Principal's Message Term 4 Week 3 | Dr Michael Carroll
Dear members of the Terrace Family,
Yesterday, the Terrace Family acknowledged, thanked and farewelled our Year 12 students at House Breakfasts and Assemblies. The day concluded with a ‘Thank you and Farewell’ BBQ at Tennyson for our Year 12 students and their families. While this event is a relatively new tradition, it has already developed into one of the more significant rituals at the end of a student’s time at Terrace. The success of any journey at Terrace is reliant on the strong partnership between parents, staff, and students, and this strength was proudly displayed at Tennyson yesterday. My thanks to all involved in ensuring it was such a successful day.
Tomorrow, our athletes from Years 5 to 12 will head out to QSAC for the 2024 GPS Track and Field Championships. The Terrace team has been training hard and on behalf of the Terrace Family I wish them all the best for tomorrow. I also take this opportunity to thank the coaches involved in the program this year – well done to all.
Our Year 12 students begin their external exams on Monday, commencing with the English paper. The exams will continue over the next three weeks and conclude on Tuesday 12 November. The boys will gather as a cohort in College Hall on Monday morning before passing through a tunnel formed by students from Years 5 to 11 in a show of solidarity and support. This is a much-loved tradition at Terrace and further strengthens the bonds between members of the Terrace Family.
Work on Margaret Rice Place continues to progress, with significant development seen over the last few weeks. I plan to include some up-to-date pictures of what the finished project will look like in my Touchstone articles in the coming weeks. Planning is also continuing for the Pastoral Care/House structure that will be implemented once our Years 5 and 6 students move to Margaret Rice Place. I will provide further updates via The Touchstone as plans are finalised.
To the over one thousand people at Tennyson last Saturday for GT on the Green, I offer my thanks for your support. Again, it was a fantastic community day, with important funds raised to support ParaSTART and various College projects. My thanks to Ms Zoe Morgan and her Communications team, and the outstanding organising committee who ensured it was such a successful day. Thanks to all involved.
While I have enjoyed getting back into the school routine following my leave, unfortunately, it hasn’t taken long for parent driving to re-emerge as an issue to address. Since my return, I have noticed a significant escalation in double parking, illegal U-turns, cars left unattended on Rogers Street, and a range of other poor driving behaviours. I continue to raise this issue purely from a safety perspective as there are simply too many students venturing onto the road amongst traffic to get into cars each afternoon. Another significant concern is the number of parents leaving their cars unattended on Rogers Street. Rogers Street is a designated two-minute zone in the afternoon, and this is designed to keep traffic moving. Again, I would ask all parent drivers to avoid double parking and U-turns, particularly in Rogers Street, as it is dangerous. No one wants to see students or parents injured, and I sincerely seek your support on this issue.
Looking forward, the next few weeks are focused on the students in Years 5 to 11 as they continue their Term 4 academic journey. I view these middle weeks of the term as the ‘heavy lifting’ weeks when all students are immersed in assignments, revision, and co-curricular training and games. It is vital that there is strong messaging from school and home around the importance of maintaining consistent routines and focus.
Have a great week.
God Bless.
Dr Michael Carroll
College Principal