Dear Parents,

I would like to begin by expressing my thanks and gratitude for your support last Wednesday during our power and communications outage. I appreciate the efforts of families in arranging supervision of their child(ren) with no notice. I am aware that many families were impacted by the storm and were without power for a number of days. I trust that all is well now. Thank you again!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks since our last newsletter, with lots happening across the school. Our Friday swimming lessons are going `swimmingly well’, our Year 6 students have stepped up into their leadership roles and our Meet & Greets were a success despite the first session taking place without power!

Today our Year 3-6 students participated in our annual HT Athletics Carnival. It was a great opportunity for our students to compete on an official athletics track and to learn new track and field events. A special thanks to Liz Humphris for coordinating the event, her first time as our newly appointed Phys Ed teacher. Thanks also to the parents who volunteered to assist. Without your support we could not host this event - thank you!!!

This week our students in Years 1-6 are participating in some online CyberSafety sessions conducted by a company called `Inform & Empower - Digital Safety & Wellbeing’, a government accredited eSafety provider. I would strongly encourage you to have a conversation with your child in regards to what they are learning. As a school we rely heavily on the support of parents in assisting their child to navigate the digital world in a safe and appropriate manner. The online issues that come to our attention usually involve inappropriate use of social media platforms, the majority of which are recommended for children 13 years or older. If you are choosing to allow your child to access these platforms it is extremely important that you, as the parent, monitor your child's use and educate them on the potential risks.

This evening our Prep families have been invited to school from 6pm for a Prep family and information session. We will begin with a sausage sizzle followed by a brief information session for parents. Our Prep Team and Specialist Teachers will be in attendance. It will be another opportunity for families to engage with one another and for our new families to be welcomed to our school community.

Knox Council School Awards

I would like to once again congratulate both Charlize (Year 6) and Hamish (Year 5) on receiving the Knox Council School Award at our last assembly. The award is in recognition of their civic leadership, involvement and achievement within our school community. Both students are great role models within our school and should be extremely proud of being recognised for this prestigious award. Congratulations Charlize and Hamish!

Parents’ Association (PA) - Thursday 22nd February at 6.30pm

All parents are encouraged to consider joining our Parents’ Association. The PA meet approximately twice per term for about an hour and a half in the school staffroom. The aim of the PA is to raise funds to directly benefit our students and organise events to build community. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and contribute to the life of the community. A special welcome to our new families. Your contribution to the PA can be large or small, so please be assured that your attendance at the meeting is not a huge commitment. I encourage you to come along and see for yourself!

Upgrade to Sandpit play space

The sandpit is the most sought after play space in the school. Over the school holiday break, some of the funds raised by the PA were used to upgrade the sandpit, including some artificial grass adjacent to the sandpit. The project is almost complete!

We also purchased new pads for the basketball goal posts and the adventure playground - they look great!

First Reconciliation Family Night - Thursday 29th February at 6pm

Students in Year 3 (who have been Baptised) and their parents are invited to attend the Family Night in preparation for the reception of the Sacrament. Details will be sent via SIMON / PAM.

Knox Festival - Saturday 2nd March

Our Parents’ Association have successfully secured a `dunking machine’ stall at this annual event held at Wally Tew Reserve, Brenock Park Drive Ferntree Gully. We are looking for volunteers to assist on the day, including spending some time in the dunking machine. Please see flyer and volunteer details in the allocated section of the newsletter.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!!

Congratulations!

We are excited to congratulate three of our former Holy Trinty Students (Class of 2017) who recently received a High Achievers Award at Emmaus College last week.

Hannah Woodland, Natalie Apostolopoulos, and Geneva Modica all ranked over 90 + Atars and are going on to further study at University. We wish them success and happiness for the future.

Student Absence - SIMON / PAM

The majority of our student absences are being updated via the SIMON Everywhere App as requested - thank you! This includes early arrival and dismissal. If you are planning an extended absence, please also email the classroom teacher or school office.

If you need to update your personal information at any time (e.g. residential address, mobile number) please complete the Google form located under `parent links’ within the App.

School Closure Dates - Term 1

Our school is participating in a school review and improvement process as part of a 4 year

cycle of review. This process involves both our governing body (MACS) and compliance with state government processes. As such, we will have two school closure dates this term, as advertised in 2023. The dates are as follows:

Friday 8th March (Literacy focus - Staff Professional Learning Day

Tuesday 12th March (Preparation for School Review)

These two school closure dates bookend the Labour Day long weekend so students will have a 5 day break.

School Closure Dates - Term 2

We can now confirm the following dates will be school closure days in Term 2:

Thursday 25th April (ANZAC Day)

Friday 26th April (time in lieu day for staff - EBA)

Monday 6th May (Assessment & Reporting Staff Professional Learning Day)

Monday 10th June (King's Birthday Holiday)

Warm Regards,

Adrian Scutt

Principal

Time to eXcel

Parents' Association