Greetings
A greeting is one of the simplest yet most powerful forms of communication. It sets the tone for positive interaction and opens the door to meaningful connection. A simple “hello” helps us build relationships, show respect, and acknowledge one another. It can turn strangers into friends, bring comfort to someone who feels alone, and create a stronger sense of belonging in our school and community. The way we greet others shapes how we feel about a person, a place, and even ourselves. A cheerful “good morning” or “good afternoon” can lift moods, build trust, and strengthen relationships. These small words carry big meaning! They create warmth, invite kindness, and remind us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

At Thomastown West, every teacher greets each individual student every day. This small but important routine helps students feel valued, welcomed, and ready to learn. We encourage all children to take part in this practice by saying “good morning” to staff and to each other when they arrive at school. Every greeting matters, each “hello” brings a smile, strengthens friendships, and makes our school a more positive place for everyone. So, don’t forget to say hello, good morning, and good afternoon!

Hats are back!
Spring is here and it’s that time of year when we ask students to wear their SunSmart hats from 1st September to the end of April, as per our SunSmart Policy. During these months school hats are required as the UV rating increases. 

Please ensure students have their school hat, ready for Monday. School hats are available to purchase at our school office for $14.00

TWPS SUN SMART POLICY:
https://www.thomwestps.vic.edu.au/uploaded_files/media/twps_sun_protection_policy_20242028.pdf


Prep/One Science
Did you know that Mr Rosa also teaches Science to our Prep/One students? Recently, they have been exploring the topic Changes All Around. As part of their learning, the students revisited the garden they planted in Term 2 to observe the changes that had taken place. This hands-on experience gave them the chance to harvest, prepare and enjoy some of the fresh, delicious lettuce they had grown. The children loved the activity and gained valuable insights into how food is grown and produced.

Walking Thomastown
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all our parents and families who joined us for the recent Walking Thomastown community event. Your support, enthusiasm, and participation truly made the evening special.

I am sure you will agree that the light show, which lit up the Thomastown sky, was a wonderful celebration of community spirit and togetherness.

Our students also shone during the evening, taking part in the community dance event with pride and energy. They did an amazing job showcasing their talents, and we could not be prouder of the way they represented our school.

Events like this highlight the strength of our Thomastown community, and we are so grateful to everyone who came along to cheer, participate, and support our students.

Thomastown West Primary School would also like to acknowledge the organisers of Walking Thomastown! Your hard work, creativity, and commitment ensured the event was an incredible success. The evening brought our community together, celebrated local talent, and provided our students with an unforgettable opportunity to shine. TWPS is proud and grateful to be part of such a vibrant and inspiring community celebration.

Every day of Learning Counts!
Every day of learning matters. When students attend school consistently, they build on their knowledge step by step, making steady progress in reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as developing the broader skills they need for success. Missing even one day can interrupt this flow, leaving gaps that take time and effort to catch up on. Regular attendance helps children stay connected to the curriculum, their teachers, and their classmates—giving them the best possible chance to achieve their learning goals.

Just as importantly, every day at school contributes to a child’s wellbeing. School is where children form friendships, practise problem-solving, and learn how to manage challenges in a safe and supportive environment. Daily participation strengthens their sense of belonging and confidence, while also reinforcing healthy routines and resilience. By being present each day, students not only build academic success but also develop the social and emotional skills that set them up for a positive future.

R U OK Day 

Internet Safety
When was the last time you spoke with your child about being smart, safe and responsible online? These conversations are vital. At school, we teach students that safe use of digital technologies means making thoughtful choices about how we use devices, protecting personal information, respecting others online, and recognising when it is time to step away from screens. When parents reinforce these lessons at home, students receive a consistent and powerful message about responsible digital behaviour. Working together, families and schools can strengthen children’s ability to stay safe, confident and respectful online, which in turn supports both their learning and wellbeing.

Parents and carers also play a crucial role by modelling positive digital behaviours and guiding children to do the same. This helps young people develop the skills and judgment needed to navigate the online world safely. Together, we can create safe online and offline spaces by raising awareness about cyber safety, preventing bullying, and promoting wellbeing in all digital interactions.

At Thomastown West, we have strong systems in place to ensure student safety when using digital tools such as iPads and laptops. While these tools are excellent for learning, they also carry risks, especially when children are playing online games at home with others. Do you know who your child is playing with? Have you listened to the language they use? Staying involved and asking these questions helps protect children and supports the safe, respectful use of technology both at school and at home.

