SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

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

Public Speaking Finals

Congratulations to all our Public Speaking finalists. They did an excellent job, delivering a range of varied and insightful speeches. Their hard work and dedication were evident, and they should all be incredibly proud of their efforts.

We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to all the families who were able to join us for the finals.

Finally, a special thank you to our adjudicator, Ms Kerrie Priddis from ACS, for sharing her time and expertise with us.

Congratulations to the winners of each year group.

Year 7: Eva Xavier

Year 8: Dominic Kenny

Year 9: Losaline Afeaki

Year 10: Halina Huynh

Father's Day Breakfast

A huge thank you to all the families who joined us for our annual Father's Day Breakfast last Friday. It was another successful event, and it was wonderful to see so many of you there.

Year 6 to 7 Transition

We appreciate the families who attended the tour and talk last Wednesday. We also want to thank our Year 6 students for visiting last week to learn more about secondary school life. We have more transition days planned for the end of this term in Week 10, followed by 'Sample of Secondary' taster sessions in Weeks 2 and 3 of Term 4.

Service in the Community

Legacy Merchandise Selling

The Legacy fundraising last Friday provided opportunities for our students to contribute to the local community. Their generosity, cooperation and willingness to be involved in community activities are commendable and a positive reflection on the students. It is hoped that as they mature into adults, they will continue to give their time to volunteer work. Collectively, the students raised $2,746.85. Congratulations toto all students. The Holy Trinity group of Halina, Lilly & Angus collected $1,521.55 and is now the record holder for the most money collected for merchandise selling.

Thank you to the following Year 10 students and Mrs Hollis.

Kendall	Baker
Levi	Bischoff
Sasha	Bryant
Laura	Cameron
Alexzel	Cleary
Josie	Harvey
Halina	Huynh
Lilly	Johnson
Angus	Norman
Hannah	Sanderson
Justin	Sunar
Georgina	Taylor
Cooper	Wilson

Modern Conflicts Memorial

Thank you to our SRC members, Sasha Bryant and Halina Huynh, who were able to represent the school and attend the Modern Conflicts Memorial on Saturday afternoon.

Future Made New England Industry Tours

Thank you to Mrs Townsend for organising students to participate in the "Future Made" program. This initiative allowed our Year 9 and 10 students to visit several businesses in Inverell to explore various career options.

HSIE Field Trips

Year 10

Year 10 students, led by Mrs East, visited Lake Inverell as part of their Geography studies. They assessed the water quality and health of the lake's ecosystem. A special thank you to Mr Walsh from LLS, who spoke to the students and helped them with the water quality testing and analysis.

Year 8

Our Year 8 students, accompanied by Mrs East and Mr Jeffery, also visited the local water treatment plant and wastewater management plant to better understand this critical process. Thanks to Matthew, Matthew and Glen at Inverell Water Treatment Plant, and Ryan and Craig at Inverell Sewage Treatment Plant.

Year 8 & 9 Christian Living Days

Thanks to Mrs Guest and the Religious Education teachers for planning and running this week's Christian Living Days. The students had a fantastic time and enjoyed the program delivered by the La Sallians.

R U OK? Day

This year, R U OK? Day is on Thursday 11 September. Students will wear their sports uniform and a touch of yellow. Students can also wear a jersey to raise awareness for Organ Donation by supporting Jersey Day. Our secondary students will participate in fun sports activities with their year groups, followed by a live Zoom 30-minute presentation with a Kids Helpline counsellor. The event will conclude with hot chips for each year group. Please check the flyer that was given to your child for more information. If you do not wish for your child to watch the Zoom presentation, please return the slip to Mrs East.

Details of the online session are below.

Year 8 RE: Signs, Symbols, Ceremonies and Celebrations

Year 8 Religion classes have just commenced a new unit, Sacraments of Initiation. The content outlines the importance of signs and symbols, gestures and actions. Today, Year 8 had Linden McGrady, Inverell Clontarf Academy Director, as a guest speaker. Before Inverell, Linden was the Clontarf Director at Gunbalanya in West Arnhem Land

In the first week, Linden and his wife Bernice arrived in Gunbalanya, they were asked to attend a ceremony of initiation for 3 of the local senior primary boys. Linden outlined to the Holy Trinity students the traditions and celebrations that took place before the ceremony, during, and after the ceremony, and how the boys rejoined their community and school. Linden also mentioned the impact the ceremony had on the boys regarding their future and the men they were developing into.

