SECONDARY NEWS 

From the Assistant Principal 

Year 10 Activities

Year 10 will be involved in numerous activities over the next two weeks. Instead of sending home multiple notes, we have listed these events on one note and have sent this home with students. Please ensure the note is returned to Miss Bailey as soon as possible.  

Week 8 Activities 

Wednesday 24 November (10.00 am – 2.00 pm)

Weather permitting, the students, accompanied by Miss Bailey, Mr Lewis and Mr Koch will be going to Copeton Northern Foreshores where they will be able to swim in the Dam and use the water park facilities. 

They will need to bring their own morning tea and a BBQ lunch will be provided. The students will return to school and watch a movie in the afternoon. Students will catch a bus to and from the Dam during school hours.

Students can wear plain clothes and must remember to bring a hat, water, towel and sunscreen. If they will be swimming a change of clothes is recommended.

Thursday 25 November (6.30 pm – 8.30 pm)

The Secondary staff will be hosting a twilight event for Year 10 in the top quadrangle area. Pizza will be provided for dinner. Students will need to be dropped off and picked up in the car park near the Science Labs.

Week 9 Activities

Monday 29 November – Year 10 Christian Living Day (9.15 am – 5.45 pm)

The aims of the day:

• to give Year 10 students an opportunity to reflect on their education at Holy Trinity.
• to give Year 10 students time to celebrate a reconciliation ceremony together for the last time.
• to relax together and enjoy each other’s company.

Students will be able to swim in the Dam anduse the water park facilities. They can wear plain clothes and must remember to bring a hat, water, towel and sunscreen. If they will be swimming a change clothes is recommended.

They have chosen groups and will bring some food to contribute to a shared morning tea. Lunch and afternoon tea will be provided.

Students will come to school as normal and catch a bus to the Dam at 9.15 am. The bus will return the students to school at approximately 5.45 pm.

Thursday 2 December – Graduation Mass Rehearsal (9.30 am – approx. 11.00 am)

Students are to arrive at Sacred Heart Church at 9.20 am. They may leave from the church after the rehearsal. 

Reminders

Graduation Dinner RSVP & Payment

• Numbers are required by Wednesday 24 November.
• Money can be paid to the Front Office by Wednesday 1 December. 

Please contact the school if you have any queries regarding any of the above activities.

Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Vinnie’s Lap-a-thon

In Week 9 on Tuesday 30 November the Secondary department will take part in our annual Vinnies Fancy Dress Lap-a-thon. 

Sponsorship forms for the lap-a-thon were sent home with students last week.  Participants will be asked to collect sponsorship money and make a donation to this cause. All funds raised will be donated to our local chapter of St Vincent de Paul for their busy Christmas period. There will be prizes for the best outfits presented for judging.

Food Hampers

Students are being encouraged to bring in 'Festive Food' items for their class hampers. All hampers will be donated to St Vincent de Paul for distribution to those in need in our local community. Hampers will be collected and taken to the Hall as part of our Thanksgiving Prayer celebrations at the end of the term.

Coin Drop

On Wednesday 8 December we will be having a Coin Drop in the K - 2 Quadrangle. Students are encouraged to bring in some loose coins to contribute.

We thank you in advance for your generosity and support of these important traditions - it does make a difference to many people in our community.

Secondary Requirements for 2022

Years 7 & 8

Students in Years 7 and 8 are able to purchase bookpacks from the canteen. These can also be purchased using Flexischools.

Years 9 & 10

There are no bookpacks for the students in Years 9 & 10.

• All students will need books for each subject, they will need to be covered and clearly labelled with the student’s name.
• At times students may require lined paper.
• Students are encouraged to have headphones and a USB storage device for use with laptops/computers. Students in Year 9 & 10 will have their iPads.
• Mathematics: students will need a scientific calculator and geometrical instruments.
• Specific Elective requirements:

Learning in the Secondary

Classes in the Secondary for Years 7 – 9 are back to normal with the completion of semester exams over the last few days. The exams are only part of each student’s assessment profile and when receiving feedback from their teachers all students are encouraged to reflect on their efforts this year, and how they may improve in the future. 

