The Lions' Roar 30/01/2026

Dear TMC Families,

It’s wonderful to see our College come alive again with the laughter, energy, and curiosity of our students. I hope your holidays were full of joy and memorable moments with family and friends.

There’s something special about the start of a new year, I can already feel the excitement buzzing around our campus.

2026 is shaping up to be a remarkable year. We have new opportunities for students to explore their talents, grow their confidence, and make connections that will stay with them long after they leave TMC.

But what makes this College truly special is not just the programs or the classroom learnings, it’s our community.

It’s the families who support, encourage, and celebrate one another. It’s the teachers and staff who go above and beyond to inspire curiosity and resilience. And it’s our students, who remind us every day why we do what we do.

I invite you to be part of our journey this year, to celebrate successes big and small, and to continue building the warm, inclusive, and supportive community that makes TMC feel like a second home for so many.

I look forward to seeing you all around our beautiful College campus and may this year bring you all a true sense of belonging, here at the top of our mountain.

Mrs Fiona Stevens, Principal

The Tamborine Mountain College Parents & Friends (P&F) Association plays a vital role in bringing our community together, supporting our students, and helping enhance the College experience for everyone. 

We are excited to kick off our first P&F meeting for 2026 and warmly invite all families to join us:

Wednesday, 4 February 2026
2:00 pm
Administration Building

Whether you’re a long time member or new to the College, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet other families, hear about upcoming initiatives, and share your ideas. Every contribution, big or small, helps strengthen our community and enriches the TMC experience for all students.

We look forward to seeing you there and welcoming in a fantastic year together!

Dear TMC Parents and families,

Welcome to the 2026 school year. We hope you and your families enjoyed a restful and rejuvenating holiday break.

As we commence the new academic year, we would like to draw attention to our school car park. 

We understand that mornings and afternoons can be a valuable time for families to connect. However, it is important to remain mindful of the impact prolonged parking can have on traffic flow and overall safety.

As many of our senior students now hold driver licences, safe and clear access to and from the Staff and Student Carpark (East of the Early Learning Centre) is essential. On Wednesday, many of our Year 12 students and staff members experienced difficulty exiting the car park due to vehicles parked along the roadside and on grassed areas to the immediate left and right of the entrance to the carpark, which obstructed visibility of oncoming traffic. In addition, staff observed parent vehicles parked in areas designated exclusively for student and staff use.

Parking in unauthorised areas and obstructing sight lines presents significant safety risks for students, staff, and families. To help alleviate congestion and improve safety, we kindly ask parents to avoid lingering in the main College car park where possible. While we absolutely encourage farewells and positive interactions within our community, a quicker turnover of parking spaces will ensure equitable access for all families and help maintain a safe environment for everyone entering and exiting the school grounds.

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and continued support of our College community.

There’s always something happening at Tamborine Mountain College! The classroom moments and sporting highlights to community celebrations and important updates.

Our official Tamborine Mountain College Facebook page is where we share the stories that bring school life to life. It’s the easiest way to stay connected with what’s happening across the College in a timely manner. Celebrate our students’ achievements, and catch a glimpse of the learning, creativity and care that make TMC such a special community.

It’s also a wonderful way to share in the pride of our community and to help spread the word about the great things happening at TMC by liking, commenting and sharing posts with family and friends.

If you haven’t already, we invite you to follow Tamborine Mountain College on Facebook and be part of the conversation.

https://www.facebook.com/TamborineMtnCollege/

We look forward to staying connected with you, online and on campus!

Volunteering at Tamborine Mountain College is a wonderful way to support our students and community while being actively involved in College life. To ensure the safety and Blue Card requirements, all volunteers are required to first complete our registration process and follow the sign in procedures each time they visit the College. We will also be holding a compulsory Volunteers Induction in the next couple of weeks for Volunteers who are/have registered, to sign off for compliance.

These steps help us maintain a secure environment and allow us to provide the best support for our students and staff. We sincerely appreciate your time, energy, and commitment. Your contribution makes a real difference and helps create a positive, thriving community at TMC.  

