Newsletter (24 June 2022)

Blessings to all family and friends.

Last Friday evening the PTFA held a movie night for our school community. I give thanks to those who attended that evening and congratulate the PTFA for holding such a wonderful community event. From what I saw, it was a very valued time for our students and parents. Well done to all involved.

Today we farewell several staff members from HTLC. Mr Garry Wallace, who after more than 18 years of service, will retire from his position of Business Manager. Garry has been at the school during many phases of its growth and has contributed to many of its improvements. He has been a regular contributor to events out of the Business Office and I congratulate him on his dedication to our school community. Garry, thank you. We say goodbye Mrs Rebecca Fletcher from her position as teacher in the Junior School. Rebecca has had a long association with the school, having her children educated here and commenced on staff in 2021. During her short time with us, she has faithfully contributed to the learning programs at the school and provided many wonderful opportunities for our students. Finally, we farewell Ms Barbara Kemp, who has spent just under a year with us. Barbara has been a blessing to the school with her ability to support maternity leave cover and other short-term roles. I congratulate her on her flexibility and willingness to serve in our community. I give thanks for Garry, Rebecca and Barbara and wish them God’s richest blessing as they commence a new chapter in their lives. They will be missed.

With the commencement of next term, we will welcome Mrs Liz Hewitt back from parental leave. We look forward to her return and support of our students.

In preparation for Mrs Jess Erhardt's parental leave commencing at the end of the first week of Term 3, we will be welcoming Mr David Kenny as her replacement in the new semester.

Just this week, you may have seen the news around the recent winter solstice – the time of the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere. It is interesting to note that the winter solstice occurs when Australia is tilted furthest from the sun and on Monday night we witnessed the longest night we will have for the year. Believe it or not, I love this type of weather, particularly when you see the real changes in our seasons. As a young child growing up in Brisbane this wasn’t really a thing, except for the occasional week in winter when a jumper was needed. Nowadays, I find joy in the falling leaves, the rain on the roof top, and the warm comfort you get from a thick jacket on a windy day. As we come to the end of the school term, and look for a time of rest, I acknowledge our current weather pattern and the Chinese proverb that states that with each day of winter we are one day closer to summer. I find reassurance in this, knowing that with the cold weather ahead, tomorrow is a new day. It's a good reminder also about those ‘cold days’ we may face from time to time in life. I hope and pray that the holiday break provides rest and recuperation for you all and I look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 12 July, with a whole college worship service commencing at 9am.

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe holiday break.

Mr Daniel Weller, College Principal

by Norma Koehne

If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Paul grieves for his fellow Jews, who, with zeal to please God, try to cover themselves with their own righteousness. They were still attempting to obey the law perfectly rather than accept the free gift of Christ’s righteousness. It is the contrast between the ‘do’ of the law and ‘It is finished’ of the cross and resurrection.

It must grieve God that, in our sinful, fallen state, even Christians, who know of Christ’s free forgiveness, still feel they have to do something to earn their salvation and God’s favour. We need to be still and let God come near us with his love, and then that love will flow into lives filled with love for our neighbour.

Paul echoes the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 30:10–14 as he farewells the Israelites. He urges them, ‘turn unto the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul’ (verse 10) and assures them that God is not a distant God, far off in heaven, but a God who is near to them, with them every minute of their lives. We do not have to work to find God, go up into heaven and drag him down, or somehow go down into the deep to raise Christ up from the dead. All this has been accomplished. Christ has come down from heaven, leaving behind his power and glory, to share our humanity. He lived a life without sin and suffered and died for our sins, going down into the deep to conquer Satan, and then was raised from the dead. The ‘do’ of the law is done, replaced by the ‘It is finished’ of the cross and resurrection.

With open hearts, we accept this free salvation, and with our mouths, praise our gracious God and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, confess that Jesus is Lord. It is sometimes hard to accept that we can do nothing to earn our salvation in a world obsessed with achievement and ‘doing’. Whatever we do in thanks and praise and love is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you have worked powerfully to bring us to faith. Fill our hearts with joy, praise and eagerness to confess your great love to the world around us. Amen.

We are coming to the end of what has been a very busy term… we’ve enjoyed HPV meets, the ANZAC Day commemoration, the Open Day, numerous sporting events (athletics, cross country, lightening premierships, Friday interschool sport, AFL), excursions, NAPLAN and Diagnostic Testing, Mother’s Day celebrations, RoboCup, class expos, and reports were sent home yesterday. Even with this extensive list, I’m sure there are events I have omitted. After such a busy 9 weeks, the students and staff are all looking forward to school holidays! I give thanks to our dedicated and passionate staff who use their God-given gifts to help create learning and extra-curricular opportunities for students.

