TERM 3 - WEEK 1A

Friday 22 July

• Pyjama Day Fundraiser - Vinnies Winter Appeal
• Archdiocesan Basketball - Tuggeranong CANCELLED
• Social Justice Liturgy at 10.30am

TERM 3 - WEEK 2B

Monday 25 July

• Musical Full Dress Rehearsal

Tuesday 26 July

• Musical Full Dress Rehearsal

Wednesday 27 July

• School Photos
• Boys Rugby 7's CANCELLED
• Musical Full Dress Rehearsal

Thursday 28 July

• School Photos
• Musical - 6.30pm

Friday 29 July

• Musical - 6.30pm

Saturday 30 July

• Musical - 1.00pm
• Musical - 6.30pm

TERM - WEEK 3A

Monday 1 August

• PASS Excursion - Canberra CANCELLED

Tuesday 2 August

• Trial HSC commences - English Studies, Standard and Advanced (9am)

Wednesday 3 August

• Trial HSC - English Standard and Advanced (9am)
• NAIDOC Mass Venue: OLOF at 10am CANCELLED

Thursday 4 August

• Trial HSC - SORI and SORII (9am)

Friday 5 August

• Trial HSC - Business Studies (9am) and Chemistry (1.30pm)
• MacKillop House Mass 10.30am
• Southern Tablelands Science and Engineering Challenge

Dear Parents and/or Caregivers 

Welcome to the 2021 school year at Trinity Catholic College! I extend to you my very best wishes for a happy and particularly healthy 2021. 

We are well and truly back in business with our usual opening milestones, of welcoming our new students in Year 7 and other years, first lessons and assemblies, behind us. It is always delightful to see the excitement and enthusiasm of our new Year 7 students as they begin their secondary education journey. 

SCHOOL THEME 2021

Our theme this year is attributed to Pope Francis, our current Pope: 

“Let us keep a place for Christ in our lives, let us care for one another and

let us be loving custodians of creation.” 

This theme was chosen towards the end of last year. When reflecting on COVID-19 and 2020, and the remote learning which came with it, being in community meant everything to students, staff and parents. When we came back from lockdown, lots of care and compassion was required. This was not dissimilar to other schools across Australia or indeed the world. As well during our first lockdown, we noticed how blue the skies were without planes flying across them and with not so many cars on the road. There was a downturn in global carbon emissions. Hence, it became obvious that in 2021 we needed to take care of one another and take care of the precious environment we have been entrusted, our common home. Whilst we are not trying to solve global issues, we will continue to solve the human and environmental issues at Trinity through care for one another, care for the environment, and always remembering Jesus Christ is at the centre. 

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. 

As Principal, my focus will be on the teaching and learning 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 and for following years will be to continue creating a culture that focuses on learning and continuous improvement for students and teachers. Over the next three years our goals will be:

• To improve student learning
• To improve student and staff wellbeing
• To be an explicitly Catholic community welcoming to everyone 

Trinity Catholic College staff, along with other schools and staff across the Archdiocese, participated in a professional learning program last week entitled CATALYST.  It was an inspiring professional learning day focusing on continuing to develop excellent teachers with a clear, coherent and accessible path to transform students' lives through learning. Trinity Catholic College will be focusing on high impact teaching strategies and instructional leadership. 

REMEMBERING LUKE McCUE

As most of you would know, Luke McCue, our 2020 College Captain, died tragically in a single car accident on his way home last year on Sunday 20 December. Students and staff have had access to a CatholicCare counsellor if they required support. Students have had the opportunity to attend the Chapel to write a message of condolence to the McCue family, light a candle and/or say a prayer. We prayed for Luke and his family, as a whole school community, at our Opening College Assembly. As a school community, what message can we take from Luke’s death? What did Luke teach us? People may think, why did God do this? God did not do this. Luke’s death is a human tragedy. Luke’s death has taught us that life is short. We need to be living our best life now and not later. Luke loved people. He loved the conversations and the relationships that came from being in a community. He loved the simple things in life – his family, his friends, fishing and Jax, his dog. It is the simple things we need to focus on. The suffering and loss we may experience as a community does not define us; but it does teach us how to care for each other in a deeper and more meaningful way.  Let’s work to ensure hope is alive in our community, let’s appreciate the kindnesses shown, let’s appreciate the conversations, let’s care for each other, and let’s enjoy being together. Let’s help each other through this grieving period. Some information for parents about grief in adolescents is provided with Trinity Talk.  Let us always remember the McCue family in prayer. 

Eternal rest grant unto Luke, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen 

STAFFING MATTERS

We welcome the following staff members to Trinity this year:

Mrs Arlene Dorsett – Classroom Support and English Teacher

Mr Dean Faught – Teacher Librarian and HSIE Teacher

Mrs Rochelle Horan – Science Teacher

Mr Andrew Morton – Assistant Principal Administration and PDHPE Teacher

Mr Phillip Schipp – Religious Education and Music Teacher 

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

I would also like to welcome back Mr Shane McCarthy who was on leave in Term 4 last year. 

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 Mrs Ally Dunwoodie       alexandra.dunwoodie@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 8 Mr Chris Arnold             chris.arnold@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 9 Mr John Galiazzo           john.galiazzo@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 10 Mr Paul Treloar            paul.treloar@cg.catholic.edu.au 

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

CATHOLIC CARE STUDENT AND FAMILY COUNSELLING SERVICE

We will have two counsellors providing a counselling service to students and families this year. Peter Henry will be available for students each Thursday and Friday of term and Sylvia Townsend, our new counsellor, will be available for students each Tuesday of term. If students are under 14 years of age, parental consent will be required for students to access the counselling service. 

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. 

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.

OPENING COLLEGE MASS TOMORROW

Fr Alex will celebrate our Opening College Mass tomorrow in the Great Hall. Thank you in advance to Fr Alex for celebrating opening College Mass. Parents and friends are warmly invited to attend the Mass via ZOOM commencing at 9.30am.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL WELCOME TO NEW FAMILIES BBQ

All new families are invited to a Welcome BBQ this evening commencing at 5.30pm on the school grounds near the Canteen.  We look forward to welcoming our new families to the Trinity Community.  Your company would be much appreciated and enjoyed.  

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 principal.tccg@cg.catholic.edu.au . I look forward to the joys and challenges of 2021 with great care, joy and enthusiasm.

Yours in faith, strength and unity

Gaye McManus

Principal

Name (or preferred name): Ally Dunwoodie 

Teaching Area: English 

Teaching Experience, qualifications, professional development achievements: I have been an English teacher for 15 years, and taught Piano from when I was 16 years old until I moved to Goulburn in 2009. I received a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English with minors in Music and Education, and a Diploma of Education with a double major in English from UNSW. I have trained in the Phoenix Cups Framework, Visible Thinking from Harvard University and have completed PD with Phil Beadle. I also received a Professional Certificate in Leadership and Management of Education from the University of Newcastle in 2020 after 12 months of further study.  

Tell us about your approach to teaching and learning: I am a passionate believer in fostering student's confidence in their own ability. I also think the best way to learn is to take risks and make mistakes - they are all learning opportunities. 

What is the best part of being a teacher? Seeing the lightbulb moments when students understand a concept, and being blown away by the creativity of the students with who I am lucky enough to spend my working day. I also quite like when students tell me they can't read a book/watch a movie without deconstructing the techniques and analysing their impact on the overall text.  

Why are you passionate about it? The most beautiful thing is to see students actively engaging in their learning and being aware of the world around them. Everything is produced for a reason, and when you know what to look for, you can become active and critical members of the society that we live in, rather than a passive absorber of information.  

Provide an example of how passionate teachers at Trinity go ‘above and beyond’ in educating students in their care: Every day I am amazed by the effort that the staff at Trinity apply to their classrooms and students. Whether they are embracing new technologies to encourage student involvement, or creating assessment tasks so all students can show what they have learned, often in creative ways, we are definitely blessed as a school to have the staff we have.  

Why did you become a teacher? Honestly, I wanted to become a teacher because I had a Music teacher in High School who I struggled to learn from, and was inspired to "Be the person you needed when you were younger."  

Tell us about yourself, your passions, your journey to this point, goals, etc: I have always wanted to be a teacher, and originally I started training to be a Music teacher! Then, when I was in my second semester at UNSW, I had to take elective subjects, one of which was English, and I fell in love with the course and changed majors. I was offered a job while on my final practicum placement at Elderslie High School, and then moved to Goulburn in 2009, teaching casually at Goulburn and Crookwell High Schools before being offered a position at MET Goulburn (now OneSchool Goulburn) as an English and Music teacher. Here I also established and led the school choir to some successes in the Goulburn Eisteddfod. I was promoted to Campus Coordinator in 2014. I became the English Coordinator here at Trinity toward the end of 2016. Now I am the Year 7 Coordinator and Rice House Leader, and I am so thankful for this opportunity to pursue my passion to help and guide students.  

What are your interests outside of school life? I love trivia and play in a local trivia competition once per week. I also like aerial yoga, and going for walks. I still play piano and sing (usually too loud while I'm driving). I also have three small children (8, 6 and 3) so I don't have a lot of time to pursue many of my interests right now! I love animals - we have a chocolate labrador called Isobel, and two cats: Gilbert and Needle. I'm looking forward to travelling some more in the future - I would love to go to Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Japan and Scotland. 

The College Swimming Carnival will be held at the Goulburn Aquatic Centre tomorrow!

A letter with further details was emailed to parents yesterday, and provided to students in homeroom this morning.

Please note, due to the Aquatic Centre undergoing refurbishments and current COVID restrictions, parents are not able to attend this year's Swimming Carnival.

We look forward to a sunny fun-filled day!

As we are handing out textbooks, there seems to be a number of texts which have not been returned, particularly in Mathematics.

It would be appreciated, if you could rummage around your child’s bedroom or study area, to ensure all textbooks have been returned.

Thanks so much for your attention to this matter.

Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also offers exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Unfortunately for many Grade 6 students, 2020 was marred with school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic and the overall impact of this is still unknown.

For many students regular orientation activities at the end of 2020 were less than ideal. Therefore, many students may be feeling a little bit more anxious than usual about their expectations of starting Year 7. Grasping new skills and establishing new study practices can quickly become daunting and overwhelming.

During this time of transition, parents and carers need to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. This is an important milestone in your child’s life. There will be feelings of exhilaration, but also the fear of the unknown. Therefore it will be important for parents and carers to be vigilant in monitoring their child’s mood and mental health during this time. They could easily become overly anxious or even depressed.

In this Special Report, there are a number of strategies offered that can make this transition period smoother and start things off on the right foot! We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report https://trinitycollege.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-starting-year-7

Please find below the link to the February edition of the Australian Parents Council Newsletter.

https://austparents.schoolzineplus.com/news?nid=15 

Qkr! is a handy app that allows you order and pay for uniforms, canteen orders and some excursions. A guide on how to install the app is below. You will need your family code to set your profile up. Please contact the office if you require any assistance.

Maths Help Sessions will run on the following days at the listed times from the Library:

Wednesday Morning 8am-8.55am (for Year 11 and 12 students only)

Wednesday Recess 11.10am - 11.40am

Thursday Recess 11.10am - 11.40am

Friday Morning 8.00am - 8.55am

If students are displaying flu-like symptoms at school, parents will be required to collect their child from school and have a COVID test. If students are unwell, they must remain at home. Please continue to inform the school via phone if your child tests positive for COVID.

When your child needs to leave School early, please make sure they complete the following steps:

1. A written note signed from their parent/carer. This note can be made in the Student diary on the day of the planned absence, or on a separate piece of paper.

2. The student then takes the note to Homeroom and asks their Homeroom teachers to sign it.

3. The note must also be signed by a House Coordinator. 

4. The student comes to the front office with their signed note.

5. Front office staff assist student to sign out.

6. Students wait for parent/carer to collect them.

Please note, parent or carer MUST present to the Office to collect student.

The College should be notified of any foreseen student leave. An Application for Exemption Form is available from the College Office and is required to be completed by parents/carers and returned to the College at least 10 school days prior to any leave. Leave or travel over 10 days requires a different form; please contact Reception. If, during the period of leave, your child has assessments due they should also complete the Notification of Planned Absence form which is in the appendix of their student assessment handbook.

We love to hear about our students' achievements, so please feel free to send through any information about your child's achievements to info.tccg@cg.catholic.edu.au by Tuesday of each week. We look forward to hearing from you! Also, be sure to visit our facebook site!

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTrinityCatholicCollege