Welcome back to our whole school community! I trust you had a refreshing break and are now excited to get back into the groove of learning! I spent some of the break relocating and finding my feet in the Horsham area. I have really appreciated meeting many in our community and look forward to more chances to interact in coming weeks. I am personally very excited to start the new school year, and the buzz around the school can be felt in classrooms, the yard, staffroom and everywhere you go.

Our College highly values relationship and community. Next Thursday at 7pm, we have the opportunity to have a brief Information Evening followed by drinks and nibbles provided by our generous PTFA; it would be wonderful to connect with you there! Again, the emphasis is on connecting early in the school year, with all of our teaching staff.

I would like to say a special welcome to all our new students and their families, including our youngest students in Foundation. My early observation is that Holy Trinity Lutheran College is a very vibrant community. It is really infectious to come to a school where you see laughter, smiles and “good mornings” wherever you walk! I pray this is also your experience.

It is also exciting to welcome new staff to our College. This year we welcome Mr Adam Borgas (Head of Junior School), Miss Keely Pope (Year 1P), Mr Murray McKenzie (Middle and Senior School Teacher), Ms Judith Rees (Middle and Senior School Teacher) and Ms Cass Dalgleish (Promotions and Communications). You will see each of these new staff around during our many events and activities, so please help make them feel welcome.

Last week, in preparation for the year, our teaching staff engaged in professional development. I was humbled to see the passion and energy our staff has for making sure that everything we do is quality and offering the most current models of education. Throughout this week, as I have visited classrooms and been in the yard, I have witnessed so much laughter, excitement, and genuine friendship. I feel most blessed to be part of an authentic community where people care for one another and come to school ready to learn and contribute.

This week, I had the privilege to visit both our Year 12s on their Retreat and our Year 7s on their Camp. Camps present a significant opportunity to strengthen relationships, be reminded that we are a part of a team, and to support one another during times of transition.

I pray that our Foundation students and their families quickly find themselves comfortable with the routine of school life, our Year 7s enjoy the beginning of Middle School and secondary life, and our Year 12s feel excited for their final year. For everyone else, may God bless our learning as we grow this year.

May God continue to guide each of us as we begin the school year.

Mr James Phillips, College Principal

by Kathy Matuschka

Finally they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ (John 1:22)

As Christians in the western world, we are facing an identity crisis – or an identity opportunity, depending on how you look at it. For example, the church is no longer in charge as it once was within society, and we can’t assume that the people we meet are familiar with the Bible. This can lead us to wonder who we are and how we can share the words of life with those we meet.

In our story today, John the Baptist responds to questions from the Jewish leaders with words from the prophet Isaiah because that was appropriate for his context. But if the person with whom we speak is not familiar with the Bible this may not be the most appropriate starting point. What can we learn from the way John responded to those who asked him who he was?

Firstly, John didn’t go out of his way to explain his mission to the Jewish leaders. Rather, he responded to the questions when they came. In my life and in the lives of others, I have often noticed the value of waiting for people to ask you a question before you answer it.

Secondly, John didn’t try to answer all of their questions at once. The first question was ‘who’ and the second one was ‘why’. John let the Pharisees ask the why question before he answered it.

Thirdly, John offered a bridge when he a declared that he was not the Messiah but pointed to the one who is.

Both John the Baptist and John the apostle were unique people! I find it encouraging that between them they modelled a simple approach to faith sharing that any of us can imitate, even today.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of life that you share so freely with us. Through your Holy Spirit, may I live my life in ways that make people curious about you, Amen.

It has been wonderful to walk through the Junior School this week and see how quickly students have settled into the new school year! The great quality of our learning and teaching is a sight to behold! I am honoured to join this great staff team and your community. Please also look at the Junior School sports report for dates for our Year 4-6 Swimming Carnival, our Athletics Days and the Cross Country, which all take place this term.

Assessments

Next week students in Years 1 to 6 will complete initial assessments for the school year in the areas of reading, numeracy and spelling. Our Foundation teachers have also started meeting individually with students to complete basic assessments on Wednesdays.

Week 2 Chapel (6 February)

Week 2 Chapel will be a whole school Chapel in the Multi-purpose Centre at 9am. Please join us from 8.30am for a cup of tea/coffee (‘a cuppa’) if you would like to! From Week 3, the Junior School Chapel program will begin every Friday from 9am. We will be focusing each week on a learning disposition from the Bible; ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22-23). I understand and support those families who encourage their child/ren to bring a small offering for Chapel to develop a spirit of giving. Chapel money is donated to charities throughout the year and is one way which we connect our school community to our global community.

