Greetings to all families and friends of HTLC.

As the term draws to a close, I feel it is important to recognise and give thanks for the many curricular and extracurricular learning activities that have taken place across all sub-schools. It has been wonderful to see student engagement in so many differing activities and how through these opportunities both connection and community are built. As a college our aim is to foster a culture of enthusiastic learners who value creative and collaborative opportunities that prepare them to thrive in this changing and challenging world we live in. So, thank you to the teachers, teacher aides, and support staff who dedicate their time to foster a culture of learning for our students, making HTLC a learning community for all.

From this week, the College will have access to the school’s 2022 NAPLAN results. As you may recall, these tests are curriculum-based assessments that provide valuable information about student capabilities. The results from these tests help inform the teaching and learning at Holy Trinity and over the coming weeks the data provided to us will be examined and used by teachers to inform pedagogy and ways to better support student outcomes.
Individual results for Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students will be distributed once they are received. We again reminded families that the NAPLAN testing is only one form of assessment, conducted at one point in time, and that at Holy Trinity Lutheran College the assessment of a child is an ongoing process whereby teachers employ a range of methods in assessing each child’s progress. As a college I look forward to the opportunity in addressing any challenge that may arise from these results, while still recognising and celebrating the strengths of the programs we currently have at our school.

I would like to wish all our fathers from the HTLC community a blessed weekend as they celebrate their special day this coming Sunday. May your day be filled with joy and happiness as it is spent with your loved ones.

Daniel Weller, College Principal

by Dianne Eckermann

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather, serve one another humbly in love (Galatians 5:13).

These seven selected verses in today’s passage from Galatians 5 share the words free, freedom and love seven times in total before ending with a warning about the consequences of misusing the freedom we have through God’s love.

The number of times the words freedom and love are mentioned suggests a strong correlation between the two. Paul explains freedom not as an opportunity for self-indulgence but as an opportunity for service to others through love. This seems counterintuitive to our world where the phrase, ‘I can do whatever I want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else’, is an excuse for behaviour that does not care about others, nor does it demonstrate what it is truly like to be free.

Paul emphasises the freedom we all receive through Christ. This freedom is contrasted with those who believe they can be justified through keeping the law, a belief that leads to a life lived without Christ. While the law has its place in showing the will of God, it is faith working through love that sets us free from the pride and self-centredness that would otherwise separate us from God. Freedom is to live a life of faith, working through love and serving others, just as Jesus lived and died for all people.

Living without love, Paul warns, is to live a destructive life where no-one is left unscathed. I recall a documentary about walruses fighting each other with all the power and devastation that sharp-tusked creatures who weigh 1.5 tons can throw at each other. At the end of the battle between the two males, both were left seriously injured. Neither could be called a winner. In the same way, if we do not care for others, we are in danger of a similar outcome.

Humbly serving those who are our neighbours is all the law we need.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit coming to us and blessing us with the freedom to love and serve our neighbours. Amen.

STEM Discovery Champions 

On Monday a group of Year 6 students participated in the annual STEM Discovery Day, facilitated by the University of Newcastle. Students worked in teams to compete against other schools from our region. They were required to think critically and use their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills to solve challenges. We are very pleased to report HTLC students won the challenge for the second year! Congratulations to all students who participated and thank you to Mrs North who supported students 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 VCAL staff and students who prepared our meat pie lunch.

Foundation to Year 3 Concert

Students in Foundation to Year 3 are currently preparing a Concert titled “All Aboard”. This will be a free concert at 11:30am on Thursday 15 September. Family and friends are welcome to attend, please add this date to your diaries. All students in these year levels will be involved. The performance will be recorded for those who cannot attend the live performance.

Chapel

This morning Year FL led our Father’s Day worship for the whole school. How amazing our youngest students are! Cher-Leah, one of our Year 12 students, gave the message based on 1 Timothy 4:11-15. Next week the Year 4M class will be leading our Junior School Chapel. We encourage students to bring a small offering. We hope you can join us for worship.

