Welcome to Term 3.  As always we have a lot planned for this term such as our Book Week Celebrations, Preparation for Camp and the 100 Days of Prep.

100 Days of Prep

A huge congratulations to all of our Preps who are celebrating 100 Days of Prep this week.  They have grown so much in the first 2 terms and learnt a great deal to hold them in great stead for the rest of their Primary School journey.  It is always wonderful to see Preps in Term 3 as they start to understand the complexities of being at school and are more connected with their routines and their peers.  It is a special milestone in a student’s learning.

Safety and parking

A reminder that the safety of our students at Thornhill Park is paramount.  We ask that you use the drop off and pick up zones as such to avoid cars banking up along Baxterpark Dve.  We have seen wonderful examples of this at the end of last term and again last week and traffic flow has been much better as a result of this consideration.  We do still have a number of parents not doing the right thing at times, which significantly affects the ability to get children to their parents safely.  We would also ask that you use the designated crossings near the school and not the ‘speed bump’ as it is not a crossing point.

Policies

We have a number policies that we use that require Community Consultation.  Policies are important because they guide what we do as a school and the they are the documents that help us to cope with a variety of situations.  All of our policies are on our website at https://thornhillparkps.vic.edu.au/our-school/documents-policies-reports/ .  We would ask that you look through the following policies if you are able and provide comment for consideration.

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
• Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedures
• Child Safety Code of Conduct
• Complaints Policy
• Digital Learning (Internet, Social Media and Digital Devices) Policy
• Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy
• Visitors Policy
• Volunteers Policy

A form has been created at https://forms.gle/Ww6dhV1EubwWnWWM8 for you to enter in any feedback you may have.  Alternatively you can also see Mr Spiteri with your feedback.  Opportunities for feedback will be open until Wednesday 7th August.

Parent Opinion Survey

The Annual Parent Opinion Survey will be open soon for parents to complete feedback about our school.  We would like to hear from as many parents as possible to continue to build on our wonderful school.  Last year we had over 75 responses and received some wonderful feedback from parents.  More information is in this edition of the newsletter and a QR code will hopefully be around the school for you to connect with when you are waiting for your children in the afternoon.

School Review

Our school will be undertaking our first review in September.  The review focusses on our current practice and helps us to create a plan for the next four years at Thornhill Park Primary School.  Our reviewer, Branko Lukic will work with our Senior Education Improvement Leader, Tony Simpson and our Leadership Team to ascertain what needs to be done to help our school be the best it can be.  This process requires the Review Team, which also includes two Principals from other schools to analyse our teaching practice, documentation and compliance with standards.  Teachers, students and parents will be invited to discuss a range of ideas and concepts with the Review Team to gain a clear picture of what happens at our school.  More information will be provided closer to the date.

Have a great weekend

Darryl Spiteri

Principal – Thornhill Park Primary School

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 29 July and Friday 30 August.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Please speak to our office staff if you would like more information.

Lolly Bags

A friendly reminder to everyone that any lolly bags for birthday celebrations must be handed in at the front office. This procedure helps us check for potential allergens and ensure the safety of all students.

Years 5 & 6 Term 3 Overview

Welcome to Term 3. We hope everyone had a lovely term break and are feeling recharged and ready for learning. We welcome new families to our 5/6 team.

Literacy:                                                                                                                  

During reading sessions this term, students will be focusing on revising their summary skills and strategies using various texts. We will revise identifying the theme and explore the underlying author’s message within the texts.  We will be delving into texts using our background knowledge or experience and adding new information or perspectives to develop new understandings. Within writing students will be focusing on informational reports and explanation texts. An information report will require students to research, summarise or paraphrase the factual information into their own words. With explanation texts students will explore cause and effect, they will research and gather information to answer their questions and describe how things work or happen.

Numeracy:

In Term 3, students will enhance their understanding of the place value system by exploring decimal numbers, connecting decimals with money through budgeting, and learning about percentages and GST. They will also delve into the Location and Transformation units, using grid coordinates to locate positions and describe the movement, investigating translations, reflections, and rotations of shapes, and identifying symmetries. The Cartesian coordinate system will be introduced, focusing on points in all four quadrants.

Inquiry:

In Term 3, our theme is “Get Moving”, which will focus on the Geography and Health units. Our aim is to explore the Olympics, countries, nutrition and mental health. Students will participate in various fitness and mental health activities of their choosing on a weekly basis.  These activities will be designed to promote student engagement and their own health and well-being.

