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Dear Families,
Welcome to Term 1 Week 5! Happy International Women’s Day for Sunday, where we celebrate all women in all their diversities.
Kindness makes you
the most beautiful person in the world,
no matter what you look like. (Jay Shetty)
P&F Annual General Meeting
I’ll start with the official business – we had the P&F AGM last week. Thanks so much to everyone who came along.
Here are the results of a very tightly contested election process:
President – Cath Day
Vice President – Mark Bauer
Treasurer – Annette Cannell
Secretary – Paul Osborne
Thank you to Mark, Annette and Paul for your ongoing support and commitment to our school. I am not alone in saying how pleased I am you will be involved in the P&F this year, so thank you.
I am honoured to once again be the P&F President. It will be my last year in this role as I think two years is enough before someone with fresh ideas is needed. I was very proud of what we, as a parent group, achieved last year, and I hope to build on that by continuing to make improvements. Please feel free to let me know how you think we’re travelling!
The four positions above are the minimum official roles we must fill. We have many, equally as important roles that make up the P&F. We couldn’t do what we do without these wonderful people:
Uniform Shop Coordinator - Cheryl Hendy
Vacuum Roster Coordinator - Paul Osborne
BBQ Coordinator - Mark Bullock
Casserole Bank Coordinator - Lisa Bauer
Entertainment Book Coordinator – Jo Hamilton
Coordinator of Class Coordinators - Kim Beaumont
Fundraising Coordinator – Rowena Gribble
Communications Coordinator (all Terms) - vacant
ELC Representative – Mark and Rachael Bullock
Movie Night Coordinator (Term 1) – tentative volunteer
School Directory Coordinator (Term 1) – tentative volunteer
Disco Coordinator (Term 2) - vacant
Revue Coordinator - Monica Campbell
Walkathon Coordinator (Term 3) - vacant
Trivia Night Coordinator - Rowena Gribble
Fete Coordinator (Fete will be in March 2021, planning to start Term 2) - vacant
If anyone is interested in being the Communications Coordinator, Disco Coordinator, Walkathon Coordinator or Fete Coordinator, please get in touch! There might be three or four of you that think, ‘together we can nail this!’ Great, please let me know. There will be lots of help available, we just need someone (or a couple of people) to take the reins and run with each event/activity.
A quick rundown on the P&F
We have three things we like to focus on in the P&F: Community; Charities, and Fundraising.
Community – There will be a number of community based services and activities throughout the year that we would love to see as many of our families participate in. For example, we have our wonderful uniform shop, our fabulous tuckshop that will be opening again soon with a facelift, there’s BBQs, vacuuming of the school by parents (that actually saves the school thousands of dollars each year), a parents revue night (fun and laughter in Term 3), and a casserole bank (provides home cooked meals for families that could do with a helping hand).
The P&F have also established a Facebook page (Holy Trinity Community). This is a closed group only for Holy Trinity parents and teachers, and offers another avenue for communication.
Charities – The P&F will continue to support our charities this year. Our local charity is L’Arche who offers supported living in community households together with a rich social and cultural life, for adults living with intellectual disability. Our International charity is a sponsor child, Lydia, through Global School Partners.
Fundraising – Throughout the year the P&F hold various fundraising events and activities to contribute to our charities, but also support some school improvements. Have you noticed the work going on in the Kitchen Garden (outside Kindy and Year 2 rooms)? OK, so we didn’t pay for all of it, but we contributed a large sum towards the works, and we can’t wait to see the end result! It looks fabulous already.
Welcome Night and BBQ
So lovely to see such a great turn out to the Welcome Night, and wonderful to meet some new families. Huge shout out to Mark Bullock and his crew of wonderful helpers that cooked up a storm! As always, a great feast so thank you very much. Always a treat when I don’t have to cook dinner, an absolute bonus when it’s good food!!
Did somebody say ‘It’s a Fete year!’?? Well, it should be if we have one every two years. But the School Board decided to change the date to March 2021 for a number of reasons (less competition, historically better weather, Term 4 is just crazy etc).
