Jesus Christ, our greatest teacher, call us to share and witness to our faith, build inclusive communities and deliver contemporary quality learning opportunities for every person. Loving God, rejoice with us as we bear witness to your Kingdom each day in our schools and homes, Amen.

Dear Parents, Staff and Students.

It is hard to believe that we are past the half way mark of Term 1 already!  I would firstly like to thank all of our community for the wonderful and positive start we have had in the first half of this term.  I would like to particularly acknowledge the work of Jennifer Graham and other members of the P and F who helped organise a fabulous movie night a couple of weeks ago.  Thank you also to Jill Rasmusssen who has, once again, spent many hours organising our Hoy Trinity Student Directory for 2018.  This is a great resource for our families that I know many parents refer to consistently.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome back Mel Cupitt, who has returned to school as Mrs Pun (Punyer).  Congratulations to Mel and Neil on their recent marriage, we wish them a lifetime of happiness together.  

As we approach the end of the 6^th week of term many classes are finishing their first inquiry unit in our PYP program.  Throughout the year we will be giving parents opportunities to attend information nights about our Primary Years Program in the IB, so there is a better understanding of the learning at our school and the language we use together daily within this framework.  Many of our parents with daughters will be please to know that the principal of Merici College, Loretta Wholley, announced this week that the college is a candidate for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Years Program.  This will enable a pathway for some of our students wishing to continue the IB program in a Catholic High school in Canberra.

One of our major goals at Holy Trinity is to continue to create a learning environment that strives for academic excellence.  This learning journey is not just for our students but for all in our community.  As a part of this learning, we also extend opportunities to support parents.  This week we offered parents an opportunity to participate in a literacy information session to help with literacy learning at home.  The focus was particularly with reading, ensuring strategies taught at school are consistently reinforced.  I thank those parents who took this opportunity and I hope they gained useful information from these sessions.  Please click here if you would like to access the booklet that was handed out at this session.

Thank you to parents who have taken the opportunity to become more involved with, and aware of ,  their child’s learning through the Seesaw App.  Thank you also to those who attended Parent Partnership meetings last week and gave teachers important information about their child and their learning needs.  If you have been unable to make contact yet with your child’s teacher/s, this term, I encourage you to still do so in the next couple of weeks.   As the timetable for these interviews have now closed, please contact teachers via email for an appointment.  The next time we will schedule interviews across the school will be in Week 8, next term, before Semester 1 reports are sent home. Of course, parents are welcome at any time as necessary to make an appointment to see teachers, outside of formal interview schedules.

For parents in Year 3 and 5 please ensure you read the NAPLAN brochure linked to the article in this week’s newsletter.  Please note that students with a disability may qualify for adjustments that reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments. Where applicable, you should first discuss the use of any disability adjustments for your child with your child’s teacher.

Please keep Antonija Rover, our Italian teacher in your prayers, as her mother-in-law has recently passed away.

Before I go, just a little “take-away” from Tuesday’s literacy support presentation:

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”

(Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook: Seventh Edition)

Enjoy reading aloud to your beautiful children, as we do with them every day!

REMINDERS:

All these important reminders are for the safety and well-being of all in our school.

• No Hat No Play
• Lost property crate is now situated outside Mrs Brearley’ s Office
• ICAS information for 2018 has been sent to all parents via Schoolzine Szapp
• Year 5/6 Camp notes have been sent our via Schoolzine Szapp

Parish School Mass- THIS SATURDAY 17^th March 6pm

Holy Trinity’s Term One Parish School Mass is this Saturday at 6pm followed by supper. Thank you to the Year One families who will be providing supper and helping with the set up and packing away.

Holy Trinity’s Lenten Journey

Please come and take a closer look at what different year levels are undertaking in their classrooms during this Lenten season.  

