Next Week @TC

02/12/2022

• End of Semester Reports Released Next Week

• BBQ Next Friday

• Who has classes running next week and what about the week after

• Last two days of the year - TC TLC Days

• 2023 Entry and FLE 3 Vaccinations Letter

• TCNEWS - VISIONS - Art and Design Show

End of Semester Reports Released Next Week

As the heading suggests, the end of Semester reports will be released at the end of next week through Compass. We are also planning on sending these to families as well.

BBQ Next Friday

We will be holding a BBQ for our students at the end of next week to celebrate the end of official classes and the Head Start program. This will take place at the end of the last class for the day.

Who has classes running next week and what about the week after

Information on this can be found further down the page.

Last two days of the year - TLC Days

On Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th December we will be carrying out TLC days. In this, anyone on site will spend the day and a half giving TC some TLC. We will be spending time looking after our environment by carrying out activities such as cleaning spaces, tidying up, fixing things, carrying out practical work and other activities that will help students build pride in their learning environment as well as build self esteem through completion of tasks whilst building collaborations skills and connection to peers within the community. We look forward to seeing who is here on the days and will then split into teams to carry out this important work.

2023 Entry and FLE 3 Vaccinations Letter

Please find vaccination information for families with 2023 Entry or FLE 3 (Yr 10) students attached below.

VISIONS

VISIONS is finally back! After three years, the annual Art & Design show had its opening night on Tuesday the 22nd and was open to the general public until the 25th. The exhibition was a celebration of student work across the arts and technologies subjects (Architecture, Jewellery, Design & Technology, Media, Art, and VCD) and "encapsulates the creativity of our students as well as the conceptual ideas behind artworks and the interpretation of these by an audience". The opening night was accompanied by, live performances from Music and a tasty banquet of bites supplied by Cafe Culture students. Awards were also handed out, on the night. For Demi, she selected students who showed "exceptional growth throughout the year or semester, and not necessarily on just one artwork". 

Here, I asked teachers David and Demi and students Lee Moshos-Churches, Ivy Ersvaer, Hannah Radford, Amin Safari, Grace Gooley and Eirron Wong about VISIONS and their works that were exhibited. Read on.

Tell me about your work/s that were exhibited.

Lee: Mine was inspired by the idea of trying to visually convey, the teenage experience. I explored photography for the first time as well as expanded my acrylic and oil paint repertoire. I was also very grateful to receive the Studio Arts Pre and 1&2 award. 

Hannah: I wanted to make something I would wear or display. So, the best thing that inspires me is me!

Amin: My works were a Jedi symbol and Sith symbol with LED light inspired by Star Wars, a Starfleet wood glue symbol inspired by Star Trek and a wooden box.

Grace: I had a nine-piece lino print work exhibited. My work was inspired by the concept of identity and self-discovery and how this can be portrayed through art and colour. I also had two other self-portraits that were class explorations. 

Your work was also selected for the billboard and invitation. How did you feel when you found out?

Grace: I got very excited that it was chosen! It was the first time my art had been on public display and I felt very proud that I had been able to achieve that level of display for my art.

What role did you play in the exhibition? 

Demi: As a teacher of the Visual Arts my role begins with empowering students to express individual ideas and to explore ways of art making. During the preparation of Visions, I assisted students in critically reflecting upon and examining the way they may present their work to an audience. I was also part of a team that curated the exhibition. 

David: As an elective and VCE teacher in both Art and Technology, I selected and displayed work to showcase the amazing talent across photography, design and technology and product design.

What were the materials and processes of your work/s?

Ivy: I used clay for the pot and the paint was acrylic. I also used shiny metallic paint for the whale tail on the lid.

Grace: For the lino print, I began by printing around twenty coloured squares using block ink (a bold lino printing paint). After this, I cut out certain sections of the lino board and printed them on top of the coloured squares in a variety of different colours. After a couple of months of printing, I had twenty different prints consisting of coloured layers and the subject matter of a duck and myself in a cartoon-like style. Once all the printing was finished, I chose my best and favourite prints to use for the final work.

What was your favourite part of the night?

Grace: I just really enjoyed looking at the variety of works produced from different classes and year levels. It was good to see a whole year's work of art all in one place and the different approaches each person took.

