Hobbies and Clubs

Friday’s assembly got the students very interested and excited for the first round of Hobbies and Clubs! Thanks to the families who have volunteered to come in and teach the students something fun and interesting, it sure looks exciting.

Grounds

We are asking if parents could please remind their children about the work happening around the school. In particular, can families please remind their children to stay away from the temporary fencing and the workers while they are onsite.

Courage/Codes and Crowns- Wellbeing session for students and parents

This is a wonderful opportunity for our school community so if your child is in Grades Three to Six, please sign up for the evening session. If you registered for this event previously, you do not need to re-register. We are aiming to have 100% attendance on the night so please ensure that you capitalise on this opportunity.

The school is paying to have this program run and we would love to have as much as of our community attend this as possible. The date for the parent session is Wednesday the 25^th of February from 6PM.

Dear Mums/Carers and Girls of grades 3-6,

We are so excited to be bringing Courage and Crowns to our school! 

Megan will be here on Wednesday February 25th. She will work with the girls during the school day and spend a special 1.5 hours with Mums and Girls during the evening from 6PM

Megan specialises in teaching young women about self-love and self-worth. She has seen the changes and gifts that learning to love yourself brings. Megan has reminded us that the evening session for Mums (significant females) and daughters is a beautiful connecting space where women feel heard and understood. 

The evening session has its own flavour and builds on the learnings for the girls, you don’t want to miss it! 

A note from Megan:

In my 30 years of well-being, I noticed a pattern for young women and women in general. They just didn't know how to look after themselves, be kind to themselves, and, in turn, be kind and accepting of others. 

Our young women live in a world where comparison, competition, and judgment are rife. It’s not easy for them. 

Courage and Crowns was created to teach young women how to like themselves.

Courage and Crowns was created to connect mums and daughters and help them learn the concepts of self-love in a meaningful way.

It’s a delicious day for the girls. And when the mums and girls come together at night, something special unfolds. 

Please make sure you book your seat and create this time for you and her.

Please ensure your seats are saved for the evening session by RSVP email to Megan on: https://courageandcrowns.com/eppalock-primary-school-crowns

Dads/Carers and boys of grades 3-6,

We are excited to have Courage & Codes coming to our school! 

Matt will be here on Wednesday, February 25th.  He will work with the boys during the school day and spend an important 75 minutes with Dads & boys during the evening from 6PM here at EPS.

Matt specialises in teaching young men about self-respect and self-belief. He looks forward to helping your son bring out his best! 

This event is a special space for men and boys to connect openly and honestly. If you know a young man who doesn’t have a regular father figure in his life, consider inviting him along with you and your son. Likewise, your son is welcome to invite a family friend, uncle, grandfather, or one of his mate’s dads to join him, so he can still share in the support and connection this evening offers.

A note from Matt:

In my years working as a counsellor in the Bendigo Region, I noticed a pattern for young men and men in general. They need the opportunity to be heard and understood. 

Our young men live in a world where comparison, competition, and judgment are rife. It’s not easy for them. 

Courage & CODES was created to teach young men how to respect themselves and in turn respect others around them. 

Courage & CODES was created to connect fathers and sons and help them learn the concepts of self-respect in a meaningful way.

It’s a great day for the boys. And when fathers and sons come together at night, the learning is amplified. 

Please make sure you book your seat and create this time for you and him.

Please save this date in your calendars and rsvp via this link:

https://courageandcrowns.com/eppalock-primary-school-codes

AFL Tipping Competition

We are running our annual footy tipping competition through the AFL tipping interface. Below is the competition code for all those interested in joining. I was away on Long Service Leave last year so I am unsure of who won the tipping, if you happen to know, please get in touch!

Regardless, we look forward to having people involved in the tipping competition for a bit of fun and friendly banter! Go Pies!

Comp Code: GJSP29OA

School Council Positions

This year, there are three positions to be nominated on our wonderful School Council, all of which are parent positions. Once School Council approves the timeline, the dates will be posted in the newsletter. We would encourage family members who are interested to self-nominate when the forms are posted. Each member brings their own valuable life skills and knowledge to the role. However, councillors may need to develop skills and acquire knowledge in areas that are unfamiliar to them. It is important to have an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

 If you are at all interested, please contact Andrew. Nomination forms can be found at the front office with Nikki.

OSHC Adventures

All families should enrol your child into OSHC Adventures as a precautionary measure in case of emergency as staff duty of care finishes at 3:45PM. Students are not able to be accepted into the OSHC Adventures program without relevant paperwork being completed prior to a child attending. OSHC Adventures operates 5 days a week from 3:15 to 6PM. If families are unable to collect children by 3:30, students will be sent to the OHSC program. More information can be found on their website:

https://oshcadventures.com.au/enrol-now

NAPLAN

The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday 11th March 2026 and finishes on Monday 23rd March 2026. Over the coming weeks, students will become familiar with the testing platform and features. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Andrew directly.

P/1- Charlie.W - Charlie has been respectful, showing great listening and trying his best during phonics this week.

2/3/4- Huddy.R -  Huddy has settled into the new class so well and has demonstrated a wealth of knowledge. He has a postive attitude towards learning and taking on higher thinking in class discussion 
 

4/5/6- Jett.A -  Jett has had a great start to the year and has been working really hard to actively and respectfully participate in whole class discussions, putting his hand up and waiting his turn. He is also working hard to complete set learning tasks and seems to really be thriving with the routine and responsibility of being in the senior room. 

                       Watjarang  

                                  Yuliwil    

                                               Bunjil   

Permission Notes
Athletics - uEducateUs - Whole school 
Cross Country - uEducateUs - 3-6 students

Both payments are to be made on My School Connect unless you plan on using SSB or CSEF. 
Please contact Nikki via email if you would like to use SSB or CSEF 



2026 Curriculum Contributions and Voluntry Contributions can be pd via MSC.  Thankyou to those that have already paid.  These contributions help to go towards the cost of implementing the programs the students use every day.   
                           

HATS 

Hats are required in TERM 1 and can be purchased via MSC anytime.  We now also have a larger size hat that can be purchased through the MSC site.  
Hats and Beanies will still be required to buy through MY SCHOOL CONNECT until we have no stock on site then we will have hats and beanies available on the new EDUTHREADS uniform store. 


NEW ONLINE UNIFORM STORE

You can now order the new uniforms through here

 https://eduthreads.com.au/collections/eppalock-primary-school 






 
                                                                     

Hi All,

The kids are well and truly settled in and ready for an exciting final term for 2025!

In wellbeing, the classrooms are diving back into Respectful Relationships, and are focusing on Positive Coping, where students develop language around coping, critically reflect on their coping and strategies and extend their repertoire of positive coping strategies.

While we have moved on from Friendology this term, we will revisit some components throughout the term, and when the need arises. We encourage families to do the same! A great one to know and to talk about is Friendship Fires: those little disagreements that can be normal in a healthy friendship (even as adults!). Grades 2-6 have explored this, and use this language often to talk about conflicts that happen in the yard.

You can read a great blog post about it here:

https://urstrong.com/resource/friendship-fire-or-mean-on-purpose/

There is also a fantastic visual that explains some strategies for Friendship Fires and Mean on Purpose:

Until next time!

Kellie

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