Hello parents and friends,

What a fortnight it has been at Templestowe Park PS!

Last Monday we held our Colour Explosion Fun Run and we had a fantastic time! The weather was perfect for the event and we had much more space as we moved it to the back oval. With more inflatables and obstacles, and a longer course, the students really enjoyed the experience. Our PFA were spectacular in organising the event and we would like to thank Diana Danilovic and Kate Claringbould for the amazing work they did to ensure the Colour Run was such a smashing success. Additionally, a huge thank must go to the volunteers who hooked up the water to the back oval and parents and friends that assisted on the day. We have raised approximately $12k for the school from this event. These funds have immediately assisted us in building the brand-new Grade 1/2 playground and the new shade sails that will go over it. This project was worth over $180k and a significant investment for the school. Thank you to everyone in our community for making it such a special event.

Have a wonderful weekend!

2024 Parent Payments: Please Make Your Payment by Monday, 11 December

You will notice on your Compass Newsfeed, under Course Confirmation, that the 2024 Parent Payments are available to be paid. The process on how to pay the charges is outlined in the 2024 TPPS Parent Payment letter on Compass.

Thank you to those families who have made contributions thus far. These contributions provide our students with educational support, facilities, grounds and opportunities that we simply could not offer without your generous support. This has included the brand new Grade 1/2 playground that has just been completed. If you have any further queries, please contact the school office.

Specialist Sustainability Program in 2024!

We are extremely pleased to announce that in 2024 a Specialist Sustainability program will commence for all year levels. Mrs Lori Conn will lead the 50-minute specialist lessons for two terms. In the remaining two terms, students will participate in weekly Mandarin lessons.

Over the past four years, Ms Clare Tarlinton has been our Sustainability teacher and attended TPPS on Fridays. Clare has worked closely with our Sustainability Leaders to maintain our award-winning Outdoor Eco Education Centre, care for the school chickens, lead composting and recycling around the school, build multiple gardens around the school and lead the work towards TPPS becoming a 5-star Sustainable School. We can’t thank Ms Tarlinton enough for her outstanding work to make TPPS a real leader of sustainability education in Victoria. Clare will move up to Queensland at the end of the school year.

In 2024, Mrs Conn will take all year levels for Sustainability lessons and build upon our highly successful practices. Students will study Earth Sciences and the actions they can undertake to be sustainable. We are so excited for this new program in 2024 and our students will love this new addition to our specialist program.

Performing Arts – Full time in 2024!

In 2024, all students will participate in Performing Arts lessons for the entire year. In 2023, students only participated in Performing Arts while undertaking Mandarin in the other semester. Ms Maddie Huber is so excited for 2024 and by having Performing Arts all year round our students will experience a truly comprehensive program.

Herald Sun article - fastest growing school in Templestowe

As you are all aware, Templestowe Park has become a very popular school and enrolments have increased significantly over the last five years. As stated in previous newsletters, we are now at capacity and have an Enrolment Management Plan (EMP) to manage our school size. According to data produced by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority and that appeared in a Herald Sun article, TPPS was the fastest growing school in Templestowe from 2018-2022 with a 21% increase in enrolments. This growth has occurred even with an EMP that limits the number of students that we can enrol. This is a great endorsement for our school and our programs. We should all be very proud of our outstanding learning community.

TPPS Annual Christmas Concert

Wednesday, 6th December 5:00 – 7:00pm

Our Christmas Concert is set to take place on Wednesday, 6th December. The night will kick off at 5:00pm with the concert being held on the synthetic courts from 5:30pm. All year levels will sing a Christmas carol and there may even be a special visitor from the North Pole.

All families are invited to bring a picnic dinner and enjoy the company of the school community before the concert begins at 5:30pm.

We are looking forward to sharing a fun and festive night with you all!

REMINDER – Arrival at School for students is 8:50am and classes commence at 9:00am!

We have a number of students that are consistently late to school. This has considerable impact on the student and the class. Teachers are on yard duty from 8:30am every day and all students enter the classroom at 8:50am. We encourage students to arrive at 8:30am so they can play with their friends and be energised and ready for the school day. Arrival by 8:50am is essential for a smooth start to the school day.

If you do require assistance, we are here to help. Please contact Brian Cleary, Robyn Twyford or Mark Roberts and they will happily offer support.

Please see the 'Attendance News' section of the newsletter for more information and assistance.

2024 Prep Transition

Our final Prep Transition took place on Thursday morning. After three previous transition sessions, our Prep students found out their teacher and grade for 2024. There were smiles all around as the new Preps settled into their classrooms and enjoyed their final visit before they become TPPS students. Our parents had a productive final transition session too. We would like to thank Shalina Navaratnam (School Council member and Prep 2023 parent) for speaking with our new Prep parents about the first year of school. It was very insightful, and Shalina provided so many helpful tips.

Primary School Speech Contest – Xavier L

Last Wednesday, Xavier L from Grade 6F competed in the District final for the Rotary Primary School Speech Contest. Earlier in the year, Xavier competed in the Local Speech Contest and was the winner from all Templestowe primary schools. From this outstanding achievement he was selected to represent Templestowe in the District contest. Xavier performed extremely well and although he was not awarded the winner on the night, we would like to congratulate him on this fantastic achievement. Outstanding work, Xavier!

Principals’ Award

At our last assembly we were so pleased to present the Principals’ Award to Sofia S in Grade 4A. Sofia comes to school every day with a smile, positive attitude and unlimited enthusiasm. She is friendly and kind to her classmates and teachers and is always willing to help others, especially if someone is hurt, upset or not feeling well. Her ability to show empathy and compassion for others is definitely one of her greatest attributes. Sofia shows persistence and determination and because of this, she has made great progress this year. Sofia looks for joy in all moments of her day, making everyone happy with her great sense of humour. Every Specialist teacher at TPPS loves having Sofia in their classes because of the way she always demonstrates the RRIPO values. She is a leader in every sense of the word and will make a great addition to the Senior School next year. The Grade 5 teachers will love having her in their year group. Sofia is a keen soccer player and recently represented TPPS in Futsal. She was captain of the 3/4 Girl’s team, leading by example and giving 100% effort throughout. During the tournament she was constantly encouraging her team mates to do their best and spoke very positively despite the loss in the grand final last week. Awesome effort, Sofia!

School Hats in Term 4

All students are required to wear school hats from the commencement of Term 4. If you need to buy a new one, please visit the uniform shop. We are a SunSmart school and we have a ‘no hat no play’ policy.

Are you Leaving Templestowe Park in 2024?

We ask that you let us know if you are moving or have enrolled at another school in 2024. We require this information as soon as possible in order to establish grade structures for the start of the new school year. If your child is currently in Grades Prep to 5 and will not be at Templestowe Park in 2024, please notify the school office in writing as soon as possible.

Mark Roberts Brian Cleary Robyn Twyford

PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Sustainability @ TPPS