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Dear Parents/Carers,
EASTER REFLECTION
By rising from the dead, Jesus shattered the hold that death had over all of us. Death could not keep him down and, if we are joined to him, neither can it keep us down for we are “Easter People”, full of the new life of Jesus. This is why Christian faith does not rest on the death of Jesus and an empty tomb but on the continuing experience of the risen Jesus.
We Christians today are summoned to live, proclaim and celebrate Jesus’ victory over death by resisting all those forms of death and violence that saturate our society and not only unjustly take the lives of innocent people, but can desensitise our spirit and damage our belief in freedom and justice for all.
The Resurrection announced that human values cannot be extinguished by violence or death; no one can be forgotten. Here and now, God holds onto the lives of all the departed including the lives that have been wasted, violently cut short, damaged by oppression. All have worth in God’s sight.
There are constant hints of resurrection in our daily lives, foretastes of our ultimate resurrection. These are found daily in our downs and ups, our sorrows and joys, our worries and relief, our disappointments and successes. Easter Sunday offers an opportunity to celebrate all our small, personal “resurrections” and unite them with Jesus’ Resurrection. It offers us renewal to be people of faith, hope and love in our home and in our community.
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
If someone had told me as recently as a month ago that we would be in the position we are now I would have thought they were living in fantasy land. The crisis we are now living through is impacting on our daily lives like no other event in recent memory – probably not since WWII. All aspects of how we live our lives has changed – how we move around, how we socialise, how we communicate, how we work and in the case of schools, how we teach and how the students approach learning. We are all accommodating to this new ‘normal’. It is a new era, one that students, parents and teachers are grappling with. Patience is key:
- Teachers are getting better at delivering material;
- Students are getting better at learning on-line and
- Parents are developing a deeper sense of how their child learns best.
With everything still changing, seemingly on a daily basis, we simply have to do our best within the changing circumstances. Sometimes we will get it right and sometimes there will be room for improvement. I believe we are getting better at meeting the needs of our students, both academically and pastorally, and we will see this improvement continue in Term 2. Supporting our students at this time is a partnership between the College and our student’s families and I ask that parents / carers take time to read carefully the information that is sent home regularly.
“Lord, we ask this Easter to become more like you.
Help us to develop an inner strength that is capable of
handling life’s situations.
Help us to provide a place in our heart where you reside.
Amen.”
TERM 2 ARRANGEMENTS
Term 2 will commence on Monday 27 April with the current arrangements in place. The College will be open and will provide supervision for the children of those parents have no alternative source of supervision and whose ongoing employment is reliant upon their child (ren) attending school. All other students, as per the Premier’s previous recommendation, are to be kept at home.
TERM 2 – ACTING POSITIONS
- Acting Assistant Principal Students and Staff (APSS) – Mr. Travis Lyon has been appointed to this position. Please communicate directly with Mr Lyon in relation to matters relating to the role of APSS.
- Acting Director of Pedagogy (DOP) – Ms. Katie McCloskey has been appointed to this position. Please communicate directly with Ms McCloskey in relation to matters relating to the role of DOP.
I thank both for being willing to take on these roles at this time.
ST JOSEPH’S SITE RECEPTION
Please be aware that the St Joseph's site reception is now the only front office that is open to the public. The St Mary's site (SMS) reception will be closed. The main switchboard telephone number will remain as 6627 6600. If you need to contact the Finance Office please phone the main switchboard to make an appointment.
Please continue to use the mail box after hours located beside the front doors on SMS as this will be cleared daily. During office hours (8 am to 4 pm) mail can be delivered to St Joseph's site office.
ICT SUPPORT
If there is a need for ICT assistance, simply 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 / FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
I am conscious of the difficult circumstances many of you may now be facing as a result of the growing list of COVID-19 restrictions. Please be assured that Trinity Catholic College will do what we can to support all our local families at this time. No child should ever miss out on a Catholic Education because of financial stress. Trinity Catholic College has a long tradition of assisting families in need and I am serious when I say we will do all we can to assist families seeking to enrol their child at the College.
Enrolments for 2021 are currently being accepted – application forms can be obtained by ringing 66276647, downloaded from the College Web Site 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. I ask that you tell anyone you know is thinking of sending their child to the College that we are always open to discussing financial circumstances and don’t let these prevent them applying.
