson in attendance.

PTFA Survey

Our PTFA Committee has put together a short survey to help plan activities and fundraising for 2023.

Please complete the survey at your earliest convenience, by clicking the link below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNKGSTxx4lt-ms3rz_24T_tWa41XfcbYgx5QYkiAZHWR1zGA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Easter Egg Guessing Fundraiser

Towards the end of last term, we ran a fundraiser for the Royal Children’s Hospital, Good Friday Appeal. We raised $334.00 dollars and the winner of the guessing competition was Finn.G (5G)

Please come up to the office at a convenient time to collect your prize.

2024 Prep Enrolments

The Department of Education has released the new Prep Enrolment Form for 2024, which is now available on our school website. https://ivanhoeeastps.vic.edu.au/enrolment-enquiries

The state-wide timeline for Prep 2024 enrolments is as follows:

1. Enrolment applications open for Prep 2024 government primary schools on Monday 24 April 2023 (First day of Term 2).
2. Submit an enrolment application for Prep by Friday 28 July 2023.
3. You will be notified of the outcome of your application by Friday 11 August 2023.

If you receive an offer of placement, you should accept the offer by Friday 25 August 2023. 

We have and will continue to offer School Tours on Tuesday & Thursday each week for the entirety of Term 2. As featured below we are also offering Pre-Prep sessions for all prospective 2024 Foundation students at IEPS. If you are interested in your child particiapting please register by clicking on the link below;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxfDlJ3I-8zplUfDAtKq81tupMAE2R29K_Wfp_-D3iG0Cycg/viewform?usp=sf_link

You will also notice there is a prospective 2024 Prep Information Night, that we would encourage you to attend.

IEPS Art Show Fundraising Event – Colour Day on Friday 5^th May

To support our upcoming, IEPS Art Show, the Art Captains are hosting a fundraising event called COLOUR DAY! 

This day is designed to celebrate COLOUR and the way we use colour in our artwork to express ourselves.Students are encouraged to wear lots of colour and to bring a gold coin donation on the day. The money raised from this event will be used to exhibit our student artwork collection at the IEPS Art Show (Thursday, 15^th June from 3:30pm). We thank you in advance for your support and gold coin donations and look forward to seeing the spectrum of colours on the day!

Call-Out for Art Show Volunteers

Ivanhoe Grammar have kindly offered for us to use their large display boards for our Art Show later this term, and we are hoping that some families might be willing and able to help us transport them to and from. If you have access to a van or trailer and would be available to pick up some display boards from Ivanhoe Grammar in Week 5 or 6 of this term and/or return them to Ivanhoe Grammar after our Art Show, please email Lauren Turner or Jennie Alagiozidis (our Art Teachers) using Compass, to volunteer your time and services. Please reference your name, phone number and availabilities.

In addition, if you are available on Friday June 16^th, to help take down the artworks and sort them into piles, please also email Lauren or Jennie, we are very much willing to have some helpers then too.

One of the teachers will be in contact with you to coordinate dates and times. We really appreciate any help you might be able to offer!

Thanks again,

Lauren, Jennie and the Art Captains.

Restorative Approach @ IEPS

We are excited to announce that we will be implementing the Restorative Approach at IEPS. This approach is a way of building positive relationships and resolving conflicts by encouraging empathy, accountability, and understanding among all members of the school community.

At its core, the Restorative Approach focuses on creating a safe and inclusive learning environment where everyone feels heard and respected. By teaching students to understand the impact of their actions on others and to take responsibility for their behaviour, we hope to foster a culture of kindness and mutual respect.

Over the next year, we will be implementing different aspects of a Restorative Approach. Some of these practices are already embedded and the Restorative approach will complement existing practices. Here are some key features of the Restorative Approach that you can expect to see in our school:

• Community Circle: is a regular part of the Restorative Approach where students gather in a circle to discuss topics, share their thoughts and feelings, and build community. Circle time is a great way for students to practice active listening and learn how to communicate effectively.
• Restorative Language: Restorative language involves using words that promote empathy, understanding, and accountability. By using restorative language, students learn how to express their feelings and needs in a respectful and non-judgmental way, and how to listen to and understand the feelings and needs of others.
• Restorative Conferencing: Restorative conferencing is a way of resolving conflicts by bringing together the people involved in a safe and supportive environment. The aim of a restorative conference is to help everyone affected by an incident to understand the harm that has been caused and to work together to find a way forward. This will be formally explored with later in the term.

