Parents / Carers

Parent/carer involvement

Parent/carer involvement is welcome in all formal and informal aspects of school life. We encourage parent/carer interest and support to help create a friendly and effective school environment.

We realise all parents/carers are busy – some have no time to spare and others just a little.

We hope that there is something that may suit your time, needs and interests. Remember that you need a current Working With Children (WWC) card in order to be able to assist in the school.

The school would appreciate any assistance or time you can offer. Please get in touch with the office or our teachers if you want to help out.

Fundraising

Our active fundraising group brings together the school community in fun, social events to raise funds to support our school programs. The group welcomes new members to assist with events.

Class Helpers

Helpers are always welcome in assisting in classrooms under the direction of the classroom teacher. Working with small groups, hearing reading, being a role model, supporting and encouraging children in their efforts, helping on excursions, during the swimming program, gardening etc. are invaluable for our school. To work in schools as a helper you will need a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) available from major Australia Post offices. They are free for volunteers.

Social Events

The Arts Festival, NAIDOC Day and Winter Festival are a few examples of occasions that showcase student skills and talents but they are also great opportunities to mix socially – parents/carers, teachers, children, extended family and friends of TPS.

Compass School Manager

We are introducing Compass School Manager as our Parent/Carer Portal.

Using our Parent/Carer Portal you will be able to: – View up-to-date class and school attendance information – Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your son/daughter – Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alerts) details – Keep up-to-date with upcoming events, newsletters and notices
Coming to Compass Parent/Carer Portal in 2018: – Access your child’s Semester Reports – Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences – Download, print and approve upcoming excursions

We will use both Compass and FlexiBuzz for the remainder of 2017 and only Compass from Term 1 2018 onwards. 

Accessing Compass Compass is a web-based system that is accessible on any web browser or by using the ‘Compass School Manager’ app available for iOS or Android.

To access our Parent/Carer Portal, please click the link: https://thornburyps-vic.compass.education and enter your unique login and password.

If you are having trouble logging into your account or forget your username or password, it is very easy to recover your details. When you are on the login page, simply select ‘Can’t access your account?’ and follow the prompts.

If you have any questions please see the Compass School Manager guide below or contact the Lauren at the office for assistance.

School Hours

8.50am Music

8.55am  Bell

9.00am – 11.00am Teaching and Learning

11.00am – 11.15am  Eating time

11.15am – 11.45am  Play Break 1

11.45am – 1.30pm Teaching and Learning

1.30pm – 1.45pm Eating time

1.45pm – 2.30pm Play Break 2

2.30pm – 3.30pm Teaching and Learning

3.30pm Dismissal

The last day of each term dismissal is usually 2.30pm and the last day of the year is generally 1.30pm. Children should be at school before 9.00am so that they are settled and ready for their first lesson.

Lunchtimes

Please make sure your child has lunch each day in a lunch box. This prevents lunches being squashed and reduces unnecessary waste. Any drinks should be in plastic bottles which your child can unscrew. NO GLASS BOTTLES PLEASE. The fruit box style of drink is easily managed by young children. Children are supervised inside for lunch (1.30pm – 1.45pm). Good eating habits are reinforced at this time. Please aim for a healthy lunch and ensure all bottles and boxes are named.

Classrooms allow for regular fruit and water breaks during the day and water bottles are easily accessible on children’s tables.

We encourage students to bring their own drink bottles to keep in the classroom and refill with water throughout the day.

Children are NOT PERMITTED to leave the school at lunch time without school and parental/carer permission.

OSHC – Out of School Hours Care

Our Out of School Hours Care Program operates from 7am till 9am and from 3.30 pm until 6pm each school day. On curriculum days we run from 7am until 6pm and offer an alternate program for the day.

We are a registered and accredited program giving us CCB funding from the Commonwealth Government for 30 funded places in Beforecare and 60 at Aftercare. This enables all eligible families to access Child Care Benefits, which can be obtained from the Family Assistance Office (FAO) – to assist with their fees. The fee reduction is in accordance with the family’s annual income.

The OSHC Program offers both indoor and outdoor experiences. It gives both the choice of structured activities and creates opportunities for children to initiate their own play and have free choice to materials, encouraging independence and decision-making. The program encourages children to initiate and participate in recreational experiences, supporting their physical, creative, aesthetic development. The programming process caters for the needs, interests and abilities of all children.

Breakfast is available and a healthy snack and fresh fruit is provided each afternoon.

Students enrolled at Thornbury Primary School are required to register annually for Outside School Hours Care.

2019 Term Dates

Term 1: Tuesday 29 January (Teacher’s resume on Monday 28 January)  to Thursday 5 April

Term 2: 23 April to 28 June (Easter Monday on April 22)

Term 3: 15 July to 20 September

Term 4: 7 October to 20 December

Curriculum days

Each year schools receive four student-free days. These days are used for professional development, school planning and administration, curriculum development, and student assessment and reporting.

The first day of Term 1 each year is a student-free day in all government schools to allow for appropriate planning to take place for the arrival of students.

School councils have the flexibility to schedule the remaining three student-free days each year to meet local needs.

Lost Property

At Thornbury Primary School we aim to minimise property losses and to return misplaced items to their rightful owners as efficiently as possible. There is a central collection point for lost property located under the centre stairwell where children and adults can look for missing items.

Parking Restrictions & Traffic Laws

Murray Street and Hutton Street can become congested, and we suggest that parking close to the school should be freed up for those who need it, such as families with preschool kids, babies or urgent matters.

If you can, park a street away from the school and enjoy the walk.

There are crossing supervisors on Hutton Street and on St Georges Road, who help teach our children road safety everyday.

We also have ‘Kiss and Go’ areas in front of the school. ‘Kiss and Go’ zones and ‘No Parking’ zones operate under the same conditions.