Principals' Message 

Hello parents and friends,

Today we celebrate World Teachers’ Day across Australia.  This is an opportunity to celebrate and thank our teachers for the outstanding work they do with our precious students.  I define all staff at TPPS as teachers. Our educational support staff that work with small groups and individual students, in the school library, uniform shop and school office are teaching our students every day.  We are one big learning community and it is a privilege to have the responsibility of guiding our students through their primary school years. The commitment, skill and care that our staff exhibit everyday is inspiring and we thank all of our teachers on behalf of our school community.  

I encourage all families to peruse the 'Learning @ TPPS' section of this newsletter as there have been so many fantastic learning experiences over the last two weeks.  The Legacy Project is a highlight for every Grade 6 student and once again, Ms Sumner and the students have done a magnificent job.  These projects really brighten up our school and allow us to maintain a strong connection with our departing students.

State Leading Results in the Maths Talent Quest (MTQ)

As you will be aware from the announcement at the end of last term, our school once again, achieved excellent results in this year’s MTQ competition, run by MAV (Mathematical Association of Victoria). This included Grade 3A being a state winner, with their entry progressing to the National MTQ competition as a representative for Victoria.  The recent MTQ awards ceremony was held at RMIT University and attended by representatives from each class and some Grade 5 students who all received a ‘High Distinction’. It was there that we learned that 3A were awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the National competition.  In addition to this, we were thrilled to learn that their entry was also a ‘FLIP challenge’ winner! The FLIP Challenge (Financial Literacy in Practice) is an extra part of the MTQ, encouraging entrants to include a financial element to their investigations with such things as budgeting, comparison of prices or simply understanding different coins and notes for the junior grades.

But wait, there’s more…

Templestowe Park Primary School was also awarded an ‘Outstanding School’ award for our outstanding contribution to the 2023 Maths Talent Quest!

We are so proud of our school! Our teachers work really hard to plan lessons that excite our students and get their maths brains thinking, with our results a testament to this dedication.  We would sincerely like to thank our teachers for their effort and enthusiasm and for all of the work that goes on behind the scenes in putting together excellent entries. Thank you also to the students who have been curious and confident in their mathematical explanations that are included in the published investigations.

Congratulations, your work is truly appreciated!

2023 Victorian Education Excellence Awards (VEEA) – Awards Ceremony is on tonight!  

As announced in our last newsletter, TPPS have been named as a finalist in the 2023 VEEA in the category of Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students – Primary.  The Outstanding Provision for High-Ability Students award recognises exceptional teams within Victorian government schools that have demonstrated excellence in provision for high-ability students, supporting their learning and wellbeing and helping them thrive now and into the future. 

Mr Roberts, Mrs Twyford, Mrs Lucas, Mr Konakoff and Ms Augello will all attend the Awards Ceremony at the Regent Plaza Ballroom tonight.  We are so excited to be named a finalist in such a prestigious award.  This is such great recognition for our school, teachers and students. 

Please see the link below for further information about the Awards and our nomination.

https://www.vic.gov.au/victorian-education-excellence-awards-finalists 

Outstanding UNSW ICAS Results!

In Term 3, several students from years 4 to 6 were involved in the University of NSW ICAS tests.  These students completed online assessments in English, Writing and Mathematics.

Each student who completes a multiple-choice test, receives feedback on their performance including an award level.  These are High Distinction (top 1% of all participants involved), Distinction (the next 10% of participants), Credit (the next 25% of participants), Merit (the next 10% of participants) and Participation (for all remaining participants).

Sincere congratulations to all students who were involved.  One of the signs of a successful learner is to take risks. Volunteering to be in an exam situation at such a young age is a fine example of ‘having a go’ and taking a risk. Well done to all.

Overall, TPPS performed very well. Special congratulations to the students below who were awarded either a High Distinction (top 1%) or a Distinction (top 10%) out of the thousands of participants all over the country.

English

High Distinction:   Grade 5  Leena B

Distinction:  Grade 4  Chloe A,   Zain P  Grade 6  Katara H

Credit:   Grade 4 Anmol B, Navya B,  Xavier O   Grade 6  Dylan L, Xavier L, Simi M

Merit:   Grade 4   Nathan K   Grade 5 Maksim A, Seb M, Jaden T

Mathematics

Distinction:   Grade 4  Chanumi F,  Zain P

Credit:   Grade 4  Chloe A, Anmol B, Ellie K, Nathan K, James K  Grade 5 Leena B, Austin D, Elijah K, Campbell W   Grade 6 Dylan L

Merit:   Grade 4   Navya B, Isabella H, Miranda W  Grade 5   Jenson C    Grade 6  Katara H

Writing

Distinction:  Grade 4   Chloe A,  Navya B    Grade 5  Campbell W, Ian Y    Grade 6  Dylan L 

Credit:   Grade 4  Anmol B, Chanumi F, Ellie K, Zain P   Grade 5 Leena B, Jenson C 

Merit:   Grade 5 Maksim A,   Jaden T 

MATHS OLYMPIAD, MATHS GAMES AND MATHS EXPLORER RESULTS

We are once again, proud to announce more excellent achievements by our students in Maths. The Grade 5 and 6 students have participated throughout the year in competitions run by a not-for-profit organisation, 

Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) in both the Maths Olympiad and Maths Games competitions.  A selected group of Grade 4 students participated for the first time in the organiser’s Maths Explorer competition for younger students. The aim of the competitions is to get primary and secondary school students applying and improving their problem-solving skills against other school teams from across Australia and New Zealand. The organisation has over 100,000 students who participate in their maths problem solving programs each year.