Camp:

We are looking forward to our first Year 5/6 camp to Weekaway located in Benloch. This will take place from 2^nd Sept to 4^th Sept. Please ensure your payments are up to date.

Mayor Visit:

Last term the students were encouraged to investigate and write persuasive letters. At the end of last term some of our students wrote and presented their persuasive letter to the Major of Melton, Cr Kathy Majdlik, regarding their personal opinions as to how to improve their suburb of Thornhill Park. Our major spoke of her role within the Melton Council. She was impressed by the questions our students had asked and their overall behaviour. This term some students received a reply letter from the mayor informing them that their letters will be read in Parliament. We look forward to hearing about this experience and hopefully making an impact in our wonderful community.

Visual Arts 

The students in Grades Prep, One and Two have been exploring NAIDOC Week in Art this week. They have worked on a collaborative mural of ‘Bunjil the Eagle’.

The Wurundjeri people believe an ancestral Wedge-tailed Eagle called ‘Bunjil’ created the land. Bunjil originated from a falling star, and as he fell from the sky, he blew air from his beak to create the earth we live on today. He scratched in the soil with his talons, and the first trees and plants started to grow.

The students in Grades 3-6 explored Aboriginal art symbols to create their own visual narratives.

Our Art Show is on the 6th September 2024. Don’t forget to add this important date to your calendars.

Art

This week in Art, the students have been working on a collaborative Mural, while exploring Aboriginal Art and learning about NAIDOC week.

Physical Education

This week in PE, Year 5/6 students have been learning to play co-operative games, modified where appropriate, and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending. They were asked to actively react to a ball hit by the batting team, use the most effective stopping technique and effectively communicate with their team.

Performing Arts

Grade 3/4 students are studying Drama this term in PA. They began the term by miming different scenarios. In this scene, one student is at the dentist.

STEM

This week in STEM grades 1/2A and 1/2D began using Root the robot. Students needed to code Root to make it collect the coins and reach the treasure.

This week in STEM, students in 1/2B, 1/2C, 1/2E, 1/2F, 1/2G and 1/2H are being introduced to STEM challenges and are working in groups to build a bridge using only scrap paper and masking tape. They are learning about the design process steps: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve, while developing teamwork and problem-solving skills.

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

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 19/07

Students of the Week – Ending 26/07

Congratulations to the following students who are celebrating a birthday in July!

We hope you had a lovely day!

Anaayah 34D

Ayanna 56B

Jericho 56B

Saiyam 12F

Caroline PB

Pietro PF

Adrian 34C

Rehmatdip Kaur PA

Eloise PG

Keziah 12C

Anna PE

Mataius 34C

Gurneet 34E

Riyaazpreet 12A

Lexi 34D

Sableen 34F

Gislaine 12E

Sakina 12E

Chloe 34C

Mia 34F

Rebecca 34B

Salote 12A

Domaneek 56B

2024 School Terms    

Term 1  Tuesday 30th January till Thursday 28th March

Term 2  Monday 15th April till 28th June

Term 3  Monday 15th July till 20th September

Term 4  Monday 7th October till Friday 20th December

Important Dates – Term 3

Friday 2nd August – Year 1 & 2 – Melbourne Zoo Excursion

Friday 9th August – Thornhill Park PS Mini Olympics

Monday 12th August – Science Week

Monday 12th August – Prep Incursion – It’s Alive

Thursday 15th August – District Athletics

Thursday 15th August – Year 1 & 2 – Library Incursion

Wednesday 21st August – Year 5 & 6 Basketball

Friday 23rd August – Daffodil Day

Monday 26th August – Thornhill Park PS – Book Week Commences

Monday 26th August – Scholastic Book Fair Commences

Wednesday 28th August – Book Week Incursion

Thursday 29th August – Father’s Day Stall

Friday 30th August – Book Parade (dress up) 9am in the gym

Monday 2nd September – 4th Sep – Year 5 & 6 – Weekaway Camp

Thursday 5th September – Year 3 & 4 Basketball

Friday 6th September – Art Show (2pm – 6pm)

Tuesday 10th September – Year 3 & 4 AFL

Thursday 12th September – R U OK? Day

Thursday 12th September – Divisional Athletics

Friday 20th September – End of Term 3