This week's featured image is (from right to left) our College Principal, Fiona Stevens, and some of the wonderful staff from our Early Learning Centre - ELC Director, Rachael Fernandez, & Teachers - Jennie Doniger and Sally Weymouth.

On the last week of school, two of our students, Archie A and Josh F-B were accepted to attend the Australian Youth Aerospace Forum in Brisbane. Archie and Josh have written about this amazing experience below. We are very proud to have had two outstanding students represent TMC. Well done Josh and Archie!

Archie A:

"From the 1st  to the 5th of December 2025, I had the privilege to attend the Australian Youth Aerospace Forum (AYAF) hosted by the Australian Youth Aerospace Association. AYAF, held at the University of Queensland, is a distinguished event for grade 10-11 students to explore careers in the aerospace industry through workshops, lectures, Industry personnel and networking. It showcases career paths, university opportunities, and hands-on experiences within the aerospace Industry. Being 1 among 43 other aspiring youth delegates, It has been an amazing opportunity to collaborate and learn with each one of them, seek new horizons and understand the perspectives and ambitions of different youths around Australia. From guest speakers and Industry conferences, to visiting amazing places such as RAAF Base Amberley, The Queensland Air Museum, HeliMods, and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, AYAF has been an absolute honor and a truly inspiring experience, one I will never forget."

Josh F-B:

"Ever since I was a kid I have always been interested in aircraft. My earliest memories include me flicking through my grandpa’s collection of 1980s Take Off magazines. It wasn't long after that that I began building scale models of iconic fighter jets and warbirds. In sum, this childhood interest has led to setting a career goal of becoming a lead aeronautical engineer.

When Mrs Smith announced the opportunity of the Australian Youth Aerospace Association accepting applications for its annual forum right next door at UQ, I applied ASAP. A few weeks later, my inbox surprised me with my acceptance!

The program itself ran over five nights, where I and about 40 other delegates stayed at St John’s College across the road from the university. From there, the week immersed us in exciting workshops, trips, experiences, and lectures with big names such as Airbus, Boeing, Blue Origin, Helimod, ADF, and iLaunch. A few of my main highlights were visiting Amberley Air Force Base and learning about the iconic F-111 bomber while modern F-18s and C-17s took off a few hundred meters away. Another one of my favourite opportunities was writing on a postcard that will be shot into space on the next major Blue Origin rocket launch. Yet I can’t forget to mention when I met Australian astronaut Eric Phillips, who became the first person to go to space under the nation’s flag, as well as crewing the first polar orbit.

Overall, I made many great friends who came from various states, but one of the best aspects of the trip was the number of industry connections I made, including being exclusively offered work experience with Airbus in Brisbane.

No matter what career path you are directing yourself toward, I would recommend this sort of program to anyone, even if you have never been that interested in aircraft or spacecraft. Thank you to all the people who hosted AYAF 2025!"

Tamborine Mountain College is proud to offer students in Years 7–12 the opportunity to participate in The Scene Project, a highly regarded drama program delivered in partnership with Queensland Theatre.

As a key component of our Drama Excellence Program, The Scene Project places students at the centre of the creative process. Working collaboratively with their teachers, students interpret a newly commissioned play and develop their own original 15 minute performance. The program recognises students not just as learners, but as artists, encouraging creativity, collaboration and confidence.

Throughout the year, students are supported by professional resources and workshops facilitated by Queensland Theatre teaching artists. These experiences help students build essential skills such as teamwork, problem solving, expressive communication and creative risk taking, while gaining insight into contemporary theatre practice.

The program culminates in Outcome Day, where participating schools gather at a professional performance venue to present their work. Students also attend a live performance of the same script by Queensland Theatre actors, offering a valuable opportunity to see how professional artists approach the same creative challenge.

In 2026, students will work with ICARUS: Reworked, a modern reimagining of the ancient myth, adapted specifically for young performers. The script provides rich material for exploring storytelling, movement, voice and symbolism, while making meaningful connections to contemporary themes.