The whole community is engaged in the initiation ceremony, and they all act as witnesses and supporters. The boys are not allowed to cry or make noise while they are being initiated. You may have noticed the white sand in the front yard of the boy's home. The sand is laid there before the ceremony, and a crocodile nest is built as the location for the initiation ceremony. After the ceremony, the young men spend time out bush with the local medicine man before they return to their community. For a period of time, they are not allowed to mix or communicate with other family members or female members of their class.

First-hand experience is so valuable, and Holy Trinity is very lucky to have had Linden speak with our students today. They gained new knowledge and a greater awareness of Aboriginal culture and the importance of ceremony.

Mr Sean Baldwin

Good Luck to Our Teams!

We wish the best of luck to our students participating in the upcoming events:

U14s Rugby League Team: Travelling to Bathurst for the state small schools' final.
Netball Teams: Our Years 7 & 8 and Years 9 & 10 teams are heading to Tamworth for the regional final of the Netball Schools' Cup.
Chess Team: Competing at O'Connor in Armidale.
Holy Trinity Show Team: Heading to the Glen Innes Beef Extravaganza.

Attendance Matters

Student Learning Plans

Students Driving Their Learning

We are excited to share a new initiative in our Pastoral Care classes, where students are developing their own personal learning plans.

This process is designed to help students work towards driving their own learning and becoming active participants in their educational journey.

We are encouraging students to move beyond simply participating (paying attention, listening, and getting work done) to a deeper level of engagement.

This includes investing in their education by being interested, enjoying the process, wanting to improve, putting in effort, and taking on new challenges.

Ultimately, the goal is for students to drive their own learning by seeking and using feedback, asking for help when needed, self-assessing their progress, and understanding what learning strategies work best for them. This will empower them to take greater ownership of their academic success.

Participating: Paying attention, listening, getting work done.
Investing: Being interested, enjoying learning, wanting to improve, putting in effort, taking risks.
Driving: Seeking/using feedback, seeking help, self-assessment, understanding what works for them.

The Learning Plans will be completed over the next couple of weeks, and we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about their goals.

Stage 6 Links

16.05.2025 SENIOR STUDIES HANDBOOK 2026.pdf

Summer Uniform

With the arrival of Spring, students can wear their summer uniform. We remind students to wear either summer or winter uniform, not a mixture of both. It is also advisable to check the forecast as early Spring weather is often a time with great temperature fluctuations. The lost property bin in the Secondary staffroom has a number of jackets and other items of clothing. Please check in the coming days, as at the end of term, all items will be taken to St Vincent de Paul.

Year 8 and 9 Excursions

Instalments can be paid on Compass for the Term 3 excursions to the Aussie Bush Camp (Year 8) and Sydney (Year 9).

STUDY SKILLS TIPS

Helping Out a Stressed Child

Many parents feel powerless to help when their child is stressed and overwhelmed about their schoolwork. It is not just senior students who experience this level of stress; research indicates that for some students, this starts as early as Year 7. If your child is experiencing stress and anxiety related to their schoolwork, here are some strategies you can try.

1. FIND OUT MORE: Try to discover what it is that is causing the most anxiety. Does your student feel anxious about tests or assignments? Are they struggling to plan and manage their workload? Are they finding a particular subject difficult? It is very difficult to address the issue until you really uncover what the issue is. If they do not want to discuss with their parents, you may find asking a teacher who they like and respect to talk to them may lead to a better outcome.

2. LET THE SCHOOL KNOW: Next talk to your child's tutor or a teacher that is responsible for your child's year group. You can either ask the school to investigate further and even take action to address the issue, or you can ask them to keep it confidential as you are just wanting to make them aware of the issue.

3. DECIDE STRATEGIES: Once the problem is clear, next step is to decide what strategies to try (and you may need to try multiple strategies over time). You may have some ideas of things your child could try, you may find some ideas on the Study Skills Handbook site, or you may need to talk to teachers to learn from their expertise.

4. DON'T GIVE UP: If a strategy doesn't work, then try something different. Different people will have different suggestions so google or talk to lots of teachers or other parents about the issue and see if they have other ideas you could try.

5. CONSIDER EXTRA SUPPORT: Your child may need additional support. For example from a school counsellor, or a psychologist or a tutor. Make sure you are clear about the issue so you can find the right person to provide the additional support your child needs.

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 BBailey'soffice, 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.