Newsletter - Term 4 - Week 2 - 15 October 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back to Term 4! It’s been wonderful to see our students return with such enthusiasm and focus. Classrooms are buzzing with learning, and students have settled back into routines beautifully. We’re looking forward to a fun-filled and engaging term ahead, full of exciting activities, celebrations, and opportunities for growth as we head towards the end of the school year.

Hats Reminder

A friendly reminder that all students are required to wear a school hat when playing outside during Term 4. If a student does not have a hat, they will be asked to stay in a designated shaded area, either the deck near the library or the Year 6 classroom deck or join one of our indoor lunchtime clubs.

Thank you for your support in helping us promote sun safety for all students.

Dyslexia Awareness Day

On Thursday 30th October, we will be recognising Dyslexia Awareness Day at Ivanhoe East Primary School. This day is an opportunity for our school community to come together to celebrate the diverse ways that students learn and to build understanding and awareness of dyslexia.

To show our support, we invite all students to wear something red on the day — red is the colour that represents dyslexia awareness. Throughout the day, students will take part in a range of activities designed to build awareness of different learning needs, promote inclusion, and celebrate the strengths and creativity of all learners.

By learning together, we continue to foster a school culture where every student feels understood, supported, and empowered to achieve their best.

Celebrating Our Stand Up Leaders!

This year our Stand Up Leaders have made a remarkable impact across our school, helping build a culture of kindness, respect, and confidence among students. Through The Stand Up Project, our Year 6 leaders have been peer educators, teaching younger students how to recognise and respond to bullying and be true “Upstanders” in our community.

Program Highlights and Results

• 100% of students said they are more likely to be an Upstander because of the program.
• 94% learned something new about bullying and poor behaviour.
• 91% said they are more likely to recognise when a friend needs help.
• 96% believe this program will help make our school an amazing place to be.

These powerful results show how our leaders are fostering a safer and more connected school culture through empathy, problem-solving, and positive action.

Student Feedback

The feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive:

“I love that they teach us many ways to solve a problem.”
“It stops bullying from happening.”
“The leaders make the world a better place.”
“It’s catchy – I remember the 4Ds easily to solve problems.”

Younger students shared that they now feel more comfortable, confident, and supported thanks to our Stand Up Leaders, who are being recognised as role models in the playground and beyond.

A special thank you to Adrienne Poser for leading this initiative and to our incredible Stand Up Leaders for their energy, courage, and leadership in making Ivanhoe East Primary a safe and inclusive school for everyone.

Thank you.

Tom Boyle,
Principal

A heartfelt thank you from all the staff and students of IEPS to our cleaning team for their daily contribution to our school. Thanks for all your hard work, we appreciate everything you do.

A reminder for all interested in volunteering requirements as we begin Term 4.

• Provide a valid Working With Children Check, OR provide your renewed VIT and Photo ID,
• Update your WWC "organisation" details to include us as an organisation you are volunteering at: Working with children check - Update details:

Ivanhoe East Primary School, 35 Warncliffe Road, Ivanhoe East, VIC, 3079

Forward confirmation screenshot of the updated listing to the school: east.ps@education.vic.gov.au as reference, while we wait for your official organisation listing letter to arrive.

• Sign in at the office to get your Visitor Lanyard
• Carry your WWCC card while volunteering
  

If you only provide us with a WWC card this is not enough to meet requirements, and you will not be able to volunteer your services at the school.

There was a short Soiree meeting this Wednesday, 15 October, at recess in the Music Room for all students performing. The meeting allowed us to check that performers are organised and ready for Thursday, 23 October, go over the logistics of the event and to ask any questions they had.

We will have a final meeting for Student performers next week on the performance day (Thursday lunch) to make sure we are all prepared. This meeting will be in the PA Room.

Sunday 26 October is Grandparents Day in Australia. To celebrate this special occasion, we are inviting all grandparents and special older carers to join us at school on Friday 24 October.

9am - 10.30am: Short assembly to welcome our grandparents and special older carers. Followed by classrooms open for fun games & activities. Students will share special cards/ items they have made.  

This is a wonderful chance for our students to show their grandparents and special older carers a glimpse of school life. We look forward to seeing many families join us for this special day.

The Smile Squad free school dental program is coming to our school

Dear Ivanhoe East families,

The Smile Squad team from Holstep Health are coming to our school next week!

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program. The Dental treatment truck is on-site from 20 October, and the Placement Students are on-site from 13 - 24 October.

This means ALL students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian. A new consent form must be completed every year.

Sign up to Smile Squad using the link below.

We encourage any students and families who have lost property to check the Lost Property Bins to recover any items. This includes Uniform items, Hats, Drink Bottles, Sport Equipment and Lunchboxes. 

Our Lost Property bins are located on the deck opposite our Library. 

We have Lunch Clubs on everyday this term - all students are welcome! 

On Friday 31 October, Ivanhoe East Primary School will be hosting The Great Book Swap in support of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Students are invited to bring along a book they have loved and are ready to pass on, then swap it for a new story to enjoy. Each class will have an allocated time to visit the Middle School Gym, explore the book tables, and make their swap.

Our PAG Representatives will begin collecting donated books from Week 2, leading up to the event as part of a special leadership project.

Every donation helps the Indigenous Literacy Foundation provide culturally relevant books and learning resources to children in remote Indigenous communities, supporting literacy, storytelling, and connection to culture.

If your child would like to join in the Book Swap, please make a donation by scanning the QR code or visiting the Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s website and selecting Ivanhoe East Primary School from the Donate link.

Let’s swap, share, donate and spread the joy of reading!

As the year draws to a close, we’re excited to celebrate our amazing Year 6 students and their seven wonderful years at Ivanhoe East Primary School!

Graduation Ceremony – Wednesday 17 December
Families of Year 6 students are invited to join us in the Gym from 1:00pm–3:00pm for our Year 6 Graduation Ceremony — a special afternoon reflecting on our students’ achievements and memories.

Graduation Disco – Wednesday 17 December (evening)
That evening, students will return for their Graduation Disco, a fun celebration to mark the end of their primary school years!

Excursion – Thursday 18 December
Our Year 5 and 6 students will head off to their end-of-year excursion — always a highlight and a fantastic way to finish the year together.

Lap of Honour – Friday 19 December
On the last day of school, our Year 6 students will take part in a Lap of Honour, running through the farewell banner on the oval. Everyone is welcome to come along and cheer them on as they say goodbye to IEPS and prepare for high school.

Please join us in congratulating our Graduating Class of 2025 on their achievements, friendships, and contributions to our school community.

The last weeks of Term 3 were a busy time for athletics, with both the District Athletics (Monday 1 September) and the Division Athletics (Friday 12 September) taking place at Meadowglen Athletics Track.

The weather was great to us on both days – sunshine at District and just a touch of rain at Division – but nothing could dampen the spirits of our students. Across both events, IEPS competitors showed fantastic effort, resilience, and pride in representing the school.

At Division, our school was represented by a talented group of athletes who gave their all in their events:

All of our competitors for their outstanding achievements, sportsmanship, and determination. Thank you also to the families and supporters who came along to cheer!

We now wish the very best to the students who have qualified for Region Athletics on Wednesday 15 October. Stay tuned for updates on how they go at the next level – we can’t wait to see what they achieve!

Assembly & Fortnightly Bulletin Update

In 2025, we will continue to alternate between onsite and online assemblies, however given the amount of work that is required to create a YouTube episode, these will only be showcased twice per term in weeks 4 and 8. 

Each year level will host at least one onsite assembly, share their learning and present the Student of the Fortnight and green card awards and announce house points. 

Assemblies will be held onsite in the school gym at 9am on alternate Friday mornings.

Please refer to the schedule below: 

Balance of SSB after June - Please refer to the previous newsletter on 14 May or the home page of the website where it is a 'featured article'.