Hello parents, families and friends,

It is hard to believe that we have now finished one whole term of school. This is a huge achievement for our new Grade Prep students who are now well-adjusted school life. I would like to thank all our staff for the time and effort that they have put into making sure that all students have positive experiences at our school. A highlight of our term has been the flexibility and adjustments we have been able to make as a community with so many new staff, students and families starting with us this year.

NAPLAN

Congratulations to all Grade 3 & 5 students who participated in the NAPLAN testing. A lot of effort goes into making sure students understand how to use the testing platform, entering test codes and adhering to test conditions, all of which can be a daunting task. Our school will receive the results for each student and then pass these onto parents at a later point in the year.

Swimming

Our Grade Prep, One and Two students have successfully completed a full week of swimming at the Melton Swim School. It was great to see the students having fun in the water but also learning lifesaving skills that they will no doubt use when swimming. We encourage parents to enrol their children in extra swimming lessons if they are able to do so, as completing one week of lessons won’t make them strong swimmers.

Absences

We have one of the highest levels of absenteeism in Victoria at our school.  In 2024, 47% of our students had 20 or more days off school.  That is 4 weeks on top of the holidays that are already given to students over the school year.  If the pattern of 20 days per year follows a student through their schooling, they will accumulate up to 48 extra weeks of days off which is over a whole year.

Term Two

Please note the first week back at school in Term Two is a short week. Term Two starts on Tuesday the 22nd of April as the Monday is part of the Easter Public Holidays. Friday the 25th of April is the ANZAC Day Public Holiday. No staff will be at school on these dates.

I hope you all enjoy the two-week break and remain safe if you are travelling.

Scott Bartlett

Congratulations to PA & PH who achieved the highest attendance

for the week ending 28th March.

Congratulations to PG who had the best attendance for the all of Term 1.

  They enjoyed a BBQ lunch with Mr. Bartlett 

PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify school as soon as possible on the day of absence using one of the following methods:

1. Online: log the absence directly using Compass.
2. Telephone: the school office and let the staff know your child’s name, class, date of absences and reason.

Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.

Why do I need to notify the school if my child is absent?

Schools need to know when and why a child is absent and you need to know if your child isn’t at school.

If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained.

This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

What is your responsibility?

You are legally required to ensure your child attends school every day or you must provide an explanation for their absence. You should let the school know in advance of any upcoming absences or let them know in the morning if your child won’t be at school. Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term.

Recognising great attendance and punctuality.

Our attendance target is 96%.  Each week, we reward the class with the highest attendance (which includes getting to school on time!), with our school mascot, Ripwell in their classroom for the week.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is: $154 for primary school students.

HOW TO APPLY: Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from www.education.vic.gov.au/csef.  If you applied for the CSEF at your child’s school in 2024 you do not need to complete an application form in 2025 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.  Applications close on 21/04/25

SCHOOL PHOTOS

We are excited to inform you that MSP Photography will be visiting our school on Tuesday, 6th May 2025 for school photos.

For students who are absent on the scheduled date, a catch-up day may be offered at a later time.  Please note, all ordering is managed by MSP Photography therefore the school office cannot accept orders or payments directly.  Please be aware that late orders will incur an additional charge.

If you have any questions regarding the ordering process, feel free to contact MSP Photography directly at 5333 5777 or visit their website at www.msp.com.au.

To order photos of your child(ren) & sibling photos, please do so through the COMPASS portal by Midnight, Monday 5th May 2025.

Please ensure that students wear their correct uniform on the day.

Thank you for your attention, and we look forward to a successful photo day!

Empowering Students & Building School Pride

Students who find their own voice in supportive schools are more likely to develop a confident voice, a capacity to act in the world and a willingness to lead others. Student engagement is enhanced when students feel able to exert influence and participate more fully in the classroom, school and community.

At Thornhill Primary School we focus on:

• Promoting and facilitating positive teacher-student relationships
• Promoting student drive, motivation and confidence for learning
• Promoting student leadership and voice
• Supporting student participation in school decision making
• Supporting student confidence in learning and achievement.

