Congratulations to Jack Niddrie and Kaitlin Hudson who were married last Saturday. They both looked stunning especially the bride. They had perfect weather and had a lovely day!

This morning the children participated in National Walk Safely to School Day. The children enjoyed the walk to school and upon arrival all of the students were treated with some tasty pancakes and a hot chocolate. Trinity participated in the day to encourage our children to build walking into their daily routine, where possible. We totally understand that it is too far to walk for some of our children, especially those who live out of town but it’s a reminder to incorporate exercise into our daily routine. This assists children to be active and healthy and is great for mental health too!

This week we had a very big focus on mental health and wellbeing as well as child safety at Trinity. Yesterday, students and staff participated in R U OK day. This is our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?” and support those struggling with life's ups and downs. This year's message was, ‘There’s more to say after R U OK? Looking out for one another and lending support is a key life skill for any age group'.  Teachers emphasised the value of close connections and strong relationships which was the focus with class discussions and activities. Parents, this is a great opportunity to check in with your children and ask them questions about how they are feeling, although also a reminder that we need to do this frequently. It is so important for children to build resilience, but they do need the help of parents, teachers and adults to assist them with problem solving issues.

Mrs Edwards, our School Chaplain has been working with the children this term, using activities from Smiling Minds and Big Life Journal. Children have enjoyed a variety of mindfulness activities that have supported their sense of well-being and promotion of a safe and comfortable environment in which children feel validated and heard. Next term Mrs Edwards will be conducting The Seasons for Growth program (Yr 1-6). Seasons for Growth is an innovative, evidence-based change, loss and grief education program that draws on the metaphor of the seasons to understand the experience of grief. It builds the knowledge and skills necessary to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing following significant loss by:

• Exploring the impact of change and loss
• Learning about effective ways to respond and adapt

If you wish your child to participate, please complete the form attached to the newsletter and return to school by next Friday.

How to talk about personal safety with children

Having conversations about personal safety should not be scary for children. Being open and approachable is the most important thing.

• Discuss who children can talk to if they feel unsafe and what they can do.
• Practise using stories and scenarios to problem solve. Do not always make these about strangers.
• Reinforce basic safety messages and ensure children know the phone numbers of people they can call for help or to talk to.
• Explain it is okay to say ‘No’ to an adult or child if they are doing something that is not okay or makes the child feel unsafe.
• Let your child know they will not get into trouble if they tell you about an unsafe secret someone has asked them to keep.
• Remind your child that it is always okay to talk to you - no matter what the issue. You care about them and want to help them to stay safe.

This Term some of our students have been participating in Tournament of Minds (TOM), which is a problem-solving program for multi-aged teams of students who work together to solve a demanding, open-ended Long-Term Challenge. Trinity entered two teams who have created a five minute video which presents their solution to a panel of judges tomorrow. We wish our two teams the best of luck and I'd also like to thank Penny Lucas who has been driving this initiative. A full report will go in next weeks newsletter on their presentations.

Thank you to all our Trinity families who supported the Wood Raffle. We raised $1,785 which will go towards the P&F funds for grounds maintenance. Congratulations to Mrs Doolan who won!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

God Bless and keep well,

Marylou Gorham