We are fast approaching the end of winter and moving into some warmer weather.  It has been wonderful to see all of our students participating in our Olympics Day today and we thank the organising committee for your work in making this happen.

Enrolments

Please ensure that if you have a child starting in Prep in 2025 that you fill in an enrolment form at the office as soon as possible.  We would also ask that you speak with Mrs Payton if your child has additional needs and is in need of extra assistance when moving into school in 2025.  We will be starting our transition programs for these children soon.  We are currently at over 630 enrolments for 2025 and expect well in excess of 750, so please get your enrolments in now to enable us to employ accordingly.

Uniform

A reminder that uniform is compulsory at Thornhill Park Primary School.  Please ensure that all students are wearing the school polo and any of the jumpers or jackets that have the school logo on them.  The colour of our pants is navy blue.  I have seen many children wearing black.  This is not our colour.  Jeans are also not a part of our uniform.  Most people do a fabulous job in ensuring all of our children look like they are a part of our wonderful community.

Play areas and yard duty

Please speak with your children about the dangers of playing behind buildings and unsupervised areas of the school.  We do our best to ensure students are all in a visible line of sight with all teachers, however often students will take short cuts behind buildings or hide in theses spaces as they ae out of bounds and students wouldn’t be looking there.  We are working on getting some higher fencing around the perimeter of the school to assist with this problem, but it is reasonable to suggest that students are very safe onsite if they can be seen by staff.  We have at least 8 adults outside every play who are wearing high visibility vests.  These staff members keep a very close eye on proceedings and are always available if there is an issue.  Our school is a very safe space and our students are wonderful at interacting kindly and considerately with each other.  We are very proud of this.

Parking and crossing the road

As always, it has come to my attention that people are not doing the right thing when picking up their children each afternoon.  Can I please reiterate that you are role models for your children and your behaviours with crossing the road, following the road rules and exercising patience when waiting for people to pick up their children in the afternoon is appreciated and expected.

Zoo Excursion

Our Year 1/2 students attended the zoo last week and had an amazing time.  A huge thank you to the teachers and parents who organised and attended the excursion and also to the students who represented our school well.  We look forward to future excursions and teaching our students how to be great citizens in public spaces.

Olympics Day

A wonderful Olympics Day was organised by our student leaders and a dedicated group of teachers.  We thank them for the marvellous memories created and hope that it helps people to remember Australia’s greatest Olympic campaign ever.

Have a wonderful weekend

Darryl Spiteri

BOOK FAIR

It’s about books! It’s about your children. It’s about fun! It’s our Scholastic Book Fair — a special time for our entire school community, to be held in our Wellbeing area. Please plan now to attend our Book Fair, scheduled for Tuesday 27^th, Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29^th and Friday 30^th of August before school (8:15- 8:40 am) and after school (3:00-3:30pm) in the Wellbeing space. You’ll be glad you did! It’s a perfect time to explore the affordable books and products with your children. Plus, a portion of the sales benefits our school directly. Money raised will contribute to purchasing books for our students. Eftpos payments only.

We encourage you to take time for this special event. Can’t wait to see you there!

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.

Did you miss your Smile Squad dental visit?

The Smile Squad team from Western Health have now completed their dental examinations at our school. During this time, they provided free dental care to students who returned a signed consent form.

If anyone in your family returned their consent form but didn’t get seen, it’s not too late.

You can visit Western Health at their community dental clinic. Please contact the team at any time to book an appointment. Just let them know you signed up to Smile Squad and have returned a consent form. This is a free service.
Contact the team at:
Western Health
195-209 Barries Rd, Melton West VIC 3337
Phone: 9747 7676

Emergency care:
If any student requires emergency care in between our visits, they can attend our van or clinic as detailed above. Please call 97 47 7676 and ask for a Smile Squad emergency appointment.
If you have any further questions or need more information, please feel free to contact me at any time on 0484 138 318

Please share your feedback:
We’re always interested to hear feedback about your Smile Squad experience. Your feedback is vital to help us make improvements to ensure all Victorian government school students receive the best possible dental care.

Please take a few moments to complete our short survey: https://forms.office.com/r/07ZpUfB9Xk.

Congratulations to 5/6B who achieved the highest attendance for

the week ending 19th July!

