Principal's message
2025 Year 12 Subject Awards
It was great to welcome back the 2025 Graduate Subject Award winners to a celebratory breakfast with their teachers this week. The joy the 2025 graduates felt at being back at TC and spending time with their teachers was totally infectious; the room was filled with animated conversations and laughter. It was a pleasure to welcome them back and congratulate them on their success and to hear about their plans for this year. They were reporting their excitement at the imminent O-Week activities at the various universities they are attending this year.
20205 Subject Award Winners
Coffee with the principal
My ‘coffee with the principal’ sessions continued this week and have again been a highlight. It is an excellent opportunity for me to get to know families and students, but also for families to find out more about the school and me as the new principal. Please make sure you book a place if interested:
☕Book for face-to-face sessions here.
🌐Book for online sessions here.
New mobile phone policy
I want to thank all the students and staff who have helped this week in the implementation of the new phone policy. The overall cooperation with the policy, and the respectful way students managed handing over phones, was fantastic. Of course, there have been a few students who have found this new policy difficult, but these small setbacks are temporary and I thank the parents and carers for their support in this area.
Coming up
The next few weeks are full of activities with my first “Pool Party” and the Entry camp coming up soon. I am truly enjoying starting the year as the principal and continually learning more about the school.
Have a great week.
Daryl Bennett
Principal
For families using the Panorama bus service?
📢
For families using the Panorama bus service? 📢
Panorama Buses - important capacity update
Our Panorama buses, provided by the Department of Transport, are currently at capacity. To help ease demand, we ask families to explore alternative options such as walking, driving or public transport where appropriate. Should numbers remain above capacity, we will need to formally assess eligibility for the Panorama service.
Who is eligible for the School Bus Program? 🚌
Students may be eligible if they:
Attend their local neighbourhood school, AND
Live more than 4.8km from the school, AND
Live more than 1.6km from a suitable public transport option.
If students do not meet the eligibility criteria, they may not be eligible for the School Bus Program unless an exemption applies.
Options to ease demand 🚦
We are currently considering three options to address this issue:
Option A – Spreading the load across other services 🚌
🚏Route 293 – Bolton Street – Bus stop is an 11-minute walk from school
Arrive approx. 3:41pm (with bus pass) or 4:01pm (without bus pass)
🚏Route 902 – Eltham – Bus stop is an 11-minute walk from school
Arrive approx. 3:43pm (with bus pass) or 4:00pm (without bus pass)
Currently, approximately 15–25 students disembark in Eltham and around 30 at Bolton Street, so these routes may assist some families.
✅All students under 18 can now travel on PTV buses for free, provided they have a Youth Myki.
Option B – Buses will reduce number of stops (if Option A is not successful next week or in the coming weeks) 🚧:
St Helena bus will no longer stop at Bolton Street shops
Research, Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge buses will no longer stop at Eltham Station
Option C – Reviewing eligibility 📋
We may need to formally assess students’ eligibility under the School Bus Program. Students who do not meet the criteria may be unable to access Panorama buses moving forward.
BUS Frequently asked questions
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No. However, bus passes are available in special circumstances. Parents must request this via CET. Please note this may mean students miss 10–15 minutes of class each day. A note will be recorded on Compass.
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Youth Myki cards are available for a once-off $5 fee from train stations 🚉 or 7-Eleven stores, or on the Transport Victoria website.
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If we cannot divert enough students form the Panorama buses, we will first reduce the number of stops🚧:
St Helena bus will no longer stop at Bolton Street shops
Research, Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge buses will no longer stop at Eltham Station
If we reduce the number of stops and the capacity issue is still not resolved, we will formally assess student eligibility 📋
Students who do not meet the criteria may be unable to access Panorama buses moving forward.
School photos - orders open
School photo day is Thursday 5 March.
📷You can now order your MSP school photo packs through your Compass portal, via your email link or the “Community” tab.
Pool party - consent required via Compass
The Pool Party event is live on Compass and ready for parents and carers to complete consent.
✅ Consent is required in order for students to attend. 🏊♂️🌊
⏰Please note that students must arrive at TC by 9:10am to meet in Connect groups, before walking down to Aquarena.🚶♂️🌞
🚌Panorama buses will depart directly from Aquarena from 2:30pm.
📲Please read the event details for more information.
