Principal's News

Welcome Back to all our Parents and Friends,

We did receive some great news over the holidays and are very excited to welcome everyone back on Monday. All grades will commence Monday 12th October  at 8:45am. 

We are very aware that there will be a large mix of emotion associated with this return. Class teachers have been involved in lots of discussion around the transition back to school. Some  will experience anxiety after being away for so long, others will be very excited, most will probably have a mix of all emotions. Please rest assurred that by 8:50am on Monday morning the children will be settled happily into their class bursting with news and excitement and delighted to reconnect with friends and their teachers. Like last time, the children settled very quickly and were eager to get back into a predictable school routine and learning. Having said that, I'm sure many of the children will miss the constant flow of food and drinks that parents have supplied during learning time, whilst others will find getting out of bed and putting their uniform on a challenge. I'm sure all will find full days of school very tiring. 

Find below some Transition Strategies  which you may find helpful with preparing your child/children for school.

7 tips for parents/carers to help children cope (Primary)

also

SchoolTV’s Special Report: Coronavirus - The Transition Back with advice from Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

We have put many Covid Safe measures in place at school. Attached is a letter outlining these. 

Similar to last time, adults will not be permitted to enter the school grounds in the morning. We ask that you continue with "kiss and go" in the morning. It is very important that adults don't linger around the gates in the morning so the children can move quickly and safely into the grounds. The children will be fine once you leave and they reconnect with their teachers and friends. All class teachers will greet the children at the gate on Monday morning.

In the afternoons only 1 adult per family will be required into the grounds for pick up. At all times masks need to wore and 1.5 metre distancing observed.

See you all on Monday,

Lindy

Literacy and Numeracy Term 4

As you can imagine we are all very excited about the news to have all classes back at school from Monday 12th October. We are looking forward to having all of the children onsite, where we will be able to continue with face to face learning for Term 4. As per the Vic Gov Dept of Education and Catholic Education guidelines, Wellbeing will continue to be our primary concern and Literacy and Numeracy will be the main priority for learning this term. 

The transition back to school will start by focusing on students feeling comfortable, confident and happy at school. Teachers know that some students will need extra help to settle back into school routines. Teachers also know that they will need to carefully monitor student progress and provide additional targeted support to some students for the upcoming return to onsite learning in Term 4, 2020.

Over the next few weeks your child will be involved in different assessments so that we can plan for their individual learning needs for the rest of this year. Teachers will spend time assessing students, analysing data and planning for learning needs, with literacy and numeracy being the highest priorities. For some students learning remotely has been a blessing and some children have thrived. Others have found this more challenging for many different reasons. Students who need targeted support will be identified within the first few weeks and we will put strategies in place to meet their needs. Even though our teachers and students have done a remarkable job throughout remote learning, there is nothing quite like being back in the classroom where we will be able to focus on doing everything we can this term to ensure that all students have the best opportunities to progress their learning before the end of the year. It is our priority to ensure this happens. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s learning, please do not hesitate to contact me on the email below, or your child’s class teacher.

Annabelle Marinelli, 

Literacy & Numeracy Leader | Acting Deputy Principal

amarinelli@tcs.catholic.edu.au

Repeating

Our focus for Term 4 is for each of our students to finish the year in a strong manner and with the confidence to progress to the next year level in 2021.  

We will respond to the unique and individual learning and wellbeing needs of each student, prepare them for transitions, and continue to build their knowledge, skills and resilience.  

Some parents or carers may be worried about their child’s progress during the period of remote learning. A few have asked questions about whether their child would benefit from repeating a year of school in 2021.  

While parents or carers might think that another 12 months at the same year level will give their child an opportunity to catch up or mature, research indicates that this is not usually the case. Very few studies of students repeating for an additional year have shown it to be effective and students do not ‘catch up’. A researcher named John Hattie found that ‘overall, there are negative effects for students who are retained, and there are more positive effects in the long term for promoted students than for retained students – even when matched for achievement at the time of decision to retain or promote’ (2009, p. 97). Research found that students who repeated a year made an average of four months less progress academically and fell even further behind compared to their peers who did not repeat. Studies have shown that repeating a year can have negative impacts on student learning, wellbeing, engagement and school completion.  

We have support available to help identify and meet the individual learning needs of each student. Our school will use teaching strategies that draw on the best evidence available to help students close any learning gaps and meet their learning needs.  

If you have concerns about your child’s progress, please contact your child's teacher  so that we can arrange a meeting.

School Devices

If you borrowed a Chromebook or Ipad from Trinity can it please be returned to the front office first thing on Monday morning.

After School Care

After school will begin again on Monday. Please contact Extend if you need to book your child in.

School Photos

At this stage school photos are not permitted. We have again rescheduled for mid November in hope that restrictions are lifted. 

Trinity Times

Thanks Finn who has shown dedication in making the deadline each week. Enjoy the Trinity Times