PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Term 3 Week 6

Where has this term gone? Time appears to be going so fast. We are really excited about Matilda the Musical Jnr which we are performing next week. There has been a great spirit of team work under the direction of Steph Marshall. The students and the staff have enjoyed the process and we are looking forward to seeing the fruits of their hard work. Please book your tickets on trybooking.com. 

In all the busyness we are also trying to keep on top of the latest findings in education. This week two staff members are attending "Edutech" which is the southern hemisphere's biggest educational conference with a focus on technology.  I and another staff member are attending a conference on Secondary Curriculum Reform to support the work of our teachers and the learning of our students. I think we are lucky to have staff who are willing to leave their homes to continue learning so our school can deliver great outcomes for our students.

Congratulations...

...To Kelsey Pagden and Matilda Thompson for representing at CCC State Trials for the Under 16 girls rugby league last week

... To our students who made their First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion last week

...To our Secondary SRC for representing Holy Trinity at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Service on Friday

...To our Primary Athletics Team who were great participants at the Diocesan Carnival in Tamworth on Friday

Best Wishes...

To our students and staff rehearsing for Matilda the Musical Jnr - I can't wait to watch it next week!

New Finance System

Over the next two months, our school will be transitioning to a new finance system. The change will include new ways in which you can make payments to the school, including Bpay, CompassPay and EFTPOS. Current direct debit options will still be available for a limited time. Our current school bank account will be closing and therefore we will be asking families to make payments to the school via one of these new functionalities.  From early October, you will receive a Fee Statement from our new finance system and included on the statement will be your new Bpay payment details. You can easily set up regular payments from your bank account to the new school Bpay account.  You can also make payments for School Fees and Events via the Compass App. Please contact the Front Office if you require assistance with the App. Our school also has EFTPOS facilities available. This means you will be able to make payments or purchases over the counter at the Front Office rather than cash.

Unknown direct deposit

The new finance system encouraging BPay will also help with us receiving unknown direct deposits. We received a large deposit last week without any reference. If you made a stand-alone payment please check your next statement and advise it the payment has not been credited to you.

School Survey

An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese starting this week. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential, and individuals can not be identified. The surveys were launched via email yesterday Monday, 21 August 2023 using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey, you can access and complete the survey via the following link. https://www.research.net/r/HolyTrinityInverellPARENT2023  The survey will close on Wednesday, 30 August, 2023.  

Attendance

Thank you to our families who are making an increased effort in explaining their children's absences from school. Please remember to follow the link in the SMS sent or contact the school by phone. Cherie, our attendance officer, also sends a reminder email which you can reply to with the explanation. You can explain planned absences in advance by writing a note or phoning the school. Absences of more than 10 days require a form to be filled out to apply for "Extended Leave" which requires approval from the Principal. 

Please contact the Front Office either by phone, email or in writing regarding attendance matters. Other staff may not remember to speak to the Front Office staff who administer the attendance procedures.

Have a great week!

Jilly