2023 Term 1 Week 4

From the Principal - Term 1, Week 4

Dear Parents and Carers

Over the past two weeks the students have engaged in what we traditionally call “Learning to Learn”. This is a two-week period which focuses on developing a safe learning space, building relationships, establishing routines, creating class rules, and exploring preferred work styles and habits.  They have also unpacked our Whole School Wide Expectations that underpin everything we do – Being Safe, Responsible, Respectful and Resilient learners. Student voice in all these areas is critical in ensuring the success of the classroom. If you haven’t already had the chance to ask your child what they have been learning and discussing at school, I encourage you to set aside some time this week to do so.

The beginning of the school year is always a very busy one.  Over the coming weeks we have several activities and events taking place which we are very excited about and would love to see as many families present as possible.  Some of these events will also require volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the event. If you are available, have a Working with Children Check and have completed the Trinity Helper Workshop, we would love your assistance.

Parent Helper Workshops

We are currently in the process of creating an online video and questionaire that will replace our existing Parent Helper Workshop. We have decided to offer this form of induction as we know many working parents can not get to a session during school time. More information about the process will be communicated later this week. 

Family Learning Conversations

Family Learning Conversations will be held onsite on Tuesday 28^th February (3.30pm – 6.45pm) and Wednesday 1^st March (3.30pm – 8.15pm). These meetings are an important opportunity for the school to communicate how your child has settled into the new school year and what the focus will be on moving forward to support them. 

Our preferred option is to meet in person so the children can share with their family the learning taking place in the classroom. We understand that some families will not be able to attend onsite so these families will have the option of a Google Meet.  

Interview dates and times will be released through PAM/SIMON on Friday 17^th February from 9am. 

Ash Wednesday Mass – Wednesday 21^st at 11.15am

Next Wednesday we will celebrate Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday begins the holy season, marking the start of the 40 days leading up to Easter (not including Sundays). This 40-day period is known as Lent, and it usually includes a focus on fasting and prayer. The ashes that will be used in the Mass will originate from the burning of palms from the previous year. As we are marked with Ash on the forehead, we will begin our journey through Lent and prepare for the wonder of Easter. The ashes remind us that even though we don’t always live God’s way, if we ask God to forgive us, we will receive forgiveness and love.  If your child is sensitive to ash, please inform your child’s teacher. All families are welcome to attend.

Colour Run Fundraising Event – Friday 3^rd March

As communicated at the end of last year, fundraising events are once again back on the school agenda.  After a challenging few years, we would love to bring the community back together through some special events as well as raising much needed funds to begin the redevelopment of some of our playground spaces. The first event is the Trinity School Colour Run.  More details will be emailed to families in the coming week regarding permission and payment through CDF Pay. We hope to see as many families as possible their supporting their children. 

School Gate Opening Times

The school gates will open at 8.30am and students will be allowed into the classrooms at 8.35am. There is NO SUPERVISION before 8.30am so please do not drop off your children before this time. We ask parents to please support the school in this matter.

School Carpark – Important Rules to ensure the safety of your children.

For the safety of all the students and families, we kindly request that cars exiting the carpark turn LEFT. Right turns are not permitted even if there is a break in the traffic.

Do NOT drop your children off down the side of the carpark. This is not supervised and is not safe. Please use the three drop off bays at the top end of the car park where a teacher is supervising the crossing.

Please be pateint when dropping and picking up your children. If you are in a rush I suggest parking out the front of the school.

If these rules cannot be followed, we will need to look at closing the car park to avoid any accidents happening. I ask for your support in his matter and passing this information onto anyone who may be collecting your child.

Assemblies

School assemblies will be held fortnightly on a Thursday afternoon at 2.30pm in the school hall. The level leading each assembly is listed in the PAM calendar.

2024 Foundation (Prep) Enrolments 

We have now begun the process of enrolling 2024 Foundation students. If you have a child coming in 2024, or know of someone else who does, please contact the office for further details.  Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the Trinity School Website. 

