Family/College Partnerships

As the College Principal, I often have the pleasure to speak at a variety of College Events at which our parents are able to attend. This can be at formal Assemblies, Information Evenings, Social events and often at various Sporting fixtures or Arts performances. I am always humbled by the tremendous level of parental support for the College and importantly, the support provided for the boys as they participate in the many opportunities available to them at Trinity College.

On all such occasions, I tend to refer to the importance of the school and the home enjoying a positive and meaningful partnership - a partnership that promotes regular and open communication and one that is firmly centred on the care, interests, welfare and formation of each student. The essence of such an effective Family/College relationship is good and effective communication and I take this occasion to focus on certain aspects of our College communications that seeks to enhance this important relationship. Likewise, I wish to emphasise the importance of timely, considered and respectful communication to the College by highlighting aspects of the Parent Code of Conduct.

SEQTA

While Trinity provides effective telephone and email systems through which Family/College communications can occur, SEQTA is predominantly used as the medium where important information is being distributed. SEQTA also provides parents and students with the ability to access select aspects of the College Learning Management Platform. Essentially, this allows Students and Families to continually refer to current assessment schedules, weekly lesson plans and to track individual student progress in each Subject or Course. Specific notifications are now being sent to both students and families when assessments are marked and finalised. Similarly, pastoral, behavioural and academic notifications are shared in this same manner. All Student Academic Reports will continue to be delivered via this online platform and current performance data within respective subjects will be available. This is an area of communication that is continually expanding. I would strongly encourage all families to familiarise themselves with the various functions available in SEQTA and to regularly access the information provided. Instructions for families accessing SEQTA can be found below.

An effective and positive Family/College Partnership that promotes open communication is vital for the wellbeing and progress of each student. My clear expectation is that all Teaching Staff will keep parents informed of the progress of their son and that any concerns or important information will be communicated to parents in a timely manner. Likewise, I would ask that parents appropriately express their concerns and provide relevant information to College Staff as issues arise.

Parent Information Evenings

It was wonderful to see the large numbers of parents and students attend our recent Year 7, and our Year 12, Parent Information Evenings on 3 February. Such evenings are another means by which this partnership can be strengthened as they always present important information about Course details, career pathways, assessments, study guidelines, student formation programs, and the like. The 2025 Parent Information Carousel scheduled for Monday, 17 February offers parents the opportunity to choose from an array of sessions covering topics such as; Wellbeing programs, Social Media use, the Student Formation Journey, Study Skills, the College APA System, Year cohort information and much more. The Carousel type format allowed parents to select those sessions that they feel are most applicable to their needs and the needs of their son. A copy of the full Program can be found here.

Experience shows that parents are always very appreciative of the information presented and it certainly generates discussion about the importance of planning, being well researched and establishing a routine both at school and at home. Such evenings also provide details about various support mechanisms and programs that may be helpful in promoting the wellbeing of our boys.

Likewise, our Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews are scheduled for respective Year cohorts on either side of the Term 1 holiday break, and then immediately following the mid-year holiday break. Specific details about these interviews and the process for booking individual appointments will be provided in the coming weeks. Once again, important and specific information about student progress is shared on such occasions.

The College Newsletter and College Website

The Weekly College Newsletter, ‘In the Spirit’ is another great source of information about College life. It provides details about important events and celebrates achievement and commitment, in its various forms, from within our community. In a similar way, the College Website is regularly updated and provides a significant amount of information about the various activities happening around the College. Various pathways can be navigated to broad areas such as Discover trinity, Education, Community and Enrolments.

Social Media

The College social media channels are another means by which the College communicates information to the community ad they are also a great way to stay up to date with what is happening in the day-to-day life of the College. The Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/trinitycollegeperth also provides timely reminders of important College events. Other social media channels that the College utilises are:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/trinityperth
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/trinity-college-perth
YouTube: www.youtube.com/trinityperth

Parent Communication

As previously stated, timely, considered and respectful communication is essential if positive Family/College Partnerships are to continue for the benefit of the students. The College will strive to continue to do well in this area and I thank families for their continued support in this regard. Similarly, when families engage with the College, there is a similar expectation. It is timely to remind all families about our Parent Code of Conduct. A link to the Parent Code of Conduct can be found here.

The Parent Code of Conduct outlines the way the school requires all parents, visitors, associates and family members to conduct themselves when visiting the College, participating in school activities and communicating with members of our school community including students, staff, other parents and visitors. It is equally critical to the College mission and successful operation, that parents support their son’s teachers, tutors, coaches and the College. Parents do this by abiding by the principles of the Code and by assisting their son to meet his own commitments to learning, College activities, the Student Code of Conduct and all other College policies and procedures.

Our Spirit of Community challenges us ‘to be an inclusive and welcoming community that supports wellbeing and learning for every student.’ In the Spirit of Community, we strive to develop the following amongst students, staff and parents:

• An approach that is Christ-centred and child-focused

• A respect for the innate and God-given dignity and worth of every person

• A sense of empathy and an ability to understand the circumstance of others

• A cooperative attitude in working with all people

• Integrity, honesty and sincerity in all our interpersonal relationships

• Acceptance of all others regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality or race.

• Open, positive and honest communication

• The ability to work respectfully and courteously with all people

• An inclusive and welcoming community

• Personal responsibility for all actions

When engaging with the College, parents are expected to use courteous and respectful written and verbal communication with all students, staff, other parents and members of the wider College Community. The same is certainly expected of staff. It is considered inappropriate to use aggressive or provocative language, ironic or cynical comments, an angry tone or language that is personal, insulting or profane. As always, as significant adults in the formation of the boys, our modelling in this regard is vitally important.

In closing, I wish to acknowledge the ongoing support of our families and return to an earlier point where I referred to the importance of the school and the home enjoying a positive and meaningful partnership - a partnership that promotes regular and open communication and one that is firmly centred on the care, interests, welfare and formation of each student. In this we share a special privilege.

Live Jesus in our hearts

Mr Darren O’Neill

Principal

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