The Scene Project is a powerful and inspiring experience that strengthens our College’s commitment to nurturing confident, creative and courageous young people on stage and beyond.

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new whole-school literacy program, designed by MultiLit to support every student from Prep through to Year 6 with high-quality, research-aligned literacy instruction.

In Prep to Year 2, we have implemented InitiaLit – an evidence-based, whole-class literacy program that provides the essential core knowledge and strong foundations children need to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit uses a highly structured, explicit teaching approach to phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension, giving students regular opportunities to practise and consolidate these key skills. The program has been informed by scientific research and ongoing development through the MultiLit Research Unit – a research initiative of Macquarie University – ensuring practice is grounded in robust evidence about how children learn to read and spell.

For Years 3 to 6, we are rolling out SpellEx – a comprehensive whole-class spelling program designed to deepen students’ understanding of the English spelling system. SpellEx provides explicit instruction in phonology, orthography and morphology, helping students understand why words are spelled the way they are and giving them the tools to become confident spellers. Like InitiaLit, SpellEx is based on evidence-informed principles and has been developed with support from ongoing research through MultiLit’s connection to Macquarie University.

Both programs are aligned with the Australian Curriculum and support coherent progression in literacy learning across year levels. They emphasise high-quality, structured literacy teaching that reflects best practice recommended by educational research.

Teachers have engaged in targeted professional learning and preparation to ensure confident and consistent implementation across classrooms. Early feedback from students and staff has been very positive, with students showing enthusiasm for the engaging lessons and activities.

We look forward to sharing more about our students’ progress and successes throughout the year as we continue to strengthen literacy outcomes across our school community.

Tamborine Mountain College is excited to announce that the Football Queensland Girls United School Program is coming to our school!

Girls United is a social football program designed exclusively for women and girls, welcoming new, existing and returning players. The Girls United School Program is an affordable, subsidised initiative that helps break down barriers to participation, costing just $20 for the full four-week program. Please see below program details, registration link and flyer. All participants must be registered prior to the clinic starting, using the link below.

Tamborine Mountain College

Day & Dates: Wednesdays, 4th March - 25th March

Time: 3-4pm

Register here:  

https://registration.squadi.com/userRegistration?organisationId=ebaa4461-9e23-4dcd-830c-f27b8db89194&competitionId=70cb4ff7-9657-42d3-b321-e4df963bc6d5

For any questions, please contact the FQ team at womenandgirls@footballqueensland.com.au

Thank you.

HIA Netball Round 1

Date: Wednesday, 4th March

Location: Hills International School

Details: Calling all Year 5 and 6 girls interested in representing TMC in the upcoming HIA Netball Competition.

Next Steps: See Mr. Evans for further information.

Training: Commencing in Week 3; time and venue are currently TBA.

Hinterland Sporting Trials

Requirements: Please note that students wishing to participate in the Hinterland Trials must have prior competitive experience, as well as established skills and knowledge of the sport.

Upcoming Trials

Netball (10–12 Years Girls) - 2nd and 3rd of March

AFL (10 - 12 Years Girls and Boys) - 9th and 10th of March 

Rugby League (10 - 12 Boys) - 17th March

We are delighted to announce a new Community Partnership between Tamborine Mountain College and Medland Orthodontics. You may have noticed they were also our Major Prize Sponsor for our $10,000 Invisalign Package so kindly given away at our 30 Year Anniversary Gala. This ongoing partnership offers exclusive benefits to our families, staff, and alumni, while also supporting our College community.

Here’s how it works:

All TMC students, families, staff, and alumni will receive a $250 discount off orthodontic treatment at Medland Orthodontics.

In addition, Medland Orthodontics will generously donate $250 back to Tamborine Mountain College for every new patient who commences treatment.

To access this exclusive offer, simply mention the code VIPTMC25 at your new patient consultation.

This is a wonderful way to invest in your smile while also giving back to the College. We thank Medland Orthodontics for their partnership and commitment to supporting our community.