Congratulations to this week's award winners!

FJ: Ethan Carter, Anna Delahunty FL: Sanuj Ranasinghe, Alfie Adams 1C: Baden Cameron, Riley Ellis-Ferguson 1I: Estelle Bouma 2B: Abel Forbes 2H: Angie Koh 2S: Chelsea Smith 3B: Maddie Hicks 3D: Kristan Casipit 4B: Olivia Collins, Honey Kaur 4M: Spencer Kannar, Adam Carra, Claire Rethus 4R: Vivaan Sharma, Audrey Jochinke 5D: Zena Williams, Amber Korf 5H: Zac O'Connor, Stella Moore 6M: Rhylee Olston, Harry Hicks, Myah Meadows 6N: Tom Wade, Marlie Roberts 6V: Hannah Gabbe, Maverick Kerr Chinese: Claire Rethus Technology: Mahli Harris, Charlie Young Performing Arts (F-2): All students in 2H PE: Oliver McDonald, Neve Dennis, Ava North, Tristan van Zyl Holy Trinity Tiger Award (5-6): Naga Alemayehu Holy Trinity Cub Award (3-4): Aizla Shrestha Holy Trinity Cub Award (F-2): Ava Webb

Blessings,

Mrs Fiona Friberg, Head of Junior School

2022 Adolescent Success Conference

Last week Mrs Przibilla and I attended the Adolescent Success Conference, held on the Gold Coast. Adolescent Success is the association dedicated exclusively to the education, development and growth of young adolescents. The Conference provided opportunities to hear from Keynote speakers who delivered insightful and informative presentations on a range of topics including:

• Middle Years Education in Australia
• How Critical Thinking can be Taught
• Leading from the Middle
• "From diving to thriving: COVID impact and challenge for adolescent learning and assessing"
• Recharge – Tools for Teacher Wellbeing

These presentations were delivered by Doctors, Professors and experts in Middle School teaching and leadership.
Apart from the Keynote addresses, there was also an opportunity to listen to Concurrent workshops where leaders and teachers shared personal experiences from their Middle Schools. These workshops provided insights into programs and initiatives which have proven to be effective in the context of their schools.
Mrs Przibilla also had the opportunity to visit All Saints Anglican College on a school tour, and heard about their specialist Middle School program and facilities.
The Conference provided much inspiration and a plethora of ideas, with the challenge now looking at how this can be implemented into the Middle School of Holy Trinity Lutheran College.

English Week

This week we have been celebrating ‘English Week’ in the Middle School with a number of English themed activities being run by staff. The list of activities included; Story Time book readings, Poetry, Micro Fiction writing schools, 2-sentence Horror stories, Origami butterflies and more. Thank you to the English Department and other staff who have helped to run the variety of activities throughout this week.

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.

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

The GAT (General Achievement Test)

Next week, students completing VCE Unit 3-4 sequences will be complete Part A and B of the GAT. Senior VCAL students will also sit Part A.
Questions in the GAT are based on general knowledge and skills that students have learnt throughout their study. Section A will assess literacy and numeracy. Section B will assess mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities.
Students are required to attend in formal school uniform and should bring a scientific calculator to both sections of the GAT.

• Section A: 9:30 -11:45am
• Break: 11:45 – 1:15pm
• Section B: 1:15 – 3:00pm

Information sheets have been provided to students and parents containing further details.

The Parent Website

As our young people are looking forward to the school holidays, end-of-term and end-of-year parties, Paul Dillon joins the Parents Website for this free webinar on what parents need to know. During adolescence, teens develop a biological need to be around friends and it is important to provide them with opportunities to socialise with their peers whenever possible. Using the most current data, this webinar will examine the use of alcohol and other drugs by school-based young people. Some simple strategies will be provided to help ensure teens are able to interact with friends on a Saturday night and, at the same time, reduce the risk of underage drinking and the potential dangers associated with such behaviour. It aims to empower parents with a positive message and assist them in having open and honest family discussions in this complex area. Find out more here.

