The Turragraph Term 1 Week 4 - 21 February 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who participated in our Meet The Teacher evenings this week! We were thrilled by the turnout of parents eager to learn about the exciting developments in our school and classrooms this year. The closer we collaborate as partners in learning, the more empowered our students will feel. When students receive strong support, their wellbeing improves, leading to even greater learning outcomes. It’s truly a win-win. If you couldn't attend this time, we understand and hope that you found the handouts from the evening, which were sent home with your child, helpful.

We hope the Meet The Teacher evenings addressed many of your questions. For any specific inquiries, please remember to schedule an appointment with the teacher, allowing them to give you their full attention.

Email communication is another excellent way to stay connected with teachers. However, please keep in mind that a teacher’s primary focus is on teaching and caring for their students, which limits their availability to respond to emails during the school day. They also participate in regular team and staff meetings and may have extracurricular commitments before and after school in addition to playground duty. Teachers will do their best to respond to your emails within 48 hours. 

To allow teachers time to recharge and spend quality moments with their families, we are establishing clear expectations for communication outside of school hours. As such, teachers may not reply to non-emergency messages or emails after school operating hours.

For non-urgent matters, please use the school’s email address. Our staff will typically respond to your queries within two school days.

For longer discussions or complex issues, we encourage parents and carers to make an appointment with your child’s teacher via email at a mutually convenient time.

In case of emergencies, please contact the school on 02 9144 4107.  Emergencies include serious student health, safety and wellbeing issues.

Your Child's Progress - Parent/Teacher Interviews

Turramurra North Public School takes pride in fostering and maintaining positive relationships through open and effective communication. we will be hosting Parent-Teacher Interviews during Week 9 starting on Monday, 24 March. This provides families with another opportunity to receive feedback on their children's progress, which is essential for creating a holistic understanding of each student’s development. It is also important for teachers to receive feedback from parents and carers, as this collaboration strengthens the support network for our students and enhances their learning experience. Information will be sent home at the end of February with details on how to book an interview time.

Please note that the interviews are intended for parents and teachers only, so we kindly ask that extended family members do not attend on this occasion. Thank you for making alternate care arrangements for your children during this time.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's education, please reach out to your child's teacher first to schedule an appointment. For more general inquiries, feel free to call or email the office.

You can help your child kick off this school year successfully by establishing clear routines for getting to and from school, as well as setting aside a regular time for homework or home reading (which have commenced at TNPS this week). Children thrive on consistency, and having set routines for these activities can make a big difference. For some kids, this might mean coming home and diving straight into homework, while others may benefit from taking a break for exercise or a snack before starting their tasks.

Find a plan that fits your family’s schedule and do your best to stick with it. We understand that life can get hectic, so if you notice homework completion becoming a challenge, please reach out to your child’s teacher for support.

Below is a very useful link with more tips and hints for parents/carers. They include:

• Remaining calm and positive in front of your child
• Being aware that your child’s perspective/account of what happened is simply their point of view. There may be other equally valid sides to the story to be heard.
• Being solutions focused and open to other perspectives.
• Speaking respectfully
• Going through the right channels – this usually means speaking to the classroom teacher first. We recommend that you arrange a private meeting that allows for confidentiality and sufficient time for discussion.

Additional information can be found at:

Staying Safe Online - eSafety Resources

Here are some valuable resources designed to assist parents and carers in guiding their children through the complexities of cyber safety.

A particularly useful site is the eSafety Commissioner’s website, especially the sections dedicated to parents and 5 tips to keep your family safe online:

Allergies

A number of students have severe allergies that can lead to anaphylaxis, and the severity and range of symptoms can differ among individuals. While the school cannot guarantee a completely nut-free environment, we request the cooperation of parents and caregivers in providing alternative food options for their children. Specifically, we ask that items containing nuts, such as peanut butter, almond butter and Nutella, not be brought to school.

For some children, even minimal exposure to nuts or other allergenic foods can trigger a life-threatening reaction. Therefore, it is important to discuss with your children the significance of washing their hands before and after eating and the importance of not sharing food with others.

If your child has food allergies, it would be very helpful to provide some alternative treats for their classroom teacher, clearly labelled with your child’s name. This will allow your child to participate in class celebrations when treats are shared.

Students and teachers love to celebrate birthdays at school. If you choose to bring birthday treats for the class, we kindly ask that these be individual, pre-packaged items. 

Please remember that all health concerns regarding students should be communicated to the school and your child's teacher so that we can collaboratively develop and implement specific health care plans. We depend on updates from parents and caregivers if there are any changes in health conditions. The office staff manages the sick bay effectively but can only administer prescribed medications once they are notified. Please ensure that any medications left at school are current.

Keeping up with Turramurra North School Happenings

Our SZapp (SchoolZine app) is probably the easiest way to stay in touch with school happenings.

The app will:

• enable the school to send messages to your smartphone regarding any important information e.g. cancelled sports events, reminders about special events etc.
• allow upload of important notes to the app to read on your phone/tablet.
• enable parents/carers to send in absence notes from ‘Absentee Form’ tab in the app.
• enable parents/carers to access canteen and uniform shop information.
• provide a link to the school calendar and school website

School Photos - please see changes below

Students at TNPS will be photographed by Advancedlife over two days:

• Day 1: Class Photos, Student Portraits, Leaders and Sibling Photos – Monday, 10 March
• Day 2: Groups/Sports Photos – Thursday, 16 October (Term 4)

All students will take part in a class photo and have an individual portrait taken by Advancedlife on Monday, 10 March. Sibling photos will also be taken on the day for those families who are ordering them.  

Please note:

• This year all ordering of photos will be done online. Students will not receive or require a photo envelope.
• All students will have a class photo and portrait taken.
• Only families specifically ordering a sibling photograph will be photographed.

If you would like to order any photos (Class, Individual or Sibling), please follow the details below to place an order. We encourage you to place an order before photo day. Please note: Sibling orders must be placed before Monday, 3 March so the photographers can generate a list of those families requiring a photo on the day. 

1. Go to http://www.advancedlife.com.au/
2. Order 2025 Photos
3. Use the following 2025 code: P2N BH5 D8B
4. Have your credit card details ready to order your photos

Uniform Requirements:

Full summer school uniform with black school shoes.

• Dress or navy shorts with short sleeve white shirt
• White socks / navy socks
• Entirely black shoes

Approximate times for Photos on Monday 10 March

• 9am - KA
• 9:15am - 1SR
• 9:35 am - 1/2P
• 9:55am - 2F
• 10:15am - 3RG
• 10:35am - 3/4F
• 11:30am - 4/5E
• 11:45am - 5D
• 12:10pm - 6B
• 12:30pm - SRC
• 12:50pm - School Captains, Vice Captains and Prefects
• 1:00pm - House Captains
• 1:45pm Sibling photos in the hall - students will be reminded on the day.

CHANGES to NOTE: Some students leadership positions are yet to be decided. We have moved the date of the Leadership Induction Assembly to Thursday 20 March. Students will be elected over the next few weeks and informed.

As a result of this change, the following photos will be taken later in the year, on the same day as the sports photos - Thursday 16 October: Tech Team, Choir, Dance and Band, Library and Art Monitors, Band Mentors.

Enjoy the weekend ahead.

Michelle Verhagen

Principal

Band

Band Kicks Off 2025 with a Roaring Start!

The band has gotten off to a roaring start these last two weeks! The Junior Band is already producing great sounds, the Performance Band is making excellent progress on their new pieces, and the Extension Band is tackling some very exciting material. Our new band tutors have begun their weekly tutorials, and we have an exciting year ahead - starting with our Band Workshop on Friday, 28 March!

Band Captain and Band Mentors

• Band Captain Speeches and Voting:
  These will take place on Monday, 3 March during the Performance Band rehearsal. Band students in Years 5 and 6 are invited to deliver a 1-minute speech explaining why they want to be Band Captain. Their peers will then vote to elect the new captain.

• Band Mentors:
  Introduced last year, Band Mentors made a huge difference for our Junior students. This role is open to any Performance Band students motivated to support junior musicians by attending rehearsals and helping at workshops, Band Camps, and Principal’s Assemblies. Students will be asked if they wish to become a Band Mentor during next week’s rehearsals, with confirmation on Monday, 3 March.

Extension Band

We still have positions available in the Extension Band for all instruments. Any band students in Years 5 or 6 are welcome to join us on Mondays for a deeper dive into our musical concepts. If you’d like to know more, please reach out to rob@iconmusicmanagement.com.

Final Reminders

• Please speak to your children about the leadership roles.
• Encourage them to practise their new music.
• Keep an eye out for the Term 1 invoice arriving in your email soon.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Rob Di Marzo

TNPS Band Director

Calendar - Term 1

TERM 1 - Please note: any changes to dates and events, since the last Turragraph newsletter, are in red.

FEBRUARY

• 21 - Homework commences 
• 21 - Turragraph Newsletter published
• 25 - Swimming Carnival at PLC  
• 26 - Special Religious Education and Ethics commence  (continuing weekly)
• 27 - P&C Meeting - all welcome - 7pm (more information to come)
• 28 - Hornsby Zone School Summer Sport (HZSS) commences and continues weekly (more information to come)
  

MARCH

• 5 - Hornsby Zone Swimming Carnival (more information to come)
  
• 6 - P&C Meeting - all welcome - 7pm (more information to come)
• 7 - Turragraph published
• 10 - School Photo Day for class photos, individual portraits and sibling photos. Full school uniform including black shoes.  (Please note: all group photos will be taken later in the year - Thursday, 16 October.) 
• 12 to 24 - NAPLAN for Year 3 and 5 (more information to come)
• 14 - P&C Welcome BBQ (5-7pm - more information to come)
• 15 to 21 - Harmony Week (more information to come)
• 20 - Leadership Induction Assembly (more information to come)
• 21 - Turragraph published
  
• 22 - P&C Grounds Working Bee (POSTPONED until late in the year)
• 24  to 28 - Parent/Teacher Interview (more information to come)
• 24 - 6B Class Assembly 
• 28 - Band workshop and informal concert (more information to come)

APRIL

• 1 - Sydney North Swimming Carnival (more information to come)
• 2 - School Tour No. 1 - 9:30am (RSVP  02 9144 4107)
• 4 - Final homework sent home for Term 1
• 4 - Turragraph published - final for the term
• 7 - ANZAC Assembly 2:15pm
• 9 - Special Religious Education Easter Service in hall 10:20am - 10:55am - parents/carers welcome
• 10 - TNPS Easter Event - (more information to come)
• 11 - Final day of Term 1 
• 30 April  - Students return for TERM 2

Canteen - Local Lunches

Please ensure your child's order is placed with the name of their 2025 class.

• We trade 5 days per week at recess and lunch.
• Cash sales at counter available.
• Contact us: support@locallunches.com.au

Thank you

Robby and Steven

Local Lunches

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop Opening Time: Wednesdays 2:30 - 3:15pm

Please label all clothing clearly  with a first and last name.

The lost property basket is located just beside the 3/4F classroom in D block.

If anyone has any second-hand uniform items that are no longer needed and still have life in them, we will be organising a second hand uniform sale in March so any donations of preloved items would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made directly to the Uniform Shop on Wednesday afternoons or to the office on the other school days.

Thank you

TNPS Uniform Shop