Newsletter, Term 3, 2023

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Congratulations everyone on an excellent term 3! The newsletter once again showcases the wide range of activities taking place here @ TC, with something for everyone and engagement and participation in events continually increasing. 

The term does seem to race by, and the newsletter is an excellent opportunity to be able to remember the many great things that happen.  There are many highlights that can be seen across all areas of the school. 

I cannot miss an opportunity to mention the school being named as the winner of the Australian Government School of the Year! This recognition for the work of the whole community, which also included the exciting visit of Channel 7 news, brought a buzz to the school. Projects such as Community Integrated Learning, the new School Strategic Plan, our stage not age based learning approached, the expanded measures of success and many others were included within the submission that saw the school as the top Government School in the country! 

We also need to mention Meg Bailey being named as Australian Government Secondary School Teacher of the Year. Meg works tirelessly to increase student agency and authentic learning opportunities throughout the school and we congratulate Meg on this award. 

The school has also been shortlisted as a finalist by the Department of Education in the Victorian Education Excellence Awards in the category of Provision for High Ability Learners. This is the first time that TC has been recognised by the Department of Education in these awards, based on the way that student are able to accelerate through their studies in the school as well as the out of class opportunities available for learning. We look forward to hearing the results of these awards later in October. 

Looking ahead to term 4 we are carrying out a lot of our planning for 2024, as well as celebrating the time of our Grad students. Much of the work being carried out in class and outside of the classroom is in preparation for 2024, and we look forward to seeing the recollections of this in the next newsletter. We also have several building projects underway this term in the form of the C Wing toilet renovations and Solar power being installed on the roof of D Wing. We look forward to these projects being completed as part of an overall busy term 4. 

Peter Ellis
Principal

BIG SCIENCE and Junior Olympiad COMPETITION

TC students interested in science competed in the Big Science Competition and the Junior Olympiad recently. Congratulations to everyone who participated, the following results were achieved:

Big Science

• Year 8 - Morrie T (D)

• Year 9 - Olivia G (C), Delanah S (P)

• Year 10 - Aaron L (HD), George T (HD), Eirron W (HD), Aidan C (D), Alborz A (C), Camille C (C), Tiana H (C), Mateo PL (P), Zahra P (P), Matilda P (P).

Junior Olympiad

• Year 8 - James L (P), James C (C)

• Year 10 - Alborz A, (D), Aaron L (HD), George T (HD), Aidan C (HD), Noah L-H (D), Mateo PL (C), Camille C (D), Ash P (D)

Science Olympiad

• Physics - Thomas R (C), Nojan H(P), George T (P)

• Biology - George T (HD)

• Environmental Science - Caelen H (C), Morrie T (P)

• Chemistry - Camille C (P)

Who’s Who @TC? Students With Great Stories

In Term 3 Bonnie-Mai our TC Journalist embarked on a mission to bring to the weekly announcement newsletter an insight to our students and all the wonderful things they achieve both inside and outside of school. Click on the photos to read some fantastic stories about TC students.

Animals Instagram

The Addam’s Family Musical

The Addams Family - where to start! This year TC embarked upon our first musical since 2019 and boy was it a doozy!

Auditions started way back in February and after that it was straight into rehearsals, which continued right up until the end of August - six full months of hard work! Those hours and hours of triple threat training paid off - come August 30th we were ready to put on a show.

There were some nerves, there was excitement, there was an exciting primary school dress rehearsal, and then it was opening night!

Opening night was a triumph! The cast smashed it out of the park and the audience went away laughing and smiling (and telling their friends). Word of mouth promotion spread across Templestowe, Melbourne, and indeed Victoria - rumour has it that word of the show’s success even reached the South Australian border!

Night two was brilliant - our alternate cast members got their chance to shine and they did so, as bright as the full moon!

Finally (and sadly) we reached closing night - our SOLD OUT closing night! (Cue applause!) Emotions were high but the cast all held it together to put on one last spectacular show. By this point all involved in the show felt (and continue to feel) connected by the project, shows create a lasting bond that can’t be taken away. All the musical numbers were danced and sung one last time, everyone giving their all for the audience. At the show’s closing the cast and crew bowed to rapturous applause, some heartfelt speeches were presented, and then, suddenly, it was over!

