21 May 2025

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Families and Friends of the Trinity Catholic College community

Dio Champs

Congratulations and well done to our Junior Boys Football team who are now Diocesan Champions. A full report appears later in this newsletter.

Embracing Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, influencing how we learn, work, and interact. Back in Term 1, I wrote about how AI was being used in our teaching and learning here at Trinity. Understanding AI's potential and challenges is crucial for students and parents alike. Ethan Mollick's book, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, offers valuable insights into effectively engaging with AI.

Embracing AI as a Collaborative Partner

Mollick, Professor of Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania, emphasizes the importance of integrating AI into our daily activities to grasp its capabilities and limitations:

"You should try inviting AI to help you in everything you do, barring legal or ethical barriers. As you experiment, you may find that AI help can be satisfying, or frustrating, or useless, or unnerving. But you aren’t just doing this for help alone. Familiarizing yourself with AI’s capabilities allows you to better understand how it can assist you or threaten you and your job."

By actively experimenting with AI tools, students can discover how AI can enhance tasks such as research, writing, and problem-solving. This hands-on approach fosters a deeper understanding of AI's role as a co-intelligence, augmenting human abilities rather than replacing them. This promotes best practice, ethical use of AI.

Developing Critical Thinking and Ethical Awareness

While AI offers numerous benefits, it also presents challenges, including ethical considerations and potential biases. Mollick highlights the necessity of human oversight:

"AI is not infallible. It is essential to maintain human oversight and critical thinking when engaging with AI systems."

Students and parents should approach AI-generated information with a critical eye, evaluating the accuracy and reliability of AI outputs. Understanding that AI systems can sometimes produce misleading or biased results underscores the importance of human judgment in interpreting AI-generated content.

Practical Steps to Engage with AI

1. Explore AI Tools: Familiarize yourselves with AI applications relevant to education, such as language models, educational platforms, and creative software. There’s already a plethora of AI apps out there and the only way to assess their usefulness is to try them out.
2. Set Ethical Boundaries: Discuss and establish guidelines for yourself and your children for the ethical use of AI, ensuring that its application aligns with personal and societal values.
3. Stay Informed: Keep abreast of developments in AI technology and its implications to make informed decisions about its use. No-one can afford to be out of this loop.
4. Collaborate and Share Experiences: Engage in conversations with peers and educators about AI experiences to learn from each other and build a community of informed users.

By proactively engaging with AI, students and parents can harness its potential to enhance learning and productivity while remaining vigilant about its challenges. Embracing AI as a collaborative partner prepares us to navigate an increasingly AI-integrated world responsibly and effectively. Have fun!

First PEG Meeting for 2025

We held our first Parent Engagement Group (PEG) meeting via Teams on Tuesday evening last week. Thank you to those who attended. The main agenda item was a presentation from Fiona Provost on the nature of the new Family and Community Engagement (FACE) model and a vote on whether to transition to this new model now or wait until the mandatory date for all schools to transition at end of year. The vote was in favour of becoming a FACE now.

Also presented were the results of the parent survey on what parents/carers would like to have happening in PEG/FACE meetings; an update on the use of artificial intelligence at Trinity; and an update on our continuing transition to 7 to 12. There was also time for some questions & answers.

For those not at the meeting last week, the main difference between a Family & Community Engagement group and a Parent Engagement group in schools lies in the scope of involvement. A Family & Community Engagement group focuses on a broader range of stakeholders, including parents, family members, community members, and potentially even broader groups like community organizations, businesses, and other educational institutions. A Parent Engagement group is typically focused on the involvement of parents and guardians in their child's education.

Family & Community Engagement:

• Broader Scope: This group aims to leverage a wider network of support for students, including family members beyond parents, and community resources.
• Collaborative Approach: It emphasizes collaboration between the school, families, and community partners to create a supportive learning environment for students.
• Diverse Activities: Activities might include community events, volunteer opportunities, workshops for parents and families, and partnerships with community organizations.

