Principal's Message:

"It takes a village to raise a child".

Welcome to 2019- The Year of the Pig

Welcome to the 2019 school year. What what a wonderful start it has been. Four weeks in and already a very busy, purposeful sense around our school. Our new staff members have settled well and all our new students (Preps and across the school) are into the routine of school life.  On Thursday January 30 we welcomed all our Y1-6 students and on Monday Feb 4th, it was the turn of our newest school community members, our Prep students, to begin their primary school journey. Prior to this, our staff gathered on both  Tuesday and Wednesday and  engaged in some very important professional learning in readiness for the school year. The foci for both these days being curriculum centre with Writing and Spelling as the areas of exploration.  We are all lifelong learners and we should all embrace any opportunities to challenge our thinking and to learn new things. I have really enjoyed meeting so many parents and guardians throughout the past for weeks, in particular at our Parent Teacher Meet and Greets  at the beginning of Week 3. I  have been into all learning spaces to visit all our children and spend time with them as they engage in their learning. There is definitely a positive vibe about the place and I look forward to the great teaching and learning that will take place this year within our school community. Our celebration of Chinese New Year which also doubled as the  launcha our LOTE Mandarin program on Friday Feb 15th was particularly exciting. Many students, teachers and a few parents got into the spirit of the celebration wearing the colour red, or something Chinese or an artefact in recognition of the Year of the Pig. 

Purposeful Learning Communities

At Truganina South in 2019, we continue with the min school structure.  Each mini school has a number of key leadership personnel who will support the work that goes own in each community. For our Prep-2 community I am delighted to inform you that Michael Gerber is the Principal Class leader and Ange Demeca is the Leading Teacher who will work alongside him.  Cass Beckman, my other Principal Class Leader  is shortly taking family leave with the arrival of her second child.We wish Cass well for the safe and healthy arrival of her newborn. In Cass' leave of absence, Shirley Lamb will take up the Principal Class leader role for Yr 3-6.  Brendan Chugg is the Leading Teacher for the Yr 3-6 mini school. I am also pleased to announce that Lisa Sarpa, Janis Mesiti and Alex Wren have been appointed Learning Specialists and they  will work across the school supporting the building of teacher capacity.  Lee Jarvis will head  the Specialist Team and our wonderful Business Manager, Heather Johnson will head the administration team. It is  a leadership team I am very proud to work alongside and I am confident  that great things will happen this year because of their expertise and guidance. Along with your child’s community teachers, these colleagues will be the best points of contact for you should you have any questions or concerns about your child. of course I am also available to speak with any parents regarding any queries.

Home School Partnership

 I strongly believe that communication is the key to a successful educational experience. The relationship forged between home and school is also incredibly vital. Research clearly supports that when parents/guardians participate and are involved in their child’s education, there is a greater likelihood of  successful navigation of the schooling experience  for the child. I ask that in forming this positive partnership with your child’s teacher and with myself as the principal, that you be both informed and involved. There are a number of ways you can actively do both.Through the School Website, Compass and our school Facebook page, you can keep abreast of curriculum, student progress, programs, activities, events. Every effort will be made to keep these avenues updates with information about what the students are learning and how they can be supported at home. Reading newsletters, attending assemblies and information evenings, student learning showcases, parent teacher conferences, community events are all great ways to be informed and involved.  This year we are proposing the creation of many more mini videos not only showcasing special events but also focusing on well being, attendance, even 'How to Help my child with.... " videos. So please join our school Facebook page. Check Compass daily for any updates  as these a regular and plentiful.

Parent Teacher Meet and Greet

A huge thank you to all the families who attended our Meet and Greet nights on Feb 11 and 12.

61% of our families booked times with community teachers to share all they could about their children's needs and hopes. A few more were able to be squeezed in on the day. Ten minutes doesn't seem like a long time, but the opportunity to share  key information speaks volumes to us working in partnership to support the most important people at TSPS- our students. If you didn't get the opportunity to meet with a community teacher please contact the school and teachers will be able to make arrangements to meet with you.

School Council

I would like to congratulate the following parents who have nominated for and successfully become members of our School Council. Magan Bhardwaj, Rhonda Velkovski and Meenakshi Singh join as parent members, David Gibilisco returns as community rep, Shirley Lamb, Michael Gerber and Ange Demeca join me as the DET reps. They along with Wade Green, Alex Tardif and Priyanka Bajpai will form our governing body for 2019. There was no need to run an election this year as there were just the right number of nominations required. These  new members to council will hold office for two years.  I would like to acknowledge Kirsten Duncan who has been School Council President for a number of years. Sadly, Kirsten has chosen not to re-nominate for School Council. Her leadership and contribution as a proactive member of our School Council has been tireless and wonderful. Thank you, Kirsten for your active involvement and engagement. We will miss your presence at our meetings. Our Annual General Meeting will be held March 20th at 6.30pm and all community members are welcome to attend. School Council meeting dates will be issued shortly.

