13 February 2025

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Families and Friends of the Trinity Catholic College Community,

Welcome to the 2025 school year. Welcome to Trinity Catholic College. Welcome to the first edition of our new newsletter, Trinitas. The name comes from the Latin noun trinitas, trinitatis meaning “the Trinity”.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, New Year and holiday period. I hope you and your family are well and looking forward to a happy, productive and safe year.

We have had an exceptionally exciting start to the school year. The new college uniforms look fresh and classy. The Year 7 & 11 Welcoming Liturgy was absolutely beautiful and was made especially so by the presence of so many parents, carers & grandparents. It was indeed a full house. After the liturgy Year 11 students & family members enjoyed a special cake and morning tea with staff in the new Senior Lounge. I loved watching the amazed looks on Year 11 faces as they entered their space for the first time. It certainly is very schmick.

Year 7 were especially appreciative of the sausage sizzle lunch and of the new Canteen. It certainly proved popular.

Our Year 10 Peer Support leaders have done a superb job in giving Year 7 a great orientation to our college. Their mentorship of Year 7 will continue throughout the term.

Our Year 11 students are settling in well to their senior courses, which they began on their first day.

Of note also was our well-attended, extremely enjoyable Swimming Carnival on Wednesday last week. The hot, fine day with a light breeze was ideal. The students had a great time. Congratulations to Loyola House which won the carnival by a clear margin.

Parents & Carers

Thank you for choosing to send your child to Trinity. Thank you for entrusting us with a share in the care and growth of your child. I look forward to working with you to ensure that the young people in our school receive the best in Catholic education. Everything we do here at Trinity flows from the vision statement of our Catholic Schools Office: At the heart of everything there is always Jesus Christ. Our motto of Faith Hope Love, which truly is a summary of our Catholic faith, animates all aspects of our college life.

Stage 1 Building Grant

As most of our community would know, late last year I was notified of some exciting news for our college by Sharon Claydon MP Federal Member for Newcastle. Trinity has received an Australian Government Capital Grant for our Stage 1 Building Program. This will enable us to construct a new building on campus comprising: three technical and applied studies workshops, a STEM workshop, five science labs, sixteen general classrooms and associated storage, studios and study rooms and student amenities. More details of this exciting project will be announced as planning proceeds.

Safeguarding

Please familiarise yourself with the Safeguarding Policy & Procedures in force here at Trinity. These are available on the Safeguarding page of our school website. Your child is safe at our college. 

Communication

I ask all parents/carers to read our newsletter, Trinitas, each fortnight to keep up with college news and events. We shall send a link to the newsletter via Compass each fortnight. Please look for it in your Compass newsfeed. We also have a Facebook page on which you will find many reports on and images from activities and events happening at our college.

If your email address changes during the year, please let us know immediately.

I encourage parents to contact the college whenever the need arises. We strive to ensure that all concerns and questions are attended to promptly and professionally. We work according to the principle of subsidiarity. The first point of contact with the college for matters of wellbeing is your child’s Connect Group Teacher (formally called Care Group Teacher). The Connect Group Teacher will assist you and when necessary, will pass the matter on to your child’s Leader of Wellbeing and Engagement (House Coordinator). The first point of call for studies related matters is your child’s Subject Teacher. The Teacher will assist you and when necessary, pass the matter on to the appropriate Leader of Learning. Phone the school (02 4957 1032) or alternatively email the appropriate person. Please remember that just like you, these people have busy schedules. They will get back to you as soon as possible.

If it is an emergency or urgent that you contact your child, please phone Reception or Students Services (02 4957 1032) for assistance.

When you do contact the college, in person or by email, phone or letter, please always maintain a respectful disposition. We shall strive always to do the same. Respect is something we insist on in our college community.

Note that we do have a Complaints Resolution process. Access to this is via the Complaints Resolution page of the school website.

School Fees

The annual school fee accounts will be sent out to you in early March. Payment can be made using BPay, Direct Debit, Cheque, Cash or Credit Card. Fee payments must commence by 31 March 2025, unless you intend to pay in full in one lump sum, in which case fees must be paid in full by 30 June 2025. If not paying in full by 30 June, your account must be kept up to date throughout the year. Regular payments must be made starting by 31 March – weekly, fortnightly or monthly – and fees must be finalised by 30 November 2025.

If you experience genuine difficulty in paying your fees, please make a phone appointment with me to discuss the situation. This includes anyone who made a special Fee Agreement with me in 2024 and who wishes to continue it into 2025. It is necessary to re-apply for the extension of such agreements into 2025. Please make such appointments as soon as possible after you receive your fee account.

