Acting Principal's Message

The holiday season is here, and the school is bustling with a plethora of activities. The staff is actively completing reports, organizing special events such as the Year 6 celebration, relocating classrooms, and preparing for the upcoming year, 2024. The pace of the year has been remarkably swift, and the final weeks at school have been exceptionally hectic, with numerous events unfolding alongside the usual teaching and learning routines! This is our last full newsletter for 2023 with next week’s communication being a short update. 

My thanks and appreciation to our School Council members. It has been a real pleasure working with like-minded people all focussed on making our school the best it can possibly be, and I am grateful for their ongoing support and trust.

Parent Representatives 

• Alicia Brown (School Council President) 

• David Clark (Vice President)
• Helena Gaetner (Treasurer)
• Laura Murphy
• Rashi Prasad 
• Kihun Nam
• Bain Attwood

Community Representative 

• David Loiacono

Department Representatives 

• Sharon Wildermuth (Acting Principal)
• Suada Dzaferovic (Assistant Principal)
• Luke Fletcher (Learning Specialist)
• Elizabeth Exintaris

Other Sub committee members

• Mel Beynon
• and Lincoln Sweeney

I would like to thank all the School Council members for their work over 2023. They have been dedicated and committed to continuing the good governance of our school. Thank you to all the members, including Toni Hillyer our school Business Manager, who attends all our meetings, taking the minutes and assisting the Finance and Building and Grounds Subcommittees.

I extend my sincere gratitude to our dedicated staff, who have worked tirelessly to alleviate and address the ongoing impacts of the recent pandemic on many of our students. The staff's unwavering commitment to building relationships and fostering a positive learning environment for our children will serve as a crucial foundation for their future. Our school remains steadfast in pursuing this goal, and in 2024, we will further integrate our School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports, Zones of Regulations, and our Respectful Relationships initiative. Respectful Relationships education is an integral part of the Victorian Curriculum, spanning from foundation to year 12. It aims to cultivate a culture of respect and equality throughout the entire school community. The Respectful Relationships program aids schools and early childhood settings in promoting and exemplifying respect, positive attitudes, and behaviors. It equips our children with the skills to develop healthy relationships, resilience, and confidence.

Regrettably, I couldn't attend last night's Songs of Celebration due to illness, but I received feedback that the annual concert was truly delightful. The favourable weather added to the charm, and the ambiance on our picturesque grounds created a perfect setting for a relaxed afternoon of student performances. It was uplifting to learn that our students thoroughly relished their time on stage.

Transition Day

It was wonderful to hear that our students were smiling and excited whilst moving into their new classes and meeting their new classmates yesterday. There was plenty of excitement and energy across the school as students explored their new learning community and participated in learning experiences to connect with their new home group peers and teacher. On this day we also welcomed new students and teachers to our wonderful school. 

If your child is returning in 2024, a school document, which confirmed their class placement, was sent home indicating their teacher/s, classmates and their location in the school for 2024. These are available from the office if you did not receive one.

At this stage, we do not make any further changes to the grades as staff have spent much time and effort developing the best class structure and student placement possible. As teachers, we ask that you support your child, at this time, by speaking positively about the new school experiences and wonderful opportunities that 2024 will bring.

If your child came home and was a bit unsure of the class, you can help at home by being supportive and positive about their placement. All students received a friend choice and have been placed with great consideration. Moving class is a great opportunity to meet and work with new people and develop a wider friendship group. All our teachers are wonderful and different. Encourage your child to take the time to get to know them. Maybe even consider sitting and writing a letter with your child to their new teacher. You could include things they love to do or special interests. Include things that are making them nervous too. By working on this together you can have positive and informed discussions and develop a greater insight into how/why your child is feeling and how to support their transition.

 Year 6 Graduation

A very excited group of students are getting prepared for Thursday night for their graduation ceremony, in what should be a wonderful affair of awards, good-byes and celebration of their educational journey at Toorak PS. Congratulations and thank-you to the students, teachers and parents (Grade 6 Parent Reps – June and Paul) for all their preparations.

Semester Reports

Teachers are very busily finalising their end of semester two reports so that they are available on COMPASS. The report aims to provide consistent, clear and concise information to parents about your child’s achievement against state-wide standards.

These reports will include the following information:

•    Overview of learning covered
•    General comment on your child as a     learner
•    Progression point (dots) indicating your      child’s learning progress
•    Specialist comments for some students
•    Student reflection

We encourage you to take the time to read the report and use this as a valuable tool for reflecting with your child on their learning over the course of the semester.

To access your child’s reports, log into Compass, click on ‘View Academic Reports’ and select ‘Semester 2 Reports 2023’. This will download onto your device, which can then be saved and/or printed.

