SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

Miss Kim Bailey
kbailey@arm.catholic.edu.au

Welcome Back to Term 4

Welcome back to all students, the year is certainly passing very quickly. Students are reminded that this term, in addition to regular homework, the assessment week is scheduled for Week 5 for Years 7 - 10. It is essential that each student apply a serious and committed effort to all areas of their work in this final semester. This should ensure that each student achieves the best possible results in their end-of-year report.

Term 4 is going to be very busy with students involved in a myriad of activities in addition to the day-to-day lessons. Students must employ efficient time management skills to ensure that all tasks are completed on time, regardless of their participation in any of these activities.

NEW STAFF WELCOME – MRS KATRINA RICHARDSON

A warm welcome to Mrs Katrina Richardson, our newest Mathematics Teacher. Mrs Richardson is highly skilled, with extensive experience teaching Year 12 Advanced and Extension Mathematics courses and achieving outstanding HSC results. We're excited to have her on the team as we prepare for the introduction of Years 11 and 12.

YEAR 10 REMINDER: Important Information Regarding Senior Uniform for Year 11, 2026

This is an exciting time for our current Year 10 students as they prepare to be the first cohort to complete Stage 6 (Years 11 and 12) at our school. With this significant step comes the introduction of a new senior uniform, which this cohort will trial over the next two years.

The new senior uniform will consist of the following items:

● Girls: New navy skirt, the existing blue school blouse (short sleeve for summer), and navy socks.

● Boys: Existing school shorts/trousers, the existing blue school blouse, and navy socks.

Blazer Trial

Our Year 11 students will also trial the wearing of the school blazer. To support our first cohort of senior students in this exciting venture, the school will be purchasing the blazer for every Year 11 student.

In addition, as a gesture of goodwill, the school will also provide one pair of navy socks to each senior student.

Blazer Fitting Process - Action Required

To ensure we can place correct orders, all students must attend the Alinta Uniform Shop by Wednesday to be fitted for their blazer.

Uniform Shop Hours for Fittings

The Alinta Uniform Shop is open at the following times:

● Mondays: 8:30 am – 10:30 am

● Wednesdays: 8:15 am – 10:30 am and 1:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Fitting Arrangements

● Families are welcome to accompany their child to the shop for the fitting within these

operating hours.

● Students can attend before class or during their break times.

● We will also endeavour to make other times available during class if required to ensure all

students are fitted.

We also encourage the girls to try on the new navy skirt during their fitting time to determine the correct size for ordering.

This is a significant and positive next step in our Years 11 and 12 journey, and your support in ensuring your child attends the fitting is greatly appreciated.

Should you have any questions regarding the senior uniform process, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Rainger via email at jrainger@arm.catholic.edu.au.

Congratulations...

Work Experience

At the end of last term, our Year 10 students completed a very successful week of Work Experience. We are indebted to the local and out-of-town businesses that generously offered work placements and valuable on-the-job training to the Year 10 students of Holy Trinity School. Mrs Townsend worked closely with the students and various workplace supervisors to enable each student to gain maximum benefit from the Work Experience program. Evaluation reports already received have documented the excellent efforts of students in a variety of workplaces – congratulations, Year 10!

Excursions

Students in Year 9 returned safely from their Sydney excursion at the end of last term. No doubt we will get detailed reports at an assembly in the near future. Accompanying staff were pleased to receive compliments on the excellent manners displayed by the students at several venues.

Similarly, Year 8 students returned from the Great Aussie Bush Camp and also have some tales to tell. The instructors at the camp made congratulatory comments about the behaviour and attitude displayed by the students. Well done to both groups, you were great ambassadors for Holy Trinity.

Good Luck...

Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza

Good luck to the HTS Show Team as they compete at the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza in Scone. The team will be there from Thursday through Sunday. We wish them success in all their events.

Chess

Best of luck to our Chess team as they compete in the next round of the competition this Thursday. They will be playing Farrer online. Thanks to Mr Muggleton for organising the competition and coaching the team.

Stage 5 Electives

A big thank you to the families who came along to the Stage 5 2026 Elective Information Evening last week. We value your support as students begin making their subject choices for 2026. A reminder about the website, which contains valuable information about courses on offer and the subject selection process. Please contact Miss Bailey for further information.

FINAL Stage 5 Elective Choices 2026 v12-09.pdf

Year 6 to 7 Transition Continues

Transition continues this term with two more sessions being held. The first will be this Thursday, 23 October, and the second on Thursday, 30 October (Week 3). Students will continue to experience a variety of subjects on offer in Secondary.

Warraymaylaya Dhuwi Retreat Years 8 and 9

Our Year 8 and 9 students, along, with our Aboriginal Education Assistant, Ebony Adams, are attending the cultural camp this week in the Port Stephens and Newcastle area. We know they'll have a fantastic time learning and connecting, and we look forward to hearing all about it when they return.

Uniform

Students are reminded to wear the correct uniform, including appropriate and safe footwear. It is an expectation that hair is moderately styled with natural tones and tied back if long. If a student is not able to wear the correct uniform, please provide written information to the roll teacher indicating when the situation can be remedied. Hats and sunscreen are also required for all outdoor activities.

Sun Safe

The weather has been heating up rapidly, and students are reminded that they should have a hat for all outside activities. Sunscreen is also available for Sport, PDHPE and other outside lessons; however, the best protection is provided with the combined use of a hat and sunscreen. School caps are available from the Uniform Shop. Please ensure that your child has the correct school uniform cap or hat.

Supporting Catholic Mission

THURSDAY 23 OCTOBER: Crazy Sock Day and Coin Drop

On Thursday, students will be able to participate in Crazy Sock Day to raise funds for Catholic Mission. There will also be a coin drop, and students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation.

STUDY SKILLS TIPS

7 Ways Mindfulness and Meditation Can Be Helpful to Students

Do you experience feelings of anxiousness? Why not give meditation a go? It can be as simple as closing your eyes, breathing deeply and counting your breaths in and out. There are lots of great Apps out there, for example, ‘Mindfulness’, ‘Headspace’, ‘Relax’ and ‘Positivity’. These will guide you through simple meditation and mindfulness exercises. You could even try the new mindfulness colouring-in books for adults that are all the rage. But what is it all about, and why should you try it?

What is Mindfulness?

Headspace (www.headspace.com) defines mindfulness as “the intention to be present in the here and now, fully engaged in whatever is happening, free from distraction or judgement, with a soft and open mind”.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a way of transforming the mind, making it calm and silent. According to the Australian Teachers of Meditation Association, meditation is a discipline that involves turning the mind and attention inward and focusing on a single thought, image, object or feeling.

How does meditation and practising mindfulness help you with your schoolwork?

Reduces anxiety and risk of depression - By becoming mindful, a person stops judging themselves and those around them and recognises that every situation “is what it is”. When you stop judging and comparing, you can reduce anxiety.
Increases resilience - resilience is the ability to experience something bad without internalising it and to be able to move on, still gaining benefits even from a negative experience. Practising mindfulness and meditation quietens the mind and enables acceptance without judgment, which is key to achieving resilience.
Improves ability to learn and recall information - research by the University of Miami has shown that practising mindfulness for 12 minutes a day improved attention and memory.
Improves concentration - regular practice of meditation may help improve concentration by enabling the brain to focus more accurately and to filter out unwanted or unhelpful messages.
Improves creativity - practising mindfulness and meditation has the potential to allow the brain to unlock and unleash creativity. Creativity is of benefit to all students, not just in terms of artistic talents but also in relation to problem-solving.
Helps manage exam stress - meditation can help you calm and focus your mind, which helps to manage stress related to exams. This tool can be used in the lead-up to the exam and also during the exam if stress levels begin to rise.
Leads to better sleep - getting enough sleep is crucial to ensure students have the mental and physical energy to learn. However, as academic and social pressures increase, this can lead to students having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. By reducing anxiety and stress, you can ultimately sleep better and longer.

PREPARING FOR BLOCKS OF EXAMS

For many students, a block of examinations can be daunting. Some students have no idea where to start or what they should work on. The first thing to do if you have examinations approaching in the next few months is to find out what topics will be tested. Even a simple question to teachers can get you started such as ‘are we being tested on the whole year’s work or just this semester?’. Once you know what topics will be covered, organise all of your learning materials and make sure nothing is missing, and you have everything you need to review those topics. The next step is to make study notes on these topics if you haven’t been doing this throughout the year (hopefully you have!).

Next, it is time to start learning the notes (testing yourself on them over and over) and doing practice questions to make sure you can apply your knowledge to different types of questions.

If you have a number of weeks prior to the examinations, it is a good idea to make a plan in your diary, phone or on a whiteboard of what subjects you will study when. Try to allocate each subject once or twice each week, depending on the number of examinations you have.

Critical Thinking Skills

There are many things students can do to develop their own critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is your ability to think clearly and rationally, reflecting and developing your thoughts. Sometimes we can get a bit lazy with our thinking and we only consider things at a superficial level. Here are some things you can do to enhance your critical thinking.

CLARIFY YOUR THOUGHTS: The best way to clarify your thoughts is to try and explain your thinking to someone else. Even if you are talking to an imaginary person, you will find that explaining your thinking out loud helps you to see the flaws in your argument.
QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS: Don’t take your thoughts for granted, every now and then think about why you believe a certain thought or how you know things to be true. Get in the habit of pausing and looking at what you are thinking and questioning what thoughts underlie your assumptions. Don’t just conform and accept a view because it is the popular one, instead pause and reflect on the arguments for and against that viewpoint and the strengths of each argument.
LOOK FOR OTHER PERSPECTIVES: When you are presenting an argument, imagine yourself in a debate and think about what the opposing side might say. What would someone with a completely opposite view to you believe? Can you understand why they might think that way? Can you see some validity in their viewpoint?
KEEP AN OPEN MIND: In order to look for other perspectives keep an open mind. If you immediately dismiss any thought that does not fit into the way you see the world, you will never be able to expand and develop your viewpoints, you will have a very fixed and limited view of the world.
BE CURIOUS: Start to look outside the things you normally read and watch and think about. Learn more about things you know nothing about and were not previously interested in. Listen more to what people say, we learn so much more when we really listen rather than spend time planning what we will say next.
MAKE INFORMED JUDGEMENTS: It is ok to not have an opinion about something because you don’t have enough information yet. Avoid rushing to judgements, take your time to gather information and evidence and assess it before making a decision. Try not to let yourself be swayed by emotion as this can affect your ability to assess information intellectually.

Stage 6 Links

16.05.2025 SENIOR STUDIES HANDBOOK 2026.pdf

GOOGLE CLASSROOM GUARDIAN SUMMARIES

Google Classroom allows teachers to create classes, distribute paperless assignments, post announcements and class questions, and provide feedback, all through an intuitive, student-friendly interface.

The flyer and link below provide you with more information about Guardian Summaries. Please contact Miss Bailey if you have any further questions or issues.

ASSESSMENT POLICIES

It would be appreciated if parents could read the information in the booklet and discuss the issues raised with their children. The assessment process is similar to that which the students will encounter in Stage 6 as they prepare for their Higher School Certificate.

Stage 4 Assessment Policy 2025.pdf

Stage 5 Assessment Policy 2025.pdf

Living Well, Learning Well

Ready2Learn

Device Policy

Students are not permitted to use their devices unless instructed by a teacher. This includes both the classroom and the playground. The students are aware of this policy and receive constant reminders in Pastoral Care, their teaching classes, and there are also many posters displayed all around the school.

If a student needs to use their device, they must first seek permission from a teacher and use it in an area designated by the teacher. This is usually under their direct supervision or outside the Secondary staffroom.

If students are unable to follow this policy, then their phone is confiscated and placed securely in Miss Bailey's office, where it is collected by the student at the end of the school day.

Teachers record each time a device has been confiscated. After the device has been seized for a second time, it remains at school until it can be collected by a parent/carer.