We do this by:

• Consulting with students and giving and receiving feedback on classroom practices.
• Modifying practices to accommodate the needs of all students and building a positive class culture that values the voice of all students.
• Regularly seeking feedback from students about the extent of their learning and support students to take on leadership responsibilities within the school and community by:
  • Applying for a position in the senior (grades 5 & 6) Student Leadership Team; who are expected to be ambassadors and embody our school values
  • empowering students to organise a Student Representative Council (SRC) that has a clear vision and mission, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are agreed between the leadership team and the student body
  • ensuring opportunities are provided for students to give feedback in each class
• Provide students with the support and tools to understand the impact of their involvement on learning outcomes and to reflect on, discuss and influence their own learning by:
  • building strong relationships and rapport between all students and teachers
  • providing students with the tools and skills to enable them to build confidence and a positive sense of self-worth.

Student Leaders 2025

Art – Mrs. Shoebridge

The Grade 2 students have been learning about primary and secondary colours. They have shown these colours in their Chameleon designs.

Art – Mrs. Belovitch

The Year 5/6 students learnt about techniques for blending oil pastels. After creating a design, they used paper towel, cotton tips and their fingertips to blend the colours. Some students added additional details to make their piece look interesting.

Performing Arts

Grade Prep have enjoyed playing dress ups to celebrate the end of term. They were dancing to the song Chihuahua.

Physical Education

The Year 3/4 cohort have been involved in learning about the sport of Lacrosse. They have participated in developing new skills and then implementing these during practice drills. Skills such as trapping, scooping, throwing and catching have been taught.  It was great to see the improvements students made across the 5 week unit. As always, being a good sport and kind to others during PE sessions was consistently promoted.

STEM 1 – Year 3/4

Students in Year 3/4 having been investigating the power of magnets and how magnetic forces can act from a distance. Students tried making a paperclip ‘float’ by using a magnet and not allowing the magnet to make direct contact with the paper clip. They felt like they were doing ‘magic’ when it was all the power of science! Students then applied their knowledge and made a floating model to take home.

STEM 1 – Year 1

Students in Year 1 have continued exploring the moveable properties of materials and made Changeable Monsters showing their skills of bending, folding, twisting and scrunching.

STEM- Mr. Wayne

The Year 5/6 children have been focusing on building towers and bridges following engineering rules. We learned that the base of a tower generally needs to be 1/5 the height of the tower.

Congratulations to the following students who received awards during our assemblies!

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 28th March

Students of the Week – Ending 4th April

Important Dates – Term 2

• Term 2 Commences: Monday, 22nd April
• Thursday 25th April: Anzac Day – Public Holiday (No students at school)
• Monday 28th April: Camp Year 3/4 Information Session (Lady Northcote)
• Thursday 1st May: Inclusion for Years 5/6 – ‘First Nations, First Fleet, First Contact’
• Tuesday 6th May: School Photos

Congratulations to the following students who are celebrating a birthday in March & April!

We hope you had a lovely day!

Cohen 1A

Isaac 34H

Finn 1B

Levi 2C

Gurman PA

Ekam 1E

Mannat Kaur PF

Alisha 1E

Radhvi Reddy 34H

Ivan 1A

Ylianah Ziel 56C

Rory PH

Lincoln 1D

Jishnu 1B

Aluna 34A

Amelia 34H

Issy 2E

Luna PC

Dion 1A

Laylah 1E

Abisade 56E

Isabell 34C

Evelyn 34D

Isaac 56D

Zeeshan 34B

Harman 2D

Nimrat 34B

Briar 1D

Lily 34F

Xander PG

Videeth 34G

Cooper 56A

Ekamveer 56F

Mohamed 2C

Rihaan 56D

Avreet 34H

Samaira 56C

Pratham Raj 1A

Eshaal  34H

Gursahib 1G

Achirin 34F

Diyaan PA

Dion 34F

Tarson 2D

Haliy 34A

Kaiya 56A

Haragam 2B

Angad   2D

Yahya 1D

Manraj 2B

Emily 2B

Noah 34F

Muhammad 56C

*Please note that birthdays are only published up until the date of publication.  

Come along and try Karate! Increase your confidence, learn new physical skills and have FUN in a safe and nurturing environment.

THORNHILL PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL GYM – WEDNESDAYS 4PM (AGES 4+)

To register for 2 FREE SESSIONS, please call 0407320333 or visit our website www.artofdefence.com.au