Newsletter –Term 3 2026

To all the Parents and Carers of grades 4/5/6,

Welcome to term 3!

We are looking forward to another exciting and productive term filled with engaging learning experiences and special events. One of the highlights of the term will be our whole-school concert in Week 8. Term 3 concludes in Week 10 with Parent–Teacher Conferences, providing families with the opportunity to discuss their child's learning, progress and goals with their classroom teacher.

Concert – Make the Earth Happy

Get ready for another spectacular whole school concert this term, that promises to be an event not to be missed! This year’s theme, “Make the Earth Happy,” celebrates the importance of caring for our planet and exploring how our actions can help create a cleaner, healthier and happier Earth.

Some of the Year 5/6 students will be taking on special roles as part of the main cast. These students were selected through a rigorous audition process and have been working hard, rehearsing during lunchtimes to prepare their performances. All classes are also busy learning their concert songs and practising their items in preparation for the big night.

The concert will be held in Week 8 of Term 3 on Wednesday 2 September at the Thomastown Secondary ECCA Centre. Parents and carers, this is your chance to see your child shine on stage and celebrate their creativity, confidence and hard work.

Ticket sales will commence closer to the event date, so keep an eye out for further information. Don’t miss out on what is sure to be a memorable evening of entertainment, teamwork and celebration. It is a school event and all students are expected to attend and participate.

Parents of Grade 6 students

Parents and carers of Year 6 students should have received their child's Year 7 secondary school placement offer for 2027. Please complete and return the Placement Acceptance Slip to your child's classroom teacher by Tuesday 11 August 2026. If you do not wish to accept the placement offered, please contact Mrs Filomena Raif as soon as possible to discuss your options. Thank you to the families who have already returned their acceptance slip.

Parents of Grade 5 students

Parents and carers of Year 5 students are encouraged to begin exploring secondary school options for 2027. Attending school open days or arranging a personal tour with your child is an excellent way to learn more about prospective schools. Government secondary school enrolment forms will be distributed at the beginning of Term 2, 2027, with completed applications due in early May 2027.

Families considering an independent or private school are encouraged to begin making enquiries now. Many independent schools require applications to be submitted while students are still in Year 5. Please note that applications for independent schools are managed directly by families, as Thomastown West Primary School is unable to process these enrolments on your behalf.

Rights and Responsibilities:

At Thomastown West we have developed the following ‘Rights’.

• At this school everyone has the right to feel comfortable and safe.
• At this school everyone has the right to work and

All classrooms are using these rights to establish class and playground standards of behaviour.

School Values:

At Thomastown West we focus strongly on our school values Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Empathy and Being our Best, as well as honesty, cooperation, and kindness. We teach the children that:

• Values guide the way we think, speak, and behave.
• Values help us to decide what is right and what is wrong.

You can help your child develop these values by discussing them at home and encouraging them to make good choices.

Just a few Reminders …

Grade 5/6 Sport

There will be no interschool sport held on Fridays during Term 3. Instead, students in Years 5 and 6 will participate in a range of exciting sporting opportunities, including the Swimming Survival program, a Basketball Tournament and a Girls’ Futsal Tournament. The Boys’ Futsal Tournament will take place in Term 4. Please refer to the important Term 3 dates for further information about these events.

Grade 6 uniforms for 2027

Orders for the grade 6 Commemorative Unform for 2027 will commence in Term 4. Students will have the opportunity to purchase polo shirts or bomber jackets.

Grade 6 Graduation

Save the date:
Grade 6 graduation will be on Tuesday the 15^th of December 2026

Assembly:

Assemblies are held from 2:30pm-3.00pm Friday afternoons.  Assembly dates have been included in this newsletter and can be found in our weekly newsletter. Parents are most welcome to attend. We will endeavor to contact parents of children who will be receiving ‘Star of the Week’ awards. Please ensure you are on Class Dojo to receive this message.

Brain Food:

Each class allows ‘Brain Food’ time in between morning sessions. Children may bring some fruit or vegetables to eat during this time.  

Punctuality: School begins at 8.45 am. Please ensure your child is at school on time. Remember, ‘Arrive on time, ready to learn, at quarter to nine!’ Late children disrupt the learning of other children and also miss important instructions. Often late children become upset and take longer to settle into school. Please ensure that your children go to bed at a time that allows for enough sleep to assist with morning wake up, so they are ready to learn when they arrive at school each morning. We suggest 8-8:30pm as a suitable time.

Absences: School attendance is compulsory; however, we do not encourage sick children to come to school. If your child is absent, please provide the classroom teacher with a note for the absence. Lessons taught in the classroom are sequential and frequent absences can result in knowledge gaps for a child. Prolonged absences can cause significant deficits in a child's education.

Mobile Phones: All children are required to leave mobile phones at the office each morning and these may be collected after school.

HATS!

