9 April 2025

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Families and Friends of the Trinity Catholic College Community

Year 11 2026 General Information Evening

Thanks to all who attended our Year 11 Information evening last week.  We have received very positive feedback on the evening.  It was an excellent night which began with a tour of the new Flexible Learning Village and a light supper.  The presentations that followed provided essential information on the nature of Stage 6 & the HSC, the many paths to the HSC and the many paths open to students to explore and decide upon their futures.  We were privileged to have two of our current Year 11 students, Madeline Tsamouras & Zali Keegan, talk about their experiences of the SBAT and EVET programs respectively.  Thank you to our staff, to our Year 11 presenters and the volunteers who helped with tours and serving food, and to our special guest speakers, Kim Grinham (VET Pathways), Ian Woodley (University of Newcastle) and Gary Sewell (Regional Industry Education Partnerships).  The Year 11 2026 Course Information Evening will be held on the night of Wednesday 7 May.

 Please see the following link for further information : Thriving as a senior student

Da Vinci Decathlon Success

I won’t steal Mrs Tranchini’s thunder; she has a report later in this newsletter, but I wanted to publicly congratulate our wonderful students who performed brilliantly in the recent da Vinci Decathlon, demonstrating outstanding problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity across ten disciplines.  Our Year 10 team were Year 10 Champions – a huge achievement.  Congratulations and well done to everyone involved.

Hope – A Gift of Grace

Hope is a fascinating word.  People often use it when they really mean to express a “wish” or to indicate “optimism”.  “I hope you have a great day”, for instance.

Christian hope, though, has a much deeper and more powerful meaning than a simple wish.  Christian hope is a gift of God’s grace that leads us back to God. We receive the gift of hope from God in Baptism.  Hope allows the possibility for Christians, to trust in God, especially with things that seem difficult or impossible to receive, such as salvation (See John 11:25-26).  By placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace of the Holy Spirit, we allow Jesus to give us the graces we need for our life’s journey.

Hope is essential to our well-being. Hope encourages us to persist, even though we may be facing setbacks. Hopeful individuals are more likely to frame difficulties as challenges, rather than threats. This enables them to experience setbacks and tough times as less stressful and draining.  Hope enables us to be joyful in heart and mind even in the face of hardship.

This year is a Jubilee Year. The Diocese celebrated the start of the Jubilee Year at a special event on Sunday 2 March.  The event consisted of a pilgrimage from Nobbys Beach at 8am to Sacred Heart Cathedral, culminating in Mass at the cathedral and a free festival in the Cathedral precinct grounds.

Announcing the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, last year, Pope Francis appealed to the world’s Christians, especially the young people, to become joyful heralds of hope in a world marked by fear and despair.  The theme for the 2025 Jubilee, chosen by Pope Francis, is “Pilgrims of Hope”.

Pope Francis reminds us that hope is nurtured by prayer: “Prayer preserves and renews hope. It helps fan the spark of hope into flame.  ……  Praying is like climbing to a mountaintop: from the ground, the sun can be hidden by clouds, but once we climb beyond them, its light and warmth envelop us. We see once more that the sun is always there, even when everything around us seems dark and dreary.” (from Message for 38^th World Youth Day)

The Holy Father urges us to choose a style of life grounded in hope and challenges us to share that hope with others.  He gives a simple example of how easily this can be done: “On social media, it always seems easier to share negative things than things that inspire hope. So, my concrete suggestion is this: each day, try to share a word of hope with others. Try to sow seeds of hope in the lives of your friends and everyone around you. For hope is humble, it is a virtue that is built up day by day… We need to remember each day that we possess the first fruits of the Spirit, who works in us through the little things”. (from Message for 38^th World Youth Day)

Great AI Resource

Just as a follow up to my article in the previous Trinitas on AI, if you are looking for an excellent, recent book on the ins, outs and ethics of generative AI have a look at “Co-Intelligence – Living and Working with AI” by Ethan Mollick.  It is an engaging, easy-to-read and up to date look at the AI phenomenon.

