I pray that Week 8 has been successful for you. Yesterday, our Year 12s participated in the Victorian Certificate of Education General Achievement Test. It was really wonderful to see how our Year 12s maturely approached this. Please continue to pray for our Year 12s as they continue their demanding study schedule and navigate the many other aspects of their lives.

It was also a heart-warming moment as we farewelled the group travelling to Central Australia. We certainly pray this group has safe travel, an enjoyable experience and that it strengthens even stronger relationships with one another.

Last week, the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association met and discussed many exciting events and opportunities due to occur throughout the remainder of this year. I am most grateful for this group of volunteers who are generous with their time, look to enable connection within our community and strengthen our fabulous College community. I would encourage anyone who is interested in contributing to our College to join this group.

Today is our RoboCup, with students in both the Junior and Middle Schools participating. This unique event really promotes STEM and enables the students to engage in rich collaboration, problem-solving and organisation skills.

I have also very much appreciated student voice (agency) within our College. The successful canteen trial in the Junior School, with the view to be whole College in Term 3, was initiated, researched and actioned by the Junior School Student Representative Council. I encourage all students to put forward ideas and suggestions, as these really help us shape our College to be student cantered.

Yesterday was our first Playgroup time together and it was a privilege to welcome new and existing families to our College. Our next session is on Thursday, 22 June 2023, and everyone in the wider community is welcome. Please encourage your friends to come along!

I pray that as you go into the weekend, whether you are full of energy, feeling drained or juggling many responsibilities, God’s love and peace would be experienced by you and your family.

Mr James Phillips, Principal

by Tom Brennen

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? (Romans 6:3)

The Paul Kelly song ‘From little things, big things grow’ is often used to inspire us to make small changes to achieve great things. It was in that Spirit that yesterday we considered what small adjustments we could make to give God more of our attention. But we also know that those big things that grow are not always good, helpful, or pleasing to God.

I am passionate that, in Christian schools, there is great power in the staff gathering each day for devotion in the morning. I feel blessed that my current school has a fantastic culture of morning worship together. It is valued, vibrant and meaningful. But sadly, there are many schools that no longer have this.

Each story of the loss of morning devotion is unique. Unions demanded compulsory devotion be considered part of workloads, increasing the costs for a struggling school. Well-meaning principals didn’t want non-Christian staff to feel uncomfortable. Some felt that forcing people to attend worship was contrary to free will and the gospel. While I suspect no school principal ever said, ‘This isn’t an important part of our school’, the many small choices and decisions along the way led us to where we are today. From little things, big things grow.

Likewise, I’ve noticed in myself a leaning toward giving devotions that call us towards positives and avoid calling out negatives. It is more comfortable to be encouraged to be a good person and love others than it is to dwell on the meaning of the very Son of God suffering and dying on the cross for our sins. The first side of the gospel is more agreeable, cleaner and palatable. Few are likely to be offended by it.

When we gloss over the saving work of Christ on the cross, we miss the power that spurs us on to a sincere commitment to service. We should not be rude or proud or deliberately offensive, but our churches, schools and organisations must never lose sight of our baptism into Christ’s death. We should speak this message clearly. The Bible verse 1 Corinthians 1:23 calls us to preach ‘Christ crucified’.

That is the good news: through Christ’s death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven, and we have new life. May we ground ourselves in this reality every morning.

Lord, through your death, we are saved from our sins. Let us diligently commit to living and sharing this reality. Amen.

Reports - Thank you!

This term, but particularly the last extra long weekend, the teachers got busy reflecting on the first half of the year. Looking at student assessment records, notes and bookwork, the teachers spent time formulating the mid-year progress report.

This week, Mrs Fiona Friberg, a small editorial team and I have been reading through the reports.  I must thank the staff team for their efforts, as this task always takes great planning and effort. I must thank parents and students also, for the great effort that each of our families put in throughout the year.

Homework - a highlight of teaching a life skill at HTLC

A standout highlight that recurred again and again through reading reports is how our students develop their commitment, resilience and persistence through home study! I know as a Dad this takes commitment, persistence and resilience from parents also, not just the kids, so thank you for your efforts in supporting the school in supporting your child’s homework routine! At HTLC, we truly believe that most parents have to take home tasks as well at work or in the home.  The washing never does itself, there is always one more small job to tidy up at work, and on the farm, if you don’t keep chipping at it you find yourself behind at seeding, lambing, harvest etc…

Thank you students and parents for seeing the value of teaching these life skills through forming a good homework habit!

