School News
Practice Makes Possible
As we continue our series on the Trafalgar Primary School Behaviour Curriculum, this fortnight we focus on a principle that applies equally to learning and behaviour: we get better at the things we practise.
Our approach continues to draw on the work of Tom Bennett and his book Running the Room. One of the important ideas in Bennett’s work is that routines cannot simply be explained once and then assumed. They need to be taught, rehearsed, reinforced and revisited until they become habits.
We understand this easily when it comes to learning. Children practise letter sounds before reading fluently. They rehearse number facts before they can recall them automatically. A musician practises the same passage many times before performing it confidently. Behaviour develops in much the same way.
This is why you may hear about students practising how to enter a classroom, move through the school, line up, gain attention, transition between activities or participate appropriately in an assembly. If a routine begins to slip, teachers may stop and practise it again. This is not wasted learning time. Strong routines ultimately create more learning time because students know what to do without needing repeated instructions or corrections.
Practice also teaches children something important about difficulty. Not everything worthwhile feels easy or enjoyable straight away. Learning to concentrate, wait, listen, persist and manage frustration takes effort. With repetition, what once required considerable effort gradually becomes easier and more automatic.
The same principle is useful at home. Morning routines, packing a school bag, helping with household responsibilities, switching off a device or preparing for bedtime all become easier when expectations are clear and children have repeated opportunities to practise them successfully.
Practice makes possible. We are not expecting children to be perfect. We are teaching them the habits and skills that make success increasingly possible.
Every calm entry, attentive response and orderly transition is a small piece of practice. Repeated hundreds of times across a school year, those small actions become habits and strong habits give students more attention, time and confidence for the most important work of school: learning.
A Reminder About Afternoon Pick-Up
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are asking for your support in helping us protect the final part of our students’ learning day.
Our school grounds open to parents and carers for afternoon pick-up at 3:20 pm. We ask that families please wait outside the school grounds until this time.
While 15 minutes may not seem like a long time, across a week it adds up to more than an hour of valuable learning time. In the final part of the day, classes are still actively learning, completing lessons and preparing for dismissal.
Recently, we have noticed an increasing number of parents and carers entering the grounds before 3:20 pm. Students can see family members waiting outside classroom windows, which can understandably distract them from their learning. Staff have also raised concerns about conversations and noise immediately outside classrooms while lessons are still underway.
We completely understand that families want to be ready to collect their children at the end of the day. We simply ask that you help us keep classrooms calm and focused by waiting outside the school grounds until 3:20 pm, when the main front gate opens.
If you need to enter the school grounds before 3:20 pm, please report to the school office and sign in as a visitor. The exception to this is families attending our Friday afternoon assembly.
Thank you for your understanding and for working with us to protect every minute of our students’ learning time.
Staffing Update
As we approach the end of Term 3, we would like to share a couple of staffing updates with our school community.
Sarah Nash will finish her role as an Education Support staff member at Trafalgar Primary School at the end of this term. Sarah’s connection with TPS began as a parent and volunteer before she established what has grown into our current lunch order program. She later joined our Education Support team while undertaking further study in education and, more recently, teaching. We thank Sarah for the many different ways she has contributed to our school community and wish her and her family all the very best for the future.
We also farewell Pamela Staff, who has accepted an ongoing teaching position at Baringa School and will therefore not return to Trafalgar Primary School in 2027. While Pamela has been on leave from TPS for the past two years and may not be known to some of our newer families, she was part of our school community for 18 years.
Pamela held a range of roles during her time at TPS, most notably as an Indonesian teacher.
Both Mrs Nash and Ms Staff have contributed to Trafalgar Primary School in very different ways and over many years. We sincerely thank them for their service to our students, families and school community and wish them every success in what comes next.
Scholarships for Students
The Department of Education manages a range of student scholarships. These are available for students who:
- complete Grade 4 to Year 11 in 2026
are enrolled in Year 12 in 2026 and plan to do tertiary studies in 2027.
The Department will evaluate applicants on their:
- academic achievement
- participation in school and community activities
financial need.
Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course.
Applications for these scholarships open on Thursday 1 October 2026 and close on Monday 1 February 2027.
To view all available scholarships and for more information on each, including how to apply, refer to Student scholarships.
An Update on Our School Camping Program
Over recent weeks, School Council has been considering the future of our school camping program, prompted by lower-than-required interest in the proposed 2027 Grade 5/6 Canberra Camp.
Following our initial Expression of Interest, staff contacted families who had either declined the Canberra Camp or had not responded. This was important because, before making any decisions, School Council wanted to understand what was influencing families rather than make assumptions.
The feedback was quite clear. Cost was overwhelmingly the most significant barrier, followed by a preference among a number of families for students not to travel interstate.
Despite further conversations with families, we have been unable to reach the participation rate required for Canberra to remain a viable curriculum experience. As a result, the decision has been made to cancel the Canberra Camp for 2027, along with our future Canberra bookings.
This has not been an easy decision. School Council strongly values school camps and believes they provide students with educational, social and personal experiences that are difficult to replicate at school. We also recognise, however, the very real financial pressures currently facing families.
The challenge now is determining what a sustainable camping program looks like for our school.
School camps are expensive to provide regardless of destination. The school already contributes approximately $20,000 each year to subsidise our Grade 3–6 camps and reduce the cost passed on to families. Staffing and supervision requirements are a significant component of camp costs, alongside accommodation, transport and activities.
Changing our established program also has financial implications. Because camps must be booked years in advance, cancelling our Canberra arrangements means the school will lose approximately $15,000 in deposits already paid – funds that would otherwise have been available to support and subsidise future camps.
School Council remains strongly supportive of providing camp experiences for our students. We will now explore what alternatives may be possible for 2027 and beyond, informed by what families have told us about affordability and interstate travel.
Finding alternatives at short notice will be challenging. Suitable camp venues are in extremely high demand and are often booked several years in advance. For this reason, we cannot yet promise what an alternative Grade 5/6 experience for 2027 will look like.
Thank you particularly to the families who took the time to speak openly with our staff. Those conversations have given School Council much better information and will help guide our decisions as we work towards a camping program that remains educationally valuable, accessible and sustainable for our community.
💛 R U OK? Day at TPS
Last week we recognised R U OK? Day, with our school turning yellow and taking some time to focus on connection, kindness and looking out for one another.
Across the school, classes took part in different R U OK? activities and conversations, while staff wore specially made badges with messages such as “Know Your People”, “I’m Here to Listen” and “You Matter.”
A highlight was an idea from our wonderful Education Support team, who created positive affirmation cards and placed them around the yard. Students were encouraged to find a card, read the message and then pass it on to someone they thought might need it. It was lovely to see students really embrace the idea and think carefully about who might appreciate a few positive words to brighten their day.
The photos show just some of the activities from across the day, our staff badges and the affirmation cards that helped spread a little extra kindness around TPS. 💛
A great reminder for all of us to know who our people are, look out for one another and remember that a small check-in can make a big difference.
Emma Semaan
Student Support Leader
Sickbay Snippets
Is your child due for an asthma review with their GP? Now is a great time to check that their Asthma Action Plan is current and up to date.
Please also ensure the school has all relevant asthma medications required for your child and that these are in date.
For more information and helpful asthma resources, visit the National Asthma Council Australia: National Asthma Council Australia
Parents & Friends Committee News
Sweet Treat Day
We hope everyone enjoyed their footy cookies as a special treat for the Footy Colours Day today.
We look forward to planning our next sweet treat - fairy bread lunch orders in November! Further information will be announced next term.
Father's Day Stall
We’re excited to announce that around 500 gifts were sold, raising an incredible $2,500+ for our school!
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Father’s Day Stall by ordering gifts. We trust all our families enjoyed a wonderful Father’s Day weekend celebrating with their loved ones.
Colour Run
Get ready to get colourful! 🌈 Our Monty’s Colour Fun Run will be held on Friday 23rd October at 2.00pm on the Trafalgar Primary School oval. Students are invited to wear a white shirt and closed-in shoes and will be covered in non-toxic, biodegradable colour powder. Sunglasses and a headband will be provided.
This term’s fundraiser is raising money for Sports & Lunch Order Equipment.
Fundraising is online only via My Profile Page, with all donations to be converted to online donations by 23 October 2026.
Full information, including fundraising and prize details, has been sent home in paper form and is also available on Compass.
We can’t wait to see everyone bright and colourful on the day! 🌈🎉
Next Meeting
We hope everyone has a chance to rest and recover across the school holidays. Our next meeting is as follows:
Date: Tuesday 13th October
Time: 7-8pm
Location: Adult Learning Centre. Zoom link also available upon request.
Doors will be open from 6.30pm onwards for any parents that would like to catch up for a chat and BYO cuppa beforehand. All welcome.
If you have any feedback, questions, would like to be added to our Parent Helper List, or would like to join P&F for 2026, please contact us:
- via email - TPSpandfSecretary@gmail.com
- or via our Google Contact form - link HERE
Kind regards,
Jane Cook
Committee Secretary
Trafalgar Primary School - Parents & Friends Association
0418 561 403
The TheirCare Scoop
📚 Who’s That Bookworm? – The Answers Are In!
Did you manage to match our staff members to their favourite books? 🤔📖
Last week, we put your detective skills to the test and now it’s time to reveal the answers!
Scroll down to see how many you got right! 👀
Happy reading! 📚
