From the Head of Junior School

The Year That Was…

A field is empty, but if you put in the effort to grow something then you will have a garden. And that’s life. Give something, something will come back. Give nothing, nothing will come back. To grow a flower is a miracle: it means you can grow more. Remember that a flower is not just a flower, it is the start of a whole garden.

Eddie Jaku, ‘The Happiest Man on Earth’.

The metaphor above beautifully captures our time together in the Junior School this year. It seems like only yesterday when many of our students nervously walked through the gates to begin the new school year, their ‘fields’ not yet planted. Yet over the course of 2024, they’ve met the many opportunities and challenges with fortitude; they’ve worked together, wondered deeply and developed some excellent habits of learning. On behalf of the entire Junior School teaching staff, I’d like to thank our students for giving their all this year across so many areas. Our teachers are extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside such a special group of Junior School students. 

A friendly reminder that your child’s Semester Two, School Report is now accessible electronically via Parent Lounge. All parents are encouraged to read the report with your child, congratulating them on not just their achievement, but also their effort throughout the semester, as well as the year in general. Our students have worked incredibly hard this year and can be most proud of everything they have accomplished, both within and outside of the classroom.

To our Year Six families, we wish you all the best as your children move into the Senior School, knowing that their contributions will be just as strong as they have been during their time with us in the Junior School. We look forward to hearing about their continued success over the coming years!

I would also like to publicly acknowledge the absolutely tireless efforts of the entire Junior School teaching team. I cannot express how incredibly lucky our students have been this year as they have benefitted enormously from the guidance and expertise of each staff member. Their outstanding classroom engagement and unwavering assistance has ensured that each student has enjoyed the very best opportunity to truly flourish in all aspects of their learning and development throughout the year. I simply couldn’t ask to work with a more professional and dedicated team of teachers on a daily basis.

Finally, I would like to thank our parent community for their steadfast support throughout the year. The success of each student can be heavily linked to a strong and trusting partnership where communication between the School and home is open and respectful. I sincerely wish all of our families a wonderful break over the upcoming holiday period as we say farewell to the 2024 school year this week.

Holiday Programs

Whilst the holiday period indeed provides a respite from usual school routines for our students, there are still many opportunities for all Junior School children to benefit from the exciting holiday programs on offer outside of the typical school year.

Form the 14th to 16th of January, ‘Code Camp’ will facilitate two different coding opportunities held in the Junior School which are available for students across Kindergarten to Year 6.

Bookings for these camps can be made by clicking here.

Please access the document linked below to view more information about both of these coding experiences.

Also in January, ‘Robokids’ will be running two distinct robotics camps for students across Kindergarten to Year 6. These will be held in the Junior School between Monday 20th January to Tuesday 21st January and bookings can be made by clicking here. 

Please access the document linked below to view more information about both of these robotics camps. 

Finally, Aspire will be offering outstanding vacation care supervision for children across Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6.

A range of exciting activities, incursions and excursions have been planned for students to enjoy throughout the holiday period.

Parents can click here for more information or to book in a session for your child/ren during the break.

Please view the attached document to see exactly what has been scheduled for all students to participate in and benefit from.

2024 Pictorial

If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email: glenn.stephenson@tphs.nsw.edu.au or phone: 9981 4400 and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.