Dear Members of the Trinity Family,

Welcome to the new academic year - and thank you for your continued partnership. In a particular way I welcome all of our new families to the College - whether you have your first child in Year 7 or your child is joining us in another year level. You are most welcome.

Welcome to our New Year 7 Students

On Thursday 1 February 158 excited - and no doubt nervous - Year 7 students commenced their time at the College. In particular, I thank Mr Shane Thamm, Leader of Year 7, and our senior students for supporting the transition of our newest community members. 

Welcome to our New Staff

• Mrs Deanne Goulding - Admin Assistant - Reception
• Mrs Jacqueline Rojo - Counsellor (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)
• Mrs Danielle Lovatt - Visual Arts Teacher (Job Share with Mrs Michelle King)
• Mrs Emma Chamberlain - Mathematics Teacher
• Mrs Luanne McIllhatton - HSIE Teacher (Job Share with Mr Joe Morgan)
• Mr Tony Clarke - TAS Teacher (Job Share with Mr Ian McGregor).

Staff Appointments in 2024

As we commence a new year I offer this full list of Leadership appointments for your reference.

Existing parents would be aware that we pride ourselves here at Trinity on building productive partnerships between home and the College. As in all things, from time to time issues will arise. To contact any member of staff, please phone the College office on 6627 6600 and the message will be forwarded on.

The following outlines common contacts for students and parents, based on the question and/or concern being raised. It is important all communication between the College and parents/carers is respectful and reflects our shared commitment to the students in our care.

HSC High Achievers’ Assembly

On Friday 2 February we acknowledged and congratulated our High Achievers from the 2023 HSC class. I congratulate each of our ‘High Achievers’ as I know the level of hard work and dedication required to achieve a Band 6 and / or an ATAR over 90. In the Learning and Teaching Lantern article below you will find further information about the achievements of the HSC class of 2023. I thank all those who helped with the organisation of this wonderful assembly. In particular I thank the staff from the Office of Student Learning and the ICT Department who set up the live streaming of the assembly.

A snapshot of our results:

SCU Traffic Management Plan

I am seeking the support of students and parents/carers in observing this plan. This is designed with the safety of all in mind.

Child Safeguarding

The College, like all child-safe organisations, is investing significant time and resources into the implementation of the Child Safe Standards. Our website contains our Statement of Commitment and further policies and procedures that inform our approach to this important work.

Uniform & Presentation

I ask that all students returning to the College in 2024 present in accordance with the College uniform and grooming policy, with particular attention being paid to hairstyles (neat and appropriate) and jewellery (no facial piercings). The College’s uniform policy can be found on the College website. It is vital that we maintain high standards in all areas of College life, including uniform and presentation.

Student Enrolments

Applications for 2025 are now being accepted and will be processed as per the following timeline:

All enrolment enquiries are best directed to our Enrolments Officer via email - enrolments@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au - or phone: 02) 6627 6647.

To book a tour of the College, register for Open Night or submit an application please visit our College website.

Key Dates for Term 1

14 February - Ash Wednesday

14 February - Championship Swimming Carnival

20 February - Indigenous Parent Evening from 5.00pm

22 February University Roadshow and HSC Information Evening.

23 February - Year 7-10 Semester 2 2023 Academic Assembly

8 March - Participation Swimming Carnival

13 March - Naplan commences Years 7 and 9

18 March - Year 7-8 PSTI

28 March - Holy Thursday

29 March - 1 April - Easter

26 March - Open Night Year 7 2025

8 April - Year 10 Work Experience Commences

9 April - 12 April - Year 12 Retreat

12 April - End of Term 1

Lantern Distribution in Term 1

College Lanterns will be distributed in Weeks 5 and 9 of Term 1, 2024.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the College. May Venerable Nano Nagle, St Marcellin Champagnat and Mary our Good Mother continue to watch over our Trinity community.

Jesse Smith

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back everyone to Term 1, 2024.

We have certainly hit the ground running to begin 2024. Our Year 7 Connect Day on Wednesday February 7th led by Mr Shane Thamm and the Year 7 Tutors was a highlight for Week 2.

