Newsletter (25 August, 2023)

I trust that this newsletter finds you well and that you have enjoyed another week in the life of our College. We have had a fabulous Book Week! On Monday, we have a Foundation to Year 12 assembly with a Book Week parade. It was really quite inspiring to look around and see the many costumes that students had prepared, including handmade ones. It is quite special to celebrate the gift of literacy and I hope it has encouraged both young and old to keep finding new material to read.

I would like to highlight the success of our Junior School student-led conferences that took place this week. It was truly a wonderful occasion for our students to showcase their learning journey and achievements. We believe that involving students in these conferences helps foster a sense of ownership in their education and further strengthens the bond between our teachers, parents, and students.

Effective note-taking is crucial for improving information retention and organisation. It's important to find a note-taking system that aligns with your learning style. There is a free webinar coming up on Wednesday, 30 August at 6.30pm, designed to support children to improve their note taking skills. The registration information has been posted on The Hub.

Recently, the College’s Leadership Team has been actively focusing on emergency management, and as such, we have completed necessary drills. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe and secure environment for all our students, parents and staff. These drills provide us with an opportunity to finetune our systems, review procedures, and ensure the preparedness of our College. Should your child have any concerns regarding these drills, we highly encourage them to speak with their classroom teacher and/or Wellbeing Team, who will be more than happy to provide reassurance.

Next Friday, is Footy Day and Father’s Day. Everyone will be able to dress up in their footy colours for a gold coin donation, which will support men’s health. At lunch, there will be hot dogs available for purchase. In our Junior School, there will be footy activities that the students can enjoy with their fathers from 11.20am.

Finally, let us reflect on Sunday’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16:13-20, which teaches us about the faith and foundations of our College community. In this passage, Jesus asks his disciples who they believe He is. Peter responds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus commends Peter's faith and states, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." This verse calls us to recognise and declare our faith in Jesus as the foundation of our lives. It reminds us that as a Lutheran community, our faith is the core upon which we build our College, nurturing the minds, bodies, and spirits of our students, parents, staff and all members of the community who interact with us.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our College community. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

I pray that you have a wonderful weekend.

Mr James Phillips, College Principal

by Pastor Mathew Ker

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Often, we can read God’s word from a self-centred viewpoint rather than a Christ-centred one. This means we look to see how we fit into the picture before understanding how Christ is at the centre of God’s word. This can easily lead to errors or distortions.

When reading St Paul’s writing about spiritual gifts, if we put ourselves at the centre of the picture, we begin to consider what wonderful gifts God may have given to us. We can easily start to consider the gifts God has given to other people. Then we fall onto the slippery slope of imagining which is more important or valuable for our work as followers of Jesus.

Paul starts from a different perspective, however. He reminds the Corinthians that they used to follow mute idols that were no help in any form. Against such old beliefs, Paul encourages them with the obvious truth that those who now believe in God, now filled with the Holy Spirit, will never say that Jesus is cursed. To emphasise his point, he switches it around so that no one can truly say ‘Jesus is Lord’ unless they have the Holy Spirit.

This means that for all Christians, the first and foremost gift given is that of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit creates, sustains and guards the faith given to you. Every time you confess faith in Jesus, you are reassured that the Holy Spirit is at work in you.

Paul follows this giving of the Holy Spirit with several examples of gifts of service that could be lived out by individual Christians, each aimed at building up the whole church. The recurring theme is that there is one Spirit, one Lord, and the same God who empowers these gifts to faithful people. No matter what they might be, these gifts should be used for the common good.

God values us for who we are rather than what we might do. Some people might be given particular gifts for a particular service, but that says nothing about their standing before God. As you confess your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, trust that you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will guard your inheritance to eternal life.

Heavenly Father, I confess faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, so I may confess Jesus before my family, friends and neighbours. If it is your will, bless me with spiritual gifts to build relationships that nurture the faith journey of others. Amen.

Student Conferences

We are grateful for the opportunity to share and celebrate the learning of students during Student Conferences this week. Teachers have expressed how wonderful it was to connect with families and students. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Junior School sports coordination

We are pleased to announce that Jessie Ferguson will be taking on the Sports Coordinator role in the Junior School for the remainder of the year. Anyone needing to contact her, please email sport@htlc.vic.edu.au. We thank Jessie for her willingness to support students and HTLC in this way.

Collecting students after school

We have noticed a number of students staying to play after school in the playgrounds or lawn areas. These are areas that are not supervised by staff at this time. Students in these areas will be asked to move to the front lawn near the carpark to ensure their safety while waiting. We also encourage parents to remind students not to approach vehicles in the pick-up area until they are fully stationary. Thank you for your assistance.

Father’s Day/Footy Day

Next Friday, 1 September, HTLC will celebrate Father’s Day and have our Football Colours Day. Students are invited to come dressed in their favourite football colours. Students will be involved in football activities led by our Year 6 students. For students in Foundation to Year 2, football activities will be from 11.20am until 12.30pm; and for students in Year 3 to 6, from 1.30pm until 3.00pm. Our Vocational Major students will prepare hot dogs, which can be purchased for lunch. There will be a Father’s Day Stall on Thursday run by our Junior Red Cross.

Mary Poppins

Save the date! On Friday, 13 October, students in Years 3 to 6 will perform Mary Poppins. This will be a free concert, with a matinee at 2.00pm and an evening performance starting at 6.30pm in the MPC. Family and friends are warmly invited to attend. We are still seeking donations of costume and construction materials, please contact Michelle Hahn if you can assist in any way.