We strongly encourage all parents and carers to regularly monitor what their children are viewing and accessing on the Internet. If you would like further advice or information about internet safety, please contact your child’s teacher, Mrs Santiglia, Mr Crotti, or myself.

Planning for 2026
Work on the 2026 grade placements for your children is about to get underway. If you have any concerns or important information regarding your child’s grade placement for 2026 please put these in writing and  address the envelope, marked CONFIDENTIAL, to Sandi Young before  Friday 17th October 2025. (Week 2, Term 4)

Early next term, students will be given an opportunity in class to make a list of 5 students they would like to be with. We guarantee children to be placed with at least one of the students on their list, unless there are extenuating circumstances. These circumstances would then be discussed with their parents or carers. Requests can only be in relation to student friendships. Teacher requests will not be considered.

It is important for us to have accurate enrolment numbers for children attending our school in 2026. So that the best possible class structures and class sizes can be organised, please inform the Office if your child is changing schools. We understand that some families are moving houses and there may be schools that are closer to your new address. We will happily support your child and their transition to a new school. As always, our children, their learning and development, will remain our top priority. 

Please contact the school to let us know if your child/children will not be attending TWPS in 2026. Thank you to those families who have already done so.

Fathers Day 
Wishing all the fathers in our community a very special day on Sunday 5 September. Just like mothers, fathers come in many forms: grandfathers, uncles, big brothers, close family friends, and in some cases, single mums who step into that role. Research often highlights the importance of strong connections with mother figures in a child’s development, and the same is true of positive male role models. Their influence helps shape children’s confidence, wellbeing, and sense of belonging.

To all the father figures in our community, we wish you an incredible Father’s Day. May your day be filled with love, appreciation, and plenty of hugs and kisses!

Education is Powerful, Student Agency Matters, Our Teachers Make a Difference & Every Day of learning Counts!

Sandi Young                                          James Crotti

Principal                                                Assistant Principal

 
TWPS CURRICULM DAYS
*Students do NOT attend school on these days*

*Whole School Professional Practice Day for Staff. Students do not attend school.

TERM DATES

THE EVENTS BELOW CAN ONLY GO AHEAD, WITH YOUR SUPPORT:

PLEASE HELP! We need you! Due to staff illness, we are finding it challenging to prepare and run our annual fund raising events. 

Only with parents and carers support, the following events can go ahead as planned. Please add your name to the comments below, if you are available to assist the school to run these events:

• Tues 16/9   Footy Day: Parent/Carer helpers sort/deliver special hot lunch 

Please help our school and participate in the 2025 Parent Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement.

The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

To improve our response rate, this year, all families are invited to participate in the survey.

I ask you to please take the time to complete the survey as your opinions are important to us and will contribute to the future management and organisation of our school.

• The survey is conducted online by ORIMA Research and should take around 20 minutes to complete.
• The survey will be open from Friday 22^nd August to Friday 19^th September.
• The survey can be completed using any device connected to the internet (even a mobile phone).
• Should you require access to a device to complete the survey, please let the school office know.
• The online survey can be completed in: English, Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (Hakha) or Hindi.

Please be assured that your responses are completely confidential. The survey is conducted anonymously and it is important to us that you complete the survey as honestly as possible.

Your comments in the final open-ended question will be provided back to the school.

Please use the link below to complete the survey. NOTE: Only one parent from your family is invited to complete the survey (the link below should only be used once and should not be shared with anyone).

Questions?

• Should you have any technical queries regarding the Parent Opinion Survey, please do not hesitate to contact ORIMA Research on 1800 654 585 (toll free), or by email: pos@orima.com
• Should you have any participation or survey-related queries, please contact the school, or the Department by email: survey@education.vic.gov.au

The department and ORIMA protect your responses in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic). For more information, please visit ORIMA’s Privacy Policy, and the department’s Schools' Privacy Policy.

Thank you for taking the time to participate, your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Parent Student Teacher Conferences will be ONSITE at TWPS in Term 3: Wednesday 17th September 2025

This year, we will use COMPASS again for booking our Parent Student Teacher Conference meetings.

From this afternoon YOU can book your child(ren) conference ONLINE using COMPASS!
(We will not activate the button until Friday 9:00am. Do not panic if you can’t  find where to click, as it will not work until 10:00am Friday 22nd August 2025).

GREAT NEWS! When you use COMPASS to book a conference meeting with your teacher, it will be a time that you choose, which suits YOUR FAMILY! It is really easy to let us know (on Compass) if you require an interpreter!

