20-11-09

 

On Wednesday 18th November TVPS held its annual ‘Responsibility Day’. It is a very exciting day in the life of every Grade 6 student when they get to be “Teachers for a day”. The students have been getting ready for today for a few weeks. Once they find out which grade they are going to teach, they have to organise meetings with the teachers and organise the day’s program. During the past week the Grade 6 students have been choosing books, photocopying worksheets and creating activities for their selected class. Today they came to school at 8.15 in the morning to attend a “Staff meeting” and from then on they are responsible for their class. The day is a fantastic opportunity for our students to step into the teachers’ shoes and understand the responsibilities and difficulties that teachers face in their daily job as well as the satisfaction. Well done Grade 6s you did a fantastic job!

Alejandra Zalewski

 

13-11-09

 

WOW!!!! What a night and a fantastic effort by all the children!! Each grade had rehearsed so much they were probably dancing in their sleep!! However, it all paid off last night!! When the children took to the stage in their amazing costumes and the bright lights beamed onto their smiling faces, we were all so proud of them!! Congratulations to all the Level 4 students, teachers and teacher assistants for all the energy they put into the Time Warp Mania Production. Special mention to the eight Level 4 leads (Ashleigh, Mason, Mel, Nathalie, Robert, Christina, Jun and Jarrod) that did an exceptional performance. We cannot wait until we see them on the big screens!! And last but not least, a BIG THANK YOU to the parents and families who supported their children and Templestowe Valley Primary School!!

 

Kristie Morrison

 

06-11-09

 

On Monday 19th October we also had a special ceremony to open our new Sustainability Area. In the morning we had a special assembly followed by the Official Opening Ceremony. Miss Hook has done a wonderful job in creating the new Sustainability Area. As part of the celebrations we have two new residents – two chickens – they are named Patsy and Ruby. 6R were very excited to spend some time in the new Sustainability Area. We had lots of fun getting to know both Patsy and Ruby. We look forward to visiting the new Sustainability Area again.

 

Linda Rossi

 

22-10-09

 

In Level 4 all students are given the opportunity to participate in a Sex Education Program conducted by Kate Wilde. Students identify the likely physical, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty. They identify and discuss the validity of the ways in which people define their own and other people’s identity. Students can describe the actions they can take if they feel unsafe at home, school and in the community. They are made aware of a range of health services, products and information that can be accessed to help meet health needs and concerns. The Sex Education Program consists of two sessions at school plus a parent/child evening session. The groups will be single gender sessions. The Parent/Child evening session will be conducted on Thursday 29th October (7.00-8.30p.m.)

Linda Rossi

 

10-10-09

 

Welcome back to Term 4! We hope everyone had a great holiday. Where has the year gone? Term 4 will be a very busy Term with: Level 4 Swimming Program,  concert rehearsal, Walk to School Day, Sex Education Program, Basketball Clinic, Soccer Clinic, Level 4 Hoop Time Competition, “Australia Bound” incursion, Time Warp Mania – School Production,  Photography Program with Alejandra Zalewski, Level 4 Exhibition, Grade 6 Responsibility Day, I.C.A.S Awards Night, Grade 6 student/staff shared morning tea, CRE Christmas Service, Orientation Day, Grade 6 student dinner, Little Friends Big Friends Program and the Grade 6 Graduation Ceremony

 

Linda Rossi

 

18-09-09

 

The Level 4 students have been very lucky! The ICT committee has purchased 16 mini laptops for the students to use. These laptops have access to the school network, internet and printing, which is great! The laptops are timetabled so that each grade has a chance to use them in their classroom each week. This means that at these times, every student has access to a computer, whether it is a classroom computer or a laptop. In 6M we have used the laptops to search for photos, type up our writing tasks, create headings and pictures for our graduation books and much more. The students have been very responsible when using these laptops and get very excited when they know it is their day to use them!

