Book Fair
The Book Fair will be open to families and visitors for purchases in the Library as follows:
Tuesday 12 November: 3.15pm – 4.00pm
Wednesday 13 November: 8.45am – 9.15am and 3.15pm – 5.15pm
Thursday 14 November: 8.45am – 9.15am and 3.15pm – 4.30pm
Friday 15 November: 8.45am - 9.15am
posted on 08 Nov 2024
Crazy Camel
Orders due Fri, 25th October 2024posted on 17 Oct 2024
Rebranding Update Parent Workshop
Tuesday 29th October 2024posted on 17 Oct 2024
Grandparents Day
Wednesday 23rd October 2024posted on 17 Oct 2024
Learning Journey
posted on 13 Sep 2024
Pyjama Day!
posted on 10 Sep 2024
P&C Pizza Lunch Friday 13th September 2024
posted on 02 Sep 2024
Mugs, Milo, Marshmallows & Maths
posted on 08 Aug 2024
Book Week Dress Up 2024
posted on 01 Aug 2024
Pre Loved Book Sale
Week 10 - Friday 5 July in the libraryposted on 27 Jun 2024
Parent Workshop - Reading Tuesday 18th of June
posted on 06 Jun 2024
Torrens Primary School has launched the Parent Portal!
posted on 11 Apr 2024
Learning Journey, Sausage Sizzle and Mega Second-Hand Uniform Sale
Wednesday 10th April 2024 from 3.15 - 5pmposted on 28 Mar 2024
Harmony Day 2024
posted on 22 Feb 2024
Parent Information Sessions at the Primary School - Thursday 15 February (Week 3)
All parents are invited to our information sessions at the primary school next Thursday 15 February (times are shown in the box below).
Teaching teams will be sharing how their classrooms are run, the 2024 curriculum they will be teaching and suggestions on how parents can support their child's learning. Teachers will offer a small opportunity for general questions. If you have a more detailed or individualised question, please contact the front office to make a separate meeting time with your child's teacher.
We are also inviting all families to come to the Wellbeing Courtyard at 6.00pm where all our teachers will be introduced to the school community. This is a great way to identify all the faces around the school.
|
TIME |
YEAR LEVEL |
LOCATION (refer to the map below to find your way) |
|
5:00-5:30 pm |
Kindergarten |
KB |
|
Year 3 |
3C |
|
|
Small Group Learning Program (A-Team) |
A-Team Classroom |
|
|
5:30-6:00 pm |
Year 1 |
1TC |
|
Year 6 |
The Year 6 Collaborative Space |
|
|
6:00-6:15 pm |
Meet the Teachers |
Wellbeing Courtyard |
|
6:15-6:45 pm |
Year 2 |
2HS |
|
Year 4 |
Year 4 Shared Space |
|
|
Year 5 |
The Year 5 Collaborative Space |
Please Note: This session is directed at parents and carers. Where possible we would ask you leave your children at home. Playgrounds and courtyards will NOT be open for students as there will be no active supervision during this time.
posted on 13 Feb 2024
Latest Torrens Times newsletter available online
Click here to access our latest online newsletterposted on 21 Aug 2023
Online School Stationery Orders
Access your child's list here.
You can order all your child's stationery requirements for 2023 online via COS's Torrens Primary School - Back to School (BTS) Parent Portal.
Click on Parent Portal - School Supplies | COS. Follow the prompts to select your child's 2023 year level to access the correct list of items for them as well as ordering instructions.
When prompted for a username and password, please use the following:
Username: torrensprimary@cos.net.au
Password: PARENTS-23
Please remember that delivery must be to your home address or place of work NOT to the school.
COS Delivery Guarantee - Orders placed before 9 January 2023 will be delivered to your home prior to Term 1 2023 commencing. Orders placed after this date cannot be guaranteed to arrive prior to the start of school.
Delivery Charges - Charges will apply for orders totalling less than $55 and for orders placed after 12 December. Refer to your order form for details.
posted on 13 Dec 2022
Updates to the management of COVID-19 in ACT Public Schools
A message from the ACT Education Directorate: Updates to the management of COVID-19 in ACT public schools
Term 4 planning days (pupil free)
Two staff planning days (pupil free) will again be in place in Term 4. The dates are Friday 28 October 2022 and Monday 28 November 2022.
These planning days provide an important opportunity for our staff to undertake training, plan for the remainder of the term and the year ahead and finalise end of year student reporting which can’t be done during class time.
