PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Farewell to 2012

We are at the end of a very successful year, and what a year it has been at Essex Heights Primary School! Stage 2 of the $7.3 million building regeneration project was completed and we have now completely moved into our wonderful new learning spaces. The final element, the Year 5 portable will be installed over the summer break ready for the start of the school year. We look forward to beginning 2013 with this work behind us and the exciting opportunities ahead. I’d like to thank all our School Councillors who contribute positively to the governance of the school and support our drive for continuing high standards of education, and thanks to the Parents & Friends Association who have organised many terrific school events for students and the community, whilst also raising valuable funds for the school. To all those who support us, the staff and students wish to thank you for all your contributions throughout this year which have “added value” to our school. Research shows that children who see their parents up and around the school helping out in some way feel more connected to their school and in many circumstances perform better in their studies. With your assistance, our school continues to be an extremely busy and dynamic learning environment. I’d like to sincerely thank the dedicated and hard working staff who have contributed to the success of Essex Heights Primary School in 2012. Your professionalism, diligence and the high level of care shown to all of our students are all highly valued. Our school continues to thrive as achievement results build, Literacy and Numeracy levels remain positive, sporting prowess is apparent and the visual and performing arts and music feature strongly. Staff, parents and students all contribute to our strong positive culture. In fact, the unprecedented enrolment interest for 2013 is testament to the high regard Essex Heights PS is held in the broader community.

Student Placement for 2013

The placement of students has been an enormous task taking hours of review and reflection. All students were informed of their placement for 2013 today as they visited their new teachers. Wherever possible we have endeavoured to place each student with at least one friend they have nominated. Sometimes of course there are other considerations, however, on balance, we are endeavouring to do what we believe to be in the best interests of all students. I thank my staff for the enormous time spent on this task given a myriad of other competing demands including moving classrooms in some cases, graduation, transition, celebrations, student reports and organisation of events, supplies and materials for 2013.

CALENDAR DATES

20th December Year 6 Big Day Out

21st December School Banking – last day

21st December Last day of Term – 1.30 p.m. dismissal

2013 29th January Staff return to school

31st January Year 1 – 6 children commence school

1st February Prep children commence school

28th March End Term 1, 2013 – 2.30 p.m. finish

TERM DATES FOR 2013

Term 2 15th April –28th June

Term 3 15th July – 20th September

Term 4 7th October – 20th December

ISSUE 40

19th December,

2012

Graduation – Year 6

Last Friday we had an amazing night for our Year 6 Graduation. It was a memorable evening and I congratulate the efforts of our Parent Committee led by Lyn Karayanni and Carolyn Hibbert for their hard work and organisation. Others who played a significant role include Roula Tzevakos, Tracey Hensman, Kat Mullens, Caroline Anderson, Rosemary Martin, Lisa Hocking, Nicki Anderson and Vera Tzambazis. A big thank you also to our Yr 6 teachers Janet McGinn, Anita Kuchta and Andrew Russell for all their work with the students in preparation for the evening. We were all very proud of our Year 6 students and the superb manner in which they conducted themselves. Congratulations!

Student Leadership Positions - 2013

The Yr 5 children have recently nominated and been interviewed for our Student Leadership positions for 2013. I would like to thank all the children who were willing to make themselves available for these important positions in our school. Congratulations to the children who have been selected for these roles. A full list can be found in this week’s Contact and we will acknowledge them at the final Assembly on Friday.

Change to Assembly Time in 2013

We are planning a change to the Assembly time for 2013. In order to maximise the productive learning time for the children we will be able to use the first hour on a Monday morning in classrooms. This will enable teachers to begin the week with a strong curriculum focus and have the children engaged in learning activities from 9.00 am. In order to achieve this, we plan to hold the Assembly at 2:30 p.m. on a Monday afternoon. Assembly will be conducted in the same fashion as it has always been, the difference being it will take place in the last hour of the day, not the first.

Educational Contributions - 2013 At this stage we have not distributed information for 2013 about Educational Contributions. As reported previously in Contact, School Council has decided to make some increases to these fees for 2013. Charges for 2013 will be: Educational Contribution of $300 per student (including $10 for Mathletics) Grounds Maintenance of $30 per family ICT Support of $30 per family Contribution to School Nurse of $30 per family These funds are critical to the support of our educational provision at Essex Heights. More information will be provided during the first week of February 2013.

Holiday Security Over the last few years we have seen an increase in the level of after hours community use of our school grounds. In most instances, the members of the community who use our school do so with regard to the values we place on our grounds and facilities. Occasionally this does not happen. In the past I have been delighted to find that our neighbours have contacted 000 and /or the Department of Emergency Management on 9589 6266 to report any issues. If you are in and around the school over the vacation please continue this practice. It strengthens our community and makes it safer for all our students and their families.