Demi: My favourite part would have to be how proud and happy students were to see their work on display and the opportunity to share this with their families and friends. It was also nice to see some of the past VCE student work in the exhibition as they did not have this chance during the two years of lockdown.

Eirron: I loved seeing what everyone else had done. There was such a variety of styles, mediums and materials. I felt that it, represented TC as the mixed bag that we are!

David: Opening night is a rare chance to meet parents and members of the community and share what we do at school all year. Being able to see the reactions of family and friends to our student's work is both inspiring and heart-warming. 

How does being a student at TC influence your art?

Lee: The supportive and immersive environment created in TC's art department really helps motivate me to keep exploring and expanding my skills. A big shout out to Demi, who has been teaching and pushing me to do my best for 2 to 3 years now.

Hannah: I find TC has influenced my art very much as there are so many creative people around. I'm inspired by everything I see here. By the clothes people wear, the art people make, and the creativity this school has to offer.

Grace: The great part is that there is a huge range of supplies and resources, which makes so many ideas and projects possible. I wouldn't have been able to complete the works that I have done this year without the resources and the school supplies. The assistance of the art teachers is also very helpful and influential, especially when exploring new ideas in art.

Eirron: It influences my art in so, so many ways. I wouldn't have this project without TC and the community that I am addressing. I am so grateful to everyone that helped me along this journey, especially my teacher David. 

Congrats to all staff and students involved in VISIONS! 

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Last Weeks Annoucements

• Head Start

• End of Year Activities

• Beginning of 2023 Arrangements

Head Start

Students start their 2023 classes on Monday. We aim to have the 2023 staff in the classes but this is not always possible as new staff may not have joined TC yet. All students do head start for one week, and then non VCE students continue in the second week. This is not an optional program, all current students need to attend. Students will not need new textbooks for these weeks.

Head Start timetables have now been loaded into compass so students can view their classes, please note the blocking for head start is not what will be used next year as we are still using the 2022 times of the day. A combination of blocking is being use so please be aware subjects will not run at the same time next year.

For 2023 blocking students should refer to their timetables that were emailed out last week. If you have not found your timetable it comes from timetable-admin@tc.vic.edu.au and helpful hint - check your "other" folder if you have Focused/Other inbox turned on.

During head start we are also running two database systems so changes to classes are not possible. All students will be able to request amendments to their 2023 classes during change week, Term 1, Week 3.

End of Year Events - A Guide for New Families

For those new to the school, here is a very brief overview of what the end of year looks like:

• Monday 12th - Friday 16th December - Activities Week - we have different activities running throughout the week. Students will select from a set of options. We will announce more about this closer to the date

• Monday 19th - Tuesday 20th December TLC days - these are the last two days. These two days will be spent looking after our environment. There will be projects running around the school in which students will build pride in the school community whilst also building connections with each other. The second day is an early finish.

• Tuesday 13th December Entry Orientation Day - This is for our future Entry students. We will have some of our current students onsite still as part of their activities week.

Beginning of 2023 Arrangements

Currently we have the following arrangements for the beginning of 2023:

• Friday 27th January - Staff Professional Development Day. No students on site. General Office opens after 11am

• Monday 30th January - Staff Professional Development Day. No students on site.

• Tuesday 31st January - 2023 Entry Students begin.

• Wednesday 1st February - all students are onsite.

Previous Weeks Annoucements

• 2023 Book List

• 2023 Parent Payments

• 2023 Times of the Day

• Wanted: Paper bags for TC Farm

• Laptops Wanted

• 2022 Parent Payments

• Parent Book Launch - Life Hacks for Graduates

• Bicycles/Lawn Mowers and Old Broken Computers sought for 2023 Systems Engineering

2023 Book List

The 2023 Book List is now available. This year we have a new supplier - Campion. Please follow this link and create a login to start ordering. https://order.campion.com.au/#resourceListListView?code=F32CDGTD

Help and Support for ordering can be found here: https://www.campion.com.au/support-help/support-for-parents/

2023 PARENT PAYMENTS

Templestowe College is looking forward to another great year of teaching and learning and would like to advise you of our voluntary financial contributions for 2023, which align with the Department of Education’s (DET) Parent Payments Policy to ensure transparency and improve equality across schools.

Schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard Victorian curriculum and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Templestowe College does offer a standard curriculum course that can be viewed on our website (https://tc.vic.edu.au/whole-school-curriculum); however, by choosing to enroll at TC, we believe that you want more than just the standard Victorian curriculum. As a nationally recognised leader in progressive education, it is the ongoing financial support of families that enables us to offer highly individualised programs, which benefit our student’s educational outcomes through a unique structure and a wide variety of subjects.

We want to thank you for your support as it has made a huge difference to our school and the programs we can offer. For example, through the contributions of families in 2022 we have been able to provide:

• A more diverse and higher quality of materials for students learning

• many new animals such as birds, reptiles, and the beehives

• employment of in class tutors across various curriculum faculties

• student access to VET programs

• improved building facilities including new ovens in food technology, renovated office, and learning spaces in the HUB, plus some other projects taking place over the end of year holidays

• additional IT support available on all days of the week

• increased choice of subjects for students

We hope that you will continue to support Templestowe College by choosing to contribute to the suggested “Curriculum Contributions” and “Other Contributions”. In 2023, we are planning on using money collected through the Building Fund to create a student library and a new student kitchen in S Wing.

For further information please refer to the 2023 Parent Payment Arrangement document.

Please note, we will advise families once we are ready to receive 2023 payments.

2023 Times of the Day

TC will open and be staffed in 2023 at the same times as in 2022, there is just a minor adjustment to when period 1 begins. We will still have clubs/tutors taking place on Wednesday and Friday afternoons (see the clubs announcements below). We will be letting parents know the bus times shortly.

For more information on the rationale, what has remained the same and what has changed, please see the post from several weeks ago.

These times will start from day 1 of 2023 in January 2023.

WANTED - Paper Bags for TC Farm

Backyard Permaculture are looking for paper bags like the one in the photo for us to use to bag up our orders. Do you have a stash at home that you are willing to donate? Please drop them into the bin at the front office.

WANTED - LAPTOP DONATIONS

Do you have any unwanted working Laptops or Laptop chargers that you can donate to TC students. We will wipe all of your information from your device and give it to one of our families who could benefit from your donation. Please drop off any unwanted working Laptops and or Laptop chargers to the front office.

2022 PARENT PAYMENTS

It is not too late to make a financial contribution for 2022.  Please go to the “Payment Centre” in Compass to see any outstanding “Extra-Curricular Items and Activities” and “Curriculum & Other Contribution” and make payment as soon as possible.  It is particularly important that “Extra-Curricular Items and Activities” are paid for as these subjects are not part of the standard Victorian Curriculum and so are provided on a user-pays basis (ie Animals Program, Personal Fitness, Dance, Backyard Permaculture, MAP, and ESDP).   These subjects/programs are costly to run; therefore, without financial support from our families, we will be unable to continue to offer them in their current format.  Be assured that all money received is used for the subject/program that it was intended.

Should you have any queries or should you be experiencing financial hardship, please do not hesitate to contact our accounts team on 03 9850 6333 (option 3) or accounts@tc.vic.edu.au.

Parent Book Launch - Life Hacks for Graduates

Life Hacks for Graduates – The Ultimate Success Formula to Accelerate Your Career and Life Goals is currently in presale release with expectation for publishing next March. Kate is mother of a TC Graduating student graduating and wants all young adults to have accelerated success in life. The book is for 17-to-29-year old’s or anyone interested in motivational success.  You can secure the presale book for $10 discount at https://py.pl/yVL8q.

You will be provided a gift voucher for Xmas stocking after your order. - please email lifehacksforgraduates@gmail.com before 18th December if you want the voucher personalised (free).

Bicycles/Lawn Mowers and Old Broken Computers sought for 2023 Systems Engineering

The 2023 Systems Engineering Class are looking for old push bikes, lawn mowers and broken computers to pull apart and use in their learning next year. If you have items you would like to donate please contact Thomas Kennedy on 0434 492 978 or YKEN@tc.vic.edu.au. Donations can be dropped off to Jeremy in SWING.

