Newsletter 13th December 2024

No.5/T4-2024


Principal's Message

Hi families and community of EBPS,

I hope you are all well and that you have wonderful plans for the holiday break.

We are heading into the last week of term, and it has been a very busy one!

Coming into EBPS in term four has been both incredibly joyous and challenging. There is always a lot to learn for a new Principal about the school, and so much to do.

I would like to thank each and every one of our community who have supported me through this term to get everything done. In particular, I would like to thank Assistant Principals Michelle Mather and Janette Grunfelder who have stepped in and picked up many things with professionalism and skill. I notice your hard work and it’s very appreciated. I would also like to thank Lee Jellis who has been a great support, Ann, Jane and Julie in the office, and our staff who went about their jobs with dedication and enthusiasm.

I’m sure next year will be a smooth and positive time, and we have many great things planned.

As we approach the final week of school, I want to take a moment to encourage everyone to maintain the routines that help our students feel settled and positive. These consistent patterns—such as arriving on time, packing lunches, and keeping bedtime routines—give children a sense of security and help them finish the year on a happy note. While excitement for the holidays is certainly in the air, sticking to these habits ensures our students can make the most of these last special days together. Let’s finish the year with smiles, gratitude, and a strong sense of community. Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

Classes for 2025


At EBPS we are fortunate to have such an experienced and dedicated staff. We have spent considerable time on staffing for 2025 and thank you for your patience while waiting for the release of our teacher allocations. There has been some movement of teachers and classrooms and we are confident that the changes will form a solid structure for a successful 2025.

The teaching allocations for 2025 are as follows:

Classrooms

Steiner Prep – Alison Hackett (Prep A)

Mainstream Prep – Stewart McCallum (Prep M)

Steiner 1 – Donna Leibowitz (W,TH,F) with Mandy Millar (M&T) (1DM)

Mainstream 1/2 – Angela McIntyre (1/2M)

Steiner 2 Emma Gullan (M,T,W) with Ramana Dean (Th&F) (2ER)

Irina Bugheanu (2I)

Steiner 3 – Melinda Cole (3M)

Steiner 4 – Lee Jellis (M,T,W&Th) with Leanne Jacobs (F) (4L)

Mainstream 3/4
Andrea Smith (M,T, Th&F) with Maddy Edkins (W) (3/4SE)
Aric Parsons (3/4P)

Steiner 5 – Anna Pititto (M,T,Th,F) with Michelle Mather (W) (5A)

Mainstream 5/6
Jill Griffin (M,T,W) with Maddy Edkins (Th&F) (5/6GE)
Amanda Hooper-Duffy (5/6H)

Steiner 6 – Tanja Boxelaar (6T)


Specialists

Art – Janette Grunfelder

Craft – Leanne Jacobs

Sport – John Seeary

French – Carmen Higgins

Drama – Paul Bolmat

Kitchen – Nikki Gordon

Garden – Catherine Campbell

Eurythmy – Kate Graves & Josef Yavlinsky

Dance - Rose Tusia

* Please note that this is a provisional plan because sometimes things happen that may necessitate changes in the new year.

At the end of this year, we will be saying farewell to Bill Portelli, who has secured a position across the city, where he will be living. Sinead Delany is returning to her most important job as mum of Pippin, we hope to see her again in the near future.


Clare O’Neil Awards

On Friday, we hosted the Annual Clare O’Neil Awards at our school. Clare O’Neil is the Federal Member for Hotham.

Many schools and families attended, and were treated to the sounds of our students playing led by Tae our Music Coordinator.

Congratulations to Stanley Holden for his award for his wonderful community service for our school, especially his support of our markets.

And a very big thank you to Assistant Principal Janette Grunfelder for arranging the event, and our teachers and students who supported her, serving food, playing music, and packing up afterwards.

Congratulations

I am very pleased to formally announce the appointment of our ongoing Assistant Principal Michelle Mather.

Michelle has been a wonderfully professional, positive, and skilled leader at EBPS this year, and is continuing on in the role of Assistant Principal following a rigorous process.

I personally am grateful for her support this term, the wisdom, advice and friendship she has provided me.

For our students, Michelle is a wonderful leader and role model.

We will now be finalising the appointment of a Lead Teacher over the holiday break, and I will keep you updated.


Building Works

Following a lengthy process, I am pleased to announce that building works on our kindergarten building and some classrooms will begin on the 9th January 2025.

Following water damage to our kinder building this year, we have been negotiating with the Department of Education to renovate and restore the kinder. We have also managed to get the west end classrooms of our main building refreshed as part of this.

Whilst this will cause some disruptions to the classrooms during the end of term one next year, we will do our best to minimise this.