End of Term

I hope everyone has enjoyed Term 1.  The end of this week marks the end of Term.  I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday and a happy & holy Easter.  Take care.  See you all next Term, which commences on Monday 28 April.

Best wishes,
Robert Emery
Principal

Trinity Catholic College Adamstown NSW
Nurturing faith, excellence & lifelong learning

SAFEGUARDING

ESafety Resource for Parents

LIBRARY

Premier’s Reading Challenge

We continue to support the PRC.

The Challenge enables students to experience quality literature and read authors that they may not be otherwise familiar with. 

Please make sure your child is logging their books and that they have registered with Mrs Wallace in the Library. Primary school logins are not applicable in high school. We are a third of the way there!  The challenge closes on 19 September. 

Chess

Congratulations to our Chess team. On Wednesday 26 March, we competed against a very polished Merewether High team, but unfortunately went down. Despite the loss, our team are to be commended on their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. We also thank Merewether High for making us feel so welcome and for the lovely afternoon tea.

Board 1 – Eddie Huttley          Board 2 – Johan George
Board 3 – Jayden Arrikadan    Board 4- Khushal Kekre

Year 8 Wide Reading Programme

In our wide reading lessons this term, we have been focusing on reading processes, exploring useful comprehension strategies and enjoying some silent, sustained reading (their own book of choice).  The aim of the programme is for students to read ONE book per term, in addition to their other homework and set texts. They have also been asked to complete ONE simple task per term from the  Wide - Programme Matrix.

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 novels, biographies - rather than books of lists, jokes or facts where readers cannot 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 overcorrect. Just listen. How is their expression? Phrasing? Can they explain what they have read in their own words?

Presenting the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Older Readers Shortlist …

• A Wreck of Seabirds by Karleah Olson (Fremantle Press)
• Birdy by Sharon Kernot (Text Publishing)
• Comes the Night by Isobelle Carmody (A&U Books for Children and Young Adults)
• I’m Not Really Here by Gary Lonesborough (A&U Books for Children and Young Adults)
• Into the Mouth of the Wolf by Erin Gough (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• The Skin I’m In by Steph Tisdell (Macmillan Australia)

For these titles and many more great Australian works of fiction, please come to the Library. We have your holiday reading needs covered.

ANZAC SERVICE

For the first time, Trinity Catholic College was able to participate in this unique and special annual event this year, in our own right. It is the only event of its kind in Australia, where local private, Catholic and state schools collaborate in a student written and led commemorative event, which is then performed to hundreds of students from Primary and Secondary schools in the region. Its aim for many decades has been to appeal to and reach the younger generations with the important memories and messages of our conflict history. The theme of the event changes yearly, and for this, the 69^th event, the illuminating stories featured “Women in War: Their Australian Story”. 

Capably organised and led by Mr Jordan Foster in weekly meetings over the last term, two of our own Year 11 students were on the organising committee and led the stage presentation: Charlotte McGill and Tyler Relf. Aspire students included Trinity creatives, and provided the acting, music and singing elements. Our students shone in lead roles: Ivy Jones (as WWII Gunner, Valerie Blackett), Mia Kelly (as WWII Nurse and war crimes survivor, Vivian Bullwinkle) and Joshua Wolfson (several roles). 

A group of TCC students from years 8-10 was honoured to attend in the audience, and all were moved and inspired by both the stories and the formal commemoration ceremony. We belong to a rich community that deeply honours and respects the contributions of our local and national men, women, and communities in wars. We thank the organisers and sponsors for making this experience possible.

GIFTED EDUCATION

2025 Da Vinci Decathlon – High Potential and Gifted Education

On Tuesday 1 April, our Years 7 and 8 Trinity Catholic College da Vinci Decathlon teams competed in the first day of the 2025 da Vinci Decathlon at Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College. This rigorous academic competition challenged students across ten disciplines, all centred around this year’s theme: Sustainability.

 Students worked collaboratively across Mathematics, English, Science, Code Breaking, Engineering, Ideation, Creative Producers, Art and Poetry, Cartography, and Legacy, applying their critical and creative thinking skills under competition conditions.

 Our teams of eight high-ability students from each year group demonstrated exceptional problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience as they tackled complex challenges throughout the day.

The Year 7 team comprised of: Rachael Cooling, Belle Dover-Ong, Santino Di Prinzio, Patrick Eccleston, Hugo Lloyd, Jake Marten, Lauren Mather and Annabelle Kavanagh.

The Year 8 team included: Eden Henshaw, Rosemary Clarence, Mia Van Der Westhuizen, Hamish Lawrence, Henry Nielson, Mackinley Griffin, Andrew Parsons and Spencer Morgan.

The teams performed beautifully throughout the day, with all students working hard to complete some exceptionally difficult challenges. Our results at the end of the first day of competition included:

Year 7:  2^nd Mathematics
Year 7:  3^rd Science
Year 7: 2^nd Code Breaking
Year 7: 2^nd Legacy

The Year 7 team was also successful in winning the ‘Spirit of the Day’ award for their overall participation in all events and were presented with a new Surface laptop as a prize for the school.

Day 2 of competition followed on Wednesday 2 April with the Year 9 and 10 teams participating.

Representing Trinity in Year 9 were: Oliver Dempsey, Dylan Finlay, Clancy Scanlon, Luca Wildschut, Madailein Carter, Ruby Hawes, Madeline Coyte and Oliver Henshaw.

Making their final appearance in the regional competition as the Year 10 team were: Marija Tutman, Ivy Jones, Joshua Wolfson, Elizabeth Woodcock, Demetria Hall, Hamish McDonald, Zoe Loizou and Austin Harris.

At the end of the gruelling day of competition, the teams were awarded with the following results:

Year 9: 1^st in Engineering, Maths and Legacy

Year 10: 2^nd in Ideation and Cartography

Year 10: 1^st in Creative Producers, Art & Poetry, Coding and Legacy

Our Year 10 team was also crowned OVERALL winners of the Year 10 competition for the region and will move onto the State level to be held at Knox Grammar School later in the year.

We would also like to thank Mr Dineen-Griffin and Mr Foster for their help in supporting the teams over the two days  - assisting with team preparation and marking of papers.

A big congratulations to Emmett Hayles (Year 8) and Chloe Douglass (Year 10), who represented Trinity Catholic College as part of the Catholic Schools Office teams across both days  - well done on your achievement and participation in the competition.

MOCK MEDIATION

For the first time, Year 9 students at Trinity Catholic College took part in Mock Mediation, where they acted as mediators to settle a fictional dispute that involved a company owned by high school students which lost $10,000.  With expert guidance, they learned how to communicate clearly, solve problems, and negotiate fair outcomes.

The Year 9 team comprised of :

Jayna Gardiner, Ella Kelly, Sienna Lonie, Luka Marten, Rebecca McGee, Elise Morley, Annalise Owens, Alexandra Pluta and Alexis Turkovic.

There were plenty of laughs, a few unexpected challenges, and some intense discussions, making it a fun and eye-opening experience for everyone involved. Well done to everyone involved.

SPORT

Hunter Cup AFL

Northern AFL Selection Trial                              Warners Bay                  26/3/25

Congratulation to Lucas Vickery (Yr 9) who was selected into the 15yrs Northern AFL team. This team will compete at the NSWCCC Australian Football selection held at Wagga Wagga early next Term. Good Luck Lucas.

Cochrane Cup 14yrs Rugby League                    Cessnock                  26/3/25

NSWCCC Swimming                                               SOPAC                  2-3/4/25

Bill Turner Cup Rd 1                                                Speers Point          4/4/25

Upcoming Events

A reminder that Trinity Catholic College 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:

LOST PROPERTY

Student Services

The items photographed have been found and handed into Student Services for collection by the rightful owner. Items uncollected will be discarded at the end of Term 1.

COMING EVENTS

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:  https://shop.alintaapparel.com.au/