 

Kristie Morrison

 

11-09-09

 

Where has the Term gone? Grade 6 students have been extremely lucky to experience so many wonderful activities and events throughout the Term such as…..T.V.P.S Birthday Celebrations, Dare to Dream with Mike Spears, Concert rehearsal, Cooking Week, making delicious salad rolls, Somers Camp, Muscia Viva incursion, T.V.P.S Athletics Sport, Book Week Celebrations, 3D space models, T.V.P.S Open Day, Gymnastics Program, T.V.P.S 40th Birthday Party, I.C.A.S Mathematics Competition, I.C.A.S English Competition, Drug Education Program, Book Week Parade, Book Fair, Nude Food Day, Hoop Time Competition, Teddy Bears Picnic, District Athletics, Library incursion, Footy Day Parade, and the IMAX Excursion. 

 

Linda Rossi

 

04-09-09

 

 

This year's Book Week theme was BOOK SAFARI. On Monday 24th August T.V.P.S celebrated Book Week. We had a special assembly in our Hall where both students and staff were encouraged to come to school dressed in their favourite book character. There was an amazing variety of book characters such as Harry Potter, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Spiderman, Pirates and Witches just to name a few. Everyone had a fantastic day including the teachers!

 

Linda Rossi

 

28-08-09

On Thursday 27th August, the Level 4’s participated in the Hoop Time Basketball Tournament. TVPS was represented by five teams:

All Star Boys 1: Liam, Connor, Jason, Mason, Ben, Adrian, Ben, Adrian, Tom (Coach Hook).

All Star Boys 2: Ben, Dan, Tashen, Angus, Ramon, Cailum, Robert, Anthony, Kyle (Coach Raelene).

Future Stars Taipans: Isabelle, Sam, Celeste, Stefanie, Ashleigh, Georgia, Brenton, James, Chris, Camron, Tim (Coach Donna).

Future Stars Victors: Helena, Emily, Eleanora, Meliss, Nathalie, Peter, Christian, Jordan, Christopher (Coach Matt).

Future Stars Titans: Maddy, Abbey, Carmen, Chloe, Jia, Jonathan, Hugh, Matt, Ross, Harrison, Alexander, Trevor (Coach Virginia).

Each team played 3 matches and then finals if they made it. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Miss Hook’s team “All Star Boys 1” and Donna Smith’s team “Taipans” for WINNING the GRAND FINAL!

A special thanks to the coaches, helpers and students – who displayed great sportsmanship and behavior! Well done, it was a great day!

Kristie Morrison

 

21-08-09

Shrewd Brass is one of Australia’s leading professional brass ensembles. As music students at the Victorian College of the Arts, Shrewd Brass was formed in 1990 and began their performing career busking in the streets of Melbourne before becoming an acclaimed and vibrant group on the Musica Viva in Schools and Countrywide roster. For the past sixteen years, Shrewd Brass has thrilled audiences across Australia and Asia with its eclectic mix of music genres, utilising the dazzling sights and sounds of the brass instrument family. Classical transcriptions, contemporary and specially commissioned work, through to improvised and original material, are all part of the Shrewd Brass experience.

Members of the group have performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, professional music theatre orchestras and in commercial television and recording positions, and are talented educational communicators. Shrewd Brass undertakes regular tours domestically and internationally. They have performed live on ABS Classic FM and recently released their second CD Portraits

 

Linda Rossi

 

14-08-09

All students in Grade 6 are taking part in the Photography Program with Alejandra. This special Program runs during terms 3 and 4 and will conclude with a Photography Exhibition on Sunday 15th November 2-4 pm.
Last year the grade 6 students were the first to take part in this exciting Program where students learn to use digital equipment, learn to compose images and get to explore different styles of photography.
Through the exploration of this form of art, students learn to communicate their perceptions, observations, concepts and structures from other areas of the curriculum and get an opportunity to develop their social and communication skills.
We are looking forward to seeing some magnificent images in the weeks to come.

