Reading is an essential part of a child's development, that is, the skills to decode words and the skills to comprehend and make meaning from text. For this reason reading is the only homework activity that is mandatory at Trinity. We believe it is so important that we ask students to complete one homework task - to read. This year I am taking a personal interest in the reading of all students by asking them to come and see me when they have reached specific milestones. The first milestone is 25 nights. When a student reads for 25 nights they are able to come and see me, receive their certificate, choose out of a "special box" and the biggest draw card of all is they are allowed to share a message over the PA. It is delightful to see the enthusiasm of each student as they approach me with their diary, but listening to them encourage one another, is another example of To Know, To Love, To Serve. I must make special mention of Dakota Medley who was the "first" student to reach 25 nights and I do believe she is working hard at being the "first" to reach the second milestone. Keep up the great work everyone and thank you to our parents and carers who place reading each night as a high priority.

Covid Update

For those of you with students in 5/6 you would be aware of the decision to postpone the camp, for others you would be aware of the emails that reflect increasing Covid cases in our school community. Through Compass, I will continue to communicate on a daily basis the presence or absence of Covid in each classroom. This will alert you to heighten your awareness of your child's symptoms. Please continue to test students as you see necessary. If you need further tests please do not hesitate to contact the Front Office and we will send some home to you.

Easter Celebrations

As we draw closer to Easter please take note of the many ways we will celebrate this year. On Thursday 7 April, we will make our Easter Hats from 9.30am, followed at 12pm by a trip down Neill Street to show off our wonderful creations. As we walk down the street, we will share the love by giving out some Easter treats to the community. Parents will be able to join us for the hat making and the walk. Look out in Compass for finer details. Special thanks to Carmie Logan, who has donated not only all the prizes for our raffle but many treats for us to share with the community. We love you Carmie!!

Many Thanks

Teaching continues to be a career that requires significant expertise and many attributes. In recent years, flexibility, collaboration and team work are amongst the attributes that are leading the way in excellence. The staff at Trinity continually demonstrate extraordinary dedication to the learning of our students by managing the many demands that are placed on them with buckets of flexibility, mountains of teamwork and kilometres of collaboration. I know you will join me in forecasting their greatness to the world. Thank you TEAM TRINITY.  

In closing, the quote K-2 used for their Harmony Week Mass touched my heart yesterday, you may find something resonates with you too.

"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot, together we can do great things".

Caz Perryman, Leader Team Trinity

St. Patricks Day Mini Fete

Last week our Year 6 Mini Vinnies team organised and led a fabulous fundraising fete for Project Compassion with the theme of St. Patrick.

St. Patricks Day is celebrated all around the world on March 17^th. St. Patrick was a brave man who returned to Ireland, where he had been kept slave, to help convert the people of Ireland to Christianity. According to legend, he drove away the snakes of Ireland and used the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. To find out more about St. Patrick visit the Catholic Digest Website. https://www.catholicdigest.com/family/celebrate-st-patricks-day-the-catholic-way/

The fete began with team games and relays with a St. Patrick themed ‘twist’ which included the ever popular ‘Dress the Leprechaun’ race.

After the relays, our Mini Vinnies team held a mini fete with activities which included:

• Toss the coin into the Leprechaun Hat.
• Pin the tie on the Leprechaun.
• Guess the gold in the jar.
• Green goodies stall (jellies, cupcakes, rainbow treats).
• Find the Shamrock Treasure Hunt
• Closest to the Hat Coin Roll
• Find the Buried Coins – Paddle Pop Challenge.

A great day was enjoyed by all. The Mini Vinnies team set a goal to raise $100 for Project Compassion and were delighted to find that they DOUBLED their goal, raising an amazing $246.35. (That’s $80 more than last years total of $160.75).

Special thanks to our Year 6 leaders who diligently and successfully organised this day and had the initiative to create such amazing activities as well as prepare a load of tasty green goodies for the stall.

Year 6 and Trinity wish to thank everyone for supporting our school Project Compassion fund-raising for LENT.