We are having a Fete Meeting next Wednesday 11 March in the Staff Room commencing at 6.30pm. All welcome, please bring your wonderful ideas.
Our Fete Theme is – Around the World. We already have a Greek food stall locked in thanks to our wonderful Greek community! Sas efcharisto. (now it’s in print, I really hope that’s right!!)
Upcoming events/activities
|
Term 1 (13 March) |
Friday Week 6 |
Working Bee |
|
Term 1 (3 April) |
Friday Week 8 |
Movie Night (for the family) |
|
Term 2 (8 May) |
Friday Week 2 |
Mother’s Day breakfast and stall (for the Mums, and families) |
|
Term 2 (22 May) |
Friday Week 4 |
Disco (for the children) |
|
Term 2 (19 June) |
Friday Week 8 |
Trivia Night – tentative date (for the Parents) |
|
Term 3 (8 August) |
Saturday Week 4 |
Revue (for the Parents) |
|
Term 3 (21 August) |
Friday Week 5 |
Walkathon (for the children) |
|
Term 3 (4 September) |
Friday Week 7 |
Father’s Day breakfast and stall (for the Dads, and families) |
|
Term 3 (11 September) |
Friday Week 8 |
Working Bee |
|
Term 4 (TBA) |
TBA |
Christmas craft day (for the family) |
|
Term 4 (12 December) |
Friday Week 9 |
Christmas Concert and BBQ (for the family) |
I commit to continue being an avenue for parents to raise issues, concerns, suggestions, and look forward to chatting with as many of you as I can this year. Here’s cheers to a wonderful school year. I think I’ve said enough so thanks everyone for reading!
Cath Day - P&F President
Email: htpspfpresident@gmail.com
Parish/School Mass, Presentation of Reconciliation Candidates
On Saturday, 14th March we will be having our first Parish/School Mass for 2020. During the Mass, the candidates for Reconciliation will be presented to the community. I invite all members of the community to join us at this Mass as we acknowledge these candidates and the progression they’ve made on their faith journey.
Harmony Day 2020
Holy Trinity will be celebrating Harmony Day on Friday 20 March 2020 (Week 7).
Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
To recognise and celebrate the many cultures that we have at Holy Trinity, students are invited to come to school on Friday 20 March 2020 dressed in traditional dress or to wear a piece of orange clothing (for example: orange t-shirt, orange hair ribbon etc.).
Upcoming Dates
Week 6
- Saturday 14th March: 6pm - Reconciliation Presentation Mass
Week 7
- Monday 16th March: 2:30pm - Prayer Celebration Reconciliation - 3/4 Red
Week 8
- Monday 23rd March: 2:30pm - Class Assembly 3/4 Green
- Wednesday 26th March: - Reconciliation Retreat
Week 9
- Monday 30th March: 2:30pm - Class Assembly 1 Green
- Thursday 2nd April: 6pm - Reconciliation
Week 10
- Monday 6th April: 2:30pm- Prayer Celebration Palm Sunday 2 Red
- Wednesday 8th April: 2:10pm- Prayer Celebration Holy Thursday & Good Friday 5/6 White and 3/4 Blue
- Thursday 9th April: 2:30pm - Prayer Celebration Easter Sunday 1 White
ELC Quality Improvement
The ELC is committed to continuous improvement and we value your participation in this process. Please click here to complete a brief survey of 6 questions. We appreciate your feedback.
School Photos
The ELC will be having class/individual photos as follows:
Thursday 19 March: Ground Parrots and Rock Wallabies.
Monday 23 March: Black Cockatoos and make up photos.
If you would like to purchase a school photo, the link is available in the 'school photo' section of this newsletter.
ELC Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and Policies
The ELC QIP is available for review and feedback in the ELC foyer. We welcome family engagement in this process both in completing the above survey or commenting directly on the QIP.
ELC policies are also available for families on the Holy Trinity web page, in the ELC tab.