For those parents/carers with a Health Care Card or Pension Card, a discount is available on the Tuition Fee component of your school fee account. To access this discount for 2025, complete and return the HCC Concession form available from the Accounts Office. We also need you to send a copy of your in-date Concession card

with your application. If you require more assistance than just the Tuition Fee discount available for Health Care and Pension Card holders, simply make a phone appointment with me as well.

PEG Meetings

Our program of Parent Engagement (PEG) Meetings will continue this year. The PEG model is similar to a P&F just not as formal. It also has an educational aspect to it, where presentations on teaching and learning or other aspects of the life of the college are made by teaching staff. A date for our first PEG Meeting will be set very soon. All parents and carers are invited to come along.

Early Notice

Our 2025 Spiritual Formation & Wellbeing PL Days will be held consecutively on 7 & 8 April respectively. These days will therefore be pupil-free days. Please make a note of these days in your calendar.

New Appointments & Changes to Roles

This year we have several new appointments to and several changed appointments at Trinity Catholic College. A complete list of our staff for 2025 can be found on our website.    

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the following new staff to our college and to announce the following changes to roles of existing staff for 2025:

Cherie Borger - LOL-VET 0.2 FTE Temporary & Transition Coordinator 0.3 FTE for 2025
Caitlin Gray - LOL-Admin permanent
Daniel Durston - ATSI Teacher 1.0 FTE permanent
Janie Thomson - Religious Education Teacher 1.0 FTE permanent
Elizabeth Chilvers - HSIE Teacher 1.0 FTE permanent
Tracy Carpenter - English Teacher 1.0 FTE permanent
Renai Thirlway - English/Drama/VET Teacher 0.8 FTE permanent
Belinda Wallace - Careers Advisor 0.6 FTE permanent
Matthew Cook - Sports Coordinator – Friday Sport 0.1 FTE permanent
Anna Burns - LoWE 0.2 FTE job-share with Mandy Willis
Laura Townson - Acting LOL-TAS 0.2 FTE for 2025
Tracy Zander - Acting LOL-Mathematics Terms 1 & 2
Bonnie Tranchini - Gifted Education Mentor (GEM) 0.2 FTE for 2025
Zahna Franklin - PDHPE Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary
Sally-Anne Waters - TAS Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary
Iain McNaughtan - HSIE Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary
Keith Moody - PDHPE/HSIE Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary
Mia Tranthem - Science Teacher 0.4 FTE job-share with Nicole Morgan
  Terms 1&4 & Chemistry Teacher 1.0 FTE Terms 2&3
Michaela Palmieri - Science Teacher 0.5 FTE job-share with Peter Richards (0.3) and Mandy Willis (0.2)
Jonathan Sharples - Music Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary Terms 1 to 3
Samuel Daley - RE Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary Terms 1 to 3
Rowan Pfeiffer - Maths Teacher 1.0 FTE temporary Terms 1 & 2
Chantelle McCauley - Visual Arts/RE Teacher 0.6 FTE temporary job-share with Rachael Moore (0.2) & Elisa Hart (0.4)
Andrew Nisbet - English Teacher 0.5 FTE temporary job-share with Michelle Foot
Christopher Unwin - English Teacher 0.4 FTE job-share with Clare Rowe

All the best for a great year!
Robert Emery
Principal

Trinity Catholic College Adamstown NSW 
An intentional Catholic faith community

WELLBEING

Attendance

At Trinity Catholic College, regular school attendance is crucial to the academic success and overall wellbeing of students. Every day a student attends school contributes to their learning, social development, and personal growth. Conversely, each absence can negatively impact their academic progress, social connections, and emotional health. The school and Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, in partnership with parents and carers, is committed to promoting and ensuring consistent student attendance. In New South Wales (NSW), all children between the ages of six years and the minimum school leaving age, as defined in the Education Act 1990 (NSW), are legally required to attend school unless they are registered for home schooling with NESA.

Parents or carers must provide an explanation for any school absence within seven (7) days. Parents can also contact Student Services either by phoning the school or email studentservices@adamstowntcc.catholic.edu.au 

Late Arrivals and Early Departures

Parents and carers should avoid appointments during school hours. If a student arrives late or needs to leave school early, parents or carers are required to visit Student Services and sign the student in or out at the kiosk, providing an explanation for the absence. Please note, students are not permitted to leave the school grounds early without a parent/carer. If someone other than a listed emergency contact is collecting your child, please inform the school via email to update the collection arrangements.

Senior Students

Senior students are allowed to sign in or out of school for appointments, provided the school has received written notification from the parent or carer via email.

Request For Extended Leave (Elite Sport/Travel)

Parents/carers must submit an Extended Leave Application which is located on Compass/School Documentations/Extended Leave for student leave of more than 10 days at least two weeks prior to the leave to enable the school to process the certificate.