Previous TCNEWS Articles

Principal for the Day

Around fifteen past seven in the morning, our principal Peter Ellis usually arrives at school. He starts the work day off with breakfast at his desk (it's four weetbixes for those curious), checking his first round of emails and messages for the day and editing his to-do list that was compiled the night before. Afterwards, he heads over to the Assistant Principals' office for a ten-minute check-in and to discuss their agendas for the day.

Before I started my adventure of principal for the day, that morning Peter had already begun investigating vandalism that had occurred Sunday night in the Permaculture area. Maintenance was notified and it was cleaned up but he had to inform and ask students who hang out in the area about the graffiti and notify the police. When I arrived, Peter was in Tim's office combing through security cameras to try and identify the perpetrators.

While typing up his incident report to the department of education, I asked a bunch of questions. We discussed his first job, which was an English version of Super Cheap Auto in which he sold car parts and bikes and how he got into teaching and later leadership roles. Peter first started at TC in 2010, teaching design technology and the following year became programs leader for the Entry's (at the time was Year 7's) which later turned into the Leading Teacher Learning - Whole School and then assistant principal alongside Sally Holloway. From 2016 to 2017, he was co-principal with Peter Hutton and in 2018 was made sole Principal.

It was then time for another check-in with the AP's about the School Improvement Team (SIT) meeting that was happening later in the day and that Adam and Kat would be leading two groups to all collaborate on the annual implementation plan.

On our way to the HUB, I asked Peter about his favourite change that he has implemented at TC and he responded with the removal of year levels in 2014 so students can study at their own level. In the next few years, he would like his role as Principal to be more of a CEO position and mentor for student leaders. Throughout the day, the Bin Ban this week was a topic of multiple discussions as we floated around the school with many surprisingly enjoying the change as many areas like B-Wing appeared to look much cleaner.

Entering the hub at around 12, we met with Sophie to explore VISIONS, the TC art exhibition which was showing tons of incredible student artwork from this year. I was informed that they would be selecting works to display around the school and that I was able to help choose some, which was so exciting! With rolls of red dot stickers in hand, we began to place red dots on the frames of pieces that would suit spots around the school.

While en route to the Drama rehearsals, a conclusion came of the somewhat unknown identity of the vandals. Walking up to the PAC, the same graffiti from permaculture was spotted on the undercover seating area. The tag of one of the defacers was recognised, which meant the investigation could move forward with the police. We then entered the dress rehearsal to catch the last group performance. After the final claps, AP Sally handed everyone chocolates and Peter delivered a congratulatory message to the students, praising them for their hard work and performances.

Before a short lunch break, we headed back to the HUB to discuss framing, pricing and more about different pieces with art staff, Mini and Jemma. The discussion also included choosing a few more student pieces that we thought would look great in the display cabinet outside of the office. One of the pots Peter chose was one that I had previously told him the story behind. It was made by a student, Callum Patty and was inspired by his time in Darwin playing monopoly with his family, while it was thunderstorming!

To conclude my day shadowing Peter, I attended the SIT meeting at 2:30. The meeting included leadership staff from across the whole school as they discussed the annual implementation plan and what success would look like for staff, students and leaders. It was interesting to see Peter's role throughout the meeting. He opens up and concludes SIT but is able to oversee the groups and take a step back to empower others like AP's Kat and Adam to lead as well.

Having the opportunity to shadow our Principal for a day was a blast! I hope my article today has given the TC community a small insight into the many aspects of Peter's job. My favourite part of the day was helping select art pieces for display, seeing him interact with staff and students and learning more about how he approaches curveballs when they arise. One thing we might forget is how approachable Peter is as a Principal, his door is always open both metaphorically and physically. So next time you see him let him know how your day is going, you might get an insight into his in return!

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Semester 2 Dance Showcase

Ogres, Zombies, Fairies and Vampires were among us last Friday night.

Magic & Madness was the theme of the last TC dance showcase in 2022, and it was definitely my favourite! Some dances were spooky, while some made the audience laugh. Also, the song choices had me grooving in my seat and made a toddler near me jump from his chair and start dancing on the stairs. 

The semester two showcase featured over thirty students from the TC elite dance team and the elective classes (A and B). As always, our brilliant dancers were radiant as they performed a wide range of dance styles like jazz, lyrical and hip-hop. Did you know that the small group routines are choreographed by students? With only a few weeks, dancers in small groups collaborated to choreograph and select fitting music to their chosen theme. 

