Days of Acknowledgement

February 14^th – Valentine’s Day

Today is all about telling those around us we love them. On this day we say thank you to all those around us who show us love. This does not have to be a romantic partner but encompasses friends, siblings, parents, grandparents and all those who light up our lives. Although this day can be acknowledged with gifts or ostentatious displays, this is not a necessity. To all those who celebrate Valentine’s Day, we hope you have a beautiful day, we hope you send love to those around you and receive it in a way that fills your bucket.

February 15^th – Nirvana Day

Parinirvana Day or Nirvana Day is a Buddhist holiday. Although some recognize this date as the 8^th of February, it is most widely recognized on this date. Buddha is said to have completed Nirvana and achieved Parinirvana upon on his death on this date.

February 20^th – World Day of Social Justice

This international day was created by the United Nations as they identified a need to promote social justice. Social justice encompasses balance and fairness amongst all including issues such as race, poverty, human rights and gender. In a world that currently has some very hard and horrible injustices happening, this date acknowledges the necessity of international collaboration. 

School Council 2024

We have received more nominations then positions and therefore will be going to a ballot. Ballot papers along with a short statement from each candidate will be sent out to all families on Friday 16^th of February.

On Friday 16^th of February the oldest or only child of each family will bring home in their school bag ballot papers together with two envelopes. The ballot paper will be accompanied by a candidate statement for each parent nominee. Our nominees for School 2024 are:

Ryan Murphy, Michael Vosbergen, Amy Crosthwaite, Carly Simmance, Chris Bick, Peter Lynch, Kate Perryman, Belinda Ford, Stephen Harty and Bob Wooton.

The elected 5 members will join Emily Baxter, Josh Hunter, Benjamin Phillips, Amanda Dwyer, Alex Silvestro, and myself to form the 2024 School Council.

Please note that there is to be no campaign literature in support of candidates or groups of candidates that will be distributed or posted in the school. No school resources, whether human or material, will be used to support candidates or groups of candidates.

We ask that you read through the candidate statements and then make your decision by completing the ballot paper as described. Please note that if the ballot paper is not completed correctly then your vote is voided. You must mark next to the candidates you wish to cast your vote for. Your vote will be invalid if you vote for more candidates than the number of vacancies to be filled. We ask that you therefore mark next to 5 of the 10 names when casting your vote.

To cast a vote, the voter must:

Deliver, or arrange delivery of, the completed ballot paper to the school between the hours of 8.00am and 4.00pm on any school day up to and including the day fixed for the closure of the ballot, and place the completed ballot paper in a blank envelope, and place the completed ballot paper in a blank envelope in the ballot box provided at the front office of the school

OR

Post the vote by:

placing the completed ballot paper in an envelope; the voter’s name and address printed on the back of this envelope; and posting the envelope to the Principal so as to reach the Principal by 4.00pm on the day of the closure of the ballot.

• Ballot papers will be distributed to all parents/guardians by 16^th of February
• Close of Ballot 23^rd February at 4.00pm
• Count Votes 26^th February
• Declare ballot to the Community 28^th February
• First School Council Meeting 7^th March

School Calendar & Whole School Communication

We have received feedback regarding a platform for where IEPS events are published and can be accessed by our wider community. We have updated the calendar on our website, which is available via our website and this link https://ivanhoeeps.schoolzineplus.com/calendar (we encourage you to bookmark this). This website will be updated termly and if any events come up throughout the term, however we are trying to limit this. The benefit of this calendar is that when you click on the event you can choose the option to sync it to your calendar.

Our LMS system Compass also has a calendar with all the events that require new parental permission and/or payment. These events will be uploaded at least two weeks prior to the event’s start date should the event require new parental permission and/or payment. Please note you will receive notification through Compass when an event is created.

If you believe there are any events missing from our calendars, please don’t hesitate to contact Toni who is part of our administration team via email toni.kearney@education.vic.gov.au

Furthermore please find attached below a graphic which outlines the current communication channels that we use at IEPS. This graphic highlights the type of communication and its frequency and intended purpose and target audience.

