SCHOOL FLAGS can be booked via the school office. It is anticipated and promoted that school flags will be borrowed for school holiday periods, weekends, public holidays, or times during an 'Alternate Education Program.'

19th of December 2025

TCPS NEWS

TCPS GRATITUDE

The sadly poignant time has come to say goodbye. I don't even know what that truly means yet such as has been my desire to live gratefully 'in the now' and to not project myself unwillingly, and a little fearfully, into the future.

I could have only hoped the leap of faith I took to undertake an unknown journey almost 9 years ago could have brought me, so filled with gratitude, to this point in time.

There has been a lot of emotion pre and post my decision that my time to leave is suited to now. A time where I feel so deeply satisfied and happy and content.

Thank you for the many messages I have received. They have been truly appreciated and noted. They have certainly not made my decision any easier!! And that is a very nice feeling to have in departing.

Certainly, the hardest question I have had to answer is the one 'why don't you want to be our Principal anymore?' That has NOT been a question I have enjoyed!

That role has been the single most privileged and blessed role I have had - simply being the Principal of our students. But there are many lesser valued by me aspects to the global role of being a Principal. Those aspects provide their own separate challenges, and they don't come close to the aspect of simply being the Principal of students. I could do that part forever!

To the staff of TCPS

To the students of TCPS

To the TCPS community

I say thank you. Thank you for everything.

My life will have a significant hole in it always that I will fill with the many memories of a school, filled with people, I loved with all my being. Torquay Coast.

To laugh often and much; 

to win the respect of intelligent people 

and the affection of children; 

to earn the appreciation of honest critics 

and endure the betrayal of false friends; 

to appreciate beauty; 

to find the best in others;  

to leave the world a bit better 

whether by a healthy child, a garden patch,

or a redeemed social condition; 

to know that one life has breathed easier  

because you lived here. 

This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our 2025 Year comes to an end

One of the many wisdoms that life experience brings is the realisation that all time passes. And as it does, new experiences replace the old. We tend to have the ability to move on quickly as it works out. Such is a display of our inner resilience and adaptability sometimes.

As our school yet again continues to grow - we will be over 700 students in 2026, we will continue our relentless commitment to the pursuit excellence and continue to provide an environment that nurtures and supports student growth in all areas. We know and recognise regularly the knowledge that our TCPS culture does not emanate from soil. It emanates from our people. And that is the pure reason our school community culture is so strong, positive and supportive.

I once again remain extremely grateful for the enormous privilege of undertaking the role as Principal. It has been my absolute honour to work with such an exceptional staff, and our students, and has been a privilege that I regard highly and reflect upon often.

We wish all our departing students, including our grade 6 students, the very best and thank them for their time and contribution to TCPS.

On behalf of all staff, I would like to thank you all for the environment you provide, and for the gift of your beautiful children.

And to the TCPS staff – I continually remain in awe of who they are as educators and who they are as people. They are incredibly special and greatly loved by our students and by me.

Please stay safe.