Never fear though, next year’s show announcement is not too far away…

Please enjoy some photographic highlights by Bee Treweek

Senior Formal

Downhill Mt Buller Ski Camp

The school's snow camp to Mt. Buller was an unforgettable adventure that spanned five exhilarating days. Throughout the trip, we were blessed with ideal snow conditions, which made for perfect skiing and snowboarding experiences. What truly made this camp exceptional was the strong sense of camaraderie among the students. The older students selflessly extended their expertise to help the younger ones develop their skills on the slopes. It was heartwarming to witness the transformation of some students who had never set foot on snow before. By the end of the week, they were fearlessly conquering black runs, a testament to their determination and the supportive atmosphere that defined our snow camp at Mt. Buller.

Together Humanity Youth Summit

G'day! My name is Jac and I was one of the members who was part of the inaugural Youth Humanity Summit at Melbourne University  at the city on the 18th of June 2023 at 9:30AM! Our teacher Meg Bailey was the teacher in charge during our excursion who led us during the day! We presented bout the issue of people not understanding 'neurodiversity', other schools also presented culture, racism, gender bias and other things that affect their schools.

 The part that surprised me the most was that we had to present TWICE! Once with multiple schools and another with about 5 politicians each representing different MP's across Victoria, the presentations was about 1-2 minutes long, it was an experience that I didn't expect!

 Would I go the Summit again? 100% YES! The Humanity Summit is to voice our ideas to change and make  our state a better place, that is what I want to do and what I enjoy!

Global Youth Forum

Over the past few weeks, five students participated in an online Global Youth Forum hosted by Melbourne science gallery and an organization called Asia Education Foundation where they listened to guest speakers discuss topics such as public speaking, intercultural communication, globalization, and identity and interacted with schools across Victoria and the globe. Students challenged and developed their communication skills when talking to students from other countries. A variety of online resources like Padlet and Mural were used to unpack and expand on ideas. At the end, students collaborated together to pitch a solution to an issue in education. The Templestowe group created an interactive presentation on disengagement in class and how brain breaks could be an effective way to refresh during lessons. The forum was an awesome experience and reimagined leaders being individuals who empower others and stand up for what's right. 

Participating students: Bethany Harvey, Grace Hester, Jac Hng, Mietta Palmer and Jessica Ryles 

By Jessica Ryles

Community Chess

Congratulations to Caeden S and Jamie S for a wonderful battle today in The Hub in the Grand Final of Rapid Community Chess. Jamie pulled off a fairly dramatic victory in Game 1 despite being heavily down on time, before closing things out in Game 2 with a solid middle-game position that Caeden was gracious enough to concede. Red Community are thus Chess Champions for 2023!

1. Jamie S (Red)

2. Caeden S (Green)

3. Equal third Rohan R (Gold); Gabriel C-C (Green)

In the fast and furious 1 Minute Bullet Tournament, Nick P was our undisputed champion also taking away the points for Red Community. The final standings were:

1. Nicholas P (Red)

2. Elden S (Blue)

3. Nojan H (Blue)

4. Shahdad M (Green)

Thanks for everyone who competed. We are planning more events down at Chess Club on Thursdays in D01, so come on down!

Community Spikeball 

We had awesome turnout of 44 people participating in TCs first spikeball tournament held on July 13. People played elimination matches first to 11 fighting it out for the $50 prize to winning team. Big shout out to our semi finalist: Rory G-T with Fred D, and Caelan T with Oliver T. Finalist were Nicholas P with Siddanth R facing off against Joel T with Aidan DF. It was a back and forth game through out, but Joel and Aidan came out on top with final score of 13-11. Can’t wait to see the next winners of a future spikeball tournament.

A STORY IN MINIATURE

The 2023 VATE writing competition this years theme was ‘A Story in Miniature’. Students and teachers were encouraged to find inspiration from the miniature stories that make up our daily life – the small interactions and delightful tidbits that make up our day – and transform them, with brevity, into a piece of polished prose.

Two TC students submitted stories, Sydney and Mietta.

