Dear Parents,

Last Friday our staff participated in a professional learning day with a focus on Catholic Social Teaching (CST). The day was facilitated by Sister Rita Malavisi from the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre. It was a great opportunity to explore the principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) in our everyday lives and our teaching profession.

Throughout the day we explored the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching;

Human Dignity: Every person is created in the image and likeness of God and thus possesses inherent dignity and worth. This principle underlies all other aspects of CST.

Common Good: The common good refers to the social conditions that allow all people to reach their full potential and flourish. It emphasises that individual rights and well-being are connected to the well-being of the broader community.

Solidarity: This principle highlights the importance of unity and mutual support among people. It calls for recognising others as our brothers and sisters and working together for justice and peace.

Subsidiarity: The principle of subsidiarity emphasises that matters should be handled at the most local level possible. Higher levels of authority should only intervene when necessary, supporting rather than overriding local initiatives.

Preferential Option for the Poor: This principle asserts that the needs of the poor and vulnerable should be prioritised. It involves making choices that benefit those who are most disadvantaged in society.

Rights and Responsibilities: Every person has fundamental rights (such as the right to life, food, shelter, and education) and responsibilities to respect the rights of others and contribute to the common good.

Care for Creation: This principle involves stewardship of the environment and recognizing the interdependence of humanity and nature. It calls for sustainable living and respect for the natural world.

The offsite learning day allowed the staff to reflect on the principles of CST both on a personal and professional level. It was an opportunity for personal faith formation as well as an exploration of how these important foundations can become more evident within our own school and parish community. Sr. Rita shared her own family experience of being an immigrant and how the foundations of CST aligns with the life of Jesus, His actions, teaching and message. We also had the opportunity to share our own story and experiences.

This Thursday 8th August our staff and students will attend Mass at St Jude’s Church to celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. As our very own Australian Saint, Mary MacKillop is our greatest example of the principales of SCT in action. All welcome to attend Mass at 10am.

National Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)

Last Friday 2nd August was Census Day. There are two Census days on the school calendar, with the first Census Day taking place in late February. These census days determine our staffing and enrolment numbers and subsequently determine our level of government funding, both state and federal.

The August Census also includes The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD is a collection that counts:

the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability, both diagnosed and imputed
the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability. This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Schools provide this information to education authorities.

WHY IS THIS DATA BEING COLLECTED?

All schools in Australia must collect information about students with disabilities, both diagnosed and imputed. The NCCD:

ensures that the information collected is transparent, consistent and reliable
provides better information that improves understanding of students with disability
allows parents, guardians, carers, teachers, principals, education authorities and government to better support students with disability

Classroom teachers and support staff gather evidence on a regular basis to support students with additional needs. This support can at times include a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) and engagement with parents through regular Program Support Group (PSG) meetings.

School Traffic

We are aware of the traffic congestion at the end of the school day as parents arrive to pick up their child/ren. As a school we do our best to ensure that all students leave school safely and enter their cars promptly. With the school bell sounding at 3.30pm, all students are collected by approx 3.42pm on a daily basis.

While we are not authorised to manage or control traffic, we do continue to remind all parents to adhere to parking and traffic rules for the safety of all motorists and pedestrians. Could I remind parents of the importance of the need to `keep clear’ of the supervised school crossing at all times. Motorists also need to `keep clear’ of residential driveways and entry to footpaths. A local resident called the School Office last week to report that some drivers are regularly blocking the entrance to his driveway.

The traffic is regularly monitored by the local council and fines can apply.

Prep 100 days of school celebration

Can you believe that last Wednesday marked `100 days of school’ for our Prep 2024 students? It is amazing how much they have grown and how much they have learnt! This event is a highlight on the Prep calendar and a significant milestone in their journey of learning. Little do they know that they have approx 1300 days to go until they graduate from primary school - that’s a lot of packed lunches!

Sacrament of Confirmation - congratulations!

I would like to congratulate our Year 6 students who were fully initiated into the Catholic Church through the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation last Thursday evening. Bishop Les Tomlinson confirmed these students and encouraged them to use their gifts to make a difference in our world. The candidates were encouraged to spread the Good News through the gifts of the Spirit as God’s presence in our world.

We would like to once again thank their Parents, Godparents and Sponsors for their ongoing support in their journey of faith. Our hope is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit inspire them to be spirit filled people who can make a difference in our world.

Italian Day Celebrations - Friday 16th August

On Friday 16th August we will celebrate all things Italian! The students will come to school dressed in either the Italian colours, an Italian character/person or anything with an Italian flare! The Italian colours are green, white and red.

We will be having a parade at 9.10am on the basketball court followed by an Italian dance showcase where each level will be presenting an Italian dance. Parents are warmly welcome to come along and watch the parade and the dancing.

The students will participate in some fun activities in their classrooms and will also be watching a bilingual show called “L’ingrediente segreto - the secret ingredient.

We are looking forward to having a fabulous day!

Dad’s Afternoon - Thursday 29th August

We are inviting Dads / father figures to join their children for an afternoon of fun and activities from 2.30pm - 3.30pm. The school gates will open at 2.15pm and we ask `Dads’ to go directly to the classroom of your youngest child. Looking forward to an opportunity for Dads to interact with their children for an afternoon of fun!

The Great Book Swap

Holy Trinity is participating in the 2024 Great Book Swap, a fundraising activity that supports the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and their works with remote Communities across Australia. Please see further on in the Newsletter for more information about this great initiative.

School Fee Statements

We wish to advise that statements dated 19/7/2024 were issued on Monday 22 July 2024 to all families via email. A reminder fees for 2024 are due in full on 20 September 2024, end of Term 3. If you have a direct debit please disregard the due date. Should you have any queries in reference to fees please do not hesitate to contact Lorelle Clark in the office.

School Blog - check it out!

I would like to continue to encourage parents to access our school blog to see what’s happening around our school, particularly specialist classes and extracurricular activities. Our students contribute to the posts on a regular basis - I strongly encourage you to `like’ a post of leave a comment. The students get a real buzz to know that parents are appreciating their posts!

http://blog.htws.catholic.edu.au/

Warm Regards.

Adrian Scutt

Principal

Time to eXcel

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