We are now over the halfway point of Term Two and our teachers are working extremely hard to complete a range of assessments with our students that will aid them in writing reports that will be provided to you at the end of this term.

Over the next couple of weeks, we have some important dates for parents to take note of, including the King’s Birthday Public Holiday on Monday the 9^th of June. No staff or students will be at school on this day. We also have sporting events and opportunities for 2026 Prep parents to tour the school and take part in information sessions, so please keep an eye out for these dates.

Behaviours outside of school

Unfortunately, we are receiving phone calls each week from parents informing us of incidents that are occurring after school and on weekends between students. Please take time to speak to your children about treating each other kindly and always ensure that they are supervised when playing outside of your home, at places such as the park. It is asking a lot of our staff to follow up incidents with children when they are not in our care. If it is a serious safety concern, please contact the police for support.

Uniform

Please ensure your children are in full school uniform each day at school.  All our jumpers and polo tops need to have our school logo on them, but skorts, shorts and pants can be from other outlets.  Our school colour is navy blue and not black.  Many students are wearing random pieces of clothing either under their clothes or over the top.  This is not part of our uniform and children may be asked to take it off.  Please see our wellbeing staff if you need assistance with uniform.  We would also ask that you write your child’s name clearly on any uniform items.  Warm jackets worn over the top of clothing do not need to be school items.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Scott Bartlett

Assistant Principal

Congratulations to 1G who achieved the highest attendance

for the week ending 30th May.

Congratulations to 2B who achieved the highest attendance

for the week ending 6th June.

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.

Wellbeing Team – Aloi Tuariki (Student Mentor & Guidance)

At Thornhill Park Primary School we are working towards building a stronger, safe, and healthy school community. Our wellbeing team aims to increase resilience, encourage respectful relationships, and promote healthy social and emotional wellbeing among our students, staff, parents, and community.

Through the National Student Wellbeing Program (NSWP), Aloi Tuariki is part of our wellbeing team as our Student Mentor & Guidance Officer. Her role is to work with small groups and individual students in a short-term capacity to support student attendance, engagement, and mental health. She will communicate with families throughout the process, as required. NSWP chaplains and student wellbeing officers collect personal and health information to assist you or your child by:

• supporting student attendance, engagement, and mental health
• supporting students in difficult or challenging situations such as during times of grief
• providing students with referrals to specialist services when required
• providing pastoral care and guidance to students about values and ethical matters
• supporting physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development and wellbeing of students
• supporting an environment of cooperation and respecting a diversity of cultures and traditions.

For more information, please contact our wellbeing team.

Wellbeing Space

Our dedicated wellbeing space promotes the healthy development of children’s emotional self-regulation, particularly for students whose needs may not easily be met in the classroom environment. Our approach is to ensure all students, whatever challenges they are facing, are fully integrated into the classroom, maintaining a climate of inclusion for all students.

The Wellbeing space is a great space to build and maintain self-regulation strategies, support the sensory needs of our students and to promote the social and emotional development and wellbeing of our students.

Breakfast Club Update

Breakfast Club continues to run twice a week on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

On average we have 100 plus students access this vital support each week and is a great way to engage with the school community before the start of the day.

At this stage we have the following food options to choose from as a ‘Grab & Go’ with fruit cups, milk, tuna bowl, apples & cereals.

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).

Grade 1’s Wild Day Out at Werribee Zoo!

What an exciting adventure we had! All Grade 1 students from classes 1A to 1G enjoyed a wonderful excursion to Werribee Zoo in week 4. The day was packed with fun, learning, and unforgettable moments.

One of the highlights was the Safari Bus Tour, where we got to see a range of amazing animals up close — really close! We drove right through open plains and saw giraffes strolling by, zebras grazing nearby, and rhinos relaxing in the sun, just a few metres from the bus. It felt like we were truly on an African safari!

Some lucky students even got a sneak peek at the new elephant exhibit, which was a special surprise and a favourite for many.

We were so proud of how well everyone behaved on the bus trip to and from the zoo. The teachers were impressed with how respectful, patient, and excited the students were throughout the day.

After exploring the zoo, we all gathered to play together in the park. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces enjoying time with friends and classmates from across all Grade 1 classes.

A huge thank you as well to the parent helpers who came along and supported us throughout the day. Your help made everything run so smoothly — we couldn’t have done it without you!

By the end of the day, after so much exploring and excitement, we had lots of sleepy travellers on the ride back to school!

What a wild and wonderful day it was!

Our Learning in Grade 2

This term, we started our Literacy unit analysing information texts. We learnt to identify the purpose, organisation and features of an information text. Students began creating their own information text by summarising key points using a concept map. They then used this tool to expand their points and write their own information text independently. The rest of the term will be spent exploring persuasive texts. Students will begin by learning to understand and identify the author’s purpose. They will learn the importance of perspective, emotive language and responses. Using this knowledge, they will create their own persuasive text in the form of a postcard. 

The importance of reading every night is crucial for the development of your child’s confidence and fluency in reading. Please make sure they are reading on a nightly basis and filling out their diaries each day. 