Students out in the community and pulling the community to be a part of HTLC

I always like to get our students out into the community. This is where life is at its best, and so this is where you will find some of the best learning! I have enjoyed the new approach this year as health experts advise us to continue our lives by getting into the community once again.   

RoboCup Junior

Mr Engert (STEM teacher) and the teams for this year’s RoboCup hosted students and teachers in the MPC today. Thanks, Mr Engert, for your passion and enthusiasm in running this event, but particularly for inviting people onto our site. It is such a great learning opportunity for teachers and students to intermingle between schools, as this is an important life skill to practise meeting new people.

Peace and Purity of Heart

Last Friday, our 2I class led by Mrs Ison, focused on the beatitude of Pure of Heart.

This week, Year 5D and Miss Davis led a reflection on Peace. It is not ground-breaking information that Christianity links these two things, not to humans, but to God. If you want these two things, you’ll need to go on a journey to find God.

I have messaged that God’s kingdom is a ‘topsy-turvy’ place, where His ways are not the ways of this world. To find Him and things like Peace and Joy that surround Him is what we call the adventure that is life!

Jump Rope for Heart

Yesterday kids had their ‘jump-off’ to celebrate their involvement in the Jump Rope for Heart program. Thank you to Miss Harris (Year 5) and Mrs Fox (Year 3) for setting up this opportunity for our students. Keep an eye out in the Weekly Advertiser, as I believe there will be a picture in there, with our fundraising queen Mia, who not only raised the most in our school but the most in the state, I believe! Well done, Mia!

Monday Assembly

For those of you who are keen followers of Chapel and Assembly, you will notice that we skipped last week’s assembly. We’d love to see you for our last gigantic assembly this Monday at 9am, all are welcome!

Adam Borgas, Head of Junior School

End of semester reports and parent-teacher interviews

End of semester reports will be sent home with students on Thursday, 22 July. Included with these reports will be information on how families can book (using our online system) an interview to discuss the semester’s report. I encourage parents to invest time in discussing with their child’s teachers ways in which they can help to support learning outcomes. Interviews will be on Tuesday, 11 July and Thursday, 13 July as face-to-face or virtual meetings.

Central Australia Tour

On Wednesday of this week, 42 Year 7-9 students, five staff members and two parent helpers departed Horsham en route to spending 10 days and 9 nights touring key places in Central Australia. This tour will provide the opportunity to witness first-hand an incredible part of Australia. I will do my best to update people back home with photos of the tour via the College’s Facebook page.

Year 7 Come and Try Day

On Tuesday of this week, the Year 6 students of HTLC spent the day in the Middle School experiencing secondary classes, teachers and programs. They were able to choose from the following electives:

• Outdoor Ed
• Music Jam
• Fast Cooking
• Hot Science
• Magic of Media
• Gym Strength and Conditioning
• Sports Coaching: footy, tennis, netball, basketball
• House Activities

A special thank you to the staff that led sessions on the day: Mrs Engert, Mrs Przibilla, Miss Thomson, Mr McKenzie, Miss Cashin, Mrs Hahn, Mr Prouse, Mr Pickering and Mr Bandel. And also to Jeremy Quast and Jaye Macumber for helping out as specialist coaches on the day.

Year 9 electives

Information regarding Semester 2 electives was made available to students earlier this week. All students should have made their selections by now. Parents will be asked to approve these selections. Mrs Thomas will be in touch via email to let you know how this can be done.

End of Semester Key Dates

Thursday, 22 June: Reports sent home

Friday, 23 June: Last day of Term 2. Closing Service at 1.45pm in the MPC. Early dismissal at 2.20pm

Tuesday, 11 July and Thursday, 13 July: Parent and teacher Interviews

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

SWL and Work Experience – Year 10

This week, our Year 10 students are completing work placements in local industries across the Wimmera and surrounding areas. Teachers have been making site visits to see how our students are enjoying their placements within their chosen work place.