Sydney: “the real inspiration for the story was actually my own experiences with people and poor mental health”

Julie Campbell’s response to Sydney's story":  “it captures the mindset of many adolescents, post pandemic, who struggle to find their voice. You reflect on a moment in which there is a breakthrough, a connection with others, and in this you express your joy. A beautiful story, Sydney.”

Mietta’s inspiration: "I've always loved the ocean. When I was little, my family and I always went to the beach and my fondest memories take me back to the salty shore. When writing this story, I knew it had to be about the sea. At first, I found it difficult to capture the Ocean's magic into a short story, but I managed to include my favourite things like the little curlews huddled up against the shoreline. I hope you enjoy the story!”

Julie’s response on Mietta’s story: “Mietta is a skilled and creative student; all her writing is inspirational and poetic. She reaches heights beyond the Essential English levels! How wonderful for me, as a teacher, to be able to read such wonderful and varied writing that Mietta produces.”

Grads continued their Thursday Fun Themes, getting festive and celebrating lots of different ideas!

Family Portraits

Staff V Student Sport

Grads also had fun this term on Monday lunchtimes versing staff in a range of sports. The competition was fierce and the following results show it was nail biting until the last minute when the grads clinched victory in handball!

ESDP Grads v Alumni

ESDP Senior Boys enjoyed hosting the 2021/2 grad cohort this term where they played against each other to large crowds. The game was neck and neck before the alumni students pulled away in the last minutes to secure a 79-68 victory. Congrats to all who participated and a special shout out to Lillit for refereeing the game.

FLE to PRE VCE Outdoor Elective – Rubicon Camp

Our Outdoor students ventured to Gippsland for our week long Leadership and Adventure camp. As we made our way to our base at Camp Rubicon our school bus decided that this was the perfect time to break down and we spent a lunch break on the side of the road. A Rubicon bus was able to collect us and get us to camp.
At camp we were able to collect all the equipment we needed for the week and set off on a short hike to our campsite. Our leaders Michelle and Jack helped us with set up and cooking. We had a great campfire and were able to hang out in the hut on site. The next day we did underground CAVING which lots of people really liked. We also went on the HIGH ROPES course, which was challenging and fun. The next two days we were rafting down the river and camping on the river at our base camp.

Everyone was super excited about the BUCKET LUNCH [which tastes waay better than it sounds]. Although it was pretty wet, we had big fires and excellent gear, so everyone came back having had a great experience.

Outdoor Phillip Island Excursion

In August our 1-2 Outdoor Environmental Studies class had the opportunity to go to Phillip Island to investigate the Eco tourism site at the Penguin Parade and the Nobbies. We were joined by a dapper set of students who gave the local thrift shop a good amount of business and “classed up the place”.

We researched the way that the tourism industry was destroying the environment for the penguins, and then how the government was able to change how tourists impacted the area. We toured both the facilities at the Nobbies and Summerland bay as well as having a Ranger come to speak with us.

The Penguins were super cute and although we got back pretty late, everyone had an awesome time.

Outdoor Alpine Camp

Embarking on our Snow Camp in early July was a truly unforgettable experience. The camp encompassed both downhill and cross-country skiing, presenting a thrilling challenge, especially for those who were venturing into skiing for the very first time. The combination of these two skiing styles offered a diverse range of experiences and allowed us to explore various terrains. For many, it was a chance to step out of our comfort zones and discover newfound confidence on the slopes. We cheered each other on, celebrating small victories and encouraging one another through the tumbles and stumbles. First day cross-country skiing, we hiked up Mt Stirling and camped overnight. We stayed at King Spur Hut which gave us the comfort of a fireplace. In the morning we rewarded ourselves by going to the summit for sunrise. On the way down we were able to work on our downhill skiing with the challenge of a big pack on our bag. We then moved over from Mt Stirling to accommodation near Mt Buller, where we were greeted with Kate Meehan who had prepared our dinner (shoutout Kate). The following day we went to Mt Buller.

