" All who are guided in the Spirit of God are children of God"

(Romans 18:14)

The Holy Spirit is the living water that quenches the thirst in our lives because the Holy Spirit tells us that we are loved by God as God's children, that we can love God as God's children and with God;s grace we can live as children of God, like Jesus. (Pope Francis Address, May 2013). 

Dear Friends,

The above reflection was taken from a book titled "Believe", with copies given  to our Confirmation candidates at the information night on Tuesday.  Thank you to all those in attendance and especially to parents, who have, once again, volunteered to host a family group.  We are one of the very few Parishes in Canberra now that still participate in Home Groups as a part of sacramental preparation.  Such a wonderful way to share this stage in our religious Faith and to link the relationships between school, home and Parish.  Tonight, members from both Parish Schools' Boards  will be meeting with the Parish Pastoral Council to also continue  developing and  strengthening our school, home, and Parish relationships. 

One of the things I value the most about being at Holy Trinity is the strong alignment between our Catholic values and the International Baccalaureate Philosophy.  As Catholics, and as a PYP school that encourages student to become active, compassionate and life long learners, service to those in our local, national and international world is a very important.  Last year, the School Board, P and F and our students committed to supporting Global School Partners, by not only sponsoring a school, Evaland Hekima, but also individual students at this school.  Last week, the ABC produced a story about GSP, using our school as a case study.  Our Year 6 Christian Outreach team from semester one that facilitated many of the fundraisers for Evaland last term,  were interviewed for this piece.  Such a proud moment for our school to listen to these students talk about actively living their faith and demonstrating that being internationally minded can help create a better world for others.  Thank you to Liam Prior, Hannah Miller, Ava Skerbic,Teah Stoddart, Madeline Danaher, Amy Winchester and Emily Capper who helped contribute to this great news piece. Please click on links below if you would like to read, see, or hear about this. 

ABC Web Story

ABC Sunday Night News Story

ABC Sunday Brunch Radio Interview

Another Student in Year 2, Chloe Bauer, recently baked biscuits and asked her father, Mark, to sell them at his work.  With these biscuits  Chloe designed a poster of information about Evaland, so that there was understanding around where the fundraising was going.  Chloe presented the school with another $50 to add to our total to present to Simon Carroll for Evaland in the coming weeks. Well done Chloe!!!  (and Mark, of course!). 

Finally, during the week, all families were sent via email, a link to the 2019 Annual Satisfaction Survey.  This is  conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese and is designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school. As in previous years, we will use data from these surveys to develop  both our school strategic and annual improvement plans in 2020 and beyond. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified. Please note that this survey closes on the  9th of August. If you have not received an email with a link to the survey, please contact our front office. 

With every best wish for a holy and peace-filled week ahead with your beautiful families,

Philippa

Sacrament of Confirmation

Thank you to those who were able to come to the Parent Information Session on Tuesday evening. Also a big thank you to Brendon, Heidi and Phil for attending the night. If you have any questions in regards to the home groups please email Catherine Grinsell-Jones WodenNorth@cg.org.au

Feast of Transfiguration

Next Tuesday Holy Trinity and St Peters and Paul will be celebrating The Feast of the Transfiguration. We warmly welcome you to join us for Mass at 12pm followed by cake to celebrate 25 years of the amalgamation of the parish. Below is some information about our Parish logo and what it symbolises: 

Thank you to those parents who have offered to cook the bbq for the students from 9:30am. Please meet me in the kitchen garden on Tuesday morning. If any other parents are able to help please send me an email at  Emily.capper@cg.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming Dates

5th August 2:20pm - Prayer Celebration 2G

6th August 12pm - Feast of the Transfiguration

8th August 2:20pm - Prayer Celebration 3/4W

Uniform

As the primary school has reviewed and re-published the uniform policy, it is timely for us to re-visit uniform expectations in the ELC. 

All children from the Early Learning Centre wear a simple, comfortable and smart uniform which will make them easily identifiable within the school and which they should feel proud to wear. The uniform is as follows:

• Royal blue hat
• Royal blue polo shirt with ELC crest
• Royal blue polar jumper with ELC crest

The children are free to wear pants/skirts and shoes of their choice. Please ensure these are comfortable and suitable for craft, running, jumping and climbing (no thongs, crocs or loose fitting shoes). 

Hair must be neat and tidy. Hair at shoulder length or longer must be tied back and secured back from the eyes to allow children to work effectively and reduce the risk of head lice.

Hair ribbons, clips and ties are to be royal blue in colour or be of the child's natural hair colour.

Toys 

There has been an increase in the toys that have been coming to school from home. Can you please remind your child and check their school bags (and pockets!) to avoid this occurring. We have ample toys in the ELC and toys from home cause upset when they are lost or misplaced. Thank you for your support in managing this.

Hats Hats Hats

The Sun Smart recommendations are for hats and sunscreen to be worn between the months of August and May. From this week children will need to have hats at school each day. Please clearly label hats on all clothing that comes to school. 

Stay and Play

Playgroup for pre-preschoolers and their families. Wednesday mornings from 9am-10.30am in the ELC Playground (weather permitting). Parents, grandparents, carers and children are all very welcome.

Developing leadership skills in your child

by Michael Grose

Your child has the potential to be a leader given the right circumstances and environment. The following five leadership skills have been observed in student leaders in Australian primary schools and can be promoted by parents at home.

Responsibility

Being a leader means that your child is willing to take responsibility and be accountable for their actions. Personal responsibility is shown when your child is accountable for their behaviour, for their belongings and for others. Practical ways to develop responsibility include:

• Giving them responsibility for part of their day
• Encouraging them to restore relationships with others when they mess up
• Taking responsibility for household chores

Communication

While most leadership positions require your child to speak publicly their communication skills can be developed through regular one-on-one or small group experiences at home and at school. Practical ways to develop your child’s communication skills include:

• One-on-one conversations with adults
• Regular discussions at the meal table
• Encourage your child to participate fully in speaking activities at school

Organisation

Personal organisational skills and the ability to organise others are important for effective leadership. Practical ways to develop organisational skills include encouraging your child to:

• Keep their personal space tidy and organised
• Use a diary to help manage their time
• Organise a weekly chores roster including all members of the family

Teamwork

Cooperating, encouraging and accepting others are essential qualities of an effective leader. Practical ways to develop a sense of teamwork include:

• Play team games where children work together
• Encourage siblings to cook and do other chores together
• Focusing on your child’s contribution to a team or group rather than individual achievement

Emotional intelligence

An underestimated quality shared by most admired leaders is their ability to remain calm when things don’t go well. This emotional intelligence skill requires self-awareness, an ability to recognise their emotions and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. You can nurture these skills in the following way:

• Help your child recognise their emotions
• Help your child recognise emotions in others
• Teach your child to shift their mood

Leaders are needed in all walks of life – at work, in school, in families, in sport and in the wider community. The skills of leadership are sewn in the first group that they belong to – their family. By encouraging your child to be a contributing member of their family you are also helping to develop leadership skills they can practise outside their family.

(Source: Parentingideas.com.au)

South Weston Athletics Carnival

The South Weston Athletics Carnival is coming up, it will take place on Wednesday the 21^stof August. Families have been informed by email if their child has qualified. Permission forms are due by the 16th August.

Dance

This week students from grades 3-6 were given the opportunity to meet a professional dancer Eilis Small, daughter of Mrs Small. Eilis is an artist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She shared her experience as a ballet dancer and answered many questions of eager students who may want to take up dancing in the future. Such a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear sbout Eilis' experiences! 

School Sport Australia Swimming Championships

Congratulations to Jessica Graham who is currently competing in Melbourne in the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships. Emily Capper is also at this meet for the week as one of the ACT Team Managers. 

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR EFFORT TO ACHIEVE A WASTE FREE SCHOOL.

Kids: it’s time to pack your own waste-free lunch

While kids’ lunches don’t have to be perfectly-assembled masterpieces, plastic food packaging such as cling wrap, zip-lock bags and chip packets end up in landfill where they may never break down. To combat this and raise awareness, many ACT schools are holding waste-free lunch days, resulting in less waste going to landfill, and cleaner playgrounds.

Example of soft plastics we see in lunch boxes everyday at Holy Trinity

Our student leaders from the Sustainability Group have decided to take action and to hold their own WEDNESDAY WASTE-FREE lunch days to promote the benefits of packing food in reusable or recyclable containers and packaging.

Sound too challenging for your household? You don’t have to put it in the ‘too hard’ basket.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU MAKE WASTE-FREE LUNCH BOXES A REALITY:

• Buy mini containers and compartment lunch boxes (small hands can help pack their own lunches!).
• Buy snacks in bulk like unsweetened yogurt, hummus, cheese or crackers, and dispense into small reusable containers as required.
• Many fruits and vegetables come wrapped in their own ‘natural packaging’, such as tomatoes, snow peas, oranges, bananas, baby cucumbers and beans.
• Include fruit and vegetables in your child’s lunchbox every day. It’s a great way to make these foods a normal part of your child’s life, which can potentially lessen waste and reduce grocery costs.
• Always pack a refillable bottle of water, or a frozen water bottle on hot days.
• Wrap sandwiches in a cloth napkin, reusable beeswax wrap or a paper bag. You could even encourage your school to make and sell beeswax wraps to raise funds for the school!
• Have children choose from a list of healthy, package-free options, and assist in making their own lunch to avoid uneaten food.
• Buy seasonal fruit and vegetables to save money and reduce food miles. Better still, grow your own!
• Avoid buying individually-wrapped snacks, squeeze pouch yoghurts and single-use sandwich bags.
• Tuna tins, yoghurt containers and juice boxes can be recycled if your school has co-mingled recycling. Ask your school for more details.

(source: HerCanberra)

When a student from Holy Trinity Primary shops at The Athlete’s Foot, the fitting experts will always ask the student what school they go to, this way we can connect their membership to Holy Trinity. Upon purchasing a pair of school shoes, we donate $5 back to the school for each purchase. 

We thank everyone in our community for supporting this program. 

       TERM 3, WEEK 3 - WED 7 AUG

Team Leader: Michael Miller, Simon Frawley, Peter Conlon, Andrew Prior, Ben Hinchcliffe