Early in Term 3, Year 10 students will commence their VCE subject selection for 2024 and work experience can provide valuable insight into potential pathways. We sincerely thank the businesses that have provided access to experiences that will contribute to the decisions our students will make about their future pathways.

Year 9 students – Senior School pathways

Year 9 students and their parents have been involved in meetings to discuss individual options for pathways into Senior School. These can be quite complex and dependent on individual preferences. A broad range of VCE, VCE Vocational Major, VET and Applied pathways have been explored over the past couple of weeks with discussions continuing into next term. Parents who have not yet arranged a time or those who wish to continue initial conversations are asked to contact the College.

Year 10 VCE/VCE Vocational Major subject selections 

Year 10 students have made an important start to their subject selection process with the completion of their work experience and work placements this week. Our formal VCE conferences where teachers are available to speak with parents and students will take place in the second week of next term. All Year 10 students and parents are strongly encouraged to attend.

Year 11 College Ball

Parents are reminded that information regarding the purchase of tickets has been provided and these may now be purchased from the Horsham Town Hall or by visiting the town hall website.

The Parents Website

Andrew Fuller: The 6 steps to distress method

Leading clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller explains a simple way to distress.

https://theparentswebsite.com.au/andrew-fuller-the-6-steps-to-destress-method/

Important Senior School Dates

Year 10 work experience: Tuesday, 13 June to Friday, 16 June

Cambodia trip (Years 10-12): Friday, 30 June to Saturday, 8 July

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

VTAC applications open: Monday, 31 July

VTAC parent information evening: Wednesday, 2 August, 7pm in the Senior Centre

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

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

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

Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School

Greater Western representation - soccer

On Thursday our Year 5-6 Winter Sport soccer team represented our region at Ballarat. Thanks to parents, Mick Ryan and Jules De Real, for accompanying the team. Thanks also to Year 5 teacher Miss Harris who did a great job organising the day! While the students did not win a match, they did score a goal, have great fun on a ‘road trip’, and were great ambassadors for the school in the way they completed as a team.

Winter Sport 

It’s the last day of Winter Sport for the Year 5-6 classes today. This program is a great strength of the HCPSSA schools (Horsham schools) that has been a long-running yearly occurrence. Well done teachers and students on your participation in this day. Thank you also to the office staff who work behind the scenes to prepare first aid kits and book buses. We know this is a part of your job, but we also need to mention how we appreciate your efforts!

Adam Borgas, Head of Junior School

Push-Up Challenge 2023

Over the past two weeks, students and staff from the secondary school have been participating in The Push-Up Challenge for 2023. This is an initiative designed to raise awareness and start conversations around mental health, and also raise money to support the work that organisations like Lifeline and Movember do to promote mental health and wellbeing across Australia. The challenge involves completing 3144 push-ups (or alternative activities) across 23 days.

This year, HTLC has 129 people pushing for better mental health, and we have been adequately supported by Leah E and Zoá M as Ambassadors. So far, we have raised $1790 for Lifeline Ballarat, and we have completed over 142,000 push-ups (or alternative activities). Thank you to everyone who has supported our cause so far! You can see updates from our Community Page (https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/holytrinitylutherancollege).

Despite being on the Central Australia trip, Mr Bandel has still been completing push-ups in exotic locations including Port Germein, Coober Pedy and Woomera.

Volleyball: Country Champs '23

Over the long weekend, a number of students and staff from HTLC travelled to Mildura to represent Volleyball Horsham as part of the 2023 Country Championships. Students participated in a range of divisions and played matches across Saturday, Sunday and Monday to earn the right to be called the best Country Association in the state.

Congratulations to Noah W, Oscar J and Haidyn Y, who competed in the men's division three, Logan Y and Jiedan Y, who competed in the junior boys division, and Janay vB, who competed in the junior girls division and won a silver medal.

If you or your child is interested in playing volleyball, there will be more information coming out about this early in Term 3, ahead of the 2023 Volleyball Horsham winter season.

AHPVSS Round three - Adelaide

This weekend, 16 students in Years 5 and 6 will be making the trip to Adelaide to compete in the third round of the Australian HPV Super Series, held at Victoria Park. This event is unique in that it is compulsory for Junior School teams to compete if they wish to be eligible for National Championship honours.