Below is some important information for Week 3:

On Wednesday February 14th we recognise Ash Wednesday as a College as well as conducting our Championship swimming carnival at Alstonville pool. Trinity has a proud tradition of high performance in the pool. The carnival is a chance for those students who choose swimming as their sport to shine and go on to represent at Diocesan and State level. Rolls will be marked from 8.45am so please be at school on time.

Our program for Ash Wednesday Liturgies is below:

We will be running the day on Monday Bell Times.                                                                                        
8.55 - 9.25 am: Years 7, 11, 12 attend Ash Wednesday Liturgy: Whitebrook Theatre:

8.55 - 9.25 am: Years 8 - 10 in Tutor Groups ( extended Tutor time)

Period 1: Years 8 - 10: Rolls marked in Class then move to Ash Wednesday Liturgy in Whitebrook Theatre. Classes 9SCI21, 9SCI22, 9SCI23 and 10PASS5 will mark rolls in Amphitheatre then move to Ash Wednesday Liturgy.

Interchange Buses
Students successfully changing buses at the Lismore Bus interchange is a challenge we faced in 2023 and will continue to face in 2024. My advice for all students whose bus leaves early from the interchange of an afternoon is to be on the first 2 buses that leave SCU. When our process here runs smoothly we have all buses leaving SCU by 3.14pm which gives ample transfer time at the interchange. There are teething problems at the commencement of each year. Students have been reminded to ensure they catch an early bus from SCU.

We hope there is no more inconvenience for our students and their families. We receive tremendous understanding and support from Northern Rivers Buslines and our local bus services.

Mr Sean Baldwin

Dear Members of the Trinity Community,

Welcome to the 2024 Academic Year. We extend a particular welcome to our new students, their families, as well as our new staff. We hope that all members of our Trinity community have a productive and enjoyable year of learning and growth.

Last week at the beginning of the new school year all students were spoken to about a new year being the opportunity to set new goals and to push themselves out of their comfort zone to learn and experience new things. We do not expect academic perfection at Trinity, but we do expect personal best effort. Students were also reminded of our Vision for Learning and what we hold as values to our School Wide Pedagogy.

HSC Results & Academic Assembly

Last Friday we had the privilege of welcoming back our 2023 HSC High Achievers. We congratulate all our Year 12 students from 2023 on their HSC completion and results.

The following is an excerpt from the Dux speech that Hannah Cappe delivered:

Good afternoon to Mr Smith, Mrs Benfield, Staff, Students and Invited Guests.

I would like to congratulate my cohort, the class of 2023, for being such an amazing group of people over the past six years, offering support, friendly competition and many fun memories. To have it culminate in such success, and not only for those here today, makes me incredibly proud to have graduated with such a group.

I know that when I was one of you, sitting in the assembly and listening to the DUX speech I couldn’t stop thinking about how they managed to be so put together? They seemed to be academic super-humans, full of wisdom and the secrets to the perfect ATAR.

Now that I am lucky enough to be here, I know that I was dead wrong. I’m still waiting to obtain that wisdom and that confidence to know I can learn whatever I am thrown into, and still can’t give you any “magic recipe” to achieving a perfect ATAR… but that could be because I’m still .05 off!

However, whilst I can’t send you all a 20 step study plan and all of my flashcards, my best advice is that you need to figure the HSC out for yourself. Like many before me, I need to reiterate that the HSC is a game and you need to play by NESA’s rules. Your results aren’t a measure of your intelligence, but just how well you play. I believe that accepting this reality was my first step to achieving success in the HSC.

Then, before I could start learning anything properly, I needed to learn about myself. Personally, I didn’t keep copious study notes, but I went out of my way to obtain physical textbooks because I knew digital print did not work for me. Everybody has a unique way of learning, unique goals and unique circumstances such that my advice will not apply to most of you. What I can tell you is to seek out guidance and tips from a multitude of sources and then experiment. Give yourself ample time to keep trialling methods until you see success. From the first day of year 7 to the very last of year 12 it’s never too early or too late to start trying.

