Next Week @ TC

04/07/2025

• Start of Term 3 Arrangements

• End of Semester Reports Have Been Released

• Semester 2 Timetables - Now in Compass

• VCE Attendance Process Reminders

• Manningham Winter School Holiday Program

• TC Trivia Night

• TC’s 2025 Musical Production: Legally Blonde Jr! - Tickets On Sale Now

End of semester reports Have been Released

Reports on all the great learning that has been happening at TC in the first half of 2025 are now available in Compass.

Semester 2 Timetables - Now In compass

Students are now able to access their full Semester 2 timetables in Compass.

Beginning of Term 3 Arrangements

• Monday 21st July - Whole staff professional development day - TC only open to staff

• Tuesday 22nd July - Classes resume (Semester 2). Classes start as normal.

VCE Attendance Process 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 19th September and for Unit 2 subjects is Friday 31st October 2025. 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 valid form of medical certificate is from one of the following medical practitioners: GP, hospital, paediatrician, physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor, orthopaedic surgeon, dentist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

• 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

🎭 TC’s 2025 Musical Production: Legally Blonde Jr! 💕- Tickets On Sale Now

Get ready to bend and snap your way into the theatre! Templestowe College is proud to present this year’s dazzling musical production: Legally Blonde Jr – a fabulously fun and empowering story of self-discovery, friendship, and staying true to yourself.

🗓️ Show Dates:
📅 12, 13 & 14 August at 7:00 PM
📅 15 August at 6:00 PM

🎟️ Tickets:
Adult: $25
Children under 12 / Seniors / TC Students: $15

📍Location: PAC
🔗 Book now via TryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/DALXT

A FINAL GOODBYE 

After more than a decade devoted to TC, Peter and Sophie Ellis are preparing to embark on a new chapter in their lives. This decision comes with a mix of emotions as they reflect on the memories, friendships, and experiences that have shaped their time here. Though it's bittersweet to say goodbye, they are excited to embrace the adventures that lie ahead. For them, this means an exciting opportunity to move to Singapore, a dream of Peter's for quite some time. It’s difficult to say goodbye, but the TC community feels excited for Peter and Sophie as they begin a new adventure.

When Peter first started at TC, he was the Design and Technology teacher, and despite his small role, he had big plans and ideas for what TC could be.

"All I knew is that I wanted to make changes in the school, and I wanted to make the school system better for students."

Over the years, Peter made it a significant goal to become a better leader, being very intentional about how he improved his leadership skills.

"I know if I can be a better leader, then it means I can guide others to be better leaders themselves," He says.

One moment that stands out during Peter’s time at TC occurred in 2013, when a Year 9 student asked, "Why can't I take a VCE subject? I'm just as smart as those who are doing VCE subjects." This question sparked a major shift in our approach to VCE, leading to the removal of year-level distinctions. It opened up the school's thinking and initiated the student voice movement, which continues to shape the school community today.

"That one moment really opened up our thinking. It reminded me that schools don’t always give students enough credit. They have incredible ideas, we just need to listen.”

Now, fifteen years later, Peter has truly made TC a better place. There are no uniforms, creating a relaxed atmosphere, and there's flexibility in the educational approaches to meet the diverse needs of all students. "I still remember the same meeting where we talked about stopping calling students year sevens and calling entry students." He says.

Not only has Peter encouraged these changes, but we have also transformed the dynamics of the school and reshaped the culture. While maintaining our values, we continue to develop them as we grow as a community.

Being named the Australian Government School of the Year in 2023 was a significant achievement for TC, as well as for Peter, who has worked diligently to help our school thrive and gain recognition. Although the award is certainly an accomplishment, Peter modestly states, "It's just an award, right? I think my biggest accomplishment is being named principal all those years ago.

"It was a big accomplishment to show my growth as a leader, and we faced challenges every day."

When asked what legacy he wants to leave behind, Peter said, "I hope students continue to work with staff, to keep on wanting to make the school better. Sometimes schools get things wrong, and sometimes not the best decisions are made, so I hope students keep on working together just to make TC's best as they can be."

Sophie has also made a significant impact at TC, not only through her contributions to the school but also through her kind enthusiasm, innovative spirit, and unwavering belief in the potential of all students.

Over the past 14 years, she has founded several programs, including the student employability program and the school's website.

"This is my first, full-time job after university, I was 21 now I'm 35, it's shaped me, having lots of different opportunities to grow and explore different roles in".

When Sophie first started, she served as the Resource Center Manager, similar to Jeremy Carr's current role.

