Templestowe Park Primary School Newsletter

Learning @ TPPS 

Wizard of Oz

Wow! Can you believe that ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is finished?! We are all done! It is such a surreal moment to be at this point! At times it has felt like a marathon but in actual fact it has been a sprint – a quick dash to the finish line.

 

To get ourselves race-ready / match-ready like the Pies this year … there has been a whole BIG mighty team behind the scenes and along the track, or more aptly should I say the ‘Yellow Brick Road’.

 

Thanks to Matt, Marcus, Oli, Ronan and Matt from George Wood Performing Arts Centre, they were fabulous to work with and made it seem that nothing was too difficult. Dee from Amazing Transformations did a wonderful job at costuming our students, having multiple visits to fit our students and add bits n’ pieces to make them shine. Thank you to Haileybury College (Edrington Campus) for letting us borrow black theatrical boxes and their ‘Yellow Brick Road’.

 

Thank you to Grade 4D and their families for being so understanding and supportive, as I’ve stepped out of the classroom to take rehearsals. Thank you to the teachers that have taught 4D during this time, especially Mr Van der Pol who has each week taught spelling, sport and then checked that we’re all organised for upcoming sporting events.

 

To the Grade 4 team – Belinda Cambareri, Sue Ferrari, Oliver Konakoff, Narelle Sime and Clare Tarlinton. Thank-you for your ongoing support throughout. Checking in with me and then ensuring that planning, printing, notices for excursions, incursions and camps are all ticking along.

 

To all the TPPS staff, teachers, Brian and Robyn, thank you for offering your help this term – covering yard duty, helping organise costumes, providing props, cutting, laminating, working on displays. Then stepping into roles behind the scenes during our performances to ensure the process of getting students onto and off stage was done smoothly. A special thanks to Lori Conn for making our tremendous display in the foyer at GWPAC with the help of her family; and Julie Foudoulis for the TPPS BER display.

 

Thank you to Steph Iacuone, Sarah Urbano, Brooke Carlile, Marnee Tobin and Julie Foudoulis for continually asking what help was needed and providing the “pep talks” when needed.

 

Thank-you to our make-up team, led by Marnee Tobin and Julie Foudoulis, supported by Brooke Carlile, Stephanie Charalambous, Lori Conn, Alice Kirby, Deb Pettolino, Sarah Urbano, Stevie Charalambous, Hayley Boucher, Elena Karabatsos, Adriana Proietto, Clarissa Foudoulis, Isla and Tilly Tobin. Thanks to Cara Barry for leading the hair styling team, with assistance from Louise Craggs and Julia Puls. Both teams made our students come alive, transforming them into their roles and ensuring they looked amazing onstage!

 

THE PRODUCTION TEAM – 

  • Thank you to Nicole Sumner for her brilliant expertise with the sets and props. They all looked amazing on stage and really created a magical place along the yellow brick road! Thank you for helping Neil Mitchell with the final preparations and backstage crew.
  • Thank you to Maddie Huber for rehearsing the 5/6 students during Performing Arts, working with the Munchkins for their scene, taking care of all the technical aspects of the projections, music, sound and microphones. A huge job in preparing everything to be ready for out performances and then running it on the evening from the Control Room.
  • Thank you to the 5/6 teachers for always being so understanding and accommodating with the rehearsal schedule, adapting quickly and without a fuss. Your unwavering support and positivity were always appreciated. Thank you for your work on staging, blocking, choreographing, practising singing with the following groups: 
    • Natalie Durnford – People of Oz and Kansas
    • Jared Kitney – Winged Monkeys and Winkie Guards
    • Kellie Fletcher – Crows and Trees
    • Deb Pettolino – Jitterbugs
    • Neil Mitchell– Best Backstage Crew, working with the students to create props and advertising
    • Anne Somerville, Music Director, for using her expertise to coach and train our students with their vocals and singing
  • Thank you to Alex Augello who has worked tirelessly in the background. Doing a vast range of jobs that perhaps by others go unnoticed or unseen, but ones that eased my workload considerably. I couldn’t have done this production without her, her support and all the work and assistance she has done on these many jobs.

Thank you to all our Grade 5/6 families who have supported your students on this trip down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City beyond the rainbow and back home again. 

 

To my husband Michael and our girls Mackenzie and Addison who have come along the Yellow Brick Road too. Without your support and encouragement, I couldn’t have spent the hours on this to bring ‘The Wizard of Oz’ alive.

 

Lastly, our wonderful cast! Wow! You have blown us all away with your two performances. To think that we rehearsed this show for 5-6 weeks and here we are all finished! You have all been a delight to work with, it was an easy decision to step into this role and direct this production. I hope you have enjoyed this experience and that it has created memories that you will cherish.

 

It was lovely to see our school community come along to support our 5/6 students’ performances. Thank you for your encouragement and well wishes to our Production Team.

 

Alright, that’s a wrap … 

Sport 

House Athletics

We hosted our much-anticipated 2023 House Athletics Carnival on the 21st of August at the Tom Kelly Athletics track. The event saw students in Grades Prep, 1, and 2 engage in a series of engaging rotational activities and races, while their counterparts in Grades 3-6 enthusiastically competed in various track and field events of their choosing. The day was electrified with remarkable long jumps, lightning-fast sprints, and awe-inspiring high jumps, where a number of our students achieved remarkable school record-breaking performances. We take immense pride in the efforts of all our students who took part, whether they clinched ribbons or simply demonstrated unwavering determination to secure points for their house. Our Athletics Carnival was an authentic representation of our school's core values. 

A big congratulations to Chivers for their hard-fought victory on the day!

 

 

District Athletics

Following their outstanding performances at the House Athletics Carnival, select students from TPPS had the opportunity to compete in the District Carnival just yesterday. This event pitted our talented athletes against the very best from neighbouring schools in our district.  While the competition was strong, it was heart-warming to witness the remarkable sportsmanship and teamwork on display as our athletes cheered for their peers.  We extend our congratulations to those students who have earned a spot in the division finals later this year, and we applaud all students for their exceptional effort throughout the day!

 

Hoop Time

On Monday, our talented students from Grades 3 and 4 showcased their basketball skills as they participated in the initial round of the Hoop Time finals held at Mullum Mullum Stadium. The students were divided into teams and engaged in a series of thrilling matches against teams from other schools, with every outcome contributing to the overall standings. The teams that demonstrated exceptional performance progressed to the finals, where they faced off against the day's most formidable opponents. We were fortunate to have multiple teams that rose to the occasion, challenging some of the best teams in the competition. It was heart-warming to witness the collective spirit of support as all our students cheered on the All-Star Girls team, creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere during their Grand Final.  Congratulations are in order for all our students for their dedication and hard work, and a special shout-out to our All-Star Boys team, who have earned their ticket to the next round later this year. Your efforts make us proud!

Visual Arts

Please refer to the Visual Arts Blog to see what has been happening in Art over recent weeks. http://tppsspecialists.weebly.com