At Templestowe College we want students to enjoy andbe challenged by their education and we seek to be a school at the cutting edgeof innovative education in Australia.
We are working with students, parents, teachers and the wider community to build a learning environment where students are encouraged and supported to develop a wide range of passions and interests and to explore these areas with confidence as self-directed learners.
We believe this is more likely to happen when students feel a strong sense of ownership and control over their own learning, feel like they can have a genuine say in the running of their school and see staff as their supporters, rather than directors, judges or jailers!
A new vision for Templestowe College – Students driving their own learning!
The vision which has driven us for the past three years is to be "A dynamic and caring learning community recognised for future-focused personalised learning.”
Even though our current vision still has one year left to run, it is important that we clearly outline our future vision now, so that prospective parents considering Templestowe for their child in 2014 and beyond are clear about the future directions of the College.
Following many consultation meetings with students, staff, parents and the wider community our new vision has been passed unanimously by College Council. It isboth symbolic and appropriate in a school such as ours, that the wording for the new vision was proposed by a student, our own Ed Hawkes, 2012 College Captain and College Council member. At his own instigation Ed consulted with students, staff and members of College Council both by e-mail and in person about the potential wording.
The Templestowe College Vision for 2014-17 is "to be a supportive community, empowering students to manage their individualised learning and turn ideas into reality.”
(Read more about the TC Vision 14-17)
One of the Eastern Suburbs Best Kept Secrets?
We are blessed with a large number of high quality private and government schools in the Eastern suburbs. My concern is that most of these are quite large, (which I consider to be a student population over 800 students) and on the whole they offer quite similar programs with little real opportunity for student input. I also believe that most are based around the same flawed premise that the student must conform tothe school rather than the school adapt to best meet the needs of the child.
Templestowe College is certainly different in size, structure and philosophy. Many people mistakenly believe that we are a private school. We cannot offer a pool or a manicured oval with grandstand, but we can offer you an outstanding personalised education and all for less than $1000 per year.
As places are limited to one hundred per year level I would ask you to only share this information with those families who are truly interested in education. These are the families we are committed to working with and there are certainly plenty of other solid options for those interested in a generic education.
Who are our students?
At TC we enrol families not students. We work best with students who have an inherent passion for learning. This passion could be for acting, agriculture, buildingthings, cooking, creative writing, debating, entrepreneurship, foreign languages, game design, helping others, history, inventing things, leadership,magic, mathematics, music, outdoor education, politics, public speaking, science, social activism, sport, sustainability, working with animals.
Because ofthe changes in the way the curriculum will be delivered, students in Year 7 for 2014 and beyond will require competent literacy skills and be relatively independent in their learning style. The program is not suited to students with behavioural needs, disciplinary concerns or students who require close monitoring in order to complete work.
Such is the special nature of the school that Templestowe draws students who travel for upto an hour in every direction. Some of these students travel by car but the majority use public transport. The school does have two school bus routes servicing the Eltham and Hurstbridge areas.
Every Day is Open Day at Templestowe College
We are a dynamic and caring learning community and will continue to improve as we strive to best meet the needs of our students and their families. I invite you to meet with me to discuss your educational needs and takea tour of the school.The best way I know to decide if a school is right for you is to visit during the day and feel "the vibe”. We do not run Open Days which can often give quite a false impression of a school. Instead I invite you to have a real tour and see our school in operation. Look at our classes and speak to students you select. We do understand the pressures of everyday family life and so evening tours are also available by request.
Templestowe is a great school, and improving every day.
I look forward to talking with you.
Peter Hutton
Principal –Templestowe College
hutton.peter.j@edumail.vic.gov.au