A Day at Timbertop | Geelong Grammar School

No two days at Timbertop are identical, but the structure below gives you a clear sense of what a student’s day looks and feels like — from the moment they light the boiler to lights out.

Note: the academic week runs Friday to Tuesday. Weekends fall on Wednesday and Thursday.

6.55am

Slushies — the day begins with contribution

Before breakfast, students on rostered “slush” duty help prepare and serve the morning meal for the whole school. This is integral to how Timbertop runs. A ‘Service Wheel’ rotates weekly within each Unit, allocating students their daily jobs and areas of responsibility.

7:20am

Breakfast in the Dining Hall
All students and staff dine together in a genuinely communal space. Meal times are an important opportunity to refuel, connect and prepare for the day ahead.

8:15am

Unit inspection
Students are responsible for the upkeep of their own living spaces. Each morning, units are inspected as a genuine expectation that builds self-sufficiency, pride and teamwork.

8:30am

Lessons commence

A rigorous, comprehensive curriculum covers core subjects plus elective semester units. Students are expected to participate fully and bring their best to every class.

10:45am

Recess

Time for fresh air, conversation and a natural break from structured learning.

1:00pm

Slushies and essentials

The mid-day service roster continues: lunch preparation, serving and clean-up are shared responsibilities rotated across the student community.

1:20pm

Lunch in the Dining Hall
Nutritious, chef-prepared food brought together in the heart of campus. Eating together, three times a day, every day, is one of the quiet foundations of Timbertop life.

2:30pm

Chapel

The Chapel of St John the Baptist, built by staff and students in 1958, serves as the heartbeat of the community. Chapel is not only for worship; it brings the school together for reflection, music, announcements and shared life.

3:00pm

Long run (Sundays) or continued classes
The weekly cross-country run through bush tracks surrounding the campus is a community event, with all students and staff participating. These runs build steadily in length and difficulty, culminating in the 33-kilometre Timbertop Marathon at year’s end.

3:45pm-4.30pm

End of classes / Crossie run (Saturdays)

Afternoons offer a moment of downtime in the unit, or a chance to connect with teachers outside the classroom.

5:30pm

Slushie

The evening service roster begins as students on duty help prepare dinner for their peers.

6:00pm

Dinner in the Dining Hall

The day’s most significant meal, shared together. The end of the formal school day.

6:50pm

Prep — quiet study time

Prep (short for ‘Preparation’) is quiet study time to complete assigned homework tasks. All students complete a session of Prep each weeknight in their unit. Extra help is also available to students requiring further support in the Library.

students-reading-timbertop

8:20pm

Jobs and Supper

Final unit chores completed, then supper together.

8:50pm

Silent reading

Thirty minutes of quiet reading before lights out. No screens, no notifications — just a book. It is a small but deliberate part of the Timbertop day.

9:20pm

Lights out

Key activities: Weekends

Every weekend is different and differs per term. The Outdoors Programme typically fills the weekend calendar with exciting, worthwhile and healthy challenges through hiking, canoeing, skiing, rafting and camping adventures.

Students in Term 2 spend a large component of their weekends completing community service. In this time, students camp overnight with local Mansfield families and help them with tasks such as wood chopping/stacking, sanding, gardening, fencing, cleaning and any other manual assistance they may need for their property.