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Dear Parents/Carers,
There would not be a single family who, at some stage in the life of their children, hadn’t encouraged them to “do their best”. Perhaps we also need to hear the same message ourselves today – simply “do our best.”
Everything is in a state of flux changing all the time. Our best will sometimes be high quality and at other times will not be as good; it could depend on whether we are feeling wonderful and happy or upset and moody. We all need to be gentle with ourselves at this time.
I repeat what I have said on a number of occasions, we need to be patient. We are in a new era, one students, parents and teachers are grappling with. Patience is key:
- Teachers will become better at delivering materials;
- Students will become better at learning on-line and
- Parents will develop a sense of how their child learns best.
The teaching staff are doing what they can to ensure that the amount of work being provided allows for the appropriate amount of learning to take place. We are all simply “doing our best.”
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
I repeat what I have said in past editions of the e-News. I am serious when I say we will do all we can to assist our families. This will be on a case by case basis as not all families are impacted to the same extent. It is important that our assistance is targeted to meet the specific needs of individual families, especially those most impacted.
A few families have already contacted us and we have been able to work with these families to ensure that their child is able to continue their education at the College.
Please contact the Finance Department of the College as your first step before you make any decisions for financial reasons relating to your child's ongoing enrolment. You can be assured that all matters will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
ICT SUPPORT
Should a student require ICT assistance they are to email ictsupport@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au . This address is monitored and help will be provided where it can. It may not be possible for the ICT Department to ‘fix’ every problem as they are not physically present to diagnose the specific problem. They will do the best that they can, under the circumstances. If the issue is a hardware issue, I would encourage you to contact your place of purchase for assistance.
ENROLMENTS - 2021 and BEYOND
Enrolments for 2021 are currently being accepted – application forms can be downloaded from the College Web Site at:-
or by emailing: enrolments@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au
I would ask that you encourage anyone you are aware of who is looking to apply to enrol their child in 2021 to do so now. Again, I ask you to tell anyone you know who is thinking of sending their child to the College that we are open to discussing their financial position. As a starting point we have waived the application fee.
Take care and may God bless us all in this very difficult time for our country and the world.
Brother John Hilet, fms
Dear Members of the Trinity Community,
The month of April is said to have its origins in the Latin aperire, which means “to open.” In the northern hemisphere, the natural world is beginning ‘to open’ itself to the warmth of the sunshine. For us, in the south, the opposite is true. Deciduous trees are now shedding their leaves.
There is something deciduous about this COVID19 situation. We are seeing, almost daily, different parts of our lives fall away. April’s promise “to open” appears to be a complete misnomer right now. However, the learned scientists would tell us that the process of abscission is critical for the sustainment of life. So it is true for us: the falling away of non-essential activities, despite the pain and inconvenience, will help us to move forward.
On a different plane, particularly in the context of our journey towards Easter, the stripping back, the forced abscission of non-essential features of our life can “open” many other possibilities: the chance to pursue passions like painting; the opportunity to internally reflect on what is important and what we need to give thanks for in our lives.
Mrs Michelle King received this photograph from one of her talented Year 9 students today. Students are currently studying the genre of “Still Life.” This student was inspired by the French Master Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin. To me, this painting reflects the opening up of time and space for individual students to pursue their passions.
I encourage all students - indeed, all members of our College community - to seize upon the opportunity this deciduous world now offers. Now is the time “to open” new doors rather than stare too long at the closed ones.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR STUDENTS:
Q: What do I do if I cannot access Lighthouse?
A: Be patient. Our ICT Team is working around the clock to ensure our systems and services are functioning at optimal capacity. Disruptions may occur due to high demands.
Q: If I am in Year 11 or Year 12 and have a task to submit online but it will not work, what do I do?
A: Remain calm. Call the Office of Student Learning on 66276603. Try emailing the task to oosl@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au. We will support you.
Q: Is my work being set for the lesson or the week?
A: Teachers are striving to set work for the week. This will allow you to work at your own pace and not feel like you need to do everything in one day. We, teachers, need some more time to work this through so it is consistent across subjects and year levels.
Q: Where do I find the work I need to complete and where do I submit it?
A: Teachers have been asked to place the work at the very top of your class page on Lighthouse, preferably in Due Work so that it appears on your calendar. Teachers have also been asked to provide clear instructions to you regarding how the work is to be submitted. We, teachers, need some more time to work this through so it is consistent across subjects and year levels.
Q: I feel like I am getting more work than I usually would at school. Will this change?
A: Yes, this feeling is clear across all of the student survey results. We, your teachers, will do our best to modify the volume of learning material whilst maintaining high expectations about the quality of your work.
From Monday 30 March 2020, English and Mathematics take home packs for Year 7-10 students, without internet and/or device access, can be collected from SJS Office (Leycester Street). These have been prepared and printed for collection. I thank those staff who prepared these packages.
I wish you and yours peace and good health.
Jesse Smith - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching
Dear members of the Trinity Community,
As we push on into an ever evolving situation, it is very difficult to believe what has happened in a week! Some key themes are emerging as we engage with this ‘new’ way of operating.
Communication
The College’s main structures and channels remain in place. I reiterate the following from the Expectations for Students document in the hope that it assists:
For queries about |
Contact |
How |
A subject, activity or resource |
The relevant classroom teacher |
Lighthouse Social Stream or email. |
A technology-related problem or issue |
ICT Helpdesk |
|
Pastoral concerns/enquiries |
Your Head of House of Tutor |
Email - Head of House List |
Assessment schedules or HSC Questions |
Office of Student Learning |
Email - oosl@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au or 0266276603 |
Personal health updates / status |
Principal’s Office |
Resources from Beyond Blue
You will find a fairly extensive list of resources at this link. They come from Beyond Blue and relate to the wellbeing of our young people. You might be interested to read if you have a chance.
Internet Offer
As learning has gone increasingly online we are aware of some of the difficulties this can pose. One offer that we were made aware of today can be found here in case it might be of any assistance.
Take care and God bless,
Mr Travis Lyon - Acting Assistant Principal - Students & Staff
STUDY SAMURAI - ONLINE STUDY SKILLS PROGRAMME
Our College subscribes to the study skills programme called Study Samurai: www.studysamurai.com. This is a great online resource for parents and students to address all their study skills issues and concerns.
The study skills library covers topics such as wellbeing, mindset, motivation, stress management and peak performance. The library specifically includes:
- 75 video lessons for students (20-30 minutes each) from two experts on StudySkills & Wellbeing.
- Full access to studyskillshandbook.com.au and 43 study skills units of work.
- Full access to Human Connections Online Wellbeing Resource with 17 modules.
Students can access this resource via Lighthouse using the details provided on the tile. Alternatively, parents/carers can access the resource by going to www.studysamurai.com and logging in as a subscriber: Username: trinitylismore@studysamurai.com. Password: trinity2480.