Dear TCPS Families,

Once again it is great to see our students able to get out and about this week. Some of our senior students headed off to Landy Field to represent the school at District Athletics on Thursday, thank you to Ms Kneebone for organising this!

I also attended the Vietnam Remembrance Service on Thursday with some of our student leaders.

Our students participated in the service and represented our school in a positive and respectful manner. They deserved the morning tea that was served at the conclusion of the service, and also enjoyed having a chance to meet some other school leaders who attended.

Darren Roskosch is on leave and I will be Acting Principal until he returns. Ross Cuthbertson will be Acting Assistant Principal while I am in the role. I appreciate this support very much and also the way our staff constantly support us as we manage staff leave. I know our school is not alone in facing these challenges!

Jo Loader

Assistance Principal

Parking around the school

Please be aware that the police have been seen patrolling the local area with a particular focus on parking infringements. Please ensure also that your children know to use the designated crossing and obey all general road rules primarily for their personal safety.

Family Holidays

If you are planning a family holiday during school time, please be reminded that permission from the school is required, in order to determine the best way to support students in their learning during periods of prolonged absence. Please contact your child's teacher for further information.

Staff and Student Absence

Victoria is continuing to experience staff shortages, due to illness, in many industries including education. Whilst TCPS is managing to provide educational care for all our students, we certainly haven't escaped staffing absence due to COVID and other related illness. Please see below for greater detail. Whilst always ultra protective of our amazing staff and their well-being for the benefit of our students and themselves, please be reassured that we are taking extra particular care to insure they are in the best possible position to be here for your children.

Public Education in Torquay

Surf Coast Secondary College has launched a new school website. https://surfcoastsecondarycollege.vic.edu.au/ This very comprehensive and well presented site will provide interested families with detailed general information ,and great information and insight into the school's progressive programs.

Early Student Departures

We have definitely noted a significant increase in early student departures, particularly on a Friday afternoon.

We know that sometimes these early departures are unavoidable and necessary. However early departures do have the potential ability to cause disruption to not only your child's learning, but the learning of others.

If the early departure from school does meet the necessary requirement, please inform your child's teacher prior so that we can aim for your child can be prepared accordingly, without any possible disruption to the learning of other students.

2022 School Council Members:

Kelsey Jamieson – President
Cat McConkey– Parent Rep
Hutch Hussein – Parent Rep
Sophie Young – Vice President
Brad Millar – Parent Rep
Matt Corlett – Parent Rep
Darren Roskosch (Principal - Executive Officer of SC)
Jo Loader (Assistant Principal – teacher rep)
Bianca McSparron (Business Manager - Finance)

2022 Leaders

School Captains

Tilly Moreton

Isabella Hall

Hunter Montgomery

Owen Gleeson

House Captains

Bells Beach

Samara Spagnuolo

Evie Mansfield

Jack Maddocks

Finn Hayes

Cosy Corner

Felix Hanser-Laurie

Bailey Nicholson

Tara Petrakis

Josie Mant

Point Danger

Madalan Little

Indi Ballis

Jackson Sammut

Aaron Alexander

Zeally Bay

Oliver Swan

Dylan Eric

Mylen Van Delden

Bowie Wilkinson

STEM Captains

Nathan Brooker

Albie Weber

Ruby Calthorpe

Charli O’Loughlin

Josie Kelly

Art Captains

Kennedy Spaull

Ethan Brooker

Phoebe Polizzi

Haven Gordon

Gate Times

A reminder to parents that our gates are opened at approximately 8.30am each morning by our school officer. Victorian public schools are only permitted to allow students onsite when supervision is available. We are opening our gates at 8.30am to encourage a staggered arrival at school and to encourage social distancing.

Yard supervision, as per Department of Education requirements, is in place 15 minutes prior to the commencement of the school day during usual operations, but will be in place from 8.30am while we are supporting a staggered start to the day.

Our School Officer commences the gate run with the Bike Gate first, moving up the hill to the Front Gate and finishing with the Legacy Drive gate. Once the green corridor development is completed on the South boundary, we will also be looking to open up an access gate in that location.

A reverse order for closure occurs at approximately 9.10am.

If you need to send or drop your child/ren off earlier due to work commitments etc, please know that the YMCA provide an onsite Before and After School Care service. The YMCA will need to be contacted directly to arrange that care. www.childrensprograms.ymca.org .au (03 4755 9735)

2022 Home Group Structures

As our school has moved into our 5th year of existence, it continues to grow as expected.

2018: 127 students (Inaugural year)

2019: 238 students

2020: 361 students

2021: 469 students

2022: 543 students

2022 Homegroups

Prep A - Mrs Ryan

Prep B - Mrs Greenhough

Prep C - Miss Gunn

Prep D - Mrs Webb

Prep E - Miss Jones

1A - Ms Pettit

1B - Mrs Isbel

1C - Ms Bode

1D - Mrs King

1E - Miss Hinkley

2A - Ms Moon and Ms Turner

2B - Miss Dangerfield

2C - Ms Strong

2D - Mr Norton

3A - Mr Dahl

3B - Mrs Field

3C - Mr Francis

3D - Mrs Reid and Mrs Curran

4A - Mrs Rayner

4B - Mr Bonner

4C - Mr Findling

5/6A - Mr Kiss

5/6B - Ms Scanlan

5/6C - Mr Cuthbertson

5/6D - Mr Fryer

Tutor Learning Initiative

The 2020 and 2021 school year was an extraordinary and challenging one for every school community. We know that the remote learning experience was different for every student. While some students thrived, some students may not have engaged as fully with remote learning and will benefit from additional learning support in 2022.

In acknowledgement of this, the Victorian Government has committed funding towards the Tutor Learning Initiative to support students who may need extra assistance with their learning.

At TCPS we have employed a number of extra staff, over and above the funding, to ensure all students in need have access to extra support. These staff members will be working closely with home group teachers to provide targeted support.

Ms Sutherland and Mrs South have also returned from family leave to provide explicit support in this area. They will be working predominantly with our grade 1 students, whilst all of our learning neighbourhoods have an extra staff member to support this intervention program. Students may have direct contact with these staff, or work in smaller groupings with their home group teacher.

With additional teachers in the neighbourhood, we will be able to provide explicit support to a wider range of students. This will also allow the classroom teacher the opportunity to educationally engage more closely with individual students during learning time. This way all students benefit from the program.

TCPS has already supported and staffed intervention support since its inception, and our aim is to also make this program sustainable beyond the current funding. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate in contacting your child’s home group teacher.

TCPS Assembly

Just a reminder that due to COVID restrictions unfortunately we are not yet able to have parents attend our weekly assembly. Not having our student families at our assembly is a massive loss for our school and I look forward to that changing hopefully in the near future. Assembly is just not the same without our parents/grandparents.

Community Connections Group