We believe that the Restorative Approach will be an effective way to promote positive behaviour and relationships among students, and we hope that you will support us in this endeavour. We will continue to share how we are embedding a Restorative Approach throughout the year.

How is this different from our current approach?

The Restorative Approach represents a subtle shift in the way our school community thinks about behaviour management and conflict resolution. In the past, our school may have relied on traditional disciplinary methods such as punishment or exclusionary practices. However, the Restorative Approach takes a more proactive and holistic approach to addressing challenging behaviour and promoting positive relationships.

What makes the Restorative Approach different is its focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships, rather than simply punishing, or blaming individuals for their behaviour. This approach recognizes that conflict is a natural part of human interaction and that when conflicts arise, it provides an opportunity for learning and growth while maintaining student safety at its core. By encouraging open communication, active listening, and empathy, the Restorative Approach creates a safe and supportive environment that fosters positive relationships and community building.

The Restorative Approach is also a new initiative for our school, and it represents a subtle change in the way we approach behaviour management and community building. While it may take time to fully implement and integrate the Restorative Approach into our school's culture, we believe that it will ultimately lead to a more positive and inclusive learning environment for all students.

IEPS Daily Routine

Attached to this week’s bulletin is a resource to support families having meaningful conversations at home. Many students come home at the end of a day and answer ‘what did you do at school today’ with a mono-toned ‘nothing’. The IEPS Daily Routine resource provides questions to help you start the day with a conversation and then unpack your day.

Lunchtime Clubs Start this Term

Infectious Disease

If your child does test positive for COVID-19 and/or any other infectious disease we ask you contact the school via email Ivanhoe.east.ps@education.vic.gov.au and, it is recommended that they isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.

In relation to Covid-19 it is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff:

• If you have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild
• If you are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19
• If you are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.

Rapid Antigen Tests are also available from the front office, please don’t hesitate to come in and collect as needed.

For Your Diaries

Please refer to IEPS Important Dates below for Term 1 and 2 important dates.

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.

Regards,

Term 2 Update

Our new sensory playground has been installed in the junior playground, this will be fully functional by Friday of this week, the junior students are super keen to use this.

School photos are happening this Thursday and Friday. Please go onto the website https://order.schoolpix.com.au/ and get your online order in. The Year 6s will be having their grad and class photos and all sibling photos. We aim to get the whole school photo completed on Thursday as well. This allows the 6s to go to interschool sport on Friday. All other classes will have their photos taken on Friday.

Level 6 transition information has been sent out via email from Lucy Foster, and a hard copy pack will be coming home with your child today. Please read through this information and send back before Friday the 12^th of May.

Assistant Principal

Ben Phillips

It has been a busy start to the year at Ivanhoe East Primary School, with many exciting sporting events taking place.

Term 1 - as always, the focus for Term 1 was Swimming, and we are proud to announce that IEPS had an excellent swimming squad that performed exceptionally well at District, Division and Region levels. Congratulations to all members of the IEPS swim team, with a special mention to Caitlin.F, Taj.W, and Indi.W for advancing to Region Level.

In addition, congratulations to all the Year 6's that competed at the girls AFL tournament and IDSSA soccer tournament. All teams demonstrated an excellent attitude and work ethic at these events. 

Term 2  - is set to be just as eventful, with the Years 3-6 Cross Country as the highlight of the term. The event is scheduled to take place at Chelsworth Park from 1-3 pm on Monday, May 8th, and we are seeking parent assistance to encourage and cheer on our students running around the track. Please keep an eye out for a Google Form that will be sent out next week, requesting your availability to assist.

Furthermore, Term 2 marks the beginning of our Year 6 Weekly Sport, which will be held every Friday from 11:30 am to 1 pm. We would like to wish all our Year 6 teams the best of luck as they compete against IDSSA schools in Tee ball, Netball, and Football. We look forward to a fantastic term ahead and please check Compass and the Bulletin regularly for further sporting updates. 

IEPS Second Hand Uniforms is located upstairs in the gym!!

Please Note : It is NOT open this Friday 28th April

The Second Hand Uniform shop will be open each Friday morning from 8.30am - 9.15am (45 minutes) for you to purchase any items you might need.

Items are $5 each and payment is strictly card only.

We can also accept any clothing donations at this time - our only ask is that donated uniform items are clean and in good condition (i.e. no tears, holes, animal hair etc!).

As we have been inundated, we are not accepting school bags at the moment.

Please use the stairs next to the entrance to the Hall/Gym.