Here are some of the dancers' highlights of the night.

Amy: Running the elite lyrical dance the best we have ever seen it  
Scarlett: The finale with everyone at the end of the show as it was just so fun to celebrate the great performance.
Daniel: Getting ready all together and having laughs before the show
Samantha: Performing the elite lyrical dance with my team for the last time ever before I move schools.
Olivia: It was thrilling and nerve-wracking but it worked out so well!

With over eight years of teaching experience, Emma Tierney is extremely talented. She's been dancing since she was four and after graduating from high school, went on to obtain a diploma in dance and musical theatre. Her accomplishments include backup dancing for Jessica Mauboy and the Australian Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Robbie Williams and P!nk tribute shows. Outside of teaching at TC, Emma does corporate events and dances weekly with a Latin floor show company. 

For those interested in auditioning for the elite team, Emma "holds auditions for the elite team at the start of every year. [She] looks for versatile dancers that can do jazz, lyrical and hip-hop and passionate dancers that radiate their love for dance on the stage. It is a requirement to be doing dance either at school in the electives or out-of-school technique classes. Also, dancers that can take and apply feedback and can learn routines at a quick rate as the first competition is early in the year." 

My favourites:
Enchantress' - Liv and Daniel
Voodoo Dolls -insDevils - Dance Elective A (choreographed by Emma Tierney)
Pirates - Lielle, Mia, Jamie and Meg

It's been such a blast attending every performance this year and seeing the teams grow as dancers. Congrats on a great year to the team behind the showcases, the elite team, and the dance-elective classes!

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Student Employability Skills Program

Did you know that the TC Facebook page is run by a student? The Student Employability Skills Program has to be one of my favourite parts of TC! The program currently provides over 70 students with real PAID work experience. From photographers to marketing designers and my role as a student journalist, there is truly a job out there for all types of TC students. The program, is centrally coordinated by Sophie and her main aim is to "ensure students have a positive learning experience during the hiring process and while they are a part of our student employability skills community". 

So you want to apply for one of the listed jobs? Here is what the process is like:

Sophie: Once students have submitted applications, I prepare for shortlisting with the staff member/s involved. It is always great to see the time and effort students put into writing their resumes and cover letters.
We then have an interview process that I set up at a convenient time for the recruiting staff member, and then I communicate with successful and unsuccessful candidates afterwards. 
Once students have become a part of the employability skills program, they also undergo OHS training with me to gain an insight into their rights as team members of the program.
It is an awesome way to see students show their passions and interests in a "real world" scenario and a great first start to joining the workforce! I recommend if a job is advertised that sparks your interest, apply today!

Helpful tip from Sophie: One thing I note when I am reading resumes and cover letters is if it is tailored for the job, so their skills match the job that they are applying for and a cover letter that is addressed to the appropriate person (eg myself and the staff supervisor), and a proper cover letter, not just an email. 

I spoke with over 38 students about their experience in the program. Here are just some of their responses. Read on.

Chloe - Lab Technician
The main component of my job is helping out our school lab tech Bruce with anything that needs to be prepped for class experiments. These jobs include making up solutions of chemicals, sorting out equipment, cleaning up and putting away equipment and even sometimes testing out pracs (which is really fun!). I have found having experience in the lab really valuable as working in the science field is one of my goals for the future. Being able to talk to and learn from Bruce has been great. He has a lot of experience working in labs and has taught me a lot from his knowledge. 

Nicholas - Canteen Assistant
My favourite part of the job is probably making hot drinks and trying to improve my coffee art. Although getting a discount on drinks is also a pretty amazing part of the job! I think anyone who wants a job at TC shouldn't hesitate to apply. Getting a job at school will give you work experience that will help you greatly when trying to get a job outside of school. And it's great to get this experience in a lower-pressure setting such as at school. The other amazing thing about having a job at school is that it's right here. You don't have to spend time travelling to different places since school and work are all in one place, which is very convenient.  