Class Coordinator Required
The Rock Wallaby class is still needing a volunteer to be class coordinator. If you are able to fill this role (there is great support given to you), please let either Mary-Anne or Cushla know.
ELC Play date
The class coordinators have organised an ELC family playdate on Sunday 22 March at 2.30pm at Chifley Park (adjacent to Chifley shops).
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.
The Overdrive eBook company has developed a child-friendly eBook reading APP named SORA. SORA has 27,000 age-appropriate books and 2,700 age-appropriate audio books available to download and read.
SORA is designed for children and has easy-to-use vertical screen options, attractive on-screen promotions, easily accessible statistics on reading completed, and rewards for reading.
SORA has been operational since 2019 at Holy Trinity and is easy for you and your children to access. It is a resource that is funded by Catholic Education.
You can login to Sora with your child’s normal CENet login – used at school to login to our CE network.
For those that don't have a CENet login (particularly the lower grades), class teachers will get these out to you ASAP.
SORA Link
Visit https://soraapp.com in your web browser, or download the free SORA APP from the Apple and Google Play stores on a mobile device.
Watch the following ‘First Look’ video that provides a helpful overview of the Sora experience:
https://overdrive.wistia.com/medias/9cm9w959mh
Below is an easy 'How to Guide' to download SORA – (perfect for those with limited IT skills). SORA has been developed to replace Overdrive - as it is a much easier resource to navigate.
Parenting in the age of disruption
We live in the age of disruption. The future your children will inherit will be very different than the world we live in now. A university degree, once a guarantee of a well-paid job, no longer ensures your child a career, let alone a steady income.
So how can we prepare children to thrive in a world where it’s estimated that over 20 per cent of today’s jobs won’t exist in just five year’s time? How do we prepare them for a work-life of multiple careers and job changes?
South African educator and author Nikki Bush believes that the future will belong to those who develop a broad range of personal capabilities rather than a narrow number of academic abilities. Bush has outlined five key personal factors that will help kids succeed in the future world of work. These are:
Creativity and innovation
With information being only a digital search away, knowledge is relatively easy to obtain in the digital age. The ability to think outside of the square and find new solutions to old problems will be one of the most highly valued skills in the new world of work.
Love of learning
In a world where people working into their seventies and beyond will become common place, a degree of qualification obtained in the early twenties won’t guarantee continued success. The future will require people to be in charge of their own learning and be willing to continually upskill. Continuous learners rather than those who close themselves off to new ideas and concepts will thrive in the future.
Resilience
Life doesn’t unfold in a straight line. It never has, but the future of work will have more twists and curves than ever before. Kids will need to be resilient and flexible enough to cope with rapid workplace change and lack of security, as well as be able to manage risk to earning a living.
Self knowledge
Personal knowledge of strengths, capabilities and talents has long been a skill, that we’ve neglected to develop in kids. When the future is fluid and work continually changing, self-knowledge will become a passport to happiness and success.
Teamwork
The ability for your child to work as part of a team both virtually and in the real world will be more important than ever in the future world of work. Even jobs that have an individual skill focus will require people to work cooperatively alongside each other.
Reassuringly, there is a great deal you can do as a parent to prepare your child to capitalise on the changing career and jobs landscape. Use Bush’s five personal factors for future success as a starting point as you ponder how to prepare your child to prosper in the age of disruptive change.
Related webinar
Our school has a membership with Parenting Ideas. As part of this membership, you can attend the below webinar ‘Future-proofing your child’ at no cost.
About
In this webinar Nikki Bush teaches parents what to expect and how to support their kids to thrive in a future world of work.
When
18 March 2020 8:00pm AEDT
To redeem
1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-future-proofing-your-child
2. Click ‘Add to cart’
3. Click ‘View cart’
4. Enter the voucher code FUTURE and click ‘Apply Coupon’ Your discount of $37 will be applied.
5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’
6. Fill in your account details. These details are used to login to your account and access your parenting material
7. Click ‘Place Order’
The voucher is valid until 18 June 2020.
