Welcome to Term 4! It has been lovely to see our students return, reconnect with their friends and settle into their classroom routines. While Lou is on Long Service Leave with her family, I am pleased to be supporting our school community as Acting Principal. We have a wonderful term ahead, with plenty of learning, celebrations and opportunities to come together.

Torquay College Festival

Please save Friday 11 December, from 3:00–7:30 pm, for our Torquay College Festival! With a Christmas theme, delicious food, stalls and opportunities to celebrate our students’ creativity, this promises to be a fantastic way to bring our community together as the year draws to a close.

Each year level will take responsibility for an area of the festival:

Foundation: Petting Zoo
Year 1: Christmas Cookies
Year 2: Second-Hand Toy Stall
Year 3: Drink Stall
Year 4: BBQ
Year 5: Second-Hand Clothes Stall
Year 6: Bake Sale

Our Silent Auction and most importantly, the Student Arts Trail will add even more to explore, with the Arts Trail providing a special opportunity to enjoy the creativity and achievements of our students.

What makes an event like this special is the people behind it. Over the coming weeks, teaching teams will reach out to parents and carers for help with organising stalls, preparing donations, setting up, serving and packing up. Whether you can offer a little time or take on a larger role, your contribution will help create a memorable event for our children.

Volunteering is also a lovely way to meet other families and feel more connected to our school. We encourage you to get involved, bring along grandparents and friends, and help build the excitement at home. It is a special time of the year were our grounds are filled with families catching up, children proudly showing off their artwork and the familiar faces of our community working together.

Put the date in your calendar and start spreading the word! Please see the flyers for further details and keep your eye out for your child/ren's teacher for request for support.

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches

Following a number of occasions where students and families have not followed our personal device expectations, we will be reinforcing the consistent implementation of the school’s policy this term.

The Department of Education’s Mobile Phones – Student Use policy requires students’ mobile phones to be switched off and securely stored during school hours, unless an approved exception applies. This policy also includes smart watches and other personal devices that have a celluar device.

Please note, mobile phones, smart watches and other personal devices must be switched off and put away in students’ bags, in accordance with the school’s storage arrangements. Students must not access cellular devices on school grounds between 8:15 am and 3:15 pm, unless an approved Principal exception applies.

If your child brings a phone or smart watch to school, please discuss these expectations with them and ensure the device is switched off and put away on arrival. Parents and carers who need to contact their child during the school day must do so through the office, rather than calling or messaging their child’s device.

Classroom teachers have explained these expectations to students, and we will reinforce them at Friday’s assembly. All policies can be found on our school website and are all aligned to the Department of Education.

Thank you for supporting clear and consistent routines that protect learning time and allow children to focus on their friendships, play and participation at school.

A Term of Firsts, Lasts and Special Memories

Term 4 is always busy, but it is also full of moments that remind us how much our children grow during a school year.

For our Year 6 students, this is their final term of primary school. Alongside preparing for secondary school, there will be familiar experiences they enjoy for the last time, including their final school carols, camp, awards assembly, colour run, SAKG classes, and Festival as Torquay College students. Graduation will give us the opportunity to recognise their achievements, celebrate their friendships and thank them for the contribution they have made to our school. We hope they take time to enjoy these remaining weeks and leave feeling proud of themselves and confident about what comes next.

For our Foundation students, this term completes the very first year of their schooling life. It is wonderful to reflect on the children who arrived at the beginning of the year and the confidence, independence and friendships they have developed since then. They still have many exciting first experiences ahead, including their first F–2 Athletics, Fun Run and Grandparent's Day.

Our students have some exciting camp experiences this term! Our Year 5 students are enjoying Camp Kangaroobi at Princetown this week, while our Year 3 students will experience their first school camp, a special opportunity to build confidence, independence and friendships. For our Year 6 students, their final primary school camp will be a chance to enjoy time together and create lasting memories before heading to secondary school. Thank you to our staff for making these experiences possible and supporting students to try new things.

Across the school, the many events and end-of-year celebrations will provide opportunities to recognise effort, growth and achievement. Alongside this excitement, our teachers will continue to prioritise learning and the predictable routines that help students feel settled and ready to participate.

Please keep an eye on Compass and QuayNotes for all our exciting events. Thank you for the encouragement and support you provide throughout the year. We look forward to sharing a busy, fun and memorable final term with you.

Amy Snow

Outside Hours School Care (OSHC)