22 August 2025

Term 3 Update

We’re already halfway through the term, and it’s been wonderful to see the learning, achievements, and special moments our students, staff, and families have shared so far. In this newsletter, you’ll find highlights of what’s been happening around Eden Hills PS, as well as a look at the exciting events still to come.

Celebrating SSO Week

This week we acknowledged and celebrated our amazing School Services Officers (SSOs) as part of SSO Week. Our SSOs play a vital role in supporting students, teachers, and families every day. Whether working in classrooms, supporting students and their learning, managing resources, or keeping our school running smoothly behind the scenes, their contribution is invaluable.

We would like to sincerely thank our wonderful SSOs for the dedication, care, and expertise they bring to our school community. We are so grateful for all that you do!

Please join us in expressing our heartfelt thanks to our SSOs for their exceptional service and commitment to our school. Their positive impact is felt every day.

A big thank you to:

Heather, Rebecca, Perdita, Jo, Yolanda, Pri, Myah, Sarina, Steve, Neil, Melissa, Pamela, Erin, Ryan, Sophie, Ella, Samantha and Hamideh.

Celebrating Book Week 2025

Book Week 2025 was a resounding success at Eden Hills Primary School, celebrating a week filled with excitement and a love of reading. Our Resource Centre became the hub of activity, with our dedicated Year 6 Resource Centre team, brilliantly supported by Jo, organising a fantastic range of engaging activities. Each class had the opportunity to dive into the world of books, exploring new stories and adventures together.

In addition to the Resource Centre activities, we were thrilled to host Nature Education incursions that brought stories to life through interactive geocaching experiences. These sessions allowed students to connect with nature and literature in a unique and inspiring way.

One of the highlights of the week was our much-anticipated dress-up parade. Students came dressed as their favourite book characters, showcasing their creativity and enthusiasm. The parade was a vibrant display of imagination, and the students looked fantastic!

Following the parade, we welcomed families to our open morning, providing an opportunity to explore the wonderful work our students have been doing and to celebrate their achievements.

Thank you to everyone who participated and made Book Week 2025 a memorable event. Your support and enthusiasm continue to inspire a lifelong love of reading in our students.

Bullying No Way Week

As part of our ongoing efforts, we were proud to participate in Bullying No Way Week. This initiative highlights the importance of standing together to prevent bullying and promote respect and kindness within our school community.

Throughout the week, students engaged in various activities designed to raise awareness and empower them to take a stand against bullying. These activities included workshops, discussions, and creative projects that encouraged empathy and understanding. Our commitment to addressing bullying extends beyond this week as we continue to actively promote a culture of respect and inclusion.

JAM Band

Our students made us incredibly proud last week as they joined in a truly amazing performance with the JAM Band. This special group of musicians is dedicated to bringing joy to children through music.

It was wonderful to see how many children got involved. Our Year 4 ukulele players rose to the challenge of performing The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The dancers in Rooms 9 and 10 also impressed, putting hours of practice into their routines. Adding even more joy, a dozen singers from Room 12 joined the Festival Choir to perform Rubber Duckie, showing once again the spirit of teamwork and celebration across our school.

A big thank you to Josie and all the teachers who supported the event and helped make it such a success.

What’s Coming Up This Term

We still have plenty of exciting events to look forward to this term!

New Sensory Walk,

Our new Sensory Walk created by Emily, and titled “The Sky and The Land”, is due to be installed on the deck of the Resource Centre soon. We can’t wait to see this exciting project come to life!

Water Safety – Week 6

The Water Safety program is all about helping students learn how to stay safe and survive in and around all types of water.

Student Led Conferences – Week 9

In Week 9, families will be invited to take part in Student Led Conferences. These are a wonderful opportunity for students to share their learning journeys, celebrate achievements, and set goals for the rest of the year.

School Disco – Friday 5 September

The Eden Hills School Disco is on its way, and the excitement has already started with our Disco Poster Competition promoting the theme 'Under the Sea'.

We can’t wait to see everyone dressed in their most creative under the sea outfits for what is sure to be a fantastic day!

Kind regards,
Kellie Bowden

Tree Planting

Room 5 and 8 students learnt about the importance of environmental management and conservation and how to make a positive impact on our local community. Students participated in restoration work on the Kenny Park reserve, planting trees at the top section of the park close to the walking path.

The City of Mitcham is going to feature an article on the planting day at Kenny Park in the September edition of Mitcham Community News, so keep an eye out!

We got to plant three trees and one bush. We had lots of fun and got to talk to each other. We also got to look around and see what people were doing. We loved Kenny Park and would love to go there next time. – Andreas and Finley

We planted four trees at Kenny Park. We helped the environment by planting trees. Kenny Park was fun. – Niki and Delilah

Jam Band

Just Add Music

Last Friday, the JAM Band enthralled our staff and students alike with lots of music, dancing, fun, humour, bright costumes and surprises. We couldn’t wipe smiles off our faces when eight disco snails, with names like ‘Snaila Swift’ and ‘Slimy Sirus’ graced the disco floor as the band played Vulfmon & Zachary Barker’s song, ‘Disco Snails’. Other amazing characters included minions, kangaroos, huge frogs (thanks Karen and Jade!), possum puppets and Minecraft characters all doing antics to make everyone laugh.