(Source: Parentingideas.com.au)
Heidi White
Email: Heidi.white@cg.catholic.edu.au
| Thursday 19th March |
ELC Rock Wallabies and Ground Parrots Kinder - Year 6 Class photos, individual student portraits and sibling photos. Staff, P&F and Board Photos. |
| Monday 23rd March |
ELC - Black Cockatoos |
Ordering is to be completed online to reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day.
ORDER NOW go to www.advancedlife.com.au and
enter the code L4D Q9E QR5
Both Individual and Sibling photos are to be ordered online and can be accessed for ordering by using the above code.
Orders for photography packages can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit advanced order code.
Orders must be placed by Wednesday 18th March
Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au
NAPLAN 2020 Online Test window is nine days. Day 1 is Tuesday 12 May 2020 and day 9 is Friday 22 May 2020.
All students participating in NAPLAN Online 2020 are expected to have done a practice/familiarisation test prior to the May NAPLAN tests. ACT schools undertaking NAPLAN Online this year will participate in a practice/familiarisation test on 23 March 2020. The practice test does not assess student performance and has been developed to replace one of the familiarisation activities that schools have traditionally undertaken.
As a parent, you can become familiar with NAPLAN Online tests by visiting the public demonstration site, http://bit.ly/naplanonline. The purpose of the site is to familiarise students with the type of items they will see on NAPLAN Online and related functionalities. This level of familiarisation is worthwhile to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the test.
As part of undertaking NAPLAN Online, the Education Directorate works closely with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and Education Services Australia (ESA). ESA operates the NAPLAN Online platform which will contain personal information. ACARA will collect anonymised information about each student who takes the test online from the Education Directorate.
Further information on how ACARA and ESA protect privacy is available through the ACARA privacy infographic http://bit.ly/2D9gSvJNAPLANonlineprivacyinfographic and ESA Privacy Policy www.esa.edu.au/other/privacy.
For additional information please contact Katie Smith, NAPLAN Coordinator.
Katie Smith - Holy Trinity Primary School
Phone: 262814811
Email: katie.smith@cg.catholic.edu.au
Did you know that one of the lovely services that the Holy Trinity P&F organise is a “Casserole Bank” for families in our community in need. Over the past twelve months a group of 20+ parents have cooked over 80 meals – lasagnes, curries, brownies, biscuits and more delicious goodies to send home with families that could do with just a little extra TLC. Huge thanks from the P&F to all those who cook for this wonderful service and to the school for assisting in distributing. If this service is something you’d like to be a part of, please feel free to email Lisa Bauer: lisajbauer40@gmail.com to join the group – and alternatively if you know of someone who could do with receiving a meal please talk to your classroom teacher or class coordinator. It is an anonymous service and just another small way your P&F are helping our community.
Lisa Bauer
Email: lisajbauer40@gmail.com
To ensure the continued health and wellbeing of our students, staff and school communities, the following update is provided in relation to COVID-19 (previously referred to as Novel Coronavirus). This information has been provided by Catholic Schools NSW in consultation with NSW Departments
of Education and Health. The following recommendations should be followed in both our NSW and ACT schools.
- Effective 1 March 2020 the Federal Government has issued a travel ban on foreigners coming to Australia from Iran. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents coming from Iran will be allowed entry to Australia and from 1 March they are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days
after departing Iran consistent with the restrictions for those entering from China. Additionally, Australians have been advised NOT to travel to Iran.
- The updated advice from the NSW Government for parents and affected staff is:
Any student or staff member who has been in, or transited through, mainland China (not just Hubei province) or has been in Iran is excluded from work, school or child care services for 14 days from the date they left mainland China or Iran (as the COVID-19 incubation period can be as long as two weeks).
Any confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded until they are medically cleared to return.
Close contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded for 14 days since last contact with the confirmed case.
