Next Week @TC

17/06/2022

• Staff farewells

• 2023 Senior Pathways Options @TC

• Ration Challenge

• TCNEWS - TC Drama - Beyond Real Life Performance

Staff Farewells

At this point in the year, we have a few staff leaving us, mainly to move overseas.

We want to thank Mahsa, who is moving to the Netherlands and Calvin, who is returning to Singapore, for their contributions to the TC Community over their time whilst here at the School. We would also like to thank Helen Bower, one of our many music instrumental staff who finishes with us this term. We also have Drew retiring from our Permaculture Garden team. Drew has spent many years developing the Permaculture program alongside students and various staff, and leaves a great legacy behind him in that space.

We also wish Aaron, our Assistant Principal, good luck as he takes a year's leave to begin a position working on setting up a school in America for 12 months.

We will introduce those staff replacements at the beginning of term 3, but at this point, we want to focus on wishing our departing all the best in their new and exciting endeavours.

2023 Senior Pathway Options @TC

Students transitioning from FLE 3 - FLE 4 in 2023, were presented to on the morning of Wednesday 15 June. The presentation gave students a snapshot of their pathway options heading into their final two years at TC.

A major part of the presentation was focused on familiarising students with the introduction of the VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM)

The VCE VM is a new vocational and applied learning program that sits within the VCE.  It takes what is called an ‘Applied Learning approach’ and shares many similarities with our existing VCAL program. The program will see a phased introduction beginning in 2023.

The VCE VM will prepare students to move successfully into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university through alternative entry programs or directly into the workforce.  There are no external examinations for the VCE VM studies and therefore students do not receive a study score and are not eligible to receive an ATAR.

An overview of the program structure, core subjects, potential benefits, etc can now be found on the College's Subject Website: https://www.subjects.tc.vic.edu.au/vcevm

2023 FLE 4 students or Grads who wish to undertake the VCE VM pathway, must submit a VCE VM Expression of Interest. This can be found at the link below.

Applications opened on Wednesday 15 June and will close on Friday 15 July. Interviews are planned to take place in term 3 week 4. Invitations for the interviews will be sent out to students and parents/carers early in term 3.

Students who choose the VCE VM as their preferred pathway must also include Vocational Education and Training (VET) as part of their program. The link to the 2023 VET Expression of Interest can be found below.

For more information relating to the VCE reforms please visit this website: https://www.vic.gov.au/many-talents-one-vce

Thanks,
Liam O'Neill
Director of Senior Certificates

The Ration Challenge

Support our staff and students participating in this years Ration Challenge! The Ration Challenge is a 3-day challenge eating the rations a refugee receives. The goal is to raise money that will be used to buy food and medicine. Take a look at our sponsorship page here - 2022 - Ration Challenge Schools 2022.

TC VCE Drama: Beyond Real Life Performance

On Friday, the 27th of May, the TC community was invited to watch the Drama 3/4 classes, semester one ensemble performances! By using "traditional oral storytelling and physical performance", the performances explored mature themes and highlighted the creativity of TC's Drama department. All of the works explored the "theatrical avant-garde, playing with form, style and composition to create exciting new works of modern theatre". As part of their SAC, the four performances were entirely developed by the brilliant students, in accordance with, "theatrical traditions and assessment conditions." The incredible performances both challenged the audience and made them laugh out loud.

Works presented:
Nightmare at the Museum - 'Do I stay lost and embrace who I am or be someone I'm not and be lost?'
Untitled Murder Mystery - An old-school murder mystery with a thrilling twist.
Jess, Ingrid & Bella - The modern world is a twisted place, which tries to rob us of our very humanity. Meet a mother and daughter who try to survive it all.
Just Chaerrfro4hllh (Carol) - 'Welcome to my world, where everything revolves around me' - Cherrfor4hllh (Carol)

Here, I asked Drama teacher Julian Stickland and students Bec Fowler, Sive Trayford and Aimee Spence a few questions about their involvement in the Beyond Real Life ensemble performance. Read on.

Could you tell me a bit about your performance?