Lili - Animals Technician
My job involves coming to school for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday to feed, provide water and interact with the fish, mammals, birds and reptiles that are a part of the program. My favourite part of having the animal technician job is being able to interact with animals when there aren’t other students around, having the opportunity to bond with the animals is a really special experience. My job at TC will assist me with my future career of being a zookeeper after I have graduated, as having experience in the animal industry prior to zookeeping is very beneficial. 

George - Design Technology Assistant
My job is cleaning the technologies rooms, as well as the laser and the larger machines. So far, I am not old enough to get a paid job outside of school yet and have no other job inside school related to DT. But my job will certainly, help me with employment and work in the future. My tip for students who want to get a job at TC is to focus on work you find interesting, or that you would want to pursue in the future.

Kyra - PAC Photography and Front of House
In my photography job, I take live photos of performances as well as photos for the foyer and programs. In my Front of House job, I help manage the seating, opening and closing theatre doors and last-minute ticket sales. My tip for students who want to get a job at TC is to just go for it! There are so many opportunities that pop up over the year, so if you believe you are right for the role then put in an application!

Elizabeth - Maintenance
My job is in maintenance and cleaning and I do a lot of the cleaning jobs like recycling, cleaning tables and chairs, cleaning whiteboards, changing rubbish bins and sometimes we do some other mini jobs like moving chairs/tables and stuff like that. My job here has helped me with confidence levels and my favourite part is getting to hang out with my partner and getting to learn new skills for example what to do if insects are in a bin or when people put the wrong things inside the recycling bin etc. 

Kate - Urban Farmhand
I am the cashier/student manager at the permaculture market every Friday from 2-4 pm and on school holidays. I have had this job for just over two months and I really love talking to everyone, setting up the market and harvesting our wonderful produce. I think that TC having the opportunity for student employment is amazing. If you’re interested in getting a job at TC; why not? You might as well put your hand up and go hey I’ll do that and just see what happens.

Lucy - Maths Tutoring
I help other students (anyone from entry to other grads) with their math work on Friday afternoons during TC's math tutoring sessions. Being able to help other students with something that I really enjoy. Math is really cool (and I'm probably going to sound borderline cringy here) but it's inspiring to see other students learn and become more confident with their maths knowledge. Tutoring at TC has definitely given me the confidence and experience to tutor on my own. You get loads of guidance and support from all the TC math teachers.

Dan - Sound Engineer
I am one of the sound engineers at TC that looks after all things microphones and speakers during events. My favourite part of the job has to be the constant banter while learning and improving key skills in the hands-on field. My job at TC has opened many doors for my career as I have now worked for and with many external production companies. 

Make sure to keep an eye out for any new jobs listed on your teams community page! 

Special thanks to all the students I spoke with. Keep up the great work!

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Earth Week

The Last Community Integrated Learning theme for this year was 'Earth'. During Week 4 (October 24-28), TC celebrated Earth Week with a range of class-based and whole-school activities focusing on sustainability, climate action, energy and waste reduction. CIL organiser Ryan Griffith explains that the theme aimed to "focus our attention on this era-defining issue through action-based learning that will hopefully empower our community to make a positive difference to our environment." 

Throughout the week, there were a plethora of activities, many of which stemmed from the ideas of students who were awarded grants to lead earth-themed activities. Congrats to August Jellis (sustainable food exploration project), Carstens Beyers (micro-bat boxes), and all the students in MAP Occupations (native bird boxes) for their excellent project ideas. 

Also very excitingly, TC received some grants! In the coming year, these grants will help TC go solar, and build a wheelchair-accessible sensory bird aviary and a brand new permaculture project that will be open to the TC community in hopes to reduce the use of everyday plastics.

Here, I spoke to some of the staff and students involved in the activities held throughout the week. Read on. 

Videos For Change:

Ryan: Students could win cash prizes and sustainable picnics for their Connect groups by submitting high-impact one-minute videos on the theme. Videos for Change is an annual global competition and every entry into our TC comp automatically gets entered into the national and global comps. 

There will also be a people's choice award, where students can watch all the fantastic videos and vote for their favourite. Winners will be announced shortly.

Bike 'n Blend - Science

Science hosted an exciting Bike 'n Blend incursion during lunch, where students made delicious and healthy smoothies using nothing but leg power!

