Welcome to Term 2.  We have already had a busy start to the term and there looks to be some exciting events to look forward to.

Mother’s day afternoon

Today we had a Mother’s Day afternoon to celebrate all the Mother’s and significant females in our lives.  After having a successful Mother’s day stall where we raised over $1000 for our school, parents came in to spend some time with their children and to create some wonderful art.  We thank the volunteers who helped with the Mother’s Day stall.  Your assistance is valued and appreciated.  These will be displayed in the school for the term.  We wish all Mothers a wonderful day on Sunday and hope your children show you how much they appreciate all you do for them.  We appreciate your contributions to our school and thank you for your ongoing support.

Election BBQ

Last Saturday during the Federal Election, our school put on a BBQ where we sold good old ‘democracy sausages’ to members of the Thornhill Park Community.  We raised over $800 on the day that will go towards improvements to our play areas within the school.  A huge thank you to all the teacher and parent volunteers who took the time to help out on the day.  It is truly wonderful to see the community come together to support the school when needed.

Fundraising

We will be having many opportunities over the year to contribute to fundraising at our school both as a volunteer and through donations, raffles, etc..  We have a range of improvements we would like to have happen at our school including new playgrounds, synthetic turf, paths across the soccer pitch and a new bike shed.  All of these things cost a lot of money to do, so we ask that you help to maximise our fundraising efforts when you are able.  Our School Council President – Ambreen Zaman would be delighted to have a few more parents join her when people are required for fundraising efforts.

Parking and crossings

A reminder to continue to use the crossings and to observe the signage when picking up and dropping off students.  It is becoming increasingly frustrating to see people still not following the basic road rules.  This is putting all members of our community at risk.

Curriculum Day Monday

There will be no school on Monday as our staff will be participating in a Professional Learning day to introduce Visible Wellbeing to our school.  A Zoom meeting will be held in June to explain the program.  We are lucky to have acquired the services of Professor Lea Waters for this program.  She is a world renowned leader in Positive Psychology.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mr Micallef and his wife on the birth of their first child.  We wish you all the best in this exciting time in your lives.

Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you on Tuesday.

Darryl Spiteri

Principal

Congratulations to 1G who achieved the highest attendance

for the week ending 2nd May.

Congratulations to 2D who achieved the highest attendance

for the week ending 9th May.

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.

We are excited to invite you to our Education Week – Celebration of Cultures Open Afternoon, which will be held on Wednesday, 14th May from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to spend time in your child’s classroom and experience the cultural celebrations and activities we have planned.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this special event with you and your child.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Applications are open for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) to help eligible families cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

Schools must submit completed application forms through the CSEF system by the end of Term 2, 2025 (Monday 30th June 2025).

Setting Expectations & Promoting Inclusion

At Thornhill Park Primary School, we set high expectations for all our students, to promote a sense of pride and self-respect. We ensure that all children’s wellbeing is at the forefront to ensure they can participate, achieve, and grow in a positive educational environment.

We do this by building strong student-teacher relationships, implementing ant-bullying policies, providing an inclusive curriculum, teaching to all student’s point of need with the creation and implementation of Individual Education Plans. All student’s cultural backgrounds, needs and abilities are recognised and reflected in the teaching and learning programs.

We monitor and track student attendance, use student surveys to gather information about the extent to which they feel valued and included, whether they are clear about what is expected of them and whether learning goals are challenging yet achievable.

At Thornhill Park we create inclusive and supportive learning environments by setting

• Clear classroom and school expectations
• Establish clear classroom procedures and routines
• Encourage expected school behaviour through the implementation of School Wide Positive Behaviour Matrix and the School Values of Respect, Integrity, Persistence and Wellbeing
• Provide active supervision
• Provide opportunities for student voice and agency

Our Learning in Years 5 & 6

Year 5/6 Term 2 Newsletter

We’ve launched into the term with great energy and enthusiasm, building on the strong foundations from our Start-Up Program in Term 1. This term, students are diving deeper into rich learning experiences across the curriculum.

A highlight so far has been our Australian History incursion, where students explored significant events and perspectives that have shaped our nation’s story. It was an engaging and eye-opening experience that sparked thoughtful discussions and deepened their understanding of Australia’s past.

Literacy:

In Literacy, we’ve kicked off a new focus on persuasive texts. Students are learning how to construct strong arguments, use persuasive language techniques, and back up their opinions with evidence—all while developing their voice as confident writers and speakers.

Numeracy:

This week in class, students were game designers as they created their own fair or unfair games! Through this fun and interactive project, they learned how probability affects game outcomes and how to recognize whether a game is based on chance, strategy, or a mix of both.

