Principal's Message 

Dear TCPS Families,

Welcome to (and back to) TCPS

In our typically positive and seamless way we have once again started a new school year welcoming our students back this week. The staff have been onsite working since last week ensuring everything was ready for our first day with students. There were a few who naturally arrived first day feeling a little nervous, but that all subsided fairly quickly based mainly on the supportive and nurturing nature of our amazing staff and students.

Students and staff have/are quickly re-adjusted to school routine as the Christmas holidays become a distant memory.  We will no doubt miss our preps next week due to testing. But that time will pass quickly no doubt.

We are closing rapidly on a total enrolment of 600 students, starting our year with 589. This is a long way from the 127 students we had in our first year in 2018. Our inaugural preps are now in grade 5.

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 staff and our supportive parents in preparing children for their return to school. 

Teaching & Learning

This week curriculum in classrooms has been centred 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 behavioural expectations through our 4 TCPS Pillars has also occurred. 

• Strength of Character
• Respect
• Acceptance
• Mindfulness

Please note the following message from DET

• 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. 

Community Query regarding morning gate opening time and traffic congestion

First and foremost, in total understanding of the perceived short notice regarding reverting back to our original gate opening time of 8:45am, our school gates will be open from 8:30am for the next 2 weeks, providing our TCPS families a requested adjustment period for the change reversion. 

A move to 8:30am was always temporary and was able to be achieved through the typical generous nature of the TCPS staff, who in turn I know are managing their own families in the morning as well.

Based on the obvious commentary on the school’s social media page, I felt compelled to explain our situation in more detail. I do however thank those who have tried to help by perceptively explaining the possible reasons for the change back to 8.45am and the required conditions and guidelines that I am required to meet for teaching staff. That community support and understanding has always been typical too in our school’s short history.

As stated last year an 8:30am start was never sustainable due to the necessity of adhering to Industrial Guidelines. It was however able to be achieved through staff sacrificing teaching and learning planning time to provide extra duty time above DET guideline requirements, ensuring we were able to provide suitable supervision. This was only temporary at the time to support the need for staggered start times and social distancing required when returning to school from Remote and Flexible Learning.

Unfortunately, this was never going to be sustainable and did lead to our students then arriving in large numbers at or before 8:20am – causing congestion and the occasional social issues at our entry points. (I am assuming such is their love for being here)

The extended time used for ‘before school morning games’ definitely led to an increase in ‘sick bay’ time and required assistance, and social issues through game disputes that did, in some cases, carry on into the school day.

One thing we also know as a school community, and is common in all school communities, there will always be issues with traffic congestion at drop off times. We experienced this even in our very first year with an enrolment of 127 students. 

It was always anticipated it would become worse as we grew, hence the development of parking guidelines around the school, and the school’s internal promotion of active travel, and the creation of multiple entry points, particularly the south boundary. 

It has also been noted the frustration being experienced by parents in regard to the ‘2 minute Drop and Go’ zone at the front of the school. Frustrations being experienced around parents using this as parking spots has been expressed. As this is policed externally, I do know that shire officers will be monitoring this also.

SO – in short

School gates will be opened at 8.30am, Monday 6th February, until Friday 17th February. This is to cater for adjustment period in regard to morning organisation.

From Monday 20th February school supervision time will commence at 8:45am.

As always, thank you for your support and understanding.

If you need to send or drop your child/ren off earlier due to work commitments etc, please know that we are extremely fortunate to have as a school the YMCA who 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  (0347559735)

 HOURS, FEES AND CHILD CARE SUBSIDY

+MAX CSS is the out of pocket fee paid by families who qualify for the maximum Child Care Subsidy percentage (85%). The fees above are calculated at 80% subsidy to allow for the 5% withheld by Services Australia to reduce the chances of an overpayment. 

*Additional fees may apply for incursion and excursion activities held during the School Holiday Program.

2023 School Captains

Sunny Wilding

Arabella Ward

Rupert Zahra

Jude Murden

2023 House Captains

Education is free at TCPS - No Student Payments or School Fees in 2023

I am pleased to inform our families that once again in 2023, and for the foreseeable future, there will be NO requested payment towards Curriculum Contributions from families (previously known as student charges). This means education at TCPS is free for our TCPS families.

TCPS will provide ALL curriculum materials for our students without any requested financial contribution in the form of student charges, from our families. 

This includes ALL books/pens/pencils/paper etc, art supplies, online programs, classroom materials, sporting programs incl buses. Parents will not be requested to make any financial contribution to cover these items. 

There are a number of complex contributing factors that has enabled us 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.  We want to thank all those over our school’s history for their support. This has made a huge difference to our school and the programs we have been able to, and will continue to, offer.

Darren Roskosch

TCPS Principal