Dear Friends,

Welcome to Week 3! Thank you to all of you who have participated in our Parent Partnership meetings this week.   These meetings will ensure the best possible start to the year and establish strong school/home partnerships.  We also had some wonderful news that Ben Davis, one of our 3 /4 teachers recently became engaged!!  We wish Ben and his partner Sylvia all the best as they plan for their wedding day!

I would like to begin our newsletter this week with some reflections and sharing from our Year 6 students about about their leadership day, facilitated by the learning team at the Museum of Australian Democracy: 

Last week, the Year 6 students took part in a Leadership Day. The students had the opportunity to work closely with Steph Smith, the Learning Manager from the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. Steph and her team led us up the stairs and into the many rooms of Old Parliament House. Students were not only able to see parts of Old Parliament House but interact with Steph while she led us in a digital leadership program that explored what a leader sounds like and looks like. The students also had the opportunity to discuss how their leadership will help others in our school community through thought provoking questions, group work and interacting with each other in their house colours. Students added their thoughts to a large puzzle piece which then created a Leadership Castle. These castles are being displayed around the school for the younger students to admire and read. The Year 6 Leadership Day was a wonderful day that invigorated our school leaders to do great things in 2022.

Reflections from the Day:

Leaders stay in it and don’t give up. They keep on trying and stay positive. (Paige, 6G)

I wonder what the world would be like without leaders? (Peter, 6G)

I am keen to be a leader in my family. (Imogen, 6G)

Leaders work together. (Jess, 6G)

Ideas don’t have to be big to be great. (Owen, 6G)

Different leaders have different qualities. (Neha, 6G)

I learnt that you don’t have to be born a leader to be one. (Emily, 6G)

I really enjoyed collaborating with my leadership group and making the “Leadership Tower”. (Tim 6 R)

I liked the interactive tour that Steph took us on. It felt like we were actually at Old Parliament House viewing all of the different rooms. (Luca 6 R)

I really enjoyed working in my house group and planning new ideas for our 2022 leadership program. (Stella 6 R)

I enjoyed creating our leadership cards/posters. I liked how we could put all the leadership qualities that we value on this card. (Alyssa 6 R)

I enjoyed working with my leadership group to make the tower. This activity showed the importance of team work and collaboration. (Abagail 6 R)

Please keep the Goode family (Anastasia Yr 2, Clara Yr 1) and the Ricketts family (Emma Kinder), in your prayers, as both families have had a grandparent recently passed away.

School Theme

This year our school theme is based on Matthew 5:16 "Let Your Light Shine". Each of our classes have been spending time breaking open the school theme and engaging in conversations and learning experiences to enhance their understanding of Matthew's gospel. Each class has created a unique and meaningful prayer mat for their classroom prayer space, and these were presented at our Opening School Mass last week. You might want to engage your child in a conversation about what it means to "Let Your Light Shine".

Reconciliation

Thank you to all the families who have selected a Reconciliation Homegroup for their child. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to the parents who have kindly offered to lead one of our homegroups. These groups could not run without you! We still have some Reconciliation Homegroups without a leader. I encourage you to consider nominating yourself for this position. I am more than happy to support our homegroup leaders in any way that I can.

Some important reminders:

• Please ensure that you have selected a Reconciliation Homegroup for your child. Remember to add your name, your child's name and email address to you chosen group. Click here to select a Reconcilation Homegroup and to noiminate being a leader.
• Click here for the Sacrament of Reconcilation sign-up sheet.

Please keep our Reconciliation candidates in your prayers as they prepare for this special Sacrament.

Staff Commissioning Mass

Due to the current Covid situation, unfortunately our Staff Comminssioing Mass on Sunday, 20th February has been cancelled.

First Eucharist

Please continue to keep our First Eucharist candidates in your prayers, especially Eva Spear and Mary Bayada who are celebrating this Sacrament this coming weekend.

Important Dates:

Sunday, 27th February: Sacrament of First Eucharist Mass. Due to Covid restrictions, this mass will be for candidates and their families.

Wednesday, 2nd March: Ash Wednesday

Saturday, 19th March & Sunday, 20th March: Reconciliation Presentation Masses

Covid Update

A reminder for families that if you have a COVID case in your family, to please notify me via email  - cushla.sheehan@cg.catholic.edu.au

This applies to both Preschool Families and families whose children attend Before and After School Care.

Updated Immunisation Records

If your child has had their 4 year old immunisations since enrolment period last year, can you please email the ELC the updated Medicare Immunisation History Statement. We are required to maintain up to date records of student immunisation data. 

We are very aware as a community that COVID restrictions do not allow us all to engage as a community as we have been able to in the past. Please be mindful of the position we are in, and that we are doing our absolute best to keep our community safe.  Please also note a few reminders and changes as follows:

• On Monday, we will be presenting our first prayer celebration with 6 Red.  Families of this class will be invited to watch this on a live stream at 2:20pm with the rest of the school also streaming from their individual classrooms.  Assemblies and prayer celebrations will no longer be sent home as YouTube recording, due to the immense time this takes to edit.  They will instead, be live streamed so that our community can watch this together, regardless of the restrictions now placed with spacing in the hall.

