Newsletter 20 March 2026 – East Victoria Park Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers

Happy Harmony Day

We have had a fabulous end to our Harmony Week Celebrations today. Thank you to Room 7 for hosting out Harmony Day assembly – your messages were clear and heartfelt and embody what we are about at East Victoria Park Primary School.

I include for you the concluding message from Room 7:

Harmony isn’t just about one day.

It looks like:

Inviting someone new to play
Listening when someone shares their story
Learning about different cultures in class
Speaking up when something is unfair

If each of us chooses kindness every day, our school becomes a stronger, safer and happier place.

Thank you also to Mrs Motherwell for leading the whole school Harmony Day song and special mention to Nomie and Nichika – our very talented soloists.

Congratulations to our award winners today:

ECE 1	Tayte
ECE 3	Mia
ECE 4	Fatima
Room 1	Benjamin
Room 2	Hannah
Room 3	Dylan
Room 4	Isabella
Room 5	Mia
Room 6	Kai
Room 7	Gabrielle
Room 8	Oliver
Room 9	Sanvika
Room 10	Jigme
Room 12	Cooper
Room 13	Sean
Phys Ed	Rey – Room 7

Ride to School Day

This event was hugely successful today – this is our most participated in event so far – a big thank you to the Your Move committee for organising the event.

Bike Education – Year 4

Lessons are now underway, and it has been fantastic to see such strong participation from our students. Over the past two Wednesdays, the school has been wonderfully full of bikes!

A huge thank you to our parents and families for supporting this program by enabling your children to bring their bikes to school on Wednesdays when possible. Your support plays a big part in the success of these sessions.

Bike Storage

The success of our Your Move team in securing grants for Bike Education has created an unexpected challenge—our bike storage area is now at capacity. The P&C and Your Move team are currently exploring grant opportunities and fundraising options to expand our bike storage facilities.

In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we manage the current space.

School Attendance

Attending school every day is important. When students are unwell or absent from school for other reasons, please use Compass to notify the school for the reason for the absence.

Why is going to school regularly so important?

At school, many concepts (such as literacy and numeracy) are taught in a sequence. Missing school means missing out on learning – which can often make it difficult to catch up later. This is particularly important in the early years when essential foundation skills are being taught.

Going to school every day helps children learn the important life skill of ‘showing up’ – at school, at work, to sport and other commitments.

Research from the Western Australian Telethon Kids Institute shows that every day at school counts towards a student’s learning. Students who attend more, generally do better at school and in life.

Homework Policy

At the School Board meeting last Monday night, the Homework Policy was ratified by the Board.

The Homework Policy is available on the school website here: Homework Policy

Homework at EVPPS

Our Homework Policy is designed to ensure that learning at home is meaningful, manageable, and connected to classroom learning. In primary school, homework has the greatest impact when it is purposeful, focused on key skills (such as reading and basic maths), and supports positive learning habits without creating stress for families.

At EVPPS, homework is kept clear, consistent, and developmentally appropriate, with a strong emphasis on reading, practice of essential skills, and fostering independence. We also recognise the important role families play—parent engagement is a key factor in student success and wellbeing.

If you have any questions or would like further clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our Deputy Principals.

All public schools are required to have a Good Standing Policy in place to support positive student behaviour and ensure a safe and supportive learning environment.

At EVPPS, our Good Standing Policy sits within our Positive Behaviour Support framework and reflects our CORE values: Care, Organise, Respect, Engage. All students begin each year in Good Standing and maintain this by demonstrating positive behaviour and following school expectations.

The policy helps ensure that expectations are clear, fair, and consistent, while supporting students to take responsibility for their choices. It also outlines how students can regain Good Standing if it is lost.

If you would like further information about the policy or how it applies, please feel free to contact the school.

Good Standing Policy Good Standing Policy

ECE Playground Extension

You may have seen the new fence at the front of the school. This area will provide some much-needed additional play space for our Kindy and Pre-Primary students. It will be a grassed area where students can run around and kick a ball or play chasey games. I am hopeful that we will be ready to open this area by the beginning of Term 2. We are just waiting for repairs to be done to the brick fence at the front, which is currently a little unstable.

Cleaners and Gardeners

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our cleaning and gardening teams. Our school has never looked better!

Our classrooms are sparkling, the lawns and garden beds are thriving, and our indoor and outdoor spaces are welcoming and vibrant places for learning. These teams are truly the unsung heroes of our school, playing a vital role in ensuring our students and staff are working in a safe, clean, and engaging environment.

I am incredibly proud of their efforts and grateful for the care they take in maintaining our school to such a high standard.

ICAS information for Parents

Within our school community there are students who shine brightly, displaying exemplary dedication and academic talent. They deserve to be recognised and once again this year we are giving them the opportunity to showcase and celebrate their talents in the world-renowned ICAS competition.

What is ICAS?

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.

ICAS results are in-depth and meaningful, and ICAS evaluates student performance against other competition entrants across the state and nation. The data reveals student strengths and weaknesses and can help you recognise and support your child’s academic journey.

Learn more about ICAS here: (icasassessments.com/products-icas/).

ICAS Results and Certificates

Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and an online results report to track development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals.

Your child’s ICAS certificates will show their results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”. – Use these to enter the Results Portal (https://orti.icasassessments.com/ortiStudent).

How to participate in ICAS

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please go to the Parent Portal to register for your chosen subjects.

You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Direct login link – faster!

Use this link to log directly into the shop and start registering:

https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/BCN905

2. Log in using the PPS code

Visit our shop and use our PPS code to log in:

Shop link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

PPS code: BCN905

Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 27 July at 11:59pm.

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments:

Subject Sitting Date Cost (AU$)

Digital

Writing 4 Aug $25.95 Year 3 to Year 6

English 11 Aug $21.95 Year 2 to Year 6

Science 18 Aug $21.95 Year 2 to Year 6

Mathematics 25 Aug $21.95 Year 2 to Year 6

Please note, the school cannot facilitate refunds or make alterations as all money is paid directly to ICAS Assessments.

Kind regards

Kim Knowles

Please read on the student councillor messages delivered at the assembly

Student Councillor Messages

Austin:
I hope you’re all having an amazing Harmony Week! As you all know, today is Ride Your Bike to School Day. Thank you to everyone who brought their bikes and helped make this such a fantastic event. This day encourages more students to ride their bikes to school, and I saw some very creative designs when I was walking around this morning—well done!

On another note, I would like to remind everyone that we are a nut-aware school, so please leave nuts at home and do not share food.

I would also like to congratulate all of our Harmony Week performers. It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of the whole school and share your culture. I am really looking forward to seeing more performances today and celebrating the many different cultures in our school.

Thank you for listening to my speech.

Phoebe:
The interschool swimming carnival is coming up next Monday for students who are in Level 6 swimming or above. We wish you all the best of luck!

If you are participating, please remember to wear your bathers underneath your school uniform and bring your goggles, towel, sandals, and anything else you may need.

The Year 6s also have an exciting week coming up, with their day camp at Cahoots next Wednesday. The activities include a rope course, outdoor laser tag, and a team-building water activity. We are sure to have a great time, and we would like to thank the teachers for organising this amazing day.

Tyler:
Hi everyone, I hope you have all enjoyed celebrating Harmony Week, especially the amazing performances on Wednesday and Thursday. Don’t forget—there’s more to come at lunchtime today!

A very special shout-out and well done to everyone who performed. Our school truly values you sharing your culture.

I also have a few reminders about the exciting events coming up over the next few weeks:

Hero Hunter Day is in two weeks—come dressed as your favourite superhero.
Ride to School Day was today, but don’t forget you can still enter the photo competition for a chance to win a new bike. Ask your parents to send your school journey photos to WestCycle on Facebook or Instagram using the tag #Ride2SchoolDayWA2026 before March 23.
GLOW QUEST: Bike the Night is a community ride on Saturday, 28 March. Everyone is welcome to join at Miller’s Crossing at 3pm. Please check the P&C page for more details.

Phew—that’s a lot of exciting events coming up! It’s going to be a busy end to the term.

Have a lovely weekend!

Kent Street Cricket Testing

Try out day for our Approved Specialist Cricket program will be held on Tuesday 24^th March for students in Year 6 who are interested in joining us next year. Kent Street is a proud cricket school with boys and girls teams available from years 7-12. Expression of Interest forms are available on our website, or drop into the school to pick up an enrolment pack.

Testing for our other programs including Aviation, Fashion and our science program(now called Katalyst) will be held in Term 2.