Dear Children and Families,

This week, some of our families have celebrated Lunar New Year.  The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the lunar new year according to the Chinese calendar. It typically starts in late January or early February and lasts for about 15 days, with each day filled with various festivities and traditions. Coinciding with the rise of the a new moon, the official date for the Lunar New Year was on Saturday 10 February and if you didn't already know, this year is the Year of the Dragon.  This occasion is celebrated to honour deities and ancestors, bid farewell to the old year, and welcome in a fresh start.  In our school community, some children brought in food to share with their friends and talk about how they celebrate the new year with family.  We wish all of our families who celebrate this occasion New Year happiness!

What is a Whole School Gathering?

On Wednesday, we held our first whole school gathering for 2024, hosted by Year 1/2 Opals.  Sometimes called a school assembly, the purpose of our whole school gatherings is for our community to come together to celebrate children's learning and achievements.  They are held every three weeks (weeks three, six and nine) on Wednesday mornings at 9.15am in the hall.   A different class will host a gathering and also entertain us with a performance or sharing learning.  Children's learning and achievements are also acknowledged by handing out PRIDE Awards including a certificate and a book.  If your child is receiving an award, you can expect to be notified at least 48 hours before the gathering - please keep this as a surprise for your child.  We will also let you know when your child's class is hosting the gathering. 

Gathering dates for this term are:

• Wednesday 6 March

• Wednesday March 27

What are our school priorities?

This year, IPECS is in our second year of our 2023-2027 School Plan.   Our two priorities are to maximise the growth in literacy learning of all children and to strengthen the personal and social learning capabilities of all children.   You can read our school plan by clicking here.   At the heart of both our priorities is student centred improvement where we use what we know about children's learning to set specific actions each year that focus on growth in learning.  This year our key focus areas are oral language, the reading and writing connection, social and emotional learning and as well as the implementation of Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) across the school.   Over the last few weeks we have already taken specific actions to address our priorities including:

• Reviewing children's oral language, reading and phonics data to plan next steps in learning

• Began discussions about the draft of our conceptual curriculum framework

• Learning about a social and emotional learning framework called the CASEL model

• Working with a graphic designer to create signage for our PRIDE values and school wide expectations

• Establishing three school improvement teams - curriculum team, cultural integrity team and PBL team.

I look forward to sharing our progress with you throughout the year. 

Who was elected at our GEMS P&C AGM?

On Thursday night, our GEMS P&C gathered for the Annual General Meeting (AGM).  At the meeting, all executive positions were declared as vacant, including president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, public officer and council delegate.  Firstly, I would like to offer our sincere thanks to the outgoing committee for their tireless commitment to their roles in 2024 - Joanne Clarke (president), John Bernardi (vice president), Jess Woodruff (secretary) Matt Walsh (treasurer) and Joanne Streatfield (public officer).  So much was achieved in 2023 to bring our community together and provide a range of activities for our children and we are extremely grateful for your leadership, time and commitment.  

At our meeting last night, a new president and treasurer were elected.  Congratulations and thank you to Courtney Harradine who was elected as our new president and to John Bernardi who was elected as treasurer.  As it currently stands, the positions of vice-president, secretary, public officer and council delegate remain vacant.  A P&C can only be formed if at least three of the positions have been filled.  Attached to this newsetter is an overview of the different roles on the P&C as well as an indication of the time commitment each term.  Please take a look at this and reach out to the P&C by email if you are interested in a position (ipecs.gems@gmail.com).  

Have you liked our Facebook page?

Our school Facebook page is a great way to stay up to date on what's happening across the school.  We will regularly share reminders about upcoming events and share updates on anything and everything that's happening across the school.  Each week, we will also post a weekly calendar that lets you know what's coming up in the week ahead.  This post will also include the weekly canteen menu.  If you use Facebook and you haven't yet liked our page, I encourage you do to by clicking here. 

Take care,

Simon Barker

Principal

Welcome back to another exciting school year! I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break and are ready to embark on a journey filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences. 

I want to extend a warm welcome to all our returning students and families, as well as those who are joining us for the first time. We are thrilled to have each and every one of you as part of our school community. 

I have been lucky enough to spend time in classrooms across P-2 and was excited to see all the inclusive learning environments that will provide every student with a positive learning experience. 

Our dedicated team of educators has been hard at work preparing engaging lessons to challenge and inspire our students. We are committed to providing a high-quality education that nurtures both academic excellence and personal growth, helping each student reach their full potential.

Communication between school and home is essential for the success of all students, and we encourage parents to stay involved and informed throughout the year. Please make sure to regularly check our school website, newsletters, and social media page for important updates, announcements, and upcoming events. 

I am looking forward to the year ahead. 

Hello to all our wonderful families here at IPECS. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jamee and my role here is to support the wellbeing of children and their families. Parenting can be such a hard job at times, so please don't ever feel like you're alone in this journey. 

Where can you find me?

You will find my office in the main reception building. Please stop by any time 

What do I offer?

I offer individual counselling sessions for parents or if that's not something you are comfortable with, I am always open to a casual chat and coffee.

I offer case management tailored to families in need of rental aid, financial assistance, food and clothing support as well as resources if you would prefer to seek out this information on your own. I also offer parenting support to address concerns impacting your child's wellbeing.

I deliver wellbeing programs for children experiencing emotional or behavioural challenges. Provide interventions in collaboration with teachers and other relevant staff members. I also work closely with external agencies, community organisations and mental health professionals to facilitate referrals and access to additional support services for children and families in need. 

What is happening at IPECS?

We currently have a few programs running at IPECS,

• Lego Program 

• Bungee

• Music bus

• Kids hope

• One on one support 

Upcoming -
Circles of security will be running at IPECS this year, so please keep your eye out for this in the upcoming months.