We are fast approaching the end of the year.  Having past the Melbourne Cup Weekend, it is a usual occurrence in schools for everything to feel like it is in fast forward mode.  I encourage you to take a moment in the ensuing chaos and reflect on what a wonderful year we have had in our second year here at Thornhill Park PS.

Transitions

Our Prep students have now experienced their third transition day and we must say that they have been an awesome group to get to know.  Our Year 5/6 students have also been doing their own transition of sorts with a week of ‘High School’ in their own classes and some transition work with the Melton Council Youth team.  We look forward to our last whole school transition on Tuesday 10th December where all of our students will get to meet their new teachers and spend a couple of hours in their new grades.

Pick up and drop off times

A reminder that before school supervision begins at 8.20am and after school supervision is until 3.20pm.  Any students who are early will need to go to before school care and those after 3.30pm will need to be in after school care.  Of course we are accommodating if it is not a regular incident and you contact the school to let us know of your whereabouts.  It is also important to note that many people ignore phone calls from the school after hours in relation to picking up their children, which can make children anxious and make it difficult to work out how to get a child home.  Most people are fabulous in this space and we thank you for your efforts in getting your child to school on time each day.

Attendance

I just wanted to highlight the wonderful improvement in attendance across the school.  We now regularly have classes with numbers over 97% attendance each week, which is phenomenal and ensures students have the best chance of succeeding.  Please continue to ensure your children are at school by 8.40am each morning to get the most out of their learning.

Curriculum Day

We will be having our last Curriculum Day for 2024 on Friday 6th December.  The Department of Education is implementing new mandatory literacy programs and an updated literacy and numeracy curriculum in 2025 that we need to familiarise ourselves with and this is the time we have set aside to do it.  Please contact Big Childcare to see if they will be running a program on the day.

Parent Opinion Survey Results

I would like to thank the over 70 people who completed this year’s Parent Survey.  It gives us valuable information to help us improve our school.  Two main factors we are particularly proud of are our Overall Satisfaction rating of 87% and children feeling safe at school at 99%.  We use this data to try and make further improvements to the way we do things at Thornhill Park.  We thank you all for your continued support to make this school the best it can be for your child and to service this community.  We all have a part to play in its success.

Sorry for the delay in getting this out.  Last week was a busy week.

Darryl Spiteri

Principal

Congratulations to 34C who achieved the highest attendance for the week ending 8th November.

Congratulations to 12F who achieved the highest attendance for the week ending  15th  November.

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.

Online safety for children

Children are likely to be exposed to online technology from a very young age and increasingly have immediate and ongoing access to online environments.

Online technologies and environments bring many positive benefits for identity, education, social connection, creativity and communication.

But there is potential for harm. There are growing concerns about the amount of time children spend online, the type of material they can access, the personal information and images they may share with people (particularly those they don’t know well), and the risks of being harmed by people they come into contact with online (or of harming others themselves).

Being aware of potential sources of harm and knowing some strategies to use with children are important ways parents can help their children to stay safe online.

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Strategies to assist children

Encourage and support alternative activities and influences

Parents can encourage children to enjoy a range of activities (both online and offline) and promote a range of influences in their lives.

• Support activities that do not involve online technologies, such as outdoor or sporting activities, volunteering or community related pursuits, and those that involve face to face contact with friends, family and communities
• Provide healthy role models for your children – set limits to your own time online and model enjoyment of other indoor and outdoor activities as well
• Promote healthy role models and expectations that offer alternatives to those available online and in the media
• Support the valuing of diversity, inclusion and equality for all, and discuss the impact of attitudes and behaviours on other people (online and offline)
• Support the development of a positive self-image and discuss what it means to have healthy relationships. For example, encourage positive alternatives to the sexualisation of children and to commercial interests promoted broadly in the media and even more prolifically online.

Establish limits to online use

It is recommended that parents establish limits to their children’s time and access online, especially for younger children or where their online behaviour is having a negative impact on other aspects of their life.

• Together, set some family parameters (a family agreement) around online use so that children have ownership of the agreements.
• Set limits around the time your child can spend online or using their mobile phone (e.g., no mobile phones at the dinner table, Wi-Fi password only given once homework done, internet off after 10pm).
• Agree on rules about privacy and confidentiality, while monitoring online access for younger children.
• Discuss your house rules with the parents of your children’s friends, especially when your child is visiting their home.

Keep up to date with online technologies and environments

If you are not familiar with certain online environments, like chat rooms, Facebook or Twitter, it will be harder for you to monitor your child’s experiences whilst online. So, take opportunities to learn these skills.

• Visit the Australian Government internet safety initiative that has been designed to keep parents informed and kids safe whilst online (https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids).
• Take advantage of school internet and online safety parent information sessions, as well as local library or community courses on computer or internet usage.
• Learn how to install and use filters, but don’t rely only on this strategy.
• Be educated about mobile phone plans and phone settings, and educate your children about the importance of financial costs, credit access, and privacy settings.
• Find out and share online resources that provide education and support for developing healthy attitudes and behaviours (such as healthy images that support positive body image, and sites that promote inclusion and discourage negative stereotyping such as racism).

Stay interested and involved in your child’s online activities

As a parent you can help your child have positive experiences online. Stay involved in your child’s use of online technology. Spend time with your child online, like chat rooms and Facebook, and explore new sites together.

• Stay familiar with the sites and networks your children use (e.g., set up your own accounts, learn about privacy settings, check age restrictions).
• Talk to your children about where they go online, and who they talk to. Remind them to be careful about making new friends online and to never meet an online friend in person without a trusted adult.
• Remember that your definitions of “friend” and “stranger” may be different from your child’s. Talk with your child about who their online friends are and how they have gotten to know them.  Be interested and curious and if you have concerns, talk about online safety (see below).
• Discuss with your child the type of sites that are appropriate for their age and those that are not, and help your child use appropriate search engines, websites and apps.
• Notice changes in your child’s behaviour (such as increased anxiety or withdrawal from friends).
• Keep a record of concerning content or harassing messages in case things escalate.

Talk about online safety with your child

Research shows that along with peers, children are most likely to tell a parent when dealing with problems online. As a parent you can help your child by encouraging an open discussion.

• Talk to them before issues arise (for example about what cyberbullying is), discuss strategies to address any issues and reassure your child that you will be there to support them
• Discuss with your child the kinds of sites that are appropriate and why some sites are not appropriate for children their age. Teach them about what to do if they come across inappropriate content.
• Teach your children to question information sources and content – for example, providing children with the knowledge to critique pornography and to understand that the imagery has been constructed for a commercial purpose; ask them what messages they think the images send to young people about relationship expectations.
• Make sure your children feel comfortable sharing their questions and concerns with you. This may mean that you need to listen to their concerns without judging, interrupting, panicking or criticising.
• Reassure your child that he or she will not get into trouble if they tell you about a problem.

Talk about appropriate behaviour online

Discuss with your child what sorts of behaviours are not appropriate online.

• Remind children only to post what they’re comfortable with others seeing and remind them that online content can be seen for a very long time, even by future employers.  Content can remain online even if they think that they have deleted it from their site, because they have little control over older versions on other computers that may continue to circulate online.
• If you are not comfortable with what your child is comfortable with, take time to discuss this with them.  Always try to stay curious about their different perspectives.
• Tell your children not to impersonate someone else online and that it is wrong to create posts or pages that seem to be written by someone else, like a schoolmate or teacher.
• Let your adolescents know that it is not ok to ask someone to send them nude pictures. Discuss issues around consent and emphasise that these same principles apply for online communication and relationships as they do for in-person interactions.

Our Learning in Years 1/2

Numeracy: Our Shopping Experience

To finish our Money Maths unit, the Grade 1/2s got creative! We made something to sell to our peers, and then held a market with our handmade crafts. Students were able to practise counting money and giving change, as well as show off their creations to their friends!

Literacy

Students have spent the first part of Term 4 continuing to practise the Writing Process to produce their own published narrative. They have planned the characters, settings, problems and solutions to create their entertaining stories. Students looked at ways to improve their writing, by adding a ‘hook’ sentence to capture the reader’s attention. This included things like, onomatopoeia, dialogue, actions and questions.

In Reading, Grade 1/2s have been learning about synthesising and how we can change our thinking as we read. Students learned about how our knowledge of a topic grows as we read more.

Visual Arts

During this week in Visual Art, the Grade 3/4 students have been exploring graphic design including line and pattern development.

They have focused on the city of Melbourne as inspiration to complete their artwork. The students will then fill in the sky with Kandinsky inspired colourful circles. The completed masterpieces will be on display across the school within the next couple of weeks.

Art

This week the 1-2 students are creating their favourite icy-pole designs out of paper.

Physical Education

In PE this term, we’ve been focusing on skills used in target games such as throwing and being accurate. Students are exploring different techniques to improve their aim learning through trial and error as they practice. We also continue to work on important social skills like sharing, taking turns, and staying safe while playing.

STEM

This week in STEM, students in year 5/6 have been continuing to learn about Forensic Science. Students tried their hand at being a Forensic Artist drawing sketches of possible ‘criminals’ based on a ‘witness’s’ description.

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

We hope you had a lovely day!

Aadit 12E

Ayaan 34B

Mabior 34D

Adriana 34A

Atarah PA

Radhav 34C

Bhashvika Reddy 56B

Lilyana 56D

Tyler 12G

Aishleen 34C

Ebubechukwu 12F

Leawi   34A

Mary     56B

Johnie 56C

Loveth 56D

Mary     12H

Inoke    34F

Ruby     56B

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

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 08/11

Students of the Week – Ending 15/11

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 4

20th – 22nd November  – Year 3 & 4 – Lady Northcote Discovery Camp

Tuesday 3rd December- Year 1/2 Cohort (End of year celebration Picnic @ school)

Friday 6th December – Curriculum Day (student free day)

Wednesday 4th December – Year 6 Funfields

Tuesday 10th December – Whole School Transition

Thursday 12th December – Year 6 Graduation

Wednesday 18th December – Whole school performance and presentations

Term 4 – Ends Friday 20th December @ 12:30pm

Cricket Victoria – Girls

Parents can register their child one of two ways through the registration portal;

1. Scanning the QR code in the attached flyer
2. Click the following link https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/64cd09