Prayer

Lent is a time of spiritual renewal. One easy step you can take is to use the many free online resources to jump-start or reinvigorate your prayer life. A few such resources are Loyola Press’s popular 3-Minute Retreats and Seven Last Words of Christ guided meditation. If you’re seeking more traditional support for your personal reflective prayer, consider a book specially designed to nourish you during Lent, such as Praying Lent.

One of the most common traditions of Lent is to pray the Stations of the Cross. This prayer helps us reflect on the passion and death of Christ in preparation for Good Friday observance and the Easter celebration.

Being a parent, guardian, or teacher is a holy ministry and a sacred promise. Share your faith with children by letting them see and hear you pray, and by praying together. Guided Reflections for Children: Praying My Faith, Praying with Scriptures, and 52 Simple Ways to Talk with Your Kids about Faith are all practical, realistic resources to help you make the most of your prayer time with children. For more children’s prayer resources, click here.

Project Compassion

Fourth Sunday of Lent -  26th & 27th March

Joshua 5:9-12   |   1 Cor 5:17-21   |   Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

One of the most beautiful expressions in the Bible comes from the prophet Ezekiel. ‘Thus says the Lord, I will take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh.’ It is a call to be tender and compassionate.

You would need a heart of stone not to be affected by the stories we encounter in these readings. Most of us have heard the story of the two sons in Luke’s Gospel over and over. The brilliance of the way Jesus tells stories is that it still gets under our skin. Here are two young men who think they can live on their own terms. One has a sense of entitlement and demands his share of his father’s estate which he then squanders. He is finally prepared to eat humble pie and find his way home. The other son has a different sense of entitlement. He believes that his hard work and reliability should provide him with a greater share of his father’s love. At different times in our life, we can relate more to one or other of these people. Jesus implies that they are both blind to the way God’s love works and that they both need to grow. They have both been dead and need to come to life.

The story we encounter this week through Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion is also deeply moving. Rosalie, aged 37, lives in one of the most damaged countries in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). From the age of fifteen, she was forced to become a child soldier, exposed to violence and heartbreak. She actually says that she was forced into combat with a baby on her back. Now she has seven children and dreams of a better future for them. Thanks to your support of Project Compassion, she has been able to start a small business, save so her children might go to school and become an inspiration to others. Recovery from the trauma of war affects people around the world.

The second reading this weekend reminds us that we are ‘ambassadors for Christ.’ St Paul says, ‘for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation.’ Let us all be part of building that new creation, setting the world to rights as best we can. God wants to reconcile the world to himself. Our part in this is to reach out in compassion and love to heal the wounds of the whole human family. The theme of Project Compassion this year asks us to think and act ‘for all future generations.’ Our hearts need to be warm and strong.

Please donate to Project Compassion 2022 and help people living with disabilities in India gain access to education and clean water, empowering them with skills to build a better future for all.

Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations. You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes and envelopes available from your Parish, by visiting lent.caritas.org.au, or by calling 1800 024 413.

Harmony Week

This week Trinity students and teachers have celebrated Harmony Week in their classrooms through their lessons and prayers.

Harmony Week is a time to encourage unity and belonging.

Yesterday our school came together to pray for Peace, Harmony and Belonging in a whole school mass led by Mrs Lucas, Mrs Doolan, Mrs Birks, and K-2.

The message for the mass was:

‘We may all be different fish, but, at this school, we swim together.’

This was beautifully portrayed throughout the mass. Students from K-2 set their prayer space with carefully created fish of various shapes, sizes and colours depicting how we are all different, but we work and learn together.

Thought of the Week

NRMA Bus Visit

Last Wednesday the NRMA, NSW Police and Busabout came to Trinity to talk to the K-4 students about how to stay safe when travelling to and from school. Concluding the talk, the students went on an educational bus ride. The NRMA visit was a great way for our students to understand the potential dangers when travelling in a vehicle or crossing the road.