Alejandra Zalewski

 

06-08-09

The Big Friends, Little Friends Program is well underway this Term. Each Monday, the Grade 6 and Prep students participate in a weekly rotation. We have 5 groups: apples, pears, mangoes, grapes and bananas. Each group goes to a different teacher: Mrs. M, Miss Mercuri, Miss Dunn, Miss Rossi, Mr. Cretney or myself. This way, the students participate in 5 different activities and they get to spend time in each other’s classrooms. We all have a lot of fun!

 

 

Kristie Morrison

 

30-07-09

On Thursday23rd July Mike Spears from Coach Approach presented DARE TO DREAM to the Grade 6 students.  Dare to Dream is a presentation designed with a strong emphasis on goal settings and achievements, effective leadership and motivation. Participants identified personal goals and worked out strategies they can implement that will help achieve them. Mike Spears taught us that “you can achieve any goal if you reach high enough”. We learnt to achieve our goals in life we need to have: passion (your inner drive and belief), dedication (be determined and hard working) and honesty (be true to yourself and others). By the end of Mike Spears session we were all inspired to DARE TO DREAM.

 

Linda Rossi

23-07-09

 

This term Level 4 students are learning about Space. It is a topic that interests many of our students and teachers. This week we read a big book called “The Really Big Universe”, which tells us information about the planets in our Solar System. We have learnt that the planets are held in their circular paths (or Orbits) by the sun’s massive gravity and that there are other objects like rocks, dust and moons that are also circling the sun.
6 R has also started to watch a DVD called “The Planets” and we made a scale 2D model of the Solar System using the compass. It was also great fun to watch an episode of “Myths Busters” in which they try to bust the myth that the lunar landing was a fake. There is still so much more to do and learn!
In this day and age we are so lucky to have so much information easily available so get out there and Google as much as you can!

Alejandra Zalewski

 

15-07-09

Can you believe it is Term 3 already?! How fast the year is going!
Here are some dates for your diary for this Term!

Gymnastics Program for the first 5 weeks
Working Bee – Sat 18th July
Somers Camp – Tues 28th July to Wed 5th Aug
Cooking Week – Wed 29th July
Musica Viva Incursion – Thurs 30th July
ICAS English Comp – Tues 4th Aug
Athletics Day – Mon 10th Aug
Working Bee – Sat 15th Aug
TVPS Open Day – Sun 16th Aug
TVPS 40th Birthday – Tues 18th Aug
ICAS Maths Comp – Wed 19th Aug
Drug Education Session 1 – Fri 21st Aug
TVPS P&F Dinner Dance – Sat 22nd Aug
Book Week Parade – Mon 24th Aug
Hoop Time – Thurs 27th Aug
Drug Education Session 2 – Fri 28th Aug
Teddy Bears Picnic (with Little Friends) – Fri 28th Aug
Drug Education Session 3 – Thurs 3rd Sep
District Athletics – Thurs 3rd Sep
Library Incursion – Jungle Bungle – Fri 4th Sep
Fathers Day – Sun 6th Sep
Italian Day – Wed 9th Sep
Term 3 ends – Fri 18th Sep

(Please not dates are subject to change – please check weekly newsletters, websites and diaries for updates!)

 

Kristie Morrison

25-06-09

Shhhhhhhh! We must be very quiet…… now listen carefully I will say this only once (pause for effect). The TVPS concert is coming!

TIMEWARP MANIA

The concert theme has been set. Songs have been chosen and now the real work begins. Level 4 has been given the 90’s. Although the details of each Grade’s performance will remain a closely guarded secret, a mole within Level 4 can confirm the following 90’s songs:

• Grade 5H = ‘Black or White’ – Michael Jackson
• Grade 5W = ‘Weir’ – Killing Heidi
• Grade 6M = ‘You Can’t Touch This’ – MC Hammer
• Grade 6R = ‘Cup of Life’ – Ricky Martin
• Grade 5/6C = ‘90’s MEGAmix’ – Assorted Iconic 90’s Songs

 

We have many very excited students and teachers. Now that the songs have been chosen, we are all working very hard on the choreography, costumes and sets.

The TVPS concert will be presented on Monday 9th November 2009.