Attendance Concerns

If the school notices attendance concerns or patterns of absence, we will contact parents/carers. Should your child be refusing to attend school, it is essential to contact your child’s care group teacher early to address any underlying issues. There is some support for families on the school website:

School Canteen – New Arrangements for 2025

We are pleased to announce the updated arrangements for our school canteen, which is now being operated by a professional catering firm. The canteen will offer a wide variety of lunch and snack options for students, with healthy options to promote wellbeing and balanced nutrition.

Key Features:

• Variety of Menu Options: A broad selection of meals and snacks is available daily, catering to diverse tastes and dietary needs. TCC Example Canteen Menu
• Healthy Eating Choices: The canteen is committed to providing nutritious food options to support the health and energy of our students throughout the school day.
• Qkr App for Ordering: To streamline lunch orders, students and families can place orders via the Qkr app. This system allows for easy and quick selection of meals and payment in advance. Student will not be able to use their mobile phones to pay for canteen purchases.
• Payment Methods: Students can pay for their canteen items either by cash or debit card at the counter.
• Coffee Service for Stage 6 Students: As an added convenience for our senior students, Stage 6 (Years 11 and 12) students can now order coffee during their break times. Hot chocolate will also be offered to all staff and students during the cooler months.
• Opening Hours: The canteen will be open before school for breakfast, as well as during recess and lunch breaks, providing students with access to food during breaktimes.

We encourage all students and families to take advantage of the canteen's convenient service and healthy options. We are committed to enhancing the school experience by providing quality food options that cater to the needs of our school community.

TRANSITION UPDATE

Transition News

Our first week at Trinity was a rewarding one, marking the beginning of an exciting chapter for the college community. After three years of planning and preparation, it has been wonderful to see our shared vision take shape.

Some key moments from the week include:

Pride in Presentation – Students looking smart and confident in their brand-new Trinity uniforms.

A Senior Surprise – The excitement on our senior students’ faces as they stepped into their dedicated space, complete with all the comforts they need to rejuvenate and socialise with their peers.

Dynamic Learning – Teachers and students settling into new spaces within the Learning Village.

Trinity Spirit – Staff and students receiving their special Trinity gifts, marking the beginning of this new chapter together. The opening liturgy was a meaningful celebration, featuring the first reading of the College Prayer and the College Song to mark the start of the school year. The new house banners were proudly displayed at the heart of the gathering.

A Renewed Entrance – The beautifully refurbished front gates, welcoming our community with pride.

It has been a great start, and we look forward to the year ahead as we continue to build a strong and connected community at Trinity.

BEYOND THE GATES

Beyond the Gates is a school-based program where support from a full-time School Caseworker is available for student’s experiencing difficulties or barriers to their learning. 

Intensive and individualised practical supports and interventions are offered to both the student and their families/carers. 

Access to our Beyond the Gates Caseworker, Caroline Kennedy, is available by contacting your young person’s Leader of Wellbeing, or through Assistant Principal for Wellbeing, Carmel Wright.

LIBRARY

The Library is in full swing in 2025! We will be running Library Orientation classes for ALL of the Year 7 English classes in Week 4. These lessons cover how to use our library catalogue effectively, how to borrow eBooks, and use other resources and study guides to improve student learning outcomes.

PRC

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is on again. We hope that as many students in Years 7-10 take part in this year’s challenge. Besides improving literacy levels and general wellbeing, reading for pleasure is rewarded at TCC, with all students completing the challenge being able to claim credit towards their Lumen points.

 Would your child be able to read 20 books before August? Books read in the holidays and books read in English can also be counted. We have a huge range of PRC titles from the best Australian & international authors. Your child will be well supported.

Please come to the library to register. For more information, see the link below.

Overdues

There are quite a few students in years 8-10 with books outstanding from 2024. Please be aware that invoices will be issued if books are not returned before Easter.

Wide Reading Programme and Flexible Learning Sessions in 2025

Year 8 will be taking part in a ‘wide-reading’  lesson once a fortnight in the library. In that lesson, we will take time to explore useful comprehension strategies and enjoy some silent, sustained reading (their own book of choice). 

Students across all years should aim to read ONE book per term, in addition to their other homework and set texts. All students will be expected to have a book in their bags, ready to read in our ‘Connect’ sessions and English lessons as required.

You can support your child in the following ways: 

• Check in with your child to make sure they always have a book packed in their bags. The book should preferably be one that tells a story (e.g., novels, graphic novel, histories, biographies), rather than books of lists, jokes  or facts where readers can't sustain attention, build up speed and fluency, or grow to love good stories). 
• Have conversations with your child about the books they are reading. Reinforce the importance of becoming a good reader who can easily understand what they are reading (think: general literacy, recreation, careers, future earning capacity). 

