Principal’s Message | Dr Michael Carroll

As a College, our Anzac Liturgy on Monday was a way in which Terrace acknowledged the sacrifices made by so many.

Dear Members of the Terrace Family,

As a nation, Anzac Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge those men and women who sacrificed their lives on the beaches of Anzac Cove. It also provides an opportunity to pay tribute to all within the Armed Services, past and present. As a College, our Anzac Liturgy on Monday was a way in which Terrace acknowledged the sacrifices made by so many.

Our Marching Band also participated in the Anzac Parade on Tuesday. I thank staff, students and parents for their efforts with both events. It is also worth noting that in recent years our Gallipoli Choir was involved with the Dawn Service at Anzac Cove. To all those people in the Armed Services, past and present, LEST WE FORGET.

The first round of Parent/Teacher meetings were held on Wednesday afternoon and it was pleasing to see so many parents at the interviews. There are many reasons why Terrace is a special place. However, in my opinion, a central reason is the strong and productive partnership between home and school. This was reinforced on Wednesday. You would appreciate that these are long days for the staff and I do want to acknowledge and thank them for their dedication and efforts. A reminder that classes will again conclude at 12.51pm to allow staff and students to attend the meetings.

An example of this dedication and support is evidenced by the tutoring and ‘Roll Call’ provided by the staff. The Term 2 roster of staff tutoring was uploaded on to the Parent Lounge last week and is very extensive. I would encourage students to access these sessions as a way of continuing to improve their results. I thank the staff for their generosity and support in offering these tutorial sessions. It does not happen everywhere. As well as the tutoring, the Year 10 staff offer ‘Friday Roll Call’ at Waterford and Mr Coman has commenced a similar ‘Year 9 Roll Call’ on Friday morning in GT 125. Both sessions are designed to provide students with a way to revise and recall the work they have covered during the week. Again, I urge students to access these services.

The College provides a Study Hall program each afternoon for students in Years 11 and 12. Previously, Old Boys have supervised these sessions but this term, the Old Boys will be operating these sessions as tutorials rather than just as study sessions. This will provide a further opportunity for the students to get assistance with their subjects.

A new initiative for Year 12 students began this week. A group of Year 12 students have volunteered to run ‘Peer Tutoring’ in a range of subjects during morning and afternoon sessions for their fellow students. This as an initiative of the students and I am very excited about this program. I would encourage Year 12 students to use these sessions to give themselves that added advantage in their subjects. I also want to thank the Year 12 students who have generously volunteered their time to assist their classmates. The ‘Peer Tutoring’ schedule was emailed to students last weekend.

I have detailed the various ‘tutoring’ opportunities to highlight the fact that there is a range of support opportunities for students at Terrace. We are fortunate that Terrace performs well academically. However, I highlight that this is not just by chance. The boys work hard, there are good processes and practices (such as the tutoring program) in place, staff are supportive and caring of students, parents take an active interest in their son’s academic journey and there is a strong and positive partnership between staff, parents and students. This is why Terrace is a special place.

Finally, this week some news about a couple of our recent Old Boys. Firstly, congratulations to Louis Townsend (2015) for his selection in the Australian swim team for the World championships later this year. Secondly, congratulations to Oscar McCabe (2016) for his T J Ryan Award from the State Government. Well done to both Louis and Oscar.

Have a great week.

God Bless.


Dr Michael Carroll

College Principal