OUR SCHOOL
Principal's Message
On behalf of the staff and school council, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all children and parents/carers of Elsternwick Primary School (EPS) and also to those beginning their association with us. I am extremely proud and honoured to be this wonderful school’s Principal and cherish the opportunity to assist in the development of our most precious resource – our children.
Situated between Murphy and Cochrane streets in Brighton we are a school with a current enrolment of approximately 470 students – with a 20 class structure in 2022. EPS has a strong history of excellence in learning and prides itself on providing a challenging and comprehensive curriculum for each child in a caring and stimulating environment. We aim to facilitate success in learning and encourage children to develop their full potential, academically, emotionally, physically and socially. Just as each child is an individual with their own character and needs, so too their educational growth is unique. The teachers are committed to nurturing and developing the ability of each child through carefully planned and innovative teaching programs.
EPS staff are enthusiastic, highly professional educators and bring a wealth of knowledge and commitment to their critical task of guiding students successfully through seven years of primary education. Our high academic achievement is a direct result of the dedication and skill of educators who consistently provide diverse, rich, engaging and outstanding educational programs for students in an environment that is caring, friendly, respectful and responsive to individual needs.
We pride ourselves on working together with our school community in the provision of a high standard of education and engagement at EPS. Parents/Carers are valued for their input and involvement in our curriculum programs, school activities and membership of groups such as School Council, School Council sub-committees and the Parents and Friends Association. Parent/carer contributions strengthen the links between home and school and in turn, enhances educational achievements and outcomes for children.
As Principal, my door is always open to parents/carers wishing to discuss their child’s progress or anything at all related to the school. I look forward to meeting you and sharing with you our passion for providing our students with every opportunity to succeed.
Warm regards,
Michael Portaro
VALUES
Responsibility
We are self-managers. We develop our capabilities as leaders and as valuable members of our community.
Respect
We collaborate, communicate and encourage each other. We develop an appreciation of our own self-worth and that of others.
Personal Excellence
We embrace positive thinking and agency, as we set and strive to achieve our personal learning goals.
Curiosity
We ask questions, reflect on our theories and think critically and creatively, as we inquire into the word in which we live.
VISION
Elsternwick Primary School (EPS) is dedicated to providing a safe, supportive environment which has
high expectations for our students’ academic progress, engagement to our community and overall wellbeing.
SCHOOL TOURS
Elsternwick Primary School welcomes and encourages families to join us on a school tour to learn about all that we have to offer when you become part of our school community.
Tours are scheduled for 9.30am and are led by our Principal and supported by student leaders who take great delight in showing what our school has to offer.
On the tour families will visit classrooms and are able to observe classes in progress.
The tours generally take up to an hour although this is totally dependent on the visiting family – if more or less time is required, this is accommodated.
TRANSITION
At Elsternwick Primary School we are proud of our well established and successful transition program from Year 6 to Year 7. We believe in smooth, positive transitions to secondary school for all of our students, providing them with the foundations to thrive. This is achieved through well planned and explicit programs and nurturing and caring teachers.
Throughout the Year 6 journey at EPS, students are immersed in leadership opportunities which commence in Term 1 with the bespoke Leadership Conference. The EPS School values are always at the forefront and are embedded in all interactions, including with students’ peers and with their teachers. Establishing strong adult connectedness, goal setting, having a growth mindset, and promoting student self-efficacy are all key learning areas in Year 6 as these are crucial for a successful transition.
The annual EPS Year 6 & 7 Pizza Afternoon is a fantastic opportunity for our current students to learn from past students on the initial challenges they encountered at secondary school, and how they overcame them.
EPS understands that moving from primary to secondary school can be an exciting and challenging time for students and their parents/carers. The EPS teachers provide documentation to, and in some instances, meet with the relevant secondary schools in order to provide individualised feedback on each child, including the identification of barriers to a student’s learning and any adjustments that are currently being made.
EPS Teachers are always very excited when they are invited to visit past students at their new secondary school and to witness their personal growth and share their successes.
POLICIES
School policies and guidelines are developed by School Council in consultation with the school community. Hard copies of all policies are available to read on request at the front office.
As a Victorian Government school, we adhere to the policies and guidelines as described in the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website.
FACILITIES
Our school grounds are what makes Elsternwick Primary School a particularly special place. It is surrounded by beautiful gum trees – home to many native birds and a few possums and we have plenty of open space for students to run and play.
The architectural design of the school combines single classrooms and flexible teaching units. This type of design provides areas which adapt easily and quickly to the individual differences and educational needs of the students, providing facilities for individualised learning, small group teaching, large group activities and recreational needs.
The school comprises of 28 classrooms each with an interactive whiteboard and some with LED screen and Apple TV combinations. Other buildings include the gymnasium with a performing arts room, a visual arts space, a modern and spacious library with an extensive collection of fiction and non-fiction literature and Brickwood Hall which was established in 1930.
Extensive landscaping at EPS provides a range of active and passive play areas for enjoyment. Our school is committed to being a sustainable and environmentally-friendly community with a nature play area, orchid and other spaces for quieter activities. Many art pieces created by exiting year six students are placed around the school adding to the visual attractiveness of our grounds. These are known as the year six gift to the school.
Some school facilities may be hired by community groups outside of school hours. Any organisation wishing to do so should contact our school.
SCHEDULE
STAFF
At the very heart of our purpose is to provide every child with the best possible academic, social, emotional and physical education. Our high-achieving staff are committed to delivering high quality learning and teaching practices, to maximise the potential of every child, empowering independence, excellence, innovation and engagement with the world.
High quality professional learning is one of the cornerstones of our school. We view teaching as a dynamic profession and, as new knowledge about learning, teaching and school leadership emerges, new types of expertise and skills are required by us. Our teachers engage in ongoing professional learning in order to continuously learn and improve what is taught, how it is taught and how learning is assessed. Through professional learning our staff keep abreast of new knowledge and use it continually refine conceptual and pedagogical skills for improving student learning. Our Performance and Development Framework provides for regular review of individual goals and active support in their achievement.
The school has nine high quality teaching teams (Prep, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Specialists and Educational Support Staff) and a number of curriculum teams aligned with our current Strategic Plan. Our teaching and curriculum teams regularly plan and evaluate teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes, and participate in team based professional learning. The organisation of our school remains fluid and flexible so that our staffing profile can be effectively adapted to cater for the emerging learning needs of our students.
