Next Week @TC

02/08/2024

• 2024 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

• Art and Design Day YAY

• VCE Attendance

• Oval Closed to Parking Until Further Notice

• Student Parent Teacher Interviews In Person Option on Friday – Onsite Parking Will be Limited

• NAPLAN Results are Now on Compass

• TCNEWS - Subject Selection Creative Piece

2024 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024.
All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school directly by emailing connect@tc.vic.edu.au for survey guides in your language.

The link to access the survey was emailed to families directly today. We are only able to send one link per household.

Art and Design Day YAY

The following message has been posted in teams for students to complete for Art and Design Day YAY, a TC login is needed to complete the form.

OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS - 16th August
Unleash your creativity and design skills at Art/Design Day! Immerse yourself in one of the following workshops for the day: Still life painting, photo paste ups, textiles, 3D modelling, laser cut jewellery & woodwork propagation station, graphic design personal logo t-shirts, and robotics. Workshops will run all day (although students will be required to attend Connect) with materials, morning tea and pizza lunch provided. Spaces are limited so send in your preferences now!

Please follow the link below, submit your preferences, and then you will be added to a compass event for a payment of $30 Please submit your preferences by Friday the 9th of August!

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hijgU7a4Kk-HW9UC1dp9kdXSPpXKcZJIlSKaCUN4-HpUNk9PQVo0VjhaRTFLWkVOTkZaVFlIRUFTRi4u

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 4 is Friday 20th September and for Unit 2 is Friday 8th November

• 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.

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

Oval Closed to Parking Until Further Notice

As per the announcement emailed earlier this week, our oval is closed to cars until further notice following on from the recent high levels of rain causing it to become an OHS hazard. Please refer to the email sent earlier this week if you would like further information.

Student Parent Teacher Interviews In Person Option on Friday – Onsite Parking Will be Limited

On Friday onsite parking will be extremely limited due to the Oval being out of use for OHS reasons. We advise planning for this by leaving lots of time before your first appointment. Please assume that you will not be able to find a space onsite. There is parking in the streets surrounding the school. We do highly recommend Romilly Avenue and then accessing through the side gate behind S Wing. We thank you for your understanding with this.

NAPLAN Results are Now on Compass

As an FYI, the NAPLAN results can be found on each individuals Compass page. These can be found in the students profile by then clicking on “analytics”.

Subject Selection Creative Piece

Kitti sat beside Salem, leaning his cane against the table in the classroom the two had claimed.

“So,” he said. “We're doing subject selection for 2025. What are you thinking?”

“I literally couldn't care less,” Salem replied, sketching a character on his iPad.

“Okay, fair. I'm kind of interested in the Forensic Science elective.”

“Nerd,” Salem teased.

“What? You don't think crime-solving is cool? Murder mysteries?”

Salem grinned. “Okay, it's a little cool. Only thing I really wanna do is art, though. Look, I'm done.” He held up his iPad for Kitti to see.

“That's awesome,” Kitti smiled. “Anyway, I'm also gonna do Fish. I love fish, they're so cool.”

“Yeah, watching fish swim and move their scales is so stimulating. Wait, we have fish at TC?”

“Yeah? Loads of fish. You should do the class with me.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you wanna do after school?” Kitti asked.

“Exactly what I'm doing right now,” Salem gestured to his drawing.

“Then maybe school is the time to have fun experimenting in other areas before you go off and do the one thing.”

“Nah-uh.”

“Ya-huh.”

“Nah-uh.”

“Ya-huh.”

“Why are you acting like my mum, anyway?”

“I want us both to have fun next year,” Kitti shrugged. “I really think that learning should just be about enjoying yourself.”

Salem sighed, then put his iPad away. “Let's look at these subjects.”

Kitti opened up his laptop, and the two scrolled through the list of electives together.

Salem tapped on the Drama elective and said dramatically, arms out wide, “the stage… it calls me.”

Kitti snickered. “Do it, do it, do it.”

“I guess I will.”

“If you do one of the cooking subjects, you get to eat your food. I wanna do baking.”

“Maybe that could be fun. Ooh, there’s a Lego elective.”

“Ever thought about doing a VCE subject early?”

“There's no way I'd do that.”

“I think I wanna do VCE Philosophy, that sounds interesting. Then I won't have to do as much in year 12. Or I do lots of VCE subjects, and they only put the scores of your top six onto your ATAR.”

“I don't even wanna know what an ATAR is.”

“Fair.”

“Oh, but Pre VCE,” Salem clicked on the Pre VCE Biology button. “Do you get to dissect stuff in this one?”

“Maybe.”

“Then I wanna do that.”

Other people started to walk into the classroom.

Kitti looked at the time on his laptop. “Oh, we’d better head to class. But you see? You have many passions.”

“Sorta? I guess. But hopefully these are fun.”

“If they’re not, you can change them in the first couple of weeks.”

“That’s true. Anyway, have fun in your class,” Salem said as he leaned back in the chair.

“Wait, you’re in the same class,” Kitti stood up, grabbing his cane and Salem’s hand. “Come on.”

“Fine, fine,” Salem groaned as he got up.