In Numeracy, we have been exploring a variety of mathematical concepts. Students have been learning about data – collecting, creating, comparing, and identifying common features in the information they gather. In location, we are using positional language such as move forward, move backwards, turn right or left to give and follow directions. We have also been learning about length, where students measure and compare objects using informal units (such as blocks or hands) and formal units including millimetres (mm), centimetres (cm), and metres (m). We’ve also been using tools like a trundle wheel to help us measure longer distances.  In shape, students are learning to recognise and describe shapes using language such as opposite, parallel, curved, and straight. In number, we are focusing on addition and subtraction with one- and two-digit equations, building fluency with numbers from 0 to 20, and exploring money by adding and subtracting amounts.

This term in our Wellbeing and Respectful Relationships unit, students are learning valuable skills to navigate friendships and social situations. They are exploring ways to solve simple interpersonal problems with their peers and practising how to show care and kindness in their relationships. As part of this learning, students are also discovering how to make new friends and maintain positive connections with others. Later in the term, the focus will shift to important help-seeking strategies, empowering students to recognise when a problem may be too big to handle alone, and that it’s okay to seek support from a trusted adult.

This term we have been learning lots of new signs in Auslan! We can ask and answer questions using the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where and why). We have learnt the capital cities in Australian states and territories, and how to ask people where they live and visit. Ask us to show you how to greet someone and ask them their name! 

Our inquiry unit for Term 2 is called ‘What a Load of Rubbish’, where we take a deep dive into how we can be environmental heroes and look after our planet better. Students explore how the actions we take impacts our environment and resources. By the end of this unit, students will raise awareness of the 5Rs, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse and Rot for themselves and others. We also had Bunnings come out to visit us and teach us all about composting and worm farms!

Grade 2 Team.

Multimedia

During this past week, our creative Year 3/4 filmmakers immersed themselves into iMovie to produce their own short freestyle videos. From brainstorming story ideas to capturing footage on iPads, the students experimented with camera angles, sound effects and titles, then polished their clips with transitions and colour tweaks in the edit suite. The project not only strengthened their technical editing skills but also encouraged teamwork, storytelling, and confident digital expression, proving that even budding directors can bring big-screen imagination to the classroom.

Mr. Pody

Physical Education

Congratulations go to Indiannah-Jade Livingstone for representing our school at the Divisional Athletics Meeting on Wednesday 28^th May at Mason’s Lane in Bacchus Marsh. Even though she didn’t place, Indiannah completed the whole 2km distance in her 9/10 girls age group.

We are so proud. Well done:)

Art & Stem – Mrs. Belovitch

National Reconciliation Week in Australia is observed annually from May 27th to June 3rd.  It’s a time for all Australians to learn about the shared histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to consider how each of them can contribute to reconciliation. The dates commemorate the 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision, both significant events in the reconciliation journey.

Students across the school were asked to design the other side of a gum leaf that represents their connection to country, place, school, or home. They were asked, “what does the leaf mean to you?” They could use symmetry, to mimic the shape and design of the leaf, or create their own design, imperfect and unique.

Students were encouraged to use crayons to create lines and shapes that represent a connection to the land, or an abstract style of design based on their imagination. They then used the “wax resistant” technique using watercolours to paint over their crayon designs.

A whole school display will be made and displayed to showcase the hundreds of beautiful leaves created by our students. Watch this space!

Art – Mrs. Shoebridge

Grade 5/6 students have been using  Oil Pastels, exploring blending techniques and design.

Important Dates – Term 2

• Monday 9th June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
• Tuesday 10th June – Prep – Road Safety Incursion with RACV
• Wednesday 11th June – Year 5 & 6 Soccer (selected students only)
• Thursday 12th June – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Friday 13th June – Winter Sport Lightning Cup (selected students only)
• Thursday 19th June – Respectful Relationships Information Session from 3.15pm
• Friday 20th June – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Monday 23rd June – 2026 Prep Tours & Information Session
• Friday 4th July –  Term 2 ends @ 2.30pm

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

We hope you had a lovely day!

Satgun 2E

Sehaj Singh 56A

Rajvir 2D

Anaiah 2D

Adiva 34A

Tanav 1D

Traliyah 56E

Xavier 34D

Nabeel 56A

Fatma 56F

Lola 1G

Joshua 56A

Martha Tobongye 1F

Dyuthika 34E

Lucas 34E

Ashmeen Kaur PF

Yuvi 1C

Avah 2C

Joe 56F

Jesiah 56B

Pushkar Kumar 2A

Ryder PH

Maverick PC

Ekasjot PF

Uwasse 34H

Preeya 56C

Agamdeep Singh PC

Mia 1A

Emmanuel 34C

*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

As our club continues to grow, we’re exploring new ways to encourage participation in local sport. To help support families and attract new players to the game, we are offering free registration for all Under-12 players joining our club for the 2025 season.

This initiative presents a great opportunity for children who are new to the sport or those looking for a fresh start at a welcoming, community-focused club—all while easing the financial pressure on families.

Please contact: 0493 514 000

www.aintreefc.com.au