Some skied and some snowboarded however many felt more confident as Mt Buller is much more commercialised. Mt Buller has chairlifts, wide groomed runs, snow machines and cafes at the top of the mountain, which is better compared to no chairlifts, no cafes or restaurants and narrow runs at Mt Stirling. Buller also catered to the varying levels of ability of our group as we all had a lesson in the morning which supported each student in mastering the fundamentals of their chosen discipline. We then split off into separate groups based on ability to explore their mountain based on the skill level each student was at.

Comparing the mountain experiences of Mt Buller and Mt Stirling facilitated acquisition of knowledge for our area of study in real time and real life, students were able to gain clarity on the content as they experienced first-hand the different levels of commercialisation and conservation of these mountains respectively. Overall, as this was our last camp for the year, everyone gave it their all, leaving no room for regrets or unfulfilled potentials. The year as a whole has been beyond lovely, this years group of ¾ Outdoor Education students truly encapsulate the TC model in that they were thoughtful, caring and empathetic young people who through their own desires have grown and developed skills they will continue demonstrating to foster learning, growth, support of each other and explorative experience as they move forward to the next stages of their lives.

by Ryley Norris and Lara Holder

Entry Pound Excursion

Who doesn't love pumping tunes and hitting things with sticks... this is exactly what the Entry students did in their Pound incursion. Students were tasked with providing ideas to better improve their communities overall wellbeing. Pound was just one of the activities that the students participated in to increase their knowledge in what is available to communities of all abilities. This fast paced activity, got the blood pumping as students moved their bodies and pounded the air, the sticks together and the ground. A fun activity enjoyed by all, well done Entries!

Division Athletics

On the 7th of September, Templestowe College participated in the Division Athletics event held at the Ringwood Athletics Track. The school sent 25 students to compete.

Several students had outstanding performances, including Luca C, who won the 400-meter race, Charlise, who excelled in shot put and triple jump, Bailey W, who secured victory in the 200-meter race, and Sienna C, who dominated in javelin and shot put. Charlise's shot put throw of 10.5 meters broke a record.

In addition to these first-place finishes, the school had seven students finish in second place and one student in third place in various events. The team's overall performance showcased their talent and competitive spirit.

Interschool sport

ESDP Basketball Update

Term 3 was very busy for the EDP basketball students and coaches. Firstly, we had the finals of the Basketball Victoria 3x3 Cup. TC teams were very successful with our first team in each age group and category making the finals. It was our Senior Boys and Senior Girls who both came away with the State Chamopionship win.

Next up was the Champions Cup tournament which is the premier event in school basketball. All our teams competed well with the Junior Girls, Senior Boys and Senior Girls all making it through to the Elite 8 stage with just our senior girls qualifying for the State Championship game which will be played the first Sunday of the school holidays against Rowville Secondary College.

Our Senior girls won the Champions Cup last year so it’s a chance for them to go back-to-back.

This term also saw several stages of the School Sport Victoria Eastern Metro Region basketball tournaments being held. Our Year 8 boys and girls have advanced to the Zone finals which will be played term 4 and the Senior boys received a wild card entry into the State Finals to be held on Tuesday September 12th. Which they won, defeating Foster Secondary College 46-37.

All the other age groups competed well without advancing to the State Finals stage.

We also had some significant individual achievements this term with some students. Lily Carmody received an invitation to attend the Basketball Without Borders Camp in Las Vegas where she did so well, she made the All Star 5 of the tournament.

Former student Gabe Hadley received an NBL contract with the Brisbane Bullets becoming the first TC male player to secure an NBL contract – well done Gabe.

Che Brogan was selected to represent Australia at the Oceania qualifying tournament for the Under 19 Men to be held in Papua New Guinea in October, part of the process for the attending the 19 World Championships in 2024

Term 4 is looking a little quieter with only a couple of tournaments, but we will use the time to review the Individual Performance Plans of all students in the program to see how we have gone with our own personal goals for 2023

Kryal Castle

In term three, the Pre-VCE History class visited Kryal Castle to round out their earlier study on Medieval Europe. Students participated in a range of activities, including archery, courtly dancing, medieval games, a manorial court case (which involved chasing a criminal into a maze), and reenacting the Battle of Hastings with swords and shields. They also mixed up some ye olde medicines and impressed the tour guides with their knowledge of the era. A great day out!