Both the Maths Olympiad and Maths Games competitions comprise a series of five tests, each one approximately five weeks apart. The Maths Explorer competition consists of four tests. Students work individually to complete the five questions within a set time. In between each test, students work together on problems which require them to practice various problem-solving strategies. The Maths Olympiad competition is an extension programme for highly capable students. The Maths Games competition caters for mainstream Grade 5 and 6 students to enhance their problem-solving skills.

The Maths Explorer competition introduces problem-solving to Grade 4 students.

Congratulations to all students who participated this year, for thinking hard through challenging questions and persevering. 

We are particularly proud of our Maths Olympiad team this year because our team results put TPPS in the top 20% (80th percentile) of all participating schools. This is an excellent result.  More than half of the students in the Olympiad team scored in the top 25% of all participants, across all participating schools. Well done to all the Maths Olympiad students!  Our top individual results can be seen below.

Baby News 

We are very happy to inform the community of the birth of Klaudia Toni Karabatsos and Ella Daisy Le Cerf over the last couple of weeks. Elena, Kate and babies are all well and we congratulate both families on the new additions! 

School Uniform 

As seen on Compass last week, we have recently seen a number of students not wearing correct shoes, socks and attire. Additionally, students have also been wearing nail polish and fake nails. This makes our uniform look very untidy. 

There has been a considerable improvement in student uniforms this week and I thank parents for their support with this important matter. The students look fantastic in their uniform. 

A ‘Uniform Reminder Letter’ will be issued from the next week to the small number of students that are not wearing the correct uniform. 

If families require assistance in sourcing a school uniform due to financial restraints, please do not hesitate to contact the school office for assistance.  All enquires are completely confidential. 

ThinkUKnow eSafety Presentations 

Over the next couple of weeks all students from Grade 3-6 will be participating in the ThinkUKnow eSafety program that is provided by the Australian Federal Police. 

The presentation to our Grade 3-6 will focus on the following important areas:

• How to be safe online.
• Online profile (Usernames, profile pictures, passwords).
• Online bullying.
• Online offenders.
• Supporting friends that have experienced online issues.
• Where to go to get help with online issues, and strategies if a child gets stuck. 

At Templestowe Park PS, we provide extensive eSafety training to all students from Prep – Grade 6. The ThinkUKnow program is an integral element of this training. 

To learn more about how to help your child to stay safe online, we encourage all parents to access the eSafety Commissioner website.  This website provides valuable information to parents, students and educators.  It includes videos on how to talk to your children about eSafety, webinars for parents, parental controls on devices and so much more. 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

Class Placement Forms for 2024 

The electronic 2024 Class Placement Form can now be accessed at the following address. 

https://forms.gle/Jn8VbuKPEL5kgsnYA

The placement form provides you with the opportunity to share information about your child’s academic, behavioural, physical or social factors which you would like us to consider when deciding class placements. The personal information provided is treated confidentially and will only be viewed by the principal team.

This form is not to be used to request a particular teacher or for friendship groups.  Students will have an opportunity to nominate five friends and are guaranteed to be placed with at least one of them. 

Please complete the form (by clicking on the link above) by Friday, 17th November. Late responses cannot be accepted as the classroom placement process begins immediately after this date. 

The selection of classes is a long and considered process with many factors considered when making a decision. The submission of this form does not guarantee the request, however, the information contained will be considered.

2024 Prep Transition 

Our first 2024 Prep Orientation session took place yesterday and we had a fantastic time with our newest students. The 2024 Preps spent the session with the 2024 Prep teachers and new classmates.  Our Prep parents also had their first transition session where we discussed the transition program, class placements and the school uniform. 

Future Orientation sessions are as follows: 

• Thursday, 2 November: 2.00 – 3.00pm
• Thursday, 9 November: 2.00 – 3.00pm
• Thursday, 23 November: 9.15 – 10.30am (final Prep orientation session)

Middle East Conflict

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cause distress for staff, students, families and carers, especially those who have family and friends in the region. 

Our school is a rich and diverse community and acknowledging that, it is vital that our students, staff and families all feel safe and included in everything we do.

We want to assure you that the department is monitoring the situation from a school security perspective.

While we want to maintain an open and welcoming environment, we are also being vigilant in terms of safety, ensuring all our procedures, like visitors signing in and out, are being followed.

If your child is impacted and/or distressed by the current conflict, you may find some aspects of this resource helpful: 

• Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

Support is also available through external services including:

• headspace: 1800 650 890
• Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

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