Newsletter (15 September, 2023)

As we complete another remarkable term, I congratulate all students, staff, and parents for their dedication and hard work. It has been an incredible journey, filled with numerous accomplishments and exciting experiences.

This week, we experienced R U OK? Day to raise awareness about mental health and encourage people to start important conversations about their wellbeing. It aims to remind everyone of the importance of checking in with friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers to ask the simple, yet powerful question, "Are you okay"? The day seeks to create a supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable sharing their feelings and seeking help if needed. It serves as a reminder that we all play a role in supporting each other's mental health and wellbeing. When we ask people if they’re OK, unfortunately, the answer will not always be yes. As the listening ear, you don’t always need to have the answers, but please know that the best person you can encourage people to see is their general practitioner.

I extend best wishes to all the participants, staff members, and families attending the HPV event in Murray Bridge this weekend. We hope you have safe travels, enjoy the event immensely, and make lasting memories. Go team!

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce the highly successful completion of our cookie dough fundraiser. Thank you again to our wonderful Parent, Teachers and Friends Association for organising and facilitating this. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to its success.

As we complete Term 3, during this break, I hope you find moments of rest, rejuvenation, and quality time with your loved ones. It is so important to cherish these opportunities to connect with family and friends, creating everlasting memories that will stay with you for a lifetime. We live in a fast-paced world, and taking the time to pause, relax, and recharge is essential for our overall well-being.

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus teaches about forgiveness and mercy. How can we extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us, and how does it impact our relationships with others? I encourage you to take a moment to ponder these questions and explore how forgiveness can transform our lives.

Once again, I express my gratitude to all our students, parents, guardians, and staff for your continued support and engagement throughout the term. We couldn't have achieved such incredible milestones without your unwavering dedication.

Have a safe and enjoyable break, and we look forward to welcoming you back refreshed and ready for an amazing Term 4!

Mr James Phillips, College Principal

by Ruth Olsen

News about [Jesus] spread quickly … (Mark 1:28).

We have read of the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus at his baptism, anointing him for ministry. It’s the anointing Jesus spoke of in the synagogue at Nazareth after returning to Galilee from the temptations in the desert (Luke 4:14–19).

For centuries, God’s people had been waiting for the promised Messiah. Yes, they frequently lost their focus or tried to please God in ways they understood. But now, it is Jesus with the message: ‘The [kairos*] time has come; the kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news!’

Immediately, Mark writes of Jesus calling Simon and his brother Andrew to follow him and, likewise, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. ‘At once’ (verse 18) and ‘without delay’ (verse 20), they followed him. This immediate action is a distinctive characteristic of Mark, who uses a Greek word about 47 times that can be translated as ‘at once’, ‘quickly’ and ‘just then’. See how many times you can spot that nuance in this chapter!

Perhaps you have learned to discern, as you listen or read, whether the speaker or writer knows what they are talking about. We can speak of Jesus from the place of knowing about him or knowing and trusting him. With the latter, we have learned that he is real and God can be taken at his word. We can then speak of Jesus with an authority we didn’t have when we just knew about him.

The people at the synagogue were amazed at Jesus’ teaching and actions. They picked up on his authority in his teaching, which was so different to what they were used to hearing. They were amazed at how Jesus dealt with the evil spirit speaking through the man, evicting it and setting the man free. The evil spirit knew who Jesus was. But Jesus didn’t want evil spirits as his messengers. Jesus wants people who trust him to be his messengers, speaking in God-given authority by the power of the Holy Spirit at work through the messenger and message. It is no wonder that the news of Jesus spread quickly!

Lord Jesus, open our eyes to who you really are. Awaken us to who we are in you, the authority you give us, and how we are to use it. Thank you! Amen.

*the time of God’s favour

RoboCup

On Saturday, 9 September, 17 HTLC students headed to Melbourne for the state RoboCup Junior competition, competing against other schools in project-based robotic engineering challenges that promote problem-solving and innovation. Congratulations to all teams, who performed extremely well during the event. The results included second place in robot soccer, best regional rescue team and best regional soccer team. Thank you to parent helpers, and Mr Engert, who has worked with students throughout the year to help prepare them for this event and supervised them on the day.

Premiers' Reading Challenge and Book Week activities

Well done to everyone who participated in the Premiers' Reading Challenge. There were 95 students registered for the challenge with a total of 3083 books read. Congratulations to Ethan Pilgrim, who read 412 books on his own. Certificates will be available next term and the top 10 readers will be presented with a Premier Reading Medal.

