Trinity Catholic College Lismore eNewsletter

This week the College community gathered to celebrate the Feast of St Marcellin Champagnat on 6 June. Beginning in 1817, a young French priest recognised the need for poor provincial students to have access to an education, and knowledge of their Catholic faith. Marcellin established his own order of teaching Brothers that spread around the world. The Marist Brothers first arrived in Australia in December of 1872 and by 1911 the Marist Brothers had opened their 11th school, St Joseph’s College Lismore. Br McColl was the founding Principal.

Marcellin Champagnat and the Marist Brothers give us five fundamental characteristics we live by here at the College: Family Spirit, In the Way of Mary, Simplicity, Love of Work and Presence. Champagnat fostered an environment of inclusion and love of education. We at the College still follow his tradition of placing the names of all students and staff into a heart at the Commencement Mass each year. Along with the Presentation Sisters, the Marist Brothers have been central to Catholic Education in Lismore for more than a century. The Trinity Community is blessed to have such solid foundations to help guide and shape our vision and mission to this day.

At the end of our Liturgy we acknowledged those students and staff who have been nominated by their peers for exhibiting the characteristics of Saint Marcellin Champagnat ‘In Word and Deed.’

Marist Service Awards

Each year Marist Schools Australia recognises the valued contribution of staff at key milestones in their vocations. Congratulations to the following staff who have given 10, 20 and 40 years of service to Marist Education.

Reconciliation Week

On Friday 24 May the College acknowledged National Sorry Day with an Assembly reminding students of the significance of the ‘Bringing them Home’ report, the Prime Minister’s official Apology and the efforts made since towards healing with the stolen generations, their families and communities. The College choir and soloists made the Assembly particularly reverent and moving. I thank members of our indigenous parent community who were able to attend to share in this occasion.

Student Enrolments

First Round Offers for Year 7, 2025, have been emailed with acceptances due 14 June. Second Round Offers will be sent on 21 June.

Some enrolment vacancies exist in other year levels, but not all. All enrolment enquiries are best directed to our Enrolments Officer via email - enrolments@trinitylismore.nsw.edu.au - or phone: 02) 6627 6647. Applications can be made through our College website.

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.

Key Dates for Term 2

10 June - Pupil Free Day - King’s Birthday Public Holiday

12 June - Year 8 Reflection Day

13 June - Year 9 Reflection Day

19 June - Year 10 Reflection Day

20 June - Year 7 Reflection Day

Week 10 - NAIDOC Week Celebrations

2 July - Year 12 College Photos

3 July - Inspirations Dance Showcase

5 July - Athletics Carnival - Last Day of Term 2

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

Dear Members of the Trinity Community,

Subject Selection Evening

Thank you to the parents/carers of Year 8 and Year 10 students who attended the Subject Selection Information evening on Tuesday 28 May. Please continue to speak with your child regarding the most appropriate subjects to select for 2025. Parents/carers are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Learning if they have questions about the subject selection process. Below are the key dates for Term 2 and 3.

Term 2

May 28 2024 Subject Selection Portal opens
June 28 2024 Year 10 into 11 Re Enrolment Application and fee due

Term 3

July 24 2024 Subject Selection closes and Subject Selection receipt due to Office of Student Learning
August 9 2024 Year 10 into 11 Interviews ( 20 min appointments). Students only attend for their appointment and regular classes are paused.

Year 12 Trial HSC Exams

Please see linked the timetable for the Year 12 Trial HSC Examination period which commences on Monday, 5 August 2024. All Year 12 Students are also encouraged to read The NESA 2024 Rules and Procedures guide in relation to the exam period.

HSC Exams

HSC written exams will start on Tuesday 15 October 2024 with English Paper 1 and finish on Friday 8 November 2024. Please find here the link to the complete 2024 HSC written exam timetable with additional information including the Exam Equipment List. Each Year 12 student will have access to their personal exam timetable through studentsonline.nesa.nsw.edu.au. This timetable lists the students' written exams. It also lists any other exams they are entered for, including oral exams for languages, performance exams and submitted works.

Australian National Virtual Debating Competition

On Friday, the 31st of May, the first College debate began for 2024. The Year 7 junior debating team faced Penrith Anglican College and won the debate. The debate topic was 'That the government should create a national biodiversity action plan to safeguard threatened species and their habitats'. The team consisted of first speaker Sarah Robinson, second speaker Anneke Inglis, third speaker Caitlyn Maxwell and fourth speaker Bonnie Hogan. Congratulations to them all on their first debate as a team. It was an amazing accomplishment considering the opposing team consisted of all Year 8 students.