Since then, she has witnessed the school evolve and grow into what it is today. At that time, the school had around 300 students, which was four times smaller than its size now.

“I used to know every student by name,” she said. “Even as the school’s grown and my role has changed, what’s stayed the same is how TC always puts students first and makes sure everyone gets what they need out of their education.” She says.

Throughout her career, Sophie has continually sought ways to support and inspire others. In her recent roles, she has played a key part in shaping the student employability program and has taken great pride in developing the school website and enhancing the subject selection process. Her contributions have truly had a lasting impact on the community.

“I’m really proud of how we developed the website, and how that changed the subject selection process and course counselling. We created a proper handbook site with all the information students need, not just a boring PDF. I learnt a lot through that process, mostly teaching myself.” She says.

As for what comes next, Sophie is keen to embrace the unknown with curiosity and optimism. “I’m just going to see where the world takes me,” she expresses.

TC has inspired her passion for learning, so she's eager to return to her studies. "I’ve really enjoyed exploring IT-related topics, most of which I’ve taught myself. I’m also considering something more career-focused since I’ve worked extensively with TC subjects but not as much on pathways beyond school." Though she isn’t exactly sure what the future holds, she feels comfortable with that. "The world is my oyster!"

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Sophie for the invaluable support she has provided in the newsletter department. Your mentorship has greatly impacted us, teaching us how to write and structure newsletters effectively. You kept us on track and brought fresh ideas when we needed a boost. Your positivity made the entire experience much more enjoyable, and we've learned so much because of you.

Thank you!

By Ruby-Egan Douglas and Mietta Palmer
TC Journalists

Term 2 Tales from Connect 

Hi families,

Term 2 has been a busy time in Connect! Congratulations to all students and their Mentors for the work they have put in this term.

Goal Setting

This term all groups have learned about goal setting. Students have made personal goals around attendance and have identified an area of our Expanded Measures of Success (Independence, Working With Others, Technology, Active Citizenship, Creative Thinking) that they would like to work on. Students' personal goals are pinned to their Compass profile so all staff can support each student with their goals knowing that life often presents challenges and we need to adjust our goals as we go along. We'd love families to chat with their young people around attendance and their chosen goal. 

Connect Leaders

It has been the first term of the student-led Connect Leaders program where each Connect group's nominated leaders build their leadership skills through running activities and supporting their groups to discuss issues and ideas that are important to them. Congratulations to Jessica Ryles, Dara Cucos, Joseph Farrell, Mietta Palmer, Jake Reynolds, and Flynn Aragona-Murray for leading this program of almost 50 leaders! 

Entries

Our Entry students have been working with their Peer Support leaders to build connections with their friends and with older students who can be supports as Entries move into FLE next year. From games, to discussions, to mindfulness, and timed challenges, the Entry Connect groups have been very busy! Congratulations to all our Peer Support leaders for stepping into a vital support role and building their own confidence and skills. Thank you to Delanah Schelbach and Ellie Bonnet for devising and coordinating this program. 

Grads

We all take diverse paths to reach where we want to be and this term our Grad groups have been working with their Mentors and Careers team to learn about career pathways and how to think about career and the world of work through a lens of self-defined success and lifelong learning. Thank you to our Careers team and Louisa Renard for sharing these thought provoking ideas with our Grads. 

OurFutures Drug and Alcohol Awareness Program

This term all of our groups have worked through age and stage appropriate modules to build awareness of the choices and risks associated with alcohol, vape, and drug use and abuse. The program combines stories, cartoon-style animations, real life scenarios, and thoughtful group discussion. We encourage families to chat with their young people about these issues and keep the conversation going as they get older and experience situations where informed choices become important. 

Reconciliation and Refugee Weeks

During Reconciliation week and Refugee weeks, Connect groups explored video and text resources that aim to provoke thought and discussion around important social justice issues. There are so many ways students can get involved with these weeks outside of Connect such as our Reconciliation Week Creative Comp, Refugee Ration project, and various community-run events. Be sure to follow Compass updates around these opportunities. 

Did you know TC is currently working on our Reconciliation Action Plan? Want to get involved? Please contact Ryan at RGR@tc.vic.edu.au

For more info:
https://tc.vic.edu.au/reconciliation-action-plan

This is just a snapshot of the many things that are happening in Connect in addition to the wonderful routines of card games, chatting outside in the fresh air, connection, and personal support that our Mentors provide students. Please chat with your young person about their Connect experience and don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or feedback. 

Creatively,
Ryan Griffith
Director Community Integrated Learning 

• Future Focus Sessions for Students

Future Focus Sessions for students