Our next Tuesday evening meeting will be in Term 2 and will be advertised via Compass. As most parents/carers indicated in the survey that they would prefer 6.00 to 7.00 pm, that will be the time slot. There may be another FACE event (not a formal meeting) later this term.

Best wishes,
Robert Emery
Principal

Trinity Catholic College Adamstown NSW
An intentional Catholic faith community

SAFEGUARDING

SchoolTV on Resilience

TRANSITION NEWS

Year 11 Course Information

The Year 11 Course information evening was held last week, with our passionate teachers showcasing the offerings for 2026.

A reminder to ask your child to complete course preferences by Friday May 23 so we can best create the course lines for next year. The Year 11 enrolment process for Trinity Catholic College is:

The Year 11 Course Handbook can be found on Compass – School Documentation. Contact the Leaders of Learning or Course teachers if you have questions.

LIBRARY

SchoolTV SPECIAL REPORT; Shaping Healthy Masculinity

In today's fast-moving world, many boys are struggling to find direction. Even well-meaning online searches about fitness, confidence or relationships can lead them to content that promotes rigid or unhealthy ideas about masculinity. The critically acclaimed TV show 'Adolescence' has brought fresh attention to this issue, highlighting how boys are often exposed to messages that glorify toughness and dominance, while dismissing empathy and emotional openness.

This special report calls for a cultural shift and advocates for curiosity-driven dialogue that builds trust and critical thinking. The goal is to raise boys who are not just resistant to harmful influences, but actively capable of questioning and rejecting them.

Here is the link to the SchoolTV Special Report 

School Uniform Expectations

As stated in the College's Uniform Policy and Dress Code, it is an expectation that students at Trinity Catholic College wear the uniform correctly and abide by the College's dress code. The majority of our students wear uniforms correctly. Staff have  noticed, however, that some students repeatedly need reminding of our expectations. If students are found to ignore school policy, Connect Group teachers will be contacting parents and LOWEs informed. If you are unsure of the TCC uniform requirements, please see the guide below. For those students who haven't purchased the new uniform, our SPX uniform expectations for Years 8-10 have not changed. Minimal jewellery (see attached), natural-looking makeup, no false eye-lashes or fingernails. Please contact your child's Connect Teacher or LOWE with a note or email if you are having temporary difficulties with uniform items. For those families struggling financially, you may apply for assistance by contacting the Principal or an Assistant Principal.

School Uniform Shop Operating Hours

Tuesday – 2.30pm to 4.30pm
 Wednesday – 2.30pm to 4.30pm
 Friday – 10.00am to 12.00pm

We thank you for your support in this matter.

TCC Uniform Expectations https://bit.ly/4d6dvbG

ENGLISH

Bell Shakespeare Players Perform

It might be surprising to know that, as a teenager way back in the last century, I wasn’t much of a fan of Shakespeare’s works. In fact, I often pre-empt my classes these days by recounting my ill-fated attempt to dodge an essay in Year 12. My bold strategy? I wrote, “Romeo and Juliet ended up dead!” at the top of the page and walked out of the exam. Unsurprisingly, my teacher was not amused. Thankfully, he gave me a second chance — a kindness for which I remain ever grateful. And to this day, no student of mine has dared to repeat my bold and foolish brevity.

While I was busy crafting the shortest essay in English history, John Bell — a former student of All Saints College, Maitland — was busy founding the Bell Shakespeare Company. My teachers took us to one of their first productions. The play? You guessed it: Romeo and Juliet. And lo! My world changed forever. Seeing the Bard’s words leap off the page and onto the stage — hearing the rhythm, the wit, the fire, and understanding the rude bits — I began to see what all the fuss was about. For the first time, I truly understood how this 400-year-old playwright could capture the full range of human experience: love, hate, jealousy, grief, and joy.

So, imagine my surprise when I was asked to perform in a Bell Shakespeare production last week!

The Bell Shakespeare Players visited Trinity College and performed for our Year 9 and 10 students. Year 9 was treated to a high-energy selection from Romeo and Juliet, while Year 10 journeyed into the dark heart of Macbeth. Each performance showcased key scenes and soliloquies, with the Players unpacking Shakespeare’s language in a way that was dynamic, accessible, and thoroughly entertaining.

