Dear Families,

A very warm welcome back to the 2026 school year. I hope you and your children enjoyed a restful holiday break, with time to recharge and reconnect. There has been a wonderful sense of energy around the school this week, and it has been a joy to welcome students and families back through our gates.

While many of you were enjoying a well-earned break, our school was a hive of activity. We have been extremely busy over the holidays with building works, room relocations, and the re-imagining of several key learning and support spaces. If you have had a chance to look inside the BER building, you will already have seen just how significant the transformation has been.

One of our most exciting developments is the creation of a dedicated student support area at the basketball end of the BER building. This space has been purposefully designed to strengthen the way we support student wellbeing and inclusion. We are also delighted to welcome Melinda Cole as our new Mental Health Leader. Melinda will be based in this space three days per week, and her role is a wonderful addition to our growing support team.

Primary school plays a profoundly important role in children’s lives. It is often their first experience of being part of a wider community beyond family — a place of predictability, friendship, belonging and growth. Schools are where children learn not only academic skills, but also how to relate to others, build resilience, and feel safe enough to be themselves. We take this responsibility very seriously, and it underpins all of the work we do at East Bentleigh Primary School.

Building works update

Thank you sincerely to our community for your patience as building works continue on site. We worked as quickly and efficiently as possible over the holiday break to complete as much as we could; however, as is often the case with older buildings, additional works were identified once construction commenced. This means some works will continue for a couple more weeks. We appreciate your understanding as we work through this final phase and build facilities that best support our students, staff and community into the future.

Welcome to our 2026 Prep families


Our 2026 Prep students officially began their school journey on Thursday, and what a joyful start it was. There were many excited children, alongside wonderfully supportive parents and carers, joining our community for the first time. I spent quite a bit of time in Prep classrooms over the past few days and had the pleasure of meeting many new families.

Alison will be returning to her Prep class as soon as she is able, and she sends her very warm regards to students and families. In the meantime, we are grateful for the care and continuity being provided by the team.

A special thank you to the PCFA for hosting a lovely morning tea for our new Prep parents this week. Small moments like these make a big difference in helping families feel welcomed and connected.

Parents, Carers and Friends Association (PCFA)

East Bentleigh Primary School is fortunate to have an exceptionally strong and engaged community, and a large part of this is due to the work of our PCFA. This wonderful group of parents and community members give generously of their time to support your children and our school through events, fundraising and community-building activities.

If you have time to help — whether regularly or occasionally — please let us know and we will happily put you in contact with the PCFA. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.

Welcoming new staff

We are delighted to welcome several new staff members to EBPS this year. Please join me in warmly welcoming Ingrid Kleinhenz, Sarah Lohrey, Jessica Bigby, Sarah Boyd returning to EBPS, Ella Summers, Penny Regan, Jenny Rozen and Helen Ireland to our community. Each brings valuable skills, experience and warmth, and we are very pleased to have them join our team.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. We are very much looking forward to the year ahead and to working closely with you to ensure all children at EBPS thrive and flourish.

Please note: Our School Calendar for Term 1 will be issued next week.

As always, my door is open.

Warmest regards,
Sarah Spence
Principal

Classroom Cuisine is available for us to order online,
every day (except Tuesdays)

Orders open until 8:30am on the day!

https://classroomcuisine.com.au/

Sample menu below