Lume Excursion

Food – Bringing us together

In collaboration with Food Technology the Language Centre worked with other food classes. Students shared family/personal recipes, and some were made in a special class.  Later they shared their food with other students and discussed feedback and reflections about the dish.

Fried rice is a true traditional Indonesian food. Fried rice originates from China. The Indonesian version of fried rice may be popular all over the world, however, this fried rice originates from China. Initially, fried rice came from the Chinese habit of not liking leftover white rice. In order for this leftover white rice to turn into a delicious dish, they fry the rice with onions, then add other leftovers, such as chicken, eggs, or whatever is left over from their last dish. You can eat fried rice with crackers or cucumber, which makes the taste of the archipelago come out.

I like fried rice because it is easy to make and delicious. I eat it on weekends with my family. When I eat it I remember home when eating with my family at the dinner table while talking, those are good memories.

 Natallie (China)

I was with Spencer and Sam and made burgers. I really love our kinds of burgers, they are with bacon, cheese, beef and two slice of bread. My job was cooking the bacon, which were going to be delicious. We made lots of burgers form the recipe and shared them. Everyone said they were delicious and I felt really glad of it. Not only our burgers were delicious, but also the food made by other teams are delicious, like cheese rice, cupcakes and pasta. My favourite food I tried is cheese rice. I have been loving that for a long time, but I have not had it for a long time as well. I was really happy to try cheese rice. This activity was so enjoyable, I like it very much.   

 William (China)

On the Monday's last lesson, Ellie, Mahgol and I had a cooking experience. We had cooked omelets rice together. For me, it's my first-time cooking, so is a little challenging to me. But it's still interesting, because I haven't tried to prepare the material and cook by myself before. During the cooking process, I felt a little tired, because we had to prepare everything all by ourselves. Also, try to communicate with partners is also a something quite troublesome. We needed to use English all the time. However, this event was very educational. We learned how to do good teamwork, make a new dishes, and also practice our English skills. The most important thing was our dishes was delicious. When we introduced our omelets rice to the local students and share it with them, we got highly rated. It seemed like our dishes was very successful and welcomed. Luckily, it was. Two bowls of omelets rice had been eaten up very quicky, it made me very surprises. So if sometimes we will have another chance to cook, I'd like to have a try again.

Phoebe (China)

On Monday, I teamed up with two of my classmates, Phoebe and Ellie, to make Omelette rice together. In the last class, we went to the school kitchen together with our teacher.

After reading the recipe, we took the necessary items for cooking from the cupboard and then we took the necessary food from the refrigerator. I hadn't eaten it and didn't know it and it was a new food for me, so it was very interesting.

During the cooking time, each of us was busy cooking a meal. One person sliced the food, another person mixed them together, and another person fried it. With their help and cooperation, we served and cooked the food well and then handed it over to our teacher. After finishing cooking, we started collecting extra items and cleaning the kitchen and made everything as tidy as when we came here for the first time.

The next day, we took all the food in the school hall and talked about them and their recipes, and at the end we tasted all the foods. All of them were very delicious, especially the purple cupcakes. As we enjoyed the food of others, they also praised our food.

I don't like cooking but cooking with my classmates was great and we had a lot of fun and I learned how to cook an omelette with rice in this experience.

Mahgol (Iran)

Science with the language centre

In term 3 our language centre Science classes went to the laboratory (General Science 1 Room) to do the experiment on “Create Our Own PH Indicator Chart”. The students were divided into 6 groups, each group had a group leader and a recorder. We used Bunsen burners, red flower petals, tea bags and purple cabbages, vinegar, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, beakers, test tubes, test-tube rack, and Pasteur pipettes. Through scientific experiment and hands-on practice, students learned that some substances found in nature can be used as acid-base indicators. They not only strengthened their safety awareness in the laboratory, but also enhanced their communication, cooperation, and problem-solving skills.

Parent Presentation for Language Centre

In Term 3, the Language Centre students welcomed their families to their classroom to showcase the work they had been doing. It was great to see the students talking to all of the parents and showing them their work, and to see the parents discussing with all of the students. Parents were also able to meet the Language Centre teachers and we enjoyed an afternoon tea together.

