Dear Friends,

Welcome to Week 8, where we began the week celebrating Harmony Day, welcoming the  the opportunity to recognise, appreciate and embrace our diversity. On Monday morning 4 Green shared a prayer assembly about Harmony Day with the school as follows: 

At the start of our assembly some students welcomed guests in the languages they speak at home. In Malayalam, welcome is സ്വാഗതം. In Greek, welcome is καλως ΗΡΘΑΤΕ. It was a great experience hearing some students confidently speak in their mother tongue.

During our assembly 4 Green also performed a skit to a book called Dots. The story of dots shows the separation between two dot communities. The story shows us how one community cares and nurtures for the other community to build them up. The story shows us that we can come together in harmony to help those who are less fortunate. As Saint Paul says in his letter these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Prue Sheargold and Tom O'Rourke as PYP Coordinators and myself were also privileged this week to attend the Australasia IB Global Conference in Adelaide.  The conference was attended by over 340 IB schools across 34 countries in our Australasia IB school network.  The theme of the conference was "Education for an inclusive future", and we attended workshops and key note presentations focussing on the notion that our evolving education landscapes require critical conversations that challenge us to be more open and forward thinking in our approach to learning and teaching.  The benefit of varied perspectives enhances and broadens access to education, holistic perspectives and the adoption of technologies.  Through these differences, the global education community can continue empowering an entrepreneurial generation of change-makers who are equipped to refine their future. It is always life giving as an educator to be able to engage in professional learning and networking with such creative and resourceful IB educators across Australia and Asia, particularly within the PYP schools like our own. 

 Soon we will be approaching 2024 enrolment period across Canberra for Catholic and Independent Schools.The main aim of this time is to raise awareness of the wonderful opportunities that Catholic schools provide, and to celebrate our history, our distinctiveness and our many achievements. This is an important time for us at Holy Trinity to celebrate, reflect and prepare for the future.  We have plans for every aspect of the school: curriculum, learning and teaching, ICT, sport and community development and all parents, students and staff are included in these plans. 

 We want to continue to be a school where each person, boys and girls, from our ELC to Year 6, is valued as they grow and learn. One of the dilemmas that parents face as they plan for their boys’ future is decisions around schooling choices, mainly because of the trend for a small number of boys to leave our school in Year 4. It is not true that many boys leave at the end of Year 3 - over the past few years more and more Year 3 boys have remained at Holy Trinity. It is interesting to note that parents’ decision to leave at the end of Year 3, is rarely related to what the school offers through its recognised education program, leadership opportunities, community spirit, sport opportunities and co-curricular, but the major perception that all boys go at Year 4 and/or have difficulty settling in Year 7.

 In conversations and presentations, we have highlighted that no boy coming from a Catholic school has missed out being enrolled in a Catholic High school in Year 7. The experience of parents of boys who have completed their primary education at Holy Trinity has been extremely positive. The boys have started high school with confidence, independence, and essential transferable skills developed through our outstanding Primary years Program, as an International Baccalaureate school.  After the first week all are integrated well into the school and there is no discernible difference.  They have also said that the boys have benefitted from the leadership opportunities and relationships with the girls in their class.  Some parents have then chosen co- education settings for their children after Year 6. Canberra has many opportunities for choice for both boys and girls.

Holy Trinity has a wonderful community spirit which is reflected in the school. With this spirit in mind, I would like to encourage open discussion of this topic with a view that parents can make an informed decision that is best for their child. We respect every parents’ decision to follow the story they plan and hope for their children. If you would like any further information to assist you with this decision or would like to discuss any issue raised in this letter, please feel free to come and talk to me or send me an email.

Tomorrow from 3:30-5:30pm we hope to hold our working bee for our school and ELC, followed by some refreshments and sausages.  A the moment the weather is tricky-  we will make a call around lunch time tomorrow to see whether we will need to postpone to the following Friday or go ahead as planned. 

Have a wonderful weekend and a peace-filled week ahead with your beautiful families. 

Philippa 

Easter Raffle

A big thank you to our Year 3 and 4 families for the generous donations for our Easter Raffle. Donations can still be dropped off to their classrooms until the end of the week.

Our Year 6 leaders will be selling tickets for all students before school and during lunch, starting Monday next week (Week 9)

All money raised will be donated to Caritas Australia - Project Compassion.

Project Compassion launched on Shrove Tuesday, marking the beginning of the season of kindness and compassion towards communities who need it most. Both the parish and school continue to discuss stories from Caritas Australia and how we can make a difference to the loves of those who need it most.

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today impacts the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.  We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of Project Compassion. Each family can send coins in to put in the class Project Compassion box, receive a Project Compassion box and/or a set of envelopes for donations at mass or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

Reconciliation Retreat Day

Emily Capper

Religious Education Coordinator

School Holiday Program 

The ELC will be running a School Holiday Program for preschoolers and Kindergarten aged children in the upcoming school holiday period, including the student free day Monday 24 April. If you would like to book your child into the program please find the booking link here.

Before and After School Care

The ELC currently has available places in the Preschool Plus/Before School Care and After School Care programs. If you would like to enrol your child, either casually or permanently, please email elc.holytrinity@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Stay and Play

Stay and Play is a playgroup for pre-preschoolers and their carer each Wednesday in school term 9am-10am in the ELC Adventure Garden (weather permitting). All families and the broader community are welcome to attend.

Important Dates - Linked to School Calendar

*Please note that dates can change through out the term