Trinity Cross Country

Our Cross Country was held at Trinity today. Students have been training during their PE/Sport sessions and some keen participants have also been training during lunchtimes or at home after school and on the weekends. We thank all our parents and guardians for supporting our carnival and helping as a checkpoint monitor, recorder or cooking the BBQ.

Congratulations to the following Champions & Runner-ups:

Kinder Boys Champion: Archer Clark,  Runner Up: Monty Lucas

Kinder Girls Champion: Poppy Medley

Year One Boys Champion: Henry Johnson

8yrs Girls Champion: Keeva Medley

9yrs Boys Champion: Harry Edwards, Runner Up: Fletcher Betts

9yrs Girls Champion: Lana Sumich, Runner Up: Marlie Oakley

10yr Boys Champion: Hamish Summerfield, Runner Up: Lawrence Johnson

10yrs Girls Champion: Ruby Lucas

11yrs Boys Champion: Ryan Sumich, Runner Up: Dara Olotu

11yrs Girls Champion: Somer Oldfield, Runner Up: Phoebe Bass

12yr Boys Champion: Thomas Edwards

12yr Girls Champion: Bea Lucas, Runner Up: Bella Betts

The Western Region Cross Country Carnival is held on Friday 29th April in Gundagai.

Congratulations to the Winning House - BLUE on 75pts, 2^nd Red on 50pts and  3^rd Gold on 39pts

Thank you to Mr Niddrie for taking on the responsibility to organise this event this year. Well done Mr Niddrie!

Touch Football Trials

Congratulations to Bea Lucas and Somer Oldfield who represented our Archdiocese at the Mackillop Touch Football trials last Friday. Well done to both girls for their commitment and sportsmanship on the day. This is a wonderful experience to be involved in. The Trinity school community are proud of Bea and Somer for their efforts at this level of competition.

Archdiocesan Trials

Rugby League Trials for Year 5 and 6 students

Just a quick reminder that the nominations for the Canberra Goulburn U11’s and U12’s rugby league trials close on Monday 28^th of March. The trials will be held on Friday 1st April.

A reminder that ALL nominations are to go through the CSNSW website and entered electronically.

All trials will be advertised through the school newsletter and Compass; however, parents are encouraged to check the C & G sport website and the Facebook page for information about upcoming events

There are currently many trials open for 5/6 students on the sport cg page. Please monitor the page so you are aware of what’s on

Canberra Goulburn Sport Website: https://www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/

For more information or to register, please go to https://www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/nominations. Please check the C & G website and the Facebook page for information about upcoming events including winter trials for netball, rugby league, hockey and touch football.

If any parent/guardian needs support with this, please contact Miss Wade.

Thank you for your support of sport at Trinity.

Miss Wade

Week 8

Class Awards

Kinder/1/2: Keira Scott, Basil Russell, Keeva Mottley

Year 3/4: Fletcher Betts, Ruby Lucas, Toby Stevenson

Year 5/6: Grace Metcalfe, Jade Mottley, Billy Corkhill

MJR Awards

Kinder/1/2: Poppy Medley, Keeva Mottley

Year 5/6: Hamish Clark, Melaine Beal, Bella Betts, Billy Corkhill, Charlie Jackson, Zoe Lenehan, Grace Metcalfe, Dara Olotu, Shannon Kerrison, Michael Oakley, Hamish Summerfield, Thomas Edwards, Ryan Sumich

Week 9

Class Awards

Kinder/1/2: Keeva Mottley. Monty Lucas

Year 3/4: Marlie Oakley, Dakota Medley

Year 5/6: Spencer Betts, Dara Olotu

MJR Awards

Year 5/6: Bea Lucas, Somer Oldfield, Thomas Edwards, Michael Oakley

Trinity school community staff and friends would like to wish the following people a wonderful birthday.

This year all students from K-6 have been given a Home Reading Log where they are to record their reading each night.

It has been great to see the number of ‘Reading Nights’ children have recorded in their home reading log.

Once children reach a reading goal of nights they are rewarded with a sticker for their book from Mrs Perryman.

Keep up the great reading!!