2024 Staffing Profile Update

Kiara Cameron (Music) has been in contact with the school and passed on that she will not be returning to EPS in 2024. Kiara has decided that this year will be her final year and the upcoming Community Night will be her final event at EPS. I would like to thank Kiara for her commitment and passion to teaching at EPS. The students certainly love her music program and the flair and energy she brings. We would like to wish Kiara all the best for the future.

Lyndsey Quinlan has also been successful picking up more work at Cohuna High School for next year. Lyndsey has played a huge role for our students and staff here at EPS during her time and will be missed. However, we appreciate all that she has done, especially commuting such a long distance this year to support our school. We wish Lyndsey all the best for the future.

Congratulations Mr T

A big congratulations to Mr T who was successful in gaining a position at Kennington Primary School for 2024. We wish Mr T all the best for next year.

2024 3-6 Urban Camp

Our Grades Three to Six will head to Melbourne next year for an Urban Camp. The camp will be from Wednesday, June 5^th to Friday, June 7^th. A uEducateUs permission note will be created today, if your child is intending on going, please give permission as soon as possible. We are requesting $100 initial payment be made between today and Friday the 16^th of February, 2024 via the MySchoolConnect app.

Report Writing Day

This Friday is a pupil free day at school for Report Writing Day.

Communication

A reminder to please use appropriate communication channels through uEducateUs and email when queries arise regarding school events. While there are staff on the parents Facebook page, please contact the school via suitable channels.

2024 Prep Orientation

Our Prep orientation program begins this Wednesday from 10-11. Our 2024 Prep-Two teacher, Shaylee Wilton, will be here for all of the orientation days to support our new Preps into EPS.

Community Night

Our Community Night is happening here at EPS on Friday, December 8^th from 6PM. 
A BBQ (Sausages) will be provided by the school on the night. Could families please provide a salad or sweets to share

A-M - Salad

N-Z – Sweets

Please bring your own plates/cutlery and drinks.

Year 6 Graduation

Our Year 6 Graduation is taking place at the Foundry on Wednesday, December 13^th. Beautiful invitations have been sent out about the festivities. Please RSVP by the 23^rd of November.

Bus Role

Please contact the school if you need to update the method in which your child/ren travel home from school. If there are changes on the day, please make sure that you call the school to ensure that we have received the message.

The bus management system has also sent out emails for 2024 bus travel.  Please follow the instructions given in these emails to approve your child's travel for 2024.

Gymnastics

Please ensure that you have given permission for your child/ren to attend our free gymnastics sessions from December 4^th-7^th.

2024 Enrolment Changes

2024 is just around the corner and we are asking families to provide any changes in student enrolment information to the school as soon as possible.

Covid Update

We have had a few school members test positive to Covid recently. We would like to remind families to please keep children home if they are presenting with cold and flu-like symptoms. If students test positive, it is recommended that they stay home for 5 days.

2024 Curriculum Contributions

While the curriculum contributions are voluntary, they play a vital role in our schools’ ability to resource all aspects of our curriculum. Without this funding, we would not be able to source computers, library books, online learning platforms and STEM equipment for our students so a big thank you to all families who have already paid this for 2024.

2024 Booklists

Booklists for next year went home a few weeks ago in a paper format as well as a post in uEducateUs. Please ensure that this is completed as soon as possible. These are due by Dec 8th.

Christmas Giving at Eppalock Primary

Three students are coordinating a Christmas Giving project at Eppalock Primary. Ned Symes, Will Smith and Brax McLeod.

The ‘Christmas Giving Initiative’ involves collecting donations at school for two charities over a 3-week period, in two large cardboard boxes.  The three students will oversee the process, promote it and then deliver the donated items to the organisations in early December, in time for these Organisations to use the donations for Christmas.

The two Charities and the items that they are seeking are described below. If you can help, it would be much appreciated.