CAPA - Inspirations, a showcase of HSC Dance works will be held on Wednesday 3 July at 7pm.

We wish all students and families well for Term 2.

Alison Unwin - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Tracy Benfield - Director of Learning

Amy Pascoe - Director of Teaching Excellence

Years 7-10 Reflection Days

During Weeks 7 and 8, our Year 7-10 students will each attend a year based Reflection Day. Each day carries its own theme and a special focus for the particular year group. Our facilitators Dave Jorna from Project Hatch and Michael Fitzpatrick, focus on using games, activities, discussion, music and song to make the day one of reflection, fun and prayer. Permission notes were sent to parent emails a fortnight ago and attendance at these events cannot occur if the permission note is not submitted.

Key Dates for the Reflection Days:

12th June, Wednesday - Year 8
13th June, Thursday - Year 9
19th June Wednesday - Year 10
20th June Thursday - Year 7

Trinity Winter Appeal

Each year as winter approaches during Term 2 our Ministry Captains launch the Trinity Winter Appeal. Each year group is responsible for bringing in items which will go to the Lismore Winsome Soup Kitchen to help those in our community doing it tough this winter.

These donations will be pulled together into packs and distributed out to the needy. Thank you to the many families who have already sent items into reception for our Appeal.

Here is the proposed item list for each year group:

Year 7 and 8 -

Individual packed Soap, small Sanitizers and Wipes.

Year 9 and 10

Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

Year 11 and 12

Socks and Beanies

The Winter Sleep Out

We started our Appeal this year with our Winter Night Out. On Friday night 31 May, 50 students from Years 7-12, came together for some fun and to learn about homelessness in our Lismore community. Ms Mieke Bell, from the Lismore Winsome Soup Kitchen was our guest speaker and she talked to our group about the services the Lismore Winsome offers to people as well as inspiring us to do what we can for others this winter. The Winter Night Out raised $790 which will be divided between Vinnies and the Winsome. It is wonderful to see so many young people feeling so strongly about helping others and putting our faith into action for the local community.

Youth Ministry - CSYMA classes

Our Year 10 CYSMA helped to guide the Year 4 students from Our Lady Help of Christians on their recent visit to Trinity for the Accendere program. Our students spent the day leading and supporting the younger students to explore the theme of friendships, with Jesus and others. The Year 10 CSYMA class has also been regularly reading with students at OLHC each fortnight and they were instrumental in the dramatisation in our recent Champagnat Day Liturgy. This class has been exploring the idea of servant leadership and being role models in their RE lessons this semester and these are some of the ways they are putting their learnings into action.

Champagnat Day Liturgy

This has been an important week for Champagnat Marists all over the globe. As a faith community we joined together to share in a liturgy to celebrate the life and works of St Marcellin. Thank you to all the students who contributed to readings, prayers, music, the dramatisation and the decommissioning of the 2024 Immersion team. They truly made this a meaningful experience for our Trinity community and our invited guests. Congratulations to all the students and staff who were nominated for Champagnat awards this year. Champagnat’s spirit is very much alive at the College.

Mrs Annette White

Year 12 Retreat

Beautiful Bornhoffen, in the spectacular Gold Coast hinterland, was the majestic location for the 2024 Year 12 Retreat. We were fortunate to be able to accommodate the entire group at the one location with Cannane, Carthage, Champagnat, Chanel and Dennis bunking down at Wagawn Camp; and D’Arcy, Doyle, McColl, Nagle and Wilson calling Hobwee home.

A Retreat is an opportunity to slow down, to take a step back from the ‘busy-ness’ of life to rest, reflect and reinvigorate. It is a chance to experience nature, explore the idea of trust, relationships, reconciliation, self acceptance and personal growth. Year 12 Retreat facilitates students to build a sense of community that goes beyond the classroom.

We spent three nights and four days in this magnificent part of the world. Students had the opportunity to connect through creative Liturgy planning, trust exploring activities, mindful quiet time, and some serious card-playing spoon battles. Food was plentiful and allowed students to experience literally what it means to ‘serve each other’. Thank you to Charlie, Jacob and Indiana for having birthdays while we were away, which meant cake on three of the four days!

