Newsletter - Term 3 - Week 2 - 30 July 2025

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome Back to Term 3 at IEPS

We hope all families had the chance to enjoy a restful and refreshing break over the holidays. It was wonderful to see the sun peeking through during the winter break, providing opportunities to reconnect with family and friends. As we return to school, we’re filled with energy and enthusiasm for the term ahead.
While Term 2 was long and full of meaningful learning experiences, Term 3 is shaping up to be just as exciting — with a rich variety of events and learning opportunities planned for our students and broader community.

We’re especially looking forward to several key highlights, including:
•    The Year 3–6 House Athletics Carnival on Thursday 31st July, where students will demonstrate their teamwork, determination, and school spirit.
•    Our Book Week Parade on Thursday 21st August, a cherished tradition celebrating the joy of reading and imagination. 
•    The Term 3 Principal’s Forum on Friday 22nd August, 2:30–3:30pm, where we will share our strategic direction with a focus on student wellbeing. You can register here.
•    And of course, our major social and fundraising event for the year—the IEPS Big Night Out on Saturday 30th August at the Terminus Hotel. A fantastic adults-only evening of fun, food, and connection, all in support of key upgrades to our Space Centre and PA system. Get your tickets here.

We’re so proud of the way our students continue to grow and thrive, and we look forward to another term of deep learning, community connection, and celebration. As always, thank you for your continued support.

Pyjama Day Reflection 
What an incredible way to start Term 3! Thanks to the generosity and support of our school community, we raised $1005.35, surpassing our $1000 goal.
This special day, organised by our amazing Principal Advisory Group (PAG), brought our whole school together. From teachers in pyjamas to students in robes, cosy slippers and even a few teddies in pyjamas, the atmosphere was full of laughter, warmth and community spirit - all in support of a truly meaningful cause. Every single donation, no matter the size, has made a difference. Your contributions will go directly to the Pyjama Foundation, helping children in foster care through their Love of Learning program. This program provides learning mentors who read with children, build their confidence and support them in developing the skills they need for a brighter future. A huge thank you to every family who participated and donated. Together, we’ve shown the power of kindness and what we can achieve when we come together for a great cause.

NAPLAN Update: Reflecting, Not Defining
On Thursday 31st July, Year 3 and 5 children will bring home their NAPLAN results in a sealed envelope, along with a letter to support parents in understanding and interpreting the data. Firstly, we would like to congratulate all our students for their efforts in completing the NAPLAN assessments earlier this year, here at IEPS we strongly encourage all students to participate in NAPLAN assessment and we had 97% of Year 3 & 5 students complete the assessment. All students approached the experience with focus, resilience, and a positive mindset—qualities we value deeply at Ivanhoe East Primary School.

While NAPLAN provides valuable insights, it is important to remember that it is just one data set among many. It does not define a child’s academic ability or their potential. At IEPS, we take a whole-child approach, using a wide range of assessments, both formal and informal, to understand where each student is in their learning journey. Our teaching is responsive and growth-focused, and we celebrate learning progress in all its forms, not just test results.

At this stage, not all NAPLAN data has been released. For example, student growth data is still pending. More detailed insights and reflections on not only this year’s data, but multi-year data, including initiatives and the teaching and learning journey of IEPS of where we were, where we are now and where to next will be shared in Term 4 as part of our Teaching & Learning Principal’s Forum and Principal’s Report. As mentioned above our Term 3 Forum is coming up on Friday August 22nd at 2.30 pm and will focus on Student Wellbeing, please register via this link if you would like to attend. Register here.

Thank you.

Tom Boyle,
Principal

What a wonderful celebration of student creativity and community spirit we shared last night at this year’s Ivanhoe East Primary School Art Show!

The event was a huge success, with our Performing Arts Space transformed into a vibrant gallery showcasing the outstanding artistic talents of our students.

A special thank you to our incredible Art Teachers; Larissa Lamers, Jennie Alagiozidis, and Ashley Jones for their passion, dedication, and tireless efforts in bringing the show to life. We also extend our thanks to all staff who supported the planning, setup, and running of the event. 

Art Show Raffle – Still Open! There’s still time to enter our Art Show Raffle, which will close at 10:00am on Friday 1st August. Don’t miss your chance to win one of these fantastic prizes:

• First Prize: $200 Kmart Gift Voucher

• Second Prize: $100 Zart Art Voucher + Crayola Creative Goodie Pack

• Third Prize: Twin Entry Art Pass to Heide Museum of Modern Art + Crayola Magic Model Creative Pack

• Fourth Prize: $50 Voucher + Plant from Bulleen Art & Garden

Thank you to our generous sponsors – EGC Accounting & Advisors, Zart Art, Heide Museum of Modern Art, and Bulleen Art & Garden for supporting the creativity and learning of our students. Purchase raffle tickets and view prize details here: TryBooking – IEPS Art Show Raffle.

Thank you to our amazing community for making this night such a success – it was a true celebration of the arts at IEPS!

If you plan to do any volunteer child-related work at Ivanhoe East Primary school, you will need:

•  a valid WWC check
•  and the accompanying letter listing Ivanhoe East Primary school as an organisation you are volunteering at (*the letter is automatically sent to the school on your behalf)

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

Please come and talk to the front office staff to check if we have a copy of the required letter on file.

Should you need to update your WWC details please click on the following link:-

https://www.service.vic.gov.au/services/working-with-children-check-update-details/home

The theme for Book Week 2025 is “Book An Adventure!”

This theme is a celebration of the 80th anniversary of Children's Book Week. The week will be held from Saturday, August 16 to Saturday, August 23, 2025. The theme encourages children to explore new worlds and stories through reading.

Each year, many schools and public libraries from all over Australia spend a week celebrating books and Australian authors and illustrators. We will soon begin this celebration in the library at IEPS with a display of the CBCA Shortlisted Books.

At IEPS we will be celebrating Book Week with a Book Week Character Parade for 
all students and staff. For our Book Week Character Parade, all students are 
encouraged to dress up as a favourite book character. Children are also encouraged 
to bring their book along to school with them if possible. If any students choose not to 
dress as a book character, they can wear their normal school uniform. Please note 
that the costume does not need to be too elaborate. We would encourage parents to 
use dress-up clothes from home for the event. 

Parents are invited to attend the parade. 

SAVE THE DATE (with more details to come): Thursday 21 August 2025

This term, our Year 5 and Year 6 students will be participating in interrelate’s Moving into the Teen Years Program. This program provides age-appropriate education around puberty, relationships, and emotional changes during adolescence. Delivered over three sessions, it aims to support students in developing a positive self-image and understanding the physical and emotional growth they will experience. It’s an engaging and supportive way to help students prepare for the changes of the teen years.

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:

- MS Readathon - Sign up here - https://www.msreadathon.org.au/join/ivanhoeeastprimaryschool

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