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MEPS Newsletter
PO Box 305, Mt Eliza 3930 – Phone 9787 1385
Newsletter is available on the web site address :
www.mtelizaps.vic.edu.au
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26 March, 2015
Friday, 27th March – Last day of Term 1
Whole School Assembly 8.45 am - Early Dismissal 2.30 pm
‘
DIARY
March
Fri
27th
Last Day of Term 1
Assembly 8.45 am - Dismissal 2.30 pm
Term 2
April
Mon 13th
15th to 17th
Mon 20th
Tue
Wed
Thu
21st
22nd
23rd
Fri
Sat
24th
25th
First day of Term 2
PTA Meeting – 7.30 pm in Staffroom
Grade 4 Camp - Phillip Island Adventure Resort
Building & Grounds Committee Meeting – 5pm
Education Committee Meeting – 7pm
School Tour for 2016 Prep Parents – 9.30 am
Curriculum Day – Pupil Free Day
ANZAC Day Assembly
District Golf at Devilbend Golf Club
School Tour for 2016 Prep Parents – 11.30am
ANZAC Day
Mon 27th
Wed 29th
May
Mon 4th
Tue 5th
6th, 7th, 8th
Thu 7th
School Council Meeting – 7.15 pm in Staffroom
School Tour for 2016 Prep Parents – 9.30 am
School Tour for 2016 Prep Parents – 11.30am
Mothers’ Day Lunch at Three Wild Ducks
Mothers’ Day Stall
School Tour for 2016 Prep Parents – 9.30 am
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electronic copy of our Newsletter.
School Council Report
Your MEPS School Council is thrilled to announce the provisional appointment of our new Principal, Brett Bell. We use
the term "provisional" as the Department of Education and Training allows for a 2 week appeals period prior to an official
announcement.
Brett comes to us from Devon Meadows Primary where he has built a fantastic school. Brett's strengths are his passion
and understanding of education and the bringing together of people - staff, parents and students - to make a fun,
challenging and productive learning environment. Brett will join us on day one of Term 2 and you will be sure to see him
out and about meeting our community.
I would like to thank the Principal appointment panel for this long and arduous journey. We are confident the wait was
worthwhile and we have selected someone who will really take our school forward. We thank all of you for your patience
over the past 6 months.
We would also like to wholeheartedly thank Bev Harvey who has been Acting Principal for this term. Acting Assistant
Principals, Raelene Harvey and Richard Barren have supported Bev well and collectively they have done a wonderful job.
They have kept the school heading in the right direction and maintained focus on the wellbeing and learning of the
students.
We look forward to welcoming Brett Bell.
Dave Wilton, School Council President
Principal’s Report
Term 2 Staffing
Kimberley Turner, Grade 2T, will be taking Long Service Leave in Term 2. We wish her safe travels and hope she enjoys
her break. Kimberley will be replaced by Jessica Holmes.
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program
Our Kitchen Garden positions were advertised this term and we had an excellent field of applicants. The successful
applicants are Kitchen Specialist – Sally Freeman and Garden Specialist – Michelle Croft. We look forward to continuing
our highly successful Kitchen Garden Program here at school. We are very fortunate to have such highly skilled,
knowledgeable and talented staff to fulfil these roles.
Parent Information
There has been a number of incidents and issues over the past week that have been brought to my attention, that need
following up with our parent community.
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Social Media discussions. It is important that our school, including the students, parents and staff are respected in all
written conversations on Social Media at all times. If you have any concerns with an issue or incident that has
occurred at school, please confidentially discuss this with your child’s teacher. If at any stage you are uncomfortable
with any online representations of our school community, print out a copy and I will follow it up.
Likewise, if you have a concern with a particular student’s behaviour, do not, under any circumstances approach this
child in the school grounds. The classroom teacher is always your first point of contact to follow up these issues. If the
incident is particularly serious I am always available to meet with you and ensure appropriate action is taken.
We have serious concerns regarding the safety of our families at the crossing. Cars have been observed going
through the crossing whilst the green pedestrian light is displayed. If you see any poor behaviour or dangerous
situations at the intersection, please forward the details to Raelene Harvey who is compiling a case with the Council
for better crossing supervision. Alternatively, call the Mornington Shire Offices and speak with the Traffic Department
to lodge a formal complaint.
There has been an increase of students cycling and
scooting on the school grounds. This can be particularly
dangerous for toddlers and pre-schoolers in the yard
before and after school. Children should walk on our
school grounds at all times. The staff will be talking to their
classes about this issue. Please reinforce this expectation
at home with your children if they ride or scoot to school.
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Smoking bans. From 13 April, 2015, smoking will be
banned within four metres of an entrance to all primary and
secondary schools in Victoria and within the school
grounds, under an amendment to the Tobacco Act 1987.
You may have heard this ban discussed recently on the
media, as there is a public awareness and information
campaign that is promoting community awareness of the
bans. Officers from Councils will be responsible for
enforcing the bans and will take an education approach,
making sure smokers understand the new laws. However,
an infringement penalty of $147 could apply to adults
caught wilfully breaking the law.
When you don’t smoke you help others too!
Keeping the places where children learn smoke-free:
 keeps smoke away from children
 helps smokers to limit or quit smoking
 removes cues that tempt quitters to relapse
 reduces cigarette butt litter – a serious toxin in Victoria’s
environment.
Have a wonderful holiday, enjoy the autumn weather down the
Peninsula or travel safely to your holiday destination. I look
forward to seeing everyone back next term. It will be an
exciting term meeting our new Principal, Brett Bell (provisional appointment) and supporting him as he settles into our
terrific learning community at MEPS.
Bev Harvey
Acting Principal
PTA
Bakers Delight Hot Cross Bun orders!!!
We hope you all enjoyed the Hot Cross Bun orders. Thank
you all for supporting the event. Special thanks to Bakers
Delight Mt Eliza (Matt Barnett) for providing the school
with the delicious fresh buns and a big round of applause
to Renee Gilligan and Sarah Watson and all the helpers.
Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Easter Raffle
Our Easter raffle will be drawn at final assembly. We
would like to thank everyone who has donated for this
event. The quality and quantity has been brilliant. We are
going to have some very happy children on Friday and at
the same time we have raised some much needed funds
to help the school. A big thank you to Katie Stafford for
organising this activity. 
Upcoming events……………. SAVE THE DATE!!
Mothers’ Day Lunch!
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To be held on Tuesday, 5 May at Three Wild Ducks
Restaurant in Mt Eliza. $40 per head will give you a glass
of champagne, a main meal and a dessert. There will also
be raffles and door prizes. Come and enjoy a lunch to
socialise with other MEPS Mums!! For more information or
to put your name down please email Jodie Prendergast
[email protected] or phone/message 0409 199 788.
Mothers’ Day Stall
We have already started planning the Mothers’ Day Stall
and have some fantastic goodies for the children to
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purchase on Wednesday, 6 , Thursday, 7 and Friday,
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8 May. If anyone would like to be involved or could
donate any quality goods please contact Bernie Blackford
at [email protected]
Mt Eliza Environment Team-2015
Mrs O’Toole and Mrs Joyce
GRADE
1C
1D
1G
1P/M
1T
2C
2D
2N
2S
3B
3BR
3C
3F
4C
4P
4S
4T
5J
5OT
5L
6BH
6G
6S
Big Night Out
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Book the baby sitters for Saturday, 18 July, 2015… We
have a theme…."MEPS BALL", giving people plenty of
options to dress up or not. You can come dressed as
Bogan Ball, Masquerade Ball, 80’s Ball….or even a tennis
ball. If you don’t want to dress up simply wear an after 5
dress. We will be selling tickets for $25 at the start of next
term so talk to your friends and organise your table of ten
now. Individual tickets will also be available. Last year was
fantastic and we all had so much fun. This year will be
even better!
Thanks for all your support this term
and can’t wait until next term’s events.
If you would like to get involved with
this fantastic group our next meeting
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is Monday, 13 April at 7.30 pm.
Thanking you,
PTA
[email protected].
Farewell from Percy
I am on my way to the next phase of training. I will be
settling into the kennels for the next several days and
meeting my new friends. Over the following 6 weeks I will
be working with a trainer to help me further my skills to
becoming a Seeing Eye dog. Marie will keep you up to
date as to how I am going.
MEET REPS
Jessica S
Imogen P
Jaida G
Emily D
Flynn G
Flynn O
Gemma S
Keira P
Ella S
Makenzie W
Taylor G
Sophie P
Jamie W
Brydee J
Ned F
Lola P
Molly E
Jude M
Hamish J
Calin H
Matilda Mc
Luca M
Alyssa L, Chelsea G
Hywel M
Sunny B
Daniel R
Thomas R
Skye P
Ava L
Ned M
Samuel S
Joe S
Cooper G
Felix S
Bryn M
Jack W
Emma W
Milly C
Nathanael B
Alex L
Paige L
Toby N
Hamish D
James C
Owen W
Belle Y
Stir Crazy Kids Canteen
Last Day of Term Lunch Orders
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Lunch orders for Friday, 27 March must be pre-ordered.
This is to minimise waste when ordering supplies. Please
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hand orders into the Canteen by Thursday, 26 March. A
note has gone home to facilitate the process. If there are
any questions, just ask! We are always happy to clarify
anything you might want to know!
Have a happy Easter Break and looking forward to Term 2
with new special meal days for the colder days!
Daniela and the team at SCKC!
Community Notices
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Thank you Mt Eliza Primary School for assisting me in my
socialisation. The best part was meeting all of you and
sharing why it is important not to pat a training Seeing Eye
Dog when they are wearing their blue coat. My most
challenging moments (and I had a lot of these) was where
I came across some scraps of food that I just could not
pass by. I will miss Mt Eliza Primary School but look
forward to my next phase of training.
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Love, Percy xx
Outside School Hours Care
For more details on After School Care, Before
School Care and School Holiday Program
please phone Camp Australia on 1300 105 343.
Registration
is
available
online
at
www.campaustralia.com.au.
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Frankston Arts Centre – Panorama presents The Wizard
of Oz from 10th to 19th April (Fri, Sat & Sun). Phone
Frankston Arts Centre on 9784 1060 or visit
www.artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au.
AFL Holiday Programs – Holiday Programs for children 5
to 8 years and 9 to 12 years. A day packed full of footy fun.
Test your skills in a mini AFL Draft. Register now at
www.aflvicholidayprograms.com.au. For more details and
locations are also available from the website.
Bunnings Mornington – Easter Family Fun Night on Thur
26th March from 6-8pm for all the family. There will be a
jumping castle, balloonist, lots of Easter craft activities, an
egg hunt, a visit from the Easter Bunny, a BBQ and
everything is free! Bookings required for catering purposes
at www.bunnings.com.au/mornington or phone 5973 9000.
The Briars School Holiday Programs – Junior Ranger
Program for 6-10 years. Ranger-guided Spotlight Walks in
the Wildlife Sanctuary for all ages. Bookings and prepayment essential. Phone 5974 3686 or email:
[email protected].
Grade 6 Cricket Summer Lightning Premiership
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Last Thursday, 12 March, three teams participated in the Summer Lightning premiership. All players had been training
for a few weeks and were excited to actually compete against other schools. They played a total of three games
throughout the day, with every team managing at least one win. The Boys A Team made it to the Grand Final, however
Derinya were too strong on the day and notched the win. Congratulations to all players for their enthusiasm and super
teamwork. Thank you also to Oli Heavey and Andrew Wright for helping coach the teams and Cherie Heavey and Kerrie
McMillan for supervising and providing great support.
Miss Gregory
Imogen & Sophie 6G: Aisha hit a six in the double zone and we
won the last game. The girls worked really well together as a
team and had heaps of fun.
Aaron & Finn 6G: We won our last game versus STM. They had
to make 10 runs off the last over and we kept them to 5. It was a
great feeling.
Harry H & Harry L 6HB: It was a day full of highlights; Angus
took a ripper catch, Harry H made 41 runs off 2 overs, Jake had
a 4 wicket maiden over and we made it to the Grand Final.
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