As you receive this edition of our newsletter, we have spent the day celebrating our Dads; both with Chapel led by Miss Janetzki’s Foundation class, followed by Footy Colours Day. It was heartwarming to see how excited the students were in celebrating this day and honouring their Dads. In Chapel this morning, we saw the special moments each student spends with their Dad, and they conveyed their love and gratitude for their Dads. I hope everyone has planned some thoughtful gestures or activities to make their fathers feel extra special this weekend!

We are well and truly in the process of planning 2024. In the Middle School and Senior School, we are working through the subject selection process. It's an important time for Middle School and Senior School students as they make choices regarding the subjects they want to study. This decision will shape their academic journey and future career paths. As a College, we are humbled to provide guidance and support to assist students in making informed decisions. It's crucial to align their interests and aspirations with the subjects they choose.

This morning, we were most blessed with many parents visiting Cornerstone Cafe, located in our Senior School. Opening at 7.30am until 9.00am on weekdays, it's a convenient spot to grab a cup of coffee before starting the day. All parents are most welcome to come and purchase a coffee, any morning! It has been wonderful to share time with people over a coffee in the morning.

In Matthew 16:13-20, we encounter a pivotal moment in the life of Jesus and his disciples. As they journey near Caesarea Philippi, Jesus initiates a dialogue with his disciples, asking them about the public opinion regarding his identity. The disciples share what they have heard from others, but then Jesus directs the question specifically at them, asking, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter, speaking on behalf of the group, emphatically declares, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus acknowledges Peter's profound confession and proclaims that upon this truth, he will construct his church, with the gates of Hades unable to overcome it. This passage holds great significance for Christians, as it underpins the cornerstone of our faith: the recognition that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, who brings salvation to humanity.

I pray that as a family that you would have a wonderful weekend, with a particular focus on celebrating Dads!

Mr James Phillips, College Principal

by Emma Strelan

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15).

Heart versus head. Thinking versus feeling. Emotion versus logic. Spirit versus understanding.

Finding the balance between these two ‘sides’ of us feels like a constant challenge. We all seem to swing one way or the other. And even in couples, there’s usually the ‘emotional’ one and the ‘logical’ one. (I hate to admit I’m the ‘emotional’ one!)

I’m not always very good at actually processing the words I sing during worship. I can easily just sing a song and think about how nice the music makes me feel. If it’s got a good tune, I may not even notice what the main themes of the song are.

On the other hand, when we say our creeds and liturgy, I often don’t feel like I really mean the words. I know exactly what I’m saying, but it certainly doesn’t always feel like worship. Even the corporate prayers we say together, like responsive psalms, tend to just roll off my tongue like a monotone school kid reciting their times tables before they’re allowed to go to lunch.

Paul seems to be grappling with this same thing here. He wants to bring these two approaches into the very heart of faith, into the most intimate and personal aspect of being a Christian – prayer. He points out that we can live and pray in both spirit and understanding.

In this part of 1 Corinthians, Paul deals with order in worship. His intention is to illustrate and define Christian worship that is balanced between the Spirit’s guidance, established formats, and participation of the people.

The good part about liturgy is that it’s been created to include different elements and ways of engaging in worship. The trouble comes when we forget the engaging part. In other words, the gospel. It’s not up to the pastor or church leaders to ensure worship stays engaging. It’s up to us to allow both our hearts and our minds to pray, sing, confess, lament, rejoice and praise.

I encourage you to do one of two things today: find a worship song you haven’t paid attention to the lyrics of before, and really listen to it (then sing it with meaning if you can). Or, whip out your Luther’s Small Catechism or an old service order, and read one of the faith statements or creeds and pray it intentionally and with your heart.

God of spirit and understanding, it is sometimes a struggle for us to balance these things. But we take comfort in Paul’s words to pray and sing with our hearts and minds. You are the greatest demonstration of mind and spirit, and you have imparted the gift of intellect and feeling to us, so we thank you for that. We offer these both to you today. Amen.

RoboCup

Tomorrow 18 students will compete in the RoboCup Victorian finals. Students have entered the robot rescue, soccer and on-stage (dance) categories of the competition. At the event, students will be interviewed on their journey and compete in several scored rounds of their event with time to improve their designs during the day. Finals are held for the top qualifiers and awards are presented for unique robot designs. We pray the team has safe travels and enjoys the experience. Thank you to our staff and parent helpers who assist on the day.

Father’s Day/Footy Day

What an exciting and colourful day it was here at HTLC today! It was fantastic to see students enjoying the football activities and having their fathers, grandfathers or special visitors join them for lunch. Thank you to the staff and Year 6 students who coordinated the footy day and ran the activities, our Junior Red Cross who organised the Father’s Day stall, and the Vocational Major staff and students who prepared our hot dog lunch.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge finishes next Friday, 8 September. We have 95 students registered and 42 who have already completed the challenge. To date, HTLC students have read a total of 2495 books! What an amazing achievement! Only eight days to go, so please keep reading and recording the books you have read.

Chapel

This morning, Year FJ led our Father’s Day worship. How amazing our youngest students are! Mr Phillips gave the message based on Luke 15:20, from the story of the prodigal son. Next week the Year 4R class will be leading our Junior School Chapel. We encourage students to bring a small offering. We hope you can join us for worship.

Award winners

Our Junior School Trinity Tiger and Trinity Cub recipients for this week:

• Trinity Tiger 5-6: Camille Arthur (persistence, gratitude, compassion)
• Trinity Cub 3-4: Emily Liston (zest, love, kindness and fairness)
• Trinity Cub F,1,2: Jiya Kerai (love of learning, kindness, gratitude)

Blessings,

Ms Fiona Friberg, Deputy Principal

2023 Adolescent Success conference

This weekend, Mrs Przibilla and I will be attending the Adolescent Success Middle Years Conference with the theme ‘Reimagining the Future’. Adolescent Success is the association dedicated exclusively to the education, development and growth of young adolescents. This nationwide conference sees Middle School educators from across Australia gather in Brisbane to hear from keynote speakers, concurrent workshops and experts in Middle Schooling education. This will be the sixth conference that I have had the pleasure of attending and I look forward to sharing with the school community some of the key takeaways from the two-day conference.

Interim reports

Interim reports will be sent home with students on the Thursday of the last week of school. Parents will have an opportunity to meet with staff for an interview during Week 1 of Term 4. Further details on how to book these interviews will be provided with the reports.

Junior Sport

This is the time of the year when many of our students are competing in winter sports finals and vote counts are being held. At the recent HDFL netball vote count, the following students polled multiple votes:

• Hannah Heard 29 votes (fourth overall)
• Lissie Holmes 20 votes
• Maya Przibilla 14 votes
• Ilze Vany Zyl 12 votes
• Ellita Scollary, Adelyn Penny 9 votes
• Emma Streeter 8 votes

Well done to these students and all the best to those students still competing in finals.

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

Parent-teacher interviews

Interim reports will be sent home in Week 10. Online booking details and other important interview information will be included with your child’s report. Interviews will be held in the first week of Term 4 on Tuesday, 3 October and Thursday, 5 October.

VTAC applications

Students applying for university entry are in the process of collating their preferences. A number of students have not yet submitted payment for their account and are reminded to do so as soon as possible. VTAC applications will close on Friday, 28 September (the final Friday of the school holidays).

Early Entry Applications

• ACU – ACU Guarantee – closing 18 September
• Charles Sturt – Charles Sturt Advantage – closing 31 August
• La Trobe University Community Contribution Program - closing 1 September
• La Trobe University Conditional Entry Program - closing TBC
• Federation University – Early Offer Program – closing December
• Swinburne University of Technology – closing TBC

Students are encouraged to visit university websites to confirm due dates and application requirements and processes.

Final day for Year 12 students

The final day of school for Year 12 students will be Monday, 16 October. Preparations have commenced for their breakfast, final Chapel and Big Day Out which will take place on this day. Students then commence a period of study in readiness for their VCE external exams, the first of which is English, on Tuesday, 24 October.

Trial exams

As we quickly approach the end of Term 3, Year 12 students and Year 11 students undertaking a Unit 3/4 subject are reminded that trial exams will run during the second week of the holidays for each subject. In order to provide an authentic experience in preparation for end of year exams, our VCAA Chief Examiner has been employed to conduct the exams. Students are reminded that all rules and regulations for external end of year exams will be closely followed and students are required to ensure that they arrive at school at least 15 minutes before the start of their exam.

Important end-of-year Senior School dates

Unit 3&4 trial exams: Monday, 25 September to Friday, 29 September (second week of holidays)

VTAC applications close: Thursday, 28 September at 5pm

Last day for Year 12s: Breakfast and final chapel: Monday, 16 October

VCE written examinations: Tuesday, 24 October to Wednesday, 15 November

Year 11 exams: Monday, 13 November to Thursday, 16 November

Year 11 Head Start: Monday, 20 November to Friday, 1 December

Year 10 exams: Monday, 20 November to Friday, 24 November

Year 10 Head Start: Tuesday, 28 November to Friday, 1 December

Report writing day: Monday, 27 November

Final day for Year 10 and 11s: Friday, 1 December

Year 12 Valedictory dinner and worship service: Friday, 17 November

SEAS applications and supporting documentation: Opened Monday, 31 July at 9am. Submit by Friday, 6 October at 5pm

Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School

Coming dates

• Wednesday, 6 September: Little Desert badminton at Horsham Primary School
  
• Thursday, 7 September: Little Desert athletics at Stawell

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding Junior School sport, sport@htlc.vic.edu.au.