Inquiry:

As part of our Term 2 curriculum, students took part in a powerful incursion led by Jan Wositzky. This engaging music and storytelling experience explores the early history of first contact between Indigenous Australians and British colonists. Through live performance, songs, and archival images, students gained a deeper understanding of Australia’s past and the themes of reconciliation, peace, and shared history.

Year 5/6 Multimedia

During Term 2 in Multimedia, the Year 5/6 students will explore the art of digital photography, master the art of video editing, and learn the basics of creating captivating video clips and music clips using iMovie. Throughout this term, they will not only be honing their technical skills but also developing their confidence in expressing their ideas through multimedia projects such as music videos and news reports. The students will explore the use of Tinkercad when exploring 3D object design and 3D printing. They will continue to explore the importance of cyber safety and how to act responsibly using social media platforms. It will be a fantastic journey of discovery and growth that is bound to leave them inspired by the end of Term 2.

STEM

This term in STEM, students will be engaging in the opposite STEM units from term 1.

Mrs Andersen’s classes will be introduced to basic engineering principles through hands-on activities, problem-solving, and design thinking. Students will explore the engineering design process, experiment with different materials and structures, and apply their learning to design and build simple models.

Mr Wayne’s classes will investigate that substances can change in many ways. The main focus will be on reversible and irreversible changes. In a reversible change a material turns into something that looks and feels different. But then it can be change back into its original form. In an irreversible change a material turns into a new and different materials. This new material cannot be changed back into its original form.

Physical Education

In PE this term, students will be working on activities that involve improving game sense as well as participating and developing fitness circuits. 

Game sense for primary students refers to teaching sports and physical activities through understanding games, rather than just practicing isolated skills. It’s a student-centered approach that emphasizes decision-making, tactics, and strategy through modified, age-appropriate games.

Fitness circuits for primary school students are structured sets of physical activities arranged in stations, where children move through each station after a set time or number of repetitions. These circuits aim to develop various aspects of fitness like strength, agility, balance, and cardiovascular endurance in a fun and engaging way.

Visual Art

To start Term 2 in Visual Arts, Year 5/6 students commemorated ANZAC Day. Students created paper collages that honored the spirit and symbolism of the day. Using torn strips of coloured paper they explored texture, shape and composition. They experimented with layering techniques to create contrast and visual interest, selecting colors that evoked emotion and meaning. This activity emphasized the principles of emphasis and balance. Students will continue to analyse Melbournes ‘Street Art’ and discuss the street art movement, highlighting what is appropriate and not appropriate when it comes to art. They will look at artists such as Banksy and Keith Haring, to examine cultural and social issues. They will look at different lettering styles and how to create 3D to show depth on a two dimensional surface. Students will explore Mandala art, using line, shape and pattern as well as color and space. Throughout the term, they will also refine their ability, building skills in both conceptual and technical areas of visual art. We are looking forward to a fun and creative term with the Year 5/6 students.

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

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 2nd May

Students of the Week – Ending 9th May

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

We hope you had a lovely day!

Rishikesh 1A

Akira 2B

Austin PG

Iverson 2D

Samreet 56E

Izayah PD

Seerat PF

Ilyan 1A

Olivia 1G

Kyson 34E

Amelia 34F

Leslie PD

Syed Ayaan PA

Bor 56E

Haneet PA

Gursanjh Kaur PC

Hejalpreet PE

Ishi 1D

Peyton 34C

Jason    34A

Dhriya  34H

Rena     56B

Mahdi   PE

Ranvir  1D

Japneet 1F

David    34B

Anton   PD

David    PG

Melvin  34D

Soraya-Lee 34A

Rostam 34C

Enayat 34D

Danielle 56F

Benjamin Xavier 1C

Praneel 34E

Mayom 56E

Eliana Maryse  2E

Mifra PC

Serenity 2A

Shivansh 34E

Avneet 56E

Zorawar PD

Senaaf 1A

Bekami 1D

Mary-Ann 56C

Zunaira PG

Ivy PG

Janvi 1A

Shnaya 34B

Akuek Franco   34D

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

Important Dates – Term 2

• Monday 12th May – Curriculum Day – Student free day
• Wednesday 14th May – Celebration of Cultures Open Afternoon, which will be held on from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Wednesday 14th May – Year 5 & 6 Girls AFL (selected students only)
• Friday 16th May – Year 1 Werribee Open Range Zoo Excursion
• Monday 9th June – King’s Birthday – Public Holiday
• Wednesday 21st May – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Thursday 12th June – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Friday 20th June – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Monday 23rd June – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Friday 4th July – Nude Food Day (gold coin donation)
• Friday 4th July –  Term 2 ends @ 2.30pm

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