Days of Acknowledgement

August 22^nd – Daffodil Day

Daffodil Day raises money and awareness for cancer research. Over the years of this fundraising day, over $2.5 Million has been raised to help save those who we love. 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. As many of us have had or love someone who has had to go through this fight, we know how hard of a battle this is. On this day we think of those who have had to fight this disease and remember those who we have lost to it. Your strength of will and positivity is something very hidden that only those closest to you truly understand.

August 25^th – Wear it Purple Day

Wear it Purple Day was established for young people to see and understand that there is a large number of the population that respect, accept and celebrate them for who they are. At IEPS, we are a diverse community. We take pride in creating an environment where everyone is welcome and that our young people feel accepted, acknowledged and confident to be who they are. (Please note: this is not a whole school event for students for this day.)

Hilda Hallinan Staffing Update

Hilda has been studying in the field of counselling for sometime now. Hilda and I sat down earlier this term and discussed her desire to move into the field of counselling mainly for disadvantaged members of the community. As much as I wanted to persuade her to continue her role here at IEPS, I support her in taking the step into a new career direction. She will be sorely missed here at IEPS and she has shared a message below.

I ask that you please refer to your WhatsApp group message for further information.

Dear Ivanhoe East School Community,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter. It has been a privilege to work at Ivanhoe East Primary School over the years. Ivanhoe East is a fantastic school.  I have had the pleasure of supporting children through life's challenges and to witness their development.  I have also enjoyed working with so many dedicated teachers and staff.  Many of you would be aware of my deep committment to mental well-being. I have finished my studies and am now pursuing a new career in counselling and you could say this role has prepared me for this new phase which I am both excited and nervous about. I truly believe I had the best job in the school. I’ve enjoyed supporting the children. Parents have the most important job in the world but that doesn’t make it easy and I wish you all the best with all that comes with parenting. Thank you all for your support over the years. If you see me out in the community, please feel free to say hello; I would love to hear how you are all doing. My last day will be Wednesday the 31st of August and you can guarantee that I will not be wearing mascara!

Warm regards,                                                       
Hilda

P.S. In the past, I have addressed medical issues regardless of my work schedule. Moving forward, please notify the nurse on duty or your child’s teacher via email if any such issues arise.

Update on IEPS School Data

In last week's bulletin you would've noticed a range of data from our Attitudes to School Survey, PIVOT Social & Emotional Wellbeing as well as our Whole School Teacher Judgement achievement & growth data and NAPLAN achievement data. I have provided some further trend data for you as well as our next target focus areas as part of our next Strategic Plan.

Many of our targets require us to maintain our already high results with other targets supporting our continuous improvement through incremental changes as required.

Social & Emotional Wellbeing Data

Attitudes to School Survey: The 2024 results from July this year, show an overall positive trend compared to 2023, with several key areas experiencing significant improvements. Effective Classroom Behaviour (+4%), Stimulated Learning (+5%), Motivations and Interest (+7%), Managing Bullying (+7%), and Teacher Concern (+4%) were among the most improved indicators.

PIVOT Wellbeing: The 2024 results from July this year, show an overall positive trend compared to the results from February this year. Resilience (+5%) and is currently at 84%, Belonging (+4%) and is currently at 84%, Safety (+2%) and is currently at 85%.

Academic

Teacher Judgement Growth Data: Our 2024 results show an overall positive trend over the past 2 years, with all curriculum areas improving with the percentage of students making at or above the expected growth.Reading (+3%) and is currently at 90%, Writing (+5%) and is currently at 92%, Numeracy (+4%) and is currently at 91%.

Our Strategic Plan targets moving forward

Goal 1: Maximise the growth of student outcomes in Learning and Wellbeing

The Review Panel agreed that continuing to improve the learning and wellbeing growth of all students would be a focus for the next strategic plan. It decided that the school would measure the progress of this goal through teacher judgements of learning growth, in NAPLAN and from the feedback from students, staff and parent surveys regarding student wellbeing.

Goal 2: Improve student engagement in learning

The Review Panel agreed that creating opportunities for students to understand and manage their learning would positively impact and enrich student achievement and engagement. It was also agreed that staff build the capabilities of students to recognise the next steps in their learning

We are excited to enter our new Strategic Plan and have a range of Key Improvement Strategies, 7 to be exact, as well as a range of targets and goals set out for the next four years. We will provide a further Review Report with further details around our targets and goals towards the end of the term.

Book Week Reminder: Book Week Character Parade - Thursday 22 August 9am

The Book Week Parade is tomorrow, Thursday 22 August. 

Students will make their way down to the basketball courts with their class after the bell goes so we can begin the parade promptly. We welcome parents to come along to our parade. Unfortunately, the principal class team will be at a principal conference on this day, however, all staff will be present for the parade with their classes.

Reminder - Invitation to participate in the 2024 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey
As you may be aware our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey and is seeking your feedback. The survey, offered by the Department of Education, is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement.

This afternoon we re-sent all parents listed as ‘Parent A’ on Compass an invitation with their unique code to complete the survey via email from Carmel Sitilidis. If you have misplaced this, please reach out and we can resend this invitation to you.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will remain open online until Friday 30 August 2024.

Your opinions are important to us and will contribute to celebrating areas of success and identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. The Department will use the results from the survey for research purposes and to improve outcomes for students.
The survey is being conducted online and only takes 20 minutes to complete. It can be completed on any internet enabled device (desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone) and is compatible with most browsers.
The survey is available in English and 10 other languages: Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. If you require assistance in another language, resources may be available for you. Please reach out to the school if you require assistance in another language.

School Canteen Update: Subway Special Lunch Day on Friday 23 August

The school canteen will be closed on Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd & Monday 26th August.

2025 Enrolments (Important Information)

As per the Department's timeline, enrolments have now closed for 2025. If you are wanting to enrol your child for 2025 please contact Carmel Sitilidis, our Enrolment Coordinator as a matter of urgency so we can discuss with you the options in place.

carmel.sitilidis@education.vic.gov.au

Jemena Electricity Networks - Notice of Cutting/Removal of Trees near Powerlines

Pruning works to trees below and to the side of powerlines within and adjacent to the perimeter of the school will be carried out between 22 August to 7 October. Please ensure your vehicles are kept well clear of these works when they are conducted.

Should you have any queries concerning these works, please contact Zinfra on 1300 434 401.

School Disco - Save the Date

Kelly Sports @ IEPS

Kelly Sports is partnering with Ivanhoe East Primary School and is offering a new multi-sport program from Week 7-10 of this term. 

This will be a Prep to Grade 4 offered program running on Tuesday afternoons from 3.40pm - 4.40pm. Kelly Sports will be using this initiative to see what interest there is at the school before introducing a further 3 programs in Term 4, featuring the possibility of 2x lunchtime activities and adding another afternoon session, as well as keeping their multi sports program.

Benefits for families and the school 

• 40% New Balance voucher for all families that register
• Sibling and Multi program discounts  

More information to come later in Term 3. In the meantime, if the above is of interest to you and your child, we ask that you sign up at your earliest convenience with the first session starting Tuesday week.

Reminder: Exploring Emotions Through Art: A Rainbow of Feelings

During Art lessons, students from all year levels have delved into the fascinating world of emotions through visual art. Our primary goal has been to deepen our understanding of emotions. By creating art that embodies a ‘Rainbow of Feelings’, we aim to cultivate empathy, encourage self-expression and foster stronger connections within our school community.

During the Rainbow of Feelings unit, Year 3 to 6 students explored various pairs of emotions, using them as inspiration for their artistic creations. This has allowed them to authentically express themselves through different art mediums of their choice. Similarly, Prep to Year 2 students focused on facial expressions, body posture, colour, line and texture to create artworks that capture a range of feelings.

We are excited to showcase the series of upcoming art displays throughout the main school building this term. These exhibitions will showcase the diverse spectrum of emotions explored by our students, reflecting self-discovery and creativity.

We welcome our community to celebrate this demonstration of artistic expression and emotional exploration by viewing some of our Rainbow of Feelings displays in our main building breezeway from Week 5 (12th August).

• Week 5 – 7 (12th to 30th August)             Love/Pride & Scared/Worried
• Week 8 - 10 (2nd to 20th September)   Excited/Happy & Angry/Frustrated

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