Dear Parents,

We’re now into Week 10 of our 11-week term, and the holidays are just around the corner. It’s been a full and energetic term, and it’s been great to see our students continuing to learn, grow and support one another right through to the end.

There’s still plenty happening in these final two weeks—our Year 5s and 6s are off to camp tomorrow, reports are nearly ready to go home, and preparations for the Sacrament of Confirmation are well underway, with the Reflection Day coming up next week. We’ll also wrap up the term with Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences and our TORCH Bearer assembly—always a highlight as we celebrate the efforts and achievements of our students.

Thanks again for your ongoing support—it’s what helps make our school such a strong and connected community.

Australia’s Best Teacher

Congratulations to our very own Mrs Andrea Dowling who has been selected as one of Australia’s Best Teachers! We are so very proud and blessed to have such amazing teachers in our school, and to have one of them recognised in a national campaign is very humbling! Congratulations Andrea!

Staff Professional Learning – A Day of Growth and Collaboration

Yesterday was an incredibly powerful and inspiring day for our staff as we engaged in rich professional learning, expertly facilitated by Andrea Dowling, Anne Cochrane, and Liz Humphris.

The day was centred around three key focus areas from our Annual Action Plan, each chosen to enhance our teaching practice and, ultimately, improve student learning outcomes across the school. These areas included:

Evidence-Based Reading Instruction (Foundation – Year 6): Staff deepened their understanding of current research and effective strategies for teaching reading, with a focus on implementing evidence-based practices across all year levels.
Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) Program: We began our learning journey around the MHiPS initiative, gaining valuable insights into how we can better support the mental health and wellbeing of our students.
Mathematics Fluency: We explored the importance of building fluency in mathematics and how to incorporate it meaningfully into our everyday teaching, ensuring students develop both confidence and competence in numeracy.

Days like these reflect our commitment to continuous professional growth and our shared goal of creating the best possible learning environment for every child at Holy Trinity.

Email of the Week

I don’t tend to share many emails with the school community, but one came in last week that made me really proud of our students here at Holy Trinity.

Hi Steve and your Sports Teachers,

I'm writing to you to express our appreciation not only of your Soccer team but the teachers as well.

On Wednesday, we played your B team and they were kind and thoughtful towards our team, especially the students requiring a little more support.

When one of our students, with needs, went into goalkeeper they gently kicked the ball towards the goals so he could save it easily, and then cheered him on.

It was such a wonderful thing to see and be a part of and I just wanted to take the time to recognise this lovely act by your students.

Generally, I just wanted to thank your school for being a wonderful team to play against. I look forward to competing against you all again.

Semester One Reports & Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

On Tuesday 1st July from 3.40pm to 7pm and Thursday 3rd July from 3.40pm to 6pm our Semester One Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences will take place for all students. Semester One school reports will made available through SIMON/PAM on Monday 30th June. This will hopefully give families time to dissect, interpret and absorb their child’s report, and bring discussion points to the Parent Teacher interview. Interviews are strictly for 10 minutes so please be on time as this will keep things flowing on the evening. If your child is in Year 1/2, 3/4 Green, 3/4 Yellow the meetings will be held in their classrooms. 3/4 Blue and 5/6 Blue will be in the Library, 5/6 Green and 5/6 Yellow will be in the Prep rooms. Parents can enter via the Great Space.

The portal to book your interview is through the SIMON Everywhere app (or at pam.htws.catholic.edu.au).

School Disco

A big thank you to our wonderful Parent Association for their fantastic coordination of the school disco on 13th June! From the DJ to the face painting, every detail was thoughtfully planned and contributed to a fun-filled evening for our students. Events like these help create lasting memories and strengthen the sense of community that makes Holy Trinity such a special place. We’re grateful for the time, energy, and care our PA continues to give in support of our school.

Farewell Mr Woodcock

On Thursday 12th June, we formally farewelled Mr Justin Woodcock from Holy Trinity as he embarks on an exciting new chapter. Justin has travelled to the United Kingdom for 18 months to pursue opportunities in both travel and teaching. We thank him for his contributions to our school community and wish him every success in this next adventure.

We are also delighted to announce that Mrs Louise McEwan will be returning from parental leave at the beginning of next term. Louise will be taking on the 1/2 Blue teaching role, following Justin’s departure. We look forward to welcoming her back to Holy Trinity and know that students and families will benefit from her experience and care.

Interrelate - Human Sexuality sessions for students in Years 3- 6

In partnership with St Jude’s Primary School, we will once again be offering two optional sessions for families to attend on Thursday 14th August, 2025:

Session 1: Where did I come from? (Year 3/4) 6pm

Session 2: Preparing for puberty (Year 5/6) 7.15pm

These sessions will be hosted at Holy Trinity, please add the date and times to your diary, booking details will be in the first newsletter in Term 3.

Chess Club

We are excited to offer CHESS CLUB for any interested students in Year 1-6 beginning in Term 3. All lessons will be taught by a skilled and enthusiastic Chess master, during break times on Wednesdays in the Gathering Space. Mrs Cochrane will be there to supervise and learn alongside the students. Please see further on in the Newsletter for details on how to register and make payment. We look forward to announcing our HT Chess champions at the end of the term.

School Concert Date

The Holy Trinity and St Mary's School Concert will be held on Thursday 11th September, 2025 at the Crossway Centre in Burwood East. Please mark the date on your calendar. An entertaining concert full of fun, magic and excitement awaits us!

Joke of the Week

A man absolutely hated his wife's cat and decided to get rid of him one day by driving him 20 blocks from his home and leaving him at the park.

As he was getting home, the cat was walking up the driveway.

The next day he decided to drive the cat 40 blocks away. He put the beast out and headed home.

Driving back up his driveway, there was the cat!

He kept taking the cat further and further and the cat would always beat him home. At last he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left, past the bridge, then right again and another right until he reached what he thought was a safe distance from his home and left the cat there.

Hours later the man calls home to his wife: "Jen, is the cat there?"

"Yes", the wife answers, "why do you ask?"

Frustrated, the man answered, "Put him on the phone, I'm lost and need directions!"

Final Thoughts ~ Winter Blues

You may have noticed the shorter days lately—and that’s because Saturday 21st June marked our Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. In Melbourne, we had just over 9 and a half hours of daylight—about 9 hours and 32 minutes, to be exact.

The Winter Solstice happens when the South Pole is tilted furthest away from the sun, giving us the least amount of daylight all year. But the good news is that from this point forward, the days slowly begin to stretch out again, heading towards the long, bright days of summer in December.

Interestingly, the Winter Solstice doesn’t just affect the amount of light we see outside—it can also impact our general wellbeing. With less daylight, our brains produce less serotonin, the chemical that helps regulate mood and sleep. That’s why some people can feel a bit flat or tired during this time of year—it’s what’s often called the “Winter Blues.”

So, as we move forward from the shortest day, it’s a good reminder to look after ourselves, make the most of the daylight we do get, and look ahead to the brighter days to come.

HT Facebook Page

Remember to visit the Holy Trinity Facebook page where our students learning and

community announcements are shared. Please make sure you give it a like, follow it or share. Here is the link for the Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/share/15xZtYHPA2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram

You can also follow us on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/holytrinityprimaryschool?igsh=MWlicHAxenYwb3J5dw==

Kind regards,

Steve Evans

Principal