Why choose a VET course?

VTAC Dates

• 1 August – VTAC applications open
• 29 September – timely applications close
• 7 October – SEAS applications, supporting documentation and scholarships applications close
• 12 December – Victorian ATAR released

VCE Important dates

• GAT (General Achievement Test) - Wednesday 7 September
• VCE Trial Exams (HTLC campus) – Monday 26 September to Friday 3 October
• Year 12 Last day – Tuesday 18 October
• VCE written exams (English) – Wednesday 26 October, from 9:00am to 12:15pm
• Year 12 Valedictory Service and Dinner – Friday 18 November
• Final day of 2022 classes for Year 10 and 11 students – Friday 9 December

Senior School Important Dates

• 9 December – last day for Year 10 and 11 students

Our Year 7 Boys Basketball team competed in Ararat on Monday in the Black Ranges competition. Coming up against tough opponents in Horsham College, St Brigids and Warracknabeal, the boys fought hard all day.

Led by Malakai van Buuren and Mason Hair, HTLC were seen as fierce competitors throughout the day, only just coming up short. Congratulations to all the boys who participated, it was fantastic to see!

Term 3

September
6 - Black Ranges Year 8 Boys & Girls Basketball
14 - Black Ranges Year 7/8 Boys & Girls Volleyball

Mr Jesse Kuchel, Head of Sport and Coaching

Adolescence is the transitional stage of development that is usually associated with the teenage years. In 2018, the Australian Curriculum Assessment Authority, redefined adolescence as affecting young people aged between 10-24 years. During this time, they experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth which affects how teenagers feel, think, make decisions and interact with the world around them.

During adolescence, a child's brain can be considered as being “under-construction”. The rate at which this progresses will vary depending on the individual and also their gender. As a result, some parents may view adolescence as stressful or difficult. However, it does not need to be. Setting boundaries, implementing consistent monitoring and maintaining a strong and loving connection will help families adjust during this time.

It is also an important time to keep the communication lines open through clear and age appropriate conversations. Speak openly about changes that they are experiencing and be conscious of their mental health as many of the conditions people confront in adulthood, can begin to manifest in adolescence.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to guide and best support their young person as they transition through adolescence.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the College Wellbeing Team for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Understanding Adolescence edition of SchoolTV: https://htlc.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/understanding-adolescence

In the past ten years, screens have completely upended the way we raise our children. Screens are everywhere. All the time. Social media has taken over our lives and the lives of our kids. 97% if kids are gaming. And the Internet has brought new kinds of risks into our children's lives at earlier and earlier ages.

Screens affect our boys and our girls differently. Boys are caught up in a gaming industry with hundreds of billions of dollars each year. It keeps them up at night. It creates contention in our home as sleeplessness combines with dishonesty, aggression, competitiveness, and the never ending desire for "one more game". Boys' online lives are complicated even more by the growth in gambling among tween and teen boys, and the continued rise of pornography. Boys' access to explicit content has never been easier or more common.

What can we do to help our boys manage their screen time, and manage the content they're exposed to, in safe, healthy ways?

Join Dr Justin Coulson for the webinar that will answer your questions, Monday 19 September at 8pm.

Register for email reminders

HTLC have partnered with Happy Families to offer free premium memberships to all HTLC families! To access your free membership please click here: www.happyfamilies.com.au/user/...

Elevate Education is holding a webinar on How to Help Your Child Get Ready for the Exam Room. Learn about:

• What your child should be doing in the final week before any test or assessment 
• How to establish a good routine for the night before 
• How to optimise exam-room performance 

The webinar is run live online from 6:30 - 7:30pm (AEST) where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly. 

Register for the free webinar here: https://go.elevateeducation.co...