End of Term Party

We said good by to Keke who has been with us for the past 6 months.  She came to TC to do Language Centre and will be going to Ashwood High School.  We also wish our students who are moving to the mainstream all the best.

Meet the Language Centre

MAP Theatre Tour

The 2023 MAP Theatre Tour was an amazing success. Following last year’s fun&games with reconstructed Fairy Tales, this year we went much heavier and used, as our starter, the Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

MAP students were taken out for 2 days of role-plays and workshops at Templestowe Memorial Hall. There they were given one-page synopses of all of Shakespeare’s Tragedies and Comedies, plus a couple of Histories. They had an hour, they had a stage, they had an abundance of costumes – and they discovered the stories.

By the time we had a script and were rehearsing for Tour, these 12 – 15 year-olds had a better understanding of Shakespeare than any group we’ve had before. The final play ended up containing parts, or vastly shortened entire plays, of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, RICHARD III, KING LEAR, HAMLET, AS YOU LIKE IT, JULIUS CAESAR, OTHELLO, ROMEO & JULIET, TITUS ANDRONICUS, ANTONY & CLEOPATRA, and MACBETH.

This year’s Tour held more performances than ever before – two every day, plus 3 on both Wednesday and Friday. We travelled from TC to Briar Hill, to Yarra Junction and stayed Monday night near Healesville. Tuesday saw us travelling up the Black Spur through fog and towering mountain ash to Alexandra, then onto Mansfield and overnight at Lake Nillahcootie. Wednesday was a big one – shows at Millawa, Myrtleford and then Bright – before relaxing in Bright and heading back to Beechworth to stay. Thursday was Rushworth and Elmore, then onto Daylesford. We came home Friday via Trentham and Gisborne Montessori, for a pizza feast preceding the finale at the PAC.

We performed to both primary and secondary audiences, with the students subtly changing their performances to suit the ages of the crowd. We performed in multi-purpose rooms, on stages, and even in a staff office! The learning, cooperation and interdependence developed by all of our MAP students was as impressive as ever. As far as we know, we remain the only student group in the world to develop a show and perform in this way.

I think our highest compliment cam from a school principal, a self-confessed Shakespeare addict who had seen all the plays except Titus Andronicus, who told us: “Your kids are better than the summer professional shows in the Botanic Gardens.” High praise indeed.

MAP GRAD CAMP

The 2023 MAP graduating students spent 2 nights on a camp in North Mirboo in late term 3. The purpose of the camp was to spend quality time with each other, reflecting on their time in the Montessori Adolescent Program, and to work on a local farm. The students all worked together to organise most aspects of the camp including food, activities, equipment, etc. We stayed at a local cattle farm on the top of a ridge which afforded gorgeous views of the surrounding areas along with oppressive winds! Students would wake up and make breakfast, head out for a range of activities (wading, lawn bowls, beach soccer), come back, prepare dinner, and then hang out. The desired vibe of the camp was relaxation and the students nailed it. Students spent lots of time chatting around the fire, playing soccer, and just hanging out. On the second day we all helped the owner of the farm removing bracken in one of their paddocks. It was a lovely experience and an honour to spend that time with the MAP grads.

Studio 1B - rockfest

Recording, filming and publishing original music is a crucial part of being a successful contemporary musician. Stage & Beyond and Music Technology students embarked on a collaboration at Studio 1B in Coburg during Term 3 to create videos that the bands can use in their electronic promo kits. 

The performances were filmed by Dante Griffith and Ben Mowson with the help of Ryan Griffith, and the audio was mixed by Music Technology students under the guidance of Peter Newmarch.

From these videos our musos have been nominated in 6 out of 10 categories for the National Rockfest awards. This is a fabulous achievement, congratulations to all finalists!

