Meet the Teacher

Thank you to those families who were able attend our Meet the Teacher sessions. I would also like to thank the teaching staff for organising these sessions and spending their mornings reaching out to families.  This home/school partnership is important so that students are known, valued and cared for. If you were unable to attend the Meet the Teacher sessions, you can visit the school website for your child/ren’s stage slide presentation (Learning at our school menu tab).

Bell Times

9:00am – 9:25 am            Morning Duty

9:25am – 12:00pm           Morning Session

12:00pm – 12:50pm        Lunch

12:50pm – 2:00pm           Middle Session

2:00pm – 2:25pm             Recess

2:25pm – 3:30pm             Afternoon Session

Morning Routines

It’s wonderful to see all our students arriving to school happy to start the day ahead with their friends and teachers. As we are heading into Week 7 of the school year, we would like to thank our parents for preparing their students for returning to school. It is tempting to stay around, hoping to see your child go into class happy and excited for the day ahead. However, the long-drawn-out goodbyes can increase anxiety in some of our students and can also be very disruptive to the morning routine for our teachers.

It would be appreciated if all parents/carers could move from the playground area as soon as dropping your child/ren. This will reduce the congestion in the playground and enable students to have access to increased play area. It will also enable students to reduce the anxiety they experience because of the separation.

Children should arrive at school in the mornings between 9:00am and the start of school at 9.25am, unless they are booked into music tutorials or PSSA training schedules. We ask that if your child/ren are attending music tutorials before school, that they are not unsupervised in the school grounds before 9am. Duty of care for students by school staff does not begin until 9am.

Aussie of the Month

The Aussie of the Month primary school civics and citizenship recognition program is delivered under the auspices of the Australia Day Council's National Network, which also delivers the Australian of the Year Awards. The successful recipient of the award will be recognised at the K-6 assembly each month as well as in the school newsletter. We hope to begin this initiative during Term 1.

Our focus, through this program is to encourage and recognise students for their contribution to community through a demonstration of Australian values as outlined in the Values for Australian Schooling and Curriculum framework. These are values outside of academic application, instead about active contribution to school, community and peer groups.

The values that are recognised with the Aussie of the Month program are:

Fair go – not just in how we apply ourselves but also providing opportunity for all

Mateship - generosity of spirit and compassion for those in need

Respect – of self, others, of our community and the environment

Inclusion – Celebrating difference, and the rights and freedoms we are all entitled to

Students are nominated, selected and recognised each month at school assemblies by the school. If your child is successful at achieving the Aussie of the Month recognition you will be invited to the recognition assembly.

February Aussie of the Month – Rostislav P (5/6P) for supporting a non-English speaking Kindergarten student in their transition to the school.

School Bytes- Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent-Teacher interviews will take place in Week 11 this term. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet with teachers to ask specific questions about their child’s learning needs. The booking of Parent-Teacher interviews will be done using the School Bytes Parent Portal. Further information will be provided to you around accessing the School Bytes Parent Portal closer to the date.

Please remember that school staff are available to meet with you throughout the term so feel free to contact your child’s class teacher at any time to make an appointment. Appointments can be made by speaking with the teacher directly, via email or through the school office.

Third-party Online Consent

The department takes the privacy and security of student and parent information seriously. Third-party applications are those created by external software developers and not those developed in-house by the department. Online applications are those that store data information in the cloud.

All new families were provided with a third-party online parental consent note, at Meet the teacher, that will explain the following information about the third-party applications our school uses:

1. The purpose of the application
2. The student or parent information that you’ll be sharing
3. In which country the application stores that information
4. Who else can access that data and for what purpose.

On receiving this consent note, please read through carefully and return to your class teacher or the admin office by the end of this term. If you were unable to attend the Meet the teacher and have not received a third-party consent note, please come and collect a copy from the admin office or contact the school via email.

Coffee Catch-up

In 2023 I started an informal coffee catch-up with parents/carers and am looking forward to continuing this in 2025. This is an opportunity for me to meet parents/carers and discuss things about the school, how schools operate, work being done within the school, curriculum needs etc. It is not a time to discuss individual students, teachers or classes. I would like to have my first coffee catch-up this term on Thursday 13 March at 9:30am to 10:15am, which I will be addressing the EHPS school website. Please save the date and if you will be attending, I ask you to sign in at the front office and they will direct you to the teacher staffroom.

Attendance

Term 1 Year Group Attendance Summary:

Term 1 Weekly Year Group Attendance Summary:

If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school, like when they are unwell. Medical appointments should take place outside school hours where possible, and family holidays should be taken in term breaks.

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or to me directly. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the NSW Department of Education website.

Unexplained absences - In the event that your child has repeated or ongoing unexplained absences, we will continue to try to contact you about each absence to provide appropriate support for you and your family.

Consistently going to school has countless benefits – from learning, to creating social connections and improving wellbeing through access to support and quality education. I understand that regular attendance can present challenges, but please know that our school staff and I are here to support you and your family.

Healthy School Canteen

Congratulations to the P&C Canteen Committee, Nancy & Naomi on once again being acknowledged for their healthy canteen acknowledgement. We are very pleased to be able to offer students at EHPS with healthy food choices for their lunch and recess breaks.

Mrs Nicole Henderson

Principal

Student Parliament: Student Voice

Congratulations to our newly elected Class Representatives from Years 2-6. They have attended their first student Parliament meeting last Tuesday and will be working hard with their ministers in leading school and student decision making and supporting student-driven initiatives in 2025. The class representatives will be presented their badges at K-6 Assembly in Week 7.  Below is the 2025 Student Parliament Flowchart.

We would also like to welcome our teacher mentors, Miss Simpson for Sport and Rec, Mr Diep for Media and Tech, Mrs Galati (Parliament Coordinator) for Sustainability and Environment and Ms Prothero (Parliament Coordinator) for Wellbeing and Safety.

Backflips Against Bullying

On Thursday, 27 February, students in Years K-2 and Years 3-6 attended our incursion called Backflips Against Bullying. Staff and students enthusiastically participated in the energetic performance that thoroughly reinforced: resilience, Cyber-Bullying, physical, verbal and social harassment, consequences of our actions, and that acknowledging our mistakes leads to change. The key message is treat others the way you want to be treated. Mr Di Mauro was very resilient!

Interrelate's Tricky Talks - Formerly Family Evening Session

Stephanie McKell, Senior Educator at Interrelate, presented engaging and informative sessions; Session 1: Where did I come from? (Years 3 & 4) and Session 2: Preparing for Puberty (Years 5 & 6)

The face-to-face sessions successfully provided opportunities for parents and children to discuss various aspects of sexuality and puberty in an informal way. These sessions greatly set the foundations for further facilitation of communication between parents and their children and encourages young people to take their questions, problems and concerns to their parents.

The excellent attendance reflected the importance of the partnership of parents in education. Thank you!

Stewart House Donation Drive

In Term 1,Week 8,  Student Parliament Wellbeing and Safety Ministers will be distributing Donation Drive envelopes to the eldest child in each family. Your support is needed to ensure the longevity of our unique residential program.

Stewart House is the NSW Department of Education’s Charity of Choice. Since 1931, nearly a century, Stewart House has been a beacon of hope and healing for public school children in need across NSW and the ACT. Each year, 1,600 children facing difficult times stay at this beachside haven for a 12-day program focused on health, wellbeing, and fun—all at no cost to their families. Funded entirely by donations and school fundraising, the program provides everything from dental and vision checks to confidence-building activities, ensuring children receive the care and support they need to reset and thrive. Stewart House’s vision is to inspire children to see beyond their present circumstances and embrace real hope and aspirations for a brighter future.

Show your support for children in need and enter for a chance to win a $4,000 travel voucher! The draw will take place in Term 2 on Friday, 23 May 2025. Online payments are encouraged, and families can scan the QR code( below)  on the envelope to pay, record the receipt number, and return the envelope to the school office to enter the draw!

 Please read the full terms and conditions for the draw and contact our office if you require further assistance.

DART Learning Virtual Excursion: Visit us at our house (Stage 3)

Students in Stage 3 joined Queensland schools to participate in a fun and interactive program via ZOOM, where they learnt about the Westminster system and how democracy developed in Australia, as well as how the Parliament of NSW works and how laws are made.

This program is based on the History K–10 NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship.
Years 5/6 students explored:

• the development of democracy in the early colony of NSW 
  • the Westminster based bicameral system and the function of the Chambers
• the levels of government
• how laws are made
• the current state Member and their role in the NSW Parliament
• the role of the Serjeant-at-Arms and the Usher of the Black Rod

DART Learning for Teachers/Parents/Students

What is Dart Learning? https://youtu.be/rXQfKyLX1UE

DART Learning, bringing the world to your classroom

Ryde Schools' Performing Arts Festival Look to The Sky Art Competition

In 2025, the Ryde Schools' Performing Arts Festival committee would like to give students from participating schools the opportunity to submit artwork that may be used in promotion materials for this year's Look to The Sky festival.

Each school may submit 1 artwork that will be considered for use in the festival for one or more of the following purposes. 

1. Student artwork for Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival

In 2025 interested schools will have the opportunity to submit student artwork for the festival. Festival artwork will convey the theme for this year’s concert, Look to The Sky, and will be used in a variety of ways. 

Festival artwork may be used for:

• Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival 2025 logo
• Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival 2025 t-shirt
• Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival 2025 program
• Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival 2025 Google Site
• Sydney Opera House ticketing website for the Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival 2025
• Sydney Opera House What’s On landing page link to Ryde Schools’ Performing Arts Festival 2025

Please submit your artworks to Ms Prothero.

Parents Guide - Respectful Relationships

From early childhood, children begin to form their understanding of empathy, communication, and the importance of healthy, positive relationships. This guide supports parents in nurturing these essential skills at home, using age-appropriate books and practical discussion points. Drawing from the federal Respectful Relationships initiative, which empowers schools and communities to foster equality, respect, and resilience, this resource offers a curated selection of literature and activities designed to help your child build meaningful connections.

Whether you're reading together at home or discussing themes throughout daily life, the books and strategies here will help strengthen your child’s understanding of respect, responsibility, and kindness. Each book is paired with guiding questions to spark thoughtful discussions and help your child reflect on important values such as empathy, conflict resolution, and understanding others. These questions are designed to encourage meaningful conversations that support the development of emotional intelligence, communication skills, and positive social behaviour.

Access the Parents Guide: Respectful Relationships  here https://www.canva.com/design/DAGew74yV3o/tC3uxfuCMkOJAQpSI433gQ/view?utm_content=DAGew74yV3o&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h245126abc6

OR

Download a PDF version DOWNLOAD PDF

Year 6 Easter Raffle

COMING SOON!

Drawn in Week 11

We are halfway through the term already! Students have settled into new classes, school routines and are enthusiastically participating in all their diverse and engaging learning and activities! 5 weeks to go!

K-2 Awards

3-6 Awards

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We are always short on help at the beginning of the year as we lose volunteers whose children have moved on to high school.

Canteen has sent out a volunteers flyer, please take the time to look at the one attached and if you can spare one day a week, fortnight, month or term, we would love to see you. It's a great way to meet new parents at the school.

We have great coffee and a free morning tea and lunch for all volunteers!

Hope to see you soon.

Nancy Scro

Canteen Manager