• Ask your child to occasionally read aloud to you (it can be anything – closed  captions on the TV, recipes, instructions, song lyrics, news stories).  Stay positive, do not over correct. Just listen. How is their expression? Phrasing? Can they explain what they have read in their own words? 

I look forward to working with your child in 2025. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email. 

Thank you for your support. 

Stephanie Strachan 
Teacher Librarian /Wellbeing Coordinator.

SPORT

REPRESENTATIVE SPORT.

Term 1 is always very busy in the representative sport calendar.

There are numerous types of rep sport in term 1.

1. School Carnival
- Our school Swimming Carnival was held on Wednesday 5th of February at Lambton Pool.

Swimming Carnival 2025 Results

1st:   LOYOLA      399
2nd:  Siena           377
3rd:   Avila            341
4th:   Kolbe           323
5th:   Francesco    309
6th:   Mackillop    249

GOLDEN FLIPPER
Fastest over 50m

Bella Irvine     30.22
Will Blake       26.78

2. Diocesan Sport

- The Diocesan of Maitland Newcastle will hold the following events during Term 1.

3. NSW CCC events

Trinity Catholic College is a member of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) and a detailed list of all individual and team pathway events / carnivals can be

NB – All individual registrations for Diocesan and NSWCCC sports are completed online https://csnsw.sport/

             Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Sport Website

There is a Diocesan specific website for Sport that has all the dates for Diocesan sport as well as general information about the sports.

• The Maitland Newcastle Secondary Tile allows parents to view basic information for secondary pathway sports including Diocesan event information and details, Diocesan results, the diocesan sports calendar and important notices for sports including wet weather information. The sports that are on the Diocesan website include swimming, athletics, x country, netball, league, football, touch, AFL and gala tennis, golf & basketball. All other sports have information on the csnsw.sport website as students apply directly to NSWCCC for these.
• Any further questions beyond the sport specific information on this website should be directed to your school sport coordinator. 
• No parent should register their child for any sport without seeing the school sport coordinator. Sport Coordinators approve all pathway sports before progressing.

Step 1. Go to csnsw.sport website
Step 2.  MN Secondary Tile

Scroll down to the Diocesan/Associations section of the home page and select the Maitland Newcastle Secondary Tile

4. Local Competitions

A Term-by-Term detailed calendar with all NSWCCC and Dio Sports can be found outside the PE Staffroom.

School Sport

Surf Survival Certificate                                                 13^th - 14^th February 2025                      

Each year we offer a “Surf Survival” course to allow students the qualifications needed to participate in Surfing for Friday School sport.

The certificate, run by Hunter Surf Lifesaving, consists of a Theory (Trinity) and a Practical (Newcastle Baths/Nobby’s Beach) day.

Any interested student needs to register their name in the PE staffroom to be added to this event.

NB – If you have completed your SRC (Surf Rescue Certificate) through your local surf club you meet requirements for Surfing Friday school sport.

If you have any questions regarding the sports programs offered at Trinity Catholic College please contact me david.pitfield@mn.catholic.edu.au

CSNSW SPORTS AWARDS

Congratulations to Caoimhe Bray who received a NSWCCC Sporting Blue for “Excellence in Cricket” at the 27^th CSNSW Sports Awards held at the Sydney Cricket Ground in December last year.

The CSNSW Sports Awards presentation celebrates the top athletes in each sport, across all of the NSW Catholic Secondary Schools.

It highlights students who have not just shined in the NSWC Combined Catholic Colleges pathway, but have advanced into NSW All Schools and potentially the School Sport Australian level.

Well done Caoimhe.

Upcoming Events

A reminder that St Pius X is a member of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC). Updated information and a detailed list of all individual and team pathway events / carnivals can be found at:

COMING EVENTS

Accounts Office

School Contact Details

ALINTA UNIFORM SHOP

Operating Hours – School Term
Tuesday – 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Wednesday – 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Friday – 10.00am to 12.00pm

ALL VISITORS TO THE ALINTA UNIFORM SHOP MUST SIGN IN AT THE ALINTA SHOP

FOR UNIFORM FITTING APPOINTMENTS, PLEASE REFER TO: 

SECOND-HAND UNIFORMS

Trinity Catholic College also runs a parent-to-parent service which enables all parents to buy/sell second-hand uniform items.  The service works in the following way:

1. Parents/carers email details of the item/s required to buy/sell and supply a contact number to admin@adamstowntcc.catholic.edu.au.
2. These details are then advertised in a special “Second-hand Uniforms” section of each Newsletter (last page).
3. The advertisement will run for one month or two editions of the Newsletter.
4. Parents/carers will simply contact the number supplied and deal directly with the person buying/selling.