Bec: My performance “Just Chaeffroh4oyllh (Carol)” Is about a young narcissist and her friends, Jim, and Dick. The play is about them preparing for a school talent show. Chaeffroh4oyllh is a talented and outgoing girl who wants to prove herself to the school and her peers. Jim is a nerdy loser, whose only wish is to catch Chaeffroh4oyllh’s eye. Dick is an interesting one, he’s the coolest damn dude in town, or at least that’s what he thinks, he also falls in love with Chaeffroh4oyllh, but things don’t turn out the way they expected…

Sive: Our performance "Nightmare at the museum" follows a boy Tyler who struggles with his identity after coming out to his family and not receiving acceptance from them. His sister Anita haunts his dreams trying to get him to come back, while his best friend Hope supports his identity but not his relationship with his family. The performance follows Tyler's indecisiveness as he chooses between his identity or his family.

What was the process like in creating your performance?

Bec: The first step was brainstorming ideas using our stimulus material which were some images and prompts. The next step was writing the music for the songs and then recording them. Thankfully, we have a studio here at the school, and with the help of Pete Newmarch, Brady, Leon, Nikita, Sam, and myself we recorded the songs in time for the recital. After that, it was lots of rehearsing. 

Sive: Once we had a fully formed idea, we then began scripting and improvising while working with the structure of a performance style. After that rehearsing consisted of blocking scenes and learning lines. Then in the final weeks of rehearsing, we added props, sets, lighting and sound. Finally, in the last week of rehearsing, we focused on refining small moments of our performance to bring it to the best possible quality.

Aimee: Once you have an initial idea it's a lot easier to work off, but the hardest part is coming up with an idea that everyone will enjoy working on. Once we had an idea, we split up some of our roles and started working. Our performance was very minimalistic when it came to props and set, as we thought our performance should reflect our skills, not what the stage looked like, but it was accompanied by some minor settings like tables and chairs.

What was the most difficult part of the performance?

Bec: During the song Microwave Hands, I was struggling to maintain composure as the audience was laughing so much, this caused my voice to sound shaky, however, I managed to stay focused and get through it without laughing, this was still the most challenging part.

Sive: Making sure that I was committing to the present moment of the performance, so I wasn't focusing on the next line I had to say or what the next scene was. 

Aimee: Singing live is very difficult, as you have to focus on projection, staying on pitch, remembering the lyrics and blocking and also maintaining the correct facial expression. 

How was it performing/seeing your students perform in front of a live audience? 

Julian: There is nothing like seeing your students perform, it's a very confusing feeling actually, on one hand, you are still assessing their work and at VCE that means real judgement calls about how everyone is doing. On the other hand, you feel like a stage parent, proud of the effort, sweat and anxiety that your students have poured into their work. For those reasons I definitely prefer rehearsal time over the final performance.

Bec: It was great to get up in front of a proper audience and perform after so long. During the rehearsal, I was especially worried as we weren’t getting much of a reaction from the audience present, but on the night, the audience was laughing and engaged with the music, it was really encouraging to see!

Congrats to all students and staff involved in the highly successful ensemble performances!

To look at more photos of the performances (Taken by Ryan Griffith): https://adobe.ly/3a2B8pc

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Previous Annoucements

• Update from the School for Student Leadership

• 2023 VET Expressions of Interest Now Open

• End of Term 2/Beginning of Term 3 Arrangements

Update from the School for Student Leadership

Five of our students have spent Term 2 at the School for Student Leadership Snowy River Campus. Please see their update below.

Hello from the School for Student Leadership, Snowy River Campus. We are Tya Robinson, Mikaia Lion-Preuss, Bel Gooley, Ed Mason and Kaeden Falzon.

We decided to come here because it sounded like an amazing experience to develop selfleadership and have fun, especially after the past few years in lockdown to come to a new place and to be able to meet a whole lot of new people in a fun and flexible learning environment. The camps and all the outdoor actvites sound so amazing and fun.

