CALENDAR DATES

Term 4 21

st November Hands on Science – Yr 1 Incursion

26th

November Yrs 1 - 6 2015 Orientation Day 26

th November Nat Theatre for children Science Inc

26th

November Oxfam Concert – Box Hill 29

th November State Election – Cake Stall EHPS

3rd

December Christian R.E. Service – 9.30 - Hall 4

th December Prep 2015 - Orientation Day

4th

December Year 3 Excursion – Art Gallery 4

th December School Council Meeting

9th

December Year 6 at 2015 Secondary School 19

th December Last day School – 1.30 p.m. finish

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

School Council News – Reviewer’s Report At the November School Council meeting last week, we tabled the ‘Peer Review Report’ that was written as part of our recently completed School Review process. The Department of Education appointed Reviewer, Tony Ross from Monash University was the author of the report. However, it reflects the discussions held on our Review Day which took place on October 28

th.

The report summarises the findings of the

Review Panel that also included Stuart Edwards – Senior Advisor: North East Victorian Region, Jason Walker – Principal Blackburn Lake PS, Sally Kennedy – Principal Wheelers Hill PS, Ina Kuehlich, Joan Scott, Linda Fisher, Carolyn Wilson and Trevor Sharrock – Essex Heights PS Council President

The ‘Peer Review Report’ is available for you to read on the school website, but School Council thought it worthwhile to include some of the comments in Contact this week. The comments reproduced below come from the Executive Summary and acknowledge and celebrate the high quality education on offer at Essex Heights PS. Whilst we know this to be the case, it is pleasing to have this acknowledged and celebrated by other educational leaders.

“Essex Heights Primary School presents as a high performing multi-cultural school. Under the skilled leadership and experienced teaching team, this school continues to go from strength to strength in Student Performance, Student Engagement and Student Wellbeing. This educational institution is a school of first choice for many parents. There is a feeling of dedication and passion pervading the Teaching and Learning environment at the school” ……………………………………………………………………………………………… “Student Performance levels are high. Learning Growth in Literacy and Numeracy are strong based on NAPLAN and the teacher assessments of AusVELS in English and Mathematics. Fewer than 3% of students are registered at being below indicative levels in English and Mathematics. Learning Growth for most students exceeds 12 months annually based on the AusVELS. High Learning Growth levels are evident in most of the NAPLAN data. Performance in English Writing is a little lower” ……………………………………………………………………………………………… “The Student Engagement domain has been effectively conducted throughout the period of the last Strategic Plan. School transitions are comprehensively implemented by a proficient teaching and non-teaching staff” ………………………………………………………………………………………………… “Student Wellbeing is also most positive at this school. The school creed ‘Putting the child in the centre of everything we do’ is apparent in all aspects of school life” ………………………………………………………………………………………………… “In summary, Essex Heights Primary School is a much admired, high achieving school of first choice. This reputation is warranted”

The Report also goes into some detail about our achievements against the Targets and Goals of the Strategic Plan 2010-2014. The second part of the Report identifies possible future directions, goals and targets for our next Strategic Plan which will cover the period 2015 – 2018.

ISSUE 35

20th November,

2014

The recommended future goals include: Student Achievement Goal To maximise student performance across all curriculum areas but specifically higher levels of growth in Literacy and Numeracy years Prep to 6. Student Engagement Goal: To maximise levels of Student Engagement and Connectedness to the school for all students years Prep to 6.

To ensure a seamless student transition program for students from enrolment to exit at all year levels Student Wellbeing Goal: To improve student health, safety and wellbeing in order to maximise student learning experiences. Productivity Goal: To ensure that all school resources are targeted in order to improve overall student learning, teacher effectiveness and community engagement with the school. The broad areas that will likely form our Key Improvement Strategies include:

The planning, teaching and assessment of Literacy with a particular focus on Writing (begun in 2014) Reading and Speaking & Listening;

Developing teacher capacity through an agreed Teaching and Learning Framework and common pedagogy.

Extending student data management to better monitor and track student achievement and wellbeing over time. This will also enable improved reporting to parents.

