What an amazingly busy term we are experiencing as we head towards NAPLAN week and the Labour Day public holiday on Monday.

Labour Day Holiday

Please note that Monday is a Labour Day Public Holiday.  This means that there will be no school for all students on Monday.

NAPLAN

We are pleased with our students and the way they are engaging with the process of NAPLAN and wish them every success as they take on what can be for some, a daunting task.  Our students have been familiarising themselves with the NAPLAN system over the last couple of weeks to ensure they understand the way that NAPLAN is setup.  The practice they are doing is not marked and is random in nature.  It does not necessarily reflect what they will be doing during the week.  NAPLAN begins on Wednesday and students will be participating in a Reading, Language Conventions (grammar and spelling), Writing and Numeracy.  Please ensure your children are at school for these assessments as they will be required to do a catch up if they are not present.  NAPLAN will start on Wednesday 13th and go through until Monday 25th March.

House Names

We announced our House Names at our assembly last week and I wanted to let you all know what they are again to help it become part of our everyday terminology at Thornhill Park PS.

Brooke – Red House

Red House is named after the Brooke family.  They are a Gunditjmara family who preside mainly in the West of Melbourne and are a very community focussed.  Leanne Brooke is the General Manager of The Long Walk and Indigenous Affairs Advisor at Essendon Football Club.  Graeme ‘Porky’ Brooke is a famous Indigenous Boxer of significance in the Australian Sporting scene from the 1980s.  Their family totem is the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo.

Day – Yellow House

Yellow House is named after the Day family.  Our school art work was created by Paola Balla who is a proud Wemba-Wemba, Gunditjmara woman.  The Billy Buttons and Old Man Weed you see around the school were drawn from her childhood memories of picking these things with her Grandmother.  Her grandmother’s family name was Day, so we are honouring her family by naming one of our houses after them, as it an integral part of the early historic and fabric of our school.  Their family totem is the Willy Wagtail, which is also known as the Djiti-Djiti.

Borate – Blue House

Blue House is named after the Borate family.  Aunty Annie Borate, known traditionally as Borate (a.k.a. Boorat or Boorrort or Barat), was the daughter of Bebejan who was Ngurungaeta (head man) of the Wurundjeri people and Tooterie. She was the younger sister of Uncle William Barak.   Aunty Annie had several children, with only her eldest son, Uncle Robert Wandin (Wandoon) surviving to adulthood. All Wurundjeri people are descended from her through her son.  Their family totem is the Eagle.

Cooper – Green

Green House is named after the Cooper family.  William Cooper (18 December 1860 or 1861 – 29 March 1941) was an Indigenous political activist and community leader; the first to lead a national movement recognised by the Australian Government.  Their family totem is the Long Necked Turtle.

All families have granted permission for us to use their family names and totems.  We appreciate their support and love that we are able to acknowledge those who helped to establish the lands on which our school is built.  We will continue to make genuine connections with Indigenous Cultures and educate our students in Indigenous history and culture.

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend.

Darryl Spiteri

Principal

Student Appointments / Arrival / Departures

If your child has an appointment and is arriving late, or departing early, or has an appointment during the term, please let your child(s) classroom teacher know via Class Dojo or email the school email thornhill.aprk.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

When your child is leaving early, please wait at the school office.  Office staff will call your child’s classroom/exit your child, and then your child will be brought to the office, to minimise disruptions.

Lost Property

Please ensure that you label everything that your child brings to school. Lunchboxes, drink bottles and all clothing need to be clearly labelled.  Lost property tubs are located in the ‘Wellbeing’ space next to the office.

Tissues Needed

Our Learning in Year 1 & 2

Literacy

This term in Writing , we are focusing on recounts and the features of writing a sentence, especially what a sentence contains such as subject, verb, capital letter, finger spaces etc. Our students have been identifying the different types of sentences and ways we can enhance our writing to make it more entertaining for the reader. We will be following the writing process, from brainstorming and drafting to editing and publishing. Students will be writing recounts on various activities that they will complete during school hours, including visiting local parks and their participation in specialist subjects.