• Best Drummer - Sam Haebich

• Best Junior Band - Gazza Goblin (Urijah Dower, Rishi Ahmed, Isla Treweek, Jardin Shean, James Genat, Flynn Aragona-Murray)

• Best Senior Band - Krackers & Koolaide (Danny Gray, Giles De Simone, Leon Stals)

• Best Solo - Bec Fowler

• Best Keys - Finn De Blacquiere-Clarkson

• Best Vocal - Bec Fowler

Congrats to all the musos and techs on a great result! You can watch the videos now on YouTube

TC Musos MITS Visit

As part of our Term 3 Me, You, We theme, a group of TC Musos visited our friends at MITS to share performance and teach instrumental music lessons. It was awesome to see our musos share their songs, learn about yidaki, share their knowledge of guitar, keyboard and drums, and connect with the students at MITS over food and music. We look forward to further collaborations with MITS in 2023 and beyond. 

The Push music Careers Expo

An important for the 'Me, You, We' theme was developing understandings of possible career pathways in the music industry. Stage & Beyond students attended the annual Push Music Careers expo at the iconic Corner Hotel to hear talks by industry professionals, meet and greet a range of music industry organisations, and network with other young musos and creatives. Many of our musos had the opportunity to get feedback from radio and studio professionals on their recent recordings. A great day out! 

VCE Drama Cactus Excursion

In Term 3, the 1/2 Drama class visited La Mama Courthouse Theatre to see a performance of Cactus, a coming of age story about the strength of friendships, and the hardships of growing up. As a class we met up in the evening and got a uniquely special experience, seeing the performance in such an intimate theatre. The two-hander show was insightful and deeply encapsulating, as well as incredibly funny. We also got the experience of doing a Q&A with the two actors, which greatly improved our understanding of the performance ahead of our assessment. As a class we all really enjoyed it and, in my opinion, took a lot away from it.

By Poppy Grant Jump

Entry Science

Entry students finding the relationship between foot length and height.

Ecolink Girls in Science

I had an awesome time at the Ecolinc Women in STEM day. A highlight for me was the scientist speed dating, where we got to talk to scientists about their careers and what they did to get there. I got to ask them lots of questions about careers, courses, and what I should do to get to my dream job. We also got to make insect waffles, talking about future foods, and we got to look at the cool Dark Matters exhibit at the science gallery. Overall, it was such an amazing day, and I'm so glad I could be a part of it. I would definitely go again and would 100% recommend everyone to try it!

By Abby Dearman

Earth and Beyond

OzGrav Excursion

50 students from the classes Earth & Beyond and Physics recently went on an excursion to Swinburne University. These lucky few students got to experience the life cycle of a star through virtual reality head sets. It was a simulation of being shot into space and allowed students to control a star's evolution with the click of a button. This educational tool allowed our students to understand stars with a further depth.

The next experience was multidimensional, literally, we watched a space tour with 3D glasses on. Then went on to watch two captivating movies about mapping space. Students took the opportunity to have a look around the campus of Swinburne with the prospect of a future there.

By Ruby Egan-Douglas

Physics Marshmallow challenge

Physics students completed the marshmallow challenge in the last week of class. This was the culmination of their unit on motion and forces and looked at designing a structure that could support the mass of a marshmallow.

VEX Robotics Tournament at Thornbury High School

Students were able to participate in VEX robotics competition at Thornbury High School alongside other Victorian schools; including government, catholic and independent schools. 

Templestowe College entered 3 VEX IQ teams and 3 VEX VRC teams. Our 3 VEX IQ teams were all finalists, with the combination of Ethan Wong and Xavier Dossa proving too strong for the competition, winning both the Robot Skills and Tournament competitions. 

Our VRC teams were able to represent in the finals of the tournament and finished in the top four, congratulations to Anthony Campione and Chazz Iuel for representing TC so successfully.  

Our senior teams were unable to compete but were instrumental in the running of the event, showing great community contributions and leadership throughout the event. 

Congratulations TC Robotics! 

VEX Robotics Competition at Hampton Park

Vocational Major students were tasked with the open ended project of creating something for a particular community group. Students were able to form their own groups based on common interest and bring their idea to their teachers and classmates to assess the suitability and probability of it going ahead.  After which, students remain in their groups and engage in all processes of conducting a project. Students had meetings within their groups, allocated roles and responsibilities, chose resources and key stakeholders, created budgets and timelines and even surveys that were sent out to gain common consensus on their idea, how it could be improved or where it could located in true democratic fashion.

