Term 2 is well underway and our students have gotten straight into their learning.  Our Year 5/6 students participated in an incursion relating to Government, which was very well received and by all accounts our students displayed our values in an exemplary manner.  We have just had a 4 day weekend to commemorate ANZAC Day and to enable teachers to improve their classroom practice and curriculum knowledge with a Curriculum Day on Friday.  We hope your children return refreshed on Monday.

New Staff

We’d like to welcome Tam Tuaoi, Alaa Hussein, Gurinder Kaur and Nalia Le Farrell to our staff.  Tam will be assisting with student engagement.  Alaa and Gurinder will be working as Education Support staff and Nalia will be our New Office Manager working with Kate, Jade and Jo.  We hope you will make them feel welcome.

Camps

We have a couple of camps coming up later this year for our Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 students.  Camps will run for 3 days and 2 nights.  Our Year 3/4s are travelling to the Lady Northcote Camp and our Year 5/6s will attend Weekaway.  This is the first time we will be sending students to camp, so we are hoping that most will go.  More information will be sent out soon on Compass and you will need to pay a deposit to hold your child’s place.

Parking and dangerous behaviour at the front of the school

I have asked on several occasions that parents consider the safety of the students at Thornhill Park PS by ensuring you do not park in the pick up and drop off bays or further along on the road during school pick up and drop off.  I am seeing some very dangerous behaviour where parents are performing U-Turns in front of the school whilst people are driving the other way, people double parking or opening car doors in the middle of the road.  I am also seeing parents overtake people who are waiting patiently to pick up their children as the drop off becomes vacant.  I am also seeing many parents not using the designated crossings or holding the hands of young children when crossing our roads.  Due to impatience from people who may not be connected to our school in trucks and the like, there is an increased risk of erratic driving behaviour that could cause one of our children to be struck by a car.  Please take that extra couple of seconds to do the right thing and cross at the appropriate places or park your car in one of the many spaces situated in the streets around the school.

Beanies

Beanies are available from the front office.  They are only available at our office and you cannot get them at Dobsons.  They are $15 each.

Uniform and school photos

We will be having school photos in the first couple of weeks of May and we expect all of our students in full school uniform every day and especially on this day. I am noticing that most of our students are wearing the correct uniform, which is very pleasing.  We do, however have quite a few students who are wearing random jumpers and jackets.  I also notice that some students often wear jeans or black tracksuit pants, which are not part of our uniform.  We expect all students to be wearing navy blue pants or shorts with no branding present.  This is not negotiable.  Tops need to be either our Bomber Jacket, Hoodie or Windcheater with our School Logo. Wet weather jackets and parkas are permitted to be worn to and from school and outside on cold days.  They are not to be worn in class.  There is a winter and a summer school dress.  Students are permitted to wear a long sleeve navy or light blue skivvy or a school polo under these dresses.  Hijabs and patkas/turbans need to be either navy blue or light blue. Students can wear gloves or mittens if they are cold, but need to remove these in the classroom.  All of our classrooms are heated.  Please ensure your child’s name is clearly labelled on all uniform items.  Sometimes writing in a texta on the label becomes smudged and difficult to read, so please ensure you are mindful of this when labelling your items.  There are too many items being handed into lost property that still do not have names on them.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Darryl Spiteri

Principal

We will be holding the first of our Prep Tours and Information Sessions for 2025 Preps this Friday. Register at https://www.trybooking.com/CQHYB or use the QR Code above if you would like to attend any of our sessions. #thornhillparkps

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide data collection of early childhood development at the time children commence their first year of full-time school.  The AEDC highlights what is working well and what needs to be improved or developed to support children and their families by providing evidence to support health, education and community policy and planning. It is held every three years and this year will be the sixth year of data collection.

The census involves teachers of children in their first year of full-time school completing a research tool, the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument. The Instrument consist of about 100 questions and collects data relating to five key areas of early childhood development referred to as ‘domains’, these include:

• Physical health and well being
• Social competence
• Emotional maturity
• Language and cognitive skills (school-based)
• Communication skills and general knowledge

Data is collected for individual children and reported for groups of children at a community, state/territory and national level.