Cookie dough fundraiser

Thank you to all parents and students for the amazing efforts in selling so many tubs of cookie dough for the PTFA Fundraiser. A total of 958 tubs were sold, almost one tonne of cookie dough!

Congratulations to the top three individual sellers:

1st - Jaxson S (FL) 50 tubs
2nd - Edward W (FJ) 41 tubs
3rd - Hudson N (2I) 30 tubs

Overall class leaders were:

1st - Mrs Ison (1I) 110 tubs
2nd - Miss Lienert (FL) 98 tubs
3rd - Miss Burke (4B) 93 tubs

Junior School musical - Mary Poppins

With the Junior School musical approaching early in Term 4, we would like to remind families in Years 3-6 to use time over the holiday break to gather costume pieces. The complete list of requirements has been communicated to parents and we encourage you to look at borrowing items or to seek second-hand materials as necessary. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if unsure of any costume requirements.

Bus notifications and absences

A reminder to please advise the Front Office of any changes when travelling on the bus for accurate and efficient processing of travellers after school. Likewise, all student absences should be advised via the Hub as soon as possible.

Chapel

This afternoon we finished Term 3 with a whole College Closing Service. I pray everyone in our community has a restful and enjoyable spring holiday and we look forward to seeing you again in Term 4.

Blessings,

Jacqui North

End of term

It is hard to believe that Term 3 has concluded and we are now looking forward to a two-week holiday break. This term has provided many opportunities for students to engage with learning in and out of the classroom and I congratulate them on their efforts. We are extremely blessed to have wonderful students and families at HTLC who are supported by dedicated and committed teachers.

There is a lot to be grateful for about being a part of the Holy Trinity Lutheran College community. During this past week, we have experienced weather of different seasons and I am reminded of this Bible verse from Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” This verse reminds us that seasons have been there since the beginning of time and that everything God designs is for a purpose, including the seasons of life. May we remember this as we endure the various seasons in our lives.

Farewell to Mrs Thomas

Talking about seasons of life, Mrs Thomas is about to enter a new season in her life, the season of ‘motherhood’. Mrs Thomas will go on maternity leave from the beginning of Term 4 as she and her husband Jamie prepare to welcome a new baby into their family. This is a special time for Mrs Thomas and we wish her all the best for this next exciting stage of her life.

Information regarding replacement staff for Mrs Thomas’s classes will be forwarded to families in the near future.

Interim reports and parent-teacher interviews

Interim reports have been sent home with students or by post. There will be an opportunity for parents and carers to discuss the contents of the report during parent-teacher interviews which will be held face-to-face or virtually on Tuesday, 3 October and Thursday, 5 October. Information on how to book interviews using the online booking system was included with the reports. There is great value to be gained from meeting with your child’s teachers and I hope that many families will take up this opportunity next term.

Term 3 MVP award winners

On Wednesday we held a secondary school assembly and presented the Most Valuable Person (MVP) award to three Middle School students. Three Senior School students also received MVP awards. This award is given to students who display some or all of the following character traits: leadership, respect, responsibility, service, achievement, motivation, care and school pride.

The MVP award winners for Term 3 were:

Year 7 - Georgia F: Georgia is a kind and welcoming student who goes out of her way to make others feel comfortable and included. She applies herself across her subjects and works hard to make the most of her learning opportunities. Continue to work hard and do your best in all you attempt.

Year 8 - Annabelle MP: This MPV award is for being a positive member of the Year 8 cohort. Annabelle arrived at HTLC last term and transitioned into her cohort well. She is a well-mannered and courteous student who cares for others, demonstrating the values of kindness, respect and resilience/perseverance. Annabelle generally puts in her best effort across all subjects and displays a strong work ethic and attitude. Well done Annabelle.

Year 9 - Eliza S: Eliza has shown diligence across all her subjects and each morning can be seen helping out with the Cornerstone Cafe. Eliza is known for assisting others with a positive, can-do attitude. She is respectful towards everyone and demonstrates the values of the College on a daily basis.

Year 10 - Shiv B and Oscar N: Both boys received this award for showing great leadership during their time in South Korea at the Scout Jamboree. During this time they also showed dedication and maturity towards their school work, making sure that everything was up to date and handed in.

Year 11 - Jacob M: Jacob has shown great dedication towards his school work all while being committed to his extracurricular activities.

Year 12 - Cher-Leah W: Cher-Leah has shown many qualities that display the HTLC values. Throughout this term she has shown respect to her fellow students all while having an inclusive manner. She has shown great perseverance when things have challenged her. Cher-Leah has also shown great commitment to her in-school and out-of-school extracurricular activities.

Congratulations to these students and thank you for the wonderful contribution you each make to the Middle School of Holy Trinity Lutheran College.

Philippines

Our Senior School students and staff have had a wonderful time in the Philippines so far! The tour group left at the weekend and made their way to Clark via Manila. The group has travelled to Magalang each day, where they have built upon HTLC's long-standing relationships with San Agustin Elementary School, Pampanga State Agricultural University and Andre Luciano High School. Students enjoyed a welcome ceremony, toured the university, led art classes, tried new foods, prepared garden beds, painted signs and of course cultivated new and existing friendships! Our travellers are all in good spirits and we pray they enjoy the final days of their trip before arriving safely home in Australia early Tuesday morning. We look forward to hearing all about it next term.

HDFNL premiers

Congratulations to the following students who played in HDFNL football and netball premierships at the weekend:

Under-15s netball - Kalkee: Ellita S, Emma S, Millie F
Under-14s football - Noradjuha-Quantong: Mason H, Jeremy F
Seniors football – Harrow-Balmoral: Mr Burns

Good luck to those students involved in the Wimmera Football Netball League grand finals this coming weekend.

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

Super Sport Cup

After Wimmera claimed an emphatic victory in the grand final of Super Sport Cup Netball, the student All Star team was announced. The student All Stars were voted on after each match by the House Captains, and it would be their honour to compete against the staff in the annual Staff vs Students Netball match.

Congratulations to the following students: Jessica D and Henry K (Lowan); Jude B, Evan H, Sophie P and Emma S (Mallee); Amalee L, Kyah L, Maya P, Xavier S, Leti T and Ilze vZ (Wimmera).

The match, held on Wednesday at lunch, drew a huge crowd from across the secondary school. The first half remained close, with the shooters on the staff team struggling to find their range early. Despite taking a narrow 4-3 lead into the half-time break, the staff were able to kick on early in the second half to open up a four-goal advantage that the students were unable to overcome. The 12-8 win seals the eighth straight win for the staff against the students in Super Sport Cup netball history.

Thanks to Miss Cashin (captain), Mr Pickering, Mrs Przibilla, Mr Przibilla, Mr Prouse, Miss Rees, Mrs Schneider and Mr Versteegen for joining me on the court, and to all the students who participated or spectated.

Photos: Ruby S.

Volleyball Horsham - Bendigo Junior Tournament

On Sunday, 18 students from HTLC were invited to represent Volleyball Horsham at the Bendigo Junior Dragon City Tournament. Playing at the massive Red Energy Arena in Bendigo was a great experience for all the students, and everyone learned a lot over the course of the day.

Congratulations to the following students who were selected by Volleyball Horsham for this event: Chloe A, Noah E, Bonnie G, Breanna H, Cadel H, Oscar J, Ava J, Jack K, Angela R, Toby U, Amelia vB, Malakai vB, Noah W, Cher-Leah W, Rhianna W, Haidyn Y, Jiedan Y and Logan Y.

Angela, Ava, Breanna, Cher-Leah and Rhianna played together in the open girls division two team that made it to the grand final. They played off in one of the best matches of the day, and were unfortunate to lose 22-25, 26-24, 15-17. Congratulations again to these girls and all the students who represented HTLC so well.

Greater Western Volleyball

The Year 7 girls volleyball team travelled to St Brigid's this week to take on Daylesford in the Greater Western regional finals. Despite the squad being cut down to just six players as a result of injuries prior to the event, the girls took the court with enthusiasm and encouragement in their minds, and their eyes set on earning a place in the state finals in November. The girls started strongly, serving well and playing excellent defence at the net to limit the opportunities Daylesford had to win points. The girls cruised to an easy 25-11 win in the first set after playing great team volleyball throughout. While the second set was a more even contest, the HTLC girls were able to hold their nerve and keep the lead despite Daylesford being more competitive, winning 25-19. This is the first Year 7 team since 2019 to qualify for the state finals for volleyball. Congratulations to Victoria B, Kirrily D, Hannah H, Hannah G, Bonnie G, Serena J, Myah M and Amelia vB for their effort. The girls will compete in the state finals on Friday, 10 November, 2023.