2026 TCPS Teaching Staff

Prep	Mrs. Rachel Ryan	Mrs. Mod Kneebone	PE
Prep	Mrs. Bonnie Waters	Ms. Naarah Calvert	Global
Prep	Ms. Nat Greenhough	Ms. Kate Brasier	STEM
Prep	Ms. Ash Smith	Mrs. Yvette Christoe	ART
Prep	Miss. Ingrid Dellavedova	Mrs. Jeni Withycombe	PE
One	Mrs. Maree Najdovski	Mrs. Tayla Marie	Global
One	Mrs. Lucy Wood	Mrs. Nat Chapman	STEM
One	Miss. Ruby Dangerfield	Ms. El Borg	ART
One	Miss, Jenna Wanefalea
Two	Mrs. Dione Westwood	Mrs. Lucy Jones	Prep
Two	Miss. Maggie Ryan	Mrs. Jess Duffy	Gr 4
Two	Miss. Daisy Breckon	Mrs. Jess Curran	Gr 5
Two	Ms. Nic King
Two	Mrs. Kamala Bode	Mrs. Caitlin Harding	DIP
Gr 3	Mr. Trey O'Sullivan	Mrs. Lindsay Gardiner	Well Being
Gr 3	Mrs. Andrea Rayner
Gr 3	Mrs. Jess Hyden	Mr. Ross Cuthbertson	AP
Gr 3	Mr. Dan Donaldson	Mrs. Jo Loader	AP
Gr 4	Mr. Jackson Nelson
Gr 4	Ms. Carlene Sutherland	Miss. Bec McGlinchey	Admin
Gr 4	Mr. Taylor Bonner	Mrs. Wendy Griffin	Admin
Gr 4	Mrs. Sietske Penno	Mrs. Bianca McSparron	Business M.
Gr 5	Miss. Issy Long
Gr 5	Mr. Darren Findling
Gr 5	Mrs. Kate Strong
Gr 5	Mr. Harvey Griggs
Gr 6	Mr. Mitch Norton
Gr 6	Mrs. Meg Reid/Mrs. Emily Morton
Gr 6	Mr. David Kiss
Gr 6	Mr. Hamish Dahl

Darren Roskosch

TCPS Principal

Lumi's Place

Lumi was tiny, quiet, and shy,

Living in a land where no one would wave

or even say “hi!”

She dreamed of a place she’d feel safe and seen,

Somewhere warm, where the world felt

kind, not mean.

One night came a breeze, all twirly and light,

It whispered, “Go find your place — start tonight!”

So off she skipped without delay,

To see where her heart might want to stay.

First came a jungle, noisy and wild,

With booming beasts and a grumpy child.

Lumi waved — but no one saw, just rushing feet and a jungle’s roar.

“This isn’t it,” she said with a sigh,

“They’re all too busy,” so she said “Goodbye.”

Next came a city, all shiny and fast, with lights that

blinked and people zooming past.

She helped someone who dropped their pack,

But they hurried away without looking back.

“This isn’t it,” she sadly whispered low,

As cars zoomed past in a dim silver glow.

Then came a desert, empty and bare,

With dusty winds and no one there.

No hands to hold, no friends to meet,

Just endless sky and burning heat.

Lumi’s eyes filled, but the breeze came near,

Salty and warm, like the sea was here.

It carried her down to a sandy shore,

Where children played and laughed some more.

And right by the Coast, near the ocean’s song,

Stood a school where kindness clearly grew strong.

From a leafy branch, she paused to see,

“Could this special place be meant for me?”

One child whispered, “There’s someone in need”.

Time to display gratitude and in great speed.

“That’s Mindfulness,” Lumi thought with great delight,

“They’re grateful for others and all things in their sight.

She saw kids playing games, both big and small,

Making sure everyone joined in them all.

“They cheer for each other, no matter the result.”

“That’s acceptance” she thought without fear of fault.

She saw in the playground a gentle scene,

Kids using THINK words, and none in between.

“That’s Respect,” she thought, “ from their hearts to their head,

It’s in what they say and the way they tread.”

And peeking inside, she saw on the wall,

Posters of strengths, twenty-four in all.

“Bravery, Love, Hope, Friendship too...

They’re learning how to grow strong and how to be true!”

Then came a voice, all cheerful and bright,

“Come play with us, Lumi, you’ll be alright!”

The breeze wrapped her close in a gentle embrace,

And Lumi knew she had found her place.

An orange heart appeared, glowing shiny and bright.

From her head to her feet Lumi knew this place was right.

“I’m finally home, it’s OUR Torquay Coast,

Where M.A.R.S. defines us, from the Pillars we love most.

2026 Current Enrolment Totals

Based on current enrolment numbers - homegroups will be designed around the following numbers and ratios at this point in time.

