Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome to the 2023 school year at Trinity Catholic College! No “RATs drive through” before school this year; thank goodness! I extend to you my very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023. Our students returned on Tuesday and Wednesday; it was wonderful. It is a blessing we are back at school and it was truly delightful to see the excitement and enthusiasm of our new Year 7 students as they begin their secondary education journey. I welcome all our new families in Year 8, 9 and 10 and hope they enjoy everything the Trinity community has to offer.

Please note Trinity Talk will continue to be published on a Thursday this year.

WELCOME TO NEW STAFF

We welcome the following staff members to Trinity this year:

• Mr Stephen Barnard - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care
• Mrs Gemma Brooks - TAS and RE
• Mr Cameron Murray - English and HSIE
• Ms Poppy Perry - Visual Arts and HSIE
• Ms Linda Schembri - CatholicCare Counsellor
• Mr Jarrod Twaddell - PE and Mathematics
• Mr Sam Treloar - PE and HSIE

I wish them every success and happiness in their association and friendship with the Trinity Catholic College community.

SCHOOL THEME 2023

From this year onwards, we want our school theme to reflect our school motto of Faith, Strength and Unity. Our theme this year is attributed to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first saint: 

“So great is the strength we possess in our unity.”

Most things we accomplish during our day are hardly ever completed alone. Chances are more likely that there is some help. Whether it’s a colleague, family, friend, or simply another human being, there is little in this world that we can accomplish completely alone. Collaboration is a very powerful thing. All day I work with others in my role as a Principal. When I am working with someone else, the results are always better than if I had tried to do it alone. There’s strength in collective minds and success in sharing tasks. There is nothing better than bringing people together with varied skills to create something remarkable.  Unity and collaboration produce some amazing and wonderful outcomes. Collaboration and partnerships happen at Trinity every day. Staff with staff, staff with students and parents, and students with students and their families.  When unity is our strength, wonderful things can be achieved. As we go about our days this year, we will continue creating ways to work with others and collaborate to ensure the best educational outcomes for our students. Our school theme will be woven through our positive behaviours for learning rules of being respectful, being responsible and being a learner. We will continue to focus on being a community that values learning, kindness, empathy and compassion, and everyone being the best person they can be.

SCHOOL HOURS

• First Bell rings at 8.55am. Students move to Homeroom.
• Recess is from 11:10am until 11:40am
• Lunch is from 1:40pm until 2:20pm
• Final Bell is 3:20pm

COMMUNITY COUNCIL WELCOME BBQ

All new families are invited to a Welcome BBQ next Thursday 9 February 2023 commencing at 5.30pm on the school grounds near the Canteen.  This gathering is organised so we can welcome our new families to the Trinity Community. Your company would be much appreciated and enjoyed. An RSVP google link was forwarded to new families earlier this today. If you have not received it, please contact Renee Funnell, Executive Assistant to the Principal, via email using renee.funnell@cg.catholic.edu.au otherwise by phone on 4821 3600.  

ACADEMIC LEARNING AND PASTORAL CARE

As Principal, my focus will be on the wellbeing of each student and staff member, as well as ensuring that as a community of teachers we are continuing to improve our practice as it is the quality of the teaching and learning in the classroom that has the greatest impact on students making progress and achieving their educational goals and outcomes. Learning is the work for all students and teachers, the College’s Leadership Team and the Principal. Our core approach this year will continue to be creating a culture that focuses on learning and continuous improvement for students and teachers. Our learning goals will be:

• For students to be competent readers and writers
• To improve student achievement and progress in Numeracy and Mathematics
• To improve student achievement and progress in Religious Education

Trinity Catholic College teachers and classroom support assistants will continue to refine their skills in the classroom, along with other schools and staff across the Archdiocese, by participating in the professional learning program, CATALYST.  It is an inspiring professional learning program which focuses on continuing to develop excellent teachers with a clear, coherent and accessible path to transform student lives through learning. Trinity Catholic College will be focussing on high impact teaching strategies, further developing the reading and writing skills of students and formative assessment.

STUDENT WELLBEING

To best meet the needs of our students, both academic and pastoral, we will continue with the Year Coordinator system. If you have an academic or pastoral concern about your child, please do not hesitate in contacting their Year Coordinator listed below:

Year 7 Mr John Galiazzo john.galiazzo@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Year 8 Mr Paul Treloar paul.treloar@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 9 Mrs Alexandra Dunwoodie alexandra.dunwoodie@cg.catholic.edu.au  

Year 10 Mr Chris Arnold chris.arnold@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Year 11 and 12 Ms Katie Suro katie.byrnes@cg.catholic.edu.au 

CATHOLICCARE STUDENT AND FAMILY COUNSELLING SERVICE

Trinity will provide a full-time equivalent CatholicCare counselling service again in 2023.  Trinity has been advised we will have two counsellors providing a counselling service to students and families this year. Linda Schembri will be available for students on Monday and Tuesday, and  Madelyn Burns will be available for students each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of term. If students are under 14 years of age, parental consent will be required for students to access the counselling service.

STUDENT BEHAVIOUR

Please know if we have any concerns about your child’s learning, wellbeing or we notice any change in behaviour, we make contact with the parents as quickly as possible. We don’t wait for weeks or months before we make contact. It is about working in partnership with our families to truly engage them in their child’s learning and wellbeing.

COLLEGE UNIFORM

Trinity Catholic College has a beautiful school uniform. I encourage students and their families to respect the uniform and associated policy. It is a requirement that students wear the complete, correct school uniform, both at school and when travelling to and from school. If a student is out of uniform, a note must be brought from home. This note should explain the reason and must be signed by a parent/carer. Uniform expectations, including hair and jewelry, are summarised in the student diary. Unfortunately, if a student is not in correct uniform and there is not a signed note, a lunchtime detention will need to be completed. Lunchtime detentions for uniform infringements will commence from Week 3. This will allow time for families to purchase uniform items if required. Students are required to wear the full academic summer uniform to school each day.

SUPERVISION TIMES BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL

Please note that school commences at 8.55am and concludes at 3:20pm.  Supervision at the College does not commence until 8:25am in the morning and concludes after the last bus leaves in the afternoon. No responsibility will be taken by the College for any consequences of the activities of students outside those hours.  Please assist the College in the interests of your child’s safety, by ensuring that your child does not attend or remain in the precincts of the school outside the hours of 8:25am and 3:20pm on Monday to Friday.  If there are changes to afternoon transport routines, parents must advise the College in writing.

WALKING TOGETHER

Archbishop Christpopher Prowse has declared 2023 as the year of 'walking together' in our search for Christ in scripture, prayer and everyday life. This will work beautifully with our school theme of "So great is the strength we possess in our unity". Please find below the prayer which is prayed each week in our Parish masses around the Archdiocese.

The Risen Lord walked together
with the disciples on the road to Emmaus,
drawing them from anxiety to hope, from confusion to joy.
Jesus, centre of our common Emmaus walk, with You alone to guide us,
make Your home in our hearts; as we pour “new wine into fresh wineskins”. (Mk 2:22) Like Mary, imbued by the Holy Spirit, may we give birth to a renewed faith and united pastoral action in this Archdiocese in the year ahead.

I would like to remind parents that if you have any concerns about any aspect of your child’s progress, you are encouraged to speak with their subject teacher or Subject Coordinator. If you have a pastoral concern, please speak with your child’s Year Coordinator. If you would like to discuss any other aspect of school life at Trinity, please contact me using the following email address gaye.mcmanus@cg.catholic.edu.au . I look forward to the joys and challenges of 2023 with great care, joy and enthusiasm as always.

Yours in faith, strength and unity

Gaye McManus | Principal