PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Welcome back to 2021!

It is lovely to see all our students back at school. We welcome our new students and families and are excited to welcome our Kindergarten students tomorrow. 

Uniform Change

All students wear their sports uniform on Thursday this week and next.

Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming Carnival will be held next Thursday. It will be held during the school day and not a twilight as in previous years. Notes will be sent home to Year 2-10 in the coming days outlining the details.  Unfortunately, families will not be able to attend due to the COVID -19 guidelines that are required of the pool and the school

Communication between home and school

There are a number of ways to keep in touch with what is happening at school. It is really important to read the fortnightly newsletter which will be published in Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 of each term. This can be found electronically on Facebook and COMPASS. If you would like a paper copy sent home with your child please contact the Front Office.

Other ways to keep in touch are:

Facebook - search for Holy Trinity School Inverell 

Instagram - our library uses this platform - search for htsinverelllibrary

Class Dojo app - K-6 classes use this for messaging families about class-specific information

We no longer have the Skoolbag app.

Importantly, all families need to subscribe to our COMPASS portal. Regular information comes from this site to families. Each family is given a login. If you have lost your login details or are having difficulty logging in please call our Front Office staff for assistance. We had a large number of families log on towards the end of 2020. We will be using more of the COMPASS features in 2021.

Families handbook

Our 2021 Family handbook is available for all families. This booklet has the names of staff members and general procedures for our school. I have attached an electronic copy. If you would like a paper copy please call into the Front Office.

Term 1 events

Wednesday 3 February at 5:00 pm - P and F Meeting in the Library (new families welcome!)

Wednesday 10 February at 9:15 am - School Leaders Induction Mass in the school hall

Thursday 11 February  - School Swimming Carnival at the town pool for Year 2-10 

Monday 15 February - K-6 Meet and Greet 5-6pm

Ash Wednesday 17 February

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 16-18 February - Real Talk visit and family sessions

March 2 and 3 School photos

Thursday 25 February  Year 7 Welcome BBQ

Term Dates and Pupil Free Days 2021

Term 1 ends Thursday 1st April

Term 2 starts on 19 April and ends on Thursday 24  June as 25 June is a Pupil Free Day.

Term 3 begins on Tuesday 13 July as Monday 12 is a Pupil Free Day and ends on 17 September.

Term 4 begins on Tuesday 5 October as Monday is a Public Holiday and ends on Wednesday 15 December.

COVID-19

I have attached the COVID guidelines sent home yesterday for your reference. It is important to remember to keep your child at home if they are unwell and if they have even mild COVID-19 symptoms or respiratory illness. They need to be tested and a negative COVID -19 result is presented to the school before they return.

Our bubblers are now operating but we encourage students to still bring their own water bottles for re-filling. Please do not send glass water to school - they break!

Families must still wait outside the school at drop off and pick up unless they are dropping Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 to their classroom. This procedure is for the start of the school year only. 

Permission forms

A number of notes have gone home to help us with correct administration and procedures. Please return as soon as possible:

CSO Media Permission Form

General Permission Note and Details Update

Medical procedures for students who have listed on their enrolment form that they have a medical need. 

Attendance 

A reminder that it is a family's responsibility to inform the school if their child is absent from school. Please contact the school in a timely manner to let us know why they were away. This can be done by phone call, note, email or responding to the SMS sent home on the day of absence. 

Being on time for school is really important. At the beginning of the day, teachers set the plan for the day and give guidance and reminders. We ask that families make every effort to be on time. Students who arrive after the bell must sign in at the Front Office so our attendance data is accurate.

2021 Fees

Attached are our procedures for paying fees and our fee schedule for 2021. It is important that families who have a direct debit adjust their payments to take into account the increase in fees for 2021. Our Front Office staff are happy to help you with this.  Our Term 1 fee accounts will be sent out on Monday 15 February and must be paid by the due date. If you have any concerns regarding fee payment please contact me.

Uniform and shop hours

Our normal uniform shop hours are:

Monday 8:30 am to 10:30 am

Wednesday 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm

Friday 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Due to staffing, the shop has a change to their hours in  Week 4 and 5. Please make note of these changes

Monday 15/2 as normal

Tuesday 16/2 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Wednesday 17/2 as normal

Friday 19/2 - closed 

Monday 22/2 - closed

Wednesday 24/2 as normal

Please contact me if there is an emergency during this time.

Vacant positions at HTS

The Alinta Uniform shop has a position vacant. The details can be found at this site:

In the coming days, we will be advertising an Educational Assistant position to support our ESL students. Details for the position will be placed on COMPASS and our Facebook page.

Canteen

Orders for the canteen are completed through the app "flexischools" - please search for this app. Cash is only used at the canteen for purchases by students at snack and recess.

Bus travel

Students who travel on town buses are reminded that they need to pick up their bus passes from Inverell Bus Depot in Brissett St.

Living Well, Learning Well

This year we are implementing a new positive and productive behaviour document in the Armidale Diocesan Schools. We have new signs up and around our school promoting our three "Rules for Living":

I am safe

I am respected, valued and cared for

I am a learner.

I have attached an outline of these rules for students for your information. Over the coming term, I will be putting regular information in the newsletter to help you understand our processes. Copies of the whole document will be available at our welcome to school family events.

Thank you for your generosity 

Our family's generosity is amazing. We received a plaque in the holidays from the Heart Foundation thanking us for the $10000 our school raised in the Jump Rope for Heart in 2020. Before Christmas, I received this email from the President of  the Saint Vincent de Paul Society Care and Support team:

"Sincere thanks from the SVDP Care & Support Team for your school’s generosity this year in our Xmas appeal. We handed out 50 pre-packed hampers stacked exclusively with Xmas goodies from HTS valued at about $45 each. Together with the Xmas cheque of over $2000, you can appreciate the significance of the Trinity contribution this year to helping those doing it tough in town. The funds will be directed to the purchase of linen, blankets & doonas in readiness for next winter. The new hampers were brilliant this year, going the tasty treats option rather than tinned food and groceries. 

Well done to everyone!

Contact me...

67224066 ask to speak with Cathy, my Secretary to make an appointment.