Ms D Principal Message

What A Term - Thank You!

As we come to the end of Term 3, I want to sincerely thank our students, staff, and families for another wonderful term at Toorak Primary. It has been a busy and rewarding few months, filled with learning, growth, and community spirit. I would also like to personally express my gratitude to all the families who have shown their support as I’ve had my ‘learner plates’ on this term. My aim has been to be visible and approachable to all families, alongside the many other responsibilities of school leadership, and I hope this has been your experience.

The break is a great opportunity to rest, recharge, and spend special time with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming everyone back, refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4, on Monday 6 October.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!

School Musical Update – A Night at the Museum 

What an incredible week it was at Toorak Primary School with our whole-school musical A Night at the Museum! Both performances were nothing short of outstanding. Our students shone brightly on stage — singing, dancing, and acting with confidence, creativity, and joy. The energy, teamwork, and talent displayed by every child was truly inspiring.

We are so proud of our students for their commitment during rehearsals and for the way they supported one another throughout this experience. A special thank you goes to our staff, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and to our families for your ongoing support, encouragement, and enthusiasm.

The musical was a wonderful reminder of what can be achieved when a whole school community comes together. Congratulations to everyone involved — what a memorable celebration of creativity, collaboration, and the performing arts at TPS!

Through your generous support and donations to the musical fund this year we are proud to announce that the music program will continue to be enhanced with approx $7000 in extra funding for new equipment and musical instruments.

HATS are back

A reminder to all families that Term 4 is a hats-on term at Toorak Primary School. In line with our SunSmart policy, all students are required to wear their school hat (wide brimmed or legionnaires) when outside during recess, lunch, PE, and any outdoor activities.  Caps do not meet SunSmart guidelines.

Please check that your child’s hat is clearly named and ready for the start of term. If a student does not have their hat, they will be asked to stay in the shaded under the tree between basketball courts for the duration of the break.

Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe in the sun!

Teacher Planning Week

Over the past week, teachers have been working collaboratively to plan the teaching and learning program for Term 4, with a strong focus on building consistency and maximising student outcomes. Our Learning Specialists have played a key role in this process, supporting teaching teams by guiding planning conversations, sharing evidence-based strategies, and helping align practice across year levels. In addition, they have undertaken classroom observations during this time, providing targeted feedback and modelling best practice to strengthen routines, transitions, and instructional approaches. This work reflects our commitment to continuous improvement — ensuring that every class begins Term 4 with clarity, high expectations, and a shared focus on effective practice to improve learning outcomes for all students.

SAGE Network Precision Series

On Monday, the school hosted Principals and Assistant Principals from our network schools with the focus being on viewing best practices in ‘Routines and Transitions’; an area that we have been focussing on over several years.  The group observed 3 classrooms in practice for an hour.  The feedback from the group highlighted many great elements of our practise that allows how high levels of learning and engagement at our school.  Some common threads from all the observations were:

• Consistent language
• consistent routines
• Access to resources was seamless 
• Teacher roving and supporting all students
• Knowing the students and providing adjustments and support
• Engaging students in the tasks to a very high standard and level
• High level opportunities to respond 
• high levels of positive praise and reinforcement
• Engagement protocols for mini whiteboard use
• Ensuring 100% participation

We are always proud to showcase the amazing work that happens begins the scenes at Toorak Primary School - our teachers are always setting high expectations of themselves and for all the students.

As Tom Bennett and other behaviour experts highlight, strong routines and smooth transitions are essential to maximising learning time and improving outcomes. When students know exactly what is expected of them, they can move quickly and calmly between tasks, reducing wasted time and cognitive overload. Predictable structures also create a sense of safety and order, which allows students to focus their attention on learning rather than uncertainty. Effective routines don’t just improve behaviour — they build a culture where every minute counts, ensuring classrooms remain calm, purposeful, and optimised for achievement.

Events, Marketing and Fundraising

This term, the EMF group has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan and deliver a range of community and fundraising events. The support of the core group — Laura West, David Clark, Angela Mulhall, Karen Reynolds and Stephanie Marsden — has been instrumental to the success of these events, with many other members of our school community also stepping in to coordinate, organise and support.

• Second-Hand Book Sale (proceeds donated to the school library): coordinated by the Reynolds family.
• Cracker Jack (Father’s Event): led by Wes (father of Lachie, Jaime, Nini & Izzy), Dave, George (parent of Yves), and Nick Quinn (parent of Lucy & Annie).
• Father’s Day Breakfast: led by Nick and Tamara, with support from Johaan (Alea), Nick (Lucy & Annie), Nikki (Sienna & Havana), Ed (Harriet), David (Ekaterina & Jessica), Sophie (Grace & Ava), Melanie (Frankie), Russell (Juliette), and TheirCare for generously sponsoring the coffee cart.
• Father’s Day Stall: led by Danielle Robinson, with support from Nikki (parent of Sienna & Havana), Sarah Quinn (parent of Lucy & Annie), Caroline Spry (parent of Annabel & Will), Kate Dix Corke (parent of Eleanor), Belinda (parent of Zara), Tamara O’Hare (parent of Eddie), Felicity (parent of Niamh), Jose Georges (parent of Alexandra & Sarafina), Eka (parent of Luna & Cherry), and Regan (parent of Billie).
• Musical Candy Bar: led by Laura and Marc (parent of Jemima), Karen (parent of Archie & Poppy), and Kate (parent of Isabel & Charlotte).

This term we have successfully raised $4480.00

These events simply would not have been possible without the commitment and generosity of so many. While we thank the organisers, we also want to thank every member of our school community who attended, volunteered, or contributed financially. Your support is helping us work towards our fundraising goal of $35,000 for the redevelopment of the garden area adjacent to the Prep oval — a project that will benefit all of our students.

Leaving TPS? Moving House? Moving Overseas? Visa Expiring?

If you have any intentions to unfortunately leave TPS in the next 6 months, please let the school office know. Your decision doesn't need to be confirmed and doesn't mean your child loses their spot if you change your mind, but giving us a heads up is very helpful. This information is vital for the school to budget and plan for staffing in 2026. We don't want any children to be placed in classes that are too big or only have a few students, but this relies on us knowing who will be here. If you suspect you may be moving house, travelling overseas or you know your visa is expiring, please inform the school via email: toorak.ps@education.vic.gov.au at your earliest convenience.

 Parent Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey and is seeking your feedback. The survey, offered by the Department of Education, is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. We want to know about and celebrate our current strengths as well as hear about ways or areas of improvement.

The survey is conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete.  We have already had 60 (18%) of the 337 families respond to the survey and would love to have as many families participate as possible.

All families are invited to participate in the survey: https://research.orima.com/parent

School PIN: 417407

The survey will remain open until Friday 19 September 2025.  Opportunities to complete the survey onsite are available on Wednesday before Assembly, our grade 6 leaders will be around with iPads in the hall.