Project Compassion- Easter raffle

As a community we have already raised approximately $170 from the dominations collected from the Project Compassion boxes. During Week 8, Year 1 students, (assisted by our 5/6 students) will be selling raffle tickets to students to win one of our Easter Raffle Baskets. The Easter Raffle Baskets are produced from Easter eggs donated by our Year One families.

ANZAC and Peace Essay and Ceremony

Well done to the 5/6 students who submitted an ANZAC and Peace Day Essay.  Claire, Ani, Hannah and Rosie’s essays were well planned, researched and written. The four students will accompany me to the ANZAC and Peace Day Ceremony in April.

You will find all our upcoming Religious Education Celebrations in our School Calendar

Community Council The ELC is establishing a Community Council of parents who would be invested in helping shape Centre decisions, assist in the ELC self-assessment and provide input into our continual quality improvement. It is open for all parents/carers of ELC children or Primary aged children who are in the BSC or ASC programs. The first meeting will be held on 12 April at 7pm. The night will have a social element with wine and cheese on offer.

School Holiday Program Booking forms have been distributed in children’s sleeves/pockets this week and are available electronically by request. First priority will be given to ELC children, then remaining places are offered to primary aged children. Please return booking forms promptly to avoid disappointment.

IGNORING SOMEONE WHO IS ANNOYING YOU    by Michael Grose

Teasing is common in schools, just as it is in families.

It would be great to think it doesn’t exist, but it does. Sometimes teasing starts out as good natured banter but ends up annoying or with name calling. Socially-skilled people have strategies to handle provocation effectively so they are not continually provoked or annoyed. Suitable strategies include telling people to stop assertively, ignoring the annoying comments, using self-deprecating humour or moving away. Kids need a range of strategies they can use if one fails. Less socially skilled kids who are reliant on one strategy get frustrated and can lose their temper if they haven’t a range of skills to draw on.

TIPS

1 Talk to your children about the notion of behavioural pay-offs. That is, kids will usually tease or annoy others when they can predict the pay-off their behaviour receives. So if teasing is met with a rather predictable whinge they will more than likely continue the teasing because they enjoy the pay-off.

2 Kids need to develop a range of responses, and even practise them within their family.

3 One way children can respond to teasing or annoying behaviour is to stay cool, stand tall, look the other person in the eye, use a firm voice and say, “That’s enough!” or a similar, simple assertive statement. This should be practised in the mirror at home a number of times until they feel comfortable.

WINNING AND LOSING WELL   by Michael Grose

Playing games requires that you win well and lose well.

Put another way – kids need to learn to win without rubbing others’ noses in it, and lose gracefully without throwing tantrums and making excuses. Wanting to win is natural, but they need to do so in a way that they maintain a relationship with other players so they will play again. Losing may make kids feel bad, but kids need to control their negative feelings so that others will play with them again.

TIPS

1 Encourage children to keep their winning ‘low key’ and comment genuinely on the efforts of other players.

2 Winners shouldn’t boast, imply that winning was easy or remark how poorly the other side played.

3 Encourage children who lose to congratulate the winner and smile. They need to put on a ‘game face’, rather than stomp off in a bad mood.

4 Good losers keep trying even though they won’t win; don’t devalue the game and don’t whinge. They also help pack up the game when it’s over.

We are asking for parents to donate any of the following items to assist with our changes to the Kitchen Garden:

(We are looking for good quality items please) 

• PVC pipe
• Tyres – (larger tyres e.g. tractor tyres)                         
• Barrels (of a size a child could fit in)
• Musical instruments
• Saucepans
• Outdoor pillows or cushions     
                                                                
• Duplo
• Mirrors
• Beanbags – big and small
• Mud kitchen – pots, pans, cooking utensils etc
• Play Animals (plastic or wooden toy animals)
• Dress ups
• Trucks
• Paint brushes
• Buckets
• Crates
• Chalk
• Chalk paint

If you work in an area (eg. concreter, landscaper etc) we would appreciate your expertise in helping to implement our creative plans for your children.

Please deliver items to Miss Welfare’s Kindergarten Green classroom preferably by the end of Week 8.

Swimming Carnival 22^nd March Week 7

Permission notes are due back now. On Thursday 22^nd March students are required to come to school with their swimmers under their sports uniform. They can wear a coloured outfit to match their sporting house. No face paint, coloured hair or coloured zinc as it will wash off it the swimming pools. Busses depart at 9:15 and will return by 2:15. Thank you to all parents who have volunteered to help. Parents in Kinder and Year 1 you will be assisting your child’s class throughout the day. All other parent jobs will be distributed by the end of the week.

Jump Rope for Heart

On Wednesday 14^th March students from K-6 participated in a Jump Off. Students had a great time skipping to music while raising money and awareness for the Heart Foundation. Any completed sponsorship forms are due back to school now.

Coles Sports for Schools

Thank you to everyone who has donated tickets so far, we have collected over 8000 tickets! Later this year we will be able to exchange the tickets for valuable sports equipment.

Basketball

The Weston Creek Woden Dodgers girls U10 basketball team is always looking for new players (Year 2, Year 3 girls)

Training is on Monday afternoons at the old Sterling College, and games are on Sunday mornings at Tuggeranong Basketball Stadium.

Interested families can contact Mel Berg: mel@movehappy.com.au for more information

Our talented photographers will be visiting your School on:

Tuesday 27^th & Thursday 29^th March 2018

 Payment must be made before photo day 

We only photograph children who have prepaid online

 To order your School Photos it is as simple as logging onto our website and selecting from the following three options

THE SCHOOL PORTRAIT  PACKAGE

Your full package will contain 2 different individual natural outdoor photos of your child professionally printed at 5x7”  and  8 wallet size prints (4 of each portrait) a beautifully produced class photo with names 7x10’ all for only $35

SIBLING PHOTOS

We will also be taking 2 different natural outdoor sibling shots on the day if you would like a portrait of the kids together (both printed at 5x7”) for only $25

 GROUP PHOTO ONLY - $25

For those families not wishing to purchase individual photos, but still wanting a memory of your child’s school days, there is the option to purchase a class photo only. This comes as a 7”x10” print.

 To order your photos click on image and follow these instructions:

• Click on [ PREPAY ]
• Select your School
• Select your child’s Class
• Select your preferred package/s – School Portrait Pack / Sibling Photos / Group Only
• Click Prepay
• Go to View Cart
• Make sure packages ordered are correct
• Proceed to Checkout
• Once you have completed your personal information please enter your payment information. (Place Order)

 Four weeks after photo day we will return with your portraits.

Please note there has been a change in photo day for 1 Red and 2 Red classes ONLY. 

Exciting news – bonus early bird offers for our annual Entertainment Book fundraising are now available until 10 April unless sold out before!

An Entertainment Book provides a great opportunity to have fun, discounted adventures together with family and friends for 14+ months (valid 12 April 2018 to 30 June 2019) while also raising $ for HT.  20% of every membership sold is donated to our school fundraising efforts - yay to that!

Digital or hard copy entertainment books for the ACT and surrounding regions can be ordered by either:

• going to our online HT payment page (https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/232w05) for electronic completion; OR

• completing the hard copy flyer (to be sent home with your child/ren later this week) and returning to the front office or your classroom teacher as soon as possible.

Don't forget to select "Pick Up" as Delivery Option for hard copy memberships - we will send it home with your child/ren once books available.

Note: it is also possible to purchase memberships for family and friends which are valid for other states - any birthdays, special occasions, new staff relocating etc you can consider gifting entertainment book(s) to?

Thank you for your valuable support - it is genuinely appreciated.

TERM 1, WEEK 7 - WED 21 MAR 

Team Leader:  Paul Graham, Matthew Trinca, Johnny Tran, Jennifer Hinchcliffe, Michael Jurd