The highlight from us so far has been our first expedition which was a two-day hike along the beach. There were ups and downs but that made it more fun, adventurous and exciting and we helped each other stick together though the experience. We do outdoor activites such as bike riding, canoeing, bridge building, fire down at a special spiritual place, and spirit spot up in the amazing sand dunes where we do our reflection every re-charge day which is our one-day weekend on Saturday’s.

The place is very different to Templestowe College. We have duties everyday, including breakfast, morning tea, lunch, dinner set up and back up. We also have bathroom clean up. Everyday there are two student leaders where they lead the day and tell everyone what to do. None of the classes are the same as they would be at Templestowe College. Instead of studying core subjects such as English, Maths and Science we learn about how to become a beter community by the 9 learning concepts, including:

1. Learning Strategies

2. Emotional management

3. Resilience

4. Idenitity

5. Empathy

6. Respectful Relationships

7. Collaboration

8. Health and Wellbeing

9. Environments

Not only that, we also learn self-leadership. We have really enjoyed our weeks so far and can’t wait to encounter both the adventures and challenges to come.

2023 VET Expression of Interest

The Expressions of Interest to study a VET course in 2023 will open on Monday 30th May.

Please follow this link VET External to find out about all things VET. Here you will find a 2023 VET presentation video, the EOI form and the 2022 VET Handbooks. Please use the 2022 VET Handbooks as an initial guide for course selection.

The 2023 VET Handbooks are expected to be released in June and will be updated on the web page as they become available. Some 2022 courses may not be available in 2023 but we anticipate that most courses will be available.

The EOI form is due by Friday 15th July (end of week 1, term 2). Applications after this date will be considered on a case by case basis.

Unsure? Submit an EOI anyway!

As places in VET courses are limited, submitting an EOI early means that you are less likely to miss out. You can withdraw from VET courses before the end of Term 4 2022, as long as you let us know.

It is best to keep your options open if you are still figuring things out.

If you have any questions, please email vet-support@tc.vic.edu.au or come and see Tammy in the HUB.

End of Term 2/ Beginning of Term 3 Arrangements

• Last Day of Term 2 – Friday 24th June. Classes will finish at the normal time on this day.

• First Day of Term 3 – Monday 11th July

• Last Day of Term 3 – Friday 16th September

Pervious TCNEWS

Student businesses at TC!

At TC, students are able to incorporate their passions with their subjects! With student-led electives like entrepreneurship, animal industry skills, cafe culture and more, students can earn money while gaining real work experience. Many of these subjects have inspired students to create their businesses outside of school. On connect this week, the segment "Student Businesses at TC" highlighted some of the incredible businesses run by TC students.

De Fazio Knives:

Since he was tweleve, student Aidan De Fazio has been hand making custom knives. The knifemaker was first inspired by watching youtube videos of blacksmiths from all over the globe. On this weeks connect episode Aidan decribes the challenges of running a small business. "Starting at twelve, I didn't have any tools... that was definitly a challange but, once I got going, I started reinvesting my money from the knives back into the tools". Aidan is also apart of the Australian Knife Makers Guild. Through the AKG, Aidan has participated in the Melbourne Knife Show and selling his own knives to the public. 

Little Nick Nacks:

Year 10 student Georgia has an adorable hand-drawn sticker business! The face of the brand Wilma was based on her very own childhood teddy bear. Starting in August 2021, Little Nick Nacks has gone on to sell stickers all over Australia. As a young business owner, she's found using TikTok to promote her business has been very helpful and generated some of her sales! To make one of the charming stickers, Georgia first designs her characters on her iPad and photoshop, after this she prints, cuts, packages and then ships them off! Due to her growing business, Georgia was contacted by a Monash Uni event manager and ended up sponsoring a Monash Arts open day show bag! In the future, Georgia is hoping to start shipping her stickers worldwide and continue to grow Little Nick Nacks

Emmett Therapy:

Emmett Therapy is used to ease pain and discomfort, increase movement and improve quality of life for both humans and animals! As of January this year TC's Junior Animals Technician Megan Hanel has become a qualified Emmett Therapist! SInce she was younger Megan has alway had a passion for animals and Emmett Therapy has helped her understand animals in a whole new way!