Chapel

This morning our Foundation L class led Chapel with a focus on dealing with disappointments, based on Luke 5:5. Next week the Foundation J class will lead our Junior School Chapel as we celebrate Father’s Day. We encourage students to bring a small offering. We hope you can join us for worship.

Blessings,

Ms Fiona Friberg, Deputy Principal

Early Entry Applications

2022 saw a huge surge in early entry applications for students looking to get into university. A number of students have already received their offers and students yet to submit an application are encouraged to do so promptly as closing dates are quickly approaching.

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.

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 commencement of their exam.

Student exchange

At the end of this week we will farewell Prue and Lexie H who are travelling to Italy where they will spend the remainder of the year living with local families and attending classes in local schools. The girls presented information about their planned tour to the senior school students during year level meetings this week. We wish them well for their journeys and look forward to hearing about their adventures and cultural learning on their return to Horsham early in 2024.

University open days

University open days provide a valuable opportunity for students to learn about courses and campuses of interest. This year, universities are providing both virtual and campus experiences.

Deakin University – Melbourne Burwood campus: https://openday.deakin.edu.au/

Important 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 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

Black Ranges Volleyball

On Wednesday, 32 students travelled up the road to St Brigid’s College to represent HTLC at the Black Ranges volleyball competition. We had four teams representing our college against other local schools for a chance to earn progression to the Greater Western regional finals.

It was a fantastic day with some great volleyball and lots of energy and enthusiasm provided by the participants and spectators. The Year 7 boys managed to take one win from their three matches, unfortunately missing out on a second win by the smallest of margins after going through a mammoth three-set effort in their second game. Congratulations to Bailey D, Jesse J, Chase K, Tarren M, Rhylee O, Will P and Ryan S for their efforts throughout the day.

The Year 8 boys were involved in two of the most intense matches of the day. In their first match, they pulled off a massive comeback in the opening set, before narrowly losing the second set. With the deciding third set being played to 15 points, the boys found themselves behind 6-13. However, they were able to dig deep and find what they needed in order to win nine points in a row and claim victory in front of a very vocal crowd. Their second match was just as competitive, as they claimed the first set before again narrowly losing the second set. Unfortunately, the boys were unable to win the third set and they just missed out on progressing to regionals as a result. Congratulations to Banreet B, Sam B, Noah E, Callum J, Jack K, Ethan S, Joseph S, Toby U and Malakai vB for their incredible effort and calmness under pressure.

Many of the Year 7 girls have been playing in the Volleyball Horsham winter season on Monday night, and their understanding of the game was evident as they comfortably won their three matches without losing a set.

The Year 8 girls got off to a slow start, losing their first set of the day to Horsham College. Despite being behind early in the second set as well, they were able to win nine points in a row to come from behind and level the match, before winning the first six points of the final set and giving themselves an unstoppable advantage to get their first win. Their second match of the day was a comfortable win against Murtoa College where the girls again showcased their strong serving skills.

Congratulations to the Year 7 girls team: Victoria B, Kirrily D, Hannah G, Bonnie G, Hannah H, Serena J, Myah M and Amelia vB, and the Year 8 girls team: Tia BH, Amelia F, Willow M, Adelyn P, Rachel R, Ellita S, Emma S and Ilze vZ for their efforts in earning qualification to the Greater Western Region finals, which will be on Tuesday, 12 September.

The students all improved their communication and volleyball skills over the course of the day, and we are looking forward to seeing them develop further in the years to come.

Holy Trinity Volleyball League

Students in Year 7 have been participating in a volleyball tournament during their PE classes. Split into 10 teams, the cohort has been competing over the course of the term to earn the prestigious HTVL title. The overall championship is decided based on a combination of their match results, their sportsmanship and ability to play fairly over the course of the tournament. It has been fantastic to see the students step up and manage the tournament themselves, including refereeing and scoring all of the matches.

Super Sport Cup

HTLC’s premier interhouse sports competition, the Super Sport Cup, returns for 2023 next week, as the Super Sport Cup Netball kicks off. Over the rest of the year, students will compete in up to five mini-tournaments across a variety of sports in order to win the Super Sport Cup Shield for their house and earn points for the House Cup along the way.

Coming events

September

5 - Black Ranges Year 7 basketball

6 - Black Ranges Year 8 basketball

12 - Greater Western Region Year 7 and 8 volleyball

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

Mr Matthew McLoughlin, Secondary Sport Coordinator

Fostering a nurturing environment of respectful relationships within your family holds the key to not only harmonious living but also improved academic outcomes for your children. As parents and caregivers, embracing the art of teaching children about respect at a young age sets the stage for a lifetime of healthy interactions and empathetic understanding. It will help cultivate a positive environment where communication flourishes, conflicts are resolved constructively, and bonds are fortified.

Teaching children to respect themselves and others will open up avenues for both personal growth and academic achievement. Fostering an environment where respect is not just a word, but a practised behaviour, will empower young people with essential life skills. Effective communication, active listening, and the art of compromise will provide your child with a solid foundation that will transcend family interactions and help them collaborate effectively with peers, teachers and the broader community.

Equipping children with an understanding of healthy versus unhealthy relationships is an important aspect of their development. It will guide them to make informed choices, foster positive connections, and set boundaries that contribute to their emotional wellbeing. Understanding the nuances between healthy and unhealthy relationships provides children with the essential tools to navigate their social world, build self-esteem, and cultivate meaningful relationships.

In this edition of SchoolTV, learn how to empower young people in healthy interactions to embrace differences and forge connections that honour their self-worth. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always 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 this month's edition: https://htlc.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/respectful-relationships