Dear Families,

Celebrating We’re All Mad Here

What an incredible production week! Across six performances, our students brought We’re All Mad Here, our adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, to life with energy, confidence and creativity. The acting, singing, dancing and colourful costumes made each performance truly memorable.

A production of this scale requires an enormous amount of preparation, commitment and teamwork. I extend my sincere thanks to Ben and Nat for the many hours they devoted to preparing and supporting our students, as well as to every staff member and volunteer who assisted backstage, supervised students, welcomed families and helped each performance run smoothly.

Most importantly, congratulations to our wonderful students. We could not be prouder of the way you supported one another and represented our school. It was a very special celebration of the talent and community spirit we have at Torquay College.

Bird Flu Update

You may be aware that H5 bird flu has recently been detected in wild bird populations across Victoria. A member of our community recently found a bird found on the school grounds and followed the appropriate advice to manage the situation safely, with confirmation from laboratory testing detected avian influenza virus in the bird.

The risk to the general public remains low; however, families are reminded that children should never touch sick or dead birds or other wildlife. We will be closing access to our bird aviary and chicken coup effectively immediately to limit people entering this space.

If a dead or sick bird is found on school grounds:

Do not allow students to handle the bird.
Avoid direct contact where possible.
If handling is required, use appropriate personal protective equipment such as disposable gloves.
Wash hands thoroughly after any contact with birds or potentially contaminated materials.
Report unusual sickness or deaths in wild birds through the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
Further information is available from Agriculture Victoria.

Book Week Parade

Our much-loved Book Week Parade is coming up this Friday! Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend this year due to a pre-booked conference, but I know it will be a wonderful morning filled with creativity, colour and fabulous costumes. Have a fantastic time celebrating the joy of books and stories!

Father’s Day Breakfast

Next Friday, we will hold our much-loved Father’s Day and Special Person Breakfast. This is always a wonderful community event, and we look forward to welcoming our dads and special people to the school.

Please ensure your RSVP is completed by this Friday, 28 August, to assist us with catering and organisation.

Vietnam

On Tuesday, 18 August, two of our student leaders, Albie Threadgold and Pearl Cross had the honour of representing Torquay College at the 60th Anniversary Vietnam Veterans’ Day Memorial Service. Our captains played an important role in the ceremony, taking on speaking roles and representing our school with great confidence, respect and maturity. The service provided an important opportunity to recognise and remember the service, courage and sacrifice of Australians who served during the Vietnam War, particularly those who lost their lives. We are extremely proud of our leaders for the way they represented Torquay College and contributed so respectfully to this significant commemorative occasion.

Dates for Your Calendar

Please continue to refer to our calendar of events, with the most up-to-date version always available on Compass and here:

We have recently added Mini-Activities Day, which will be held on Wednesday, 9 September. This is a much-loved event at Torquay College, where our Grade 6 students create and run a fantastic range of mini activities for the rest of the school. We ask students to bring along some coins on the day so they can participate in the activities and support this special Grade 6 initiative.

We have another busy and exciting fortnight ahead. I hope everyone enjoys the Book Week celebrations! Please also note that due to the Book Week assembly, student of the week awards will not be handed out this week and celebrated at our final assembly for Term 3 on Friday 11th September.

Louise Kahle

Principal

Events

Yr 4 Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre Visit