Torquay Coast Primary School Newsletter

Principals Message

Dear TCPS Families,

In the blink of an eye our second week with students has rapidly passed. 

 

This week our Preps were involved in one on one conferences with their teachers. These conferences serve as a key part of our transition program as they support the building of the important relationship bond that forms between our students and their teacher. It is also an opportunity to learn a little more about each student in a one on one setting. This in terms provides our teachers with a more detailed understanding of the teaching and learning needs of each prep child.

 

Our students have settled back into school incredibly well and have been participating in ‘Starting Right’. The focus in our first weeks at school is setting expectations, settling in and building relationships. We also use this an opportunity to reinforce our 4 pillars (Strength of Character, Respect, Mindfulness and Acceptance) and develop and support our positive school culture. 

 

Rapid Antigen tests have continued to be distributed this week and we will send any remaining tests home with students on Monday, unless parents have notified us that they prefer to collect theirs from the office.

 

We hope to hold our Meet and Greets in the week starting February 28th. More details will follow next week on Compass. Once we have settled into a ‘different looking’ term we hope to provide parents with this opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and to chat about how the year has started. 

 

Our current enrolment is 539

TCPS SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS

We have three parent positions available on our TCPS Council.

 

A Victorian government school council is comprised of parents, the principal, staff and sometimes community members. The school council assists in setting the educational policy of a school. TCPS Council will be comprised of a minimum of 9 members. 6 parents, 2 staff members, and the Principal.

 

To be a part of the council you don’t need any particular qualifications or experience – schools look for enthusiastic parents who want to help improve the learning outcomes for all students.

 

 Each year schools are required to hold School Council elections. School Council provides an excellent opportunity for input into the decision making process of our school and in setting and monitoring the strategic direction of the school.

 

Torquay Coast Primary School Council meets on week 3 and week 8 of each term at 5.30pm.  Meeting focus is about sharing information and ideas, problem solving, and seeking ways to improve our school where relevant and possible.

 

 I now invite parents to nominate for selection. Please note you can self-nominate. Nomination forms can be emailed to you on request or collected from the office.

 

 We have 3 Parent Vacancies for 2022. Each position has a 2-year tenure.

 

 Current School Council Members:

  • Kelsey Jamieson – Parent Rep (End of tenure)
  • Emma Zahra – Parent Rep (End of tenure)
  • Hutch Hussein – Parent Rep (End of tenure)
  • Sophie Young – Parent Rep 
  • 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)

School Council Election Timeline

Friday 18th February:  Notification of election. Call for Nominations: 

Friday 25th February 4.00pm: Nominations close 

Monday 28th February:  Ballot Announced and prepared (if required) 

Monday 7th March:  Council election ballot closes 

Announcement of election results

Thursday 17th March: First Meeting for newly elected School Council

 

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 his 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)

 

Masks

The requirement to wear masks in different settings can change quite quickly. Once again, masks are required to be worn in all indoor venues, including schools, unless direct teaching is involved. This applies to students in year 3 and above, school staff and visitors to our school. We have again placed a reminder on our office door for parents to please wear a mask when entering the school office area. 

 

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: 539 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 - Mrs Morton

2B - Miss Dangerfield

2C - Ms Strong

2D - Mr Norton

3A - Mr Dahl

3B - Miss Brasier

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 - Miss Marie

 

My wish is for a term that is disrupted as little as possible and where our students have an abundance of time learning with their peers at TCPS. Thank you once again for your support.

 

Mrs Jo Loader

Acting Principal

DET Mandates

Please remember that Face Masks required for all students in Grades 3 – 6 (indoors only) unless there is an exemption.

  • Masks exemptions include: Physical or mental disability
  • Medical conditions such as asthma qualify as an exemption – but if unsure please contact your child’s teacher.
  • Parent/carers of a student/s who meet the criteria for an exceptionMUST provide their approval in writing to the school for their child/ren to not wear a mask. Please feel free to email your child’s teacher or the school office – torquay.coast.ps@education.vic.gov.au
  • Parents/carers are NOT required to provide a certificate from a medical practitioner,a simple written statement is totally fine.
  • We have a limited supply of masks that we can provide students if they require a mask so it is hoped students will bring their own.
  • Our aim has always been to create an environment where all our students feel safe, supported and comfortable, despite the many challenges COVID 19 has provided.

TCPS -  SCHOOL COUNCIL 

2021 School Council Members:

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

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. 

 

Mrs Chapman 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.

 

We will however be able to have two open learning community days this term, with certain COVID related conditions implemented. A  COMPASS post will cover that information.