(Picture sourced from: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/90s-music/images/673580)

 

 

18-06-09

On Wednesday 10th of June our School held a “Nude Food Day”.
What is it? You may ask. It’s probably not what you are thinking. It was a day where we got to wear our clothes but our food didn’t. We had to bring our food for morning tea and lunch without any wrappers. The purpose of “Nude Food Day” is to reduce the amount of rubbish that we produce in our School.
“Nude Food Day also had a competitive side. The class with least wrapping would win a trophy and a platter of fresh fruit. Of course this meant only one thing for 6 R: winning! So as you can imagine we all made a HUGE effort and everyone brought their lunch in containers and their drink in a drink bottle. There was only 1 wrapper in our classroom and as a result we won! On Monday we were given a beautiful trophy at Assembly and on Tuesday we received the delicious platter of fresh fruit which we all enjoyed immensely. Thank you to Miss Hook for organising the day and for cutting the fruit for us to eat! Nude Food Day was a success in 6 R and we will endeavour to keep the trophy for as long as we can!

Alejandra Zalewski

 

12-06-09

6M students have been looking at ‘how to write an information report’. As a class, we have discussed the purpose of reports is to present information about an object, animal, person or place.

We now know we need to include:

• Title
• Classification – introducing the topic
• Description – using paragraphs with topic sentences to organize the different information and facts
• Conclusion – making a personal comment about the subject of the report.

We researched information about Dinosaurs, which helped us to plan and draft our information report, before ‘publishing’ our work for display.

Kristie Morrison

05-06-09

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) provides an excellent opportunity for all students to gain a measure of their own achievements in an external assessment situation. All students receive a Certificate and an individual Student Report indicating which questions they answered correctly. Certificates are awarded for each year level as follows: High Distinction (top 1% of entrants in each year level in the State). Distinction (next 10% of entrants in each year level in the State). Credit (Next 20% of entrants in each year level in the State) and a Participation to all other participating students.

The following Grade 6 students participated in the ICAS Computer Skills Competition on Wednesday 27th May: Ashleigh M, Pravik S, Christina B, Anthony Da, Jason A, William L, Bridget K, Celeste V, Samantha C, Justin D, Jack R, Adrian P, Jane L, Nathalie RC, Joseph S, Chris S, Helena D, Melissa K, Camron M, Lachlan S, Kris L, Connor I, Melissa A, Lucas B, Christopher C, Robert L, Luke N and Jasmine T. We wish all students the best of luck!

Linda Rossi

29-05-09

Last week the students have been learning what designers do and how they can help us solve a problem or meet a need. In order to learn this with understanding, a design brief was created for them to follow.
The challenge was to design a take-away container for the Valley Deli Healthy Lunch options: salad roll and fruit or raisin toast and yoghurt. The challenge was intended to teach the students about the process involved in designing a product or artefact.
The brief outlined the specifications they needed to follow to complete the task. The students worked in groups, each of them fulfilling a different role and they worked very hard creating their container. The room was a mess but the results were fantastic!
This week we will be having an appraisal session where we will evaluate whether the designs meet the criteria. We are also hoping the students will be able to tell us what they have learnt and still need to learn about designing a product.

 

Alejandra Zalewski

22-05-09

Well we have all returned from our overseas Asian Experience in one or more pieces!! A great time was had by all! The highlights for myself personally were the following:

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Cu Chi Tunnels, shopping at Night Market!

Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Floating Markets, bike ride through villages.

Hoi An, Vietnam: 5 star resort right on the beach! Bike ride through villages/farming the rice fields/fishing for lunch! Shopping at Markets!

Singapore: Singapore Flyer (a big observation wheel, similar to the London Eye) amazing views. Night Safari at Singapore Zoo – minus the part of holding the Boa Constrictor!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Sunway Lagoon Water Park! SHOPPING at the markets!

This trip was definitely an experience that will be remembered by all for a very long time! A very big THANKYOU to Mr C and Shaz for their organization of the trip and to Mr Renshaw for entertaining the students at the Vietnamese school!!!