Giving / Donating however is NOT essential/required. It’s optional!  If you are not able to give, please do not feel obliged. We recognise that this time of year, especially in the current financial climate, is tough for many families and sometimes it’s not always possible for us to do everything 😊

The Student ‘Giving Project’;

Christmas time and the weeks leading up to it, is often a very tough time for many families. Bendigo is no different and there are many great organisations that work tirelessly to support families, children and schools.   Two organisations have been chosen, both for the terrific support-work that they do AND because there are so many low-cost, basic items that we could potentially source to help them that our school families can contribute to. It’s achievable for us to ‘help’…

TWO big, labelled, donation boxes will be placed along the benches at the front of the school (near the front reception desk) for people to drop things off.  If you are able to donate, it would be gratefully appreciated! We will be collecting items from Monday 20 November through to Friday 8^th December. The students felt that by keeping the donating period ‘earlier’ and away from the Christmas rush, there would hopefully be less burden on school families.  The Student Project team  will then deliver the donated items to the two organisations.

We will advertise the Christmas Giving Project in the school newsletter and on social media to the broader school community. If you are able to share the project as well, donations from the broader community are very welcome!  Thank you families.

Who are the two organisations?  And what can we donate?

Giving opportunity #1    Foodshare

Did you know that around 25,000 people in central Victoria were living below the poverty line based on 2016 census data?  This number has continued to increase every year since as we experienced the pandemic, floods and more recently financial stresses with interest rate rises on the back of everything else.

In the last two and a half years alone, since COVID started, Bendigo Foodshare has had a 40-60% percent increase in demand for food relief each year. That’s almost an extra 5,000 people being fed by Foodshare each year!

Foodshare has also increased food rescue from supermarkets to 7 days a week;  Increased local food supply/donations to 72% of our total food collection; Ran out of warehouse space – using 3 backup short term donated warehouse spaces for food storage and a carpark for food sorting; and more than doubled our workforce. Now around 257 volunteers help to get around 750tonnes of food moved through their warehouse each year – this volume of food is worth ~$5.6million dollars. Literally incredible amounts of food and support.

They support nearly 13,000 vulnerable people each week across Central Victoria through food relief programs in schools, kindergartens and childcare centres, large charities like the Salvation Army and St Vincent DePaul, and small community and church groups.

Foodshare Bendigo is an AMAZING organisation – This year, they’ve been going for 10 years.

In the Bendigo region, they distribute this food FREE through 22 Emergency relief organisations such as Salvation Army.  They work with 34 community organisations that cook and serve meals at no cost to those who are unable to cook for themselves or don't have enough food.  And they work with 58 Schools that each provide breakfasts to up to 40 students (some of these schools also provide cooked lunches or cooking classes).  WOW!

Most often the surplus food that is rescued from supermarkets and shops tends to be perishable food rather than the longer lasting “staple items’ needed for families.  So Foodshare can get fruit/vegetables and other perishables from supermarkets and restaurants/cafes. BUT – what they need from us are the things that they don’t get from supermarkets: more long-life foods:  Pasta, rice, grains, oats & porridge, canned foods ie tomatoes, beans & vegetables, jars of meal bases, boxes of cereals, jams and spreads, flour and sugar, oils, sauces & seasonings and tinned meats. This is what we would be looking for in Box #1 for FoodSHARE. A can from your cupboard. A few cans? A packet of rice? A few packets? Or you can donate a few items, thank you!  And ALSO – Foodshare ‘package’ up boxes of food for families, so they ALSO gratefully accept Christmas food items/treats as well to include in these boxes! Eg. Christmas biscuits/chocolates/Christmas puddings/Christmas Crackers.

The number of people seeking food support rises over the Christmas period, so if families can help out by donating food for those who will need it this Christmas, Foodshare would really appreciate it.

Opportunity #2    Annie North Inc

Annie North Women’s Refuge is a local Bendigo refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence and horrible home situations where they can no longer stay.  Often these women and children have to flee their own homes in the dead of night with nothing but the clothes that they are wearing – a frightening and very sad time for them.  Christmas time is a tough time of year when you don’t have much, you’re frightened, you’ve left your home and you’re trying to rebuild your life.

This year Annie North is in need of;

• (New) Underwear and (new) socks for children
  • Sizes young children 4-5yrs
  • Sizes children 5-12yrs;
  • Sizes young teens 13-15yrs
• Baby wipes for mums with babies/toddlers
• Also, Christmas food items like Christmas puddings, Christmas biscuits and chocolates; and items for their Christmas table eg. Christmas bon bons and Christmas wrapping paper.