Meet and Greet

You are invited to attend the Meet and Greet scheduled for Thursday, 9 February. From 7pm, we will meet in the MPC for a quick introduction to our whole staff community! We will then have an opportunity to further chat and connect with the key staff members in your child’s education over drinks and nibbles until 8.30pm. We value community and would love you to attend this evening designed to connect our whole school community.

Parent-Teacher Sharing sessions

Junior School Parent-Teacher Sharing sessions (student conferences) will take place on Tuesday, 14 February and Thursday, 16 February, after school (please note date correction from my welcome email to families). The exception to this is 3F, whose interviews will be the following week on 22-23 February. You can book a time to meet with your child’s teacher through the School Interviews website using the code be26d from Monday at 9am until event bookings close. Conferences will be face to face. If you’d like to connect remotely, please organise these with your classroom teacher via a phone call or email. We encourage all families to take up the opportunity to share specific information about your children with teachers.

Student leadership

Year 6 House Captains and Student Council Representatives will be announced and presented with their badges at assembly on Monday, 20 February. Junior School Captains for 2022 will also be inducted into their roles at this time.

Dropping off and picking up children

Students’ safety is the highest priority for our school. For those new to our community our guidelines are:

• arrive at school after 8.30am, as our staff are not available to supervise them until this time
• discourage students from playing on the playgrounds after school, as again these areas are not supervised by staff and can entice other students to play before going to the bus or pick-up areas
• if you park on the east side of the oval, please arrive prior to 3.20pm and walk across to meet young children, as students are not supervised in this area after school

Please remember to be patient when driving in and out of the school car park areas and follow all road rules. Cars can be repaired easily, but broken bones and heartache create long-lasting trauma so please take great care dropping students off and picking them up!

We thank you for your support.

Blessings on your week!

Mr Adam Borgas, Head of Junior School

The 2023 school year officially commenced this week with our Year 7s starting on Monday and the Year 8s and 9s joining them on Tuesday. I would like to welcome all existing families back to Holy Trinity Lutheran College, and give a special welcome to all new families who are beginning their journey at HTLC. I trust the holiday period was a time of rest and relaxation for families and students are now feeling refreshed and ready to return to school. I pray your involvement with the college this year will be a blessed one.

New Staff and Students

A new school year brings new opportunities and also new faces. A special welcome to the following staff members:

Principal: Mr James Phillips

English/Maths Teacher: Ms Judith Rees

HPE/Humanities: Mr Murray McKenzie

These three leaders and staff members are going to be valuable contributors to the Middle School team.

The following students have joined HTLC this year and we look forward to seeing them settle into their new environment. A special welcome to Year 8s Samuel Borgas, Ilze Van Zyl and Jai Perry.

Years 7 and 12 Breakfast

The 2023 school year commenced with a combined Years 7 and 12 breakfast on Monday. It was fantastic to see students and parents mingling and there was an amazing energy around the Middle School. Arapiles Gourmet provided some nutritious and tasty breakfast snacks and barista coffee was served from the MS Café, thanks to Mrs Przibilla and her team of helpers for offering this service. The morning was also an opportunity for new Principal Mr Phillips to meet and greet families and officially welcome them to the 2023 school year.

Year 7 Transition

The first students to enter the Middle School grounds for 2023 were our Year 7 students who had their orientation day on Monday. The Year 7s spent their day interacting with the Year 12 students in the morning, meeting with their House Coordinators and classroom teachers, setting up their Chromebooks, learning about organisational structures and interacting with each other. 

This time of the year can provide a variety of emotions for our Year 7 students as they prepare to make the adjustment from Junior School to Middle School. The Transition process is different for everyone and our experienced staff are well equipped to ease the settling in period for our Year 7s. An important step in fast-tracking the transition period is the Transition Camp, which was held on Thursday and Friday at Tandara, Halls Gap. Students participated in team-building activities, study sessions and orientation activities, as well as plenty of opportunities for bonding and fun!

Parent Information and Welcome Evening

The Parent information and Welcome Evening will be on Thursday, 9 February commencing at 7pm in the Multi-purpose Centre. Drinks and nibbles will be served and all staff will be available throughout the evening to speak with parents. I encourage all families to come along to support this event.

Student Lockers

All Middle School students have been encouraged to place a lock on their lockers. While HTLC is a trusting community, students are strongly encouraged to use locker locks to ensure their belongings are kept safe and secure throughout the day. Any student who does not have a lock for their locker is encouraged to see Mr Przibilla or their Year Level Coordinator to access one from the college.

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School

Welcome back to all parents and students for the 2023 school year! With another busy term and year ahead of us, both in and beyond the classroom, we commence the year with enthusiasm and look forward to building on the successes of 2022. As always, our staff welcomes and encourages our parents to share in their child’s senior journey.

Welcome to new staff

We welcome our new staff to the Senior School, Ms Judith Rees and Mr Murray McKenzie. Together with existing staff members, these people will be responsible for the delivery of our Senior School classes. They have enjoyed meeting their new students this week and are all keen to make the new year one that offers meaningful, authentic learning experiences.

This year we also wish Mrs Elsbeth Schneider and Mr Wayne Bandel well as they undertake new roles as VCE Coordinator and Applied Learning Coordinator. These roles will provide an extra layer of support for our students in addition to our existing Year Level, Department and House Coordinators and are another way in which we can meet the needs of our senior students.

Year 12 2023

Our senior students enjoyed the chance to start the year working with our new Year 7 students and supporting their transition to secondary schooling.

As classes commenced for the day on Monday, Year 12 students undertook the challenge of assisting the Year 7s with their new lockers, daily routines and procedures, and enjoyed the opportunity to share their personal experiences and memories of the beginning of secondary school. Many relationships began throughout the morning and our school leaders had the opportunity to reflect on their roles within the College.

On Tuesday we farewelled the group as they travelled to Halls Gap for their Retreat. Students spent two days participating in a range of workshops with both a curriculum and wellbeing focus as they prepare for the year ahead.

Year 10

We extend a very warm welcome to our Year 10 students for 2023 as they embark on the significant first phase of their Senior Secondary journey. In the coming years, these students will begin to make important decisions and to develop pathways towards their futures beyond school. During this year, students will begin career planning and undertake Work Experience. Year 10 is an exciting year for students in developing their own sense of identity. It is a year to take advantage of all the opportunities that our learning community has to offer and begin to assume roles of responsibility.

VETis

Our VET students will commence their first day of classes next Wednesday. Students are reminded to ensure that all paperwork has been completed and returned and that safe@work modules are completed prior to this time. We wish these students well as they commence courses in vocational areas of passion.

Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School

Please find Term 1 sporting dates below for your calendar:

• Wednesday, 15 February - Swimming Carnival Years 4-6, Horsham YMCA 
• Friday, 24 February - Hockey Roadshow Years 2-4
• Thursday, 2 March - Little Desert Swimming Carnival, Horsham
• Thursday, 9 March - Little Desert Tennis, Horsham, 9.30am-noon
• Tuesday, 14 March - Greater Western Swimming Carnival, Horsham
• Tuesday, 21 March - F-Year 2 Athletics Carnival
• Thursday, 23 March - Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival
• Wednesday, 29 March - Cross Country
• Friday, 31 March - Greater Western Tennis, Ballarat

Swimming Carnival Years 4-6 

Preparations are well underway for our Years 4-6 Swimming Carnival. Student event selections should have now been received by all students intending on participating on the day. Please discuss event preferences directly with your child to ensure they are comfortable and capable of event selections. It is a huge day, and we encourage students to participate, whether that be in the 25-metre events initially to gain confidence or in the fun novelty events that will be provided throughout the day's events also!

Students are encouraged to wear house colours as there will be ‘Fashions by the Pool’ and prizes awarded to the best dressed students on the day. Get creative while being sun smart!

If you are available to assist with timing a swimming lane for this event, please express your interest via phone on 5382 2529 or email hayley.thomas@htlc.vic.edu.au at an early convenience. Your support is valued in making this event a success on the day!

Athletics Trials - High Jump, Sprints and Hurdles

In preparation for our Athletics Carnival we will be holding trials for some events to effectively streamline student groupings on the day. If any parents are available to assist with time keeping the sprint and hurdles trials on Tuesday, 21 February on the JS Oval, I would love to hear from you via phone on 5382 2529 or email to hayley.thomas@htlc.vic.edu.au. We plan to run trials for all classes from Foundation to Year 6 on this day. 

Tennis Trials

For Year 5 and 6 students that are confident singles players and are comfortable in scoring individual matches, expressions of interest are being developed for Little Desert Tennis. Students will need to be available for the below trials dates to enable selection of three female and three male students to represent HTLC on Thursday, 9 March in Horsham.

Tennis Trials - Wednesday, 22 February (lunchtime)

Tennis Trials - Wednesday, 1 March (lunchtime)

Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarship program

The Horsham Golf Club has obtained funding from The Australian Golf Foundation to support six lucky teenage girls to pursue their golf. Scholarships are open to girls aged 10 to 16 and while the program’s primary aim is to retain girls in golf by giving girls a shared golf experience, girls new to golf may also be engaged in this program should they demonstrate a commitment to learning the sport. A total of six scholarships will be available for 2023.

For further information and to apply, please contact Cullen Williams at marketing@horshamgolfclub.com Please send applications through to Cullen Williams by Wednesday, 8 February.

Looking forward to a brilliant year of sporting opportunities ahead!

Mrs Hayley Thomas, Primary Sports Coordinator

2023 is set to see the return of a huge year in sport at Holy Trinity Lutheran College. Term 1 is always a sport-filled term, with Black Ranges Tennis and Cricket underway for Years 9-12 in Week 2. Term 1 is sure to be an exciting one at Holy Trinity Lutheran College, as we encourage all students to participate in school sporting events!

This week, students have been asked to complete a Google Form containing their sport nominations for the year ahead. This form will provide the basis for selection for all team events in 2023, so it is very important that students submit this prior to the beginning of Week 1. This form also plays an important role in selections for Holy Trinity Racing, the Pedal Prix team at the College.

The HTLC Swimming Carnival will be at the Horsham YMCA on Friday, 17 February. All students from Year 7 to Year 12 will join in on the day in various competitive and novelty events. This has been a fantastic event over the past four years, bringing out the colour and vibrancy of all three houses as students dress up in their costumes and participate in team challenges. The carnival is shaping up to be an exciting one, with Wimmera, Mallee and Lowan all eager to start the year off with a victory.

COMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY

9 – Black Ranges Intermediate/Senior Tennis

14 - Black Ranges Intermediate/Senior Cricket

17 – HTLC Swimming Carnival

27 - Black Ranges Swimming Carnival

Mr Jesse Kuchel, Head of Sport and Coaching

It's a new year! You’ve probably already decided “this is the year we’re going to get everything on track. We’ll eat well. We’ll exercise. We’ll have a good routine with the kids. 2023 is THE year!”

Setting goals is great but… when we bite off more than we can chew, we get indigestion. And it's the habits and systems that underpin the goal that decide whether we’ll succeed. So how are you going to make this year different and better for you and your family? 

Join Dr Justin Coulson to discover:

• The five ways you can get the kids on board with running your family effectively while making sure you have plenty of time for fun
• The best way to set up good family routines and habits to kickstart the new year and get your family on track
• The golden rules of magic mornings
• Reasons why New Year's resolutions fail

Let's help you get it right from the start.

Visit https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/video-library/get-it-right-from-the-start

HTLC has partnered with Happy Families to offer free premium memberships to all our families! To access your free membership please click here.

Today parents face a multitude of modern day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people. While there is a great deal of information available, this can often be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance.

SchoolTV addresses this as a new online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies. HTLC partners with SchoolTV to provide this valuable resource to families. 

Visit https://htlc.vic.schooltv.me/

Moving to a new school is a big deal! Your child is going to meet lots of new people and be thrown into new situations. That’s bound to make them feel lots of different emotions. They may feel worried and anxious, but also excited and happy – all at the same time!

It is considered to be one of the most important transition periods of a student’s life and can present some significant psychological challenges for both students and parents.

Making new friends, learning new routines, discovering new environments, accepting new cultures and adjusting to new learning practices is all part of the process. Some children will sail through this period of change, while others may need a bit more guidance. It is important to give your child the chance to feel comfortable in their new space. This might take a few months, but ensure you keep the lines of communication open and check in regularly with your child to see how they are settling in.

In this Special Report, parents and caregivers will be presented with a number of strategies that can be deployed to help ensure a smooth transition.

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/moving-new-school

Country Buses

A reminder that all country bus travellers need to apply and accept offers on the School Bus Management System: https://schoolbus.educationapps.vic.gov.au/

If your Term 1 offer has lapsed on the system you can renew your application. Each term a new offer will be emailed for the following term. 

Ad hoc bus travel

Students wishing to travel on country buses on an ad hoc basis, such as for football or netball training, need to complete an ad hoc bus application each year. Applications may be approved if there is room on the bus involved. Please collect an application from your school office and complete. The application can be returned to the school office or to buses@horsham-college.vic.edu.au.

Please include your email on the form so you can be contacted regarding outcome.