About
Meet the Principal
On behalf of the School Council, staff and parents/carers of Thornbury Primary, I welcome you and your child/children to our school. This is a great school where your children will experience a nurturing environment in which they will learn and grow.
At Thornbury Primary there is a strong sense of one school, one community and we instil the values of Respect, Trust, Working Together, Integrity and Perseverance in everything we do.
We are committed to:
- Creating a positive and orderly classroom climate, where students, teachers, parents and caregivers build relationships together and become responsible for the development of personal and academic learning pursuits for all children.
- The development of the whole child academically, physically, socially and emotionally. Teaching and Learning programs are designed to interest and stimulate curiosity whilst providing both depth and breadth for the children.
The school offers two teaching and learning streams, a DET mainstream education and one based on the educational philosophies of Rudolf Steiner.
We also offer an Aboriginal Language LOTE Program across the whole school.
We welcome parents/carers to assist in many ways around the school. Parent/carer input is highly valued and a wide range of opportunities exist for parents/carers to take an active part in the life of the school through learning programs or School Council committees and their associated activities.
I am proud to be the principal of Thornbury Primary and invite you to contact me for a personalised or group tour of the school where you will discover our indoor and outdoor learning spaces, playgrounds and gardens.
Looking forward to meeting you all.
David Wells
Principal
Values
At Thornbury Primary School, we see ourselves as ‘A creative and diverse community growing together’.
Our “Deadly” values form the basis of our learning community and are:
- Respect
- Trust
- Working together
- Integrity
- Perseverance
Events & Community
Music and Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Crafts at TPS
Thornbury Primary School has an annual Arts Festival that is a whole school celebration and showcases music and the performing arts and art and craft works of Foundation Year to grade 6 students. Now in its 5th year, the day sees students performing on three stages running simultaneously for the duration of the festival. A year’s worth of craft and visual artworks are displayed along with performances from the drama club. Parents/carers work in class groups to run activities and supply food for the festival, all in an effort to raise funds for the flourishing Arts Department at TPS.
Last year senior students worked with our Musician in Residence Andy Rigby. Students made instruments in their music classes using recycled and found items. They also created a composition with these instruments that were used for the opening of the “Iuk” seat along with a song specially written by our vocalist teacher Emma Tonkin. Students also demonstrated their music compositions in an interactive digital gallery that was on display at the Arts Festival. Group (School Band, Choir, and Orchestra) and solo performances also take place on this day.
As part of our Arts Festival we have a festival artist from our parent/carer community. In 2014 Nikki Fletcher, a felting artist, worked with all our grade 3 to 6 students to create a stunning ‘Felted garden Chandelier’ that is now proudly and majestically hanging in our school foyer. Felting and textile practices are extensively taught in the Steiner craft program at TPS.
In 2015, TPS was successful in securing a Darebin Council arts grant which resulted in the grade 5/6 students collaborating to create a rendered concrete seat in the form of an “Iuk” (WoiWurrung word for eel). The mosaics created and installed in the seat depict the flora and fauna of the Merri Creek within the cycles of the Wurundjeri seven seasons. The seat was officially opened by Sarah Metzner, the mosaic artist, at our 2015 Art Festival.
Primary Flavours from Umbershoot on Vimeo.
NAIDOC week
NAIDOC is always very special at Thornbury Primary School and in particular NAIDOC Day. Many voluntary hours are given by staff to acknowledge our Indigenous students, their communities, history and culture with a variety of multi-age activities planned for all children on this day.
Garden parties
We will be doing fun garden projects – planting, crafting, getting our hands dirty, making our gardens into even more thriving spaces.
This is open to any member of the school community.
Please note, when students join us at 3.30pm they will need to stay in the Food Garden area (away from after school care) and be in the supervision of parent/carers at all times.
Harvest Festival
Thornbury Primary School community organises a Harvest Festival – this is a beautiful opportunity to join together in a celebration of community, through stories and songs.
Fun Run
This whole school event is held in term 2 of the school year. This is a fundraising event that encourages the health and fitness of our students and community alike. Students raise money by having sponsors donate a dollar amount per lap. Students run laps around and through the school premises, which makes for a fun and fit event.
Swimming
As summer approaches and children look forward to heading off to the beach with their families, the importance of learning to swim and be familiar with water safety becomes very important.
As part of the educational program at Thornbury the children from Foundation to Grade 4 will be involved in a Swimming Program at Northcote Aquatic Centre. The program is designed to familiarise and enhance children’s swimming ability and to add on to programs they are already involved in outside of school. For the Foundation year it is also a social event that involves their whole class and is supported by their Teachers and Educational Support staff.