Don't miss this incredible day of fun 😄 friends 👯♀️ food 🍔🍉 and a myriad activities both in and out of the pool! 🏖️💦🎈
Please contact Ryan Griffith at RGR@tc.vic.edu.au with any questions relating to the pool party 📧
Semester 1 Student-Led Electives - Payment now available
Semester 1 invoices for the following user-pays Student-Led Electives have now been added to the Payments Centre in Compass:
💃 Dance – $210
🐔 Feathers & Fur – $125
🐟 Fish – $125
💪 Fitness – $170
🌱 Permaculture: Farm & Garden - $125
🐍 Reptiles – $125
🤖 Robotics - $125
🛠️ Tradie Training - $125
⚙️ Applied Engineering - $125
We kindly ask that payment be made as soon as possible to support the delivery of these programs.
For further information, please refer to our Parent Payments Policy (TC - Payments).
If you have any queries, concerns, or would like to discuss payment options, please contact Accounts on
(03) 9850 6333 (option 3) or email accounts@tc.vic.edu.au. Thank you for your continued support.
Reminder - Animal Uniform orders
A reminder that Animals Uniform orders are due by next Friday 27th
Students can try on available sizes in the Animals Staffroom prior to ordering. Please note that exchanges are not possible, as all items are embroidered with the TC Animals logo. 🪡🧵
📅 Order Due Date: Friday 27 February
An order form is available below and can also be picked up at the Front Office. 📝 📦 There is a minimum order quantity required for each item. Orders and payments will be processed after the due date to ensure minimum numbers are met.
Join us for our Animals & Permaculture Expo - Tues 24 February at 5pm
🐾 You’re Invited to Our Animals & Permaculture Expo! 🌱
Visitors will have the opportunity to hear about our unique Working with Animals program and meet and greet our furry, feathered, fishy and scaly friends 🐷🦙🐑🦎🐥… as well as tour our garden and learn about how we promote sustainability at TC💚
🌭BBQ
🫖Devonshire tea with pizza-oven baked scones
🪴Plant sale
✨ Open to all — TC families, friends, neighbours, future families and animal/plant enthusiasts are warmly welcome.
📅 Tuesday 24 February
⏰ 5:00pm–6:30pm
📍 Tours begin at the entrance of the Joo Thong Paddock (behind S-Wing)
🚗 Parking is available on the oval. Please note the rear exit of the school will be closed.
We look forward to seeing you there! 🐟
Potential After-School Self-Defence Program 'Street Sense' - Expressions of Interest needed
We are seeking expressions of interest for a potential Wednesday after-school self-defence program called 'Street Sense' run by Safety Pact. We need solid interest to get this program up!
An 8 week after school program here at TC that gives you the confidence, awareness and skills to handle whatever comes your way.
StreetSense works with how YOU work.
🔹Not an athlete? Perfect. Socially anxious? We get it. Neurodiverse? We adapt.
🔹All genders, all ages, all identities, all abilities welcome.
🔹This isn’t about aggression or competition – it’s about practical skills that fit YOUR life
🔗Register your interest here by the end of Week 5 Fri Feb 27: https://thesafetypact.com.au/temp-coll-registration/
This is not a commitment to joining, just an expression of interest.
Any questions, please contact Andrea Carydias or Ryan Griffith on Teams.
The Updated Work and Study Habits Index (WASHI) 2026
he purpose of the WASHI is to provide continuous and timely feedback to students and families on what staff are seeing in the classroom from their students. Based on feedback collected in 2025 from staff and students, we have reviewed and updated our WASHI for 2026.
In our review of the WASHI, we have replaced the previous 4 criteria of Academic Effort, Behaviour, Participation and Contribution, and Readiness to Learn with an updated three criteria that better reflect the needs of the TC community.
Students are now assessed against the following criteria: Self-Regulation, Effort and Perseverance, and Respect:
Self-Regulation encompasses students’ ability to manage their focus and emotions in the classroom.
Effort and Perseverance addresses the ability of students to continue to apply themselves even when classroom activities are challenging or unfamiliar.
Respect refers to the preservation of a safe and encouraging learning environment, including how students treat each other, staff, and the space.
For each criteria, students receive a descriptor based on frequency – ‘Not Yet’, ‘Rarely’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘Often’ and ‘Always’.