By Rory Opie
TC Journalist

Learn all about TC’s 2025 subjects on our subject website - TC Subject Selection Handbook

Last Weeks Announcements

• Animals Trivia Night

• Message sent to students RE Tours and term 3

• Building Works Update

Animals Trivia Night

Come and join in the fun at our annual TC Trivia night, hosted by the Working with Animals Program.

When: Friday August 30th, 6:30pm - 10:00pm.
Where: S-Wing, Templestowe College
Cost: $15 per person.

All funds raised will help enrich our Working with Animals Program. Alongside trivia there will be gold-coin games, a raffle and a silent auction.

BYO food, drinks, a pocket of coins and a winning attitude!

Tickets are sold individually, with tables of up to 10. So grab some pals and form a team. Delicious prizes can be won by the teams rocking the best theme.

We cannot wait to see you there.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: https://www.trybooking.com/CTPWC

*If you wish to contribute prizes or vouchers to our raffle or silent auction, we will be very grateful! Please contact Kate Meehan (kmee@tc.vic.edu.au) before Friday August 16th.
*Please note, this year we will not be running a movie room for our younger participants.

Message Sent to Students RE Tours in Term 3

For info, here is a message sent through Teams to students this week about tours happening @ TC in term 3:

Hello all excellent students of TC.

You may have noticed that the term 3 tour season has started. We thought we would let you know why there are so many tours happening all the time @ TC.

This term we have three types of tours happening:

• FLE Tours - students looking to leave their current high school to enrol @ TC. These are usually taken by Ceri Davies and mainly happen in term 3 and 4.

• Future Entry Students Tours - these are tours for people looking to enrol in the future as Entry students. We see students on these who can be in years 3, 4, 5 or 6. These are usually taken by myself.

• TC Consultancy Tours - these are ones with other educators on. These usually last for 3 hours with myself and students who are part of our student employability skills program (ie being paid to be there!). The visitors pay for the tours and the school uses this money to pay our students who are employed by the school (such as our tutors, Connect TV, Hub supervisors, TC Journalists, Maintenance Teams, etc). 

We do appreciate everyones patience with these tours as we walk through the school and the corridors, so thank you! 

We do have to give them to prospective students and there is a lot of interest in our school. Also, the more people we get through the TC Consultancy also means that we can employ more students .

If you as a student would like to join the employability skills program, keep on looking at this Community channel as job opportunities are posted here when they come up.

Have a great day everyone!
Peter

Building Works Updates

A few updates on our building works:

• More ramps are being completed

• New path walking into the school now complete

• A new speed hump/crossing between S Wing/Sports Centre and Science - complete

• Work is about to begin on a new boom gate that will be in operation during the day (between drop off and pick up times) preventing cars from going past the Sports Centre. More to follow on the location when it has been installed.

Previous Weeks Announcements

• Meet Pi Math Festival

• Fabric Donations wanted for Art and Design Day YAY!

• TC's 2024 Musical Production is Matilda Jnr

• Key Dates for Term 3

• Join our Parent/Carer Facebook Group

Meet Pi maths Festival

Meet Pi is a non-for-profit organisation ran by a TC student and they are holding a maths festival next month for interested families and students in Year 7 to 9. It’s not just those who already love maths, as it’s suitable for students of all abilities to explore, discover, collaborate and play with fun and accessible puzzles, games, and craft-based problem-solving challenges in a fun, collaborative and non-competitive setting. Book here - Meet Pi

Fabric donations wanted for Art and Design Day YAY!

We are looking for fabric donations for the textiles segment of Ary and Design Day YAY! Students will be making giant scrunchies and PJ pants. If you have donatable fabric that is bright, bold, fluffy etc it would be greatly appreciated, along with any lace trim and elastic. Donations can be dropped off at the general office.

TC's 2024 Musical Production is Matilda Jnr

Templestowe College proudly presents Matilda Jnr

When:  13, 14 and 15 August - 7.00pm
              16 August - 6.00pm

Tickets are available on Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/CRYES

Key Dates for Term 3

• 31/07 - 2025 Subject Expo. Held in the afternoon so no disruptions to classes.

• 08/08 - Student Parent Teacher Interviews Online option (no classes running)

• 09/08 - Student Parent Teacher Interviews In Person option (no classes running)

• 21/08 - Course Counselling Day - held online (no classes running). Parents required to attend 1 x meeting with Connect Mentor to discuss subject choices.

• 20/09 - Last day of term 3

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.

Previous TCNEWS Articles

TC's Tips & Tricks

Navigating school life can be stressful. This term, TC students will be looking at subject selection for 2025 while also needing to balance their energy towards 2024 classes and making time for friendships, community, and self-care. This article aims to provide students with healthy habits, strategies, and tips to help them find balance and thrive both in school and within themselves.