In Reading, students will be focusing on building our independent reading stamina and our love of reading! By exploring a range of texts, our students will be able to begin making connections and preferences to the books they enjoy the most. Our students will add to their decoding strategies so that they are able to read a wider range of words and texts. We will learn to read with increasing fluency to help our understanding. To help our comprehension skills, students will learn about how to visualise while reading to build understanding. 

Numeracy  (Place Value, Length & Mass)

Number 

Recently students have been learning to read and write numbers, specifically two, three and four digit numbers,  as well as represent them with different types of materials. Students have been identifying the place value of a given digit and have used this knowledge to practice ordering numbers. They have consolidated their understanding of odd and even numbers as well as numbers that come before and after. Students have enjoyed developing their number fluency playing games such as Mastermind and Race to 100. 

We have been practicing skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s to build on our counting skills, as well as the ability to start from different starting points other than 0 when counting forwards and backwards. 

Measurement 

Later this term students will shift their focus to measurement – specifically length and mass. We will practice measuring items in our classrooms and focus on the language being used when discussing these topics. 

When focusing on Length, students will develop their measuring skills beginning with informal units such as counters and popsicle sticks then moving to centimeters. They will work to improve their accuracy when measuring items and compare the length of objects and practice ordering them from shortest to longest. When focusing on Mass, students will develop their hefting skills which is the ability to hold two different items and explain which is heavier. 

Inquiry

As part of our Inquiry focus this term, students have been learning about our four school values of Respect, Integrity, Persistence and Wellbeing. Students have also been introduced to our School Wide Matrix, which clearly outlines expected behaviours in different settings around our school. 

Through our unit, ‘We Belong’ students have had an opportunity to learn about how to stay healthy, how to make and keep friends, family, teamwork and our community.

Swimming and water safety 

As an important part of the curriculum, students have attended swimming lessons over the past two weeks. They have been taught basic skills to increase their confidence around water, and some beginning swimming skills to keep them safe. Some of the skills students have acquired are what to do in an emergency situation around water, age appropriate rescue techniques, how to recognise signs and dangers around different water sources, and the recovery position. Those unable to attend the swimming program received lessons aligned with water safety. 

It was also a wonderful experience and a fantastic opportunity for students to practise their independence! We are very proud of and impressed by the 1/2 cohort!  

Home Reading

We would like to take a moment to acknowledge and thank you for your dedication to supporting your child’s reading at home. Reading together not only strengthens your child’s literacy skills but also fosters a love for reading that will last a lifetime. The time and effort you invest in encouraging your child to read and engage with their Take Home Readers is invaluable and has a significant impact on their progress and confidence as readers.

We understand that life can be busy, and we truly appreciate the commitment you have shown in making reading a priority in your family’s routine. Your partnership in your child’s education is vital, and we are grateful for your continued support.  

Yours Sincerely 

The Grade 1/2 Team

Our Learning in Visual Arts

During the past week in Visual Arts, the Grade 5/6 students have been creating a detailed hand-print that incorporated the use of line, shape, pattern and colour. The students were engaged in their learning as they developed these amazing skills.

Art Room request: Please ensure that your child has an art smock or old shirt available to wear during art lessons especially when we begin painting.

Thanks for your support,

Victor Pody and Sally Shoebridge.

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.

Week Ending: 1st March

Congratulations to 56A who achieved an incredible 94.58%! 

Week Ending: 8th March

Congratulations to 12B who achieved over 96% attendance this week.

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

We hope you had a lovely day!

Aria 34E

Eden 12D

Aiden 34A

Dante 34A

Akaalkirat 34A

Sehaj Kaur 34D

Kellan 34D

Suvleen 56C

Xielzy 56D

Ish 12H

Ay-Jay 56B

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

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 01/03

Students of the Week – Ending 08/03

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 1 

Monday 11th March – Public Holiday – Labour Day

Wednesday 13th March – Naplan – Writing / Years 3 & 5

Thursday 14th March – Naplan – Reading / Years 3 & 5

Monday 18th March – Naplan – Numeracy / Years 3 & 5

Monday 18th March – Friday 24th March – Cultural Diversity Week

Thursday 21st March – Harmony Day

Friday 29th March – Good Friday Public Holiday

School Holidays commence on Monday 1st April – Friday 12th April