Next Week @TC

21/02/2025

• NAPLAN Key Dates and Withdrawal Process

• School Photos - Thursday 6th March

• TC Community Events - Term 1 & 2

• TC Pool Party - Consent Needed Through Compass

• Student Parent Teacher Interviews - Some Logistics and FAQs

• Some Upcoming Excursions

NAPLAN Key Dates and Withdrawal Process

Families of Entry and FLE 2 students will have received email communication this week regarding key dates of NAPLAN testing and the withdrawal survey. Testing runs Wednesday 12th Match - Friday 14th of March.

Whilst NAPLAN is an important test, as a school we recognise that not all families want their child to sit the tests. We also understand that for some students this can be an overwhelming experience. We support you in your decision to withdraw from the assessments. If you would like to withdraw your child from the assessments, you can do so by requesting a withdrawal form via the survey link: NAPLAN Withdrawal Survey

If you choose to withdraw your child, please complete this survey by 9am Wednesday 26th February. From there an official withdrawal form will be sent to you to complete. The official withdrawal form will then be due by Monday 3rd March.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Cassidy Trousdale by email CTR@tc.vic.edu.au

School Photos - Thursday 6th March

School photos are coming up on Thursday 6th March. Parents are now able to order photo packs from MSP Photography through the Compass Portal. Parents will find a button that says "Order Photos" and a camera icon on their home page after logging in.

More information including the running sheet can be found on the compass news feed.

TC Community Events, Term 1 & 2

Each year we have a vast range of Community events taking place.

For term 1 we have still to take place:

• March 4th – TC Pool Party – whole school. Meet @ TC then walk to Aquarena.

• March 6th – Community Basketball Competition

• March 20th – Community Soccer Competition

• April 3rd – Grad Vs Staff Netball

In term 2 there will be Community Spikeball, Chess, Athletics, Spit, Volleyball and Drama competitions as well as the whole school Athletics day.

Details of these events are put on Compass on the Community Teams channel. 

TC Pool Party - Consent Needed Through Compass

Please visit Compass to give consent for the TC pool party. Even though this is a whole school event we still need consent due to the whole school walking to Aquarena together.

Student Parent Teacher Interviews - Some Logistics and FAQs

For the first time attendees, or those just looking for a reminder, here is some key information on our Student Parent Teacher Interviews:

Should students attend? Yes.

Do classes run on these days? No. Staff are all in appointments all day and so they are not available to run classes.

When are the links to the online meetings sent out? You will receive a notification next week and have access to the unique link for each member of staff. You go to the meeting at the time that you booked in for and they will admit you to the meeting. We use Microsoft Teams for our platform.

What happens if I need more than my allotted time? You can arrange for a phone call with the member of staff. You will not get more than the allotted time as if we do not stick to the times this can cause mass disruption.

Please arrive a several minutes before your first appointment. Staff are located around the school based on alphabetical order. We have lists that you can see with staff locations.

Please bring your bookings with you for the onsite day, either as a printout or on a device as we do not have the facilities to print these for you

Parking will be available on the Oval for the onsite day

Please note that behaviour that does not align with our school expectations and values will not be tolerated. A member of staff should not be made to feel intimidated or harassed. Should a parent display any behaviours that do not align with our values they will be asked to leave. Our school statement of values can be found here with more information.

Some Upcoming Excursions

More information can be found on Compass

• VCE VM students visit to the Victorian Sailing School - 25th Feb (VCE VM)

• Media Tipping Point Excursion - 5th March (VCE Media)

• Physics Fun Day at Lunar Park - 7th March (VCE Physics)

Last Weeks Announcements

• Student Parent Teacher Interviews are Now Open

• Fighting Extinction School with Zoos Victoria

• Pool Party - Tuesday March 4

• Leaving Early Process

• Work Experience Information

• Clubs Term 1

Student Parent Teacher Interviews Bookings Now Open

Please see the email from Adam Cribbes. Bookings are now open and will fill quickly. These all happen through Compass.

Our top tips:

• Try to have a gap between appointments so that you have travel time

• Be prepared for a quick 6 minutes. Longer conversations should have either already happened or can be done another time

• You can arrive early for online meetings. You will be in the “lobby” waiting to be let in.

• We do want to have students in the meetings. This is about them.

• If coming onsite, leave enough time between arriving and getting to your first appointment

• A map of where everyone is in the school will be available from the area outside of the General Office

Fighting Extinction School with Zoos Victoria

TC aims to become a Fighting Extinction School with Zoos Victoria by completing a project which raises awareness or takes action for threatened species.

Our project is inspired by the Zoo's Safe Cat, Safe Wildlife campaign which works to find solutions that will keep both cats and wildlife safe and happy. 

Over the coming weeks, you will hear more about our project and have the opportunity to get involved. However, before we get started, we would love to hear from you! This will help us understand what the community would like to get out of this project and allow us to hear your opinions.

Please help us with this project by completing this survey: Fighting Extinction School Project. We appreciate your contribution to becoming a Fighting Extinction School!

TC POOL PARTY - TUESDAY MARCH 4

Don't miss the last chance to experience the famous TC Pool Party at Aquarena for at least 2 years. Aquarena are renovating which means this year is the ultimate chance to enjoy all the fun of races, fancy dress parades, slides, festival stalls, music, face painting, circus, food, drinks, picnic on the hill with mates, Laps for Life fundraiser, novelty games, and more! All students should experience this event as it is truly a highlight in our school calendar.

The Pool Party runs all day on Tuesday March 4 and no classes will run at TC on that day. Students come to school in the morning and meet in their Connect groups. Rolls will be marked then groups will walk together to Aquarena. A bus will be available for students with accessibility needs. Buses will depart direcetly from Aquarena from 2:30pm. Students can also be picked up at the venue at 2:30pm. 

Action required: Consent is needed, so parents and guardians need to complete the form on Compass as soon as possible. Detailed information about the day can be found in the consent form on Compass. If you have other questions, please contact Ryan Griffith on RGR@tc.vic.edu.au. 

Want to run a stall, a game, or activity? Students are welcome to send ideas and expressions of interest to Ryan Griffith on Teams, or email RGR@tc.vic.edu.au. 

Leaving Early Process (at end of the day)

Students who wish to leave before the end of the school day for an appointment must follow the following process:

1. Student goes to the front office or CET offices sometime in the morning.

2. They will need to show that they have approval to leave early:

   • Parent has already approved on Compass

   • Parent has left a voicemail or email with their Community Team

   • The student brings a parent note with them

3. If they do not have any of these, office staff will ring home to confirm that the student has approval to leave early.

4. The student will then receive a pink Early Leavers Pass. This will have their name, the date and time when they need to leave and will be signed and stamped by office staff.

5. Later in the day, when it is time for the student to leave, they will present the Early Leavers Pass to their class teacher.

6. The teacher will then dismiss them from class.

7. They will sign out at the main office via the Compass Kiosk and leave the Early Leavers Pass at reception

FAQs:

Q: When do I need to go through the Early Leavers Pass process?
A: For when you have a one-off appointment where you will need to leave school early.

Q: When do I get the pink Early Leavers Pass?
A: At break time earlier in the day than when you will need to leave.

Q: What are the ways I can verify that I’m allowed to leave?
A: Parent Compass approval, physical note, parent voicemail to CET, parent email to CET (otherwise office staff will need to call home to get approval) 

Q: If I am leaving during a recess or lunch do I need to get a pink Early Leavers Pass?
A: No, you just need to make sure to sign out of the main office and the office staff will verify that you have approval to leave (see above).

Q: Do I need an Early Leavers Pass if I am going to a school meeting, Wellbeing session, Music class or other school event.
A: No.

Q: If I am a Grad and I wish to be offsite during a study period do I need an Early Leavers Pass.
A: No.

Q: If I have VET and need to leave early on Wednesdays, do I need an Early Leavers Pass.
A: No, this program will already be entered on your Compass timetable as an approved absence.

Q: Can I give my student permission to go offsite during lunchtimes?
A: No, Students in ENTRY and FLE1-4 are not permitted to be offsite during the school day. Graduate students are permitted to be offsite during lunchtimes and when they do not have scheduled classes.

If you have any questions about this or other processes to do with attendance, please don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Katrina Katz – Assistant Principal – Community and Wellbeing
kkat@tc.vic.edu.au

Work Experience Information

NEW work experience resources have been created with information for students and families. Information can be found on the TC - Subject selection website. https://www.subjects.tc.vic.edu.au/work-experience

CLUBS

Previous Weeks Announcements

• VCE Attendance Processes Reminders

• Relationships and Sexuality Education at TC

• 2025 School Council Elections

• We’re On Instagram!

• Some Upcoming Excursions - More Info on Compass

• Calendar for Families of Key Term 1 Dates

• Doncaster Park and Ride is now closed

• Traffic flow through the school - one way system

• Join Our parent/carers Facebook group

• Attendance reminder

• Mobile Phone Policy refresh - Day 1 reflections

• CSEF applications now open

• Photographing, Filming and Recording students opt out

• Annual Policy Reminder

• Annual Privacy Statement

VCE ATTENDANCE PROCESSES REMINDERS

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 Unit 3 subjects is Friday 6th June. 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 valid form of medical certificate is from one of the following medical practitioners: GP, hospital, paediatrician, physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor, orthopaedic surgeon, dentist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

• 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.

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

Relationships and Sexuality Education at TC in 2025 

The TC Community Integrated Learning team will be continuing the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) program in 2025 for our Flexible Learning Environment cohorts. Classes have been designed to be developmentally and age appropriate and inclusive of consent education for all students.

In 2025 a sequence of lessons will be included in the regular timetable for FLE students. FLE1-FLE3 including MAP students will receive 3-4 sessions across 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, ESDP and VM student cohorts into RSE program later in the year.

The term Relationships and Sexuality Education may include topics such as physical, social and emotional development, sex and safer sex practices, sexual and reproductive health, respect for others and oneself, consent, diversity and inclusion, personal rights and responsibilities, love, relationships and friendships, effective communication, abstinence, decision-making, help-seeking and accessing health services.

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.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/physed/Pages/forparents.aspx 

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 life-skills classes. However, if you would prefer your child not to attend, please email your child’s Community Executive Team to opt out by 5pm Friday Feb 14th, 2025. 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 Teacher: Health Promotion/RSE/Developmental Learning 

2025 School Council Elections

Information for parents and students

TC’s School Council Elections will run from Friday 7 February and conclude by 27 March 2025.

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. Training is available for all School Council members.

Please click on this link 2025 School Council Elections to access more information on each category and complete Nomination forms for the parent or student category.

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

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

Some Upcoming Excursions - More Info on Compass

Tuesday 11th Feb - Graphic Design Zoo Excursion
Wednesday 19th Feb - Beauty and the Beast - Drama Elective
Thursday 20th Feb - Entry and FLE Humanities Excursion to Jewish Museum of Australia and the Islamic Museum of Australia

Calendar for Families of Key Term 1 Dates

Please find below a print out from Compass of some of the key dates for term 1. This could be printed out and put on your fridge!

On this are:

• Student Parent Teacher Interviews – no classes run on this day due to the size of the school and the logistics for everyone to be able to see their teachers

• Term end dates

• TC Pool Party – this event is one that students should be attending. No classes run on this day but it is one that gives students a great opportunity to take part in something (whether water based or not) and build connections

• Photo day and mop up photo day dates

• Community Launch assembly dates and times for students

Doncaster Park and Ride is Now Closed

We have been informed that Doncaster park and ride will be closed until 2028 as part of the North East Link. There is still a bus stop nearby. Please visit PTV for further information if this impacts you.

Traffic Flow Through the School One Way System

The traffic flow through the school on Day 1 was fairly good. Thank you for your patience. Please remember to leave additional time throughout the first week and keep to the speed limit.

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.

Attendance Reminder

As another school year begins, I wanted to take a moment to emphasise the importance of regular school attendance for our students.

Consistent attendance is one of the most significant factors in ensuring student success. When students attend school regularly, they are more likely to engage with the material, participate in classroom activities, and develop the skills and habits necessary for their academic and personal growth. Missing school—even occasionally—can result in missed lessons and challenges in keeping up with work, school activities and friendships.

We understand that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes students may need to miss school for various reasons. However, we encourage you to make every effort to ensure your child is present as much as possible. Additionally, if your student must miss school, we ask that you report the absence on Compass and encourage them to stay in contact with their teacher via Microsoft Teams to ensure they stay up-to-date with any work missed. If you require assistance with logging into/using Compass please call the school on 9850-6333 and Press 4 for our IT Department. Alternatively, please log a request for IT support using the following website: TC - I.T Support.

If there are any barriers or concerns that may affect your child's attendance, please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s relevant Community Executive Team.

blue@tc.vic.edu.au
gold@tc.vic.edu.au
green@tc.vic.edu.au
red@tc.vic.edu.au

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

Mobile Phone Policy Refresh – Day 1 Reflections

As everyone will be aware we all have an obligation to help the school meet its requirements as part of the Ministerial Order around mobile phones.

As we aim to help our students develop the skills to self-regulate (whilst also meeting our requirements), we wanted to share some interesting reflections from students. One was that a few students commented that reaching for their phones was just an automatic habit. They had no reason to do this, it just happened. This could make for an interesting discussion at home around how long it can take to break a habit and the supports that could be put in place at home as well.

We will also be adding more clocks around the school, having spoken to students. Are you aware if your child can read an analogue clock (ie with hands) as well as a digital one? A surprising number of students said that they were unable to do so. We are looking to produce some resources for families to be able to do this at home where needed.

Our staff commented that 99.9% of our students were really respectful when working or speaking with staff on this policy as part of the schools requirement under the ministerial order. No phones needed to be kept in the safe for the day, and no students needed to be collected. We really appreciate the support from our families as we know there are, and have been, conversations at home around supporting us to meet this requirement and also give all of our students a break from the demands of social media throughout the day.

CSEF applications now open

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like:

• school camps or trips

• swimming and school-organised sports programs

• outdoor education programs

• excursions and incursions

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 user-pays activities for the benefit of your student/s. The annual CSEF amount is $250.00 per secondary school student.

HOW TO APPLY

Please complete the CSEF application form - content.sdp.education.vic.gov.au.docx - and return it to the TC general office with a copy of your concession card. Alternatively, you can email through a copy of the completed form and concession card to accounts@tc.vic.edu.au. 

If you successfully applied for CSEF at TC last year, you do not need to complete a new application unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

New application forms are only required in the following instances:

• 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 Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au), or call through to the Accounts team on ph. 03 9850 6333 (option 3).

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.

Annual Policy Reminder

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

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

Welcome Back TC!

Welcome to the new school year of 2025! TC is thrilled to welcome both returning and new students back to campus, with many exciting activities planned to kick off the year!

Community assemblies were held throughout the past two weeks to discuss what's happening here at TC, so let's take a look.

Legally Blond is our school production this year and auditions for roles are being held throughout the next few weeks. Rehearsals are held on Fridays after school, 2:15 - 3:30 pm and increasing to 4 pm later in the year. If you're interested in joining you can find more information on your community teams page.

Exciting community events such as dodgeball, basketball, and the TC pool party are coming up, and we encourage everyone to participate! These events are a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, foster community spirit, and have a great time with friends. The TC pool party offers clubs and classes a chance to set up market stalls for extra funding. It's a great way to showcase your group and engage more students.

As we kick off the school year, we’d also like to remind everyone about the updated mobile phone policy. In line with government guidelines, students are not allowed to have their phones out during the school day, including while walking or sitting, in the classroom or recess and lunch. The policy does not apply to smartwatches and headphones only mobile phones. For those who need to use a phone for health reasons, provisions have been put in place to support these students. We appreciate everyone working towards a focused learning environment for all. More information on this policy can be found on our website TC - Mobile Phone Policy.

Here at TC, we also have an amazing range of clubs, both after school and during lunch times. Whether you're interested in sports, arts, technology, or community service, there's something for everyone! These clubs are a great way to explore new interests, make lasting friendships, and contribute to the vibrant spirit of our school. Be sure to take a look at the flyers around the school to find out what clubs are available, and get involved in something that excites you!

You might have already heard, but this year, we're improving Connect. Our Alpine group, which lived at Dinner Plain for the majority of term 4 in 2024, has been working hard with teachers to create a more engaging class. During our back-to-school community assemblies, Alpine representatives Jessica and Dara pitched and explained our CLP to the students and the rest of the school so everyone can stay informed with the latest updates.

"We decided to focus our CLP on Connect because we have noticed and experienced the lack of consistency across all Connect groups, which has led to students becoming disengaged, " they explained. Our idea to implement Connect Leaders is still relevant, and this term we've been working hard to confirm the role of the Connect Leaders.

They will be students from FLE 1 and above who serve for one semester, with a new leader chosen each semester. Initially focused on older students, connect leaders will plan activities, promote community events, and attend biweekly meetings for support. Their role is crucial for fostering change within the Connect groups so that everyone is empowered to learn.  

"Over the coming weeks, each Connect group will be required to choose one leader. Your group will be able to choose how you want to select your leader, and your teacher will be given a PowerPoint resource to help you. If you are interested, start thinking about what you could do to help your Connect group – the possibilities are endless, and we are really excited to see what everyone can do!"

We'll be working on this over the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more information and to find out how YOU can apply to help run connect!

As we dive into another year full of possibilities, we’re excited to see everyone embracing new opportunities, making memories, and building a stronger TC community. Here’s to a year full of growth, success, and fun—let's make it the best one yet!

By Ruby Egan Douglas and Mietta Palmer