Thank you to all the parents involved in making this event possible, either through transporting students, transporting the vehicles or marshalling on event day.

Term 3 sports

With the end of term approaching, there will be a range of meetings held to determine which competitions HTLC will enter in Term 3. Basketball will be offered to all students from Years 7 to 12, and volleyball will be offered to students in Years 7 and 8.

If students are currently away on camp, but would be interested in participating in these sports, please let me know via email (matthew.mcloughlin@htlc.vic.edu.au) and they can be added to the list of trialists.

Coming events

June

18 - Australian HPV Super Series: Round three (Adelaide) - Junior School students only

July

13 - State cross country finals

13 - Black Ranges senior basketball

17 - Black Ranges intermediate basketball

August

5 - Australian HPV Super Series: round four (Tailem Bend)

23 - Black Ranges Year 7 and 8 volleyball

September

5 - Black Ranges Year 7 basketball

6 - Black Ranges Year 8 basketball

15 - Australian HPV Super Series: round six (Murray Bridge)

Mr Matthew McLoughlin, Secondary Sports Coordinator

When: Monday, 19 June at 8pm

Parenting is one of those things we often think should just come 'naturally'. We imagine we'll be great at it (not like those family members who can't seem to get it right!) and that our kids will turn out spot-on. And then ... we have kids. Reality is painful for many of us. Parenting turns out to be harder than most of us imagined. We feel more tired. We have fewer answers, and the answers we thought we had don't seem to work like we planned. We wonder if we're too strict, too free-range, too gentle, too tiger, or too tired to care. We struggle with screens, feel burdened by boundaries, and feel like all we do is frown.

Yet parenting is also an incredible source of joy and happiness! How do we make it feel like that more often?

Join Dr Justin Coulson, the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9's hit TV show, Parental Guidance, for some… well, extra special parental guidance! In this jam-packed, interactive, 90-minute webinar, you’ll discover:

• What every child needs from their parents in order to flourish
• Where parents are going wrong in their efforts to be the perfect parent
• How to get discipline right, even when everything’s going wrong, and
• Why joy in family life is easy to find… when you know where to look.

The use of mobile phones and technology in schools has been a highly debated topic internationally, including in Australia. Almost all states and territories in Australia have implemented full bans on mobile phones during class, recess, and lunch times, while allowing students to carry their phones during travel to and from school.

Critics argue that there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of such bans, but this is a mischaracterisation. Studies have shown the positive impacts of mobile phone bans in schools. One study conducted in 2016, found that banning mobile phones led to an increase in student performance, with test scores improving by 6.4 per cent of a standard deviation. Similar studies from Spain and Norway also supported these findings.

For parents concerned about mobile phone separation anxiety in their children, it is important to acknowledge it as a real issue and discuss the negative effects of phone addiction, such as sleep problems and mental health issues. Gradually introducing phone-free periods at home, setting clear expectations and boundaries and modelling healthy behaviours can help your child cope. It is also crucial to establish a support network and seek professional help if needed. Implementing mobile phone bans in schools allows for better focus on teaching and learning, minimising distractions and interruptions.

This Special Report will help address mobile phone separation anxiety and provide guidance on supporting your child’s wellbeing during this transition period.

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 College Wellbeing Team for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report: https://htlc.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-mobile-phone-separation-anxiety

Reminder: Students must wear seatbelts, where fitted, as per the School Bus Program Conditions of Travel and for their own safety.

We are very excited to welcome people to the second Come and Try HTLC Preschool Playgroup session next week!

The session, for children aged 0-5 years, is on Thursday, 22 June, from 9.15 until 10.15am in the College library.

Families are welcome to arrive from 9.00am.

Carers are required to stay during each session.

We encourage families and friends to come along for the fun.

The jobs board is designed to connect local jobs to local youth! Find work experience, work placement, apprenticeships, and casual and part-time opportunities. Click here for more.

Lost property

The lost property is overflowing with winter jumpers, sports jackets, coats, lunchboxes, hats and drink bottles.

If your child is missing anything, take a look in the lost property at Reception.

By ensuring your child's items are labelled appropriately, we can return anything found quickly.

Damage

Please note, families will need to cover the cost of any damage to library books or equipment.