Nouche Jewellery: 

Last year after falling in love with the art of jewellery making (TC elective) Alyssa Teichtahl began selling handmade resin jewellery. For students staring a business Alyssa suggests "working with what you love doing... and if you put your heart and soul into it, thats all you really need"

Other student businesses mentioned during the episode:

• Busking (Leon, Nikita and Dan)

• Fish Breeding (Caelan Harris)

Check out the Student Businesses:

De Fazio Knives:
https://linktr.ee/defazio_knives

Little Nick Nacks:
https://linktr.ee/Littlenicknacks

Emmett Therapy: Megan Hanel
Emmett.meganhanel@gmail.com
0411707744

Nouche Jewellery: 
https://www.instagram.com/nouche_jewellery/
https://www.nouchejewellery.com/

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Get ready! The second Community Integrated Learning Week is coming up. The theme for this year is Global Citizenship. During the week, the TC community will explore cultural awareness, identifying issues and challenges that affect humanity and decision making and problem-solving that involves listening and resolving differences in a respectful and culturally sensitive way. Throughout week six, there will be a plethora of events, performances, classroom-based activities and community projects occurring across the whole campus. 

Some of these include: 

Native Indigenous Revegetation Project 🌱

Ran by Ryley Norris, the project will "revegetate numerous plants native to the Kulin Nation'. The project will cover the entirety of the C wing border and some of the Art hub. Lots of plants will be placed during the week including, a native Black Kurrajong. The VCAL classes aim to support the integration of native plants back into modern Australia and the rejuvenation of our food systems!

Lines in the Sand 🎶

Featuring international guest artists and our amazing TC Musicians, this is a must-see event. The musicians are premiering a whole suite of original songs and special arrangements of songs from around the world. The evening concerts will be held on Tuesday, May 31st and Wednesday, June 1st. Book your tickets now!

Photography in Activism 📸

This project will occur in David Payne's photography elective class. "Photographic images are one of the most popular tools used to advocate for social and environmental awareness". Students will be exploring how the power of photography has impacted recent movements. Prints will be displayed at TC and shared through all social channels. 

Hashtag Project #

The Hashtag Project aims to understand and be a part of a globalised online community. The project highlights the importance of global citizenship and the power hashtags have on society. As global citizens, we have seen social movements gain momentum through the use of hashtags - #BLM #metoo. They are also used to connect with people with similar interests. Mia Cooper's Media class will be brainstorming hashtags and then sharing them with us through Community Teams!

International MAP Collaboration 🌍

Through Global Citizenship week, the TC Montessori Adolescent Program will be building global connections! MAP students will be partnered in small groups with other students from across the globe. The international students are from Japan, South Africa, Germany, Morroco and the Philippines. Online collaboration between students will result in projects and learning about each other's countries and cultures. 

VCD- Activism Posters 📜

To promote the idea of being a 'global citizen', Demi Nicolaidises VCD elective students will be creating a poster using key skills with Photoshop. The posters will explore Climate change, identity, people's rights, recycling and humanitarianism. The posters will be displayed in C-Wing and around the school.

The Sharing Culture Project 🔁

During Global Citizenship week, EAL students will teach the Entry students some expressions from their native language and tell them about their home countries. In return, the Entry students will prepare some questions to ask the EAL students, to find out about their countries and the differences between Australia and the other countries. The purpose of this lesson is, to build connections between EAL and local students.

Other activities include:

• FLE Maths - Backyard Pool project

•  Practical Maths - Scopa! Italian card game

•  Entry and Pre-VCE English - Vietnamese Experience Project

•  Prep English – “On Your Soapbox” speaking about global issues project

•  Applied English – Create a Travel Agency to an Unpopular Destination

•  English - TC Street Podcast “Global Connections” episode

•  Humanities/English - Model UN Forum

•  MAP - International Montessori Collaboration (Japan/Morocco/South Africa/Germany/Philippines/Australia)

•  Entry Science – “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (Global Edition)