As of 28/11/25	Prep	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 6	Total
	113	78	113	95	111	112	92	715
	5.6	4	5	4	4.4	4.6	4	31.4
Ratio	20.17	19.5	22.6	23.75	25.22	24.34	23	22. (Whole School Student to Teacher ratio)

2026 School Budget Approved

I am extremely pleased to inform our families that for the 5th year in a row, TCPS will provide a free education for all our students. There will be NO requested payments from TCPS families for Curriculum Contributions. This means education at TCPS is able to be provided for FREE.

TCPS will provide ALL curriculum materials for our students without any requested financial contribution. This includes ALL books/pens/pencils/paper etc, art supplies, online programs, classroom materials, sporting programs including buses. Students in grades Prep to 4 will all be provided with their own personalised iPad also. Parents will not be requested to make any financial contribution to cover any of these items.

There are a number of complex contributing factors that has enabled TCPS to once again achieve and provide this for our families.

The ongoing support of our families has ensured that our school has been able to offer the best possible education and support for our students at no cost to our families. We want to thank all those over our school’s history for the support of our school and staff. This has made a huge difference to our school and the programs we have been able to, and will continue to, offer.

2Home Group Construction 2026

On Tuesday next week we provide all our students to experience a transition into their future grade level, to meet the staff that will form the teaching team of that grade level in 2026. They will not be in their 2026 homegroups but instead will rotate in activities with all staff. Some of our students will be in for a BIG surprise due to some of the staff changes to teams in 2026.

We will also be welcoming some new members of staff to our TCPS family and also farewelling some others. Formal announcements regarding these changes, along with teacher teams, will be made in next week's newsletter.

Torquay Coast PS is an incredibly unique and contemporary teaching and learning environment, built specifically to cater for 21st century learners. Our Learning Neighbourhoods are designed to support social and academic collaboration between all students, allowing our students regular and multiple opportunities to work with others outside of their designated home group.

When placing children into home groups and with teachers, careful consideration is given to the placement of all children within the school, taking into account the academic and social wellbeing of all our children.

Whilst it is acknowledged that some parents will have preferences, you should be reassured that an enormous amount of input and consideration is provided by TCPS to construct balanced classes in all aspects.

As such we are unable to accommodate parent requests. Please be reassured that, your child/ren will be placed carefully in a homegroup that considers their friendship preferences, combined with their current teacher’s knowledge of their academic and social needs.

In knowing that at TCPS our learning environments are designed to support educational and social collaboration between all students in a grade level, we still provide all our students the opportunity to indicate for consideration 5 ‘friends’ that they believe they would work well with in the following year. This opportunity is optional for students with the aim being that every child will at least receive one of their requested preferences.

General Information for ONGOING Reference

Parking at Front of School

Unfortunately, there is no way to add more, but a number of parking initiatives have been implemented to help with the congestion. Two key ones are our focus on, and promotion of, Active Travel, and the 2 minute drop off zone at the front of the school.

What we do need however is for our TCPS drivers to support the initiative with their actions.

Please avoid the frustration experienced by parents caused by drivers who breach the parking sign regulations and exiting their parked car in the 2 minute 'Drop and Go' standing zone. Whilst the Shire do manage parking zones and all external road issues, we do feel obliged to pass on the impact and frustrations being experienced by parents in the hope of it being a friendly reminder. Limited parking and parking restrictions significantly impact student drop off and collection – please consider active travel where possible.

TCPS ASSEMBLY: Friday 2.20pm

Our TCPS Assembly is a very important part of our week. It is an opportunity to proactively reinforce our TCPS Pillars, Culture, and expectations through the acknowledgement and celebration of our students and school. Love of Learning is a key Character Strength of focus, as is Gratitude.

The inclusion of photos and emails celebrating our school and students in and around our community is a key part of our assembly. Due to the substantial amount of time required to process all inclusions, internal and external, and then to build into our assembly's visual format, can I please request that all items are sent to me by Thursday prior to assembly at the latest. If these emails/photos are sent to the school office or your child's teacher - they will be forwarded to me accordingly - but may miss the timeline.

