Principal's Desk

Dear Parents,

Oh’ what a night!

I would like to thank all our families for your support in attending our Art Show last week. We had a great response on Tuesday for our opening night, with many parents, friends and grandparents singing the praises of our talented students. We also had a large number of families take up the opportunity to visit before and after school on Wednesday and Thursday. Some families returned for a second viewing, which is a reflection of the high quality of art on display. It’s not often you get to visit an art gallery for free!

The most pleasing thing for me was the great sense of pride our students displayed when sharing their `works of art’ with their family and friends. The three sessions on the opening night provided an opportunity to meander through the gallery, without having to rush or negotiate the crowds. Our staff commented on the way in which the students talked about the art and the genuine appreciation of parents in responding to their child. One parent noted that they would love to have a number of the student art pieces on display in their own home. I trust that when the art is returned to the artist, they will in fact take pride of place in the home - or at least on the fridge for an extended period of time. Perhaps some may go `straight to the pool room’ as they say in the movie The Castle.  As I mentioned on Tuesday evening, you should all be very proud of your children.

Congratulations to the recipients of the Art Teacher and Principal awards - it was extremely tough to judge due to the high quality of work.

I would once again like to thank our own artist extraordinaire, Mrs Caroline Laming. Caroline sees the artistic potential in every child and provides the motivation for all students to see themselves as an artist. Our classroom teachers and LSOs also did a wonderful job. We look forward to hosting another fabulous night in a couple of years. Next year will be a Production year ….. details to come!

Staff News

Mrs Lorelle Clark, our Finance Admin Officer, will be retiring at the end of the school year after 8 years of dedicated service at Holy Trinity. Lorelle is looking forward to spending some valuable time with her husband Neil and their family. Lorelle will be greatly missed at Holy Trinity. Lorelle has done an amazing job managing our school finances, working closely with three school Principals during this time. Lorelle has been an important cog in the operation of our school and will be extremely difficult to replace. On a personal note, I will miss Lorelle’s daily support and advice, as well as her good humour and love for her job. We look forward to expressing our gratitude to Lorelle for her service to the HT community later in the year.

Footy Day - Thursday

We will celebrate `Footy Day’ this Thursday 19th September, with students encouraged to wear colours from any sporting code. Thanks to Parents’ Association coordinating the footy lunch.  We are still in need of some volunteers to help with the lunch distribution.  If you are available to assist for a couple of hours, plese complete the following form:

Book Week - Dress Up Friday

There are a number of activities happening in classrooms across the week, coordinated by our Literacy Leader, Mrs Andrea Dowling. The main event is our Book Week Parade, which will take place on Friday 20th September on the basketball court at 9am. Parents and visitors are most welcome to attend. 

Children (and staff!) are encouraged to dress up as any book character. For further details please refer to the Book Week section of this newsletter. This week is a great opportunity to promote reading and literacy in general, and to have lots of fun!

The Great Book Swap

The Great Book Swap was successfully held today.  Thank you to the many students who donated books from home and those that brought a gold coin donation to purchase a book. A big thank you also goes to Mrs Honeysett who co-ordinated this fundraising event for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.  It is still possible to make an online donation by using the QR code below.  

End of School Term -  Friday 20th September -         1 pm finish

The school day will finish at 1pm on the last day of each school term to provide Time in Lieu for staff. We acknowledge the early finish time does impact some families so we will therefore offer supervision of students until 3.30pm if required. Please indicate below if your child needs to remain at school following the 1pm finish time.  If you have more than one child please provide the name of each child below. For planning purposes please complete the form before Tuesday 17th September at 12pm.

Supervision after 1pm - Friday 20th September 2024

We will conclude the term with an assembly at 12.30pm to announce the TORCH Bearer of the Term Awards at 12.30pm. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Ready to be Sun Smart!

As we enter the month of Spring, we are mindful of our responsibilities in line with our SunSmart policy. Between the months of September and April, we understand that the UV Index Level regularly rises above 3, in which case we need to implement sun protection measures. These measures include sun protection clothing, including our school hat, maximising the use of shaded areas and application of sunscreen. While hats will be required to be worn by all staff and students in Term Four, we strongly recommend parents locate the school hat (give it a wash if needed!) and return it to the school bag. And of course, don’t forget to clearly name the hat! 

Community Events in Term 4

Please note the following events planned for Term 4 (see calendar). Further details regarding each event to follow.

• Learning Expo Showcase - Thursday 24th October - 3.30pm - 5pm

• Kaboom Sport Incursion and Family Night (Picnic) - Wednesday 30th October - 4.45pm - 7pm

• Colour Fun Run - Friday 15th November - 2.30 - 3.30pm

• Christmas Carols Night - St Jude’s Church - Thursday 5th December 6pm-7pm

School Blog - check it out!

I would like to continue to encourage parents to access our school blog to see what’s happening around our school, particularly specialist classes and extracurricular activities. Our students contribute to the posts on a regular basis - I strongly encourage you to `like’ a post of leave a comment. The students get a real buzz to know that parents are appreciating their posts!

http://blog.htws.catholic.edu.au/ 

Warm Regards.

Adrian Scutt

Time to eXcel