•  Science and Food – Roving Insect tasting menu at lunch and recess

•  International - TC International Alumni videos and messages

•  Art - Recycled materials sculpture

•  Entry PE and Dance - Indian Classical Dance and Hip-Hop

•  Canteen - Special International Menu

•  Zoology and Ecology - Environmental Messaging through Art, Role of Zoos in Global Conservation

•  Food - International Dishes, War on Waste

•  Connect - World Café, Global Map project

•  Whole school – Tonga Penpal project

Recess and Lunch Activities:

Monday:

•  Social Justice Club D07

•  Global DJs S Wing

Tuesday:

•  Lunchtime insect tasting menu (learning about food sustainability)

•  History Club – Global Edition

•  Evening Concert “Lines in the Sand” ALL TC COMMUNITY WELCOME (tickets via https://www.trybooking.com/BZFVL)

Wednesday:

•  Evening Concert “Lines in the Sand” ALL TC COMMUNITY WELCOME (tickets via https://www.trybooking.com/BZFVL)

 Thursday:

•  International Dress Day (Dress in a national costume)

•  Lunchtime insect tasting menu (learning about food sustainability)

•  ALPA (Filipino band) lunchtime performance

•  Chess Club – Chinese Chess

Friday:

• Lunchtime insect tasting menu (learning about food sustainability)

A huge shout out to all the students and staff involved!

To check out the full list of activities, see Ryan Griffith's recent email or your Community page and be sure to follow TC on Facebook and Community pages on Teams for photos, stories and updates from the week.

By Bonnie-Mai Smith 
TC Journalist

Student Successes in Top Arts, Screen and Design

This year some visual art students at TC have been selected for the VCE Season of Excellence! The annual five-month festival showcases the exceptional work created by senior secondary students across Victoria. Currently, four former TC graduate students have their work shown in major cultural venues. With hundreds of entries to be a part of the Season of Excellence, artworks were selected based on key criteria such as "conceptual development, technical excellence, aesthetic considerations, awareness of past and contemporary art practices, individuality, and innovation".  

In late October, applications for the Season of Excellence (Top Designs, Top Screen, Top Arts) open. Students with a highly resolved media product and folio are encouraged to apply with the help of their art teacher. They are also asked to submit a written reflection that addresses how the artwork expresses their idea and how the aesthetic qualities were achieved. This then goes to a selection panel for first-round selections. If the work is shortlisted, the panel (VCAA and the curators and educators of the NGV) will then, ask the students to bring in their folio to be assessed. If selected, the media product is screened at Top Screen (ACMI) or exhibited at Top Design (Melbourne Museum) and Top Arts (NGV).

Here are the TC Artists and Artwork that are currently exhibited:

Top Arts:      

Identity by Holly O'Brien

Both artworks (Identity and OUTSIDERS) explore the same themes surrounding identity and personal experiences. I wanted to create works that contain symbolic imagery and bright colours as a form of self-expression. Through both works, I have represented my personal life experiences and how these experiences shape who I am as an individual.

Bricks, bins & backstreets by Miki Flett

My first artwork Bricks, bins & backstreets portrays a desperate attachment to people, places & memories through a literal depiction of large, crippled hands grasping onto an ordinary backstreet building. The concept reflects how something as mundane as a brick building hidden by narrow streets, can be held onto, sentimentally.

Top Screen:

The Flower in Me by Erin Kim

ANIMATION, 3 MIN

Insecure about the flower buds on her antlers not having bloomed like her other peers, Bom struggles with self-acceptance. Her self-doubt transforms into the physical form of a shadow creature that consumes Bom, until her friend Pangie rescues her.

Top Designs:

The Purrfect Pair Cat Carrier by Amelie Thompson

I designed the cat carrier for an end-user group that wanted a product that would provide a comforting environment for cats while travelling. My research found that travelling with a new cat is difficult, as cats are often anxious in new settings. I designed and created a carrier product that the cat would interact with on a daily basis, so it would feel safe and familiar when travelling. 

OUTSIDERS by Holly O'Brien

The idea for my print production came from a personal interest in graphic novels, comic books and art styles from animated films and TV shows. My intention was to create a short graphic novel that focuses on the friendship between humans and automations. I wanted to depict my narrative through the use of the steampunk genre, due to my fascination with illustrating robotic machinery. My narrative also presents themes of social anxiety, which the audience may be able to relate to through the work.

Here I interviewed former grad, Erin Kim, about her animation The Flower in Me and Art teachers Mia and Demi on their Top Arts 2022 experience.

What was the inspiration behind your artwork?

Erin:  I was inspired by my journey of self-acceptance and celebration of oneself. I intended to create a character that was having their own self-discovery in an abstract form.

How is it like having your/ your student's media products exhibited in a museum or shown on the big screen?

Mia: It is very rewarding to see a student's hard work and determination be recognised at such a high level. The students work so hard all year on their media production (SAT) from researching ideas, developing their ideas and then producing and refining a final media product. I am so proud of the students whose works were selected for this year's screening and exhibition. 

Erin: It's truly an honour to have my animation exhibited to so many people. Being a perfectionist, it's hard to acknowledge my achievements so I feel justified to be proud of what I've created.

Did you go to the openings? If so how was it?

Mia: Yes, I went to the Top Screen opening night, which was really fun! It's like going to a proper movie premiere or awards night! You get to meet all the filmmakers and hear about their process and journey. Also, you get choc-tops!! 

Erin: Yes I did! At the opening, I received the Top Screens Jury prize which I didn't expect at all (I didn't even know they had prizes). I was just really happy to know that people enjoyed my animation.

Demi: Yes, I go every year! When a student is selected for Top Arts the VCE teacher is invited to this VIP event. It is very exciting and an honour to be there with the students who worked so hard throughout the year. It is awesome to have their work on display in a world recognised gallery such as the NGV and to have parents, families and educators celebrate with them.

What advice would you give to future Top Screen and Top Design applicants?

Mia: My advice would be to work on your folio consistently and seek feedback regularly. You need to have a strong work ethic and be willing to invest 110% into it. Involve family and friends as it is truly a piece of schoolwork you will always remember and be proud of!

Erin: I recommend establishing your strengths and weaknesses before starting a project. This allows you to plan better on what you can and not do. E.g. I knew I wasn't confident in background design so I went with a minimalistic animation style.

Holly O'Brien (Identity) and Miki Flett's (Bricks, bins & backstreets) can be viewed at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Fed Square until the 24th of July 2022.

Erin Kim (The Flower in Me), Holly Obrien (OUTSIDERS) and Amelie Thompsons (The Purrfect Pair Cat Carrier) can be viewed at the Melbourne Museum until the 10th of July 2022 or you can take a virtual tour on their website.

Congratulations to Erin Kim on The Top Screen Jury Prize and the students that were selected this year for the Season of Excellence!

For more info on the Top Designs at Melbourne Museum and Virtual Tour: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/learning/top-designs-2022/
For more info on the Top Arts at the NGV: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/top-arts-2022/
Erins Art Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tearhope.jpg/
Erins Film The Flower In Me: https://youtu.be/_OuxxQEMByY
To view some amazing student art work, you can follow TC Visual Arts on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tcvisualart/

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

Psychology 3/4's visit to Animals

This week, the Psychology 3/4 classes visited the TC animal farm! For their second area of study, the Psychology students are learning about the "neural basis of memory and learning and examining factors that influence the learning of new behaviours". Teacher Duncan and student head keeper Megan Hael explained to the classes the process of how the TC animals department teaches and trains their adorable llamas, goats and pigs . In turn, the students, shared some new ways the animals team could teach their animals new behaviours.

By Bonnie-Mai Smith
TC Journalist

CLUBS @TC

At TC, there is a club for everyone! The myriad of social clubs at Templestowe College allows students to explore their interests outside of classes and be a part of a smaller community that shares common interests. Since most clubs are student-driven, students can take on leadership roles, meet new people and be a part of fun events! Some of these clubs are:

Mondays: 

Geography Club:

Mark your calendars! Starting week three Geography Club will be held every odd week Monday Lunchtimes in C03. Starting with Uzbekistan, in every meeting there will be a focus on a different country. The meetings will start with a Worldle competition and some fun geography games. There will be a presentation on the chosen country that is being covered: Geography, History, Leadership and Culture. Hopefully, there will also be traditional tasty snacks that represent the country! The Club is open to everyone who is interested and wants to learn more about the world around them.

