7th February 2025

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

TCPS NEWS

And just like that.... a new school year begins

Students and staff have quickly re-adjusted to school routine as the Christmas holidays become a distant memory. We do look forward to our preps returning next week and watch them settle into TCPS life.

We are once again beginning a year with a TCPS record enrolment number, starting our year with 681. This is a long way from the 127 students we had in our first year in 2018.

Overall we couldn’t be more pleased with the ease that our children have slotted back in to school life. It really is a credit to our transition program, our supportive staff and our parents in preparing children for their return to school

Teaching & Learning

This week curriculum in classrooms has been centered on the ‘Starting Right Program’.

Students are working on activities designed to create positive school and classroom environments through cohesive team building and getting to know you sessions. A heavy focus on behavioral expectations through our 4 TCPS Pillars has also occurred.

Strength of Character
Respect
Acceptance
Mindfulness

Please note the following message from DoE

Schools are reminded that the Department does not provide personal accident insurance for students.
Parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs.
Student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance.

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.

Parking at Front of School

As a school community we know that parking will always be a premium near the school and in a perfect world there would be far more than there is.

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.

It has already been brought to the school's attention, the frustration being experienced by parents caused by drivers who are breaching 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 school 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.'

Wishing everyone a great 2025

Darren Roskosch

TCPS Principal

2025 Home Groups

Based on current enrolment numbers - homegroups have been designed around he following numbers and ratios. Staffing will be announced in the last Newsletter for the year.

As of 7/2/25	Prep	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 6	Total
2025 Enrolment	76	108	96	105	108	92	96	679
2025 Staffing	4	5	5	4.4	4.4	4	4	30.4
Ratio	19.00	21.60	19.20	23.86	24.55	23.00	24.00	22.11 (Whole School Student to Teacher ratio)

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.

Media Agreement - Parent Permission

Parents are provided the opportunity to have their children excluded from all media inclusions external to our school - eg. 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.

School Council Members

Kelsey Jamieson – President

Brad Millar – Vice President

Belinda Vaughan - Parent Rep

Kate Eddihausen Parent Rep

Julie Roncon– Parent Rep

Lisa Tout – Parent Rep

Darren Roskosch (Principal - Executive Officer of SC)

Jo Loader (Assistant Principal – Teacher rep)

Bianca McSparron (Business Manager - Finance)

Home group structures

As our school has moved into our 6th 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: 680 students

Torquay Coast Primary School Newsletter

School Phone Number - 03 5218 5600 School Email - torquay.coast.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Issue 1 · 07 Feb 2025

In this issue

School Phone Number - 03 5218 5600
School Email - torquay.coast.ps@education.vic.gov.au