The Turragraph Term 3 Week 8 - 12 September 2025
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
As the season changes and the final two weeks of term are here, we continue to focus on growth and learning across our school community. I’d like to highlight the important professional development work our teachers, led by our executive team, are undertaking to prepare for exciting curriculum changes ahead.
A key priority this year is preparing for the rollout of the new syllabuses scheduled for 2026 and 2027. Our professional learning activities focus on the upcoming changes in Creative Arts, HSIE (History and Geography), PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education), Science and Technology, ensuring staff are well-prepared to implement the updated curriculum. The NSW Department of Education (DoE) is introducing these new syllabuses - collectively known as CHPS - through a phased approach of Engage, Enact and Embed, allowing schools to progressively build understanding and effectively integrate the curriculum into teaching practice.
Ongoing professional development plays a crucial role in supporting our staff’s growth. In addition to stage team and collaborative planning sessions, teachers participate in targeted training focused on explicit instruction, evidence-based initiatives and personalised professional learning plans, with a particular emphasis on Curriculum Reform.
Our professional learning schedule is designed to complement both the school’s 2024 – 2027 School Excellence Plan (Formally Strategic Improvement Plan) and the Department of Education’s broader objectives for enhancing school performance. Like many careers, continuous learning is key for educators to maintain their expertise, as reflected in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Staff are expected to complete required professional learning hours and actively participate in development activities throughout the year.
While families often prefer professional development to occur outside of school hours, some sessions are held during the school day. When teachers need to participate, they prepare lessons in advance to ensure casual teachers can seamlessly continue the planned curriculum with their class. These lessons are carefully overseen by stage team leaders to maintain consistency and quality in student learning.
Our teachers will continue their professional learning on the School Development Day, Monday 13 October.
All students will return to school for Term 4 on Tuesday 14 October, wearing their summer uniform.
Picture Perfect - highlights from the last two weeks
Picking the Perfect Present for our Fabulous Fathers and Special Others - a special experience thanks to...
Hydration Station Installed - Thank You for Supporting our SRC Fundraiser!
Celebrating Our Terrific School Admin & Support Stars!
Keep Asking RU OK? – Every Day, All the Way!
UR Strong - Mastering the Art of Apology
2F Explores the Lunar Cycle - Oreo Style!
2F, with Miss Feather, have had an exciting week in Science! Each student created a model of the eight phases of the lunar cycle using Oreo biscuits, carefully moulding the icing to show each phase: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Crescent. It was lots of fun!
Next up, we’re continuing our exploration of constellations. Students designed and named their own constellations -enjoy these photos showcasing their creative work!
Emergency Bushfire Planning Arrangements
Even though the weather is still quite mild, we are proactively preparing for the upcoming season to ensure the safety and readiness of our school community. Turramurra North Public School is located in a bushfire prone area and is listed as Category 3 on the NSW Department of Education’s bushfire risk register.
To ensure the health, safety, and welfare of students and staff, the department has determined that on days when the NSW Rural Fire Service declares a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating for our local government area (LGA), our school may be directed to temporarily cease operations for the following day. In addition, schools may be made non-operational due to changing higher-risk conditions and advice from emergency services and the State Emergency Operations Centre.
The Fire Danger Rating does not mean there will be a bushfire, but rather indicates weather conditions that could pose a high risk for a bushfire event. This measure is proactive to ensure staff, students, and the community remain safe.
All communications will be through our SZapp. It is essential all TNPS families have download the Schoolzine App and monitor advice and notifications from our school. We also recommend that you stay up to date with bushfire and grassfire activity by using the Hazards Near Me app (set a watch zone for our school area), and by monitoring local media. You can also review fire activity and alert levels on the RFS website.
We also recommend that all families follow the advice of the NSW Rural Fire Service and ensure that your family knows what to do if there is a fire. It can take as little as five minutes to make your plan Discuss it with your family so you know what you will do in the event of a fire. www.myfireplan.com.au
Uniform Changeover
School uniform is an important part of creating a sense of pride and belonging at our school. We encourage all students to wear the correct uniform each and every day, including the TNPS hat, school jacket or jumper, school socks, and school shoes that are entirely black.
As the weather has been quite changeable recently, students are able to dress for comfort in either their full summer or full winter uniform for the remaining two weeks of this term.
While the official changeover to the summer school uniform begins at the start of Term 4, we understand that recent weather has been a little unpredictable. For the remaining two weeks of this term, students are welcome to wear either their full summer or full winter uniform for comfort, along with black shoes and a hat, please.
Many items of clothing have ended up in the lost property basket - it’s bursting at the seams! Thank you for reminding your children to come and check if anything is theirs. Please ensure all items are clearly labelled with your child’s full name to help lost property find its way back to the owner more easily.
Wishing everyone a happy week ahead. I'm Looking forward to seeing all the bright colours for Millie's Magnificent Mufti Day on Wednesday!
Michelle Verhagen
Principal
e-Safety Webinars for Parents/Carers
Social media age restrictions explained – a guide for parents and carers
From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account. Join the e-Safety 30-minute information session, on 20 November at 12:30, to understand the changes.
Library - Premier's Reading Challenge
The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is almost over for another year. There is only one week remaining. All online reading records must be completed by Friday, the 19th of September.
All students in Years K-2 have had PRC books read to them in class and library lessons. Mrs Burnes will complete the reading logs for K-2 students.
Students in Years 3–6 have chosen to participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). They have been keeping their own reading records online, with parent assistance if needed.