Year 5 Camp to Phillip Island Adventure Resort

Next Wednesday the Year 5 students will be heading off to Phillip Island Adventure Resort for their two-night camp. It is a fantastic camp and the children will have a wonderful time engaging in activities such as canoeing, raft making, initiatives course, giant swing and the circatron.  The staff attending the camp will be Mrs Fogarty, Mrs Schinck, Mrs Darwish, Mr Watty, Mrs Woolf, Mr Dannaoui, Mrs Romalie and myself. I thank the staff for their willingness to support the children in their experience.

Have a wonderful week.

Kind regards

Kathryn Pepper

Religious Education- Term 1, Week 4

Two weeks ago at Sunday Mass, this piece of scripture from Matthew's Gospel was used: 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Quite often, the reflections on this Gospel centre on light. My parish priest focused on Salt....let me summarise. 

All chefs know that food is better with a pinch of salt. Too little or too much both impact the flavour. Let us connect that, can we be the pinch of salt to others? 

To ignore people creates a self centred approach. To focus too much on others can be overbearing for them, and tiring for you. So maybe we can be a pinch of salt for others. Let us think about a scenario. 

My son was given his first Coca-cola on New Years Eve by some of my very 'helpful' cousins. At two and a half, he thought this was great, and woke up the next day wanting.....'more Coke!' 

Wondering through the supermarket, we wondered past the Coke on the shelf. Explaining to him this is not a healthy option was not something that interested him, and a tantrum ensued, with things in the cart being deposited out of the cart. 

Feeling quite embarrased, a lady approach and handed me my daughters bunny, which had fell victim to the no Coke emotions, and said, 'Hang in there, we've all been there!'

Suddenly embarrassment was moved to a feeling of solidarity, this was a parenting moment many of us share. Those who walked past and judged, were maybe the ones with the real issue, my son was just learning the disappointment of 'no'. Being upset at 'no' is very normal and in time, he will learn other methods to express disappointment, through our support and love. 

What that lady showed was a 'pinch of salt'. To me, she was the salt of the earth in that moment. 

How can we be that teaching Jesus gave us, to be the Salt of the Earth to others? 

Sacramental Program- Reconciliation

PARENT ONLY WORKSHOP: Final chance tonight! 
Parents are invited to enrol their children for the 2023 Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is traditionally focused on our Year 3 students or above students. Your child should have received the Sacrament of Baptism before enrolling for their First Reconciliation.

The enrolment and parent only workshop was held last Thursday and is repeated tonight on the Wednesday 15th February at 7.00pm in the Church. We have tried to refresh the night and make it a more interactive experience, based on feedback from parents. 

Parents are required to only attend one of the enrolment nights. Attendance to one of the sessions is mandatory if you wish to prepare your child for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is a parent only workshop and children are not required to attend.

An enrolment levy of $50 is payable via CDF Pay https://olhc.cdfpay.org.au Please bring your receipt number to the enrolment night.

Bookings open from Tuesday, 16th January 2023 at 10.00am and closes on Friday 17th February at 10.00am 2023.

For more information, please refer to the Sacrament Program Booklet 2023 which is attatched below, or available on the parish website www.olhc.org.au or contact the Parish Office.

* The Sacramental Booklet said it was Mandatory to attend Mass for six weeks. This should have said 'strongly encouraged as part of the learning and experience of the Sacrament'. It is Mandatory to attend the Parent Workshop and the Parent and Child Workshop.

Preparation for First Communion (Year 4) will be in Term 2 and preparation for Confirmation will be Term 3. 

Paul Sharp

REL\ Deputy Principal

Student Support - Term 1,Week 4

Last week, students explored what it means to be safe online as part of Safer Internet Day. 

Safer Internet Day is a global event that brings together communities, families, schools and organisations from more than 200 countries to help create safer online spaces.

This worldwide initiative is celebrating 20 years in 2023, making it a great time to reflect as well as look forward. 

Technology has evolved dramatically in the past two decades and the benefits have been huge. These developments have also exposed us to many risks with real-world impacts, making online safety awareness even more important.  
 
That's why we are calling on Australians to Connect. Reflect. Protect. 
 
Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways. 

Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others. 

Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.  
 
By doing these simple things, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day.

At Trinity, the school community has access to a resource called School TV. School TV is a platform which provides schools with an extensive range of wellbeing resources for parents, so they can work together in partnership to ensure better wellbeing for all students. 

We have included articles attached below which may be of interest to families to read.

We have also attached the links to two great additional resources which are the eSafety Commissioner's office and Common Sense Media websites. 

NAPLAN 2023

NAPLAN will be held earlier this year. All Year 3 and 5 students will complete NAPLAN between the 15th of March and the 27th of March. 

If any families in Year 3 or Year 5 have holidays booked during this time, could they please email me (paul.sharp@trinitynarre.catholic.edu.au), so we can factor this into our planning. 

We use NAPLAN to provide us with feedback about how we can improve our teaching, whilst parents are provided with a snapshot of how their child is progressing. For us, it is one assessment that make up a thorough Assessment Schedule and should not present any stress for students, as they are well versed at completing online assessments. 

More information can be found on the link below. 

Paul Sharp

Robotics Club: Riley Rover Challenge - Week 4

Day one has begun for a number of grade 5 and 6 students who have signed up for the Robotics Club.  For the next two terms teams will build, code and debug their robot to navigate around complex courses.  It will take teamwork, creativity and math skills to make it happen.  At the start of term 3, students will then compete in a regional Lego robotics competition to share with the judges what they have learnt throughout the process.  Our school placed 1st and 2nd, and 1st and 3rd in 2018 and 2019 respectively, so we know that our students are up for the challenge.  We wish them well on their journey ahead.      

AWARDS & BIRTHDAYS

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

In the case of illness/absence please call the school office by 8.30am or login to PAM to send a notification no later than 9.00am  on the day of absence.

An SMS will be sent (daily) to Parents after 9.30am for any unexplained student absences.

If no contact can be made or no absence is reported the school may phone emergency contacts to ensure student safety.  

If you are going away on holidays you must advise in writing to the Principal BEFORE you leave.  

Thank you.

CHILD SAFE STANDARDS WORKING WITH CHILDREN

Trinity has zero tolerance towards child abuse and is therefore committed to complying with the Ministerial Order No. 1359 – Implementing the Child Safe Standards – Managing the Risk of Child Abuse in Schools and School Boarding Premises. All parents/guardians wishing to help in the classroom, canteen or attend excursions MUST have completed the PARENT HELPER WORKSHOP and hold a current WORKING WITH CHILDREN CARD.

Further details are available from the school office or the Justice Department website.  All parent/guardian helpers must sign in at the office before proceeding to the classrooms.  Your current Working with Children card must be displayed at all times when working in the classrooms and attending excursions.

A reminder to all Parents/Carers, supervision by School Staff begins at 8.30am before school and after school only at the drop off area until 3.30pm.

Please observe and supervise your children as they play on the equipment. Thank you for your co-operation.

Trinity Car Park Etiquette

• For greater safety and visibility, we are requesting that all drivers reverse park into the marked bays.
• Thank you all who use the pedestrian crossing area.  You are demonstrating to your children correct road safety practices.  Once children cross the pedestrian crossing into the parking area, they, for their safety, need to be placed into vehicles promptly.  The car park is NOT a meeting area.
• The lane around the edge of the car park (closest to the oval) are for vehicles waiting to pick children up from the Pick-up Zone ONLY.
• The two parking bays closest to the office path are the PICK-UP ZONES.  These are NO STANDING zones.  If your children are not ready to get into your car as you pull up to the pick-up zone, you must continue on and rejoin the end of the pick-up queue.
• There is NO RIGHT TURN when exiting the car park.  All vehicles must turn left for the safety of others and to maintain traffic flow.
• THE GATES CLOSE AT 8.50am. They will RE-OPEN AT 3.00pm. The gates close for the day at 3:30pm. Occasionally they might reopen slightly later due to school activities.
• The Staff Car Park is for STAFF PARKING ONLY.  Please do not use it as a drop off/pick up for students.

Thank you for your patience and consideration of others

TRINITY ADVISORY SCHOOL BOARD

Chair  - Kathryn Pepper

Members - Sandy Clua, Kerryn Kelly, Tarika Mahto, Ebony Marcolongo, Gail Rodrigues and Paul Sharp.