Our thanks go out to the Year 12 group who were amazing young adults to take away. Particular appreciation to Mrs Annette White and Mr Tory Puglisi for their endless hours of organisation; and to Mr Adam Mayes, Mrs Brooke Churchill, Mrs Cassie Allen, Mrs Gabi Collings, Mr Jacob Heffernan, Mr Tony Flood, Ms Alison Unwin, Mr Adam Wagner, Ms Jenna Lidbetter and Mr Tony Clarke who gave up their family time to facilitate this experience.

I felt privileged to be part of such a wonderful avenue for our Year 12 students to truly let their light shine.

Mrs Lisa Yopp

YEAR 12 COLLEGE PHOTOS

This year our photo days will be split into 2 separate days.

Year 12 will hold their photo day during the last week of Term 2 - Tuesday 2nd July

On this day the Year 12 Group Photo, Tutor Photo and individual photos will be taken.

Please note that full College Winter Uniform is required to be worn on the day including a blazer.

To order please visit: https://store.theschoolphotographer.com.au/ and enter the following code: X6198EC47T

In a bid to enhance learning beyond the classroom, students from the HSIE department have been actively participating in a number of educational excursions this year.

Year 7 Students connected to the country in Bangalow learning about the concept of sustainability and how it is evidenced in our local community.
Year 8 students expanded their knowledge of geographical skills at Rocky Creek Dam and learnt about the deep ancient histories of Byron Bay.
Year 9 students actively engaged in hands-on geographical skills learning about the sustainable biomes of our area, while others learnt about the ancient and modern local histories of Evans Head.
Year 10 students have an upcoming incursion where they will speak directly to a holocaust survivor.
Year 11 and 12 Society and Culture and Modern History students spent the holidays in Vietnam, while Year 12 Geography students have just returned from a trip to Sydney.
These excursions have offered students invaluable, hands-on experiences, reinforcing classroom studies with real-world applications.

Ms Alyssa Smith | Leader of Learning HSIE

Vietnam Excursion 2024

The Vietnam excursion 2024 was the most eye opening trip we have ever experienced. The amazing waterfront views, brilliant sites we attended, and new and unique foods we tried allowed us to develop a greater understanding towards Vietnamese culture.

First taking off from Brisbane in a Singapore Airlines plane, we were delighted with delicious meals, cosy blankets and fluffy pillows. Arriving in Singapore at 5:45am, we spent the day exploring, shopping and enjoying fun activities available in the Jewel, a terminal in the airport with amazing gardens and wonderful waterfalls that fell from the ceiling.

Then arriving in Hanoi we went to Sen Tonkin, an amazing little restaurant. This was our first taste of Vietnamese food. Arriving at our accommodation Gloud Hotel and Spa we were met with welcoming, friendly staff. After settling in for the night we woke up nice and early to have a buffet breakfast and headed off to Halong bay. On the way we saw beautiful water views, stopped to watch how pearls were created with clam shells, and enjoyed a tasty treat of some ice cream.

Next we arrived at the Arena (a harbour for boats) and travelled by a small boat to our cruise, the Starlight Cruise. The staff waved us on board the boat and were very accommodating the whole trip, always giving us a helping hand when needed. The next morning after finishing a marvellous breakfast we headed to explore caves in one of the limestone mountains. This showed us the unique formations of the rock over thousands of years. Then we travelled back to the Starlight Cruise and had the opportunity to have a cooking demonstration with the chef to make delicious Vietnamese spring rolls, or sit back and enjoy some fruity mocktails, relaxing and looking at the view. After dinner we sang some karaoke or went squid fishing - both were extremely entertaining and everyone went to bed with some laughs.

The next day we went to an amazing spot to kayak ourselves or sightsee whilst getting ferried around in a small boat. This allowed us to go close up to the limestone creations and have some sightseeing, as well as seeing a pack of wild monkeys. Then after saying goodbye to our friendly staff onboard the Starlight Cruise, we headed back to Hanoi to attend a cyclo tour around the city’s French Quarter. This allowed us to view the city and streets in a cute little cart, observing the architecture and travelling through the heart of Hanoi. Afterwards we saw a former soldier who was the first Vietnamese pilot to take down an American fighter jet. This was a very eye opening experience and we were very grateful to have met him and learn about the other side of the war.

Later in the evening we had a food tour, which incorporated a flavoursome noodle soup with a dash of spice, egg chocolate or coffee, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich called a Banh Mi, ice cream and buns that oozed with chocolate or vanilla. We went back to our hotel as full as we could be and enjoyed a long night’s sleep in our cosy beds.

The next day was a long day, as we waited to see Ho Chi Minh's body. The line stretched two blocks down the street as it was a Sunday, and on many residents' days off they come to see Ho Chi Mihn as a sign of their value and respect. Once we were inside it was remarkable to see how well they had preserved his body, he looked very life-like.

Next we went to the War History Museum and saw many weapons, stories and photographs from the Vietnam War and the First Indochina War. This created a further understanding of Vietnam and was great sources for the modern history students. The last thing on the day before take off for Saigon was viewing a prison. This opened our eyes to how badly prisoners were treated and what torture methods were used - it was so intense some left in tears after exiting the building. Afterwards we caught a short flight to Saigon and settled into our new home for the next few days.

On ANZAC Day in Saigon we travelled beyond the city limits and entered a rural area that showed us the Australian side of the war and where the original RAAF base had been. Afterwards we attended the war memorial, placing down a wreath of flowers in a sign of respect. We also saw the beach and took some beautiful photos with the crystal clear water in the background. In the next few afternoons many people went shopping in the markets. This was no ordinary market, instead being an intense time with every seller trying to make you buy something and bargaining off anything you wanted to purchase. Mr. Puglisi was definitely the No.1 person for bargaining the sellers down however, and if you needed anything you went to him.

The next day we went to the Reunification Palace which permitted us to view rooms such as the president’s bedroom, the meeting rooms, the bunker, and the theatre rooms. Then we went to the War Museum, undoubtedly the most confronting aspect of this whole trip - and yet the most eye opening, too. It really made you sympathise to a great level with the Vietnamese people and appreciate how good we have it. It had a room for the use of Agent Orange (an extremely toxic herbicide mixture used by the American military during the Vietnam War), and a gallery of photographs, objects, experiences, statics, stories and much more. Many people left the building in tears, just as with the prison in Hanoi.

On the second last day we attended the tunnels and had a great opportunity to enter and experience what the Vietnamese did day to day during the years of war.

We viewed the traps that were put into place which were horrific and unbelievable, and showed us how cruel people can be to others in times of war. There was also a shooting range nearby, and many people purchased souvenirs of bullets that unfortunately never made it past the Australian border security.

For lunch we had some tasty KFC, and finished off the day at the underground markets for the last time.

On our last day in Vietnam we went to a school for the disadvantaged children, who were very sweet. We sang songs with them, played games, read stories, flipped bottles and made balloon animals. From the short time we spent at the school many made strong connections to the kids there and memories that will last a lifetime. Later that afternoon we headed off to the airport to travel to Singapore then had a short hour break and then, finally, it was home sweet home.

Overall, the trip was amazing and there are no words to describe how good it was. Everyone enjoyed every minute of the trip and the connections made with other students, staff and the culture of Vietnam will last a lifetime. Everyone was sincerely grateful to not only the teachers that attended but also to the school for letting us go and the tour guides for being so helpful. It was a once in a lifetime trip and we are all grateful to have experienced the Vietnam excursion trip 2024.

Jenna Ros and Maeve Heart - Year 11

FOOD

Year 12 Food Technology students with the products from their Food Manufacture Unit - Applying food preservation principles.

Year 9 Food Technology cooking up a storm (in their FOOD SELECTION FOR HEALTH unit). Some of the delicious recipes they've been preparing include: Amazing Apple Crumble, Rainbow Rice Paper Rolls, Buddha Bowls and Zucchini Singapore Noodles. Chickpea Choc Chip Blondes and Healthy Burger are still to come!

Year 7 Food Technology thoroughly enjoyed learning and practising food preparation & presentaion skills in addition to designing and evaluating healthy menu options during their Food unit.

Year 7 Food/Agriculture tending to their plants.

Mrs S Gill-Andrews

TIMBER

Year 12 Industrial Technolgy Timber Projects

Year 12 HSC Major Timber projects are underway. They are due next term in week 4. This year's projects include various types of coffee tables, cabinets, bedside tables, a snare drum and a mobile tool trolley. Student projects demonstrate aesthetic features such as: M&T and Dovetail joints, mixed hardwood timber use, resin rivers, glass doors and decorative routing.

Year 11 Industrial Technology Timber

Students are working on their finer timberworking skills and making pens and boxes to hold them in a range of different timbers. These are a lovely keepsake or gifts.