Leaving their classrooms, Year 3/4 TAP into Farm Science students travelled to see where a Paddock to Plate journey could begin. Students visited the beef and prime lamb property of Richard and Marilyn Gristede where they learnt about farm maps (Marilyn Gristede), healthy pastures (Jo Groves - Whitehouse Fertilizers), beef farming (Nick Maddison - Landmark and Richard Gristede) and sheep and wool (Steve McKenzie). At Ash and Michelle Gristede's dairy farm students investigated animal health (Monica Ryan - The Vet Group), water recycling (Ash Gristede), the dairy plant (David Case - Dasco) and effluent recycling (Michelle Gristede and Andrea Vallance). Students were challenged with questions posed by the guest presenters at the conclusion of their workshop sessions and enjoyed Creamy Classics Belgian Chocolate Milk courtesy of David from Bulla. Thank you to everyone involved, what a wonderful hands-on way to learn about the science around us!.

As part of the Year 8 Science 'Camembert in the Classroom' unit, Julian Benson from Apostle Whey Cheese described his career path and the creation of his niche cheesemaking business that combined his interest in dairying and tourism. Julian explained how the various cheeses were developed and the rationale behind the introduction of Apostle Way Full Cream Milk and Italian Style Gelato to their product range. He stressed the importance of pride of place in his dairy products and mentioned that the Apostle Whey Cheese logo was designed by an ex Timboon P-12 student emphasising that the business was located on the 'way/whey' to the 12 Apostles - clever marketing!  Students then sampled 'Loch Ard Gorgeous' Camembert and Julian challenged students to find what loved and to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.

Our Year 5/6 students hosted Mark Cuthell from Port Campbell Tourist Information Centre and Donna Ellis from parkrun who introduced the new Year 5/6 unit, Tourism Maths. Mark described how tourism and agribusiness in our region involves big numbers but that we were going to start our TAP maths investigation looking at smaller numbers based on Timboon parkrun and the impact that it has on our local economy. Donna explained that parkrun is a free 5km walk, run or jog event and updated students with the following stats from Timboon parkrun-
Number of events:76
Number of runners: 639   
Number of runs: 3,509
Average number of runners per week:46.2
Biggest attendance:151
Total hours run: 0Years 100Days 15Hrs 34Min 52Secs
An interesting fact: To date we have had 437 registered participants and have 144 individual volunteers!
Donna challenged students to be involved in Timboon parkrun’s Junior Day on 17th November from 7.50am where participants needing to register on the Timboon parkrun sitehttps://www.parkrun.com.au/timboon/
Let’s set a world record for the biggest number of juniors registered for a local event and watch this space to see how our Tourism maths unit evolves!

​Under the TAP banner, and as part of the Year 9/10 Commerce elective, students visited Andy Martyn from Triple A Cycles to learn about a very different sort of agribusiness. Andy outlined his career path which stemmed from his Year 10 work experience placement on small engines to work on Harley Davidsons and 4 wheel motorbikes in Timboon. As well as describing the path to setting up his own business in Timboon, Andy advised students to offer to watch and help others engage in things they were interested in, to ask for advice, pay attention to detail and to work in a field that they loved.

We are very excited to invite you to join us in welcoming George the Farmer and his mates, Simone Kain and Ben Hood, to TAP's On! on Thursday, 22nd November at Timboon P12 School. See the invitation to George's performance at TAP's On and background resources you may like for your visit. See you there Mate!

​As part of their Science investigation into genetics and genomics Year 10 students were once again fortunate enough to visit Garry and Lee Hibberd’s Cooriemungle Holsteins dairy farm. Garry and Lee outlined the importance of world class genetics to their business and explained how their enterprise uses embryo flushing to maximize genetic gain in their herd. Peter Younis and Marilyn Gristedes from The Vet Group explained the procedure and students were able to see how an ultrasound is used to guide the placement of the catheter to flush and retrieve the embryos from donor cows. Evie, a vet student from CSU in Wagga, was originally from a sheep and cropping farm in WA and she was also to help outline steps in the ET process.  We are very fortunate to have access to see world class genomic technology introduced to our class by such passionate advocates in regional Victoria. Thank you Garry, Lee, Pete, Marilyn and Evie. 

As part of their Science studies of Paddock to Plate the Year 3 / 4 class are learning how dairy products are used. Students were issued the butter challenge and armed with plastic jars, some heavy cream and a marble, students shook, rocked and rolled their way into producing a scoop of butter. They learnt that this emulsion was caused when globules of fay were forced to slam into one another and stick together. A loaf of fresh bread was purchased to really help the students taste their buttery bonanza. ​

Watch out for goblins, ghosts, witches and zombies...Our Year 7/8 Kitchen Garden class were ready to receive guests as they baked up a storm for a spooky Halloween feast!

​We would like to invite you to attend TAP's On 2018! an interactive, peer led demonstration of what we have accomplished this year in the Timboon Agriculture Project (TAP). Since the TAP began in mid-2012, we have had over 360 industry personnel and community members provide either direct curriculum content to students or provide PD for teachers. 
On Thursday, November 22nd, TAP's On!, will showcase  how Timboon P-12 staff and students are integrating agriculture into the curriculum to support learning outcomes across all areas. Just under five hundred students from Timboon P-12 School and Nullawarre and District Primary School will be rotating through peer-led activities based on the work undertaken in the classroom. From 10.00am to 1.00pm, students will be rotating through a series of workshops, almost like ‘speed dating’ on agriculture!  TAP's On! shows how teaching staff integrate agriculture and community engagement into their curriculum through different interactive classroom and off-campus activities.
George the Farmer will be a highlight with a showcase for juniors from 10.00am – 11.00am followed by workshop sessions on entrepreneurism and web development with George and creators, Simone Kain and Ben Hood.
Experts or mentors are invited to assist the presenting students from Years five to ten in their peer-led workshops for our expo. Students will demonstrate what they have learned or will learn in the classroom, covering such diverse topics such as Dog vs drone, Tourism maths, Dairy DNA, Let’s get ready!- disaster resilience, TAP into Fairytales, Plant buddies,  Ruminate on that!, Old dinosaurs - New volcanoes, alpaca vs goat vs sheep, Bushfire Maths, What plants need to grow, Cows Create Careers, Collaborative coding, Future food, Get Moooooving, National Ag Day stamp stories, What a buzzzzz, CSI Timboon, and marketing our region through Pop Up markets. The Pop Up markets will feature our local foodies and regional artisans to showcase the magnificent produce from the southwest. Guests are invited to stay for lunch with a TSPA (Timboon School Parents’ Association) supported BBQ. 
TAP's On!  also features the annual Tough Udder event for senior students, and Ag Adventure challenges for junior students between 2.00pm and 3.00pm. Students, ex-students, parents, members of the public, local businesses, industry representatives and educators are invited to join Timboon P-12 staff, students and industry contributors to observe and celebrate some of the remarkable initiatives the TAP has enabled.
We wish to acknowledge the support of the Gall, O’Toole and Lane Foundations for their backing of the TAP in 2017/2018. TAP’s On! 2018 is proudly sponsored by Lochard Energy and Westpac Bank. For further information please contact 0417 470 108 or brucevallance@hotmail.com
Regards,
Andrea Vallance
TAP Coordinator