On Wednesday this week, Mr Stevens and Mrs Stevens met with parent representatives at our first P&F meeting in 12 months. It was wonderful to meet again together and more than a few light hearted laughs were shared while looking back at the last meeting's minutes from February 2020. If only we had known then what we know now!

Needless to say, all events and initiatives were shelved last year, but it was wonderful to hear the excitement and ideas from the parents who are keen and willing to bring these activities back in 2021.

Our P&F leaders from 2020, Louisa Honan-Trevethan and Rebecca Kesby, were unanimously re-elected to their dual President/Vice President role in 2021. Thank you to Louisa and Bec for not only the year to come, but for also putting a lot of time and effort into planning out 2020 before everything was halted.

Some points that were raised at the meeting:

• Head of Primary and Head of Secondary reports
• Prep - Year 2 Parent Advisory Liaisons (PALs) will again come back this year
• P&F stall at our Open Day (TBC)
• Mother's Day & Father's Gift stalls
• Mother's Day Lunch Event
• Father's Day - Daddy Drop Off Event
• Teacher Appreciation Lunch
• Primary Disco
• End of Year Party

The next P&F meeting will be held from 2pm - 2:45pm on Thursday, March 18. All parents of the College are welcome to attend. We do try to hold meetings at different times throughout the year. If you are unable to attend the next meeting, but would like an idea raised on your behalf, please send any items for the agenda to the P&F email address: pandf@tmc.qld.edu.au.

What subjects do you currently teach? I am a primary school teacher who works as the Year 4 educator. However, in the past I have been a high school ICT teacher, a primary school PE teacher and a year group coordinator.

What schools have you taught at previously? I graduated university in 2004 and moved to England. I taught at many schools in South East England before settling in London. I worked at schools in East London such as Thames View Junior School, Bexley Academy and Foxwell Primary. 

How long have you been a teacher? I have been  a teacher for 17 years.

What attracted you to teaching in the first place? I was always the child who was getting into trouble when I was at school. I was a very chatty boy who was only interested in riding my skateboard, so I thought there has to be a better way to include children like me into the classroom. 

What is it you love about teaching now? I like how technology is incorporated into our daily lives. I really like seeing children make progress and do the best that they can. 

What is your favorite thing about TMC? Bow Tie Friday is my favourite day, but my favourite thing about TMC is the way that everyone works together and enjoys a laugh.

If you had to choose one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? I love tacos and pizza, so if we could combine those two things into a taco pizza then I would be ecstatic.  

If you have your own Facebook account, the College invites you to please 'like' our FB page. You can find our page via this LINK. Our FB page is updated regularly with pictures and stories from around the campus. We also create events which help us to organise activities and presentations, such as the P&F meeting and Year 11 Parent Information Night held this week. The College also often shares interesting parenting articles that are informative and useful.

Student Report

Over the holidays, Mr Jimmy Pearce, the groundskeeper, has been busy completing some small projects around the school as part of the progression plan.

Some of those projects included the addition of handball courts in Secondary which has been very popular among the students with daily lunchtime games being held, and a basketball court  in the Primary (the goal post and court painting is on the way). The oval has also seen some major changes with new grass being implemented and it is looking great. The oval will be reopening in the next few weeks and I’m sure that many students are very eager and excited to run around and play ball games on it again. Other projects included the mailroom being split into two so that an office could be created for the admin assistant, and the repairs on the PLC roof which had been damaged by strong winds.

Mr Pearce says that the whole construction took around three weeks to complete and he has planned to complete other projects including garden works and the creation of a set piece for the primary play ‘Pinocchio’. We thank Mr Pearcefor all of the hard work he has done over the Christmas period and look forward to his future projects.

 By Zoe Close, Year 11

This week's featured image is Year 5 student, Marlee, feeding a kangaroo on their excursion to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Parent and guardians of students in Year 11 were invited to attend an information session last night. Year 11 & 12 Coordinator, Ms Emily McCredden, took parents through the senior schooling process including:

• ATAR and QTAC (tertiary) entrance
• Other pathways to tertiary study on offer to TMC students
• Obtaining a Queensland Certificate of Education
• Scholarships for post-Year 12 studies
• Year 11 & 12 assessment tasks including external exams
• Student for a semester university courses for Year 11 & 12 students.

Ms McCredden will email Year 11 parents and guardians a copy of the slideshow. 

We’re excited to announce that parents of Tamborine Mountain College have exclusive access to Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series for Term 1, 2021. Elevate works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how to better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school. 