All children are expected to be in full school uniform every day, including school hats. School hats are to be worn in from Monday 31st August until the end of Term 4. Please make sure that your child has a wide brim hat/bucket or legionnaire style hat with them at school. If your child has lost their hat, they can be purchased at the office for $14.

WHOLE SCHOOL CONCERT 

This term, the whole school is working together to present our Make the Earth Happy whole school concert.

✳ This performance will be an opportunity to showcase the children’s many skills and talents in The Arts. They are busy learning their songs, making costumes and props, practising dance steps and working on short skits. Everyone is bubbling with enthusiasm! It’s sure to be a SENSATIONAL Night! 
✅ 5:30pm Wednesday 2nd September 2026
✅ Students Need To Be At School By 5:00pm
✅ TICKETS $25 EACH : More information will be sent home later this week!
✅ Children under school age may sit on parents’ laps.

-Tickets need to be purchased by Tuesday 26th of August to attend the event as seating and space will be limited. The ticket will be a wrist band and sent home the day before the concert, Tuesday 1st of September.
- Families will be offered a maximum of 2 tickets initially.
- Families may place their name on a waiting list, and additional tickets (if available) will be offered.

Below is an outline of the work the children in Grades 5/6 will be involved in this term.

Inquiry:

Our inquiry unit this term is "Our Restless Earth," focusing on natural disasters. Students will investigate the forces and energy present in the natural world and explore how dramatic changes, such as natural disasters, affect people and the Earth. They will study how the Earth changes both immediately and gradually by examining the relationships between the Earth, its atmosphere, and human intervention.

Maths:

This term, students will develop their understanding of the relationship between multiplication and division, strengthening their ability to solve problems efficiently and apply a range of mental and written strategies.

In Measurement, students will investigate area, capacity, volume and 3D shapes, applying their knowledge to practical, real-world situations. As part of Statistics and Probability, they will collect, represent and analyse data, as well as explore the likelihood and fairness of events through engaging investigations and hands-on activities.

Reading:

Throughout this term, students will participate in daily reading rotations, engaging in a range of activities including Guided Reading, CARS and STARS, comprehension tasks and Reading Eggspress. Our reading focus will be on developing effective comprehension strategies, including making connections, identifying an author's purpose, analysing characters' motivations and traits, and exploring cause and effect, particularly in relation to our Inquiry unit.

To support their Inquiry learning, students will also develop the important research skills of skimming and scanning for key information, as well as sequencing information to understand events and processes in the correct order. In addition, students will explore an author's use of figurative language in both stories and poetry. They will continue to build these skills through our class novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, applying their understanding through rich discussions and thoughtful responses.

Writing:

This term, we will concentrate on revising and expanding narrative writing genres, giving children the opportunity to innovate and explore strategies for creating cohesive paragraphs. They will also learn the structures of procedural and persuasive texts.

SEWI:
This term, students will develop a deeper understanding of character, values and personal strengths, and how these influence the choices they make every day. They will explore the 24-character strengths and identify the values that are most important to them, while learning how these can be demonstrated through their actions. Students will also strengthen respectful and inclusive relationships by working with buddy classes and connecting with younger students. Through discussions and collaborative activities, they will explore respect, rights and responsibilities, including our shared connection to each other and to Country. The term will conclude with students learning how to respond to hurtful language, take responsibility for their actions and use respectful communication to build a safe, fair and inclusive school community.

Thomastown West Primary School, we believe that education is a partnership between teachers, families and the wider community. We work together to ensure all students experience success. When sharing the responsibility of improving children’s learning, effective communication is vital for teachers, parents, and carers at TWPS to work in a positive and productive partnership. Our school utilises a range of multimodal communications with all key stakeholders within and beyond our school community.

Our fortnightly newsletter is shared with you via Compass, Class Dojo and Facebook every week and it can always be accessed on our school website:

https://www.thomwestps.vic.edu.au/enews/ 

IMPORTANT DATES

We hope you all have an enjoyable term and thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Grade 4/5/6 teachers.

Mrs Gaeta, Mrs Raif, Mrs Santiglia, Mrs Rocca, Mrs Colakovski and Mr Scott.

Newsletter –Term 2 2026

To all the Parents and Carers of Rooms 9, 10 & 11,

Welcome to term 2!

The children have all settled well and are ready to learn. Term 2 is 10 weeks long and the teachers have planned many great learning activities including a great excursion to Sovereign Hill. Our Grade 6 students have all received the Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Forms to begin the process to Secondary School. These forms needed to be completed and returned by Friday 8^th of May. 

If you have any questions about the process to Secondary School, please make an appointment to speak to Mrs Filomena Raif or ask the office to speak with Mrs Young.

We look forward to a successful term 2!

Rights and Responsibilities:

At Thomastown West we have developed the following ‘Rights’.

• At this school everyone has the right to feel comfortable and safe.
• At this school everyone has the right to work and

All classrooms are using these rights to establish class and playground standards of behaviour.