There was a noticeable buzz throughout the shows — that “good chatter” teachers love to hear, when students are genuinely trying to make sense of new ideas. It was a joy to watch them lean in, react, and engage with the action on stage.

Alas, the bell tolled too soon, and both performances were — to quote Macbeth — “untimely ripped” from our grasp due to time constraints. Each play ended on a cliffhanger, which has only made students more eager to dive into their own study of the texts.

As for my own role? I took the stage (briefly) to deliver the Prince’s decree: “Romeo is banishèd!” But judging by the enthusiastic student response, I’d say all were welcomèd into the world of the Bard.

HSIE

Year 11 Handwriting Workshop with OT Sarah Bugbird

Trinity Catholic College has been lucky to partner with Sarah Bugbird, Occupational Therapist, to work with our Stage 6 students on improving their handwriting. On Friday, Year 11 students attended a 1 hour workshop that focuses on improving the legibility and efficiency of their handwriting in preparation for the longer length examinations that are common in Year 11 and Year 12 courses.  Sarah offered lots of techniques and tips on correct posture, grip and pen pressure to help our students reduce pain and cramping in the hand during extended writing, whilst ensuring the speed and legibility are maintained. We also set up a pen testing station for students to try out a variety of different styles of pens to determine which work best for them.

LEGAL STUDIES

Year 11 students Charlotte McGill and Sonny Eggleton attended the UoN Lawyer For A Day program on Tuesday May 13 at NUSpace.

The day focused on the realities of studying law and criminology at the UoN and we were able to participate in a law workshop that focused on human rights and protest events, as well as a mock re-trial of Ivan Milat and a crime scene criminology workshop. 

It was a valuable experience to see the real world application of our Legal Studies course, as well as the opportunities available for further study in the legal profession.

BIOLOGY

Year 11 Battle of the Beaks

Last Friday, our Year 11 Biology students took part in the exciting “Battle of the Beaks” as part of Module 3: Biological Diversity.

Using different tools to represent finch beaks, students competed to collect various "food sources"—and some surprising competitive streaks emerged! There was plenty of laughter, teamwork, and playful rivalry as they raced to see which “beak” was best adapted. It was a fantastic way to explore Darwin’s theory of natural selection while having a whole lot of fun!

SPORT

Dio Open Football Selection Trials                   Speers Point      1 May 2025 

Congratulations to Hannah Abson, Caoimhe Bray, Reece Brown, Isabelle Budden, Minnie Grainger, Mayan Harkness, & Zac Zigic for gaining selection into the Maitland Newcastle Open Football teams.

These students will go on to compete at the NSWCCC Football Championships later this term. Well done!

NSWCCC AFL Selection Trials                                       Newcastle

Congratulations to Lucas Vickery (Yr 9) who has gained selection into the NSWCCC 15yrs AFL Team.

Lucas will compete at the NSW All Schools selections held in Albury early in June.

Good luck Lucas.

Northern NSW Regional Football Qualifier          Genesis Sports               6-7 May 2025

Morgan & Stewart Cup Girls Rugby 7s Rd 1            Passmore Oval       6 May 2025

Steve Merrick Rugby Union Rd 1               HVGS                         7 May 2025

Dio X-Country Championships                            Lake Glenbawn                        8 May 2025

Open Basketball                 Maitland Basketball Stadium           8-9 May 2025

Surfest High Schools Team Challenge          South Bar Beach                 8-9 May 2025

Bill Turner Girls Rd 2                               Speers Point                      9 May 2025

Bill Turner Boys Rd 3                               Speers Point                      16 May 2025

Dio Jnr Football Knock Out Boys                    Speers Point                     13 May 2025    

Dio Jnr Football Knock Out Girls                          Speers Point            15 May 2025

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:

https://csnsw.sport/

COMING EVENTS

School Contact Details

Accounts Office

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/

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.