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,
EASTER GREETINGS
Holy Thursday is perhaps the most appropriate book-end to this challenging Term. It marks the very occasion Jesus taught us about what it means to truly serve in word and deed: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (Jn 13). Some many in our College community have provided outstanding and commendable service in these complex days, and I sincerely thank them. May all of our families enjoy a relaxing and healthy Easter break with your loved ones.
TERM 2 BLENDED LEARNING
The College will continue to function in a blended learning model in Term 2. Our focus will be the consistent delivery of learning activities through Lighthouse Due Work. The delivery plan should see learning activities 'chunked' and published at the beginning of the week. Students will then work at their own pace through the activities and submit evidence of their progress at the end of the timeframe published (usually a week, with a desire to stagger submission deadlines). The use of some Zoom video conferences will occur across all year levels, as necessary. Teachers will also use a suite of other technologies to assist them deliver learning opportunities. It will take all of us - students, parents and teachers - time to find a suitable rhythm in the new term.
HSC ADVICE AND UPDATES
The latest NESA advice is here. The NESA COVID19 Response Committee met again today. The Education Council released this communique yesterday.
YEAR 7-12 INTERIM REPORTS
Interim Reports will be issued to parents/carers later today via the online parent portal. Please ensure you have your login details. If you have issues logging in to Lighthouse that persist after resetting your password, please email parentportal@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au so we can arrange access for you.
TAFE NSW UPDATE
Today the College received advice from TAFE NSW regarding its delivery plan for students in Term 2. This Question & Answer document has been published. It is imperative TAFE students are logging into the TAFE NSW Student Portal and checking their TAFE email account for updates.
Take good care this Easter holiday season.
Mr Jesse Smith - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching
Dear members of the Trinity Community,
And so the final bell tolls on possibly the most unusual Term most have ever experienced. The sudden twist in life has caused us to re-think. Whilst we have had to re-think the way we do many things, the unwavering service of educators has proven that they have never strayed from why they do it.
Today, Holy Thursday, follows a theme of service as Jesus in the Gospel washes the feet of the Disciples. I wish to thank our amazing Staff for their truly heroic commitment of recent times - for their service in an ongoing, unfolding, uncertain and ever-changing crisis.
In his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Francis stated, “the tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. For life is measured by love.” I feel that this captures in a lot of ways the essence of the thanks that I convey. It also directs us to our focus for Easter as we spend time together as best we can. I truly hope that our families are able to spend some time together and enjoy that quality time whilst focusing on what matters.
Over The Break
- Students should take some time to rest wherever possible and focus on their wholistic wellbeing. This might include a return to exercise, meditation, eating well and catching up on sleep.
- Lighthouse Student Wellbeing Hub remains available and contains a lot of useful contacts and resources.
TERM 2
- The College will reopen as per previous correspondence.
- Blended learning will continue as it has been and the guidelines remain in play.
- Communication with the community will remain a key focus point and information will continue to be shared as it comes to light.
I wish all our Trinity community members and families a safe, restful and blessed time over the next couple of weeks. Thank you for your ongoing support and I look forward to continuing to work with you very soon.
God bless,
Mr Travis Lyon - Acting Assistant Principal - Students & Staff
Religious Education and Mission Update
Dear Parents/Carers,
Holy Week culminates in the Easter Triduum. This is the three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Holy Thursday (the Last Supper), Good Friday (the Crucifixion) and reaches its high point on Easter Sunday (the Resurrection). This is a special time on the Christian calendar that is observed across the globe. This year we find ourselves in the unthinkable situation that our churches are closed and we are asked to remain home.
These are challenging times and we are called to be people of hope. The call for us all is to engage with one another in new ways, to listen to each other, to open our minds and hearts and to look out for one another. We can use this time of stillness as a moment of grace to deepen our own spiritual life and focus on what is at the centre of our life and reflect on Jesus' message of Love of self and of neighbour.
I have attached three resources that may help us to slow down and help us to reflect on the message of Easter and what it says to us in these uncertain times.
I wish you all a Happy Easter.
Stay safe.
Mr Tom Gahan - Assistant Principal - Religious Education & Mission
(These reflections are taken from Marist Canberra and sources include; Our Sunday Visitor, Crosswalk, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development)