Students and staff who have returned to Australia from mainland China or Iran more than 14 days ago and have shown no symptoms are able to return to school.
The NSW Ministry of Health has processes to identify any close contacts of cases confirmed in Australia. Advice about not attending school would be provided to these close contacts by the NSW Ministry of Health. Parents should report any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 to Philippa Brearley and contact the local Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 to provide details so that the Public Health Unit can follow up as necessary.- Consistent with our current guidelines, staff and students unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. Further information on COVID-19 is also available from NSW Health.
- Below is a link with some FAQs that may be worth referencing.
Teachers will be reminding students about the importance of washing hands carefully and we ask that you please reiterate this at home. Please do not hesitate to contact me is you have any further queries.
Philippa Brearley
Email: philippa.brearley@cg.catholic.edu.au
Screen rules on playdates and sleepovers can be a sticky situation. Just like each family has different rules for snacks, sleep and swearing, approaches to managing digital devices also vary significantly. Families really differ on their tech rules (if you want to see what sort of digital parent you are, you can take my digital parenting quiz) and tackling these conversations, whether your child is the host, or the guest, can be awkward at times.
Recently, at the end of parent seminars, one of the most frequent questions I’m asked relates to screen rules on playdates and sleepovers. How can parents tackle potentially awkward conversations with other parents, without insulting or offending other parents? How can you protect your family tech policies, whilst not appearing like the fun-police, when you invite other children for a play?
I’m here to say at the outset that there’s no prescriptive, one-size-fits-all approach or solution. There are different factors that you need to consider whether your child is the guest or the host of a playdate or sleepover. So to make this very explicit, I’ve broken this post into two sections: (i) tips for managing screens when your family is hosting a playdate or sleepover; and (ii) tips to tackle tricky tech conversations when your child is the guest at a playdate or sleepover.
Tips for managing screens when your family is hosting a playdate or sleepover
Remember that your family’s tech rules aren’t necessarily the same as other families. Your rules might be more relaxed, or more stringent. I always suggest to parents to err on the side of caution and assume their rules are more relaxed than other families. If there’s any doubt, or you’re not quite sure what the other family’s rules might be, avoid technology all together.
// Ask upfront
Given that families differ in their approaches to technology rules at home, simply ask your children’s friend’s parents what, if any, screen rules they have. I’ve found that many parents feel relieved that you’ve given the opportunity to openly discuss this issue, rather than putting the onus on them to bring it up. It also opens doors for the conversation to be reciprocated if/when they go to the other child’s house for a playdate or sleepover. Something along the lines of, “Kelly, just wondering if you have any specific tech rules that I should know about.”
// Ask open-ended but specific questions (it sounds contradictory but it’s not)
Saying to the other parent, “My kids are exhausted and I was planning on putting a movie on after they’ve played soccer. How would you feel if they watch [Insert name of chosen movie]?” Asking more of an open-ended question gives the other parent scope to object (if they feel so inclined), without it being a yes/no answer (i.e. “Is it okay if your kids watch [Insert name of chosen movie]?”). Be specific with the exact game/app/movie. Some families may et their kids watch G-rated movies but not MA-rated movies. Some families may let their kids play particular video games, whilst others are contraband.
// Set firm tech boundaries on playdates or sleepovers
I’m certainly not suggesting that you should (I don’t like to ‘should’ on parents) never use screens on playdates, or ban them completely at every sleepover. However, you need to set and communicate your rules to the kids who are attending at the start of the playdate or sleepover. I’m in a unique position, where I’ve heard countless and horrific stories where things go wrong on playdates and sleepovers. I’ve had parents share that their Year 6 daughters saw a live-streaming video of a suicide attempt on a social media feed when a smartphone was pulled out at midnight on a sleepover. I’ve had children who’ve had nightmares for months on end because they played violent video games at playdates.
I don’t want that to happen on my watch, so I’m happy to have the firm boundaries in place even if that means my house isn’t always the first choice for playdates. (As an aside, many kids are requesting playdates with particular friends, or visiting grandparents because they’ve determined which houses have the more relaxed technology rules.)