School Values:

At Thomastown West we focus strongly on our school values Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Empathy and Being our Best, as well as honesty, cooperation, and kindness. We teach the children that:

• Values guide the way we think, speak, and behave.
• Values help us to decide what is right and what is wrong.

You can help your child develop these values by discussing them at home and encouraging them to make good choices. 

Just a few reminders …

WHOLE SCHOOL PHOTOS: Tuesday 26th May

Please ensure your children are wearing the correct school uniform.

Assembly:

Assemblies are held from 2:30pm-3.00pm Friday afternoons.  Assembly dates have been included in this newsletter and can be found in our weekly newsletter. Parents are most welcome to attend. We endeavor to contact parents of children who will be receiving ‘Star of the Week’ awards through Class Dojo. Please ensure you are connected to your child’s classroom.

Brain Food:
Each class allows ‘Brain Food’ time in between morning sessions. Children may bring some fruit or vegetables to eat during this time.  

Homework:
It is expected that all students read for 20–30 minutes each day. Please ensure this is built into your child’s after-school routine. Students are also required to complete a reading log, recording the pages they start and finish each night. Reading logs and books are kept in a Reading Wallet, which must be brought to school daily so books can be changed if needed. Students may also continue reading during class time once they have completed their set work.

This term, students have begun written homework, which is completed in their homework books and stored in a Homework Wallet. Students are expected to complete nine activities from a rubric across the term. It is recommended that they complete one activity per week. Students may choose any activity that interests them, with all tasks linked to our Gold Inquiry unit. Each piece of work must include the date and a title indicating the chosen task. We would greatly appreciate parents supporting this process by overseeing homework completion and signing the relevant rubric box once an activity has been completed.

Students will continue developing their multiplication facts, based on their Term 1 assessments. Mastery of all multiplication facts is an expectation by the end of Year 4. Your support at home is very valuable. A helpful approach is to:

• practise counting by the chosen fact,
• then learn the facts in order,
• and finally practise answering them out of order.

Short, regular practice — such as while travelling in the car — can be very effective. Each week, students will be tested on their focus fact. They will have 45 seconds to correctly answer 10 questions.

Punctuality: School begins at 8.45 am. Please ensure your child is at school on time. Remember, ‘Arrive on time, ready to learn, at quarter to nine!’ Late children disrupt the learning of other children and miss important instructions. Often late children become upset and take longer to settle into school. Please ensure that your children go to bed at a time that allows for enough sleep to assist with morning wake up, so they are ready to learn when they arrive at school each morning. We suggest 8-8:30pm as a suitable bedtime.

Absences: School attendance is compulsory; however, we do not encourage sick children to come to school. If your child is absent, please provide the classroom teacher with a note for the absence. Lessons taught in the classroom are sequential and frequent absences can result in knowledge gaps for a child. Prolonged absences can cause significant deficits in a child's education.

CURRICULUM PROGRAM FOR TERM 2

Below is an outline of the work the children in Grades 4/5/6 will be involved in this term.

Inquiry:

Our Inquiry unit this term is on the Gold Rush and its impact on Victoria. Students will learn about and explain the causes of significant events that shaped the Australian colonies, and the effects of these on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and migrants.

Maths:

This term, our focus for Number will be Addition and Subtraction including. For Measurement the focus will be Enlargement and Symmetry of 2D shape, Lines and Linear Movement, Length, Location and Perimeter. We will be focusing on Data for Statistics & Probability.

Literacy:

Reading:

Our focus this term will be on the reading strategies of Main idea and supporting details, Comparing and Contrasting and Summarising.

Writing:

This term, the focus will be understanding and writing the structures of Information reports and Historical and Excursion Recounts.  All of these will relate to our Inquiry unit.

SEWI (Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Inclusion):

This term, the area will continue to focus on Help Seeking by building students’ capacity to seek help if they need after trying to solve their own problems first, and they then require further assistance.
These are some of the lessons covered.

- Who to turn to and who to thank

- Rehearsing help-seeking conversations

- Communicating clearly and
- Revisiting key learnings via ‘The roller-coaster day’ storyboard

Students will also continue to reflect on self-regulation and review their ‘Ready to Learn Plans’ throughout the semester as well as have sessions with a Buddy grade to build friendships and trust.

Thomastown West Primary School, we believe that education is a partnership between teachers, families and the wider community. We work together to ensure all students experience success. When sharing the responsibility of improving children’s learning, effective communication is vital for teachers, parents, and carers at TWPS to work in a positive and productive partnership. Our school utilises a range of multimodal communications with all key stakeholders within and beyond our school community.

Our fortnightly newsletter is shared with you via Compass, Class Dojo and Facebook every week and it can always be accessed on our school website:

https://www.thomwestps.vic.edu.au/enews/ 

We hope you all have an enjoyable term and thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Gaeta, Mrs Rocca, Mrs Raif, Mrs Santiglia, Mrs Colakovski and Mrs DeNiese.

Important Dates