Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe the end of Term One is just over a week away. It is a particularly short term, with less than 9 weeks of school. However, don’t despair, Term Two is 11 weeks long!

As communicated at the beginning of the year, our school newsletter will be published fortnightly this year. Therefore this will be our last newsletter for the term.

The school calendar has been jam packed with events this term so our students, staff AND parents can now enjoy a well deserved school holiday break. We understand that it’s not a holiday break for all parents, but hopefully the change in routine provides a break from packing lunch boxes, organising school uniforms and racing off to after school activities.

The first school term is always a busy, yet exciting term, as the students settle into new learning spaces and new routines. When we talk about `transition’, we often focus on Prep and Level Six as they prepare for primary and secondary school respectively. At one end of the school, our Prep students have settled in well and have developed a routine for learning. At the other end of the school, the Level Six students have demonstrated leadership qualities and have been a wonderful example to all our students. However, we know that transition happens throughout our schooling. I would like to congratulate our wonderful students for their transition into their new classes and learning spaces.

I would also like to acknowledge our dedicated staff for their commitment to creating an engaging curriculum to cater for the individual needs of all our students. Our staff returned in mid January to begin planning for the year ahead, working in new teams and new spaces. With the first two school days allocated for student assessment, our staff have been able to begin the year with a focus on explicit teaching and differentiated learning. Our targeted approach to student assessment allows our teachers to know every student as a learner. At Holy Trinity we pride ourselves on this approach as all staff are committed to their own professional learning to become `expert teachers’. Learning and teaching is our core business and, as Principal, I am extremely lucky to have such a dedicated and hard working staff.

The school holiday break is a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff to rest, relax and recharge the batteries in preparation for a busy Term Two. More importantly, it is an opportunity for families to reconnect with a short break from the busy school routine. As always, I would like to encourage our students to minimise screen time and to enjoy the company of family and friends.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the HT and SMC Community for your support of our staff and your contribution to the life of our school this term. I wish you all a safe school holiday break. May the risen Christ in this Easter season bring you renewed hope and love.

Twilight Sports

Unfortunately another false start for Twilight Sports. It appears that when we mention the words ‘twilight sports’ the heavens open and it starts to rain! After experiencing a heatwave over the long weekend, we did not anticipate that the cool change would bring so much rain.

With the school term quickly coming to an end, we have scheduled a `House Sports Day’ - surely these words won’t attract rain! Details are as follows:

Tuesday 26th March

BBQ -12.30pm - 1.30pm

Sports Events: 1.30-3.30pm

(sausages $2, veggie burgers $3)

Parents are welcome to attend. If you are able to assist with the BBQ could you please contact me directly at principal@htws.catholic.edu.au . We will need assistance any time between 11.30am and 1.30pm.

We understand that hosting this event during the school day does not accommodate the vast majority of our parents due to work commitments. Unfortunately, due to the timing of the event, the short term and upcoming events such as camp and Reconciliation, we were unable to postpone this event to a twilight time slot. With daylight savings coming to an end, a twilight sports event in Term Two is also not an option.

At our next Parents’ Association Meeting we will discuss future events, so please feel free to join us to get involved and help us plan ahead! Our next meeting will take place on Thursday 18th April at 6.30pm in the staffroom.

Buddy Breakfast

We were able to `cook with gas’ for the annual Prep / Year 6 buddy breakfast. The early morning sausage in bread and fruit platters were enjoyed by all! It is always lovely to see the engagement of the buddies, with the opportunity for the parents to meet their child’s special friend. It was a VERY early start for our Prep and 5/6 staff (6am!), but they thoroughly enjoyed mingling with the families before the start of the school day.

Harmony Day - Thursday 21st March

This year, Holy Trinity and St. Mary’s will be celebrating Harmony Day on the 21st of March. To celebrate and promote the important message of ‘Everyone Belongs’, students will have a free dress day and are encouraged to wear a traditional costume to share their family heritage OR wear a ‘touch of orange’ which is the official Harmony Day colour (t-shirt, socks, ribbons etc). We would like to encourage students to bring a gold coin donation for Project Compassion.

Year 4 Camp next week

Our Year 4 students and staff will embark on a new adventure next Wednesday when they attend an overnight camp at Camp ADANAC, Yarra Junction. As I’ve mentioned many times before, school camp is a great opportunity for students to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things. We are aware that for some students this will be their first time away from their family. The staff have been extremely diligent in making sure the students have an amazing time and are kept safe at all times. It can be an anxious time for students and parents, but we are well prepared and looking forward to the camp experience. I would like to thank the following staff for their willingness to attend camp and make arrangements with their own family life in order to attend. Mrs Anne Cochrane (Camp Leader), Mr Justin Woodcock, Mrs Cassie Bellofiore, Mrs Alex Gaffy, Mr Denham Harvie, Mrs Kaitlin Boden and Mrs Josephine Hynes.

End of School Term - Thursday 28th March - 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 March 26th at 12pm.

Supervision after 1pm - Thursday 28th March

Please only complete this form if your child will not be collected from school at 1pm on Thursday 28th March.

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.

Traffic - safety reminder - important!

I would like to continue to remind parents to adhere to local traffic rules and regulations at pick up and drop off times. Safety is paramount at all times for all members of our community. Recent newsletter correspondence has been in relation to the supervised crossing on Riddell Road. We have received recent reports in regards to dangerous driving in the vicinity of the supervised crossing on Wallace Road, near the intersection of Riddell Road. There have been reports of motorists driving too fast through the area, as well as driving across the supervised crossing before pedestrians have completed their crossing. Could I implore all parents to drive safely in the vicinity of the school and to remain patient when traffic is congested.

Robyn Hunter - former crossing supervisor

I was fortunate to attend Robyn’s funeral in the days before Christmas last December. Despite her sudden passing, it was a beautiful celebration of Robyn’s life, including tributes from her husband John, and various family and friends. At Robyn’s request it was a colourful celebration which was reflective of the way Robyn lived her life of 61 years. There were colleagues dressed in their crossing supervisor uniforms, with the service concluding with a guard of honour with swords, as Robyn was a long time member and secretary of Fencing Victoria.

As communicated last year, we will acknowledge Robyn’s contribution to our school community in an appropriate way. I have discussed some suggestions with members of the PA and SAC, with a service / tribute likely to take place in May. I am in the process of liaising with Robyn’s husband John, as well as Knox Council.

John and his family were very appreciative of our care and compassion at this extremely difficult time.

Prep 2025 Enrolments

Following our two school open days, we are currently receiving applications for enrolment for Prep 2025. If you have a child due to start school next year, could you please complete our online Enrolment Application Form to secure enrolment and to assist with planning.

Statements issued Friday 15/3/2024

All families should have received via email or a hard copy, their school fees statement on Friday 15/3/2024.

If you have not received it please contact the office ASAP.

Please note that 1st Payment - 25% is due by 28 March 2024.

Save the Date - Mum’s afternoon

We will celebrate our amazing mums with a special afternoon of activities on Thursday 9th May (details to follow). Our annual Mother’s Day stall will take place on Friday 10th May.

School Closure Dates - Term 2

The following dates will be school closure days in Term 2:

Thursday 25th April (ANZAC Day)

Friday 26th April (time in lieu day for staff - EBA)

Monday 6th May (Assessment & Reporting Staff Professional Learning Day)

Monday 10th June (King's Birthday Holiday)

Warm Regards,

Adrian Scutt

Principal

Time to eXcel