// Limit tech time
We need to ensure that our kids and teens still have plenty of tech-free, real face-time and social interaction away from screens. Set up activities and make playdates and sleepovers so much fun that kids aren’t asking for devices. Often, kids have become so habituated that screens are part of a social situation that it’s their default method.
I remember hearing Maggie Dent mention during a seminar that if you make your house the super-fun, screen-free alternative that can be a very appealing alternative. You’re basically finding tech-free alternatives to give kids the dopamine and adrenaline they may be getting from the tech they’d ordinarily be using. Our neighbours have recently made a zipline and the street kids are all flocking to visit. Last summer, we hosted the driveway, after-school cricket matches and I can tell you there were kids everywhere!
For more on this topic, please click on https://drkristygoodwin.com/managing-technology-on-playdates-sleepovers/
@ HT
This week we introduced our Lego Masters club to our students, with an overwhelming response! An enormous crowd gathered and we first developed an Essential Agreement. Then we busted open our tubs of building blocks and the students had freedom to build whatever their little hearts desired (until the bell rang...)
Due to the large number of interested students (and because we don't have the heart to turn anyone away), we would like to ask for donations of Lego - that is no longer being used - that could be gifted to the school.
Please enjoy some pics of our students diving in and breaking in our new "Lego Land" table :)
Mrs White & Mr Sloane
Heidi White
Email: Heidi.white@cg.catholic.edu.au
Minecraft Club is open every Wednesday at lunch time. This club provides students from Years 3 – 6 a chance to create and collaborate within a Minecraft world creating and breaking apart various kinds of blocks in three-dimensional worlds. The game's two main modes are Survival and Creative. In Survival, players must find their own building supplies and food. They also interact with block like mobs, or moving creatures. Minecraft promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is your imagination.
 |
Students celebrating their birthdays this week: Sierra P, Isla D, Aminda B, Martin C A, Rachel B, Avalon C, Adona J, Kate O, Austin T-L, Scarlett R |
Dear volunteers,
Thank you for volunteering for the vaccum team roster for Holy Trinity school. Due to your generosity of time and effort the school cleaning costs can be reduced, freeing up more resources for our children.
This year we have formed 10 teams of five or six members, which will mean most teams will do a shift once a term over the school year. And there is plenty of scope for each team to respond to people who are unavailable for whatever reason.
Team leaders are marked in bold at the top of each team. I have confirmed availability with each leader.
Your task as team leader:
- Put cleaning dates into your calendar
- If there is any significant problem with the dates you have been given please get in touch with Paul Osborne as soon as possible 0407 519 473
- Distribute the dates to your team members (dates will be emailed to you and published the week before in the school newsletter)
- Prior to your cleaning night, contact all team members to confirm their availability. If you cannot muster at least four members, please contact Paul Osborne on 0407 519 473.
- Collect the school key from the front office on the Wednesday morning of your shift (or whenever it is convenient for you). Details of the alarm system are located in the key bag.
- Set a time to meet at the school. Ideally this should be between 6.30 and 7pm on your rostered Wednesday. Some groups have found it easier to start earlier or later than this, but use your own judgment.
- Vacuum cleaners are located in the middle ‘garage door’ storage unit near the tuckshop. There are plenty of power points in classrooms and hallways.
- Clean all areas, minus the assembly hall and administration office spaces. The annexe and ELC should also be vacuumed.
- Please check the functioning of vacuum cleaners before you leave. If there are any obvious problems with them please get in touch with the front office (Beulah, Penny or Catherine)
Please contact Paul Osborne if you have any query about the roster.
If the work date for your team causes any difficulties, in the first instance try to swap with another team leader.
If this is not possible, contact Paul Osborne 0407 519 473.
Thanks for your support
Paul Osborne
Email: osbornep@aap.com.au
Congratulations to the Gribble family, Felicity (K Green) on the arrival of baby Bridget.