Templestowe Park Primary School Newsletter

Principals' Message 

Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Pride, Optimism 

 Hello Parents and Friends,

 

We only have one week remaining in Term 2 and it has been a wonderful semester of learning at TPPS.  Our Grade 5/6 students have thoroughly enjoyed their camp to Sovereign Hill this week and the Costume School has been a real highlight.  Over the past week, all classes have been undertaking the Maths Association of Victoria Maths Talent Quest (MTQ).  Additionally, our students have also been finishing their entries for our TPPS Writers' Festival that will take place in Week 2 of Term 3. Please read more about these outstanding learning opportunities in our ‘Learning @ TPPS’ section of this newsletter. We are so proud of the rich and diverse learning opportunities that our students experience at TPPS.

 

Next week we will be celebrating NAIDOC Week at TPPS.  We will launch the week with a Smoking Ceremony on Monday 30th June at 9:10am on the front oval.  We invite our entire community to attend the Ceremony. 

 

We wish everyone a safe and happy school holiday period. 

Celebrating NAIDOC Week at Templestowe Park – Monday 30th June – Friday 4th July 

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year. At TPPS we are excited to celebrate NAIDOC Week in the final week of Term 2 (Monday 30th June - Friday 4th July).

 

Over the last week, our Prep – 2 students have had the opportunity to enter a NAIDOC Week colouring competition and Grade 3-6 students, a poetry writing competition.  We have had many truly amazing entries!  A selection of student entries will be displayed in the main building next week and then entered into the nationwide competitions. 

 

We will celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout the week. Please see a rundown of NAIDOC Week events at TPPS below.

  • Monday 30th June at 9:10am on the front oval – We invite the entire community to join us for a Smoking Ceremony hosted by Ian Hunter.  We are very excited to be a part of this ancient custom as the smoke will cleanse our school and ward off bad spirits from the people and the land.

     

  • Monday to Friday – All students from Prep – Gr 6 will be studying Aboriginal stories and history within their classrooms, learning Aboriginal games in PE, learning an Aboriginal song in Performing Arts and undertaking lessons about the history of NAIDOC Week in the classroom. 

     

  • Friday 4th July – NAIDOC Week Assemblies 
    • 9:10am – 9:40am Prep – Gr 3 Assembly 
    • 9:45am – 10:15am Gr 4-6 Assembly 

The entire community is encouraged to join us for our NAIDOC Week Assemblies. Our students will be singing an Aboriginal song they have learnt in Performing Arts and a selection of students will read the NAIDOC Week poetry they have written entitled ‘Respect’. We will be celebrating everything about NAIDOC Week at these assemblies. 

Digital Enrolments for Prep 2026 - Submit Enrolment by Friday 25 July! 

For families that are interested in enrolling their child in Prep at Templestowe Park in 2026, please see the process below and our school website for further information.  2026 Prep enrolments are now open!

 

How to enrol at Templestowe Park PS

  • Contact our school office on 9846 2700 to book a school tour with our Principal or Assistant Principals.
  • Submit an Expression of Interest EOI if you would like to receive updates from Templestowe Park about enrolment news and our numerous transition programs.
  • Digital enrolments for Prep 2026 opened on Tuesday 22 April 2025.  Please click here to submit your digital enrolment after Tuesday 22 April 2025.
  • Submit an enrolment application for Prep 2026 by Friday 25 July 2025.
  • You will be notified of the outcome of your application between Monday 28 July and Friday 8 August 2025. If you receive an enrolment offer, you should accept the offer by Friday 22 August 2025. Please note – all in zone student enrolments will be immediately accepted on receipt of student enrolment.
  • We will invite families to participate in our Prep 2026 Transition programs.
  • Prep students will commence school on Wednesday 28 January 2026.

For further information from the Department of Education about enrolling in Prep for 2026 please click here. 

Semester 1 Student Reports 

The 2025 Semester 1 Student Reports will be available for viewing and downloading from Compass this afternoon.  While the Term 1 Interim Reports at the end of term one primarily provided information regarding how students settled into the new school year, the Semester One reports provide information to parents about student progress.  In June and December, schools are required to provide written reports providing information about student progress and achievement against the Victorian Curriculum.

 

As our teachers formally reflected on your child’s achievements during the first 6 months of this year within the Semester 1 reports, it is worth remembering that all students (regardless of year level) are individuals and develop physically, emotionally and academically at different rates. As educators it is our role to provide students with every opportunity to help them achieve their goals and reach their potential. This will vary from child to child, and is why we see our students as individuals, rather than students who we can compare against other students.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Bookings can now be made for next week's ‘Parent Teacher Meetings'.  To get started, log into Compass and click 'Book Parent Student Teacher Conference' next to the picture of your child or the green event above this message.  Bookings should be made via a web browser or your mobile device. To assist you if needed, there is a document attached to the Compass News Feed message regarding booking from a mobile device.

Parental Controls on Electronic Devices 

Over the past month we have had a number of discussions with families about how children are accessing and using the internet at home.  It is extremely important to monitor children’s use of technology to keep them safe.  The eSafety Commissioner provides excellent resources for parents about online safety.  Please click here to access this information. 

 

A fantastic way to control access of the internet for children is through parental controls.  Parental controls can help keep children and young people safer online by preventing access to harmful content, managing time spent online and limiting who they communicate with. 

 

Please see the extremely useful parental control resources below. 

Facilities News 

We are still working towards all the design and approval requirements that are needed to proceed to tender for the new structure over the basketball court.  This has been an extremely long process and we are now over one hundred pages of documents. Once the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) has reviewed and endorsed all the requirements, the School Council will commence the tender process. 

 

New pinboards have been installed in the School Hall.  They look fantastic and they make the space so much neater. 

 

Finally, over the school holidays extensive maintenance painting will take place across the school.  The generous donations made by parents towards our ‘Building Fund’ has allowed us to undertake this work.  Additionally, the donations made to our ‘Grounds Fund’ allows us to employ gardeners to maintain our extensive grounds.  We thank you for your support in providing our students with the most comfortable and attractive learning environment. 

 

 

 

 

Mark Roberts                       Brian Cleary                                       Robyn Twyford                                    

PRINCIPAL                           ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL                  ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL