Principal's Update

Dear families, 

As we near the end of the term, the focus around the school has been on assessment and reporting. This week we have Year 10 and Year 11 examinations taking place as well as the General Achievement Test (GAT), and our Semester One reports are being for release on the final day of term next week. It has been pleasing to see how our students have applied themselves to these assessments. For some students, we know assessment times can be quite stressful and they can become overwhelmed. If this is the case for your child, please reach out to the school so we can provide the support needed. 

Thursday’s Staff Professional Learning Day is purposely timed to coincide with the GAT to provide our students the best learning environment to complete this assessment which now consists of two tests, each two hours long.  Keeping the remainder of the students off the premises is required so that students are not disrupted. All students completing a VCE Unit 3/4 subject are required to complete the GAT along with our Year 12 Vocational Major students. As GAT times do not coincide with our bell times it is impossible to maintain a noise level conducive to an assessment such as this if all other students are on the campus. While the students are sitting the GAT, the staff will be working on our strategic planning document that sets out our goals and plans for the next four years. 

There are a few staff changes taking place next term that I would like to inform you all about. For the first six weeks of Term Three I will be taking Enrichment Leave. Enrichment Leave is designed to provide principals with the opportunity for renewal. Principals are encouraged to take this leave in the first three years of a school appointment, to allow them to return to school energised and with learnings and experiences that will improve their performance. During the six weeks I will be undertaking some volunteer teaching in an impoverished area of Thailand as well as visiting St Francis Xavier Catholic School in Daly River in the Northern Territory. I will also be visiting additional schools in Darwin and shadowing another principal for some time. Finally, I will be heading to Penola in South Australia for a Mary MacKillop tour to enhance my knowledge of her life and works. Considering MacKillop is our most recent House name and Mary MacKillop its icon, this trip will be very worthwhile. 

While I am away Rachel McGennisken will be Acting Principal, Natalie Holt will be Acting Deputy Principal and Caide Robertson will be Acting Director of Students. We will also be appointing an Acting Year 9 Coordinator before the end of the term and will communicate this appointment with you at a later date. Jennie Darcy who is our current Literacy Leader and has been an outstanding English and Literature teacher at Trinity College since 2005, is currently completing her PHD and lecturing at Deakin University so has decided to resign her position at Trinity. We also farewell Tess Stinchcombe. Tess has been a loyal employee initially on Front Reception and more recently assisting in the compliance area. We wish both Jennie and Tess the best of luck with the next stage of their professional journeys.

Our Year 10 students undertake work experience next week and I would like to wish them luck and thank their parents and carers for helping with the difficult task of ensuring all students are safely placed for the week. I hope the students enjoy their experience and that it helps with decisions they are making about their future pathway directions.  

As this is the final newsletter for the term, I wish all students and their families a safe and enjoyable holiday and look forward to seeing everyone back when I return in the second half of Term Three. 

Paul Clohesy