Warm greetings to all.

Happy World Teachers' Day to all educators across Australia! On this day we want to recognise those teachers who develop, support and care for our students. Today, and every day for that matter, we should give thanks for the dedicated service of our teachers, supporting students to use their gifts and talents to add value to a changing and challenging world. I encourage all within our community to take a moment to acknowledge our teachers for their dedication, guidance, care and support they have shown to our young men and women throughout the year. We are truly blessed. 

It is with pleasure that I announce that the PTFA trivia night – Battle of the Brains, is taking place on the evening of Friday 11 November. This event is organised for the parents and friends of our community with tickets now available. Make sure you grab your friends and join us for a fun night. Tickets are available here: https://www.trybooking.com/CDV...

I would like to wish all our senior students the best of luck as they have now commenced the VCE examinations. I hope and pray that the time leading up to their exams is well spent and they focus on achieving their best. Good luck! 

With the term now underway, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight several calendar reminders for the coming weeks. 

• Students have until 1 November to transition from winter uniform into summer uniform. 
• The Melbourne Cup holiday is this coming Tuesday 1 November, with school continuing for the other days of the week. 
• Our final student free day for the year is scheduled for Monday 28 November. This day is our planned report writing day for staff and provides valued time for teachers to collate feedback and report on student outcomes. 
• The PTFA AGM will take place on Monday 21 November starting at 7pm. This meeting will be held in the College Boardroom located in the Senior Centre.

Any additional calendar dates for the year can be found on the College Calendar or will be provided by the relevant Head of Sub school over the coming weeks.

Have a wonderful week.

Mr Daniel Weller, College Principal

by Pastor Fraser Pearce

Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion (Psalm 84:5).

On the eve of a holiday, it’s natural to be filled with excitement and anticipation. Especially if we are holidaying with friends, and especially if we are travelling to a place that we have dreamed about, then the journey itself is part of the joy. Even if there are difficulties on the path, the closer we get to the destination, the more conversation with friends grows animated, and the more the anticipation of the arrival is heightened.

In today’s psalm, we hear about the joy pilgrims experience as they journey to Zion –to Jerusalem and God’s temple. They know that the temple is where God had made himself graciously present to his people. The pilgrims look forward to their arrival and to the joy they will have worshipping together in the presence of the Lord. They picture in their minds the beauty of the temple and the fact that even the birds find homes in God’s presence as they build their nests near the altars.

It’s not that the journey is without difficulties. Along the way, they have to pass through dry and desolate country. But because the pilgrims have the joy of the destination in their hearts, then even the driest and most unwelcoming places become to them like land blossoming with spring rains. They go from strength to strength on their pilgrim journey.

As God’s holy people, baptised into Christ Jesus, we are on a pilgrim journey to be with God. The path is not always easy – in fact, we take up our cross and follow where Jesus leads. But with Jesus, we come to the true and lasting Zion, the eternal city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22). This gives us joy on our path together so that even in the driest places, we find refreshment from God.

Father, as we journey on the path of faith with our brothers and sisters, keep our eyes fixed on our heavenly calling so that we may be filled with the joy of your Spirit and come to see you face to face. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

World Teachers' Day

Thank you to all of our wonderful teachers! Today is World Teachers' Day, which prompts us to acknowledge our amazing teachers, and thank them for their professionalism, commitment and care. We give thanks for the significant role teachers play in the lives of our children, students, their families and communities. 

Swimming Program

For the past 2 weeks our Year 2 and Year 3 students have enjoyed daily swimming lessons at the YMCA. We all know the importance of Australian children learning to be safe in and around water, and we’re pleased to be able to help prepare our students for fun and safe water play. The Foundation and Year 1 classes will be having their swimming lessons each day for the next 2 weeks.

Welcome Foundation 2023 students!

On Tuesday morning we welcomed students in our 2023 Foundation classes and their families to our school community. It was a delight to meet and engage with the children. Next year’s Foundation students visited in three groups, the first of 4 visits they will do before the end of the year. We read The Five Little Ducks together, sang the action song and completed a craft activity. We are looking forward to our second on-site Story Time session on November 8. 

Chapel

This morning 5H led our Junior School worship, with a message based on Galatians 2:21. Next week 3D will be leading our Chapel. Students are encouraged to bring a small offering each Friday morning, which will be donated to the Christian Emergency Food Centre. We hope you can join us for worship.

Congratulations to this week's award winners!

FJ: Ethan Pilgrim, Oliver Shrestha, Darcy Currow FL: Jessica Song, Raf Shurdington 1C: Grace Barry, Nash Neumann 1I: Willow Clough, Tenuka Dissanayake 2B: Xavier Shrestha 2H: Lennox Hose, Ella Pohlner 2S: Beau Midgley, Blake Olston 3B: Hamish Croxford, Misha Carter 3D: Lachy Engert, Maeja Ruwoldt 4B: Cooper Puls, Chayse Burns 4M: Alyssa Stewart, Nixon Beattie 4R: Charlie Bird, Everleigh Chapple 5D: Lenny Carter, Matilda Smith, Jack Urquhart 5H: All of 5H, Ava Smith, Naga Alemayehu 6M: Lauren Jones, Eva Macumber, Bailey Dridan 6N: Maya Przibilla, Marlie Roberts, Noah Bouma 6V: Jana van Heerden, Mitchell Arnts Chinese: Rhys Penny, Soren Foster Technology: Mason McDonald Performing Arts (F-2): All of 1C P.E.: All of 1I Holy Trinity Tiger Award (5-6): Bonnie Grieger Holy Trinity Cub Award (3-4): Mia Yendall Holy Trinity Cub Award (F-2): Romy Olston

Blessings,

Mrs Fiona Friberg, Head of Junior School

Parent Information Sessions – Current Year 8 Families (2023 Year 9 Families)

A parent information session will be held for all current Year 8 families on Tuesday 8 November. This will be held in the Multi-purpose Centre at 7:00pm, with complimentary tea and coffee served prior to the commencement of the meeting. The session will cover developmental needs of Year 9 students, academic pathways and subject selection, curriculum outline, senior school preparation, elective choices, WestVic Sports Academy, Athlete Development Program, camps and excursions, end of year details and more. All current Year 8 parents and students are encouraged to attend.

Parent Information Sessions – 2023 Year 7 Families

A parent information session will be held for all 2023 Year 7 families on Wednesday 9 November. This will be held in the Multi-purpose Centre at 7:00pm with a free BBQ available for parents and students from 6:30pm. The session will cover important details which will help families prepare for a successful transition into Year 7 in 2023.

2023 Central Australia Learning Tour

A large number of families attended the Central Australia Learning Tour Information Evening on Tuesday night. Stuart from WorldStrides shared important details about the tour and answered questions from parents and carers. It is looking promising that we will be able to successfully send a group of Middle School students to Central Australia in June next year which is really exciting for all involved. Families wishing to express their interest in attending this tour are reminded to email Mr Przibilla (jason.przibilla@htlc.vic.edu.au) to express their interest before the end of next week.

Key Details
Location: Central Australia (Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Uluru)
Dates: 14-23 June, 2023
Activities: 

• Opal mine tour
• Underground home visit
• Aboriginal Cultural experiences
• Royal Flying Doctor Service guided visit
• Hermannsburg Historic Precinct
• Reptile Centre
• MacDonnell Ranges visit and walk
• Desert camel rides
• Uluru
• National Park and Waterhole visit and more

Cost: TBC (depends on number of participants)
Company: WorldStrides Educational Travel and Experiences

Term 4 Key Dates

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

Good luck to our Year 12 students

We wish our Year 12 students well as they either complete final VCAL outcomes or commence external VCE examinations. Our exams commenced on Wednesday with English and will conclude with our final exam on Friday 11 November. Many students have chosen to undertake their exam preparation at school where staff are available for support. Students are reminded to ensure that this time is used productively and in a manner that is respectful of those around them.

Year 12 Breakfast and final Chapel

The Year 12 Breakfast and final Chapel, originally scheduled for Tuesday 18 October, was not able to go ahead due to potential flood warnings that were in place for the school at that time. These events will now take place on Tuesday 14 November, following the same time schedule as originally planned.

Study preparation – Year 11

We have a large number of Year 11 students who have undertaken to complete a Unit 3/4 subject this year. These students have been provided with allocated days to assist in their exam preparation. Staff have also provided class time for students to independently study. It is important that students maximise these times and use them effectively. Year 11 students are encouraged to attend school on their study days if this is their most conducive study environment.

**All students attending school during scheduled study periods are asked to ensure that they sign in at Administration on entry and then out when they depart from the college.

VET Induction Day

On Wednesday, around twenty students attended their VET course Induction programs. These were held at the venues that will facilitate the programs next year; Federation University, Longerenong College and Horsham College. Students completed final enrolments and commenced initial coursework in preparation for the commencement of their course at the beginning of the 2023 school year.

Early Completion

Students seeking to leave school prior to the conclusion of programs should apply in writing to the Principal for an exemption. The Education Act requires young people under the age of 17 to be in full-time employment or education or a combination of employment and training.

Student leadership for 2023

Interviews for College Captain positions have been completed and students are preparing to present to their peers. Each of the applicants is commended for their willingness to undertake additional responsibility and the care and passion they have shown for their school throughout the process so far. We wish the students well in their presentations next Friday morning.

Important dates

VCE

Senior School

Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School

Congratulations to our Year 7 and 8 students who competed at Greater Western Volleyball yesterday in Horsham. HTLC were represented with 3 teams, who all played exceptionally well on the day. The Year 7 Girls and Year 8 Mixed teams both made it through to the Grand Final, narrowly losing in 3 sets to take the runner up pennant. 

