Newsletter - Term 3 - Week 8 - 10 September 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

Parent Requests for 2026 Classes - (Closes Friday 17^th  of October @ 5.00pm)

We are now beginning the process of planning class placements for 2026. This is a careful, highly resourced and complex task where we consider each child’s learning and wellbeing needs, friendship requests, teacher input, and many other factors.

If you would like to make a request regarding your child’s class placement, please ensure that it is based on your child’s educational and/or wellbeing needs. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child before submitting any request.

While we will take all information into account, we cannot guarantee that every request can be met. Final decisions rest with the teaching staff and leadership team, and once classes are finalised no changes will be made.

All requests must be emailed directly to Tom Boyle at tom.boyle@education.vic.gov.au by Friday 17 October at 5.00pm. No late submissions will be accepted.

Big Night Out

On Friday 30 August, our school came together for a fantastic evening of celebration and fundraising at the 2025 IEPS Big Night Out. Close to 150 community members joined us, creating a wonderful atmosphere filled with fun, connection, and generosity. The event extended to our online silent auction, which gave even more people the opportunity to participate and support our school.

If you haven't yet collected your winning items, the PTFA has arranged a final collection option: - Friday 12 September from 8.30am - 9.15am in Room 1 (Second-hand uniform Shop).

We are deeply grateful to our many local businesses and community members who kindly donated services and goods for both the live and silent auctions. Their generosity, along with the incredible support of our community, has helped us raise an outstanding $23,000 for our school.

A very special thank you goes to Amanda Lynch and Stephanie Cotsworth for their tireless efforts in organising the evening and coordinating the online auction.

Father’s and Special People’s Morning

On Wednesday 3 September, we were delighted to host our Father’s and Special Person’s Morning. It was heartwarming to see so many fathers, carers, and special people spending time with their children and sharing in the joy of our school community.

A big thank you to TheirCare for providing coffee and delicious bacon and egg rolls, which were enjoyed by all. Thank you also goes to our dedicated staff who worked the BBQ to make sure everyone was well-fed, it was a true team effort. The morning was a wonderful reminder of the important role that fathers and special people play in the lives of our children, and it was fantastic to see our community celebrating together.

Mito Awareness Day

On Friday 5 September, our school community came together to recognise Mito Awareness Day by wearing green and participating in a range of activities designed to raise awareness of Mitochondrial Disease (MITO).

Students contributed a gold coin donation to support Archie’s Embrace, helping us raise over $500 for this important cause. During assembly, we were fortunate to hear from Ros, the mother of Archie, who shared her family’s story. This powerful moment not only raised awareness but also gave our students and community an opportunity to learn more about MITO and the impact it has on families.

We are proud of the generosity and compassion shown by our students and families, and grateful to everyone who contributed to making this day such a meaningful success.

Important Upcoming Reminders

Student and Parent Teacher Conferences
A reminder that Student Teacher Conferences for Years 3–6 and Parent Conferences for Foundation–Year 2 will be held on Thursday 18 September. This will be a pupil-free day. If you require care for your child, TheirCare will be available to provide their services.

End of Term 3
The final day of Term 3 will be Friday 19 September, with an early finish at 2.30 pm. We wish all our students and families a safe and enjoyable holiday break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the start of Term 4 on Monday 6 October.

Thank you.

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

On Thursday the 11^th of September, IEPS recognised R U OK? Day, a national day dedicated to reminding us all about the importance of checking in with others and starting meaningful conversations. The message is simple but powerful: by asking “Are you OK?” we can make a real difference to someone who may be struggling.

Our Stand Up Leaders visited every classroom to speak with students about what the day means and why it matters to look out for each other. Teachers are also continuing these important conversations through follow-up discussions and optional lessons.

R U OK? Day is a reminder that every day is the right day to ask the question, listen to the answer, and offer support. At IEPS, we are proud of the way our students are learning to take care of themselves and one another, both inside and outside the classroom. 💛

This week is National Child Protection Week (7–13 September), and this year’s theme is Shifting Conversation to Action.  

ESafety has developed a range of resources to support families and their children. We encourage all families to visit these websites.

For families: 

•  🎲 Play IT Safe- A collection of play-based online safety activities to help young children learn online safety in a fun and engaging way. 
•  👨‍💻Online boundaries and consent- classroom activities to support students learn about online consent, how to define online boundaries, and how to seek help if needed. 
•  👩🏼‍🤝‍🧑🏽Online friends and strangers– follow the story of student Abigail as she makes a friend online and starts to question their unusual behaviour.  

For parents: 

•  👩‍👧‍👦Conversation cards and advice sheet– developed in partnership with the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), these resources help parents and carers discuss online safety with their child. Available in English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Arabic.  

The Expression of Interest has now closed, thank you for the enthusiastic response! Next Term we will share more information on the Music Soiree - October 23, and we will be in touch with students who have expressed their interest in participating.

The Library Book Week bookmark contest concluded on 25 August.  The main criteria for the contest was to create a bookmark with the Book Week theme: Book an Adventure.

Thank you to everyone that submitted an entry. The judges had a hard time choosing.  There were so many amazing entries and only one student could be chosen from each class that submitted entries.  The winning bookmarks are now being used in the library.

Congratulations to the following winners! Sisters Hazel, Frankie and Willow who all won are featured in a photo below!

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

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: 

E-scooter Safety- Please refer to the previous newsletter on 27 August. 

School Crossing Safety- Please refer to the previous newsletter on 27 August. 

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'.