Dear Families,

What a wonderful few weeks we have had at Torquay College! It has been fantastic to see our school community coming together to celebrate, connect and support one another. There are plenty of exciting things happening as we move further into Term 4.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

What an incredible turnout we had for our Grandparents and Special Friends Day today!

It was wonderful to welcome so many grandparents and special people into our classrooms to share in the learning experiences of our students. The smiles, conversations and excitement throughout the school were a lovely reminder of just how important these connections are. We were absolutely blown away by the number of visitors, with attendance well beyond what we had anticipated! Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the morning so special.

We certainly underestimated just how popular this event would be, and I can assure you that next year we will be much better prepared with catering to accommodate our enormous crowd! Thank you for your understanding, and most importantly, thank you for being such an important part of our school community.

Torquay College Golf Day – What a Success!

What a fantastic day we had at our Torquay College Golf Day! A massive thank you to everyone who participated, supported, volunteered and contributed to making the event such a success. It was wonderful to see our school community come together for a day of fun, friendly competition and fundraising. Our initial calculations have us raising over $7000 for the school. This will be going towards school improvement focusing on new airconditioners and other projects. Events like these simply would not be possible without the generosity of our local businesses. We are incredibly grateful to the following sponsors for getting behind Torquay College.

Gold Sponsors

Black Bear Projects
McCartney Real Estate

Silver Sponsors

QA Electrical
Agar Singh Legal

Bronze Sponsors

Coerver
Ironbark Composites
Higgins

Community Sponsors

Fenton Electrical
Bird Rock Play Therapy

Competition Sponsors

Indigo Wolf – Longest Drive
Greenbays Golf – Nearest the Pin

A special thank you also goes to the many businesses that generously donated prizes.

Boardriders
Blackman's Brewery
R B Sellars
The Kyn
Bomboras
Mitre 10
Upstate
X Golf
Mikro Coffee
Starter Culture
Love House

Thank you again to everyone involved. Your generosity and community spirit are greatly appreciated, and the support we receive makes a genuine difference to our school. We have already started planning our Golf Day for 2027!

Mobile Phone and Personal Device Policy – Important Reminder

I would like to reiterate some important information regarding our recently updated Mobile Phone and Personal Device Policy. The requirements regarding mobile phones and personal devices in Victorian government schools are directed by the Victorian Department of Education and the Victorian Government. These are not simply rules developed by Torquay College. As part of our implementation of the policy, Torquay College has made the decision that all wearable communication devices, including smartwatches, must be removed and securely stored during the school day, regardless of whether they have a school mode function.

There are two important reasons for this decision:

As a school, we do not have the capacity to individually check and monitor whether school mode has been enabled on every student's device throughout the day.
We have experienced a number of instances where students have used their wearable devices to contact home during school hours, rather than following our established school communication and wellbeing procedures.

For these reasons, we have taken a consistent, whole-school approach that is clear, fair and manageable for all students and staff. Students may store their devices securely in their school bags or hand them to the school office for safekeeping during the day. We appreciate that some families rely on these devices for communication before and after school. Students are still able to bring them to school for this purpose, provided they are switched off and stored in accordance with our policy. Thank you to our families for supporting us in implementing these requirements consistently across the school.

World Teachers' Day – Friday 30 October

This Friday, we celebrate World Teachers' Day, a wonderful opportunity to recognise and thank the dedicated teachers who make such a difference in the lives of our students every single day. At Torquay College, we are fortunate to have an incredibly committed team of educators who work tirelessly to support, challenge and inspire our students.

Teaching is so much more than delivering lessons. It is about building relationships, nurturing confidence, celebrating growth and helping every child feel valued and supported. I would like to personally thank our wonderful teachers for the care, professionalism, energy and dedication they bring to our school each day. The work you do matters, and it is appreciated. For families who would like to show their appreciation, please refer to our recent Compass post outlining how you can buy a coffee for your child's teacher as a small gesture of thanks. You can access the link here: World Teachers Day Coffee A simple message of appreciation from a student or family also goes a long way!

2027 Class Placements – Peer Nominations

On Sunday, families received a Compass communication containing the 2027 Student Peer Nomination Form. As part of our class placement process, students are invited to nominate five peers they believe they learn and work well with. We encourage families to complete this form together with their child, considering positive learning relationships rather than simply friendship groups. Please be aware that there is a strict timeline for submissions, and families are encouraged to complete the form before the advertised closing date. Late submissions may not be able to be considered once the class placement process is underway. While student nominations will be carefully considered, placement with nominated peers cannot be guaranteed.

Our class placement process is a comprehensive one, taking into account the academic, social, emotional and behavioural needs of all students, along with the creation of balanced and productive learning environments across the school. As outlined in our Class Placement Policy, we do not accept individual requests for particular teachers or friendship placements outside of this process. We ask families to trust the professional judgement of our staff, who put considerable time and thought into creating classes that best support the needs of all students. Families are encouraged to familiarise themselves with our Class Placement Policy for further information. Thank you for your cooperation and support as we undertake this important process for 2027.

As always, thank you to our wonderful families, staff and wider school community for your continued support. Whether you are attending an event, volunteering your time, supporting a fundraiser or encouraging your child in their learning, your contribution is valued. We have a busy and exciting remainder of Term 4 ahead, and I look forward to sharing many more special moments with you.

Warm regards,

Louise Kahle

Principal

Outside Hours School Care (OSHC)