Principal's Desk

Dear Parents,

As I reach the end of my first month as Principal of our wonderful school, I’d like to pause and say a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who has made this transition so welcoming. From the friendly smiles at the gate to the encouraging emails and conversations in the corridors, your support has been constant and deeply appreciated.

Over these past five weeks I have witnessed what makes our school special: a nurturing family atmosphere, dedicated staff who go the extra mile, and students whose curiosity and generosity of spirit shine every day. I am grateful to our teachers and support staff for their professionalism, and to every family for the trust you place in us.

Looking ahead, I am excited to strengthen our partnership with the wider community. Together we will continue to foster an environment where every child feels known, valued and challenged to achieve their best. I welcome your ideas and feedback as we shape the next chapter of learning and growth at our school.

Thank you once again for the warm welcome. I look forward to working with you throughout the term—and beyond—to ensure our school remains a place of excellence, belonging and joyful discovery.

Keeping Our School Community Safe

Unfortunately, in my first month, I continue to see a number of drivers making unsafe u-turns in front of the school. Please be reminded that u-turns on Riddell Road are not permitted. This includes manoeuvres such as pulling into driveways and reversing back into the street—actions which place students, pedestrians, and other drivers at serious risk. The area is regularly monitored by the local council, and fines may apply.

In addition, we kindly ask all families to use the supervised crossing when walking to and from school. Crossing at unmarked or unsafe points on the road sets a poor example for children and compromises everyone's safety. Please model the safe behaviours we expect our students to follow.

Our neighbours have raised concerns about the driving behaviours of some individuals and have advised that they are reporting ongoing issues to both the council and police. We urge all families to help maintain a respectful and safe environment for everyone in our community.

To minimise the need for turning across traffic, we strongly encourage families to approach Riddell Road from the Egan-Lee Reserve end. This small detour may only take an additional 40 seconds but significantly improves the safety of the street in front of the school.

Finally, please ensure that this message is shared with any extended family members or carers who may be involved in school drop-offs or pick-ups.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school community safe.

Friendship Groups

One of the initiatives here at Holy Trinity that I am particularly proud of—and genuinely excited by—is our Friendship Groups program. It’s a beautiful example of the way our school community comes together to support student wellbeing.

Since 2003, Holy Trinity has run Friendship Groups as part of our commitment to student wellbeing. These groups are designed to help students build strong relationships, develop social skills, and foster a sense of belonging across all year levels. There are 12 Friendship Groups, each comprising approximately 20 students from Prep to Year Six. Our Prep students are placed in the same group as their Year Six Buddies, providing an extra layer of support and helping them feel welcomed and safe. Friendship Groups meet fortnightly with a teacher to participate in a simple game and an activity that focuses on a social skill and one of our TORCH values – Tolerance, Optimism, Respect, Confidence, and Honesty. These sessions promote our core school values, which guide how we treat ourselves, others, and the environment.

Each session provides a chance for students to practise positive behaviours from our Behaviour Matrix, such as listening respectfully, speaking kindly, joining in with confidence, and acting with honesty. The program uses high-impact wellbeing strategies to strengthen student connections, encourage collaboration, and reinforce our shared school values. Friendship Groups play an important role in developing essential life skills such as resilience, cooperation, and empathy. They also contribute significantly to a strong sense of community and belonging, which is central to student wellbeing and success both at school and beyond.

ICAS Assessments

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.

ICAS results are in-depth and meaningful, and ICAS evaluates student performance against other competition entrants across the state and nation. The data reveals student strengths and weaknesses and can help you recognise and support your child's academic journey.

We run ICAS Assessments at Holy Trinity every even year, so for those families wishing to enrol their child to participate in 2025, please go to https://www.eqdemic.com.au/icas who have just recently opened registration for 2025. The ICAS Assessments are held in Term 3 during the month of August.

Prep 2026

The Prep 2026 enrolment interviews have continued over the past two weeks and it’s a process I look forward to each year. It helps to build a relationship with our incoming Prep students that we will continue to develop and share over the next seven years.

Enrolments Open for 2026

Enrolments for 2026 are currently open! If you have a younger child who turns 5 before 30 April 2026, please come and see Tania, Robyn or Rita in the office for an enrolment pack or click on the button below that will take you directly to the application form. Also, if you know of anyone else in the community with a child the same age, pass on our contact details– we would love to give them a tour of our fabulous school!

HT Enrolment Application

Disco

With only a few days to go until the school disco, now is the time to snap up your tickets and volunteer to help out at this fun event! Tickets can be purchased from the CDF Pay app. If you are able to help out at the Disco please complete the Volunteer form.

Buy Disco Tickets

Volunteer Form

Save the date - PA Trivia Night

Mark Saturday 23rd August on your calendar for an evening of fun and laughter at the Holy Trinity & St Mary's Parents Association Trivia Night. More details to come in the following weeks.

Joke of the Week

Two bats are going for their midnight feed.After an hour or so, one bat gets tired of looking and goes home with no blood.

The other bat comes home with blood dripping from its mouth. The first bat says enviously, "Where did you get all that blood from?"

The second bat replies, "Follow me. I'll show you."

After a while the second bat leads them to a cave. He says, "You see that wall over there?"

The hungry bat excitedly says, "Yes!"

Other bat says, "I didn't."

FINAL THOUGHTS - The Importance of Sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in our overall health and wellbeing. In fact, we spend around one- third of our lives asleep! Just like food and water, quality sleep—at the right times and in the right amounts—is essential for survival.

Getting enough rest helps the brain form and maintain the pathways needed for learning, memory, and concentration. Without it, our ability to think clearly, focus, and react quickly can be significantly affected. Supporting healthy sleep habits at home is one of the best ways to help children thrive at school and beyond.

Children aged six to thirteen need 9-11 hours of sleep each night. At the same time, we need to consider what is happening prior to bedtime. How much time is spent watching TV, playing video games, or other screen time immediately before bedtime? Each of these activities has been associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep and sleeping fewer hours.

Here are four simple tips we can all use to help sleep better, in particular, helping our children sleep better and function more effectively during the day:

Watch the sugar /caffeine - A can of coke or a sugary snack before bed can hinder any or all of the good work you’ve done in getting your child to bed. Diet dictates how energetic and active we are, and as you’re no doubt aware, sugar and caffeine are two hyperactive ingredients not conducive to sleep.
Limit technology/stimuli before bed - Colourful, interactive stimuli are detrimental to your sleep because it keeps the brain active at exactly the wrong moment. Whether your children are chatting with friends, playing games or watching their favourite show, modern technology is making it harder for us all to sleep. Turn off all technology an hour or so before their bedtime. Instead, they could listen to an audiobook or relaxing music, take a warm bath, do some relaxation exercises or play a quiet game like a puzzle.
Keep a regular routine - Regular sleep times help maintain our body clock’s circadian rhythm and keeping these consistent will make it easier to fall asleep. This tip is especially difficult during the school holidays when routines are often relaxed, the days are longer and activities more varied. However, it can make a big difference.
Know how much sleep is required - As a general guide, your child’s sleeping needs naturally decrease by about 15 minutes each year. Toddlers and pre-schoolers need around 12-14 hours per day, primary school-aged children should get 10-12 hours and teens will usually want 9 hours. (Grown-ups do best with about 8 hours).

Adapted from:

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

Time to eXcel