Student News

PE/Sport  Update

Whole School Athletics Carnival – A Fantastic Day of Competition and Team Spirit!

On Thursday, 6 March, we held our much-anticipated Whole School Athletics Carnival at the Joe Carmody Track in Newborough. It was a day filled with excitement, determination, and sportsmanship as students from Foundation to Grade 6 competed in a range of athletic events.

Our junior students (Foundation to Grade 2) participated in a variety of modified athletics activities, giving them a fun and engaging introduction to track and field. They put in an outstanding effort, showing great enthusiasm and determination. One student from each junior class will be awarded a Rising Star Medal at our upcoming assembly on Friday, 14 March.

Senior students (Grades 3-6) competed in School Sport Victoria (SSV) athletics events, showcasing their talents in running, jumping, and throwing events. House points were awarded throughout the day, and students gave their all to contribute to their team's success. The winning house will be announced at our next assembly on Friday, 14 March.

In addition to the house results, we will also be recognising individual achievements. The top three competitors in each event will receive ribbons at assembly, and an Age Champion Medal will be awarded to the highest-performing student in each age group.

A huge thank you to all our students for their effort and enthusiasm, our teachers for their support, and our fantastic parent and high school volunteers who helped ensure the day ran smoothly. Your assistance with supervision, measuring, raking, and place marking was invaluable.

We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our athletes at the upcoming assembly. Stay tuned for the big house announcement and congratulations in advance to all our award winners!

Watch this space for more action packed photos in our next newsletter.

Outstanding Achievements at the West Gippsland Divisional Swimming Competition!

We are incredibly proud of Havana B, Archie D, and Oliver S, who represented our school at the West Gippsland Divisional Swimming Competition. Their hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship were on full display as they competed against top swimmers from the division on Wednesday the 26th of February.

A huge congratulations to our competitors on their outstanding results:

• Havana B placed 3rd in 9-10 Girls Freestyle
• Archie D placed 4th in 11 Boys Freestyle
• Oliver S placed 3rd in 9-10 Boys Butterfly

These are fantastic achievements, and we commend them for their effort and determination in the pool. Well done to all three swimmers for their incredible performances and for representing our school with pride!

Please watch out for some fabulous photos in our next newsletter.

AFL Superkick Program 2025 – Off to a Flying Start!

Our first two After-School Superkick sessions have now taken place, and what an incredible start to the program! The school oval has been buzzing with energy as students from Grade 1 to Grade 6 have been having an absolute blast learning new footy skills and playing fun, fast-paced games.

It’s been fantastic to see so much talent on display, with students showing off their kicking, marking, and handballing skills while building confidence and teamwork. Whether they’re new to AFL or already experienced players, everyone is getting involved, having fun, and enjoying the chance to play footy with friends.

With three sessions still to come, there’s plenty more action ahead! A reminder of the upcoming dates:📅 Monday 17 March📅 Monday 24 March📅 Monday 31 March

Most Valuable Player Awards

STEM Update

It's been an amazing couple of weeks in the STEM Zone laboratory @ TPS and I am excited to share our learning adventures with you!

Prep to Grade 2 have been learning about the physical features of organisms, bugs in particular, and the essential needs for survival - Food Water & Shelter. We designed our own creatures that will survive in a variety of habitats including in the bin and under a toilet seat!

We have also planted seeds and talked about the parts of a flowering plant. 

Grade 3 and 4 have been learning about the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly as well as focussing on the differences between living things, non-living things and dead things. 

We have also started to investigate features of plants, in particular the structure and purpose of flowers in nature. 

Grade 5 and 6 have been learning about some awesome animal adaptations and how these help them to survive in their environment, as well as evolution and how new species are created.

We have also planted seeds which will grow into plants that we will be conducting experiments with in the coming weeks. 

Our Praying Mantis is a very well fed little lady, thank you to all the students who have collected bugs during recess and lunch to keep her fed. 

Our Spiny Leaf Insects are mating and laying eggs which should hatch in the coming months.

Our new batch of Sea Monkeys are still tiny but growing bigger every day.

And……. All 6 of our Caterpillars have now built their Chrysalis and emerged as beautiful Monarch Butterflies! It has been such a pleasure to watch the life cycle process but even more so the excitement and joy from the students, especially the two lucky classes who witnessed the butterflies hatching from their chrysalis during our lessons! 

The STEM room is often open in the second half of lunch on Mon Tue & Wed for small groups of students to extend their curiosity or help to care for our STEM pets and plants. There is a  limited number of students allowed each day so please express your interest during class if you would like to come along. 

Any interested parents and carers are also welcome to come for a quick visit to meet our butterflies and other critters on a Tuesday or Wednesday after school. 

Yours in STEM education,

Mrs B.

Assembly Performances

Art Awards

Breakfast Club

It has been wonderful to welcome students and families back to Breakfast Club this term!  We have had so many students visit us in the mornings for delicious toasties, cereals and milos to help kick start their learning day.  We are so thankful for the many generous food donations provided by the community and from our sponsors - Foodbank, IGA Trafalgar, Bakers Delight Mid Valley and Gracie’s Bakery.

Due to these donations, Breakfast Club continues to be able to support families through the provision of Care Packages.  We remind families that our Traf Pantry can be found in the Gym Foyer and continues to be stocked with many excellent products, available to anyone - and they’re free!  If you would like to receive a Care Package or know of a family who may benefit, feel free to drop into our School Office, see Mrs Burns or Mrs Marslen.

Donations of Jam and Milo needed, please!

Thank you again to all families who have generously donated tins of Milo to our Breakfast Club.  Any extra donations of Milo, as well as jam would be greatly appreciated to support our school community!  

Looking forward to seeing you for brekky!

Mrs Burns and Mrs Marslen

Breakfast Club Masterchefs

Junior School Council

In the first few weeks of 2025, our junior school councillors have had time to meet and plan the first two fundraising events for this year.

Our first fundraiser was on Friday 28th of February, with a casual clothes day with gold coin donation. This day  supported the efforts of the Childrens Tumour Foundation, which raises funds to continue to support families who require the support of the foundation.

Here is some information regarding the foundation and the disease NF1 - Neurofibromatosis type 1.

We have families in our school community who require the support of the foundation.

Here is a link to the foundation website if you would like to learn more - 

https://www.ctf.org.au/fundraise-for-ctf.

Our second fundraiser will be the second time we have had an Easter Hat Parade! After the success of last years day, we will hold this day on Thursday 3rd of April. Children can create their own extravagant and outrageous Easter hats and we will hold a fun filled parade. 

We will ask for a gold coin donation for this day, with funds to go to The Royal Children Good Friday Appeal.

More information can be found here - 

https://www.goodfridayappeal.com.au/

More information on both of these fun efforts to come - what an exciting start to the year!

From your junior school councillors and Mrs Sneddon.