Principal's Desk

Dear Parents,

Over the last 6 months we have been actively reviewing our communication platforms in readiness for 2024. Like many schools, we have adopted different platforms over the years as we transitioned from a paper based to electronic form of communication. This transition has included our school newsletter, semester reports, booking systems, attendance roll and permission forms, just to name a few. We are conscious that the many platforms can cause confusion at times, particularly in relation to passwords! 

We currently have a school operating system called ICON (Integrated Catholic Online Network), which is the operating system for all Catholic Primary Schools in Melbourne. ICON essentially manages our administration system, with our many platforms `syncing’ with ICON. These platforms include Operoo and nForma, which is used for attendance data and semester reporting. In 2024 we will still be required to utilise ICON, but we have made a decision to transition to a single platform named SIMON / PAM (Parent Access Module) for our school management and communications. 

In making the decision to move to SIMON / PAM we needed to consider the three main stakeholders; administration staff, teaching staff and parents. On the balance of considerations, SIMON was considered the best fit for our school and community. Our partner school, St Mary’s, utilises SIMON and a number of Catholic Primary Schools in our region are also moving to SIMON.

Later in the term we will send you some information in regards to setting up a PAM account. The PAM module is for parent access via an App, SIMON is used for staff and administration. While we anticipate some teething issues in late 2023 and early 2024, we are confident that this change will provide greater efficiency and access for all stakeholders.

Twilight Sports

It was disappointing to have to cancel last week’s Twilight Sports event due to the wet conditions. While the weather was expected to clear, the school oval and asphalt areas were extremely wet following the rain overnight and the following morning. The conditions were not safe or up to standard for the activities planned.

We have, however, postponed some of the annual Twilight Sports events, such as the Fran Raskas event (Year 6), as well as House relays and buddies races. These events will take place on Friday 10th November from 2.30-3.30pm, which coincides with Sam D'Argenio's final day at HT. The students can also wear their House colours on the day. The assembly scheduled for this date will take place prior to this event, at 2pm. Parents are welcome to attend.

We are now planning to coordinate a sausage sizzle for the students on Monday 20th November. We have a whole school incursion planned for the morning (Kaboom Kids Sports), so a sausage sizzle will complement this fun day activity. Details to follow.

My apologies for the inconvenience the cancellation may have caused. 

Thank you in anticipation of your understanding.

Thank you to the Parent's Association

I wish to extend a big thank you to the Parent's Association who went to a great deal of effort to put on a wonderful array or food for a thank you morning tea on World Teachers Day last Friday.  All of our staff genuinely felt appreciated and were grateful for the delicious morning tea.

Baby News!

We are excited to announce that Mrs Steph Rooney and her husband Matthew welcomed Boston William into the world on Saturday 21st October. We shared this exciting news at our morning assembly last week to the applause of our students, particularly our Preps. We look forward to meeting Boston in the coming weeks.

Sharing of food

Anaphylaxis Policy - risk management (allergies, including nuts) Anaphylaxis Policy

In line with our school policy, we kindly ask parents not to bring food to share at school, including birthday treats. This includes the sharing of food at school events and excursions.  Thank you for your understanding.

Page 4.  Holy Trinity Primary School will not ban certain types of foods (e.g. nuts) as it is not practicable to do so, and is not a strategy recommended by the Department or the Royal Children’s Hospital. However, the school will avoid the use of nut based products in all school activities, request that parents do not send those items to school if at all possible; that the canteen eliminate or reduce the likelihood of such allergens, and the school will reinforce the rules about not sharing and only eating foods provided from home.

School Closure Days

• Monday 6th November (Report Writing / time in lieu for teachers)
• Tuesday 7th November (Melbourne Cup Holiday)
• Friday 24th November (Staff professional learning day)

School Blog

Our students are responsible for a lot of the School Blog content, so please take some time to appreciate their posts. It is also a great way to find out about school events such as Camp, Production, Sports Events, the Arts …. And much more! 

http://blog.htws.catholic.edu.au/

Please note; there will be no newsletter next week due to the extended weekend.

Warm Regards,

Adrian Scutt

Principal

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