Dear Members of the Trinity Family,

The Lenten Season has now commenced. The name “Lent” came from an Anglo-Saxon word, “Leetem”, which simply means Spring. Easter is always the first moon on or after the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This association of Lent and Spring can carry with it the comparison of our spirituality needing a ‘spring cleaning’ so that we may live up to the ideals of being like Christ to others.

Pope Francis reminds us of the many things we can fast from in 2025 so that a true ‘spring cleaning’ can occur within each of us:

At our recent Ash Wednesday Liturgy, students were reminded that Lent is not a passive season. Too often Lent is associated with not doing certain things rather than emphasising what we should be doing to make ourselves Christ-like. This Lent I hope and pray that we are all active in pursuing internal renewal so that the Spring of Easter leads to increased faith, hope and love. [Insert Ash Wednesday Photos].

Bishop Greg’s 2025 Lenten Talks have focused on the Jubilee Year of Hope. In these talks he has challenged us to not only find solitude but to be attentive to where the silence leads us. Each talk is well worth listening to. 

Post Cyclone Alfred Support

Thank you for your support and partnership as we navigated the recent weather event caused by Cyclone Alfred. The Incident Management Team met earlier this week to review our processes. We discussed the importance of continuing to promote help-seeking. I include below two very useful resources for students and families to consider post-disaster:

In November 2024 I submitted a long service leave application to the College Council for Weeks 4-10 of Term 2, 2025. This was approved by the Council, which I very much appreciate. As a result of my absence, I can confirm the following temporary appointments have been made: Acting Principal & CEO - Ms Alison Unwin, Acting Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching - Mrs Tracy Benfield and Acting Director of Learning - Mrs Sueanne Parker. All other leadership positions at the College remain the same. 

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 is currently considering a range of policy updates in relation to student use of social media and artificial intelligence. As you can appreciate this is a rapidly evolving area of our lives and therefore policy settings need to be adjusted regularly. In early March I wrote to parents and carers about some concerning deep fake attacks that occurred in the local area. The College will continue to do its best to respond to the changing ICT landscape, and the issues it presents for student, staff and community safety, but we all need to play our role in educating young people about making responsible decisions.

Uniform & Presentation

I ask that all students 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 2026 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. Applications can be made through our College website.

 2025 Academic Year Dates for Students / Families

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

As the Term progresses, our students have continued to engage and take advantage of various opportunities both at the College and further afield.

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved at a high level in their chosen sport:

• Joe Parsons has been in Uggerah NSW this week competing in the NSWCCC Cricket team.
• George Jones has made the CCC golf team and competes in Dubbo in May.
• Elsie Wilkinson will attend the Rugby League Northern Country trials in Week 9
• Tyler Packham, Sakura Baker, Zali Black and Mitchell Mayes attend the CCCFootball Trials and championships in Glenwood in May.
• Tayla Matthews, Isabelle Slater and Tyler Packham will trial at the CCC Touch selections in Week 1 of Term 2 at Tuggerah.
• Oliver Rose completely smashed the Samson Challenge coming first in the Adults solo challenge.
• Ava Lane, Heidi Hume, Amelia O'Connor and Chelsea Bale came first in the Teen Girls Team Division at Samson

During Week 7 Trinity was able to provide the opportunity for primary school students and parents to Tour the College grounds and classrooms. Thanks to the many student volunteers from years 9-12 who assisted by acting as ‘Tour Guides’ for these groups. Our students were able to effectively convey what the student experience at Trinity is all about and answer questions for the parents and younger students about the site and opportunities here. Well done to these students!!

Well done also to our Year 7 and 11 students that have assisted with our Primary school visit over the last 4 weeks. Students and staff visited local primary schools to give an insight into what the Trinity Community is all about. The way our students engaged in these visits is to be commended, they were true ambassadors of Trinity.

It is great to be able to recognise student achievements in a variety of areas, as such we are aiming to hold a recognition assembly during Week 9 where students can be accoladed for these achievements.

Correct School Shoe clarification:

It appears that a small number of students are wearing the shoes pictured below to school, I felt it important to clarify that this particular style is not in alignment with the College’s uniform requirements as there is a lack of  material covering the forefoot which presents a risk in various subjects that are undertaken by students for example, woodwork and science. We would request that students acquire a school shoe that has the appropriate forefoot coverage, an example is pictured below.

Zoe Robinson - Advocate for Children and Young people in NSW visited Trinity to conduct some student focus groups on Monday 3rd March.

The Advocate and ACYP team sat with and listened to children and young people across NSW and heard what they had to say about issues that impact them. This was an opportunity for children and young people to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns about what matters most to them.  

While the Advocate  and her team were at Trinity Catholic College, she asked students questions around access: questions included – what do you have access to in your community and what do you need access to in your community? 

The Advocate will take this information and raise the voices throughout community, parliament and other organisations to create positive change

Tony Flood

Dear Members of the Trinity Community,

As we move through 2025, our College remains consistent in its commitment to fulfilling our Mission Statement: "to achieve the fullness of life (John 10:10)." To support this vision, we have identified specific strategies that align with our core school wide pedagogical pillars of Connecting, Engaging, Challenging, and Including. These pillars serve as the foundation for our efforts to enhance the educational experience for all our students.

Device Free Start

In late 2024 the Leaning Team partnered with two of our local Catholic Primary Schools to better understand the differences in learning between Year 6 and Year 7. Our goal was to find effective ways to bridge the gap and support our students as they transition to secondary education. One significant outcome of this collaboration was the decision to implement a device-free period at the beginning of the school year. This approach allowed us to foster stronger connections among students and teachers, giving educators the opportunity to learn how their students learn best and to establish positive learning habits. We want to extend our thanks to the students and parents for their enthusiastic support of this initiative. The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to continuing to look to improve our processes for the benefit of our students.

NAPLAN

Due to the cyclone weather event the commencement of Naplan for all Year 7 and 9 students was delayed until 17 March.  Despite this, students participated in NAPLAN Writing, Reading, Conventions of language, Numeracy tests. NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.

Changes to Year 12 Assessment

As per previous communication, changes have been made to the Year 12 Assessment calendar for Term 1 to account for lost time due to Cyclone Alfred. Students are encouraged to communicate with the Office of Student Learning if there are ongoing concerns.

Life Long Learner

The Lifelong Learner Study Skills Program has been introduced at the start of 2025 to equip students with essential study strategies, time management skills, and independent learning techniques. Developed using insights from HSC and NAPLAN data , along with teacher and student feedback, the program ensures that students build the confidence to learn and value learning as a lifelong skill. A key component, Elevate Education, provides structured workshops across all year levels, progressively developing skills from foundational study techniques in Year 7 to advanced exam preparation in Year 12. This initiative reinforces our commitment to academic excellence and preparing students for lifelong success.

Year 7 Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews

Thank you to the Year 7 parents who participated in this opportunity on 17 March.  Other Year levels will be as follows:

Term 2

Tuesday 13 May 2025 - Year 8 to Year 12

Monday 19 May 2025 - Year 8 to Year 12

Term 4

Thursday 23 October 2025 - Year 7 to Year 11

Monday 27 October 2025 - Year 7 to Year 11

Romanticism Comes to Life in Year 12 English Advanced

Year 12 English Advanced students recently stepped into the world of John Keats, exploring his context and how this shaped his poetry. Through various interactive group activities, students analysed and uncovered the key themes of love, longing and mortality. Bringing Romanticism into the modern era, they reimagined Keats’ words through creative writing through advertisements, letters and props. This hands-on approach encouraged students to think deeply, write creatively, make bold statements and engage with Module A: Textual Conversations in an exciting new way.

We wish all students and families well for the remainder of Term 1.

Alison Unwin - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching

Tracy Benfield - Director of Learning

Amy Pascoe - Director of Teaching Excellence

Dear Trinity families,

Shrove Tuesday fundraising kicks off our Lenten Appeal.

Thank you to the students from our Year 10 CSYMA (Youth Ministry) class for organising the selling of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Traditionally on this day, families used up all the sugar and fats in their cupboards in preparation for the fasting of Lent which would begin the following day on Ash Wednesday. We continued this tradition this year,  by holding our annual pancake sale where we raised $100 for our Caritas Lenten Appeal. Thank you to all who supported this event.

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

Father Jim joined our College community on 5th March to lead our Ash Wednesday Liturgy marking the beginning of Lent. As in many Christian traditions students and staff received the ashes, made from the palms used on Palm Sunday in 2024,  in the shape of a cross of their forehead. Students were encouraged to use the forty days leading up to Easter, as a time to reflect on their lives, to ask for forgiveness, to spend time in prayer and where possible, to give to others.

 

Trinity Lenten Appeal - We are Uniting Against Poverty as part of Project Compassion

Like many Catholic schools around the country, Trinity commits to raise monies for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion during Lent. As a Catholic community committed to serving others, may we find it in our hearts to support Project Compassion this year and raise some much needed funds for our brothers and sisters in our global family.  Students will learn about the Project Compassion stories and the work of Caritas Australia in their RE classes during the next few weeks.

Please use this QR code to link directly to Trinity’s Project Compassion fundraising page to make your donation.

Save the date - All School’s Mass - All Welcome

Once a Term, families from our local primary and secondary schools are invited to come together to celebrate Mass. The first of these will be held on Saturday 29th March at 5:30pm in St Carthage’s Cathedral.  The Mass and music will see students from all schools involved. Mass will be followed by a sausage sizzle in the grounds of the Church. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring the family to Mass and meet other families from our local parish schools.

Please mark the following All School’s Mass dates in your calendar.

Term 2 - Saturday May 24 - 5:30pm

Term 3 - Saturday August 16 - 5:30pm

Term 4 - Saturday November 8 - 5:30pm

Primary Schools & Nursing Home Visits

Our Year 9 and Year10 CSYMA classes have commenced their weekly visits to both Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School to assist with the infants reading program and Mary’s Grange Aged Care Facility to spend some time with the residents. These invaluable partnerships provide our students opportunities to live out their faith and hopefully see the benefit of serving others, long after their school years. Our students, the residents of Mary’s Grange and the infants students at OLHC enjoy this wonderful community initiative.

Term 1 Mission Events

• Transitus Youth Ministry- 25 March
• Easter Liturgy - 11 April
• Year 12 Retreat commences 8-11 April

Annette White - Director of Mission

Why was the equal sign so humble? Because it knew it wasn’t less than or greater than anyone else!

This Term, all students across Stage 4 and Stage 5 are working within the new mathematics syllabus. This marks an exciting shift in learning, ensuring students are engaging with updated content and approaches to mathematics.

We also extend a warm welcome back to Mrs Lisa Yopp, who is lucky to be teaching in maths and PD/Health/PE, This year she has a Year 7 mathematics class!

A key focus across Stage 4 and 5 this term is Algebra. A great way to support your child’s learning at home is through conversations about like terms - only like terms can be added and subtracted.

How do we determine if terms are "like"?

What are the index laws, and how do they help simplify expressions?

Engaging in these discussions can reinforce classroom learning and build confidence in algebraic thinking.

In other news later in the Term:

• Year 7 will participate in World of Maths, an interactive and hands-on experience that develops collaboration and problem-solving skills.
• Year 8 will put their engineering skills to the test in a paper plane competition.

Whose design will fly the furthest?

• Year 9 will explore probability through an engaging session with cards - understanding chance in a fun and practical way.

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic Term in mathematics, full of learning, problem-solving, and hands-on activities

Kathryn Smith - Leader of Learning - Mathematics