All Year 6 families and other families who are departing our school are encouraged to download all copies of their children’s reports as soon as possible. Once the school year ends, there will be no further access to the COMPASS portal for past students and parents. All reports can be downloaded in PDF format.

Staffing for 2024

I am excited to announce our staffing for 2024. As you will see from the list below, we have an exceptional team of highly skilled and motivated teachers working at TPS in 2024.

The classes and teachers are as follows:

Prep/Foundation: Mr Lewis (Leader), Ms.K Smith, Ms. A Smith and Ms. Gomes

Year One: Ms. Wilson (Leader) Mr Thomas, and Ms Shawani

Year Two: Ms. Walters, Ms Georgina Jukes, and Ms.Sparks & Ms Robinson

Year Three: Ms. Morrison (Leader), Mr Pepi and Ms Stimar

Year Four: Ms. Ely, Ms. Rechner and Mr. Bretherton

Year Five: Mr Fletcher and Ms. Pallas, Mr Yardney and Ms. Martelli

Year Six: Ms. De Angelis, Ms Kociski, and Ms. Ratcliffe 

Specialists: Art - Mrs. Reynolds, 

Music: Ms. Exintaris,

PE: Ms Emma Webb

French - TBA

Business Manager: Toni Hillyer          

Administration: Olga Yunaeva and Edwina Crossing

Maintenance : Michael Redmond

Learning Enhancement leader: Ms. Whitford 

Student Wellbeing and Welfare: Sara Harris

First aid and Classroom support: Scarlett Beaton

Education Support: Anu, Tib, Tracie, Callum, Nasim, Jacquie, Ruby, Keeva, and Zack

Speech Therapist: Ms. Gimas

Occupational Therapist: TBA

I am very pleased with the teaching team we have put together and know that their collective expertise and strong expectation of collaboration and best practise will see all students flourish. 

As you may have noticed during our Step Up to 2024 whole school transition day there were a few new teachers who will be working with our community in 2023. We welcome the following new staff members:

• Year Prep/Foundation Teacher – Mr. Daniel Lewis
• Year 2 Teacher – Ms Georgia Jukes
• Year 4 Teacher – Mr. Josh Bretherton
• Year 5 Teacher – Mr Harrison Yardney
• Year 6 teacher – Ms Renee Kociski

We also farewell the following staff members and wish them the very best during their new journey, whether it be on leave, relocating to another school, continuing with further studies or moving interstate. 

• Ms Paslis, Ms. White, Ms. Heron, Mr. Chapman and Ms. Mosquera and Education support – Sacha, Fraser, Charlie, Tiina and Louie

We thank them for their dedication, passion and service to Toorak Primary School and wish them all the best.

School assemblies for the remainder of the year.

To celebrate the conclusion of our 2023 school year we will have a final assembly on Wednesday the 20th of December (1pm to 1:30pm) where we will farewell our departing staff, students and families.  This coming Friday the 15th of December at 2:45pm we will announce our Student Leadership for 2024 including our School Captains and School Vice Captains. We look forward to seeing everyone there. 

Thank-you

Finally, a heartfelt appreciation goes out to the numerous parents who have actively engaged with Toorak PS and supported their children's learning throughout 2023. We value the continuous support from our parents and community, which enhances the educational experiences and lives of each child in our school. Thank you also to our volunteer parents who have organised events, sold preloved uniform, flipped a sausage or two, cooked delicious baked goodies, joined our excursion, swimming programs, organised graduations, looked/will look after our menagerie of chickens over the holidays to name a few. You are all remarkable!  Anticipating the continuation of this positive collaboration, we are excited about further strengthening our incredible community in 2024.

This marks the final newsletter for our Year Six students. In certain instances, it also signifies the last one for families who have been part of the school community for many years. To the parents of our Year Six students, we want to express our gratitude for sharing your time, energy, and, most importantly, entrusting us with the development of your child. It has been a joy for us, and we extend our best wishes to you and your child as they transition to Secondary School. This year has been filled with activity and achievement. The children have actively participated in a comprehensive educational program, and our dedicated staff has worked diligently to enhance your child's learning experience.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the Year 6 families who will be concluding their association with our school this year. We reflect on the fact that many families have been part of our community for well over seven years, with the longest attending family having been with us for thirteen years! This year we have 30 out of a possible 56 families leaving our school for the last time. We extend our thanks to all of you for your significant contributions over the years. Strong partnerships and relationships are integral, and without them, Toorak Primary School wouldn't be the wonderful institution it is today!

Until next year, I wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday.

Sharon Wildermuth

Acting Principal