Sunsmart

A reminder that all students are required to wear a school approved hat  hat when outdoors whether learning or playing.  No sports caps, caps in general as they do not provided effective protection. The dark blue hats with the school logo are available at our uniform suppliers. Ensure that your child has a hat each day and consider how they might also “Slip, Slap, Slop, Slide, Seek”  to protect from the suns’ rays.

Prep Enrolments for 2020

Just as our newest members begin their educational journey, we are already planning for 2020. Prep Enrolments for 2020 begins on March 18, 2019 If you have young children who will be beginning school in 2020 or if  you  know of neighbours whose children may be doing so, please note that enrolment packs will be available from this date. Children must turn 5 years of age by April 30, 2020. The children must reside in our school zone (map available on our website). and  tour dates will be made available shortly. 

Student Leaders 2019

I am pleased to announce this year's student leadership team. These students attended a leadership camp at Lake Dewar over the January break. I wish these students well in their new roles and look forward to the impact they will have in representing their students and teachers at TSPS  in 2019.  I thank Brendan Chugg and Jacinta Porter for their leadership of both the Student Leaders and Student Representative Council initiatives. 

Some Important Reminders

As we recommence the new school year some timely reminders:

Start of day  times for students

Students are not to arrive at school prior to 8.30am. Students enter learning spaces between 8.40 and 8.50am to prepare for their daily lessons. There is no yard duty supervision prior to 8.30am as teachers, leaders and admin staff prepare for their day of work. Please ensure your children are not at school prior to this time. If this is an ongoing issue for you please consider the YMCA that offers great before and after school care.

End  of day times for students

All students are dismissed at 3.00pm. If you child is walking home they will be encouraged to leave the school grounds promptly. If you are collecting your child after school please ensure this is done by 3.15pm. Teachers move into meetings and admin staff need to finalise their work for the day. Again YMCA does offer excellent programs for those whose children cannot be collected on time.

Early sign out and passes for late arrivals

Wherever possible  students should attend school for the whole day and arrive on time so as to minimise disruption to instruction for both themselves and their fellow classmates. On occasion it is necessary for students to exit school before the end of the day. It is important that parents visit the office area first to collect an early leavers pass which is then to be handed to the classroom teachers when collecting your child. Please do not by pass this step as it is important for the school to know if a child has exited for the day. It is also necessary for students who arrive late to collect a late pass from the office and we ask that a parent accompanies the child if this is the case. It is a timely reminder that students are required at school everyday, all day unless unwell or the occasional need to be collected early. We are a government school and this is the policy when attending a state school.  Families  considering  extended leave  of absences need to make an appointment to speak with me.

Traffic Around the School at Drop Off and Pick Up Times

I again need to mention the importance of safe movement around the school periphery especially during pick up and drop off times. Please note that there are 2 minute parking bays in both Parkvista Drive and Federation Boulevard. There are NO U TURN signs clearly marked in both these streets as well. Please DO NOT double park cars. I have had to speak to parents who have not only double parked their cars but have actually locked the cars and walked away from the vehicles. This is an extremely dangerous, not to mention illegal practice. Again I encourage parents to lead by example and not beckon children or walk children across the road at unmarked places. Please use the children's crossings.  It is supervised by the crossing supervisor. It may take just that little longer but it is a much safer practice. I am going to ask Wyndham  Council to recommence the random checks  for drivers who are not adhering to road signs and parking illegally. Make the responsible and safe decision, for all our children's safety.

Around the School- Move-a-thon and other things.

Over the school vacation period a number of significant works were undertaken and completed. The line markings for games such as Snakes and Ladders and the large Chessboard have been completed and certainly have brightened up the school grounds. The basketball court rectification has also been completed and the students have excitedly spilled back onto the playing surface and are thoroughly enjoying the experience. The gymnasium floor was re polished and looks wonderful. A number of buildings have had painting works carried out and carpets in some learning spaces have been spot and steam cleaned. We are very lucky as part of the Private Public Partnership to have such due diligence in the upkeep of our school. There are a number of significant projects I'd like to see completed over the next couple and years and our fundraising projects will go towards funding these. Speaking of fundraisers, this year our big fundraising event is the Move-a-Thon to be held on March 29th. This will be a twilight event from 5.00pm-8.00pm. It will cap off a great day of Cross Country events for our students too.

Please come along for a little while, for a long while, get into the fun of all the activities, sponsor your child in completing  laps of the oval and bring our TSPS community together. Please look out for the details and sponsorship forms as they become available.

Until next time, happy reading.

Yours in Education

Linda Danese