For more information: Australian Early Development Census (aedc.gov.au)

All Prep families have been sent information about the AEDC for 2024.  Please contact Mrs Pittman or your classroom teacher if you have any questions regarding this national data collection.

School Photos

School photo day is on Wednesday 8th May and students are to wear correct uniform on the day.

A catch up day for absent students will be held at a later date.

To purchase photos of your child/ren you will need to order through MSP Photography, via your COMPASS portal. The office will not be accepting orders or monies.

Should families have any queries regarding the ordering process, please don’t hesitate to contact MSP Photography.

How do I pay for an excursion on Compass? 

Make snappy, online payments in minutes with our online platform. Simply:

1. Login to your Compass portal (mobile app or web), and view your home page. When an excursion requires consent/payment, a notification will appear here.
2. Click on this link to be redirected to your Action Centre, where all upcoming events/excursions requiring parental/guardian action will automatically display.
3. Click anywhere on the desired event’s line to open the consent/payment section.
4. Fill in the fields provided. To pay specifically, select saved credit card details from the dropdown menu available, or add a new credit via the ‘New Credit Card’ option.
5. Once completed, select Proceed, to submit your payment for processing.

Friendly Note: Currently, only VISA or MasterCard payments are accepted by Compass. Alternative payment options may be available at your school’s general office.

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 Years 5 & 6

This week the grade 5s and 6s took part in an incursion, “Parliament Process”.  We learned about different types of government, including our local government, which is Melton Council, the Victorian State Government, and the Federal government.  It was fun and educational because we did activities that helped with our learning. We listened to 6 different representatives from 6 parties including the happiness party, the environment, animal, and relaxation parties.  After listening to their persuasive speeches we voted using ballot papers.  After voting we took part in a role play as if we were in the  real Parliament House.  Some students represented the government and some represented the opposition side. Some people had parts for example, the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Clerk and the Sargeant of Arms.   Our government discussed the issue of “PE should be banned in schools. “ After hearing all the opinions of the members of parliament we took a vote and the government won. We had lots of fun and learned a lot from this valuable incursion. Written by Mayom, Tina  and Ellie in 56 A

Smile Squad is coming to this school

Dear Thornhill Park Primary School families,

The Smile Squad team from Western Health are coming to our school soon.

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental program.

This means all students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian.

Sign up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic

OR use the below QR code:

Please complete and submit the consent form by 30/04/2024

(The electronic consent form can be translated into more than 100 languages).

Do I need to attend my child’s appointment?

No, you do not need to attend your child’s appointment. You can attend if you would like to, and you can take your child to the community dental clinic if you prefer.

The Western Health Smile Squad look forward to seeing you soon ?

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: 19th April

Congratulations to 12C who achieved over 97% attendance for our first week of term 2.

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

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 19/4

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

We hope you had a lovely day!

Gursahib PC

Achirin 12G

Dion 34F

Tarson 12H

Priscilla 12C

 Kaiya 56D

Angad 12B

Agam 12C

Yahya PE

Noah 12E

Aun 56C

Rishikesh PE

Akira 12D

Iverson 12H

Samreet 34B

Ilyan PF

Olivia PF

Kyson 12C

Hoang 56A

Aisha 12B

Bor 34C

Ishi PC

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 2

Term 2 – Commences on Monday 15th April

Wednesday 1st May – Prep Incursion – Community Role – Doctor

Thursday 2nd May – Cross Country

Wednesday 8th May – School Photo Day

Thursday 9th May – Mother’s Day Stall

Friday 10th May – Prep Incursion – Community Role – Firefighter

Thursday 16th May – Year 3 & 4 – Author Visit (2pm-3pm)

Friday 17th May – Year 3 & 4 – Immigration Museum Excursion

Friday 24th May – Years 3-6 School Athletics Day

Monday 3rd June – Friday 7th June – Year 5/6 Swimming

Monday 10th June – King’s Birthday (Public Holiday)

Wednesday 12th June – Years 5 & 6 – Interschool Soccer

Friday 21st June – Year 5 & 6 – Winter Sport Lightning Cup

Friday 28th June – End of Term 2