SRC Wild About Animal Day

Yesterday our Junior School students arrived at school in animal-themed costumes. Our SRC held this event to raise money for the Horsham PAWS association. The Foundation to Year 2 students enjoyed a teddy bears' picnic and the students in Year 3 to 6 eagerly participated in a scavenger hunt. Thank you to everyone involved who helped this special day come together.

Reports

Semester 1 school reports were sent home yesterday. Please take the time to read your child’s report thoroughly and contact your child’s teacher if you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s progress.

Restorative Practices

Here at HTLC we strive to create and maintain positive, respectful relationships. We started formally implementing Restorative Practices a few years ago, and staff regularly support students’ conversations to help them respectfully restore relationships when they are damaged. We are very excited to commence a Restorative Practices project through the Independent Schools Association. Mrs Sally Kuchel, Mr Jason Przibilla, Mrs Jacqui North and Mrs Kelli Both are leading this project at our college, and recently attended the first of 4 days of professional development last week. As part of this project David Vinegrad, a Restorative Practices and school relationships expert, will be visiting HTLC to work with staff and students during Semester 2. More information on Restorative Practices can be found at Restorative Practices.

Holidays

Term 2 concluded this afternoon with Closing Service. I pray you all enjoy the next two weeks with your friends and family and appreciate the change to the usual routine! School will resume on Tuesday 12 July with Opening Service at 9am.

God bless,

Mrs Fiona Friberg, Head of Junior School

End of Term

Term 2 has now concluded and staff and students are no doubt looking forward to a well-deserved break. The second term of the school year is always a busy term for students and staff as they complete units of work in subjects, assessment tasks, examinations and end of semester reports. I wish families and members of the HTLC community a restful and safe holiday break and look forward to everyone returning refreshed and recharged, ready for Semester 2 and the second half of the year.

Parent & Teacher Interviews

Included with the reports that were sent home on Thursday was information regarding Parent & Teacher Interviews scheduled for Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 July. Parents will be able to register for interviews using the online booking system. Parents will be able to select the option of meeting face-to-face or virtually. Please follow the prompts on the website to select the correct option. The process for how this can be done was included with the report information. The online booking system will be open until 4:30pm on Monday 11 July.

Middle School Events

On Wednesday 22 June, the Middle School Athlete Development Program students enjoyed their excursion to Federation University and The RADcentre in Ballarat. The group participated in a number of strength and conditioning activities and testing, toured facilities and received advice from high performance coaches. Thanks to Mr Kuchel for organising this excursion.

Applications for the Semester 2 Athlete Development Program have been made available to students who will be participating in Sport & Rec next semester. Application forms have been emailed to students and parents.

Over the course of this semester in Project Based Learning, Year 7 students were given the task of identifying their passion and were asked to complete a project based on this passion. Students were required to research their topic, access specialised assistance, find a mentor and present their knowledge and skill development in an interactive public showcase at the completion of the unit. On Thursday 23 June the Year 7 Project Based Learning class showcased their free-choice projects to the HTLC community. The students did a wonderful job of sharing their experience. Thanks to Mrs Engert and Mr Millar for guiding the students through this process.

Farewell Mr Wallace

While most of us are eagerly looking forward to the end of this term so we can enjoy a 2 week break, Mr Garry Wallace will be looking forward to a longer break as he officially retires from his role as Business Manager of HTLC. In his 18 years of service to our college, Mr Wallace has played an integral part in managing the finances of the school, overseeing a period of tremendous growth for the college. But as good as he was at his job of balancing the books, Mr Wallace will be remembered for much more than that. He was a friend to everyone, someone who genuinely cared about his workmates and their lives, a trusted confidant and a loyal servant of the college. Personally, I will miss the chats, the words of wisdom, funny stories and friendship that Garry has provided to me over the years. All the best for your retirement Mr Wallace, may God’s blessings continue to enrich your life like you have enriched so many in the HTLC community.

Term 3

Monday 11 July will be a student-free day. Term 3 will officially begin on Tuesday 12 July with Opening Service at 9am. Students are to report to Vertical Home Rooms at 9am before making their way to the Multi-purpose Centre. Semester 2 timetables will be emailed to students on the Monday of Week 1 with hard copies handed out in Home Rooms on the Tuesday. Week 1 of term will be following Timetable A.