• Morning and afternoon pick up-  I know this can be a challenging time of the day, particularly on Theodore Street.  Two factors could help with the flow of this-  firstly can we please ask that parent and carers do not get out of the car- this slows the flow and staff are more than willing to help students with their seat belts and bags.  Secondly when coming out of the top of the ring road, it is much easier if cars were to all turn left please. 

• Afternoon pick up begins at 3:10pm

 All parents and friends of students at Holy Trinity are welcome to join the school P&F. We strongly encourage you to come along, meet some new people, and share your views on school activities and fundraising events. The P&F meets for one hour, twice a term on Wednesday evening of Week 4 and Week 8. There is an elected committee but all are welcome to participate as general members.

At the moment we are holding our meetings virtually however we hope to resume face-to-face meetings later in the year. If you would like to attend our next meeting on Wednesday 23rd February at 6:00pm, which also happens to be the P&F AGM, please send an email to htpspfpresident@gmail.com and you will be sent the Zoom link.

There are a number of official roles that are vacant for 2022, including President of the P&F. We would love to see some new candidates consider stepping up into these positions - no experience is necessary and there is a great team of experienced parents who will be there to support you. If you would like to know more about the roles available or to chat about the skills/expertise you think you could share with the P&F, please reach out to Jenny at htpspfpresident@gmail.com

It has been a tricky couple of years with limited opportunities to gather in person but being part of the Holy Trinity P&F will give you an opportunity to feel like part of a broader community and meet a terrific group of parents from a range of year groups.

If you are undecided if the P&F is for you, may I encourage you to come along to the first meeting of the year and give it a try - no long term commitment is necessary!

This first P&F meeting of the year will be next Wednesday 23rd February at 6:00pm, which also happens to be the P&F AGM. If you would like to attend, please send an email to htpspfpresident@gmail.com and you will be sent the Zoom link.

 There are a number of official roles that are vacant for 2022, including President of the P&F. We would love to see some new candidates consider stepping up into these positions - no experience is necessary and there is a great team of experienced parents who will be there to support you. If you would like to know more about the roles available or to chat about the skills/expertise you think you could share with the P&F, please reach out to Jenny at htpspfpresident@gmail.com

I hope to see some new faces next time we meet,

Jenny Van de Meeberg

P&F President

The School Directory deadline is tomorrow!

Dear families,

The deadline for submissions to the online School Directory is tomorrow. If you have not already provided your family contact details, please do so at your earliest convenience.

No details in this directory are to be used for any unsolicited purposes and unauthorised use, including for commercial purposes, is strictly prohibited and will result in user access being revoked.

If you would like your family's details to be included in this year's School Directory please complete the form by clicking here.

All families will be provided with a personal log-in for Directory App once we have loaded the new data onto the platform. Until then, last year’s information remains available to families who already have log-in credentials.

If you have any questions, please email htpsschooldirectory@gmail.com

Regards,
Jenny Van De Meeberg
School Directory Coordinator

htpsschooldirectory@gmail.com

Swimming Carnival News

This Year's Holy Trinity Swimming Carnival had had to be cancelled due to the ongoing nature on Covid regulations. The carnival was due to be run on the 18^th of March. The Regional Carnival that was also due to be run in Week 8 of this term has also been cancelled by School Sports ACT.  

With no School Carnivals nor Regional Swimming Carnivals as qualifying events, SSACT and Swimming ACT will implement a process to accept entries from schools across all events conducted within the ACT Champs Program. With qualifying times already established, they will calculate and confirm numbers of entries per event. 

Entry times provided will have to be verifiable by Swimming ACT – they have a full data base of all ACT swim club meets, this unfortunately means that entered students will need to be part of a club or established swim squad. 

SSACT will circulate details by Week 3 for competitive (club) swimmers to submit verified times (they will email me for times) for entry to ACT Swimming Championships scheduled for Term 2, Week 2.

Could anyone wishing to submit a time please contact Ben Davis via Ben.Davis@cg.catholic.edu.au. 

Qualifying Time Opportunities (verifiable times)

Students who are new to the sport of Swimming, or who have not been able to obtain a verifiable time in the most recent Swim Season, can obtain a verifiable time through the following mechanisms;

• Tuggeranong Vikings Swim Club are kindly offering a School Clinic for stroke development and an invitation for students to attend their Club Night on afternoon/evening of Sunday 27 February at Lakeside Leisure Centre, to obtain a verifiable time. Times TBC, please contact Adele Gow adelegow@hotmail.com.au (TVSC Committee Member) for more information.
• Swimming ACT is offering an invitation for students to attend a time trial from 2pm Sunday 13 March at the AIS. Entry request would need to be supported by a statement of capability from their swim coach or swim instructor giving an approximate time for each event. Students wishing to take up this opportunity must contact Lorraine Wuth school.liaison@swimmingact.com.au prior to the 4 March deadline. There will be limited spaces available and not guaranteed.
• Contact an ACT Swim Club and request to join one of their Club Night’s or other especially arranged opportunity to obtain a verifiable time from a Club Official in their specific event(s).