07-05-09

 

This week 6R has been busy creating beautiful cards for Mother’s Day. The students had two options to choose from: a shoe and a heart. Some students chose the shoe shaped card and decorated it very creatively. They used their own ideas and designs to add their very own special touch. Amongst the different designs were stripy, dotted, plain and sparkly shoes. The heart shaped cards also looked very special and we are sure that all the mums will have a lovely surprise. We wish all the mums a very Happy Mother’s Day!
The Level 4 students have also started training for Interschool Sports. This term the sports are: Football, Soccer, Tee-Ball and Netball. This week we will play a home game against Donburn. Good Luck TVPS!

 

30-04-09

 

“On Monday the 26th we went to Camp Rumbug. We left from the Yarra Valley Country Club at 8.40am and it was a 2.5-hour bus ride. When we got there we unpacked our luggage and took it to the hallway. We went into the rec room and the manager called Pete told us all about the rooms and things. Then he told us our bunkrooms and we went to them. Then we went back to the rec room for the activity groups. We went outside and then down to the intersection for the fun and fitness track. On the track we went through obstacles like a mud pit, tunnels and mountains. When we had finished we went back to the intersection to get warm and have a drink. Then we went to our activities, our first one was the initiative course. We had to work as a team to get through obstacles. Our next activity was abseiling.” By Tim

 

 

“Camp Rumbug was in every way fun. I enjoyed every aspect of it except for the muddy fun and fitness trail. Every student must be dirty if they survived the whole trail. The dirtiest place was near the end at the mud pit. There were ten awesome and thrilling activities such as abseiling, rock climbing, canoes, and titanic raft. They promote teamwork, balance, thinking and many more. I enjoyed it heaps and my favourite activity was initiatives course because it teaches you aspects and how to think if a question was similar to the ones we did. The camp also provided plenty of nutritious food. I enjoyed this camp!” By Robert

24-04-09

 

On Tuesday 21st April, the Grade 6 students attended the ANZAC Service at the Templestowe Memorial Reserve. Over 600 students representing schools in the City of Manningham gathered to remember those soldiers who served in the war. It was an interesting and emotive ceremony, especially when The Last Post was played and we all paid a silent tribute to those soldiers who died protecting our freedom.
Mr. Renshaw, Miss Morrison, Mrs. Vasiliadis, Kevin Wilcockson and Alejandra Zalewski attended the ceremony representing the staff at TVPS. The school captains Mason and Ashleigh laid a wreath at the memorial on behalf of the TVPS community as their tribute to the ANZAC soldiers.
 

Alejandra

02-04-09

 

On Monday 30th March TVPS had an Easter Bonnet Parade to celebrate the Easter Break that is coming up during the school holidays. All students were encouraged to use their skills and creativity to design an Easter Bonnet and wear it to the Parade. Our Grade 6 students had the opportunity to hold their little friends’ hand and parade in front of the avid spectators. The school looked so colourful and the bonnets looked sensational. It is fantastic to see so many students participating in these special occasions, especially when they are in Grade 6. We are very lucky to have Mr. Renshaw and the fabulous staff who always support TVPS’s special events. Well done everyone! Have a great Easter!

 

Alejandra

27-03-09

 

Level 4 had to make a sustainability project made out of recycled materials. The Environmental Captains are going to decide which project was the winner, that project will become the TVPS Sustainability Mascot. Everyone made fantastic projects. My project was a recycling bin. I made it out of a chocolate Easter egg box, a tissue box, newspaper, ice-cream container, drink bottle, toilet rolls and other recyclable materials. I called my project Rosy Recycle.

Kristie Morrison

19-03-09

 

Each Grade 6 student is currently busy producing a Graduation Book. This book is a collection of the Grade 6 memories, events and highlights accumulated throughout the year. The students really enjoy working on their books and the results are amazing! All would agree that Graduation Books are an exciting part of being in Grade Six.  Even though we are only in Term One we are all looking forward to our Graduation Ceremony which will be held on Monday 14th December at Templestowe Valley Primary School.