Extreme Heat & IEPS Approach

We recently experienced some hot weather and student safety is always the priority at our school.
To support this the following guidelines are in place to support the health and safety of both students and staff.
- No Hat, No Play policy, students who do not have a hat MUST sit in the shade
- Students are reminded to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and before heading outside
- Students are reminded that they need to monitor themselves and to sit out in the shade if they get too hot
- Students are provided with ample time to apply sunscreen before heading outside to play

If the temperature reaches 36.5 degrees Celsius outdoor school events including, but not limited to, PE classes, recess and lunch time play, concerts and sporting events will be cancelled or postponed. At 36.5 degrees or above the students will spend  recess and lunch times inside their classrooms. These will be called 'Hot Day' timetables. PE classes will take place inside the gymnasium.
The temperature will be determined by the Bureau of Meteorology website
Australia's official weather forecasts & weather radar - Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au)

Anaphylaxis and Allergies

In our continuous effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, especially those with anaphylaxis and allergies, we have recently updated our protocols. As part of our risk minimization strategy, we are no longer able to accept or share homemade baked goods with classes. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with these changes. Below are the guidelines and practices relevant to our parent community to support risk minimization:

Food Sharing and Canteen Purchases

- No Food Sharing: To prevent exposure to allergens, students must not share food.

- Canteen Purchases: Students are not allowed to buy food items from the canteen for others.

Celebrations and Birthdays

To celebrate student birthdays and milestones while ensuring the safety of those with allergies, we have set specific guidelines:

- Permissible Items: Only individually pre-packaged foods or small, inexpensive non-food party favours (e.g., fidget toys) are allowed.

- Distribution: Items for sharing must be given to the class teacher at the start of the day and will be distributed at the end, ensuring controlled exposure.

- Allergy-Safe Alternatives: Students with allergies will select treats from their provided treat box during celebrations. This allows them to participate safely and ensures parental oversight.

By following these guidelines, we can create a safer and more inclusive environment for all our students. Thank you for your cooperation and support in these efforts.

IEPS District Swimming Trials (Year 3-6)

Location: Richmond Rec Centre 11-15 Gleadell St, Richmond VIC 3121

Time: The event will begin at 12pm and conclude by 2:15pm (at the latest).

Please note this event is a try out for the District Swimming and in order for students to attend, they must be able to confidently swim 50m in a reasonable time in any given stroke. Communications have gone out to those students that have nominated so far. If you have not received a note and would like your child to try out for the District Swim team, please email Justin on justin.bartlett@education.vic.gov.au

In addition, parent help is always appreciated. If you are attending there will be a request for parent help at the pool. We only require 3-4 helpers. If you would like to commit to helping prior to the event, please email Justin and ensure you have a valid Working with Children Card.

The school focuses on managing expectations, emphasising that the key goals are to try one's best and enjoy the experience. Since only a small percentage of students advance to the district level. The school provides ample teacher support to help students who may feel disappointed or down about not meeting their expectations.

Please see the calendar link below for upcoming sporting events this term. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YuITFKGpY31iumsmso9OoR9bcJ2d5uA_WAK28unqmDI/edit

My School Connect – Error Message on Friday

Thank you once again for your patience and understanding on Friday. We had reports from some parents that they are still seeing the maintenance page when trying to access My School Connect. The issue has now been fixed, but browser/phone cache may be the cause.

We recommend following these steps to clear cache: If on the My School Connect Mobile App: Please Uninstall the App and then Reinstall.

If on a PC or Mac: 
On Chrome

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. At the top right, click More
3. Select Clear browsing data.
4. At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
5. Next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files," check the boxes.
6. Click Clear data.

On Microsoft Edge
Go to Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data and select Ctrl+Shift+Del

You can also type "edge://settings/clearbrowserdata" in your address bar to access this function. Clear your browsing history, cookies, and cached images and files in minutes.

On Safari

1. Go to Settings > Safari.
2. Tap Clear History and Website Data.

Their Support Team is here to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Planet Lulin on ABC Kids

Planet Lulin (all 10 episodes) is available on ABC Me. In this show IEPS’s students Artwork from the 2023 IEPS Art Show is on display. If you are interested in looking for your artwork and supporting a TV show that members of our community were involved in creating, please check it out on ABC iView.

Assembly Update

In 2024, we will continue to alternate between onsite and online assemblies on a fortnightly basis, however there will be some changes to our onsite assembly process. Moving forward, each year level will host an onsite assembly, share their learning, and present the Student of the Fortnight Awards. 

Assemblies will be held onsite in the school gym at 9am on Friday mornings. Please refer to the schedule below:

IEPS Lunchtime Clubs Timetable - 2024

The PAG representatives surveyed Foundation to Year 5's students at the end of the 2023 calendar year and have collated the data to select the top 4 lunchtime clubs voted upon by students. Please find attached below the timetable for Lunchtime Clubs starting Week 3 of Term 1.

Procedure for Collecting Students During School Hours