Heavenly Father, This third week of Advent, let us remember that the good news of Jesus’ birth brings us great joy this Christmas season. Our joy isn’t dependent on what is going on in our lives, in our world, or the people that we are with. It doesn’t depend on the gifts we give or the gifts we find under the tree. No earthly thing can ever give us complete joy. Our joy comes from you. That joy that flooded the hearts of the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, the hosts of heaven, and Mary and Joseph is the joy that still has the power to overwhelm our hearts with rejoicing. Amen.

Dear Friends,

This week began with a beautiful sharing of the Nativity story from our Kindergarten children.  It warmed my heart to see so many parent, grandparents and friends at this assembly.  Thank you to our Kinder team- Catherine Joy, Carlee Tonkin and Janice McDevitt.

It is hard to believe that I am writing the last formal newsletter for 2023!  (Next week will be a shorter edition as we will be sending home the 2023 Year Book!).  Words cannot express my gratitude for all that each of you have given to our Holy Trinity community this year. This was particularly evident with our school fete, the result of many hours of preparation from a significant amount of volunteers. Speaking of volunteers, I very much encourage you to read on to our P and F section re the clothing pool- this vital service has been supported by Ginny Tapia and a small amount of parents.  Can I please ask if you are able to hep here for 2024, it would be very much appreciated. 

SCHOOL FEES FOR 2024

The Catholic Education Commission in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn has recommended a restructuring of how school fees are determined for ACT Primary schools.  Catholic Education is very conscious of the current cost of living pressures and has worked hard to keep fees to a minimum.  However, we are not immune from rising costs and unfortunately need to pass on some of these costs in the form of increases in school fees.

School fees for 2024 for Holy Trinity Primary School are shown in the table below.  The school fee in 2024 will include the tuition fee and all school-based levies. CE have also reviewed and updated the arrangements for family discounts, which are included in the school fee for 2024. The only other levies to be added will be school camps, (Year 4, 5, 6) and Water Safety (Year K-5).

Your school fees are used to support the delivery of high-quality education and maintain and improve facilities, including the funding of all staff and the maintenance and improvement of facilities at the school.  Voluntary contributions to the Canberra Catholic Schools Build Fund (CCSBF) will be $210 per term for those families that opt-in to make a contribution to the CCSBF.

Our students continue to benefit from a high-quality educational experience and a wide range of learning and co-curricular opportunities.  This commitment to learning combined with knowing each child continues to nurture the growth and development of every child.

We are very mindful of the impact that any fee increase can have on families. We have carefully considered these impacts in setting 2024 school fees and have attempted to keep the increases to a minimum. If you have any concern that fees in 2024 may cause hardship for you and your family, I encourage you to contact me for a confidential discussion on the assistance available to support your child.

We value your partnership, and we sincerely thank you for your continued support of our school. If you have any questions about school fees or require assistance on any other matter, please do not hesitate to me.

Staffing for  2024 at Holy Trinity 

Next Tuesday afternoon our students have the opportunity to meet their class teacher for 2024 and spend some time in their new class group. I will then send class lists home via email at the end of next week. 

Principal                                       Philippa Brearley

Assistant Principal/PYP               Prue Sheargold

REC                                               Emily Capper

Coordinator/PYP                          Tom O’Rourke

ELC Director                                 Cushla Sheehan

ELC Ground Parrots                      Justine Angus/Lucy Washington

ELC Black Cockatoos                    Jarrah Chapman/Catherine Cusack/ Lin Fu

ELC Rock Wallabies                       Mary-Anne Winchester/Natalie Fletcher/ Lin Fu

KG                                                  Catherine Joy                  

KR                                                  Carlee Tonkin/Emily Capper (ECT Release)

KW                                                 Michael Prosper

1G                                                  Georgia Tredgold           

1R                                                  Candace Goffin

2G                                                  Camille Gerbich

2R                                                    Caitlin Meany

3G                                                   Michael Feerick

3R                                                   Ethan Hart/Liam Cashion

3W                                                  Heidi White

4R                                                  Ben Davis (Liam Cashion sport release)

4G                                                    Lisa Binutti-Wilson/Liam Cashion (Friday)

5G                                                   Rachael McCann/ Mel Punyer (Friday) 

5R                                                   Brendan Roweth

6G                                                   Maddy Winter/Liam Cashion 

6R                                                   Jaimi Hudson/ Tom O’Rourke

Office Manager                              Nicole Napier

Assistant Office Manager            Gordana Grubesic

Office Manager ELC                      Nancy Konidaris

Library                                           Kate Mertz

Italian                                            Antonija Rover

Music                                             Jenny Groom

Classroom Support Teachers      Rose Lee, Janice McDevitt, Kate Lategui

Classroom Support Assistants    Penny Ford/Anastasia Kalokerinos /Faith McCulloch

Thank you to our families who were able to attend the Curtin Community Carols on the Block last Saturday night in our school hall.  Thank you to our parents who helped with the BBQ,  and to Jenny Groom who organised our school choir to perform. We will be sharing with all families via Compass next Wednesday, our school Christmas Carols concert!

Graduation Mass

Just a reminder for our Year 5 and 6 families that Graduation Mass is next Tuesday, 12th of December at 12pm. We look forward to seeing you there. 

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day of collection for our annual St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Each classroom has a basket for the items to be placed in. We thank you for your generosity at this time!! 

This year, we are selling Charity Calendars to raise funds for GSP. The photos in the calendar were taken whilst on Safari in Africa by our founders, Simon and Jann Carroll.

They are only $25 (incl shipping) if you purchase online or only $20 if you purchase at the front office! They are the perfect gift for family, friends and colleagues, all whilst raising money for a good cause.

ELC School Holiday Program

The ELC will re-open on Monday 15 January for the School Holiday Program for 2024 Preschoolers. There are limited places available for current families that require care over that period, for some or all days. The program is available from 15-30 January (the school year begins on Wednesday 31st January). Please click on the link here to book.

Early Childhood Australia's Statement on Play

The ECA's Statement on Play reflects the commitment to protect and promote the right of every child in Australia to play. The Statement draws on robust evidence from diverse disciplines on the essential nature of play and its impact on every child's wellbeing, learning and development. This includes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the child's right to play.

Each week the Newsletter will contain one of the 6 principles to promote and protect play for parents and carers.

PRINCIPLE SIX

Children’s right to play is our collective responsibility: all adults have a role in understanding, protecting and valuing the importance of play for every child, in every community.

What steps can we take at home?

• Adults can help to ensure that children’s play is fun, safe, fair and includes everyone who wants to participate.
• If you don’t understand play or feel confident about ways to encourage play, consider talking with or watching how an educator or another family goes about it.
• Be aware of your own impact on play; focus on the meaning of play for your child and on the child’s interests over adult interests.

• Insist on your child’s right to play and encourage other children’s play.
• Encourage governments and decision-makers, businesses, community organisations, professionals, museums, venues and public institutions to offer play-friendly spaces and resources that support your child’s and your family’s participation as equals in the community.

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.

Uniform shop opening hours

Thank you to those who visited the uniform shop on Tuesday! We had a busy morning, along with a large number of classroom deliveries.

The uniform shop is now closed for 2023. We will open on Sunday 21 January 2024 for collection of orders placed between Friday 1 December 2034 to 2pm  Friday 19 January 2024 through the QKR! App. 

General in-store shopping will also be available on this day.

If you are collecting an order on Sunday 21 January, please book a time via the SignUp link https://signup.com/go/QvdRFFr 

Any orders not collected on this day will be left at the front office for collection.

The uniform shop is managed by parent volunteers and we need volunteers for 2024! If you are able to help, please email holytrinityuniformshop@gmail.com.

Students and staff celebrating until the end of this year are: Seremaia B, Amith R, Josh J, Henry Mc, Ella F, Robert N, Sia K, Sophia M, Ted S, Audrey G, Isaac T, Emilia T, Francis S, Alexander H, Odin M, Audrey C, Connor O, Zane N, Martin B, Maggie P, Alexander V, Hannah M, James G, Grace M, Levi L, Miss Gray, Mr Feerick, Mrs Lategui, Mr Roweth