Principal's Update

This week we keep the people of Afghanistan in our thoughts and prayers as their immediate future remains uncertain.

We also pray for the Afghani community here in Colac who will be worried about family and friends and hope they find comfort during this difficult time for them.

Mental health concerns among children and adolescents has been given widespread exposure in the media of late with statistics revealing significant increases in young people requiring support.

The staff here at Trinity are doing all they can to engage students in remote learning and continually check on their wellbeing. The importance of maintaining a routine during remote learning cannot be understated.

We are asking that teachers begin each class as well as homeroom with a video call where we want students to have their cameras on. This gives our staff the opportunity to see each student and also encourages students to be up and ready for school each morning.

Please don’t hesitate to contact individual teachers, wellbeing staff or myself if you have concerns about your child.

As you are aware, the College made a significant appointment at the beginning of last week. Rachel McGennisken was appointed as our new Deputy Principal.

Rachel will begin her role at Trinity College at the beginning of the 2022 school year.

Rachel said to pass on to you all that she was looking forward to:

• meeting and getting to know the students, staff and families of Trinity College.
• working together to build Trinity's fantastic learning programs, and continuing to explore new opportunities for learning for the future.
• coming to such a beautiful school and community. She loves local sport, hiking, yoga and live music.
• spending more time with family who live in the Colac area and attend local schools.

We have had two other staff indicate that they will not be returning to Trinity College in 2022.

Mrs Cate McCullough has tended her resignation after gaining a teaching position at Thomas Carr’s Good Samaritan campus in Coragulac. Cate has made an enormous contribution to Trinity College throughout her time here and will be missed.

I also received news from Ben Hester to indicate he won’t be returning to Trinity College in 2022. Ben is currently on leave and living and teaching in Germany and has decided to stay there for at least the next 12 months.

Like Cate, Ben has had a long association with Trinity College attending the school as a student before returning as a music tutor then teacher. We wish both Cate and Ben every success in the future.

With the struggles of homeschooling, lockdowns and the associated isolation which occurs, it is important to remember to check in on family and friends. R U OK? Day is next Thursday and is the perfect reminder to not just assume family and friends are coping, but to make the effort to ask them if they are.

All too often the Australian phrase ‘How’re you going mate?’ is asked in a flippant way that doesn’t even expect an answer. It is important always, and never more so than during our current situation, to ask the question in a genuine way and wait for a genuine response.