PRIMARY NEWS 

from the Assistant Principals  

3-6 Excursions  

Week 7 was an eventful week for our 3-6 students and teachers who ventured outside the town limits during excursion week.

Year 6 spent the week in Canberra seeing the sights, Year 5 adventured to Lake Keepit, Year 4 had their first overnight excursion to Copeton Dam and Year 3 spent a day at Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre. By all reports from the students, the highlights included the National Zoo and Aquarium, Keepit's mud run, Copeton Dam kayaking and investigations at Thalgarrah’s creek bed. 

Thank you to teachers for their time away from their families and home comforts to help provide these opportunities for our children. 

3-6 Social

Year 5 traditionally hosts our final Social for 3-6 students to farewell Year 6 from the primary. The theme for this year is Glow in the Dark / Neon. Only Year 6 dress in this theme. 

When: Thursday 3:30-5:00

Where: School Hall

Cost: $2 per child or $3 for a family

Pick Up: Outside the school hall at 5pm by an adult. 

Children may bring no more than $5 for canteen spending. Chocolate, lollies and chips will be available. 

Year 6 Liturgy and Morning Tea

Year 6 students and their families gather this Friday to celebrate the journey and achievements of our 2025 Year 6 students as they receive their certificate for the completion of Year 6. 

K-2 Christmas Concert

K-2 Students and teachers are putting the finishing touches on preparations for one of the most anticipated events on the Infants calendar. The annual Infants Christmas concert will be held in the hall on Tuesday December 9 at 12:00 pm. 

Presentation Day Assembly

This assembly will take place on Wednesday December 10, to recognise and celebrate the achievements of many of our primary students. Families of students receiving awards and our 2026 SRC families will be notified before the day.

3-6 Pool day

Years 3-4 & 5-6 will have time at the Town Pool on Monday 15 December. The pool canteen will be available on the day and lunches may be pre-ordered and paid by December 5. Children are reminded to wear appropriate sun protection and to bring a full water bottle. The cost is $5. Consent is to be provided through Compass and lunches ordered on the paper already sent home. Lunch orders will not be placed without payment by December 5. Children may wear plain clothes on this day.

K-2 Movie and Splash Day

K-2 will travel to the cinema on Wednesday 17 December. Consent and payment is to be provided through Compass. When back at school children will have some fun under the sprinklers!

Primary Awards 

Week 7:

Macie Cummins, Hanna Balili, Miette Sargeant, Knox Mathers, Archie Bloch, Campbell Read, Caine Macey, Elsie McCosker, Leo Hollingworth, Athena McBean, Chloe Tasker, Mark Bernabe, Clancy Hall, Darcy Cellar, Maddie Lute, Kassidy Smith, Kaleb Holder, Lyla Norman, Lucy Taylor, Peyton Te Velde, Mish Kuhn, Millie McPhee, Henry Schiller

Week 8:

Baxter O'Brien, Ian Jung, Knox Mathers, Henry Mill, Khyellin Amery, Louis East, Zayne Cleal, Myles Simpson, Charlie McLeod, Audrey Stewart, Indi Forsyth, Charlize Collins, Ben De Stefani, Harvey Edwards, Milly Dunlop, Ava Reynolds, Ashton Readett, Callum Steptoe, Tyler Van Duuren, Pheobe Sims, Harry Gibbs, Ruby Fitzroy, Layten Tonkin, Elsie McCosker, Caleb Hoskins, Ross Dresu, Teddy Bartlett

Infants Awards 

Alexandra Best, Ilah Peisley, Theo McPhee, Blake Schwarke, Isla Ticehurst, Eliza Goodwin, Alexander Butcher, Zahlia Ticehurst, Dusty Stewart, Corbin Taber, Harrison Fenton, Evie Potter, Eden Murphy, Joey Van Der Merwe, Archer Devlin Jones, Pippa White, Kobe Dunlop, Madyson te Velde, Eva Roberts, Vivienne Shepherd, Callum Gleeson, Hamish Hollingworth

Infants AP Assembly Awards

Premier's Reading Challenge

Holy Trinity has represented well again in this year’s Premier's Reading Challenge. 

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools. Well done to our students who received certificates of recognition at assembly on Monday. Special acknowledgement to children who this year receive medals to recognise their ongoing commitment to the competition. These will be presented at the Presentation Day Assembly.

ICAS 

Congratulations to students who nominated to participate in ICAS Science, Maths and English Assessments and received their certificates at yesterday’s assembly.

ICAS is a series of online, academic assessments for primary and secondary students. It is organised by UNSW Global and challenges students with higher-order thinking skills and problem-solving tasks.

Newcastle Permanent Primary School Maths Competition

Almost 17,000 year 5 and year 6 students from more than 350 NSW schools took part in the 45th Newcastle Permanent Primary School Maths Competition. This competition tests student's mathematical problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Congratulations to our Year 5 and Year 6 students who received their certificates at yesterday’s assembly.

Semester Reports

With the end of the school year approaching, our primary students have been working on completing their final assessments. This is a vital time for both students and teachers as it allows us to formally measure the academic growth and skill development achieved over the second half of the year. The assessments are designed to cover the breadth of the curriculum, ensuring we gather comprehensive data on student understanding across core learning areas.

These final assessments come in a variety of formats, tailored to the age and learning outcomes of each year level including hands-on tasks, oral presentations, and structured observations to demonstrate their knowledge, as well as formal tasks,  tests, projects, and extended writing pieces. Teachers are now marking and moderating this work, using the results alongside ongoing observations and student work to create a holistic and accurate picture of each student's achievement. This careful process ensures that the reports you receive will reflect not just a single moment in time, but your child's continuous effort, progress, and attainment throughout the entire semester. Semester Reports will go live and a copy sent home on Wednesday 10 December.

Social Media Age Restrictions

New legislation is set to come into effect on December 10, 2025 that requires major social media platforms (such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X/Twitter) to take "reasonable steps" to prevent children under the age of 16 from having or creating accounts.

We recognise that social media is a key way for many young people to connect with friends, and this change may cause feelings of frustration and confusion. A smooth transition depends on open, empathic, and ongoing communication.

By working together, we can ensure our children develop the resilience and skills needed to thrive both online and off.

There are several resources available to support families through the eSafety Commissioner.