Trinity Talk Magazine – Autumn 2020

Trinity

TRINITY TALK IS A NEWSLETTER FOR ALL PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES. ISSUE 1 – AUTUMN 2020

Welcome We hope you enjoy reading our very first Trinity Talk and that it gives our prospective families some insight into what happens at Trinity. We look forward to the time when our Trinity community is back on campus at East Perth and we can welcome you here personally.

MEET OUR SECONDARY COLLEGE LEADERSHIP TEAM MR DARREN O’NEILL

| PRINCIPAL

Even in these changed circumstances, we look forward with optimism as we plan for sustained school improvement and growth in the future.

In recent months, we have implemented some important changes to the leadership structure at Trinity College with a view to both enabling and driving an agenda for school improvement over the next few years.

I take this opportunity to tell you about these changes to the College Leadership Team.

First, we warmly welcome our Vice Principal, Sabrina Hughes, to the College. Sabrina is an experienced leader in Catholic education with 25 years of experience as an educator.

Before joining the College, Sabrina has held the position of Deputy Principal of Staffing & Operations at Lumen Christi College.

Prior to this, Sabrina was a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Mercedes College where she held the positions of Deputy Principal Student Life, Deputy Principal Faith & Mission and Director of Research & Innovation. Sabrina complements her leadership experience with a Bachelor of Education from Curtin University, and has recently completed a Master of Education from the University of Notre Dame.

College’s engagement in this regard.

Raising the profile and identity of Trinity College will be an important aspect of this role. The Deputy Principal – Mission and Engagement is responsible for ensuring that the College maintains its authenticity and identity as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition and that this is transparent to all those associated with the College community.

Julian Fritz: Deputy Principal – Student Wellbeing is responsible for all aspects of student welfare, child safety practices, pastoral initiatives and behaviour management and intervention strategies. Furthermore, this position seeks to develop, align and celebrate student formation programs, positive psychology initiatives and opportunities for student leadership. An important aspect of this role will be establishing a culture in which boys feel safe, cared for and strive for personal excellence. The Deputy Principal – Student Wellbeing will provide a vision for, and leadership of, the College as a learning community that seeks to maintain the safety, welfare and dignity of each student central in all aspects of College life so as to

encourage every young man on a journey of formation.

Tim Hince: Deputy Principal – Learning and Innovation has the responsibility of the development and implementation of the curriculum and associated policies, to oversee the teaching and learning process, to effectively use data to inform curriculum innovation and to help advise students on appropriate academic pathways. This position oversees specific areas such as testing and examinations, academic tracking of student performance, student reporting and the structure of the timetable.

The Deputy Principal – Learning and Innovation seeks to develop a curriculum that promotes the holistic development of students, is inclusive of the learning needs of all and develops enthusiastic, independent learners, committed to lifelong learning.

While changing the structure of the College Leadership Team alone will not bring about such improvement ambitions, long term positive growth will certainly require school leaders to lead, innovate, manage and monitor the school improvement process. A commitment to seeking school improvement needs to be shared by all in our College community. This should be done in the spirit of cooperation and centred on the formation of our young men.

Each of our three Deputy Principal roles have have a particular area of focus in which they will seek to drive strategic and sustained improvement. A broad overview of these Deputy Principal roles are: Anthony Byrne: Deputy Principal – Mission and Engagement has the responsibility for all aspects of mission, Catholic identity and faith development within the College.

Furthermore, this position seeks to forge genuine and meaningful links with the surrounding parishes and the wider community, with a view to enhancing the

Sabrina Hughes Vice Principal

Anthony Byrne Deputy Principal – Mission and Engagement

Julian Fritz Deputy Principal – Student Wellbeing

Tim Hince Deputy Principal – Learning and Innovation

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FROM THE REGISTRARS COVID-19 has brought many challenges to the way schools are operating and changes are constantly being updated and altered, so like all of you, we are doing what we need to do to keep us and our community working, learning and importantly, healthy.

It is our priority though, that we do everything we can to make your journey into the Trinity community an easy and happy one. We hope that Trinity Talk gives you an insight into life at the College.

Normally, as we head into Term 2, boys are enjoying the holidays and parents and guardians are waiting for the time when students return to school and routine returns to normal. That has pretty much been turned on its head with a lot of families homeschooling and a smaller number of students still attending school at the Trinity campus.

When things return to normal, the school grounds will once again be full of student life.

