Next Week @TC

16/02/2024

• Subject Change Week Update

• Yan Kondee Yirramboi – ‘Walking to Tomorrow’ - New Sport Centre Mural

• Animals and Permaculture Expo

• Permaculture/Farm News

• Disability Car Spaces

• Term 1 Dates (reminders)

• TCNEWS - Community Debating

Subject Change Week Update

Message sent to students today about subject change week, form can be found for students in teams:

Today is the last day to submit subject changes for change week.

If you have submitted a subject change and have not heard from me DONT PANIC, I have over 385 requests to work through and it can be a slow process. I am working everyday on requests and will continue them next week as well. If you submitted a request Wednesday or later your request will definitely not be actioned this week but next week.

If you have requested some that is full you also might not have heard from me as I work through more requests to open up spots in full classes, do not worry, as long as you have submitted the form I will be in touch with the outcome of your request.

One last thing... if you have CHANGED YOUR MIND and no longer want me to action your request, please let me know ASAP as otherwise it is double the work to notify everyone and then change it back!

Have a lovely weekend everyone,
Sophie

The story of our new sport centre mural

The traditional language of the Wurundjeri People is Woi-Wurrung. In the Woi-Wurrung language, the word Wurundjeri is in two parts. ‘Wurun’, meaning manna gum tree, and ‘djeri’, the white grub that lives beneath the bark of the tree – the witchetty grub. Flowering wattle and gum leaves drape from sky country indicating respect to the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways in which Templestowe College sits – Wurundjeri Country.
Birrarung, the majestic river of mist and shadows weaves gently across country from its birthplace at the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range to the saltwater of the Bay in Naarm, the place known as Melbourne. This sacred waterway has been a vital food and water source for Wurundjeri for thousands of years and a crucial means of travel on bark canoes. The river is represented by the winding blue waters that meander at the footsteps of the school which once teemed with plentiful wildfowl, freshwater mussels, fish and eels.
Chevron linework edge the banks of the waterways. They represent the abundant River Red Gums and Stringybark Trees that lined the riverbank and the sacred scars of history etched into them – they are scar trees. Bial – River Red Gums, provided hardy timber for bark canoes which enabled clans to travel up and down the river to trade with one another and to hold ceremony. The bark provided shields and ‘platter’ like dishes called coolamons which were used for carrying food and doubled as an infant’s bed. Turnuks were also carved from these trees which were smaller bowl-shaped dishes used for holding water. They were often offered with fresh water to visitors for a small drink once welcomed onto country.
Soft undulating lines frame the earthy red land. They are the mountainous ranges that surround Naarm and symbolise to the east the richly dense rainforests and fern gullies of Corhanwarbul, the Dandenong Ranges – and to the west, the expansive native forests of Geboor, Mt. Macedon. Diamond heads along the linework represent the valleys within.
In the Aboriginal way, community come together and meet for cultural business in a gathering circle, facing one another with respect. This is how we learn from our Elders who are our knowledge holders and teachers. The arced shaped symbols around the gathering circle represent the various campsites and homes of the school community which come to this place of belonging to learn and to embrace education. Pathways extend from each direction of the gathering circle representing the educational journey tracks of the students and their individual paths to success with their chosen passion.
Hilly mounds line the journey tracks. They are the various student communities within the school representing the diverse nature of each group and the inclusive, nurturing and accepting people within. Varied native wildlife trek across the grassy woodlands. Each animal and creature are reflective of the differences amongst the students and symbolises harmony within the community, they are all walking to their futures.
They are all walking to tomorrow – yan kondee yirramboi.

Simone Thomson
Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung / Yorta-Yorta

News from the Permaculture Garden/Farm

In class
The permaculture garden thrived with the holiday rain, and now we're dedicating time to taming the weeds with natural methods and getting the farm/garden into shape. Our students are eagerly delving into the secrets of soil health and discovering the richness beneath our feet.

TC Market
Don't miss our garden market reopening this Friday, from 2 to 3:30 pm at the TC Nursery (adjacent to the tigerturf)! Come and browse/buy plants, firewood, woodchips, compost, biochar, and fresh produce straight from our garden. This week we have succulent nashi pears, juicy roma tomatoes, aromatic garlic, crisp beans, fragrant herbs, and happy hens' eggs. New this week we are introducing a bulk cleaning liquid range. Come and fill up your own  container of kitchen and multi purspose cleaning liquids.

Working Bee
Join us for a special event: a working bee on Sunday, March 3rd, from 9 am to 12 noon in the permaculture garden. It's an excellent opportunity to learn about permaculture gardening firsthand and immerse yourself in the beauty of our garden oasis. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or just beginning your green journey, there's something for everyone at our working bee. Refreshments including a cuppa and fresh scones will be provided during morning tea. Mark your calendars, roll up your sleeves, and join us in cultivating a brighter, greener future.

Disability Car Spaces

A reminder to all families that only cars with a displayed Disability Permit can park in our two disability car spaces. We have students who require this accessibility for pick up and drop off and therefore it’s integral that these spaces are available.

Many thanks,
Katrina Katz - Assistant Principal - Community and Wellbeing

Term 1 Dates (reminders)

• Tuesday 27th Feb - TC Pool Party for all students. Consent is needed through Compass

• Monday 4th March - Animals expo. More information above

• Thursday 7th March - Photo day

• Tuesday 12th March - NAPLAN begins

• Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th March - Entry Camp (Red and Green Community)

• Wednesday 20th to Friday 22nd March - Entry Camp (Blue and Gold)

• Monday 25th March - Student Parent Teacher Interviews (in person option). Booking instructions released nearer the date.

• Tuesday 26th March - Student Parent Teacher Interviews (online option). Booking instructions released nearer the date.

• Thursday 28th March - last day of term

Community Debating

Community debating took place this Thursday. Our communities battled it out in the PAC. The first topic was this is the best time in history to be a teenager the Affirmative Team was GOLD and the opposing negative side was GREEN. Gold came out on top and went into the next round.

After that it was affirmative BLUE and negative RED on the topic: Detentions make high schools a better place to be. Red won this debate and got to take part in the final debate head-to-head with Gold with the subject being AI technology should replace high school teachers.

Red came out on top winning the overall competition.

If you don't know much about debating but want to get involved here is some info, tips & tricks!

What is debating?
Debating is when a formal discussion about a topic is held in a public or legislative meeting. To start with each team is to present strong arguments about why they believe the topic is either true or false. They can do this by supporting their claims with evidence, statistics or just logical reasoning. The teams are also allowed to rebuttal (which means addressing the opponent's statements and countering them).
The judge then evaluates both the arguments from the opposing teams and comes to a conclusion based on criteria such as argumentation, presentation, and responsiveness.

Tips & Tricks
1. Understand your topic. - It's always helpful to know what you're arguing about. It helps gain perspective and anticipate potential counterarguments.
2. Use strong language- You know how in primary school you learnt about how to use big words to persuade people well do that it helps engage the audience! But also don't forget to be Clear and Concise when communicating your points.
3. Stay on topic - to avoid being sidetracked by irrelevant issues.
4. Make sure to engage the audience - Use hand gestures and make eye contact (if that makes you nervous picture everyone in their undies when on stage! Just make sure you don't giggle while giving the speech!)

If you want to get involved with debating there is a club on Tuesday lunchtime in A03 where the TC debaters meet and write speeches for going up against other schools. They learn how to write a good speech and become confident in public speaking! So go check it out!

By Ruby Egan-Douglas
TC Journalist

Last Weeks Announcements

• Subject Change Week

• Attendance Processes Reminders

• Updating Student Enrolment Details

• Relationships and Sexuality Education at TC  

• Permaculture News

• POOL PARTY SAVE THE DATE! Tues Feb 27

• TC 2024 Launch Assemblies - Messages being given

• Creative VIC Artist in Residence Grant - Introducing Nusra Qureshi

• 2024 School Council Elections

• Edrolo

• We’re on Instagram!

• Get to know our TC School Captains

Change Week - Semester 1 Subject Changes

Change week begins in next week. Today a form was posted to community teams pages. Students need to fill in if they are looking to change any subjects for Semester 1. Any questions regarding this process, students should talk to their community team in SWING.

An important date - students will not be able to join VCE Unit 1 or 3 classes past the 16h of February (this date has been updated from last week to be inline with change week). This is so students are able to complete all the content and attendance requirements for the semester.

ATTENDANCE PROCESSES REMINDERS

A reminder about the following processes to do with Attendance @TC:

• Student absence and reason for absence should be recorded via the Compass portal on the day of absence

• If you have not logged a reason for absence you will receive automated text messages and emails from the school - this happens every day

• If you believe your student was in class and has been marked absent incorrectly, please contact the relevant classroom teacher to discuss

Should you have any queries regarding attendance, or if you would like further support from the school, please contact the relevant Community Team.

Yours sincerely,
Katrina Katz - Assistant Principal - Community and Wellbeing

Updating Student Enrolment Details

On Monday 12 February, we will be emailing home Student Enrolment Information for review. It is important that our student records are correct and up-to-date; therefore, we ask that you carefully review the document and, if there are any inaccuracies and/or omissions, please email the changes to connect@tc.vic.edu.au by Friday 23 February 2024.  Please note that separated families only receive the information relevant to their household. We thank you for your assistance.  Should you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the General Office on (03) 9850 6333.

Relationships and Sexuality Education at TC  

The TC Community Integrated Learning team are excited to announce we will be continuing the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) initiative in 2024 for our Flexible Learning Environment cohorts.  

In 2024 a sequence of four RSE lessons will be included in the regular timetable for FLE students. FLE1-FLE3 including MAP students will receive 4 sessions over the year. These will begin with FLE1 on a rotating timetable during cohort based English classes from Term 1 - Week 4. We will be scheduling Entry, International and VM student cohorts into RSE program later in the year. 

Classes have been designed to be developmentally and age appropriate and inclusive of consent education. The term Relationships and Sexuality Education may include topics such as safer sex practices, sexual and reproductive health, respect for others and oneself, consent, diversity, personal rights and responsibilities, love, relationships and friendships, effective communication, abstinence, and decision-making.  

At TC we take a whole school approach and believe that relationships and sexuality education is a shared responsibility. Research shows your child’s sexuality education is most effective when you are also actively involved. We encourage parents/carers to follow up with conversations with your child according to your own values and beliefs. The Victorian Department of Education has great resources to assist parents with these discussions - https://www.vic.gov.au/sexuality-education-parents

The RSE classes will be delivered by TC staff experienced in this teaching area, and we look forward to working with young people to strengthen their skills and understanding of RSE across developmental stages. 

We encourage and strongly recommend that all students attend these important classes. However, if you would prefer your child not to attend these classes, please email your child’s Community Executive Team to opt out by 5pm Friday Feb 17th, 2024. Students who are not participating will go to another supervised space during these sessions.    

BLUE@tc.vic.edu.au  
RED@tc.vic.edu.au  
GOLD@tc.vic.edu.au  
GREEN@tc.vic.edu.au  

Andrea Carydias – TC Health Promotion/RSE/Developmental Learning  

Permaculture News - Would you attend a TC Bush Dance?

Our TC Permaculture Garden team would like your input on whether to hold a bush dance to raise funds for some great projects. Please take a moment to fill in this form to help us decide if it is a good idea. There is also space in the form for expressions of interest in volunteering in the Perm Garden. Thank you!

Please also Save the date! Permaculture Garden Working Bee Sunday 3rd March 9-12 in the school farm. Pizza oven scones supplied for morning tea. All welcome! Contact Meg for more details (mbai@tc.vic.edu.au)

POOL PARTY SAVE THE DATE! Tues Feb 27

Our annual Pool Party is fast approaching in week 5 this term - Tues Feb 27. Don’t miss out on a festival filled with races, music, games, water slide, delicious food and drinks, art, face painting, cannonball comp, fashion parades and more!

Laps For Life Fund Raiser
In addition to a range of fun activities, VM PDS 1/2 students will run a fund raiser for Laps For Life, an organisation that works to prevent and raise awareness of youth suicide.
Each lap swum on the day donates $1 to Laps For Life.

This is a whole school event held at Aquarena in Doncaster. There will be no classes at TC on that day and we highly encourage all students to attend and experience a memory-making day with friends and community.

More info including a consent form with be released via Compass next week, but for now SAVE THE DATE!

Are you a student or group of students wanting to run a stall or activity at the pool party? Get in touch at RGR@tc.vic.edu.au.

TC 2024 Launch Assemblies - Messages being given

Over the next two weeks we will be holding TC 2024 Launch Assemblies. These will be taking place as Communities during Connect.

The messages being given are the following:

• A challenge to our students on how they can make TC the best possible educational experience for them

• The importance of how we treat each other and supporting each other, no matter what our differences

• The use of supports here available @ TC

Students will be able to see when their assembly is through Compass. We are also going to share more on the messages being given with parents and carers when this weekly newsletter has less in it so that we don’t have an information overload.

Creative VIC Artist in Residence Grant - Introducing Nusra Qureshi

We are so excited to announce that TC was success in gaining support from Creative VIC for an artist in residence program later this year. Nusra Qureshi will work with MAP and visual art students on a project called

”SELF AND SYMBOLS: Exploring representations of self through personal stories of place and belonging, celebrations of neurodiversity, and pro-active mental health, through arts practice”

Nusra will facilitate a range of workshops during Term 2 exploring painting techniques used in her work which has been internationally exhibited and acclaimed.

Congrats to the CIL, MAP team and Nusra for securing this project funding for TC students.

2024 College Council Elections

TC’s College Council Elections will run from Friday 9 February and conclude by 31 March 2024.

What is a school council and what does it do?
All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the broad direction of a school, in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils, and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council may directly influence the quality of education for students.

Who is on the school council?
For most Secondary school councils, there are several possible categories of membership:

• A mandated elected parent member category –members of this category generally comprise more than one third of the council’s total membership. Department employees can be parent members at their child’s school providing that they are not engaged in work at the school.

• A mandated elected school employee member category – members of this category make up no more than one-third of membership. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.

• An optional community member category – members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experience. Department employees are not eligible to be community members.

For all schools with a Year 7 and above cohort, there is an additional category of membership:

• A mandated elected student member category, two positions.

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

TC College Council meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of each month, onsite from 6.00pm. We hold approx. two meeting per term with a maximum of 8 meetings held per year.

Do I need special experience to be on school council?
Each member brings their own valuable skills and knowledge to the role, however, to successfully perform their duties, councillors may need to gain some new skills and knowledge.

It is important to have an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

Please click on this link  https://bit.ly/3UuGmis  to access more information on each category and complete Nomination forms for each category.

All Nomination forms can be returned to  connect@tc.vic.edu.au  or dropped off at the front office.

EDROLO PAYMENT PORTAL - final reminder

Edrolo Payment Portal is ready to go for families to action for related VCE Subjects.  The attached document includes instructions and step-by-steps on how to access/action.  Payments for resource to be made by Friday February 16th. After this date, students won’t be able to access Edrolo resources until payment has been made.  

Please note these resources are ONLY for particular VCE subjects. Students will have been spoken to in class if it applies to their subjects. Any questions please email Jeremy Carr JCAR@tc.vic.edu.au

We’re on Instagram!

Do you follow @official_templestowe_college on the gram? Celebrating TC achievements and sharing with our community it is a great way to learn more about TC on your daily scroll! Follow now - https://www.instagram.com/official_templestowe_college/

If you prefer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/templestowecollege

Get to Know our school captains!

What’s the last greatest TV show or movie you watched?
Callista: The Lincoln lawyer.
Lucy: Taylor Swifts concert movie!

If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go?
Callista: yes!
Lucy: Yes, only because I’d be interested in what the deal with space is.

If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Callista: Soccer goalkeeper
Lucy: It would be awesome to be able to be a pro skater. But also soccer so I could hang out with the matilda’s.

What's the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery today?
Callista: I'd give it to charity.
Lucy: I would buy tickets to Europe

If you could attend a dinner with any celebrity, living or dead, who would you choose?
Callista: I'd have dinner with Channing Tatum.
Lucy: I would attend dinner with Taylor Swift, Freddie Mercury and Emily Dickenson.

What was your favourite childhood board game/sport/activity?
Callista: Board game - monopoly, sport - soccer, basketball and hockey, activity - camping and art.
Lucy: My favourite board game was Cluedo. Mainly because I was so good at it I would never lose!

What is your go-to comfort meal?
Callista: My mums lasagne or Eggplant parmigiana.
Lucy: My comfort meal is an enchilada from Guzman Y Gomez

Week 1 Announcements

• Annual Privacy Statement

• Annual Policy Reminder

• Join Our parent/carers Facebook group

• Traffic Drop Off And Pick Up

• EDROLO Payment Portal

• Maths Tutoring

• VCE Attendance Requirements for 2024

• Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF) - Apply Now

• Photographing, Filming and Recording students opt out

• Panorama Bus Service

Annual Privacy Statement

Annual privacy reminder for 2024

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in nine community languages: Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Gujarati, Mandarin, Somali, Sudanese, Turkish, Urdu ,Vietnamese

Annual Policy Reminder

A reminder that you can find our policies on our website. These can be found by clicking here.

Join our parent/carers facebook group

TC has an active parents/carers Facebook page, run by parents for parents. Promoting a safe space for parents and carers of students at Templestowe College to share information online, the group celebrates school achievements, keeps up to date with school events, and more.

To join please follow this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/templestowecollegeparentcarersgroup/ all members will be confirmed by a school staff member, please ensure you answer the requested questions to join.

Traffic at Drop off and Pick up

We thank everyone for their patience during these times as we have this busy time at the beginning of the year. Please note that our preferred drop off and pick up points at these busy times are at the astroturf area. Cars pulling when there is still space to move into in front of them cause a back log of traffic behind them. Please do keep on moving through the school at these busy times, driving at a safe speed.

Maths Tutoring

Reminder: Maths study club and Nerd Squad run every Friday from 2:10pm

Each Friday afternoon we offer free Maths tutoring to all students @TC as well as the Enrichment program 'Nerd Squad'. Both programs are drop-in and curious students can just come on by for a one-off session or regular weekly attendance. These sessions are supported by TC staff and student tutors. If you are interested, please come down to B-wing. If you have any questions about Nerd Squad, please contact Matt at mvi@tc.vic.edu.au.

VCE Attendance Requirements for 2024

A reminder about the following processes to do with Attendance @ TC:

• Students who are completing a VCE subject must achieve an attendance requirement of 80% or over to pass the subject

• The final date for Unit 1 and 3 is Friday 14th June 2024.

• Student absence and reason for absence should be recorded via the Compass portal on the day of absence

• Any students who miss a VCE class must provide a medical certificate to the school to have that attendance approved under DET guidelines (a Statutory Declaration is not sufficient)

• A reminder that students studying VCE should not be taking holidays during term time as this will severely affect their attendance and ability to complete course work and pass subjects

• The best way to improve attendance is to attend!

• If you believe your student was in class but has been marked absent, please contact the relevant classroom teacher to discuss

Should you have any queries regarding attendance, or if you would like further support from the school, please contact the relevant Community Team.

Katrina Katz
Assistant Principal – Community and Wellbeing

Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF) - Apply Now

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline, and leadership.  All are a part of a healthy curriculum.
CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps, and sporting activities.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions, or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student is $250 for secondary school students.
HOW TO APPLY
Please complete the linked CSEF application form and return it to the General Office with a copy of your concession card.
If you successfully applied for CSEF at Templestowe College last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. 
You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

• new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.

• changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.

For more information please visit Help with school costs and fees | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au) or contact the Accounts team at Templestowe College on 9850 6333 (option 3) or email accounts@tc.vic.edu.au.

Photographing, Filming and Recording students opt out

During the school year there are many occasions and events where staff may photograph, film or record students participating in school activities and events. We do this for many reasons including to celebrate student participation and achievement, showcase particular learning programs, document a student’s learning journey/camps/excursions/sports events etc, communicate with our parents and school community in newsletters and on classroom blogs/apps etc.

If you would like to Opt OUT of having your child used in media within the school community or in publications/locations that are publicly accessibly please read our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy and complete the Annual Consent Form and return to the general office.

Panorama Bus Service

Please note bus times have not changed from 2023 and can be found here on our website. You may also view their code of conduct and safety and wellbeing policy on our transport page.

Past TCNEWS Articles

Luna New Year

This Saturday, the tenth of February, is this year’s Lunar New Year! This day is mainly celebrated in China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Mongolia, Malaysia, and Singapore, to mark the start of the Lunar calendar year. This calendar is based on the Moon’s cycles rather than Earth’s rotations around the Sun like the Gregorian calendar. 2024 is the year of the dragon 🐲.

There are many ways this day can be celebrated, and our own students here at TC have provided us with some insight. 

Shirley (Zeshan Li) arrived in Australia from China in January 2023, and has Lunar New Year traditions of putting up decorations, eating dinner with family on New Year’s Eve, distributing red envelopes (Angpow) and other gifts, setting off firecrackers and fireworks, and “stay[ing] up late eat[ing] dumplings”. B Dang arrived in Australia from Vietnam just this January, and has the tradition of buying fireworks and setting them off, and watching a traditional Vietnamese movie called Tao Quan. B added, “we have lots of food, and we also put food on a table next to the door and leave the door open”. Tat, who arrived from Malaysia in January last year, would celebrate by gathering with relatives, playing Mahjong, and eating a big meal while waiting for fireworks. Jonathan, who arrived from China in November last year, described a tradition of big dinners with 15+ dishes, making dumplings, and “as for the kids, they will receive red packets full of money from every relative”. Red is prominent during Lunar New Year celebrations because it symbolises joy and good fortune.

This Lunar New Year, Kayla Lau, who arrived from Singapore a month and a half ago, will be celebrating by eating dinner with family. Danny Tram, who arrived from Vietnam in September 2023, currently lives in a homestay from Taiwan and will be celebrating with them. Sonya (Yuehan Sun), who arrived from China on the 4th of February, will be getting red pockets and visiting relatives.

The day requires some preparation. Niki Cao, who arrived from Vietnam in July last year, said they “prepare on New Year’s Eve [by] cleaning the home, and then gathering with relatives and family”. Sonya prepares by buying different kinds of food and new clothes. Shirley prepares by buying decorations like lanterns, firecrackers, fireworks, and “materials to prepare for the New Year’s dinner”. Hasan, who arrived from China in July last year, said preparation involves “welcom[ing] the New Year with a new look and a positive attitude”.

Lunar New Year can bring lots of good memories, and your fellow students shared some of their favourites. Husayn MA, who arrived from China in July 2023, said “back [in] my hometown, I played [in] the snow and [ate] with all of my relatives.” B’s favourite memory is “fireworks in front of the police officer while he is sleeping.” Kayla said “my favourite part is spending time with family.”

To all those who will be celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful time, and good luck in the year ahead!

By Rory Opie
TC Journalist