Always (4)
Often (3)
Sometimes (2)
Rarely (1)
Not Yet (0)
For the first time, attendance data in the form of the in-class percentage will also be reflected in the WASHI. The in-class percentage measures the number of times a student is physically present in the classroom, indicating the amount of teaching and learning a student is exposed to in each of their classes in the five-week period being assessed. Attendance will therefore not be cumulative and will instead be a snapshot of the 5-week period.
This is a valuable metric for students who are seeking to improve their WASHI scores and academic achievements, as well as for families, our Community Executive Teams (CET) and teaching staff.
Our updated WASHI reflects what is important for our students to know about their performance separate from academic results. Our TC values are captured within the new criteria and will allow students to reflect meaningfully on their experiences in class and how they are continuing to achieve at TC with a growth mindset.
Other learning data – such as Learning Task comments, or results of tests such as PAT – are reported on through other means on Compass and are not incorporated into WASHI.
For more information on the updated WASHI, please visit the ‘Assessment and Reporting’ page of the TC website: https://tc.vic.edu.au/assessment-and-reporting
VET attendance monitoring
TC is now monitoring attendance for students participating in the VET Delivered to Secondary Students program on a four-weekly basis, or earlier when time permits.
Please note the following attendance expectations:
Attendance and Absences
⚠️ Students are permitted two (2) absences per semester. Any more than two absences a semester places the student at risk of not meeting the outcomes of the course.
📅 An additional two (2) approved absences may be granted for school camps and excursions.
📧 If a student is unable to attend class, parents must notify the VET Coordinator (Tammy McCoullough) by email before 9:00 am on the day of the class. This includes absences due to illness, school activities, camps, or excursions.
⏰ If a student needs to leave early from class, parents must notify the VET Coordinator by email before 9:00 am on the day, so it can be communicated with the VET provider.
🩺 If a student is absent on the day of an assessment, a medical certificate must be provided to the VET Coordinator.
📌 We strongly advise students not to schedule appointments during their VET class time.
Students who do not meet the VET attendance requirements may miss out on Units of Competency and nominal hours, which increases the risk of non-completion of their course.
When attendance is reviewed, the VET Coordinator will contact parents via email and a Compass Chronicle if there are concerns about a student’s absences.
Please note that VET attendance records are not monitored via Compass, so a parent absence note submitted on Compass is not sufficient.
It is important that parents communicate directly with the VET Coordinator, at tmcc@tc.vic.edu.au to inform when a student will be absent, arriving late, or needing to leave early.
Thank you for your support in ensuring students meet their VET requirements.
2026 School Council Elections
TC’s School Council Elections will run from Friday 20 February and conclude by 26 March 2026.
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All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the broad direction of a school, in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils, and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council may directly influence the quality of education for students.
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For most Secondary school councils, there are several possible categories of membership:
A mandated elected parent member category –members of this category generally comprise more than one third of the council’s total membership. Department employees can be parent members at their child’s school providing that they are not engaged in work at the school.
A mandated elected school employee member category – members of this category make up no more than one-third of membership. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
An optional community member category – members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experience. Department employees are not eligible to be community members.
For all schools with a Year 7 and above cohort, there is an additional category of membership:
A mandated elected student member category, two positions.
Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.
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Each member brings their own valuable skills and knowledge to the role, however, to successfully perform their duties, councillors may need to gain some new skills and knowledge.
It is important to have an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future. Training is available for all School Council members.
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TC College Council meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of each month, onsite from 6.00pm. We hold approx. two meetings per term with a maximum of 8 meetings held per year.
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Nominees for school council must hold a valid Working with Children Clearance, excluding teachers with an active VIT registration and students.
The Working with Children Check is free for volunteers such as school council members. The process for administering and ensuring that school council members have a valid WWCC is the same as for any other volunteer.
Individuals seeking to join school council including through co-option must:
• nominate the Department of Education as the organisation they are working for when applying for a Working with Children Check
• provide evidence of their Working with Children Clearance when they complete the nomination or co-option form for school council
Please click on this link 2026 TC School Council Elections to access more information on each category and print out the Nomination forms for the Parent and Student category. Additional forms for both categories can be collected from the front office.
All Nomination forms can be returned to the front office or emailed to connect@tc.vic.edu.au