The most difficult thing about the HSC is that it is a long haul, and to see success consistency is vital… but difficult to maintain. By the end of the HSC my philosophy was that studying while tired did not help myself or my grades, so sleep when you need to, eat when you need to and talk to people when you need to. But most of all, don’t abuse the leeway you give yourself and fall into bad habits. Preventing burnout can be as easy as choosing a mix of subjects - I found that moving from a debate in English to an unpredictable maths lesson to a conversation in Italian, kept most days simultaneously refreshing and productive.

Finally you need to find your drive. For me, whether I truly believed I could get it or not, 100% was the standard, 99.95 was the dream. For most of school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do afterwards so in the meantime I chose to strive for a complete understanding, and since there is always more to know, I kept on improving. 

After the flood destroyed what was looking like a time of normalcy, I knew that on the 14th of December when UAC would rank us against the rest of the state’s students - most of whom had not lost their school campus - I did not want to be a rank lower than what I was capable of. I saw this dedication across my cohort and I think that’s why there are so many exceptional results here today despite the disruption we’ve experienced.

Whilst I did not quite achieve my “dream”, I know for certain that without my family’s eagerness to help, surviving the HSC would have been impossible. Thank you for reading my essays and listening to speeches, and letting me off the hook around the house. Thank you to Isabella and Edwina for conveniently being in the year above me, you gave me an indispensable sneak preview of the HSC to prepare myself. And thank you to Georgina for reminding me of the simpler times when Pythagoras was my biggest problem.

I would also like to thank my teachers over the years who were always there to help and challenge me. To any students of my teachers, especially Mr Green and Mrs Grace, trust that you are in good hands.

Again, congratulations and best wishes to the graduating class of 2023, I couldn’t have asked for a better group to share my schooling with. And good luck to all future students, may you all find similar success in the years to come.

Hannah Cappe

Distinguished Achievers

Distinguished Achievers are students who have achieved 90% or greater in one or more of their HSC subjects. This Band 6 result is a testament to the continued hard work and dedication that these students have put into their studies. In 2023 We had 42 Year 12 students achieve this result.

ATAR High Achievers

ATAR High Achievers are students who received an ATAR of 90 or more. The ATAR or Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 that indicates a student’s position relative to all in their age group, not just fellow HSC students. An ATAR of 90.00 or more means that you are in the top 10 percent of your age group. In 2023 18 of our Year 12 High Achievers achieved ATARs over 90.

Stage 6 Assessment Calendars

2024 Stage 6 Assessment Calendars have now been Published and emailed to all students and their Parents.

All Year 12 students and their parents/carers are invited to this important evening on Thursday 22  February in the Whitebrook Theatre from 4.30pm. Please refer to the details provided by Mrs Pauline Leeson, Careers Advisor.

Academic Assembly

Parents/carers of students who achieved outstanding academic results in Semester 2, 2023, will soon be invited to attend our upcoming Academic Assemblies for Stage 4 and Stage 5 on Friday 23 February  in the Whitebrook Theatre. This will be an opportunity to recognise students who achieved five or more A grades in their Semester 2 report.

We wish all students and families well for the Term ahead.

Alison Unwin - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Tracy Benfield - Director of Learning

Amy Pascoe - Director of Teacher Excellence

Welcome to the 2024 school year. Particular welcome to our new families who are joining us for the first time. I hope that you are all looking forward to the possibilities that 2024 might bring us. The Ministry Team is focussed on continuing to provide contemporary faith experience for our students.  The Term has been a busy one, even though it is only 7 school days old.

Our Year 7 Connect Day Liturgy welcomed our new Year 7 to our Trinity family. We ventured to the Cathedral to learn about our connections with the Lismore Parish. Our liturgy was focused on the scripture from John’s Gospel,  “I give you a new commandment. That you love one another.  Just as I have loved you.”  This challenged Year 7 to make positive relationships with others and to be a year group where we can see Jesus’s love shining through - the kind of love that makes a real difference in the world.

Our Commencement Mass was an important gathering of the whole school in coming together to mark the beginning of the 2024 school year. We asked God to journey with us,  to give us hope as we look forward with anticipation and enthusiasm, to give us courage to walk together with friends and to be people of action. Our liturgy band and choir led us so beautifully in song and prayer. Special thanks to Fathers Jim and Bing for sharing Mass with us. It truly was a wonderful community celebration.