Reviewing our Student Engagement and Wellbeing Policy with a view to more effectively aligning Essex Heights Values to student Behaviours and Expectations, and building our positive culture and sense of community that is highly valued.

The draft Strategic Plan 2015 – 2018 will be tabled for discussion at School Council in February 2015 and then available on the website.

School Council News – Fete 2015 Another matter of interest from last week’s Council meeting was the endorsement, in principle, of a Fete for 2015. The PFA have been conducting a feasibility study and are confident that a Fete could be organised for late 2015 (possibly November) as a major fundraising and community event. This, of course, will require significant support so I would urge you to stay tuned for the information that will begin to be distributed early in 2015.

Trivia Night – Great Success! Last Saturday night we had just on 100 people gather in the Hall for the ‘Essex Heights Trivia Night’. This was organised by the PFA as a fundraising activity but also as a chance for parents and staff to get together for a fun evening. It certainly achieved both goals as we all had a ball, and raised almost $2000 at the same time.

Particular thanks go again to Andrea Jordan, our resident ‘Trivia Professional’, who organised and hosted the evening.

She put hours of work into the questions and games and her efforts were greatly appreciated by all who attended.

Andrea was also assisted by a great team of parents both on the night and for the setup.

I would like to thank Betty Ciorciari, Caroline Thomas, Andrea Fyfe, Luke Dow,

Stef Wendler-Canning, Martha Kotsifas, Felicity Bolitho and Catriona Corben.

Congratulations to the members of the Carnivore Team (Prep C parents) who won the evening. However, a close fourth was the Staff Table and we are already planning to improve that next year!

Parent Support – ICT Again in this week’s you will find an article supplied by Yr 4 Teacher, Andrew Russell. Andrew has an interest in this area, particularly around cyber safety and I would direct you to the information supplied this week about the app ‘Snapchat’. See you around the school, Andrew Crossett

PARENTS & FRIENDS NEWS Last Saturday the PFA hosted a Trivia night. It was a great night and very successful. A big thank you to Andrea Jordan for organising this event and doing a fantastic job. Looking forward to next year. Election day cake stall/bbq is coming up very soon. Thanks to all who have offered their assistance but more help is needed. If you are available, please fill in the tear off slip attached to CONTACT and return it or email the PFA on ehpspfa@gmail.com. Enjoy your weekend Betty Ciorciari ______________________________________________________________________

BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE (B.A.S.C.)

The program now has an EFTPOS machine so we do not need to fill out those credit slips anymore. It will make payment a whole lot easier. In relation to payments, the program will require all accounts to be finalised by the 27/11/14. If you require care after that date could you please pay in advance or within a day after use.

The Program will be doing cooking next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Before Care. So if you want to come can you please put your name down on the list in the hall.

Aftercare we will also be starting our Christmas activities next week. We have a lot of fun planned so come along and join in the festive spirit.

Thank You Paul Davis, Co-Ordinator

___________________________________________________________________________

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

All our Religious Education classes will finish in the first week of December. Thank you for all your support throughout the year. The children who attend the Christianity classes will be having a combined Prep to Year 6 end of year service in the school hall on Wednesday 3

rd December at 9.30. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Lois Banihashemi R.E. Co-ordinator

FROM THE HEALTH CENTRE

COMPETITION

Dairy Australia is encouraging Aussie kids to vote for whether they prefer dairy at the START or END of the day.

How do you enter:

1. Bring in a washed dairy product lid or package (these act as tokens) NO LARGE MILK CONTAINERS-just lids

2. Place your tokens in either the START or END voting bin outside the Health Centre

PRIZES INCLUDE: A Custom built playground bench seat

A school visit from a Legendairy Farmer to teach us about a day in the life of a

farmer

Delicious dairy products delivered for an all-school morning tea

The competition has been extended and will now

close on Friday 5th December.

Also for anyone interested, it is Antibiotic Awareness Week 2014 this week 17

th -23

rd November..

If you would like further information re this, please go to nps.org.au/schools-join-the-fight where there is a short video called ‘ Preserve the Miracle’ Julie Zuk, First Aid Officer ______________________________________________________________________

EHPS PARENT SURVEY REGARDING PROVISION OF

SWIMMING LESSONS

Over the last 3 years swimming lessons have been offered at Prep, Year 1 and Year 2. The cost has been approximately $110 - $120 per child. Students catch a bus to and from an appropriate venue. Each session takes about 2 hours, including travel time, during the school day. The program runs for 6-8 weeks.

EHPS School Council are currently reviewing the EHPS Swimming Policy and are seeking feedback from parents about the provision of swimming lessons. Your input in answering a short survey would be greatly appreciated. The survey is open until tonight Thursday, 20

th November 2014.

The survey can be completed using the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z5WLQVW ________________________________________________________________________

EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE From 1 January 2015, the government will provide extra financial support directly to Victoria’s neediest schools instead of providing the Education Maintenance Allowance directly to parents.

Parents will not be able to apply for the Education Maintenance Allowance in 2015. The money will be allocated to eligible schools through schools’ core operational funding mechanism, with the neediest schools receiving the most funding. Not all schools will be receiving funding in 2015.

This change to how the money is distributed was required by the funding agreement with Commonwealth government to make sure Victorian schools receive increased funding that will benefit all students and, in particular, those from schools with concentrated disadvantage. The majority of parents who receive the EMA payment have already elected to provide the money directly to their school.

If you have any questions about this change, please speak to your School Principal.

DON’T FORGET – Please report to Front Office to sign the Visitor’s Book and get a Visitor’s

Label before proceeding to the Canteen. FRIDAY 21st November

10.00 a.m. Mina, Lisa Tan

MONDAY 24th November 11.00 a.m.

Stefanie Wendler-Canning, Sharon leong

WEDNESDAY 25th November 10.15 a.m.

Andrea Fyfe, Nicky Edwards Erika Tale

FRIDAY 28th November 10.00 a.m.

Helen Giakoumatos, Mami Kojima, Jing Zhang

ALL SCHOOL POLICIES MAY BE VIEWED ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE

www.essexheightsps.vic.edu.au

HARD COPIES ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

Snapchat

The following information is an edited copy of material from the Governmental

website Cybersmart that can be accessed at: http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Parents/About%20the%20technology/

Snapchat is a mobile photo/video messaging application that allows iPhone and android mobile users

to send a video or a photo with a caption to other Snapchat users. Once a user sends a ‘snap’ it

appears on the phone it was sent to for between 1-10 seconds and then disappears. Users can edit

photos and draw on photos prior to sending them. The app is free to download and use—so it is

popular with kids. If users add snaps to the ‘Your Story’ function their Snapchat ‘friends’ can view

their snaps for 24 hours. Users can decide whether only people they have accepted as Snapchat

‘Friends’ can send them Snaps, or ‘Everyone’. Like Facebook, a ‘friend’ may be somebody who the

user has never met face to face.

Is there an age limit for Snapchat?

Like Facebook, Snapchat states that it is ‘intended for use by people who are 13 years of age or

older, and persons under the age of 13 are prohibited from creating Snapchat accounts’. There is a

version for children under age 13 called Snapkidz which allows children to take photos and draw on

them etc. but does not allow sending of images. If your child is over 13 you should still talk through

the risks of using Snapchat with them.

What are the risks?

Many Snapchat users use the service believing that ‘snaps’ can only been seen for a matter of

seconds, and that the snaps are temporary. Whilst ‘snaps’ can only be seen for a matter of seconds,

users can sometimes use the screenshot function on their device to permanently save and store

images. Other separate ‘add-on’ apps have also been created that hook in to Snapchat to

permanently save ‘snaps’ without the sender knowing. If your child enables ‘Everyone’ to send Snaps

to them there is a risk of them being contacted by individuals with ill intent and of them being

exposed to inappropriate content, so ensure that you check the Settings tab carefully. As with all

social networking, there is a risk of children receiving inappropriate messages, including bullying or

sexual messages. Talk about the risks of posting inappropriatepictures, meeting online friends in

person and what is and isn’t acceptable.

How can I report unwanted contact on Snapchat?

Snapchat offers a function for the reporting of inappropriate content, harassment or ‘another safety

issue’. Snapchat has easy to read Community Guidelines which state what not to snap.

How can my child protect themselves?

Children should restrict people who can send them ‘snaps’ to people they know offline. They can do

this in their settings. Go to Settings > Send Me Snaps > Select ‘My Friends’, then go to Settings > View

My Stories > Select ‘My Friends’ or ‘Custom’ to choose selected ‘Friends’. Caution your child that the

‘snaps’ they send can be captured by phones simply by using a screenshot and that they are not

always temporary. Help your child learn to use screenshots (Search online if you don’t know how to

do this with their phone) so they can capture any inappropriate ‘snaps’. Caution your child about

sharing their Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Instagram details on Snapchat as this can allow personal

information to be accessed. Help your child understand how to report bullying and inappropriate

content. Take the time to look at the Settings with them and read the Support area and Community

Guidelines together. Help them understand appropriate messages and what to do if a friend or

stranger is mean online (save evidence, report them to an adult and Snapchat and delete them

from their ‘Snapchat Friends’)

Election Day Stall The PFA will be holding a cake stall and sausage sizzle on Election Day, Saturday 29th

November, 2014.

We will be sending home cake kits to each family on

Friday 21st November with recipe ideas, instructions,

plates, labels, ribbons, bag ties and bags to each

family. All you need to do is bake a cake, slice,

biscuits, or make good old fashioned toffees,

chocolate crackles or honey joys to sell. If baking is

not your thing, then perhaps grandma or aunty could

help. If you would like extra kits collect some from

the box outside the Assistant Principals’ office or email ehpspfa@gmail.com.

If you are unable to use the your kit, please return it to the box outside the APs office

for someone else to use.

All goods must be registered and priced before sale. Please bring your goods to the

school:

Friday 28th November 9am – 10am or 3pm-4pm to the

Hall

Saturday 29th November 8am - 11am to the stall.

If you are able to help with registration and pricing on Friday

between 3pm-4pm please email, call, or just turn up.

If you are able to help on the stall on Saturday please return

the slip to your class teacher or email ehpspfa@gmail.com.

We need lots of helpers on the day.

For enquiries please contact Morwenna Griffiths (0401 491 051)

THANK YOU.

PFA Election Day Stall reply slip

YES, I can help on the Election Day stall on Saturday 29th November 2014.

Name: Phone:

Email:

Please circle preferred time(s) and indicate if you are flexible about time:

8 – 9am 9 – 10am 10 – 11am 11 – 12pm

12 – 1pm 1 – 2pm 2 – 3pm 3 – 4pm

ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

THE CHRISTIAN SRI

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Warmly Extend An Invitation To

Parents, Family and Friends to their

ANNUAL

CHRISTMAS EVENT

To be held on

Wednesday 3rd December 2014

9:30am to 10:10am

In The School Assembly Hall

Celebrating Christmas

in song, drama and music.

ALL WELCOMED

ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

NOVEMBER 2014

Yr 2 – Cranbourne

Botanic Gardens

Piano & Keyboard

Concert

Prep 2015 Trans 3

Literacy Working

Bee

School council

Book Fair Trivia Night – Hall

Book Fair

Book Fair

Info Eve Prep 2015

Book Fair

Orientation Day for

New students 1 - 6

Nat. Science Incur.

OxFam Concert

Election – Cake

Stall & BBQ

fundraiser

DECEMBER 2014

Christian

R.E.Service Hall

Yr 3 Exc Art Gallery

Prep 2015 Trans 4

School Council

Yr 6 Orientation

Day at Sec. Scl.

Yr 6 Graduation

JANUARY 2015

Staff return to

School

Students Years 1 – 6

commence school

Prep students

commence school

PRODUCTS & SERVICES ADVERTISED IN ‘CONTACT’ ARE PLACED ON A PAID BASIS AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY BEING PROMOTED BY ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL