Technologies
Café Baking students shine at the Gratitude Café
Over the semester, students from our Café Baking classes have been designing their own café menus and developing delicious food items to showcase their creativity and skills. 🍰☕ They’ve also learned what it takes to work in a real café environment, from preparing ingredients ahead of service to working as a team during busy periods. 👩🍳🤝
All their hard work came together on Thursday 6 November when they hosted our very own Gratitude Café at Templestowe College. 🎉 On the day, students prepared their menu items, made drinks, and provided table service to staff. They took coffee and beverage orders with confidence and professionalism, demonstrating the practical skills they’ve developed throughout the subject. Their teamwork and enthusiasm were outstanding, and a few lucky students even got to dine as special guests, recognised for their effort and dedication over the semester. ✨💙
We are incredibly proud of the creativity, skill, and teamwork our Café Baking students have displayed. Well done to everyone involved! 👏💛
Robotics success in Term 4
Our Robotics teams have had an incredible season, showcasing the talent, creativity, and teamwork of our students across multiple competitions. 🤖✨
Strong Results at Rivercrest Secondary Competition
Our teams performed brilliantly at Rivercrest in October, with two groups taking out 3rd place in their divisions: 🥉💙
Team 1002X (Alex Sleeman, Fin Kent, George Haviardis, Westin Ou, Jamie Valmorbida & Danu Putra) achieved an impressive 3rd place in the V5 Senior Division. 🤍🤖
Team 3107A (Thomas Farrell & Lachlan Gregory) also secured 3rd place in the IQ Junior Division, recognised for their innovative engineering and strong collaboration. 🏅💡
Team 3107F (Fraser Norton) ranked at the top of the semi-finals, highlighting excellent driving control and strategic planning. ⚡🚗
We extend a huge thank you to our wonderful TC alumni who returned to volunteer and help run the V5 competition. 🙏 Their mentorship and support continue to play a vital role in our growing program. 🌟
Outstanding results at the state qualifier
At the State Qualifying Event at Aquinas, TC Robotics again shone, with five of our seven teams earning a place at Nationals in Adelaide. 🏆
The following teams qualified or received awards on the day:
1002X – Judges Award 🏅
3107A – Design Award for innovative engineering 💡
3107J – Qualified through high competition ranking 🚀
3107F – Qualified through high competition ranking ⚡
1002V – Highest-ranking Middle School team 🤍
Nationals Success
From 5-7 December, Templestowe College proudly competed on the national stage, with five teams qualifying for Robotics Nationals in Adelaide — an outstanding achievement and a true testament to the drive, commitment, and work ethic of our students. 🏅 Four teams ultimately attended the event, forming an excellent squad of 12 students who represented our school and Victoria with professionalism, resilience, and enthusiasm. Staying in Adelaide added to the experience, with students enjoying the festive Christmas atmosphere during walks from the hotel to the competition venue, strengthening team bonds along the way 🎄✨
Our Senior team—Oscar Varricchio, Oliver Evans, and Alasdair Cafarella—delivered an impressive performance, making it through to the finals before being knocked out in a highly competitive field. 💪 Their dedication was further recognised with a perfect score on the Judges’ Engineering Notebook rubric, an exceptional accomplishment at national level. 🏅
A huge congratulations also goes to our Junior team—Dex Huynh and Fraser Norton Brown—who made the finals and even held first place for several hours, eventually finishing fourth overall. ⚡ This result is especially remarkable as it is their first year in robotics and first time competing at Nationals. 🤖👏
If you see any of the students mentioned above, or Thomas Farrell, Lachlan Gregory, George Haviaridis, Fin Kent, Danu Kusuma, Alex Sleeman, or Jamie Valmorbida, please congratulate them on qualifying for Nationals and for the hard work they put into representing both Templestowe College and the state of Victoria. 💙 Their achievements highlight the strength of our Robotics program and the incredible potential of our students. 🌟
Rianne Burroughs
Robotics Nationals - Student perspective
Four of Templestowe College’s best robotics teams attended the 2025 VEX robotics Australian National Championship. 🤖✨ The National Championship is an invite-only event, where teams have to qualify at a state championship. Four Templestowe college teams were ranked as some of the top teams in Victoria, a testament to their outstanding effort and passion for robotics. 💡🏆
The Nationals was a great experience for everyone involved, with everyone getting to know each other better as well as meeting new people from other states at the competition. 🌏💙 A personal highlight for me was how much I learned at the Nationals. It was much larger than previous events I have been to and this meant I really had to hone my time management skills in order to be at matches on time⏱️. The event also taught me valuable lessons in teamwork and how to stay motivated even when things are not going to plan. 🤝💪
One Templestowe College team, 3107F, finished 4th place in the middle school VEX IQ division, an outstanding achievement. 🥉 Overall, the robotics nationals were a fun, rewarding and valuable experience for everyone involved. 🌟
Oscar V
FLE2
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie excursion
From the moment they arrived, the smell of rich, melted chocolate filled the air and set the tone for a fantastic excursion. 🍫✨ Students were treated to a behind the scenes tour, where they learned about the chocolate making process — from sourcing sustainable cocoa beans to the art of tempering, moulding, and decorating. They were fascinated to see how science, creativity, and food technology combine to create the perfect chocolate treat. 👩🍳💛
The group also had the chance to sample a range of chocolates (a definite highlight! 🍫😋) and discover how different ingredients and flavour combinations influence taste and texture.
After the tasting, everyone enjoyed listening to an informative talk about marketing and sustainability at the Chocolaterie, 📊🌱 as well as learning about job opportunities in the industry. They then explored the café and picturesque gardens, surrounded by sweeping Yarra Valley views. 🌿🏞️ It was a wonderful opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world food production, and the day was filled with laughter, ice-cream 🍦 and (of course) chocolate-covered smiles. 😄
A huge thank you to the staff at the Chocolaterie for their hospitality and to our Food Tech teachers — Vicky, Helen and Cathy — for organising such an engaging, hands-on experience. 👏 It was truly a day to remember! 🎉
Neon Lamp Arduino Project
In this unit, students explored how coding, electronics, and design intersect to create functional and aesthetic outcomes. 🎨💡 Working through the producing stage of the design process, students designed and built their own custom neon lamps powered by Arduino Nano microcontrollers. ⭐ Each lamp features user-programmed lighting effects that respond to input from a potentiometer, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of analog and digital signal control. ⚙️✨
Throughout the project, students applied safe and effective use of materials, components, and digital tools such as TinkerCad, Fusion 360, and Inkscape to prototype and produce their designs. 💻🔧 By integrating mechanical design, electronic circuitry, and coded control systems, this task encouraged creative problem-solving and systems thinking—key capabilities in the Victorian Curriculum for Design and Technologies. 🌟 The final neon lamps showcase students’ ability to combine modern technologies to produce innovative and functional design solutions. 💡
Rianne Burroughs