Ideally, they can be sent directly to me via email darren.roskosch@education.vic.gov.au

Elements that TCPS families can contribute to our TCPS Assembly

TCPS Goes Global: Take a school flag (we have 10) or a TCPS polo on your journeys around the globe and send us a photo (3 maximum). I will then feature these at our assembly and have a photo added to our display wall at the front office. Please contact the school office to book a flag. It is anticipated and promoted that school flags will be borrowed for school holiday periods, weekends, public holidays, or times during an 'Alternate Education Program.'

TCPS Super Stars: If you know a TCPS child/teacher/family member who has achieved something amazing in any field (not just sporting) please send me the details and a possible photo or 2 so that we can all celebrate and acknowledge the achievement.

TCPS: Shout Outs: If you have a special family member visiting for the first time who are in the audience - please let me know and I will give them a special TCPS 'Shout Out.'

Annual privacy reminder for our school community.

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our policy - Please refer to our Media Agreement and Permission document on our COMPASS Portal. It describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school.

Please be reminded of the following:

Dogs are not permitted onsite for a number of reasons mainly related to student well-being. Please also refrain from tying your beloved pets to entry points. Please note that this decision is based on our council’s responsibility for risk management in our school, ensuring a safe environment for our students, staff and community.
Hats are required for all students in order to be able to play outside.
No bikes or scooters to be ridden in the yard

Media Agreement - Parent Permission

Parents are provided the opportunity to have their children excluded from all media inclusions external to our school - e.g.. Newspaper articles. This is a respected parent choice. Unfortunately there is no allowance to be able to pick and choose participation after this decision has been made. Primarily this is due to our school being unable to resource the management required to allow for selective alterations. We will however be as sensitive as we possible can to children feeling left out of these opportunities.

Early Pick up of Children from School

Can I please request that parents contact individual staff members as early as possible if you are collecting your child/ren prior to the end of the school day. This will help in organising for children to be sent to the office ready for collection. Based on the increasing frequency of these occurrences we are unable to use the PA system due to the distraction and disruption it causes to teaching and learning across the school.

PA announcements occur in recess and lunch breaks.

As teachers do not have constant access to emails during the day, I encourage as much advanced notice as possible so we can do our best to have your child/ren ready and waiting for collection. Office staff will do their best to support you where possible, however with our increasing size there may be unfortunate delays especially if no advanced notice is provided.

Early Pick Up of Students

As we avoid disrupting learning through unnecessary PA announcements please know:

You are able to email the teacher the day prior with a pickup time so that they can arrange for your child to be at the office waiting for you at the desired time.
We are able to call your student over the PA during the times below as students are on recess and lunch.

11am – 11:20am

1:20pm – 2:10pm

Our teaching and learning hours are 9am – 3:10pm

Recess: 11am – 11:20am
Lunchtime: 1:20pm – 2:10pm
Dismissal time: 3:10pm

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.

Communication Devices

Staff have noted that more and more of our students are wearing Smart Watches. There is absolutely no problem with this at all, however parents should be reminded that there are a number of conditions that must be adhered to, as per Department of Education and Training policy.

In accordance with the Department’s Mobile Phones Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones/Smart Watches/cellular, telecommunication devices MUST NOT BE USED at TCPS during school hours, including lunchtime and recess. Devices should be handed to teachers at the commencement of the school day, and then collected at days end.

Smart Watches need to be programmed such that they do not function as communication devices during school hours. These devices are not permitted or required on school camps and excursions. All, and any, communication should be directed through your child's homegroup teacher or the school office.

Although a smart watch does have the ability to be used as a communication device, please remember that any such device that can be used for communication must be handed into the teacher at the start of the day.

Smart watches are able to be switched to 'School Mode' between the times of 9:00am-3:10pm allowing them to function only as a watch and therefore do not have to be handed in.

All communication between home and school, and vice versa, should be done via the school office.

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.

Home group structures

As our school has moved into our 8th 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

2023: 586 students

2024: 665 students

2025: 678 students

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

STUDENT LEADERSHIP 2026