Social Justice Club:

The Social Justice Club runs every second Monday lunchtime (even weeks) in D07. Staff facilitate discussions but the club is primarily student-led. Currently, the members discuss current affairs, are organising a fundraiser and are preparing to run formal debates. Last term, the Social Justice Club merged with the knitting club to talk about the news while knitting! The students are also planning a sleepout to raise awareness about homelessness in Australia.

Tuesdays:

Art Committee:

The Art Committee meets every Tuesday lunchtime in the Art Hub and aims to promote Visual Arts at TC. In this committee, "Students are coming up with their own ideas around what the committee should be, this could include thinking up exhibitions, promoting the exhibitions, working on community projects." Earlier in the year, a student member suggested that they make ceramic dog bowls that can be placed around the school for all of the dogs of the day! The Committee are also currently organising an art competition for Global Citizenship week, planning exhibitions and working on design commissions. All students are welcome to join!

History Club:

History lovers meet every Tuesday lunchtime in C03 to discuss the history of different topics. My recent personal favourites have been the history of fashion presented by student Jasmine Fuga, amazing women from history and the history of salt! The meetings usually kick off with some fun history-related games, Who am I's? and on this day in history where we look back on famous historical events that happened on that day. The meetings are filled with lots of tea, biscuits and laughs! 

Animals Group:

The Animals Group meetings are held weekly in the Reptiles Room (E2) at lunchtime (1:30 pm), on Tuesdays. The Committee is comprised of animal-loving students, students enrolled in animal classes, class leaders, head keepers, animals staff etc. The meetings are where the group discusses any important updates about the program, such as animal health issues or maintenance and husbandry tasks they need to be aware of. Facilitator Kate Meehan describes the meetings as "an awesome way for students to see how to have a balanced discussion with people with opposing views. We have an agenda that students can add to, and we have a student that chairs the meeting. People put up their hands to contribute and add in their thoughts, and someone takes minutes to document the discussion and outcome." A huge achievement for the Animals Committee last year was the Pig Project! From start to finish the group worked tirelessly to plan and prepare for adding the adorable pigs "Peabody and Sherman" to the program. The Animals group try to plan for an event each term and is hoping their upcoming trivia night will there biggest event yet. Stay tuned!

Thursdays:

Chess Club:

Chess Club held every Thursday at lunchtime, in D02 is a great club for chess pros and even Queens Gambit fans who want to pick up a new skill! 

The club was started last year by Callum Mcdonald and some former students. Callum believes that "Chess club is important because chess teaches focus and pattern recognition, it’s also something you can do for the rest of your life!" New members don’t even need to have any experience in playing chess. Everyone is welcome to join and boards, timers and snacks are provided!

Queer Club:

Queer Club welcomes students across all year levels and groups, as well as staff members who identify as LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender diverse, Intersex, Queer, Asexual and Questioning) as well as allies, to connect, share stories and build relationships. The meetings are held every Thursday lunchtime in Wellbeing (the back of S Wing). The Club was started in 2018 by former students with the goal to build safe spaces at TC for young queer people, and allies, to be themselves and talk about their experiences! Sometimes the meetings can focus on particular discussion topics, other times they can just be more social or the members might be planning an event or sharing stories. The club also starts off with an acknowledgement of country and often has special guests! This year Australian writer Nevo Zisin paid a visit and Britt from Manningham Youth Services regularly hangs out with the club and facilitates discussions. For anyone nervous about joining Queer Club, it is a very safe and welcoming space. People can say as much or as little as they would like, and no one would ask any follow-up questions if you chose not to share. Feel free to reach out to Amy or Amanda if you have any questions.

By Bonnie-Mai Smith 
TC Journalist