Dear Friends,

Welcome to the end of Week 10 and the beginnings of our end of year celebrations.  Tomorrow we look forward to celebrating the Week 10 Awards ceremony in the morning and the Year 6 final assembly in the afternoon.  Important events for the last week are as follows:

Monday 13th:

• Final Advent Prayer celebration
• Moving classrooms
• Year 5 Leadership ceremony in the church (Year 5 parents in attendance)

Tuesday 14th:

• "One Up" afternoon with current HT students only.  Children will spend the afternoon with their new teacher and class for 2022

Wednesday 15th:

• Year 6 Graduation Mass in Church (Year 6 parents in attendance) 
• Year 6 student lunch in Hall 

Thursday 16th: All students K-6 to wear sports uniform  please

• Year 6 Fun Day at Aqua Park
• Year ELC-5 Fun day at school with Obstacle Course- Thank you to Kids Biz for organising this day. 

Friday 17th:

• Last Day of 2022!
• All students ELC-Year 6 at Cotter

Congratulations to Raff and Isla who celebrated their First Eucharist last weekend!

Principal                                            Philippa Brearley

Assistant Principal/PYP                    Katie Smith

REC                                                   Emily Capper

Coordinator/PYP                              Brendon Pye

ELC Director                                     Cushla Sheehan

ELC Ground Parrots                        Justine Angus/Lucy Washington

ELC Black Cockatoos                      Jarrah Chapman/Rachael Lipscombe

ELC Rock Wallabies                        Mary-Anne Winchester/Natalie Fletcher

KG                                                       Camille Gerbich

KR                                                       Janice McDevitt

1G                                                       Tracey Hanlon   

1R                                                       Catherine Joy

1W                                                      Heidi White

2G                                                       Angela Small/ Jarrah Chapman (Friday)

2R                                                       Trina Twyford

2W                                                     Tayla Hart

3/4B                                                   Michael Feerick

3/4G                                                   Caitlin Meany/ Rachel Gallacher (Friday)

3/4R                                                   Rose Lee/Lyn Pepper-Budge (Friday)

3/4W                                                  Ben Davis

5G                                                       Rachael McCann/Simon Bugden (Friday)

5R                                                       Brendan Roweth

6G                                                       Lisa Binutti-Willson/ Brendon Pye (Friday)

6R                                                       Emily Capper/Stephanie Leemhuis (Thursday and Friday)

Office Managers                             Beulah Jud-Brettingham/Catherine Cusack/Kathy Falaras

Office Manager ELC                       Liz Bulley

Library                                               Kate Mertz (Tuesday-Friday) Simon Bugden (Monday)

Italian                                                Antonija Rover

Music                                                 Jenny Groom

Classroom Support Teachers      Jane Foley/Brendon Pye/Meg Millband

Classroom Support Assistants    Kathy Falaras/Penny Ford/Catherine Cusack Gordana Grubesic

ICT Coordinator                              Caitlin Meany

Youth Minister                                Grace Lustri       

ELC ASC Coordinator                     George Passaris

Janitor/Maintenance                    Michael – Capital Maintenance

We welcome Tayla Hart, Brendan Roweth, Jenny Groom, Rachel Gallacher and Gordana Grubesic to our school community and welcome back Jarrah for one day a week in the Primary School. We farewell Antonia Matthew who has worked for many years in our ELC and wish her every happiness in her retirement. We congratulate Rebecca Casey who has been awarded a House Coordinator and Maths teaching role at Merici and wish her continued success in her career.  We also say farewell just for 2022 to Campbell Sloane, who has taken an IT support role in CE and Kylie Baines who is taking leave for the year.  Mel Punyer will continue on maternity leave next year and we thank Anne Hitchings and Stephanie Leemhuis  for all their effort in 2W this year.  We welcome Stephanie back again next year in Year 6 with Emily Capper and Jarrah Chapman in Year 2 with Angela Small. 

At this time of year many children are excited for Christmas and enjoy sharing stories of what they are doing to celebrate. We understand that not all families celebrate Christmas or Santa, particularly those with older children. I have received some reports from concerned parents that children who do not celebrate Santa are telling this information to other children and spoiling the concept of Santa for them. I appreciate this can be a tricky issue but given its affect on families and children, one which parents within our community felt needed to be addressed. We hope you enjoy celebrating Christmas, however you choose to, with your children and families this year. 

Have a wonderful weekend and a peace-filled week ahead with your beautiful families.  Please do not hesitate to reach out for anything at all and continue to stay safe. 

Warmest wishes,

Philippa 

L'Arche Summer Fundraiser

Thank you to all who donated to L'Arche at our Summer Disco Last Friday. We raised $550!!

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

TOMORROW is the last day to bring in donations for St Vincent de Paul. Thank you to all who have donated so far! Mrs Brealey's office has never looked so full!!

Picnic at the Cotter

The ELC will join the whole school in celebrating the final day of school with a picnic at the Cotter Playground. Children will be bussed to and from the ELC between 10am-2.30pm. A risk assessment has been conducted and is available on request. All families are asked to sign the permission slip on the sign in tables. 

Cessation of Care

If you are aware that your child will be absent on their last day of attendance at the ELC in Before/After School Care or Preschool, please advise the ELC office. Children who are absent on their last day/s of care are unable to receive CCS payments for these sessions. Families may receive an additional fee statement in late December for this CCS adjustment.

School Holiday Program 

Preschool finishes on the last day of school term Friday 17 December. The ELC will remain open for the School Holiday Program on 20-21 December and the week of 24-28 January, with the exception of Australia Day 26 January.

The aim is to provide a relaxed atmosphere where the children will be able to play, participate in a variety of fun activities and interact with their peers in a safe and supportive environment. The holiday program will operate from the ELC but also make use of our local environment too. 

Please click here to book your child or children. Children in ELC, Kinder and Year One are welcome to enrol.

Before and After School Care in the ELC 2022

The ELC is now taking bookings for Before School Care (BSC) and After School Care (ASC) programs for 2022. Places are limited and are open to children in Kinder and Year One. The ELC program provides individualised care and a safe environment, promoting agency and is based on the needs and interests of the children. It also offers a variety of learning, relaxing, recreational and sporting activities. The programs are an excellent way to transition to the Primary School. Children enrolled in the BSC and ASC program are assured of a placed in the onsite ELC school holiday program. Please click here for an enrolment form and click here for the ELC Handbook.

The ELC currently has places; casual or permanent, in both the BSC and ASC programs. Please contact the ELC office elc.holytrinity@cg.catholic.edu.au for your booking needs.

Student Wellbeing

Camp:

In 2022 we will be having our camps in Term One. Year 5/6 will have their camp at the Berry Sport and Recreation Centre in Week 5 (2^nd - 4^th March). Year 3/4 will be having their camp at Birrigai (21^st-23^rd March). The Year 4 students will be sleeping both nights and the Year 3 students will participate in a day trip on the 3^rd of March to join their Year 4 friends on camp.

The school holidays will provide some excellent opportunities to practise and get ready for camp. It is very common for most students to have anxiety about school camp. In our Cool Kids program this term, we have been doing some planning for the camps in 2022 and we would love to share the strategies we have brainstormed. A way to overcome anxiety about an event is to create a stepladder. The stepladder approach or ‘gradual exposure’ is a technique to help students slowly learn to conquer their fears and tackle situations they would previously have perceived as overwhelming. It is based on the principals of exposing ourselves to the fearful situations, but by doing so in a way that allows us to achieve small successes to move ourselves up the ladder to full exposure.

Here is a Camp preparation stepladder that we created in our Cool Kids groups. I really encourage you to try the steps and help prepare your child for our 2022 camps. Click here to view the camp stepladder

New School Year and Class Transition:

Another key lesson the students have learned in our Cool Kids groups is that when we worry about things, we are making a “thinking mistake”. An event that creates tension and worries for students and parents at the end of the year is “One Up” afternoon. This is a day at the end of the year where the children find out their teacher for the following year and find out the students who will be in their new class. Every student in our group admitted that they had made a thinking mistake in the past and had worried thoughts about their new teacher and friends in their class. Every student said that their worried thoughts never came true, and they had a great year. This is an important lesson to remember. Sometimes as parents we can wear our children’s worries and think the worst. As partners in your child’s education, it is important that you positively reinforce your child’s class placement for 2022. Please remember that all the teachers have put so much time and effort into formulating the 2022 classes. We are extremely blessed to have such wonderful staff that all show genuine care and love for every student in our school.

2022 Well-Being Programs at Holy Trinity:

In 2022 we will be providing numerous wellbeing support programs. They will range from whole school, small group student intervention and small group parent support.

Social and Emotional Learning- (Whole School)

In 2022 we will begin a school wide (ELC- Year 6) social and emotional learning program. The new program aligns beautifully with our PYP framework. The new program will be linked to the approaches to learning elements: Self-management Skills and Social Skills. The new framework will see students from the ELC- Year 6 learning key social and emotional skills in a progressive continuum.

More information about our new Social and Emotional learning program will be shared with you at the start of the 2022 school year.

Cool Kids Anxiety Program (Small group student intervention). The program teaches children aged 8-12 and their parents how to better manage the child's anxiety. The program is run onsite with the students in small groups.  The program aims to teach children:

• about anxiety, fears and worries
• how to deal with worried thoughts
• about being confident around other people, including helpful ways to solve social/friendship problems
• how to cope with feelings like anxiety, or even anger and sadness.

Cool Little Kids Anxiety Program (Small group parent support). The program is for parents who have a child in the ELC-Year 2. It will be run onsite in 2022. The Program aims to improve young children’s fear and anxiety about:

• Saying hello/goodbye
• Separating from parents (e.g. at preschool)
• Playing with unfamiliar people (e.g. playdates, parties)
• Trying new activities (e.g. swimming lessons)
• Going to sleep

Seasons for Growth: (Small group student intervention). This program is an innovative, evidence-based change, loss and grief education program for students in Kinder-Year 6. The program draws on the metaphor of the seasons to understand the experience of grief. It builds the knowledge and skills necessary to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing following significant loss by:

• Exploring the impact of change and loss
• Learning about effective ways to respond and adapt

We are really looking forward to continuing our school wellbeing support journey in 2022. We value parents and family members are vital partners in this process. If you have any questions about the information above, please send me an email brendon.pye@cg.catholic.edu.au

Kind Regards

Brendon Pye

BYOD Program for 2022

Due to COVID-19 Restrictions, our 2022 3-6 BYOD Launch will not be hosted on school grounds. Therefore, I have provided all information I usually give out on the night including Acceptable Use Agreements, technical device requirements (minimum), and other information relating to our BYOD Program. If you have any further questions, please email : caitlin.meany@cg.catholic.edu.au

Holy Trinity conducted a 1:1 iPad program in place in Years 5 and 6 from 2013 – 2015. We trialed a BYOD program in Years 3/4 in 2015 and after finding it worthwhile and effective, moved into BYOD from Years 3-6 in 2016 and 2017. This has successfully continued over the past few years.

At Holy Trinity, we believe it is important that our teaching and learning reflect the needs of students in today’s current climate. Within the classroom environment, a personal device also provides the children with multiple opportunities.

Why BYOD? Our BYOD Program provides:

• More choice for parents (not just iPads)
• Increased student engagement
• Greater access to research and information
• Unlimited ways to present ideas and apply critical thinking
• Central control for robotics
• No issues of work being deleted or tampered with by sharing a device
• A personal device can be tailored to individual needs
• Continued learning from school to home
• Exposure to different operating systems
• Security of personal logins and passwords

Over the last four years, we have had extensive changes to our wireless network. This included detailed mapping of our wireless, upgrade of routers to handle heavy traffic, and the ease of connecting a variety of devices. This created a safe, reliable wireless environment to support our BYOD model for Years 3 through to 6 continuing in 2022.

Therefore, in keeping with this plan, all students in Year 3 -6 will engage in this program by bringing a personal device to school in 2022. The specifics of the devices and the rights and responsibilities associated with the program are contained in: 

• Facts and FAQs document.

• The CE Network Usage Agreement and the 1:1 Device Policies and Acceptable Use Agreements 

• Recommended Essential Apps

• Screentime- Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavioursrecommended by Australian Health Guidelines (2019)

At the start of the 2022 school year, all students in Years 3 - 6 will participate in cyber safety and digital citizenship boot camps. Depending on COVID-19 restrictions, Parent information sessions will be offered to provide parents with material regarding varying ICT topics. Once the students and parents have signed and returned the necessary acceptable use agreements, students will be permitted to bring their personal devices to school.

*If this provides difficulty for any families please contact our principal, Philippa Brearley.

Regards,

Caitlin Meany

ICT Coordinator

caitlin.meany@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Thank you to everyone who has returned their library books this week. I still have 155 books missing, so please send back any books with the HT barcode ASAP.

When looking for a lost book it might be good idea to:

1. Do an online search of the actual book to see you are looking for.
2. Come in to the library (or send an older child) and look on the shelves for the missing books.
3. Send in a note and explain what you think might have happened J

If you are sending in money to replace a book (or books) the prices are usually written on the overdue notice.

If not, we have decided a flat rate of $10 for smaller books and $20 for the big picture books. Once books have been returned or paid for names are cleared.

Next week the library is closed as I will be doing a stocktake and cull of the Early Fiction books in our library.

A big THANK YOU to the 13 beautiful parents who have covered library books throughout the year – you have been an enormous help. As a group you have covered over 300 books.

Anna Z

Ahn L

Maria T

Steph S

Nicole C

Chere H

Miriam H

Chris McC

Steph L

Megan P

Colleen N

Holiday Reading Option -Down load the Sora reading App. It is age appropriate and has a wide selection of audio, fiction, and nonfiction books.

Follow the steps listed below ?

SORA

SORA 488.25 KB