I’m looking forward to this as a start to our beautification plans for EBPS. I’ll keep you updated.



Tuesday 17th December - Grade 6 Graduation Night - 5:30pm - 8pm
Thursday 19th December - Grade 6 EOY Excursion
Thursday 19th December - Twilight Farmers' Market 4pm-7pm 
Friday 20th Decemebr - Last Day of School Year - EARLY FINISH 1:30pm

The weather has turned warm, so stay cool and stay hydrated. I hope to see many of you at our special Twilight Farmers' Market next Thursday afterschool.

As always, my door is open, and I am happy to stop for a chat.

Have a wonderful weekend.


Kindest Regards,

Sarah Spence

 



Literacy @ EBPS

Prep M's Writing Adventure: Brushing Teeth Like Pros... and Astronauts!

This term, Prep M has been diving into the world of procedural writing, where we’ve been learning how to explain “how to” do things step by step. The students have been working hard to master this tricky skill and let me tell you—they are experts now.

Our latest challenge? Writing instructions for brushing teeth. That’s right—we tackled the minty, bubbly art of dental hygiene! The students put their thinking caps to create clear, detailed, and hilarious step-by-step guides.

Some highlights included:

  • “Step 1: Put toothpaste on your toothbrush—but not too much because Mum says it’s expensive.”
  • “Step 2: Make sure it’s actually toothpaste going on the brush and not toilet cleaner!”
  • “Step 3: Brush your teeth, but don’t forget your tongue because it’s yucky if you don’t!”
  • “Step 4: Make sure the toothpaste spit goes in the sink, not on your little brother or sister!”



Once our teeth-cleaning procedures were written and shared (and everyone had a good giggle), we took a giant leap from our bathrooms to outer space! We watched a fascinating video of an astronaut brushing his teeth aboard the International Space Station. There were gasps and giggles as the kids discovered just how tricky it is to keep toothpaste from floating away when there’s zero gravity.

This activity not only sharpened our writing skills but also sparked some fun discussions:

  • “How do you spit in space if it just floats?”
  • “Do astronauts have a space dentist?”
  • “Can we try brushing our teeth upside down at home?” (Sorry in advance for any toothpaste on your ceilings!)

Our budding writers have been so enthusiastic about their work. They’re learning that procedural writing is not only practical but can also be creative and fun. We hope they’re practising their instructions at home—bonus points if you hear them narrating their steps as they brush their own teeth tonight!



Happy brushing,
Teeth enthusiast, Mr McCallum

 



Numeracy @ EBPS

Grade 5/6 Maths – Mainstream

Throughout the year, Grade 5/6 students have engaged with Esti Mysteries as part of their weekly math warm-ups. This activity involves deciphering a series of clues to identify a mystery number. To solve these puzzles, students applied various mathematical concepts, including:

  • Factors and multiples
  • Prime and composite numbers
  • Odd and even numbers
  • Place value

This week, students had the opportunity to create their own Esti Mysteries using Google Slides. They then shared their creations with the class, putting their friends’ maths skills and their own puzzle making abilities to the test.

“It was fun to gather all the information, take the photos and share it will the class. It was nice having everyone work on the one you made, whether they were struggling or got it straight away” Lucy

“I liked adding animations to the final slide and figuring out questions, like the laptop question, to make it interesting for the class” Charlie F.





By Andrea Smith - 56S Classroom Teacher



Year 5 Greek Olympics in Castlemaine

Greek Olympics in Castlemaine

On Friday the 15th of November, class 5 travelled to Castlemaine to participate in Ancient Greek Olympic Games. Castlemaine Steiner school organised the event and welcomed all participating schools warmly. We were joined by Ballarat and Mansfield Steiner schools, Sophia Mundy Steiner school and Collingwood College.

The day started with an Opening Ceremony, where the Olympic fire was lit by the High Priestess and Zues introduced the rules of the Games. All children joined the city States of either Sparta, Athens, Corinth, Thebes and Delphi and the Games began.

Teachers, who were judging the events, witnessed divine moments as the athletes bravely stepped forward hoping to throw the most beautiful, efficient javelin or withstand every wrestling opponent.


















Term 4 Calendar

To view the Term 4 Calendar in full - please click here: term calendar
Please note - more entries will be added to the calendar during Term 4 - so be sure to always check the calendar each week when you receive your Newsletter / Bulletin email.

Here is what is coming up in the last week of school.


Thank-you :)


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**Disclaimer: We thank the many organisations/businesses that support the publication of our newsletter by paying for their advertising. Whilst the Editor checks for appropriate content, E.B.P.S. does not endorse the conduct or service and encourages parents to investigate the product or service as they would for any purchase they are contemplating.  Sarah Spence - Principal**