Coming up in Term 1:

• Ash Wednesday Liturgy, 14th February
• Trinity Lenten Appeal supporting Caritas’ Project Compassion
• Year 11 Immersion Team travels to the Arrernte Indigenous community of Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) in the Northern Territory .
• Easter Liturgy
• Year 12 Retreat

Mrs Annette White

Welcome to 2024. The Term is off to a flying start!  During this first Term our Year Group meetings and Pastoral Wellness Lessons will focus on Building Connections, our School Values and fostering a positive attitude to learning and student growth.

How to access Help at School

We do all in our power to support you and your child/ children to stay engaged in their learning so they can get the most out of their school experience. The key is communication with each other and with us.

Process:

For Wellbeing help contact your child’s Tutor or  Leader of Year as a first step to express your concerns. They can put you in touch with further help should you need it.

We are fortunate to have 3 wonderful School Counsellors at the College, Ms Kylie Crittendon, Ms Alison Moss and Ms Jaqueline Rojo. Referrals to one of our counsellors can be organised through your Leader of Year.

For help with learning in class your first contact should be your child’s class teacher or Leader of Learning.

Student Wellbing Hub  All students have access to help sites and information on the Student Wellbeing Hub on Lighthouse

Safe on Social

We are working closely with Safe on Social this year and the Safe on Social team will be working with students from year 7-9 during activities week and the rest of the College during term 2 to ensure safe engagement with the online world. Cheat sheets to support parents and carers in navigating the complex digital environment are available from the parent portal on Lighthouse.

A series of free eSafety Parent and Carer webinars are also available throughout the Term. You can register for these at any time.

Free parenting Webinar

As the College Subscribes to Happy Families we have access to a range of webinars and support materials that we will share with our community. The first event for the year is a live webinar delivered by Dr Justin Coulson. We will be hosting interested parents to participate in the webinar  on the 27/02 from 6.30 pm on site. Invites with details will be shared next week for those who are interested via email and our social media sites.

Breaking Point Unpacking the Crisis in Youth Mental Health

Child Safeguarding

Year 7 Connect

On Wednesday, we held Year 7 Connect, a day of fun activities designed to build new friendships, identify the challenges of starting high school and learn to overcome challenges by working together.

Year 7s interviewed the Year 8 Student Representative Council members about how they took on the adventure of high school and why they enjoy being a Trinity student. 

Afterwards, the whole year group played a series of games that encouraged them to make new connections. We had a paper plane contest, played a true or false game, and a group challenge called helium stick. From there students worked in tutor groups to solve a jigsaw puzzle that represented the values at the heart of our Student Code of Conduct. Students then roleplayed how these values can be lived out in the classroom or playground.

Lastly we went to St Carthage’s Cathedral for a Mass practice where our new students were so respectful of the sacred space.

I was so impressed by our new students’ enthusiasm, eagerness to meet others, willingness to get involved and overall maturity. 

Mr Shane Thamm

NSW SCHOOL VACCINATION PROGRAM

In 2024 the following vaccines will be offered:

If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, you can now provide online consent for their routine school vaccinations.

In Year 7, students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dT pa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). In Year 10, students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.

HOW TO PROVIDE CONSENT

1. To complete online consent for your child's school vaccinations, visit: https://engage.health.nsw.gov.au/engage
2. Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver's licence. If you don't have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
3. Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
   1. Enter your child's personal details
   2. Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
   3. Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement. Translations available in 27 languages
   4. Provide consent

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paperbased consent form directly from your child's school.

The benefits of providing consent online:

• easily update your child's details
• receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination.

If you require information in your language, please visit

www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/school_vaccination_language.aspx

YEAR 10 VACCINATIONS WEDNESDAY, 21ST FEBRUARY, 2024

Please make sure that you provide consent via this link prior to the 21st February https://engage.health.nsw.gov.au/engage

YEAR 7 VACCINATIONS WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, 14TH MAY, 2024.

Information will be provided as it becomes closer.

Consent can be provided via this link https://engage.health.nsw.gov.au/engage  prior to the date.