After watching the success of the Year 7 team, the Year 8 girls had their opportunity to face Daylesford, with the prize of being the first ever HTLC volleyball team to play in the state finals at Year 8 on the line. With the squad consisting of a number of students who lost to Daylesford in the regional finals in 2022, there was a sense of unfinished business in the air as the girls took the court for the first set. Both teams started the match well, with points being very hard to come by. However, Daylesford swung the first set in their favour after they went on a big run of serves to gain a 10-point advantage. It was a gap the girls couldn't close down, and they lost the first set 15-25. The second set was a mental game, and the girls were determined to swing the momentum in their favour. Despite giving up a small lead early in the set, they were able to fight back and go on a scoring run of their own to open up an advantage towards the end of the set. Despite Daylesford's best efforts to close the gap, they were unable to do so, and the HTLC girls clinched the second set 25-20. With the scores tied, the teams would play a deciding third set, to only 15 points.

HTLC had momentum and confidence on their side and were able to play point-for-point with Daylesford for the first few points of the third set, before a flurry of quick points had HTLC trailing 3-6. The girls tried their best but were unable to close the gap before the change of ends, and found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-12 scoreline. The girls fought their way back into the match to get the score to 11-12, but again saw the match slipping away as Daylesford reversed the momentum, gaining match point at 11-14. A service error from Daylesford left the fate of HTLC in our own hands, and the girls came through in the clutch to tie the score at 14-14. They were able to defend two more match points before finally pulling away to claim the third set 18-16, and book their trip to Melbourne. Congratulations to Tia B-H, Amelia F, Willow M, Adelyn P, Rachel R, Ellita S, Emma S and Ilze vZ for their fantastic performance under pressure. The girls will compete in the state finals on Wednesday, 8 November, 2023.

For the first time in the history of HTLC, we have had four teams qualify for the state volleyball finals in the same year, with one team from each of the age groups (Year 7, Year 8, intermediate and senior) competing at the State Volleyball Centre in Dandenong. Congratulations to all the students for their incredible efforts this year.

Pedal Prix

This morning saw the departure of the majority of our 50-person crew to Murray Bridge, for the season finale of the Australian HPV Super Series. Students, parents, teachers and competitors from all around the country will descend on Sturt Reserve for the 24-hour showpiece event, which begins at 12.30pm Saturday.

This year, HTR has five trikes entered in the event: Vortex (Year 10-12 mixed), Firestorm (Year 7-9 boys), Avalanche (Year 7-9 girls), Thunder (Year 5-6 boys) and Tsunami (open category - old scholars and parents). Thank you to our Years 5 and 6 girls who are also travelling across to compete with our Avalanche girls as they chase their third consecutive national title.

157 teams will be racing fiercely around the 1.71-kilometre street circuit famous for its challenging corners. Many students will be riding at night for the first time, and we wish them all the best for the event. You can follow along with live event results here: https://ahpvss.com/event-resul.

Coming events

September

15 - Australian HPV Super Series: round six at Murray Bridge

October

3 - Black Ranges Division Year 7 and 8 cricket
5 - Greater Western region athletics
9 - Black Ranges division Year 7 and 8 tennis

Mr Matthew McLoughlin, Secondary Sport Coordinator

Little Desert Athletics

Well done to all participants in Stawell on Monday. The event was well attended and all students did a fantastic job. Thanks to all parent helpers and supporters on the day. We have a number of students moving onto the next level, that being Greater Western Primary Athletics in Ballarat on Friday, 6 October. More information in regards to this event has been sent out via Consent2Go.

Term 4 Swimming

Swimming will again take place for Foundation to Year 3 classes in Term 4. These will be from Weeks 6 through to and including Week 9. More information in regards to these lessons will head home early in Term 4.

Coming events

Friday, 6 October: Greater Western Athletics in Ballarat

Thursday, 19 October: Little Desert Cricket 8s in Horsham

Wednesday, 1 November: State Athletics in Melbourne

Weeks 6-9: Junior School swimming

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

Many thanks,

Jessie Ferguson, Primary Sport Coordinator

Little Desert Athletics

Well done to all participants in Stawell on Monday. The event was well attended and all students did a fantastic job. Thanks to all parent helpers and supporters on the day. We have a number of students moving onto the next level, that being Greater Western Primary Athletics in Ballarat on Friday, 6 October. More information in regards to this event has been sent out via Consent2Go.

Term 4 Swimming

Swimming will again take place for Foundation to Year 3 classes in Term 4. These will be from Weeks 6 through to and including Week 9. More information in regards to these lessons will head home early in Term 4.