The webinars take place across term 1, with the next webinar happening on Wednesday 24th February at 6pm. Registration is essential and is free for parents of Tamborine Mountain College.

You can register by clicking here.

The webinar is run live online from 6pm – 7pm where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly.

Student Report

This year at TMC, we welcome our latest members to the college family … our wonderful new teachers: Mr Talati (Teacher Aid), Ms Sullivan (Business and Mathematics teacher), Ms Yuan (Mathematics teacher), Mr Emerson (Psychology, Mathematics, Science and Physics teacher) and Mrs Ward-Hawkins (Digital technology and Digital solutions teacher). The addition of such wonderful staff to the TMC community adds fantastic new skill sets and levels of expertise; which we have faith will benefit the learning environment that we are all a part of. 

Each of these educators have taught for various lengths of time with some in their first year of teaching, others in their 4th and even some in their 11th and 12th years. When interviewed about their teaching experience, each individual made a clear point that they find it a true pleasure in developing connections with their pupils. Ms Yuan elaborated by stating that she feels as though it's the simple things she loves about teaching. She especially loves the opportunities that come with educating that allow her to make a change in students’ lives and levels of knowledge. Mr Emerson added to this by saying that he loves teaching because he feels a sense of pride when watching and helping students grow, and that “It's a privilege to be involved in their growth and to watch them grow.”

When interviewed on her opinions of the school, Mrs Ward-Hawkins expressed her feelings by saying that “The kids are really friendly, teachers are friendly, the technology is good and it's pretty, it's a pretty school.” Mr Talati conveyed his fondness for the school and our community by saying that “So far it's amazing, everyone is really positive and it's just a nice calm vibe about the whole place and all the students are amazing too.” Finally, we asked the group of teachers what they aspire to achieve at our school and they all declared that they hope to influence and help each and every one of the students. Specifically, Ms Sullivan hopes to “Make Maths and Business fun and be a positive role model who might have the opportunity to have a good impact on somebody’s life.” 

Overall, we have no doubt that our new teachers are going to transform the lives of many students with their kindness, generosity and positive attitude towards teaching and making a difference. We cannot wait to see what this year, and every year ahead, holds for the TMC family as we work towards our future and grow together as a community. 

Mr Talati (Teacher Aid)

Ms Sullivan (Business and Mathematics)

Ms Yuan (Mathematics)

Mrs Ward-Hawkins (Digital technology and Digital Solutions)

Mr Emerson (Psychology, Mathematics, Science and Physics)

By Hannah Clements and Lily Parker, Year 9 Students

Last week, selected Senior Band students participated in a Creative Composition Workshop with John Babbage, a professional musician from the well-known Brisbane quintet, Topology. John, who was also a saxophone tutor at the Queensland Conservatorium, guided students through the process of composing their own music. Students broke off into groups to compose a short musical idea then performed it for the class. John recorded these musical ideas, played them back to the students and showed them how they could be turned into a composition - the students were delighted!

John will take these ideas away, combine it into a full composition for Topology and our students, and email the sheet music to students to practise. We will then perform it with Topology at the opening of their 7:30pm concert at the Boonah Cultural Centre on Friday March 26 - very exciting!

Ms Kristy Jewell

Each week, the College acknowledges a 'Value of the Week'. After it is announced on assembly, the children examine what the Value of the Week is, participate in an activity based upon the value and look for ways to demonstrate it at school and home. This week's value was 'Kindness'.

What struck me as I walked around during lunch breaks and visits to classes, is how lucky we are to have the most incredible kind teachers and students at the College.

Firsty, the teachers at TMC are some of the kindest, most genuine professionals I could hope to work alongside. Our meetings are full of discussion about student needs and reflection of teaching practice. As a group, we are invested in the progression of all of the children at the College, and this starts from being 'kind'. Without a strong foundation of 'kindness', we would not have the teachers we have here.

Then there are the children. Yes, of course they are not perfect and we should not burden them with the expectation of being faultless, but on the whole, they are the most lovely group of young people. I believe that all children are born 'kind' and the children of TMC have a place where this can be nurtured. They don't have to fear coming to school or be overwhelmed by the size of the campus. This week alone, I witnessed many acts of kindness between students, but also kindness when no one was looking. Children picking up rubbish that they hadn't dropped, for no other reason than they wanted to help; a child who came to the office by themselves to hand in a 50 cent coin that they found on the ground; and a boy in Year 3 who happily gave up his place during a game so another student could have a turn.

I feel so grateful to have a school like TMC to be part of.

Next week's value, being announced on Monday morning, is 'Pride'. Please have a chat at the kitchen table with your child on Monday afternoon about what pride means to you. What is good about having pride in the things we do? How could someone go overboard with pride? What is something that they are proud of? Maybe they could demonstrate pride by keeping their bedroom tidy for the week? Make up a chart and tick off the days when they show the value at home. Have fun with it!

Mr Mark Stevens

This year, the TMC Junior Band has kicked off 2021 with a great start. The band is made up of students from years 4, 5 and 6 who love music and want to continue to improve their musical skills. The band’s leader is Miss Jewel and she will be leading the students as they learn to play instruments such as woodwind, brass and percussion.

This year the band will meet every Thursday Lunch time to play, practice and prepare for a year full of music. Unlike last year, where Covid stopped a lot of performances, the students are looking forward to hopefully playing in front of an audience made up of family and friends. 

We are keenly looking forward to seeing the band play and will keep everyone up to date with upcoming performances. 

The band members for 2021 are:

5val: James Haskins, Ariana Stevenson, Isobel Stevens, Annalise Nulty, Ivy Jamieson, Abby Anderson, Lachlan Kenny, Leo Wilson-Beard, Charlie Hunter, Bella Pidd

5vic: Lauren Evans, Lachlan Graham, Max Wriggles

6val: James Kirby, Shaun Benapuria, Chloe Crawford 

6vic: Ewen Thompson, Ashton Kalf, Archer McLean, Oliver Davenport, Neesha Duong

By James Haskins and Reid Raddick

This year, the Primary community at TMC welcomed our newest students on the Primary Campus, the Preps. The Preps were a little anxious but most of all, excited for their first day.  

The day was filled with anticipation and eagerness for what is to come this year. Leo Tomolowicz stated that he is ‘Excited for swimming’ and Savannah Clarke is keen to play on the slide and seesaw in the Prep to 2 play area. 

Of course it is not just the students who are excited. Mrs Brown and Mr Fern are both excited to watch the students grow and develop; to see them have fun and to help build their resilience so they can be kind and happy members of TMC.

 So we look forward to watching the rise of the new Prep classes and will be following their progress eagerly. 

By Madi Butler and Isobel Stevens

On Tuesday Week 2, the whole of Year 5 went with Mr Golden and Mrs Noel to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was a brilliant experience with heaps of interesting animals and amazing pieces of knowledge. 

The day started with a bus ride down the mountain, full of songs, laughter and conversation. After about an hour, Year 5 reached the Wildlife Sanctuary where they were met by their guide. The classes then went off to explore the animals and environments of the sanctuary. 

By far the favorite animal seen on the day was the red panda. The red panda was up in its treehouse, eating and sleeping and looking amazingly cute. The students were also lucky enough to get the chance to feed the large kangaroos and the smaller wallabies. But perhaps the most interesting part of the trip was getting to see behind the scenes of the bird show and how the trainers trained the birds. 

The excursion was a great way to start the year because the students didn’t get to go on any last year. 

By Cassi Brownlee and Skye Petersen 

Another busy week at the ELC! Pre-Prep,Kindy & OSHC have been practicing fire evacuations and lockdowns this week. We have discussed what to do in an emergency and all practiced gathering at the emergency assembly point. All of the groups have done well and we will continue to discuss this further with the children and find out their ideas around this.

Preprep…..

We have had a visitor to the service this week, someone that the children are beginning to become familiar with but not so much in this capacity! Mr Marek, our groundsman, has a hidden talent at his house. Mr Marek is a Beekeeper, he produces honey and also sells it locally on the mountain. The Val class have been investigating bees and had many questions for him! Mr Marek came in his protective Beekeeping clothing and brought some of his equipment to show the children. The children had some questions for him! Arlo asked “How do bees make honey?” Mr Marek told us that bees find a flower and suck nectar  from it, and then fly back to the hive with the nectar juice and turn it into honey. Bea asked “Where do the bees live?” She found out they live in the beehive. At the end of our chat Mr Marek let the children try some honey straight from the hive! Pre-Prep have also been starting to look at sustainability and the solar system, these interests have newly emerged and the group have been offering their ideas on what they already know on the topic! 

A reminder to all families that this week we have started the All About Me Bags with the children. We will only be able to get through two per day to ensure that all the children have a turn and the group are able to listen attentively. We have explained this to the children and they have been doing a wonderful job of waiting patiently. This Show & Share will continue for the remainder of the term. 