Congratulations to all three teams led by Mr. McLoughlin for achieving outstanding results at the competition!

Term 4

November
28 - Year 7/8 Boys T20 Cricket (TBC)

Mr Jesse Kuchel, Head of Sport and Coaching

Every year, more and more emphasis is placed on achieving good results in exams causing many students to feel extraordinary pressure and having unrealistic expectations. This month on SchoolTV, parents will find advice on how to help students cope with the pressure and how students can work smarter to achieve the results they desire.

Exams are like a game. Once you know how to play the game, your chances of achieving great results rapidly increase. Parents can learn how to assist their kids to maintain perspective and keep their sanity intact during exam time.

Diet, exercise and sleep all play an important part in helping a student balance a busy schedule and study smarter. Keeping stress levels to a minimum and reducing anxiety can be easily achieved through careful planning and having a supportive environment.

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 Exam Jitters edition of SchoolTV: https://htlc.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters

Hosted by Dr Justin Coulson & presented by Chris Bonnello

Being an autistic advocate by profession, a former teacher of autistic students, and stepfather to a disabled autistic teenage girl (and of course, being a former autistic child himself), a lot of people ask Chris Bonnello for advice on how to help an autistic young person grow up to be the best they can be.

You'll walk away from this webinar with

• Important insights from an autistic advocate's personal and professional perspective,
• Vital principles relating to autistic rights to dignity, autonomy and self-advocacy,
• Tips on building up young autistic people to become the best version of themselves they can be.

Register now and you'll also receive lifelong access to the recording, so you can refer to this invaluable resource over and over again.

View the video here: https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/video-library/autistic-not-weird

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/register/code/ST211030/school/HOLYTRINITY

About Chris

Chris Bonnello is an autistic writer, novelist and special needs tutor (formerly a primary school teacher) based in Great Britain. Since 2015, he has become a national and international speaker on autism issues, and the multi-award-winning writer behind Autistic Not Weird. He is also the author of the Underdogs novels, a near-future war series featuring autistic and otherwise neurodiverse heroes.

Bonnello was first assessed for autism in 1989, at the age of four. Despite a damning report into his deficiencies concerning speech, expressive language and social competence, he did not receive a diagnosis since he was not deemed severe enough by 1989 standards.

At the age of ten, an educational psychologist reported him as having a “slightly odd personality”. He grew up believing himself to be the weird kid, until his Asperger Syndrome diagnosis finally came at the age of 25. Since then, he has been able to turn his attitude around and define himself by his strengths rather than his weaknesses, and encourages other autistic people to see their own strengths.

Having qualified as a teacher and worked in both primary and special education, he left the profession and launched Autistic Not Weird in April 2015, to share his insights from both a personal and professional perspective. At time of writing (November 2021) autisticnotweird.com has had over three million page hits, and his Facebook community stands at over 150,000 followers.

He also has followings on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. In July 2017, follower support on Patreon allowed him to quit his day job to write for Autistic Not Weird for a living.

Bonnello delivers talks (nationally and internationally), has been nominated for seven awards to date (winning four), has played chess internationally (winning nothing), can solve a Rubik’s cube in 14.88 seconds (although the 9x9x9 Rubik’s cube takes him 18 minutes), captains his local Boys’ Brigade company, and published his first autism-related non-fiction book in 2016. He is a proud stepfather of two, and proud godfather of many. His first Underdogs novel came out in May 2019, its second instalment was shortlisted for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize, and the series has two further sequels to follow.

His personality remains slightly odd.

The lost property at Holy Trinity Lutheran College is currently overflowing with many items. A table has been set up in the corridor of the Junior/Middle School Reception with lost property on display. If your student has lost anything, we encourage you or your child to check this table.

If their jumper/jacket isn't there but there is one of the same size, please take that one until theirs turns up. 

After our Junior School Chapel Service on Fridays, we warmly invite parents, carers, grandparents and friends to stay with us for morning tea. Morning tea will be served from 9:20am, immediately after the conclusion of our Chapel Services in the MPC.

For ages 12 and above

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham?! 

Then maybe you’ll enjoy auditioning for Horsham Arts Council’s…SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL!

Check out the YouTube video and Google Drive link below for all the information you need on auditioning for HAC’s May 2023 show.

Could you be our Horton the Elephant?  Or maybe you’re more of a Cat In the Hat!  What about our Gertrude McFuzz, or Mayzie LaBird? 

We can’t wait to see what talent awaits us in the Wimmera! 

We can’t wait to see who joins us on our trip to the crazy world of Seuss… ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v62Snw3UYoGt3RmHOBafby7ywzJve1xq?usp=sharing

https://youtu.be/9N6evpKyKHM