Congratulations to Prep B who achieved the highest attendance for

the week ending 26th July!

Congratulations to 1/2E who achieved the highest attendance for

the week ending 2nd August!

Congratulations to Prep G who achieved the highest attendance for

the week ending 9th August!

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.

Our Learning in Prep

To celebrate 100 Days of School, Prep students dressed up as if they were 100 years old. Throughout the day, students took part in a range of activities including drawing and writing what they “want to do before they turn 100” and counting to and dancing to 100! We had so much fun celebrating the achievement of being at school for 100 days! We are 100 days brighter!

Visual Arts 

The students in Grades Prep, One and Two have been working on Henri Matisse paper cutouts this week in Art. Henri Matisse was a famous French artist. An interesting fact about Henri Matisse was that he became ill later in his life and he couldn’t paint anymore, so he started drawing interesting shapes, cutting them out and pasting them onto coloured paper.

The students created their own unique shapes using coloured paper and then glued them onto a backing sheet to create their Matisse inspired masterpiece.

These wonderful creations will be on display at the Art Show on the 6^th September. 

Art

This week in Art, the students are learning about French artist ‘Henri Matisse’ and his fabulous collage artworks.

Physical Education

To celebrate the Women In League Round, Female League Stars Participants were given the opportunity to Participate in a Mini League Stars Clinic last Saturday 3rd August 2024 at the Storm v Dragons game at AAMI Park in Melbourne. We had 4 girls participate from Thornhill Park Primary School. The girls were invited to be involved in a clinic run by NRL staff during the half time break. They then formed a guard of honour as the players ran out onto the ground for the second half of the match. They enjoyed themselves very much.

Throughout this term in PE, our 1/2 students have developed their striking abilities. We have emphasised the forehand strike and engaged in cooperative rallies with a partner. We will build on these skills by concentrating on throwing, catching and the two-handed strike.

Mr. Luca & Mr. Ford

Performing Arts

The Foundation students have been exploring characters and role play in Drama. They pretended to be dogs and performed the book Hairy Maclary’s Bone.

STEM

In STEM, students in year 3/4 have been very busy getting their potatoes ready for the Potato Olympics. They have been investigating the different ways a potato can move when different forces have been applied and working as a team.

Bullying No Way Week: National week of action.

The week of 12 to 16 August 2024, is The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, which is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative and connects schools and communities to find workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence has a new name—Bullying No Way: National week of action.

The theme for 2024 is ‘Everyone belongs’.

When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. It is about embracing who we are, respecting everyone’s differences and standing up together against unkindness.

Belonging means we all have a role in preventing bullying. We are encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels supported and respected, and our voices are heard and valued.

For more information, refer to the attached ‘Tips for Parent / Carer eSafety education’ or resources visit: https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/preventing-bullying/national-week-of-action

If you have any queries, please reach out to our wellbeing team.  Thank you.

Understanding Child Mental Health

Children and young people with positive mental health feel good about themselves.

They’re able to build relationships and express themselves. They can also deal with challenges and adapt to change.

Children’s mental health moves along a continuum. Like an adult’s.

‘Continuum’ means that a child’s mental health is not fixed. It can move along a range from healthy to struggling, and back again.

While most children experience positive mental health, a child can also struggle. They can develop a mental health condition.

It’s important to seek support early.

Visit the Be You website to understand the Mental Health Continuum.

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

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 02/08

Students of the Week – Ending 09/08

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

We hope you had a lovely day!

Jashan 56A

Jack PA

Andino PB

Nicholai PF

Norah 12C

Noah 12A

Elisha 12C

Nivaan 34F

Harjot 34B

Ronin 12E

Aisha 34B

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 9th August – Thornhill Park PS Mini Olympics

Monday 12th August to 16th August – Bullying No Way: National week of action

Monday 12th August – Science Week

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

Thursday 15th August – District Athletics

Wednesday 21st August – Year 5 & 6 Basketball

Friday 23rd August – Daffodil Day

Monday 26th August – TPPS Book Week – Theme – ‘Reading is Magic’

Tuesday 27th August – Book Fair (before and after school)

Wednesday 28th August – ‘Books to Life’ whole school 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