Can we please also ask that you complete the All About Me plans that have been shared with you through the Storypark forum. We have a number of families that this is outstanding for. If you are unable to comment on the plan through the app on your phone we would recommend the easiest option would be to log on through a PC or laptop. You may be able to use your phone if you open Storypark through an internet browser rather than the app. Unfortunately the app has limited functions but is great for everyday use and notifications. These plans will form part of the unit of work this term, All About Me and will be used in your child’s journal as your family input into the program, this will help educators get to know your child and use this information for planning purposes. 

The Kindy class has enjoyed celebrating Mrs Hinkins  birthday with her this week. The children made fun party hats and had fun with dancing and games! It is a delight to see the children in Kindy learning each other's names during small group times when Mrs Hinkins calls the roll. This is great preparation for our littlest people especially when we need to check who is present during the centre's recent  Fire and Lockdown Drill. 

OSHC have been settling back into the term nicely, they have been working on developing a sense of belonging and establishing routines as the new group emerges. A hot interest at the moment is the Ping Pong table, great skills and coordination is needed for this game and the children are fine tuning their skills. The tadpoles continue to be a hot topic each and every day as the children have been observing them closely in their tank. This week we have noticed that they have grown bigger but have not yet seen any legs emerge, keep watch this space! 

In March we will be celebrating Harmony Week, Tamborine Mountain College will be celebrating this as a whole school event so watch out for what is happening around the rest of the College! At the ELC we would like to invite our families across the week to share something with the children unique to your family or background. This could be a tradition, a favourite food, music or you might like to read a story! Harmony Week will be celebrated from Monday 15th March to Friday 19th March 2021. Please see your child’s classroom teacher to book a time to visit us. 

We appreciate your patience while I have been working on filling our Educator positions over the last few weeks.  Thank you to the great team here at the ELC.  Mrs Rosvall, Mrs Prest, Mrs Ballie and Miss Phair  have all been happy to support our children alongside Mrs Ashley and I.  In good news Mrs Julie Walsh an experienced Educator who is excited to join us as a Fulltime Educator supporting Preprep and OSHC is starting next Monday the 22 February.  I am sure you will find her to be friendly and warm to approach. 

Mrs Rachael Fernandez

This year, TMC Primary Drama is proud to announce they will be  bringing to life the age old story of  ‘Pinocchio’.  Mrs Horn, Mrs Addison and Miss Criss have put together a play full of Puppets, excitement, drama, puppets, singing, magic and did we mention puppets!  The performance will be an adaptation of the original story which was first written by Italian author Carlo Collodi in 1883. Auditions for the performance took place on the 12th and the 15th of February with the main and supporting cast drawn from the ranks of years 5 and 6.

Rehearsals for the performance will happen on Mondays after school between 3 and 4pm, with Miss Criss and Mrs Horn and Mrs Addison involved in making the rehearsals happen. More information with exact dates for rehearsals and the performance will be coming soon.

By Annalise Nulty & Ariana Stevenson

The students of TMC have had a rather successful week. Mr O’Loughlin and the 26 proud and amazing members of the TMC swim team, travelled to Somerset College on Tuesday to compete in the Hinterland Green District Swimming Trials. The event is the precursor to the South Coast Championships and a highly competitive occasion. In order to progress to the next round, students had to finish in the top 2 in their events.

The top results on the day include

Zain Bartlett Year 9

50m Fly - 1st

50m Back - 1st

100m Free - 3rd

Michael Brad-Fujita - Year 11

50m Breast - 1st

Lana Bignell - Year 12

50m Breast - 2nd

We wish these students the best of luck and look forward to hearing of their selection for the South Coast Championships.  

Mr David Haskins

Our TMC Interschool team completed at Stuartholme's event on the 13th and 14th February at Figtree Pocket. On Saturday, Ava Byrnes and Sienna White competed in Dressage. Sienna came 7th overall in Preliminary Dressage. On Sunday, our Showjumping team competed in the 70 cm and 90cm rounds. In the 70 cm Grace Fullarton placed 4th and Emily Seagrave placed well.  In the 90 cm Showjumping class, Talia Criss came 4th, Summer Jacob placed 5th and Ashlee Lowe came 13th. Congratulations to all of our riders - it was a fun start to the Interschool season. They all made TMC proud assisting each other and showing team spirit!

Our Equestrian Sports program on Wednesday will be focusing on our next competition on the 27th of February.

Mrs Michelle Criss

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