A great approach for students is to undertake a simple SWOT analysis:

Strengths:

• What are your strengths as a student?
• What achievements from this year can you celebrate?
• What do you do really well at school?
• What skills have you developed?
• What learning have you really enjoyed? 

Weaknesses:

• What are your weaknesses as a student?
• What areas could you improve in?
• What skills need more work?

Opportunities:

• What opportunities exist for you to improve your approach to school?
• What could you do differently next year?
• What could you do to have better quality learning experiences next year? 

Threats: 

• What is standing in the way of you achieving your personal best?
• What obstacles do you need to overcome?
• What actions could you take to deal with any threats to achieving your personal best?

Staff are currently finalising the assessment process for their classes and they are preparing reports, which will be distributed at the end of the term.

All classes will be operating as normal for the remainder of the term as there is still coursework to be completed across all KLAs.

How To Stay Positive About Your Schoolwork

It can be difficult to stay positive at all times about your schoolwork, particularly if you have challenges whether they be personal or whether you are grappling with something like online learning. When we allow pressure and stress to build we can get into bad habits and let go of good habits. As a result students can feel even more drained and exhausted.

 The key to being positive and managing negative emotions such as anxiety and feeling down and depressed in any pressure situation including schoolwork and exams is to “fuel up”. “Fuelling Up” is about boosting wellbeing factors in your life. You need to boost the wellbeing factors in your BODY, MIND and EMOTIONS.

 BODY: Here are some things you can do to boost the energy in your BODY.

 Get better sleep.

Feeling good all starts with getting the right amount and type of sleep. Start with a good night-time routine. Stop anything that stimulates you such as caffeine or TV or computer, iPad or phone screens etc. Try a warm drink such as chamomile tea and use essential oils such as lavender oil. Having a soothing bath or shower can also help along with gentle stretching of tight or tense muscles. If you still feel you are not getting a “good” sleep be sure to see your doctor.

Eat in Moderation

Never skip a meal, especially breakfast. Breakfast replenishes your body and helps you start your day full of energy. Eat three main meals, and two to three snack meals a day. Eating five to six times in a day keeps your blood sugar levels balanced, giving you an overall sense of well-being needed for focusing on your tasks and responsibilities.

Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise, at least three times per week for a minimum of 30 minute sessions, can virtually “soak up” stress chemicals in your body and help you to relax and even sleep better. Brisk walking, aerobic classes, swimming, bike riding, or jogging are great exercises to release stress buildup and relax your body and mind to either start or end your day right.

MIND: Here are some things you can do to THINK more positive.

Change your thinking and perceptions

Write down your top 5 fears and worries. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Then ask yourself, “IS THAT TRUE”? Usually fears and worries are not based on reality but on imagined scenarios that have little to no evidence. If it’s something that can’t be changed bring acceptance to it. It is what it is for now!

Change your focus

Have you noticed that what we worry about we make bigger and keep closer to us by the way we think and focus. Try this…make your fears and worries SMALL in size (5 cm in height) DARK in brightness and as far away as possible in DISTANCE. When we change the size, brightness and distance of the things that upset us in our minds it reduces the intensity of the emotion.

EMOTIONS: Here are some things you can do to FEEL more positive.

Acts of kindness

Make a list of 5 acts of kindness you can do every day. Make them simple acts of kindness that are easy to do such as saying thank you etc. Do these 5 acts of kindness every day for 6 weeks. The research shows that people that do this and think of 3 good things in their life (as above) have a dramatic positive boost in their mood.

3 good things about exercise

Every day at the start and end of your day think of 3 good things that happened. Write them down. Then think about either WHY those good things happened or how it MADE YOU FEEL when those good things happened.

Start ticking things off your list

Pick something small and achievable to start with that you need to do for school and get it done. You will feel much more positive when you start doing things. Do a few more easy things to get your confidence up then tackle a more challenging task.