On behalf of the staff of Tamborine Mountain College, I would like to welcome all our families back to school for the start of 2021. This year promises so much and we are excited to see the students back on campus after their Christmas break.

Our 25 Year Anniversary of the foundation of the College may have been somewhat reduced last year, but we are planning to hold more events in 2021 to celebrate with our families.

From our youngest students in the Early Learning Centre, to our Year 12 students embarking on their final year of schooling, I wish all of you victory and valour in the year ahead.

Principal June Melbourne

Please continue to follow these easy steps to do your part to ensure our campus remains Covid-safe:

• Do not send your child to school if they are unwell. Students who present at school displaying signs of sickness will be sent home.
• Parents must use the pick up / drop off space next to the Prep building before and after school.
• Do not enter the campus without an appointment. Any parent attending a scheduled meeting must sign in and out at the office using our QR code.
• Use hand sanitiser before entering our campus.
• Do not enter our campus if you are unwell. Reschedule your appointment if needed.
• Socially distance yourself from other parents and children while you are on campus.

At this particular time, there is an alert for people who have been in New Zealand. 

"Anyone in Queensland who has arrived from New Zealand on a quarantine free flight on or since 14 January 2021 must get tested immediately and quarantine at home or in their accommodation until they receive a negative test result.

Anyone travelling to Queensland who has arrived from New Zealand on a quarantine free flight on or since 14 January 2021, must get tested in Queensland once they reach their final destination and quarantine at home or in their accommodation until receiving a negative COVID-19 test result."

Our FRESH DAILY menu (the fresh rolls, wraps, cupcakes, etc.) are once again available for purchase at the Snackshop. The College encourages all families to utilise cashless payments in our online ordering system, 'Flexischools', by downloading their free app. Primary and Secondary students can purchase lunch items through Flexischools.

Remember to place your order via FlexiSchools by 7am the day of ordering.

The College will be reforming our P&F this term. If you would like to be involved, please look out for more information about this in the future. We value the input, support and service that our P&F commits to TMC and we look forward to renewing this important group in 2021.

The first week of Term 1 is always the busiest in our car park. As more children start catching buses and families get into new routines, things will settle over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, please remember these easy-to-follow guidelines:

• The 2-minute zone is reserved for parents whose children are already waiting at the pick up zone. This area is designated as 'No Waiting', and when used properly is the key to our car park functioning smoothly. Parents who are parked here for any length of time will have to be asked to move along
• While we love community spirit, during peak times, parents are encouraged to leave as soon as possible, rather than taking up car spaces
• Parents with children in Secondary are asked to arrive AFTER 3pm. This includes families with Primary and Secondary students
• The car park is virtually empty by 3:05pm most afternoons - if you want to avoid the peak time, arrive a little later. The car park pick up area is supervised until 3:15pm each day
• Smile - it makes everything easier!

The following teachers have Coordinator positions at TMC:

Mrs Sam Noel - Curriculum Support, Primary

snoel@tmc.qld.edu.au

Mrs Helen Garnar - Year 7 & 8 Coordinator

hgarnar@tmc.qld.edu.au

Ms Liz Black - Year 9 & 10 Coordinator

lblack@tmc.qld.edu.au

Ms Emily McCredden - Year 11 & 12 Coordinator

emccredden@tmc.qld.edu.au

Mr Andrew O'Loughlin - Sport & Camp Coordinator

aoloughlin@tmc.qld.edu.au

Mrs Peita Parker-Browne - VET Coordinator

pparker@tmc.qld.edu.au

Ms Andrea Jacka - Behaviour Management & Maths Coordinator

ajacka@tmc.qld.edu.au

The Secondary teachers and I warmly welcome you to Term 1, 2021. I am so proud of the efforts of our students last year, and I am confident that the resilience and skills they developed will put them in good stead as they move towards or continue through the senior years of schooling.

We have many offerings for our students and parents to take advantage of this year. The first of these is the Year 7 Parent Information Night and then the Elevate Study Seminar for Year 7, 11 & 12 parents. Please read through the information below to learn more about these important event and book your free tickets.

Mrs Fiona Stevens

Elevate Education will be on campus on February 11th to run study skills sessions with Years 7, 11, and 12, as well as a parent seminar in the evening. 

Year 7 will participate in a Study Skills Kick Start program which covers:

• Transitioning to High School
• Dynamic Reading skills
• Effective note taking skills
• Conceptual learning techniques
• Independent Learning

Year 11 students will participate in the Time Management program which covers: 

• Developing routines to balance study and lifestyle
• Working smart by completing high value work
• Utilising study groups to leverage time
• Techniques for overcoming procrastination

Year 12 students will participate in the Ace Your Exams program which covers:

• Highest value exam preparation tasks
• Fixing mistakes to ensure constant improvement
• Time allocation during exam preparation
• Techniques for managing stress & time pressure in exams

The Year 7 to 12 Parent seminar will be held Thursday February 11th from 5:30 to 6:30 pm and covers:

• The key points from the seminars their children have attended
• Strategies for how the skills can be reinforced at home

To reserve your seat for this free parent event, follow this LINK to book your ticket.