Many thanks,

Mrs Jessie Ferguson, Primary Sport Coordinator

Super Sport Cup

This week was the launch of the Super Sport Cup for 2023. This lunchtime activity features students from all year levels competing in a range of sports to earn points for their house. It has been fantastic to see the students in attendance for the first two netball matches, and the sportsmanship on display has been impressive. Wimmera currently leads the competition, having won its first game against Mallee with a score of 16-5. Mallee redeemed itself on Wednesday with a comfortable 13-5 win against Lowan.

Week 9 will see Wimmera and Lowan face off on Monday before the second and third-placed teams face off in a semi-final on Tuesday. The Super Sport Cup Netball Final will be on Friday, 8 September. Good luck to all of the houses!

Black Ranges basketball

This week, Mr McKenzie has been putting the Year 7 and 8 boys and girls through their paces as they complete their selection trials for the Black Ranges basketball which will be held on Tuesday (Year 7) and Wednesday (Year 8) of Week 9.

If you are able to volunteer to referee on either of these dates, please make contact with me via email as soon as possible at matthew.mcloughlin@htlc.vic.edu.au. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Greater Western volleyball

The Year 7 and 8 girls volleyball teams have been working hard all term and their preparation for the Greater Western Regional Finals began this week. The girls will both play a single match against Daylesford on Tuesday of Week 10, with the winner booking a place in the state finals to be held next term in Melbourne. Training sessions will continue throughout Week 9.

Pedal Prix

Preparations are well underway for the final event of the 2023 Australian HPV Super Series, with the Murray Bridge 24-hour event on from Saturday, 16 September to Sunday, 17 September. All students received an initial note earlier this week, and these are due to be handed to Mr McLoughlin today. Good luck to the students and staff involved, and especially to those teams still in the hunt for the national championship.

Coming events

September

5 - Black Ranges Year 7 basketball
6 - Black Ranges Year 8 basketball
12 - Greater Western Region Years 7 and 8 volleyball
15 - Australian HPV Super Series: round six (Murray Bridge)

Mr Matthew McLoughlin, Secondary Sport Coordinator

For many years now, the role of fathers has changed and evolved. During the Industrial Revolution, fathers were often considered detached and distant due to working long hours in factories. However, today things have changed dramatically with many dads being celebrated for being sensitive, caring and more hands-on.

Recent studies have shown that children benefit greatly from having fathers who are present and interacting in everyday activities. This has transformed the understanding of how fathers shape children’s lives from the start, challenging conventional ideas of parenthood and gender.

Research also suggests that fathers influence their sons and daughters in different ways, which is especially true during their transition to adolescence. Engaging in regular physical activities can play a key role in influencing children to learn self-control, face challenges, regulate emotions and take manageable risks.

In this Special Report, fathers will learn about the positive impact they can have on their child’s mental health and wellbeing, while also ensuring they indulge in a little self-care.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report: https://htlc.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/celebrating-fathers-day

We first released this cute little printable book three years ago, and it's the gift that just keeps giving! Every year kids are coming up with new, heartwarming and hilarious answers to the questions posed.

You might want to pull out last year's booklet to compare it with what they create for you this year! It will add to the fun!

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS

This FREE activity book has been arranged so that you can form an A5 book using 5 sheets of folded A4 paper.

1. Print the odd pages first (1,3,5,7)
2. Flip the pile of pages over and print the even pages on the reverse side of the same pages (2,4,6,8).
3. Fold your pages and place them in order.
4. You're done! Hand the book over to your kid so they can start the fun part.

Download A4 PDF here

Holy Trinity Lutheran College

Access now: https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/htlc
Password: happyhtlc
Your school membership will renew on 01/12/2023

The Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge is well underway at Holy Trinity Lutheran College!

For every student who has entered the challenge, there is a leaf on a tree in the HTLC library. For everyone who completes the challenge, the leaf will be decorated with a butterfly.

Well done to the students who have already completed the challenge, and a reminder to everyone that the challenge closes on Friday, 8 September.

The challenge is in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development.

All children who meet the Challenge requirements will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.

Please contact Learning Support Coordinator Susie Penny at susie.penny@htlc.vic.edu.au if you have any questions.

HTLC Playgroup is calling for toy donations. Do you have any of these items that you are no longer using and would be happy to donate them to our playgroup?

We are currently looking for:

• Duplo (not Lego)
• Wooden train sets
• Small timber blocks for building
  

Please contact Jessie Ferguson or Maria Deleeuw at HTLC for more information. Any donation would be greatly appreciated.

Christian Life Week is a week-long camp for high school-aged students where they will encounter God, create long-lasting friendships, and play lots of fun games. The CLW committee thrives on creating a fun and safe Christian community at camp.

CLW is run by the Lutheran Youth of Victoria and Tasmania and is held at Tandara campsite in Halls Gap, an outreach of the Lutheran Church of Australia. The CLW committee and leaders all volunteer their time to make this camp what it is. Child safety is of utmost importance at CLW: each leader completes a Lutheran Church child safety training and holds a valid Working with Children Check.

CLW Orange will be on in the Term 3 school holidays, from Monday, 25 September to Friday, 29 September. The closing date for registrations is 18 September.