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

A well-earned break

As we come to the end of another term, we are able to reflect on the ways in which our students have developed the ability to be flexible and manage change with increasing confidence. Ongoing illness throughout the term has caused minimal interruptions to student learning and where possible, students have been able to readily access online resources or log in to class lessons.
Students now know that classes and learning can continue, albeit in a slightly different context. We congratulate each of our students on their achievements throughout Semester 1.
Enjoy a well-earned break!

Western Victorian Careers Expo – Tuesday 21 June

This year, the Western Victorian Careers Expo has once again returned to Longerenong. On Tuesday, our senior students attended the Tertiary Information Session, careers seminars and participated in industry engagement sessions. As the largest careers expo in country Victoria, the event provided valuable opportunities for our students to learn more about vocational and tertiary pathways of interest.

Subject and Pathways Selection – Wednesday 22 June

This week, students in Years 9 and 10 have had the opportunity to explore and learn more about VCE subjects, applied learning and VET courses that they may be considering for 2023. Subject conferences with VCE teachers after school on Wednesday provided an opportunity for students and their parents to ask any questions they may have, and collect course outlines which provide more comprehensive information about each subject. All Pathways and VCE Subject Selection forms are due to be submitted no later than today. Please forward any outstanding forms to the College at your earliest convenience.

Reports – Thursday 23 June

Semester 1 reports were sent home yesterday with students. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 12 July and Thursday 14 July. Booking information was enclosed with your child’s report. VCE parents are strongly encouraged to take the opportunity to meet with teachers to discuss their child’s progress and strategies for any support that may be required for Semester 2.

SWL and Work Experience – Year 10

We have welcomed our Year 10 students back on campus this week after a week working in local industry. Such a valuable program would not be possible without the support of many local businesses who accept our students and provide them with a insight into their chosen workplaces. We offer our sincere thanks to these businesses.

GAT

A reminder that the GAT (General Achievement Test), which was held on 12 August last year, will be held on Wednesday 7 September this year. All students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3/4 sequences will be required to sit the GAT.

Try VET Day

Students considering a VET course in 2023 are encouraged to attend Try VET Day on Thursday 4 August. Information regarding the day has been provided to students in Years 9 and 10 and preferences for attendance should be returned to the College no later than the beginning of Term 3 to increase the opportunity for a position in a course of preference.

Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School

Please see the upcoming sporting dates below for your calendar;

State Cross Country - July 14
Year 5/6 Winter Sports - Fridays, weekly on July 22 & 29 and August 5 & 12
Year 5/6 Golf - Fridays weekly from July 22 to September 2
Little Desert Hockey in Dimboola - July 29
Little Desert Volleyball in Horsham - August 17

Year 5/6 Boys Greater Western AFL

What a freezing day it was down in Ballarat! The boys were feeling the cold and with a few injuries they took a while to find their playing feet, taking a loss to Warrnambool, Ballarat Grammar and St Francis Xavier College.
But by lunchtime, when the sun was shining, they had a thrilling 2 goal win over Colac.
Best players for the day were Isaac Hogan, Austin McLellan, Lj Kafegellis and Harry Hicks.
They demonstrated an excellent display of sportsmanship and pride for making it through to this level of competition.
A special thanks to Adrian Wade for his time and effort put into coaching the boys for this event.
With this experience now under our belts, we’re looking forward to tackling the Winter Sports competitions coming up next term.

Year 5/6 Girls Greater Western AFL

After many of our team players had HPV in Adelaide on the same day, we recruited well with many students stepped up to assist in filling a side to represent in Ballarat. I thank you for this!
Although we didn’t get to sing the theme song throughout the day, the girls showed great skill and showed definite improvement over the course of the day's matches. We were met with 3 games of strong opponents from Ballarat Grammar, Buninyong and St Josephs.
It was a huge day, where smiles were in abundance and many skills were developed. Students should be proud of the way they represented our school. Best players for the day were Kirrily Dandy, Hannah Heard, Amelia van Buren and Myah Meadows.
Thank you to all parents that were involved, including those who travelled to support both teams on the day and to staff and Year 9 students who played a valuable part in the smooth sailing of this huge day of football.

Little Desert Competitions

Next term we look forward to Little Desert Hockey & Volleyball competitions for Year 5 and 6 students. Expressions of interest will be sought and preparation for these events will commence in Term 3. If you have any keen hockey and volleyball players, we welcome their interest.

State Cross Country

We have one student, Judd Oakley, who has successfully progressed to the State Cross Country on July 14. We wish Judd the very best of luck for a superb run and look forward to hearing how he enjoys the experience. We will all be sending him positive vibes for a great event day!

Yours in Sport!