For parents and carers that do not have access to the internet at home, at work, Thomastown Library, or at a friend’s house, support will be available at the office from 3:15pm Monday 25th August 2025 onwards, so that parents and carers can still make  bookings online.

Each Parent Student Teacher Conference is strictly 15 minutes and spaces are  limited. However, more time may be allocated to your conference if your child has their Student Support Group (SSG) meeting scheduled.

Parents can change their bookings, any time prior to the closing date, by revisiting COMPASS, and following the instructions. Remember to use the same COMPASS login you used when you made your original booking. Parents   wishing to change their meeting times after the closing date, should contact the school directly on: 9465 4317.

Students only attend school on 17/9/25 with their parents or carers at the time of their conference.

1. Login to Compass: Use your parent login details. -Please do not give these to your child. -Your login details are unique to you and provide you with ongoing parent access to Compass and information about your child(ren). -If you have problems... click on the:                    ‘Can’t access your account?’

3. Click My Bookings:

5. Click the time that suits you then click on the teacher’s name

6. CHECK the time is correct then click OK unless...

Would you like an interpreter?   
                             CLICK HERE and CHOOSE the language.




7. If you have more than one child… Click here:

If you get lost, click the    button to return to the main Dashboard.

Key Benefits of Physical Activity

• Boosts mood: releases serotonin & endorphins
• Improves sleep, energy, memory, and learning
• Sharpens thinking and concentration
• Reduces muscle tension and promotes relaxation
• Provides emotional release and relieves frustration
• Builds social connection and reduces isolation
• Improves motor and cognitive skills, builds self-esteem
• Distracts from negative thoughts, fosters positivity

How Much Activity Do Kids Need?

• Infants (0–1 year): 30 min daily (tummy time, crawling, reaching)
• Toddlers (1–2 years): 180 min/day including energetic play (running, jumping)
• Preschoolers (3–5 years): 180 min/day (60 min energetic play)
• Children & Teens (5–17 years): 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous activity

Did you know that research indicates that only 26% of 5-12 year olds and 7.9% of 13-17 year olds meet guidelines?

Practical Tips for families

• Family Walks or Bike Rides – build regular walks or rides into daily routines (e.g., after dinner, walking to school).
• Nature Play Together – visit local parks, reserves, or beaches for bush walks, scavenger hunts, or unstructured play.
• Active Home Environment – keep a box of equipment like balls, skipping ropes, or hula hoops for backyard or driveway play.
• Break Up Sitting Time – encourage children to stand, stretch, or move during homework or screen time breaks.
• Join Local Clubs as a Family – participate in community sport, dance, martial arts, or cultural activities that children enjoy.
• Inclusive Activities – try yoga, family fitness videos, or low-pressure games that everyone can join in, regardless of skill.

Let’s get kids moving for better learning & wellbeing!

TERM 3 WEEK 6

           



TERM 3 WEEK 7

CUP OF LIFE

As part of the Department of Education Every Day Counts initiative, schools report attendance in percentages. 

The Government regard 95% as the minimum satisfactory attendance for a school student.

The percentages in the table below indicates the average attendance for each class for this week.

The shaded boxes  below indicate which classroom has the highest level of attendance.

Student Attendance Report

Every day of learning really does count!

At TWPS we want every child to achieve their full potential and we know that parents share this goal. There is a clear link between good attendance and educational achievement. If your child is not in school, on time, as often as possible they will be missing out on many important parts of their
education.                      

Why is regular attendance at school important?

Regular school attendance will mean that your child has a better chance in life. Your child will achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day...

*they learn better   
*they make friends      
*they are happier   
*they have a brighter future

If your child is sick, of course it is appropriate to keep your child at home but

other ‘days off’ school add up to lost learning.  See below:

CUP OF LIFE

Well done to all the boys and girls who are attending school every day. 

Congratulations! The rooms that had the BEST ATTENDANCE for:


* Term 3 Week 6 is Room 10
* Term 3 Week 7 is Room 09

Term 2

Term 1

We really do need your support to ensure the following events happen:

• Footy Day Parade & Hot Lunch – We wrap up the term with our much-loved Footy Day! Students are invited to wear their team colours, join in the parade, and enjoy a hot lunch (available to order). Orders must be in by Friday 13th September.
  
  

If you’d like to volunteer at any of these events, please see Mrs. Young or Mrs. Elzoobi in the office.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated!