Well it sure has been an eventful term here at Ivanhoe East with circuits being broken and a seemingly endless stream of different regulations. Let’s just hope that we can settle down into a rhythm next term.

Anyhow what I can report is that since we have been back to onsite learning the students have been brilliant. As mentioned in previous dispatches the words that describe our classrooms are ‘calm and focussed”. These are the optimum conditions for learning and they are the prevailing conditions at IEPS.

We are in the middle of a facilities blitz at present with the roof of the Space Centre getting some serious attention and the junior building getting spruced up.  These works will be scheduled to create minimum disruption to our core business. They are however part and parcel of getting a pleasant and amenable environment.

Excellent Work by our School Council

The policy sub-committee of School Council does an excellent job and over the last couple of months they have revised a welter of policy documents to ensure that they are current and relevant. There are two in particular that I would like to draw everyone’s attention to.

Firstly is our Parent Complaints Policy. This was approved by School Council this term and outlines our approach and processes that will be employed when we address concerns that are raised. There is a fair bit of detail in the document (which is easily accessible off our web-site) however I would like to highlight two segments.

This first paragraph is pretty clear in the way our school approaches the whole feedback concept -

Ivanhoe East Primary School welcomes feedback, both positive and negative, and is committed to continuous improvement. We value open communication with our families and are committed to understanding complaints and addressing them appropriately. We recognise that the complaints process provides an important opportunity for reflection and learning.

The second important part of the parent complaints policy relates to the manner in which the process is conducted

When addressing a complaint, it is expected that all parties will:

• be considerate of each other’s views and respect each other’s role
• be focused on resolution of the complaint, with the interests of the student involved at the centre
• act in good faith and cooperation
• behave with respect and courtesy
• respect the privacy and confidentiality of those involved, as appropriate
• operate within and seek reasonable resolutions that comply with any applicable legislation and Department policy
• recognise that schools and the Department may be subject to legal constraints on their ability to act or disclose information in some circumstances.

This is important because we recognise that it is in the best interests of students for there to be a trusting relationship between families and our school.

The second updated policy is the Bullying Prevention Policy. This is a very extensive document and has information in it covering the following key areas-

• Definitions of Bullying as defined by the Education Council of the Council of Australian Governments
• Examples of the type of Bullying that can occur
• Programs and Strategies that are in place to prevent Bullying such as Respectful Relationships, Smiling Minds , Classroom Circles
• How to raise matters relating to Bullying
• How the School will respond to issues that are raised.

As mentioned previously it is a very extensive document and outlines the processes and procedures that will be implemented. Our staff have had time to develop a clear understanding of all of the information that is contained within the policy.

The aim of these two documents is to establish clear and transparent protocols that help build a consistency of approach.

We need your help

Some unfortunate news. Over recent time we have experienced a couple of vandalism episodes on our school site. Although damage has been minimal, it has incurred a cost and this is money we could have better spent on improving kids learning and environment. Our school does have security cameras and we pass on the images to the police for investigation.

How can you help? It’s quite simple and it’s the advice I have received from Heidelberg Police.

If anyone in our community observes any behaviour that may be illegal on our school site - call 000 directly.

Thanks for your support with this matter.

Finally

I would just like to wish all in the Ivanhoe East community a safe and happy break. We look forward to seeing students back at school on Tuesday July 13^th.

Brett Millott.

brett.millott@education.vic.gov.au