Students engaged in three main community projects. The first of which was supporting our native revegetation initiative where students removed weeds and covered vast areas of ground with mulch to suppress future growth. We were able to plant over 300 native trees, shrubs and grasses through a grant provided from Landcare and received by Claire O’Sullivan. The major planting was completed over two periods in one day and was a lovely, communal and cross curricular activity where students from VM, Outdoor Education and Backyard Permaculture all supported each other with the guidance their teachers, school council members, education support staff and their independent learning skills.

The second creation was the very popular GAGA pit. The idea being coined at the beginning of Head Start last year where Leon asked whether he could build a GAGA pit and was met with the response of “You can do anything you want to do, and we will support you however you need.” We now have a structurally completed GAGA pit that has quickly become the popular zone to be in at any school break. Students are now conducting their own games of GAGA ball which I liken to Dodgeball squash where you have to avoid being hit below the waist. Students are now proving on the daily they have amazing organisational skills, group dynamics and a respect and trust for each other in ownership over the rules and good sportsmanship. The students who created this, should and do, feel immense pride in this creation that has quite literally brought the school together and can be used well after their departure across a variety of curricular contexts and subject areas. 

Finally, students over the course of only a few short weeks have managed to frame up four walls of a tiny house with the eventual intent to make them portable and donate to homeless charities. The first construction is somewhat of a prototype, whereby we will make the dwelling more semi permanent and finish cladding it with hempcrete -an unrivalled thermal building material that has profound acoustic absorption effects, is also mould proof, fire proof, bug proof and is carbon negative. The desire and community need for this years construction was to build an extra well-being area to have more spaces around the school for students to use as a ‘regulation station.’ More than half of the students involved in ¾ Vocational Major took part in this project and now have first-hand skills and knowledge in framing houses that they can take with them to work and exploits after school, significantly increasing the ease of this transition by removing some of the strain of learning new skills, knowledge and processes at the start of a new job. Good luck all, I wish you well.

By Ryley Norris

ART Day Yay!

In the midst of Term 3, the Visual Arts Department hosted the ever-popular annual "Art Day Yay!". Students took part in a series of creative workshops that explored animation, cane and tissue sculpture, still life painting, edgy street art paste ups and personal logo design.

It was exciting to witness our students fully engross themselves in these artistic activities throughout the entire day! The creation of still life compositions featuring cakes and sweets added a delicious element to the morning tea!

After a hard morning of creativity, students enjoyed pizza for lunch, and had the opportunity to take home their very own printed t-shirts, canvases, and sculptures – a tangible testament to the creativity of TC students.

We are keen to uphold and build on this tradition next year and are excited to hear ideas and suggestions for workshops for 2024. Students’ creativity and input are highly valued as we continue to foster the spirit of creative thinking at TC.

Watch out for our annual Art and Design show opening on Tuesday the 21st of November. Student work from Art Day Yay!, Visual Art, Design, Media and Design Technology Electives, and VCE classes will be celebrated.

Photography City Experience

The photography students travelled to the CBD in term 3 as part of their learning task on capturing street culture, and exploring camera and photography techniques in street photography.

They enjoyed the freedom of focussing on specific elements that communicated aspects of city life and visual aesthetics.  Many examples of student work depict ideas on infrastructure and architecture, crowds, groups and people, as well as interiors,  moments in time or expressive portraits.

The best part of this excursion was seeing how our students applied key knowledge and skills learnt in the previous lessons, thinking about camera settings, techniques and reflecting on ways to edit back in the classroom.

Instagram

A great way to follow the visual arts @TC is to follow us on Instagram! TC Visual Arts (@tcvisualart) • Instagram photos and videos here is a snippet of posts below

Wear It Purple Day

Every week TC journalist Bonnie-Mai Smith provides the community with a insight to life at TC. 📰

In term 3 she did a series of articles on student success stories called “Who’s Who @ TC? Students With Great Stories” to revisit these stories click on the links below and to and stay update, find Next Week @TC in your email inbox every Friday or under the community tab on the website.