The students loved the many chances to be involved. Rooms 9 and 10 impressed with their own dance routine to ‘I Ain’t Worried’ (OneRepublic). Eleven of our year 4 ukulele students took up the challenge to polish 3 chords to join the band with ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. We were surprised by lion manes to don just before moving to our spots on stage. Almost 40 Festival Choir and Room 12 singers performed ‘Rubber Duckie’.

The audience challenge with spinning the wheel and their jokes were also popular, like when Makayla learnt everyone’s names in an instant. “On the count of 3 tell me your names! Yes, it’s all in there. I know them now!”

This band of high-quality children’s entertainers and music educators is a real asset to our school’s Arts Programme. Their arts lesson ideas, student involvement and costumes galore set their show apart from others. AND I overheard Jono “promise” to some fans after school that they will be back in 2026. Can’t wait!

Josie with help from Room 10

Year 6 Japanese Quiz Day

On Wednesday  25June, twelve students from Rooms 11 and 12 attended the Year 6 Japanese Quiz Day run by the JLTASA. Our students joined over 100 students from schools throughout the state participating in the annual event. They were placed in teams with students from other schools, and were tested on their knowledge of Japanese language and culture. They also participated in some fun Japanese games. Congratulations to Louie, Mobin, Zapha, Menzie, Tilo, Annabelle, Emilie, Steph, Norah and Sienna who represented our school fantastically. And a special congratulations to Henry V and Will who placed third out of seventeen teams. Thank you so much to Hamideh and Kim for transporting students on the day.

Our day started out with some training in the library, which everyone really enjoyed. We studied geography and new learning about Japan and its culture.

We left straight after recess and drove all the way to the city. There were so many cars everywhere we struggled finding a park. Once we finally went in there were kids everywhere. We could put on a happi coat, though many preferred not to.

When we walked in, there were lollies waiting for us on picnic mats. We had groups sorted by Elin and the wonderful staff who were running it.

When we sat down with our group the staff read aloud the acknowledgement of country. Soon, we started our first category.

They informed us this category was new and we hadn’t studied for it. The category was on pop culture, we had no clue what was on the boards. Luckily, our group knew a little bit about pop culture and we only got a few wrong.

We did a few more categories and my favourite was definitely hiragana because I found it super easy. At one point we were even second. We dropped to fifth and in the end we were not sure where we placed. We did have some Eden Hills students come in the team that placed third.

Overall, it was a really good day and at the end we all got Pocky. Everyone enjoyed it and had lots of fun.

By Annabelle, Emilie and Steph

SAPSASA Soccer

Congratulations Jarrah and Elise!

The Southern Heights boys, Jarrah’s team played some very tough teams in div 1 and finished at the bottom. Elise's team was in div 2 and came 1st!

Participating in such a competitive environment is a great achievement and a valuable experience. Great effort by both!

School Disco

The EPS School Disco will be held on Friday 5 September.

There will be 3 different sessions
Room 3, 4, 5 & 6 / 9:00 – 9:50
Room 7, 9 & 10 / 11:00 – 11:50
Room 8, 11 & 12 / 2:00 – 2:50

School Closure

Reminder that the School Closure is Monday 1 September

Enhancing Communication: A Forum for Parents and Carers

Statewide Inclusive Education Services (SIES) is pleased to announce its upcoming termly forum, dedicated to parents and carers of children with disabilities. This free event aims to provide valuable insights and strategies to support positive communication for every child.

Event Details:

The forum will feature a range of guest speakers who will share their expertise and experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about effective communication strategies tailored to the needs of children with disabilities. This is an excellent opportunity for parents and carers to connect, share experiences, and gain practical advice.

For more information and to register, please visit the SIES Parent Forum website.

Material and Service Fees

Material and Service Fees are now overdue.

These fees need to be paid as soon as possible.

Payments can be made via QKR, Eftpos and credit card over the phone.

If you need to make arrangement for instalments, please contact Heather in the Front Office.

Enrolments 2026

We are currently looking at class structures for 2026. If you know of anyone who is planning on enrolling in Eden Hills Primary for 2026 and has not filled in a Registration of Interest form, please encourage them to do so ASAP.

Alternatively, if you know you will not be returning to Eden Hills Primary School next year and are not a year 6 graduate, can you also let the Office know by completing the below survey.

Thank you for helping us to plan and prepare for our 2026 school community.

Mud Kitchen Donations Welcome!

Our mud kitchen in Nature Play continues to be a popular and engaging space for students to explore imaginative play, creativity, and sensory experiences. As our supplies are running low, we are kindly seeking donations of second-hand items that can withstand the enthusiasm of busy little chefs! In particular, we are looking for wooden or stainless-steel utensils such as spoons, pourers, scrapers, and stirrers—anything strong, safe, and suitable for outdoor use.

Mud kitchen play is more than just messy fun—it supports early development in areas such as collaboration, problem-solving, language, and fine motor skills. If you have any suitable items to donate, please drop them at the front office. Your contributions are greatly appreciated!

Eden Hills Kindy

High School Tour

OSHC

Community Notices