In The Spirit

Principal's Message

Welcome to Semester 2

Welcome back to all boys and their families as we look forward to a positive and productive second half of the year. 

 

Term 3 is a very important time as students make important choices regarding Elective subjects and choosing senior courses for next year. Our Leaving Class of Year 12 students will be challenged to ‘pick up the pace’ as they move towards completing their respective courses, finalise work projects and portfolios, or begin preparing for important examinations later in the year. Regardless of which pathway they have chosen, this Term should be viewed as the culmination of many years of endeavour and application. As they progress towards their graduation, we pray that each of them is able to reflect upon their journey with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. In what has been a somewhat unsettled journey over these past few years, our Senior boys have been wonderful role models and I am very confident that they will continue to work hard as they strive to achieve their best in all areas. 

 

Our Year 10 boys will also have a special focus during this Term as they formally begin the process of career guidance and course selection. The decisions that they make will be important in ensuring they enjoy a sense of purpose and fulfilment as they prepare to graduate from Trinity College two years from now. We trust that they will reflect on all advice given to them, research all available options, and we wish them the gift of discernment at this time. 

 

Personalised Course Counselling appointments for each Year 10 student have now commenced and this process will continue over the next week or so. This provides an important opportunity for each boy and his parents to meet with a key staff member in order to discuss his current progress, and explore possible future directions and likely future success. The addition of a consistently applied matrix for assessing Student Work Attributes and the associated calculation of a student’s Attribute Point Average (APA) will certainly help in such academic goal setting and course selection considerations. The APA was included on all Student Reports. It provides a general picture of how well a student is engaging in his schoolwork, behaving appropriately in class, contributing to the learning process, relating positively to peers and staff, managing their own learning and striving for personal excellence. 

 

In a similar way, our Year 6 boys will begin specific work and examine different learning styles that prepares them for the transition into secondary school. The College has embarked on a new program of Transition to Secondary School; we look forward to progressing this throughout the semester and wish the boys well at this important stage of their educational journey. 

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Year 7-12 parents who made appointments to meet with respective College staff at the Online Parent | Teacher | Student Interviews earlier this week. These occasions allow for meaningful and constructive conversations about student progress, and highlight the importance of positive family/College relationships. Valuable information about your child’s progress can always be obtained through direct communication with respective teachers. I strongly encourage parents to stay in regular contact with teachers through personal interviews or via the telephone or email. 

 

I wish all our boys well for a most successful Semester 2, and trust that due reward will follow on from their hard work and focused application.

 

Staffing News

The start of term usually brings with it some significant changes in staffing. Throughout this Term, Mr Craig Adams, Mr Kenny Chan (weeks 1-2), Miss Joanna Creighton (weeks 4-10), Ms Gabrielle Ietto (weeks 1-3), Mrs Jena McDowall (weeks 1-5), Mr Barry McKenna, Mr Corey Miskiewicz, Mr Ryan Redfern and Mrs Marya Stewart will all be enjoying some periods of leave. We wish them well on their respective extended break. 

 

We extend a very warm welcome to a number of staff members who have commenced at our College at the start of Term 3:

  • Ms Bree Villella – Teacher, Humanities (Term 3)
  • Mr Gordon Dean – Teacher, RE (Term 3)
  • Mrs Claudia Kelly – Teacher, English (Term 3)
  • Miss Jessica Kelly – Student Services Officer (Term 3)
  • Ms Erika Adriomi – Italian Exchange Assistant (Term 3)
  • Mr Jaxon Illman – Teacher, Maths (Terms 3 & 4)

We also welcome back Mr Ray Kosovich, Mrs Janelle Chapman, Mrs Sonia Scordo, Mrs Judy Dawson, Mr Ryan Lockyer and Mr Edward York who are returning from extended leave. 

 

Live Jesus in our hearts.

 

Mr Darren O’Neill 

Principal