Whether your son is beginning his Trinity life in Year 4, Year 7 or anywhere in between, this is where they are going to meet their best lifelong friends.

Remind them to make the most of every opportunity that comes their way. We will be looking at boys entering the College in 2022 for both the Junior School and Secondary School and are asking parents for more information before the interview takes place.

It’s a busy time of the year for us but we would like to remind parents that we are happy to discuss your son’s application at any time. If you have moved house, changed your email or phone number, please drop us a line.

When the College is back to receiving visitors, you will see that we have a brand new look for our Reception. Our office has also moved around the corner and we would love for you to pop in and say hello. We hope that every family, new and ‘old’ stays safe and healthy, and we wish you the best for the rest of 2020.

2019 Results Congratulations to the Class of 2019 on their WACE results.

This has come about because of the hard work and dedication by our students and their teachers, with strong support from parents and family members.

In 2019, 137 Trinity students were awarded an ATAR, with 39 of those

students (28% of our ATAR candidates) achieving an ATAR of 90 or above, which places them in the top 10% of the nation.

Another 45 students (33% of our ATAR candidates) achieved an ATAR of between 80 and 90, which means that 61% of our ATAR students gained an ATAR that would give them entry into UWA.

AT A GLANCE

28% 33%

of ATAR candidates achieved an ATAR OF 90 OR ABOVE of ATAR candidates achieved an ATAR OF BETWEEN 80 AND 90

The MEDIAN ATAR for the Class of 2019 was

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84.25

students gained entry to the ‘97 Club’ for achieving an ATAR of 97 or higher

students achieved an ATAR of 99 or above, placing them in the top 1% nationally

Warm regards, Petra Spencer and Brooke Hornbuckle

College Road Access Changes Along with the exciting changes to our Reception, there have been significant changes to our College road access.

Please see the map showing these changes and note the following when you next visit: • Trinity Avenue will be closed at the Hay Street intersection until late 2021, subject to authority approvals.

• The College can now be accessed via a new road from the Causeway through the Waterbank site, or via pedestrian accessways on Nelson Crescent and Braithwaite Street.

• There will be no right turn onto the Causeway from the Trinity College access road.

• Visitors travelling by car must enter via the Waterbank road, however, can choose to leave via the Junior School exit or back through Waterbank.

• Carparking is available inside the College gates (limited availability).

• All motorists and pedestrians should follow the direction of traffic management signage and be aware of any changed conditions.

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Year 10 Personal Development & Wellbeing Program As part of our Year 10 Personal Development and Wellbeing Program, all Year 10 students undertake a four week Food Technology course at Mercedes College. Food Technology is often referred to as a life skills subject as many students take the knowledge and skills learnt at school and apply it beyond the classroom. Food Technology is a practical and theoretical subject that teaches students the importance of: • • • • •

health, safety and hygiene practices healthy eating cooking skills food science evaluating practices

The boys learn the basics and essential skills for surviving in the kitchen. From the classic Australian sausage roll, to traditional steak sandwiches and modern pasta, the boys finish the course fine tuning their baking skills, presenting exquisite looking cupcakes.

Schools are expected to do a lot of important things in the 21st Century, and in recent years there has been a renewal of interest in food education due to the high number of reality cooking shows seen on TV. The Year 10 students have loved being ‘master chefs’ in the kitchen and the future looks bright.

TRINITY AND THE PSA

Co-curricular in the Junior School The co-curricular program at Trinity is constantly evolving. With COVID-19 temporarily putting a stop to these activities. Normally, in addition to sports training, swim team, visual arts extension and an array of performing arts including choirs, bands and dance, the boys can be involved in the following clubs:

• coding • engineering • Lego • Numero chess • Trinity College Environmental Committee (TCEC) • running club All co-curricular activities will be run by our teachers throughout the school day and also before and after school hours.

Our sporting and physical development is achieved through well designed physical education programs, which are complemented by many competitive sports at a range of levels in the wonderful PSA system, which at its best guides boys towards a life of discipline and commitment.

Trinity College is a member of the Public Schools Association and participates in a year round interschool sports program with the six other PSA schools. The other schools included in this association are: Aquinas College, Christ Church Grammar School, Guildford Grammar, Hale School and Wesley College. As with the other PSA schools, Trinity requires a strong commitment from its students to participate in team sports.

Trinity College Junior School is a member of the JPSSA and boys from Year 5 participate in an inter-school sporting program for much of the year. Sporting fixtures are normally scheduled each Thursday afternoon.

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DARLOT CUP WINNERS Due to the COVID-19 pandemic our Summer sports season was cut short. A highlight of the season was Trinity College winning the 2020 Darlot Cup alongside Hale School. Trinity has won this cup six times since joining the PSA in 1968, and the last time was in 2010. Congratulations to all involved. We also acknowledge and thank our basketball, cricket, rowing, tennis, volleyball and water polo communities for all of their work over the season, their sportsmanship, support for each other and for staying strong.

Year 7 Becoming Brothers Retreat The Year 7 Becoming Brothers retreat is an induction experience where students are first exposed to the many traditions and expectations of being a Trinity College student. The objective of the retreat is to welcome the Year 7s into the Trinity College Secondary School. The three day, two night retreat is integrated with a camp and takes place in Term 1 of each school year at Camp Kelly. Camp Kelly is Trinity’s Outdoor Education Centre, located on a magnificent property situated seven kilometres south of the town of Dwellingup. The camp backs on to state forest and is close to the Murray River.

For many students the retreat is their first overnight stay away from home. This year the retreat started with words such as Spirit, Learn, Sincere, Never Give Up, Enthusiasm, Prayer, Welcome, Forgive, Be Happy and Friendly.

These words were the focus of the big brothers who are the Year 11 Senior Ministers. The boys most certainly experienced excitement, thunder, lightning, heat, humidity, tears, laughter, food, and the environment. The activities taught the boys the importance of teamwork, patience, and persistence.

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Remote Learning at Trinity Remote Learning has brought with it some immediate learning situations for the College. Firstly, the importance of community has been highlighted in the way that students, staff and families have adapted and embraced the unique conditions – both challenges and opportunities – of remote learning.

It has been very encouraging to observe the extraordinary work that is taking place and the appreciation of all concerned in recognising that despite a few hurdles at times, quality teaching and learning positively continues in this most unusual of circumstances. With remote learning set to continue, the need for boys to remain disciplined and selfdirected in following their personal timetable and completing tasks as well as additional studies will become increasingly important.

Secondly, this has also been an extraordinary time for our teachers.

In a very short space of time they have been required to shift to a new learning platform/s and adopt new delivery methods for their teaching. Such an enormous shift in their teaching pedagogy has been handled most professionally and in a manner that demonstrates their dedication to the students in their care. Our teachers are committed to ensure their lessons and teaching remains viable, relevant, engaging and agile enough to adapt to the changing conditions in which they are operating.

Thirdly, this current situation has emphasised the importance and value of the professional relationships that develop within the classroom. In a very short space of time, Teachers are already recognising that boys are seeking to stay connected to them and their peers. The general wellbeing of our students remains a priority. The staff in our Pastoral Care team and various Learning Areas have created wonderful opportunities for the boys to engage in activities and challenges that focus on aspects of their fitness, mental health and overall welfare. This has been noticed and is greatly appreciated.

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HOW CAN I GET TO TRINITY EVERY DAY? There are a number of buses across the metropolitan area for students travelling to and from the College each day.

Many students at Trinity use public transportation. Your son will receive a SmartRider card on the first day of school and funds for travel can be deposited at registered outlets. The school is served by the Red and Yellow CAT buses, as well as Transperth buses. Please visit www.trinity.wa.edu.au/trinity-life/bus-information/

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Explore Trinity WE INVITE PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES TO JOIN US FOR A PERSONAL TOUR OF THE COLLEGE AND EXPERIENCE FIRST-HAND ALL THAT TRINITY HAS TO OFFER!

Book a tourat at trinity.wa.edu.au trinity.wa.edu.au Book a tour

Please inform the College if your family or contact details change. Should we not be able to reach you, your child’s future enrolment could be affected. Call 9223 8120 to update all information or email registrar@trinity.wa.edu.au

THE JOURNEY: FROM BOYS TO MEN Have you read our blog? The Journey is a series of articles written by a Trinity mother who covers timely topics including; adolescent boys and risk-taking behaviour, parenting a sensitive child and the Year 7 Transition. www.trinity.wa.edu.au/blog/categories/the-journey-fromboys-to-men/

TRINITY COLLEGE VIDEO: THE TC SPIRIT We encourage you all to watch our latest College video showing the meaning of the renowned ‘TC Spirit’. https://youtu.be/i-sWQiSJnxw

Check out the latest Trinity updates on:

www.trinity.wa.edu.au #tcspirit T R I N I T Y TA L K – A U T U M N 2 0 2 0

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