To log in, students need to visit the Premier’s Reading Challenge website and use their Department of Education username (e.g., john.smith3) and the password they use at school, which is usually their class name. Teachers and Mrs Burnes have a list of usernames for each class.
Once logged on, students should click on “Student Reading Record” and follow the instructions provided. Students in Years 3–6 have been shown how to complete their reading records during library lessons.
To complete the 2025 Challenge, Year 3-6 students need to read a total of 20 books (10 PRC list books and 10 free choice books).
All information, including logon instructions, rules, and the book list, can be found on the Premier’s Reading Challenge website. NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2025 : Home (det.nsw.edu.au)
Happy reading!
Mrs Burnes alison.burnes@det.nsw.edu.au
Millie's Magnificent Mufti Day
This year's trivia night was a tremendous success, and the fun continues! A big thank you to the Tanner family for their generous bid, which has resulted in a school-wide Mufti Day.
Millie Tanner has come up with a magnificent mufti day theme that’s sure to brighten everyone’s day!
Mind Quest 2025
Mind Quest is back!
A message from Shelagh Poray - Director Mindquest Program
Welcome to our 29th year of the MindQuest Program. This fast-paced, academic program offers 35 exciting courses for High Potential and Gifted Students from Years 1-6.
Mind Quest is designed to enrich and extend children’s learning through a broad range of experiences that are one or two years beyond students’ year level and the scope of the general curriculum. This fast paced challenging program offering 33 exciting courses for gifted and talented students is designed to enrich and extend students of similar interests and abilities.These highly successful, fun-filled weekends offer students the opportunity to meet other students of similar interests and abilities.
- Location: Glenwood High School, Forman Avenue Glenwood
- Date: 15 - 16 November 2025
- Enrol Now: Closing Friday 17 October 2025
Interested? Call MindQuest on 02 9748 108 or collect a flyer from the TNPS school office.
Term 3 Calendar
September
- 17 - School Tour 9:30am (rescheduled from last week)
- 19 - HZSS (Summer comp)
- 15 - Assembly hosted by 1/2P (Hall 2:15pm, parents and carers welcome)
- 17 - Millie's Magnificent Mufti Day - come dressed in your favourite colour (no coins needed)
- 19 - HZSS
- 22 - Sydney North Area Athletics Carnival
- 25 - Principal's Award Assembly for Term 3 - (Hall 10:15am, parents and carers welcome - Junior Band to perform and Choir Melody Makers too!)
- 26 - Turragraph published
- 26 - Last day of school for Term 3
October
- 14 - Term 4 commences for all students
Junior Band Performance
Join us for a musical treat!
The Junior Band will be performing at the Principal's Award Assembly on Thursday, 25 September, starting at 10:15am in the hall.
Parents and carers are warmly invited to come along and cheer on our excited young musicians. Don’t miss this chance to support their amazing talent!
Choir
Our Melody Makers are continuing with a fresh new repertoire of songs, and we’re all excited to share our next musical adventure with families soon.
Parents and carers are welcome to attend our next performance at the Principal's Award Assembly on Thursday, 25 September, from 10:15am in the hall.
Miss Drown & Ms Kliffen
Choir Teachers
Kindergarten 2026
Enrol now for Kindy 2026
The year is flying by! With so many distractions in a busy day, some families may have overlooked this vital step in the process.
To receive an invitation and information on our Kindy Transition program commencing in October and continuing through November, your child must be enrolled at our school.
Enrol on our website or call the administration office - 02 9144 4107.
Team Kids & Vacation Care
We’ve had a wonderful term so far at TeamKids, with children excited about our clubs and families continuing to share positive feedback.
Our recent family satisfaction survey averaged 8/10 overall, with most parents/carers expressing that they feel their children are safe and well cared for at the service.
Attendance averages this year have been 13.5 for Before School Care, 26 for After School Care, and 16 for Vacation Care. A highlight was reaching 40 children at After School Care on 2 September—the highest we’ve had in a while.
This term, we’ve also been running more clubs, including two weekly Cooking Clubs, which are a favourite with the kids; a STEM Club, where we are building a recycled-materials boat for the TeamKids nationwide competition; and an Art Attack Club, which has been very popular.
Thank you for your support.
Jo Felicia
Team Kids
Uniform Shop Changes
Dear Parents and Carers,
Important change to how school uniforms will be purchased from December 2025 onwards.
As of December 2025, the school uniform shop will no longer be run by the TNPS P&C on-site at school. We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with an external provider, Midford, to manage all uniform sales from December onwards.
The new provider will offer a full range of our approved school uniforms and accessories, with the added benefits of in-store shopping and fittings at the Midford Turramurra store. Online ordering will still be available through a web page set up for TNPS on the Midford website and online orders will be delivered to school and then distributed to the students classrooms free of charge in the normal manner. However, there will also be an additional option for items to be delivered directly to home by Star Track with a charge of $15. More details regarding the onsite store location, opening hours and the process for creating online orders will be circulated closer to the transfer date.
In the meantime, in order to reduce the current stock held in the Uniform Shop prior to the transfer to Midford, we will be offering a 10% discount on all items purchased from now until the transfer to Midford at the end of November, with a 20% discount being offered on all fleece jacket purchases. This is a great opportunity to stock up on any uniform items required for the remainder of this year at a discounted price, or even grab some larger sized items ready for next year!
We are working closely with Midford to ensure a smooth transition in December and appreciate your continued support over the next few months. If you have any questions regarding the changes, please feel free to contact the Uniform Shop or TNPS.
Thank you for your support.
TNPS P&C - Uniform Shop