 

Linda Rossi

13-03-09

 

This week the students worked with tessellations and Tangrams during our Maths lessons.
Tessellation is a tiling pattern that covers space without leaving any gaps. Some shapes tessellate, like squares, triangles, hexagons and trapezoids, but others like circles and ovals don’t.
The students also worked with Tangrams, an ancient Chinese puzzle consisting of 7 geometric shapes. The students were given the opportunity to create as many shapes as possible using all 7 Tangram pieces. It was a challenging experience.

Alejandra Zalewski

06-03-09

 

On the 16th February all the grade 6s met their little friends. We had a little play on the oval and we ate our lunch with them. The preps were nervous and obviously scared because of our height compared to them, but after awhile they got use to us. Victoria’s little friend is called Ruby and I, Melissa, have two little friends called Damien and Jack. Now, every Monday we have one hour to spend with them. So far, it’s our third week and I bet that everyone had a good time. We all enjoy our little friends!

Melissa and Victoria

 

26-02-09

At Templestowe Valley Primary School we have four houses – Birchwood (yellow) Cavendish (red), Newbury (green) and Thompson (blue). Every student at TVPS is allocated to a House. The Patron for Birchwood is Mrs Trish Renfree (ex TVPS teacher). Mrs Heather Allen (current T VPS teacher) is the Patron for Cavendish. Mr Brian Jackson (ex TVPS Principal) is the Patron for Thompson and Mrs Sherie Matrakis (Mrs M) (current TVPS teacher) is the Patron for Newbury.

All Level Four students have participated in a Leadership Program. As part of the Program we have investigated the following: What is a Leader? What does a Leader do? What are the roles and responsibilities of a Leader? What are the qualities of a Leader? All students have been encouraged to apply for the following Leadership positions being offered at TVPS. On Monday 23rd February the 2009 Student Leaders were presented to the TVPS Community. Congratulations to the following students who were elected School Captains Ashleigh and Mason .  The House Captains of Birchwood are Brenton and Celeste and the Vice House Captain is Jack. The House Captains of Cavendish are Robert and Stephanie and the Vice House Captain is Matthew. The House Captains of Thompson are Christina and Felix and the Vice House Captain is Alicia. The House Captains of Newbury are Jason and Bridget and the Vice House Captain is Sebastian. We wish all our Student Leaders good luck in 2009!

20-02-09

On Monday 16th February the Level 4 students had to vote for the School Captains and House Captains for 2009.
During the last few weeks the students have been preparing, writing, and practising a speech which would be delivered as their candidature campaign.
It was compulsory for Grade 6 students to present their speech to the whole Level, however, the Grade 5 students had the choice to present it to their class only if they did not wish to apply for a position.
Last week those students who wished to be considered for School or House Captain delivered their speech to all Level 4 students and teachers. The quality of the speeches has again surpassed last year’s and there are many students who would be suited for the position of Captain. Unfortunately there can only be 6 Captains in total and that is why Level 4 students had fulfilled their ‘civic duty’ and voted for the nominated captains. This process is very educational for our students as it is a realistic representation of Australia’s democratic process.
The results of this week’s election will be announced on Monday 23rd February at a special assembly.

Alejandra Zalewski

 

12-02-09

A very big and special welcome back to our GRADE 6 students and families!!! 

What a HUGE year we have ahead of ourselves!!!  Before we know it, it will be Graduation time!!! But before that we have many exciting events happening this Term.

Some of which are:
School & House Captain elections, interviews and selections (Week 2 & 3)
Interschool Sport begins (Cricket, Bat Tennis, Rounders, Softball) (19/2)
Parent Teacher Interviews (17/2 & 18/2)
Welcome Back BBQ (25/2)
School Photos (4/3)
District Swimming (6/3)
Big Friend / Little Friend Program begins
And much, much more!!!

I hope all students in Level 4 (5H, 5W, 5/6C, 6R, & 6M) enjoy this milestone year ahead of them!!!

Kristie Morrison