It’s Friday Week 1 … and Breathe…

It’s fantastic to see all our students back at TMC but I am delighted to welcome our Year 7s to the secondary campus. As the Year 7 Co-ordinator, I have been so impressed by all the students. They look smart, they look keen and they look excited to be here. Here are a few comments from our staff about our new cohort – they’ve made a great first impression

“Lovely to meet the students new to the school - "bright eyed and bushy-tailed" ready for a new year of learning”

“Well-mannered and keen to learn”

“Delightful”

"Great first impressions"

Year 7  families - Don’t forget to sign up if you want to attend the Year 7 parent information night on Tuesday next week and look out for the swimming carnival and camp information coming through.

Click HERE to register for the Year 7 Parent Night.

Here’s to WEEK 2!

Mrs Helen Garnar

Students are required to wear College swimwear to participate in the swimming carnival next Wednesday. The exception to this is for students in Years 10 to 12 who do not currently have College swimwear and do not require College swimwear for their subjects (i.e. they have not elected to study PE in Years 10, 11 or 12). We will not require those students to purchase swimwear for a one-off event. These students are permitted to wear a plain one-piece (girls) or Jammers (boys) if they do not have a TMC swimsuit.

Students in Years 4 -9 are required to wear TMC swimwear. Students in these year levels also participate in swimming during HPE lessons.  

Students interested in debating from Years 7 to 12 will meet Thursday next week to look at information about the debating season, team selection process and the many benefits debating brings. If your child is considering debating this year it would be worth adding the Gold Coast Debating Summer School into your calendars, which is on Saturday the 20th of February at Bond University. Workshops are free and on at various times over that day depending on the experience of the debater; those who make the team are expected to go (providing there are no pre-existing commitments). Try outs are in Week 3. Reminders about debating will be in Daily Notices and we would love to see lots of students for the 2021 season!

Isn't is great to be back at school?! Each year, as educators we get to experience the nervous excitement and wonder of children returning to school - but this year may feel a little more special than most. After the trials of 2020, the children of TMC have come out ready to tackle anything, and 2021 is shaping up to be a great year.

I hope that we are able to have more family engagement in the months ahead. As always, please reach out to either myself or your child's teacher if you need help with their learning.

Mr Mark Stevens

• Parent Drop Offs / Pick Ups

Prep parents may drop their children off at the classroom from 8:30am, while abiding by Covid-safe practices. Please wait outside the Prep gate on the grass in the afternoon at pick up time.

All other year levels are now to use the Drop Off / Pick Up area next to the Prep building. Please understand that this is an important part of our Covid-safe plan and reduces the number of visitors on site. If you need to meet with your child's teacher, we welcome you to contact them for a time to meet. In this case, you will need to sign in as a visitor at reception.

• Primary assemblies at the stage will occur every fortnight on a Monday. At the moment, these are for students only. Parents will hopefully be invited to attend these again during the year
• Swimming lessons start next week. All students in Prep - Year 6 are involved. Some parent helpers may be requested by some of the lower year levels, so please volunteer if you are able to do so. The 10-16 year old swimming carnival is being held on Wednesday, February 3 (Week 2). More information will be shared in the coming days. The 5 - 9 year old carnival scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 (Week 10). All students are to wear TMC swimmers and use the College sports bags. Please make sure all items are named. Swimming caps are complimentary for all Prep students and new students. These must be looked after and are not replaced if lost or damaged
• Allergy Alerts
  The entire TMC campus is a nut free zone. A number of our students have serious nut allergies, so please do not send any nut products to school. Students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 must not bring eggs to school. One of our younger students has an anaphylactic allergy to eggs and these year levels share an eating space. Please do not pack items such as boiled eggs, egg sandwiches etc. Items that contain egg, but have been baked at a high temperature (e.g. muffins) are permitted. Please keep this in mind when packing lunch boxes to help look after the children at the College.

Our Primary Choirs will be commencing rehearsals on Monday Week 2. Many exciting performances are planned for 2021 including The Gold Coast Eisteddfod and Arts Fest. The Songbirds Choir will play a large role in our College Musical/Play Pinocchio, an exciting production for 2021! 

Please encourage your child to come at the following times this coming Monday: 

1. Songbirds Choir for Year 3-6 in Period 4.

2. Kookaburras Choir for Prep - Year 2 in Period 5. 

Looking forward to sharing a wonderful musical year with the students!

Mrs Felicity Addison

Year 3 have had a wonderful few days at TMC. It is our first year wearing our formal uniform, new hats, new shoes and a tie! We all have our sports badges now too. We went to visit 6VAL and Prep. We also explored our new learning and play areas. We look forward to lots of learning adventures this year!

Ms Jodie Byron

The students of year six enjoyed a Maths Team Challenge today.  Together, team members worked hard to solve riddles, piece together puzzles, and engineer paper towers.  Mr Holm and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our primary school leaders, and look forward to sharing an exciting year with them!

Mrs Deborah Horn

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