Principal's News

Dear Families,

It seems that each time I listen to the news at the moment, whether it is the crisis in the Ukraine or the terrible storms affecting our Queensland and NSW neighbours I am reminded how important it is to be thankful that, at present, we are far more fortunate than so many others. It is therefore very important that we remain aware of the difficulties people around the world are facing at the moment as we go about our daily lives. No doubt many of our own school community may have family or friends in places facing some of these great challenges and our thoughts and prayers are with them all. 

Monday Morning Gatherings

Thank you to the many parents who are beginning to join us each Monday morning for our weekly gathering as this is a great opportunity to set the scene for the week, listen to what's on and join together in sharing our National Anthem and Acknowledgement of Country.  

Friday Assembly

We will for this week at least continue our Friday assembly online, however, we will hopefully be able to hold our first Friday assembly in the MPR on Friday 18th March next week and have parents attend. For those of you who are able to join us online tomorrow from 2:45 here is the  Google MEET link 

https://meet.google.com/gjw-uctg-cry  

Prayer

A Prayer for World Peace

Lord Jesus, You came that the world might know the peace that You have experienced with the Father eternally. Yet, You taught us that in this life there will be wars and threats of wars. Nations will rise against nations as violence works itself out in the world. However, through You, the world may be saved. O Lord, send Your spirit into the hearts of all people, that the world might know true peace through Your abundant mercy. Amen.

THE SEASON OF LENT 

PRAYER, FASTING, & ALMSGIVING

Lent is the Church's primary penitential season in the liturgical year.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.  The season has six Sundays: the final one, known as Passion (or Palm) Sunday, begins Holy Week. The origin of Lenten observances dates back to the fourth century or earlier.  The length of the season reflects the forty days Christ spent praying and fasting in the desert (see Matthew 4: 1-11) and is a time of preparation for the great feast of Easter.

Lunch Time Clubs - Feature

Coding Club - Ms Foley

Thank you Ms Foley for running our Senior Coding Club. Ms Foley has recently purchased the CoSpaces Edu app to enable our Coding Club students to explore and experiment with coding ideas to build their own Virtual Environments.

CoSpaces Edu is a creation app widely used in schools around the world and letting kids easily create their own virtual content. CoSpaces Edu enables students to build, code and explore their own creations in VR or AR, while demonstrating their learnings and developing essential digital skills.

I will keep you posted as these very clever students begin developing their projects.

Multicultural Family Night

Finally, the night I have heard such great things about can go ahead. After having to cancel this special occasion last year we are all set to go to celebrate as one on Thursday 31st March.

School Improvement - Parent Feedback

Home work (Home Learning) has always been a topic of great conversation for schools, with many parents wanting more, others wanting less and of course those who are undecided. It is a great challenge then for schools to cater to all. Ultimately, however, we must make decisions for what is best for our children's learning and wellbeing. There is considerable research on this topic and I am sure the debate will continue for many years to come. I have included this extract from the Good School's Guide which outlines very briefly some of the Pros and Cons of homework. Of course for those of you who wish there is much research available so that you are able to make your own informed decisions about this topic. 

Pros

1. Develops important study skills

From time management and organisation to self-motivation and independent learning, homework teaches students a range of positive skills that they will carry with them throughout their academic and working lives. Home learning motivates students to take responsibility for their workload. 

2. Opportunity to consolidate classroom learning

Homework is at its most effective when it allows students to revise what they’ve learnt in class. Assigned tasks that revisit what’s been taught during the day reinforces learnt knowledge and increases the likelihood of students remembering key information. 

Cons

1.Causes unnecessary stress

Simply uttering the word ‘homework’ can instil a sense of dread in students. When the workload is too large and tasks become increasingly difficult, homework causes students to feel anxious, stressed and unmotivated. This can lead to sleep deprivation and behavioural changes, while also ingraining homework as a negative aspect of schooling life.

2.Takes away from leisure time

Free time allows children to not only relax, but also discover the world on their own terms – learning how to ride a bike, reading books or interacting with friends and family teaches students useful skills that can’t be learnt by sitting at a desk. Healthy levels of physical activity, which can help to boost cognitive function, can also be impeded by sedentary time spent completing homework.

3.Not always effective

Plenty of studies have sought to analyse the value of homework and how it benefits academic performance. Research by John Hattie, Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne, has found that homework in primary school can have very little affect, as students are completing separate and unrelated projects rather than reinforcing learnt knowledge. Hattie’s work has suggested that homework only becomes effective at the primary and secondary levels when students are assigned learning tasks that ask them to revise taught information. 

Trinity Home Learning Policy

Our school's home learning policy is currently in DRAFT form and is a policy we would like to have your feedback on.  Therefore we will be reviewing and updating this policy with the help of our School Advisory Board and other interested parents in the future.  

Parent (and one little sister) Helper

Workshops

Thank you to all those parents who were able to attend one of Ms Marinelli's very informative Parent Helper Workshops this week. It was great that she was able to offer the session both here at school on Tuesday morning as well as on Monday evening online. This certainly helped those parents who are not able to attend these meetings during the day. This sort of thing really does strengthen the partnership between home and school. 

Community News 

Before or After School Soccer Coaching

Richmond Jnr Footy - Boys and Girls Teams

(See Local Community Page)

Also advertising 

• Lennox Market
• Karate Lessons
• Fitzroy City Soccer Club
• Dance Lessons
• Music Lesson

Kind Regards

Mr Nigel Rodrigues 

Principal