While students may wish to use these days to catch up on homework and / or assignments, no additional work will be allocated to them on these days. Families may like to use these as wellbeing days for their children.
Students who can’t stay at home will be able to attend school and be supervised while undertaking general learning activities. Please confirm attendance with the front office on 6142 0777.
Changes to exposure advice in ACT public schools
Since the beginning of Term 1, ACT public schools have been providing families with email advice when a positive COVID-19 case within a cohort/class group has attended school during their infectious period.
From the beginning of Term 4, families will no longer receive an email every time a positive case is reported. Instead, families will be notified when there is an outbreak of COVID-19.
This change aligns with the recent change in public reporting by ACT Health.
Schools will continue to have COVID Smart measures in place to support the health and wellbeing of everyone at school.
Do I still need to tell my school if my child has been at school while potentially infectious? Yes. Anyone who has attended school while positive with COVID-19 must still notify their school. Schools provide this data to the Education Directorate and ACT Health each week and it remains an important tool to help identify any potential outbreaks or areas of concern in our schools.
How will I know if there is an outbreak in my school? You will be notified by text message when there is a higher number of cases in a particular cohort/class group or if a confirmed case is deemed as high risk. This will enable appropriate measures to be put in place to manage these exposures.
Your school will let you know if they need to make any temporary changes to learning.
A reminder to stay COVID smart at school
To help reduce the impacts on learning as a result of illness, please remember to:
· Stay up to date with COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations.
· Do not attend school if unwell or if you have tested positive to COVID-19.
· Practise good hand and respiratory hygiene.
· Wear a mask when appropriate.
If your child or young person is a household contact, they may still attend school as long as they do not have any symptoms and have tested negative for COVID-19. Please follow ACT Health advice and let your school know by contacting the front office.
posted on 21 Sep 2022
Mask wearing in Schools - Term 3
Masks remain an important measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community and in our schools.
Alongside other COVID Smart behaviours, masks can help reduce transmission of COVID-19 respiratory illnesses in our schools.
Students in years 7-12 continue to be encouraged to wear a mask at school when in crowded indoors environments and where physical distancing can’t be maintained.
Staff and visitors to schools must also wear a mask indoors when physical distancing can’t be maintained.
The Directorate, through your school will keep you updated over the Term.
For more information read the updated ACT Public Schools COVID-19 Management Plan available on the Directorate’s website.
ACT Health has developed an online resource on acute respiratory infections in children which you are encouraged to read.
Thank you once more for your ongoing support.
posted on 29 Jul 2022
A Message to Schools from ACT Chief Health Officer - 26 July 2022
posted on 29 Jul 2022
Term 3 COVID Communication
Please take the time to read the latest COVID communication for Term 3 at Torrens Primary School which was emailed to you on Friday 15 July and is also attached as a Term 3 Note (under Useful Links on the homepage).
posted on 18 Jul 2022
Parent Teacher Interviews can now be booked online
Semester 1 reports will be emailed to families on Thursday 23 June (Week 9). Parent Teacher interviews are available in Week 10. These will take place in the classroom in Week 10.
To book an interview online using the Session Keeper portal simply follow this link or type the link into your browser and follow the prompts to create or reset a password for your booking session:
https://torrensps.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/13
Please also ensure you scroll down to the bottom of each screen and select NEXT to progress through the booking. Under NOTES, please type in your child’s name and the name/s of those who will be attending the interview.
The link below provides a helpful video and guide on how to make a booking:
https://torrensps.schoolzineplus.com/sk-booking-guide
If you are unable to access the online booking function, or require a password reset to use it, please call the Front Office on 6142 0777 for assistance.
posted on 16 Jun 2022
Information regarding Household Contacts
If your child is a household contact, your child can learn from home. If this is your preferred option please contact the school on 61420777 or admin@torrensps.act.edu.au .
However, if that's not possible, they can attend school but need to follow the risk mitigation requirements for household contacts that are outlined on the ACT COVID-19 website. A household contact must comply with these risk mitigation requirements for a period of 7 days from the last time someone in the household tested positive for COVID-19 (the date of the collection of the test is regarded as day 0).
In order to attend school as a household contact, your child must:
- Follow the risk mitigation requirements for household contacts on the ACT COVID-19 website
- Have no symptoms of COVID-19. If they develop COVID-19 symptoms, they should undergo COVID-19 testing and isolate until a negative result is received.
- If a positive result is returned, they should follow the requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19.
- If a negative result is returned, and the initial test was a rapid antigen test, it is recommended to have a PCR test and continue to isolate.
- If a negative result is returned, a household contact should stay at home until their symptoms resolve.
- Undertake a COVID-19 test 24 hours prior to attending school and then every 48 hours during the time that they are required to follow the risk mitigation requirements.
- Mask wearing for students in primary school is at the discretion of the student and their parents/carers and would not be recommended for children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECECs) or Preschool to year 2.
- Other exclusions apply for mask wearing requirements, such as if someone has a physical or mental health condition, or disability, which makes wearing a mask unsuitable. For more information, see the ACT COVID-19 website
- Practice COVID smart strategies related to respiratory hygiene, sanitising hands, maintaining 1.5m distance wherever possible.
Please note, if a household contact has previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 and received clearance from the self-isolation period in the last 12 weeks, they do not have to comply with these risk mitigation requirements if they subsequently become a household contact.
If you have any further questions about what to do if you are a household contact, please refer to www.covid19.act.gov.au. More information on risk mitigation requirements for household contacts is also available online.
posted on 27 May 2022
Changes to COVID restrictions in ACT public schools
From Monday 9 May 2022, ACT public schools further relaxed COVID-19 restrictions. All public schools have adopted recent changes to ACT public health directions and follow a COVID-19 Management Plan, based on Australian Health Protection Principal Committee principles.
A summary of changes follows:
Families allowed back on campus to participate in a greater range of activities, including after-hours performances, fund raisers and events. You can also come onto school grounds for drop-offs and pick up. Checking-in with the Check In CBR app is no longer required.
Strict student cohorting is no longer required, however we will continue to manage school activities in COVID Smart ways.
Masks
Secondary students are no longer required to wear a face mask at school but can continue to do so if they choose to. School staff and teachers will continue to wear masks when moving around indoors on school sites, and when physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained. Masks can be removed when teaching, when physical distancing can be maintained, when outdoors, or when eating and drinking.
People who live with someone who has tested positive to COVID-19 can attend school for work or study, if they have met ACT Health’s risk mitigation requirements for household contacts. Anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms must not come to school.
COVID-19 vaccination
With high vaccination rates across the Canberra community, COVID-19 vaccination will no longer be mandated for any staff working in ACT public schools, after 13 May 2022. Vaccination against COVID-19 and the seasonal flu is strongly encouraged for all staff and eligible students.
Rapid antigen tests
Rapid antigen tests (RATs) will continue to be available at our school and will be provided to staff and students on an as-needed basis, or in response to increased cases reported to a school.
Air quality and ventilation
Good ventilation will continue to be one part of our suite of measures to minimise COVID-19 transmission in schools. Our indoor air quality plan is being reviewed and we will balance thermal comfort and ventilation during the colder months. Outdoor learning and natural ventilation will be used where appropriate depending on weather.
Staying COVID Smart
While these changes will bring back many of the school activities that students and families love, this does not mean the pandemic is over. Our school will continue with COVID Smart measures to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission onsite, including good hygiene practise, cleaning and staying home when unwell.
Some restrictions may be reintroduced in the winter months if there is a significant increase in COVID-19 cases across the Canberra community.
We expect COVID-19 will also continue to impact our school staff and limit the availability of teachers at times. Where appropriate, our school may use temporary remote learning periods as a way to manage a local staff shortage.
More information about how COVID-19 is being managed in ACT public schools can be found on the ACT Education website.
posted on 11 May 2022
TPS Athletics Carnival Postponed
Owing to wet weather the TPS Athletics Carnival has had to be cancelled for today. It has been rescheduled to Thursday 19 May (Week 4).posted on 28 Apr 2022
Changes to School based RAT distribution for students from week 9, Term 1
From the commencement of Week 9, 28 March 2022, RATs will be provided on an as needed basis for all staff and students at Torrens Primary School and preschools.
Two RATs will be provided to students/families on request. No evidence is required to authorise provision of RATs. In circumstances when families/students require multiple tests, the school Front Office can provide these. Administrative staff will keep a register of student names and dates when RATs have been collected.
Where a student or their family identifies a need for RATs, but the student is not attending school at that time, or are subject to isolation or quarantine requirements, the student’s family may make alternative arrangements with the school to collect RATs (eg a relative, neighbour or other student collecting RATs for the impacted student). Please contact the Front Office to make these arrangements.
Front Office hours: 8.30am-3.30pm during term time
Phone: 02 61420777
Email: admin@torrensps.act.edu.au
posted on 24 Mar 2022
RATs for Weeks 7 and 8 distributed today
RATs for the next two weeks of term have been placed in your child's bag this afternoon (unless prior arrangements made). For preschools who will next be open on Tuesday 15 March, your child's allocation will be available then.
posted on 11 Mar 2022
Distribution of RATs for weeks 5 & 6
As for weeks 3 & 4 distribution, RATs for weeks 5 & 6 will be distributed directly to children at the end of the day tomorrow, Friday 25 February. Please contact the Front Office with any queries.posted on 24 Feb 2022
TPS will continue to deliver RATs for use by students
A second letter to families was sent today regarding on going delivery of RATs for use by students for the first four weeks of school.
Each student will now receive their RAT supply directly, unless parents advise that they do not want this to occur.
If you do not wish your child to be provided with RATs, or you wish to arrange collection please email the school on admin@torrensps.act.edu.au or call the school on 6142 0777 by 12pm this Wednesday, 9 February.
posted on 07 Feb 2022
School Board Parent Representation 2022
The Education Act 2004 (the Act) requires that each government school is to have a school board as a way of sharing authority and responsibility with the local school community.
School boards are based on two principles:
1. school communities should participate in school decision-making and should be able to determine their own educational policies, and
2. decision-making at the school level should involve school staff and the school community, including parents, carers and students.
The school board is responsible for the school’s strategic direction. Operational matters are the responsibility of the principal.
Functions of the school boards include:
The Torrens Primary School Board has two Parent Representative vacancies for 2022.
A two week nomination period opens on Monday, 7 February (Week 2) at 11am and closes at 11am on Monday, 21 February (Week 4). You can contact the Front Office for more details about the nomination process and click this link to obtain a copy of the School Board Code of Conduct for your information.
posted on 04 Feb 2022
Distribution of RATs_Week 1
A letter regarding the first distribution of RATs for students was emailed to families yesterday. Read it here to see when your allocated collection time is scheduled and how distribution will occur.
Collection time K-2: Wednesday 2 February 10am-12pm, from Front of school walk through collection centre
Collection time 3-6: Wednesday 2 February 12.30pm - 2.30pm, from walk through collection centre at front of school
Torrens Preschool Kangaroos and Chifley Preschool Kookaburras: Wednesday 2 February 3pm, from your preschool
Torrens Preschool Koalas and Pearce Preschool Butterflies: Thursday 3 February 3pm, from the preschool at pick up time
posted on 01 Feb 2022
Returning to school for Term 1 2022
Please note that school starts for the following cohorts next week:
Chifley Preschool Kookaburras and Torrens Preschool Kangaroos - 9am on Monday 31 January. Come to the front gate of your respective preschool sites at this time.
All Kindergarten 2022 students - Monday 31 January. The school day starts at 9.15am. Come to the front gate of the Primary school from 9am on this day.
All returning students and new comers to Torrens Primary School in Years' 1 through 6 - Tuesday 1 February. The school day starts at 9.15am. If you are new to the primary school, please come to the front gate from 9am (no earlier) on this day. If your child is a returning student, please drop them off at the same gate(s) as last year.
Pearce Preschool Butterflies and Torrens Preschool Koalas - 9am on Thursday 3 February. Come to the front gate of your respective preschool sites at this time.
The latest letter to parents regarding the start of school in 2022 was emailed to parents today, Friday 28 January 2022. Information will continue to be updated as it comes to hand. This will be emailed to you on your preferred email address so please keep your email up to date here.
Please note that school starts for the following cohorts next week:
Chifley Preschool Kookaburras and Torrens Preschool Kangaroos - 9am on Monday 31 January. Come to the front gate of your respective preschool sites at this time.
All Kindergarten 2022 students - Monday 31 January. The school day starts at 9.15am. Come to the front gate of the Primary school from 9am on this day.
All returning students and new comers to Torrens Primary School in Years' 1 through 6 - Tuesday 1 February. The school day starts at 9.15am. If you are new to the primary school, please come to the front gate from 9am (no earlier) on this day. If your child is a returning student, please drop them off at the same gate(s) as last year.
Pearce Preschool Butterflies and Torrens Preschool Koalas - 9am on Thursday 3 February. Come to the front gate of your respective preschool sites at this time.
The latest letter to parents regarding the start of school in 2022 was emailed to parents today, Friday 28 January 2022. Information will continue to be updated as it comes to hand. This will be emailed to you on your preferred email address so please keep your email up to date here.
posted on 26 Jan 2022