Starting your day with a positive mindset is a great way to begin with success. Our wonderful social worker, Sarah Wassouf, says: "I like to start my day by finding three things I am grateful for. It sets a really nice tone for the day." After that, you're probably feeling hungry, and a good morning starts with a good breakfast! Sometimes the mornings can be too hectic to eat before you have to be out the door. Luckily, here at TC, we have a range of breakfast options available for students: Toasties on Tuesday mornings in the hub, fruit provided through Foodbank in Swing, breakfast club in the canteen café in the mornings, and baked goods provided by local bakeries on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Starting your day well also involves surrounding yourself with people who uplift you instead of trying to change or bring you down. Seek out friendships where you feel like you truly belong and are valued, rather than just fitting in. A good friend listens actively, respects boundaries, and does small acts of kindness for you. Go out of your way to make someone else's day better, whether by taking an interest in their passions or giving a compliment. You will find that people gravitate toward others who are kind, welcoming, and confident. Stevie Knodel one of the lovely youth workers at TC says "The most important thing is communicating and learning how to come to your friends with curiosity instead of assumption".  Giving them the benefit of the doubt. "Instead of jumping to conclusions about why someone may be doing something, try to think the best of them instead. Maybe they are struggling at the moment, or there are often lots of other things going on." says Pip Shearer, another great member of the youth worker team.

High school plays a crucial role in setting you up for an amazing life ahead, so it's essential to make the most of this time. Take the time to review and study subjects where you need more practice, and be open with your teachers and ask for help. If finding time to study at home is a challenge, make a plan. Use a calendar to keep track of due dates, after-school activities, and appointments. Even scheduling 30 minutes for studying and practice can make a difference. Place this plan in a visible spot as a reminder. Stevie suggests learning what works best for you by asking yourself questions like, "What time of day are you most productive? What environment do you work best in? Do you need noise when studying and trying to focus, or is a quiet space better suited?"

Remember to consistently take brain breaks to give your mind a rest from all the wonderful knowledge you are absorbing. If you just keep stuffing your brain, it won't be able to latch onto the concepts and topics you are learning. Give it time to process and absorb the information properly. Find a clean space with minimal distractions to do your work. If you don't have an area like this at home, go to a library after school (the closest one to TC is at the Pines). Write down goals for what you want to complete in study sessions. If you start feeling unmotivated, reflect on those goals and any future goals you may have, like a dream job or lifestyle, and remember what you are aiming for. Try to create a consistent routine; it doesn't have to be very specific, just a rough idea.

Sleep is a big factor in our day-to-day lives. It impacts how we function, our physical and mental health, and our development. We need more vitamin Z’s during our teenage years than almost any other time in our lives. Teenagers need around 8 - 10 hours of sleep per night to function properly. This is because the brain is constantly developing and fine-tuning how it functions, and it doesn't stop developing and maturing until your mid-to-late 20s.

Wellbeing suggests finding what works for you everyone is different, take a break and don't be too hard on yourself, take some time out of your day for self-care and things that make you happy. Wellbeing is here for you for absolutely anything friendship struggles, your brain & emotions and navigating life in general. Just know you are supported and are doing amazing! : )

Thank you to Sarah, Stevie and Pip for taking the time out of their busy schedules to discuss this topic for TCNEWS

By Ruby Egan-Douglas
TC Journalist

Support is available at TC in Swing
Follow the youth workers on Instagram - Templestowe College Youth Workers (@ywattc) • Instagram photos and videos
Kids helpline - 1800 551 800
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636

Making a Heartfelt Impact: TC's Social Justice Club, Helping Hearts!

Did you know that TC has its very own social justice club? Well, it's true, and it's called Helping Hearts!

Every Thursday at lunchtime, we meet in TC's new Library next to the canteen, to discuss matters that mean a lot to us like gender equality and poverty. We brainstorm ways and implement strategies to make our community feel safer, and educated, and to spread kindness.

Social justice is justice about the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice

A very exciting thing that has been in the works for a while now is finally complete, and we are so excited to share it with the TC community!

We have officially created and launched our Helping Hearts Instagram account, and we are ecstatic to extend ourselves and spread positivity. Our goal was to help advertise the events we run and to help encourage cordiality within the school community.

One of the events we ran last year was a fundraiser at TC's dance showcase for the NGO Kids Under Cover organisation. We raised over $150, which couldn’t have happened without the generous and kind people who made purchases and donations to support our fundraiser and Kids Under Cover. We plan to run many more fundraisers in the future and are open to any suggestions for an event you might have to help support a not-for-profit group or organisation. (If you have any suggestions please feel free to contact us or Cassidy Trousdale who helps facilitate!)

If you haven't heard, we've organized a self-defence class for our FLE2's (Year 9) with Proactivity (https://www.proactivity.com.au/) on the 24th of July.

Created in 2007,  "Proactivity strives to provide quality and impact-driven Physical Activity Incursion programs." Their self-defence incursion incorporates a range of essential motor skill development in the areas of martial arts and karate.

"Our Self Defence and Respectful Relationships workshops are designed around protection skills, safe and unsafe behaviours."

We wanted our peers to learn how to protect themselves and feel empowered. We are so excited about this event and can't wait to learn new skills from the Proactivity team next Tuesday!

Book via compass events, but be quick, there are only 25 spots available!

Link and Resources:
https://www.kuc.org.au/
@proactivityaus + https://www.proactivity.com.au/

By Mietta Palmer
TC Journalist