Micro-Bat Boxes 

Anna: The micro-bat boxes are boxes where micro-bats can live. You don't ever really see them, but microbats are everywhere and are very important to our ecology. They are very small bats (about the width of your thumb) that need tree hollows to live. However, like most animals that need tree hollows to live, their habitats are becoming scarce. Microbats eat between 500 to 1000 mosquitos every night, so they are a really important part of our ecology. I suggested the idea as one of the ideas we were brainstorming as a Connect group because I love camping, and I am a scout, and scout properties around Victoria also promote the bat-boxes, particularly on the properties. The Connect group liked the idea and so applied for a grant for materials. We will put some of the bat boxes around Templestowe College and donate others to places in the community that would benefit from a decreased mosquito population. These bat boxes connect with Earth Week because they contribute to the natural ecology of Templestowe. I'm really proud of our Connect group who took the time to submit an application. We're very grateful to Ryan and the Connect team for their support and we are enjoying learning the skills required to make the bat-boxes come together.

Food Exploration Project - Emily & August 

Native Bird Boxes - MAP

FLE Maths project 

Rachael: The project focused on collecting student data around Earth week-related topics to develop an understanding of FLE student behaviours, awareness, purchases and choices. In small groups, they could choose their own topics, develop questions and an appropriate range of answers and have all students answer their survey. With the data, the next step was to collate and graph their results. Each year we have a data project in FLE. However, with the Earth Week theme, we decided to make this the focus. Students came up with lots of great topics like water use, public transport, new vs recycled clothes, make-up recycling, plastic vs paper straws and more!.

Solutions Waste Project & Intermediate VCAL

Explored waste and recycling

Energy Expert Residency

Ryan: We were also very lucky to host our first Energy Expert Residency. Lucinda Flynn, a registered Energy Auditor, spent the whole week in and around the school working with classes, staff, and teams to learn about energy efficiency, identify solutions to our local energy and waste challenges, and create an action plan for ongoing improvement in this space. 

Solar Oven Making - Backyard Studies

Food Tech

Students learnt about preserving, jam making, alternative high-nutrition flours such as coconut flour and cooking in season with free range low intensity farming meat.

And more!

It's also exciting to announce next year's Community Integrated Learning-themed weeks. The connect team would like to thank all the students, families, and staff who contributed their ideas and thoughts via the surveys.

Here are the themes for 2023:
Term 1: A breath of fresh air (nature, outdoors, play and mental health)
Term 2: Living Culture (indigenous culture, global culture and what is culture?)
Term 3: You, Me, We (identity, personal belonging and pathways)
Term 4: Give back (contributing to our communities)

It has been awesome to see how this year's CIL's have impacted our community. Congrats to the whole connect team!

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Elite Dance Showcase Review

Last Friday Night, the award-winning Elite dance team dazzled us with their dance moves to raise money for their Nationals comp next year! Held in the PAC, there were all kinds of performances. From lyrical to hip hop there was a dance for everyone. Also, if you're a fan of amazing music (Beyoncé, Madonna, Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse) you would've definitely had a good time.

At the Nationals competition next year, held by Dance Life Unite, the elite team will verse schools all around Australia for a national title. The event is held at 'Big Top' in Luna Park, Sydney. It's a great opportunity for students to see what’s out there and experience competing against different states.

Emma Tierney runs the Elite Program every Friday afternoon with guest teacher Tonille, who teaches hip-hop. For the dancers, the group performances were already learnt by heart since they had already performed them earlier in the year at competitions and other showcases, but with the guidance of Emma and Tonille, they had only had a month to choreograph and learn their solos, duos and trios!

If you've ever wondered where the gorgeous costumes are from, the team hire them from the Edge performers school in Eltham. The school has a wide range of options in its stunning costume wardrobe. Emma also teaches at the Edge and is able to go down and choose costumes that she thinks would be a perfect fit for each routine.

For dancer Sam Boscariol, the highlight of the night was the "final bows, hearing the audience cheer and clap and hearing about how much they loved the show. Also the nice compliments from the audience members after the show."

Congrats to all students and staff involved in the fantastic performance!

My personal favourites were:
Burlesque - Group performance
Break my Soul/Vogue - Daniel
Easy to Love - Charlise
Glam - Ash & Jamie
Step Up - Group performance

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist