Principal's Message

The weeks are zipping past and it was a busy couple of weeks across the whole College, but particularly in the important aspect of our Catholic identity. At Trinity College Colac it gives us much comfort that our faith tradition provides a genuine connection to the church and that our Catholic values are a rich and tangible aspect of the Trinity Difference. It graces us with hope and inspiration, with peace and joy and, above all, with love. Our Catholic tradition invites us to be part of a community with a shared aspiration, and that is a desire to make the world a better place.

It is always an occasion to celebrate when we gather together to pray and our College commencement Mass with Fr Michael at St Mary’s Church last week was a wonderful way to start our Trinity year. The next day was Ash Wednesday and I was very proud of our senior students as they led this special liturgy for the Year levels. Their obvious delight in the responsibility was tempered by reverence and it was a lovely ceremony for each of the student groups. 

We entered the period of Lent with a fresh perspective thanks to our 2024 motif as articulated by the College theme that was workshopped at the Year 12 leadership camp last year, ‘Community Strengthens – be a part of it.’ We were given the chance to see how potent this call for action can be at the House Swimming Carnival with students of all abilities pitching in to earn points towards the coveted trophy. Rice House was the winner on the day, and the revellers in red justly deserved the award for their enthusiasm for giving it a go in the pool. Getting involved and choosing to be a part of the spirit of the day made for a really special event that was enjoyed by everyone.

We have also had two important community events over the last couple of weeks with our Senior School and Year 7 Parent Information Evenings. These sessions reinforce the importance of the partnership between school and home that is an essential component of our students’ success at Trinity. When we are on the same page and consistently delivering the same message to our young people then they haven’t got anywhere to go except the direction we are signposting. At Trinity, our culture of high expectations calls for our students to step up and be accountable for their learning, for their behaviour and for their development into loving and kind adults. We have guidelines to assist our students to make the right decisions along the way, we have Gospel Values at the heart of everything we do that gives them the best chance to find their life’s purpose, and we provide opportunities to gift them with a real sense of belonging. We are definitely aspirational and we know our Trinity families are too. Your support of these events says a lot to your children and we really enjoy catching up with you and building on our connection.   Thank you to the parents who attended, and to those who couldn’t make it, the presentations will be sent out soon so please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need anything clarified.

Our high expectations at Trinity commence with a gentle but persistent conditioning of our students to develop their behaviours to maximise their academic learning and social development. We are blessed to have Mr Matt Rathgeber as our Head of Students and he has been developing a strategy that is proven to provide the best possible environment for students to thrive. Our new Behaviours for Learning guidelines have been implemented in Years 7 and 8 and are simple yet effective steps that promote a calm space conducive to quality learning and teaching. These behavioural techniques build positive relationships and have a push-on effect throughout the students’ journey at Trinity, contributing to a more empowered student body. We are very excited about the program and thank our junior students for being so eager to embrace the Trinity Difference.

Mr Paul Clohesy

Principal