Holiday Program - 2103

Our School Council has reviewed and endorsed the program for the 14th

– 30th

January inclusive. The children will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities and I thank Paul Davis for his enthusiasm and organisation in making this program available. Those attending will have the opportunity for both days held at the school and days to other venues associated with bowling and the cinema. If you rely on this service I would encourage you to enrol promptly, as such program are increasingly sought and there are strict limits on total enrolment numbers.

Proposed Stopwork – February 14th

Given there has been no resolution of the ongoing dispute between the Baillieu Government and the AEU, it appears that the industrial unrest experienced this year is set to continue into 2013. Therefore, I wish to advise parents that there is a whole day ‘stopwork’ scheduled for Thursday, February 14

th. Of course, we are hopeful that there may be a

resolution of this issue in the New Year, allowing us to return to a more settled industrial climate.

Recent Events in the USA

In light of the recent tragic events in the USA, children sometimes have questions that can be difficult and challenging for parents to answer. In this Contact I have included a resource sheet from psychologist Michael Gross that provides some guidelines which may prove helpful.

Reminder - School Finish – 1.30pm – Friday 21st December

Please be aware that consistent with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and the direction of our School Council, school will finish on Friday 21

st December at 1.30pm. We will of course have After School Care

commencing from this time. As is traditional, we will have a final assembly at 12:45pm. This will be conducted in the school hall. We warmly welcome our parents and community members to attend to join this celebration. School will resume for our students in Year 1 – 6 on Thursday 31

st of January 2013. Our Prep students will commence on

Friday 1st

February. Wishing you a safe and happy summer break. See you in 2013, Andrew Crossett

Active Travel News

Despite some inclement weather an enthusiastic group of bicycle and scooter riders gathered on Friday morning for the Grand Opening of the Bike Shelter. After a speech from Mr. Crossett the ribbon was cut and the riders received a snack or drink. There was a prize draw at Assembly on Monday for the students who have handed in completed Riding Records this year. In addition, the inaugural "Rider of the Year" award was presented to Paige as the Rider who had handed in the most completed Riding Records for 2012. Thank you to the students who have assisted with the clipping of Riding Records this year and to the PFA for providing the snacks and drinks for our Ride to School days. Well done to all the active travellers who have chosen to improve their health and fitness by riding or walking to school during the year. Linda Cornell and Morwenna Griffiths.

RIDER OF THE YEAR &

OFFICIAL OPENING BIKE SHELTER

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR 2013

School Captains

Abbey F.

Riley J.

School Vice

Captains

Danica D.

Alex W.

Music Captains

Emma G.

Aloysius C.

Music Vice

Captains

Sean C.

Danielle M.

Library Captains

Thomas S.

George P.

Library Vice

Captains

Susan R.

Kenneth D.

Environment

Captains

Joshua G. H.

Andrew L.

Environment Vice

Captains

Peter T.

Natasha G.

Art Captains

Danushka W.

Charlotte R. Y.

Art Vice Captains

Tasveena N.

Boyd Captains

Ryan B.

Seungho H.

Boyd Vice

Captains

Maxine S.

Jordan R.

Drysdale Captains

Amelia K.

William P.

Drysdale Vice

Captains

Zac H.

Mark R. G.

Lindsay Captains

Vinuthi W.

Kate H.

Lindsay Vice

Captains

Georgina Q.

Nolan Captains

Daniel S.

Georgia W.

Nolan Vice

Captains

Sithija P.

BASC There are still a number of families that have not settled their Before and After Care accounts. Can you please do this by Thursday 20/12/12 6.00pm. Remember enrolments are being taken for the January Vacation Care Program. Places are limited so do not delay. On the 21/12/12 the Aftercare program will operate from 1.30 -6.00pm.Finally I would like to thank Mr. Andrew Crossett , Mrs. Joan Scott, Ms. Ina Kuehlich, Mrs. Barb McCain, The Essex Heights Primary School Council, The Essex Heights Before and After School Care Committee, all the program educators, the school staff and the Essex Heights community for their continued and unwavering support for the program.

You are a wonderful community. Thank you. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

PARENTS & FRIENDS ‘NEWS’ Thanks to Morwenna Griffiths for organising our last second hand uniform stall and to Linda, Kylie, Jenny for their help. What a year, I can't believe we have reached the end of 2012. This year has been a fantastic year of fundraising. A big thank you to all PFA members and parents who have worked hard and have dedicated their time to our school. I look forward to seeing you all next year. Merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year to you all. Enjoy your holidays Betty Ciorciari

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART NEWS The year 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s participated in the Jump Off last Monday and Tuesday. The students displayed all their skipping skills whilst having lots of fun, getting fit and raising money for the National Heart Foundation. Thank you to the school community for their kind donations. Thank you to the students and teachers for their support and enthusiasm with the Jump Rope for Heart Program.A big thank you to the many parents, students and friends for their assistance in setting up and preparing the snacks for the students during the Jump Off: Belinda Mitchell, Katy Smith, Sonia Mattingley, Joanne O’Mara, Martha Kotsifas, Lauren Beechey, Kate McClive, Jing Zhang, Linda Cornell, Felicity Bolitho, Morwenna Griffiths, Leigh Sherpa, Caroline Thomas, Virginia Prior, Dimple Kaul, Rosy Tang, Sue Zafarella, Nicki Anderson, Meta Mihalidis, Emma Gare, Zoe Karabajakian, Danielle Mattingley, Abbey Fitzpatrick, Danny Ciorciari, Kristen Molloy, Brian Wu, Nick Tzambazis, Inga Griffiths-Hunt, Nicole Bizilis and David Tan. We look forward to Jump Rope for Heart in 2013. Maria Capsalis and Ben Wooster.

G

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Video Ezy - East Burwood

Monash Aquatic & Recreation Centre

Nottinghill

For the generous donations towards the Year 6 Graduation, we thank:

Want to learn an Instrument or continue learning next year? The handbooks and enrolment forms for 2013 will be available on the school website from next Monday, 3rd December. http://www.essexheightsps.vic.edu.au/page/76/Instrumental-Music-Program Year Levels for starting to learn instruments: Year 1 – Piano, Keyboard and Drums Year 2 – Violin, Viola, Cello Year 3 – Guitar, Flute, Clarinet Year 4 – Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone and Double Bass Year 5 & 6 – Any of the above

SCHOOL BANKING School banking is still happening every Friday including the last Friday of the term and we would like to thank all participants for their ongoing support. We are hoping to raise $1500 for the school by the end of the year through the school banking program. Every banking child should have received their account overview from the Bank in the last few weeks. On the account you will have seen that your child either received a standard interest rate of 0.01%pa or a bonus interest of 4.76%pa. Please be aware that your child needs to make at least one deposit every calendar month and no withdrawals to be eligible for the bonus rate. Since there is a huge difference between the interest rates it is well worth making sure you deposit at least once a month to take advantage of the higher rate. We look forward to process your deposits for the rest of the term.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY WATERING Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help out with the watering over the holidays. We have now covered all the dates required and will be in touch. with Thanks & Appreciation, EHPS Grounds Committee Happy & Safe Holidays,

PRODUCTS & SERVICES ADVERTISED IN ‘CONTACT’ ARE ON A PAID BASIS AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY BEING

PROMOTED BY ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Press Release:

26th November 2012 Saturday morning 3 year old kindergarten session in 2013

Our timetable for 2013 has changed in response to the implementation of the State and Federal Governments’ “Universal

Access to 15 hours of 4 year-old preschool” We are offering sessional kindergarten with child and family-friendly hours.The staff

and the Advisory Committee are committed to continuing to provide two groups of 3 year old kindergarten at St Luke’s

because of the significant benefits to children and families. Our quality 3 year old program, where children learn through play

in a program tailored to each child’s needs, allows for the early detection of issues that can be corrected prior to the child

commencing school and enables children and their families to flourish in a fun, supported and loving environment. We

believe that many preschools are reducing the number of 3-year-old groups offered and therefore we anticipate a strong

demand for 3-year-old preschool.

Dads on deck for Fruit Duty!

We are offering a 3-year-old group on Saturday morning. This will provide an opportunity for Dads to participate in their child’s

kindergarten experience. Doing fruit duty, getting to know their child’s friends, our very large angora rabbits in their new

“palace” and really enjoying the opportunity see their child grow and develop.

Vacancies still exist in our 3 year old program.

For queries, contact either of the Enrolment Officers (4-year-old Leanne Boucher 9807 3328 or 3-year-old Belinda Hannemann 98074324) or myself

Helen Haysom, Chair, Advisory Committee

Phone: 9807 4590

St. Luke’s Pre-School 94 Essex Rd, Mount Waverley, 3149

P.O. Box 2088, Mount Waverley, 3149

Email: st.lukes.uniting.kin@kindergarten.vic.gov.au

Telephone 9807 9710. Fax 9807 9760