It is with a broken heart that I write to the Holy Trinity Lutheran College community. Earlier this week, the college was informed of the tragic passing of one of our Year 12 students, Charlotte Maher. This devastating news has had an enormous impact on the whole college. Our thoughts and prayers immediately turn to Charlotte’s mother Laura, father John and brother Cameron, along with her extended family.
Charlotte first joined HTLC as a Year 7 student in 2019 before moving to the USA with her family in 2020. Charlotte rejoined HTLC during Term 3 of 2022. In that time, Charlotte established close friendships with a number of the Year 12 girls, with the impact of her loss hitting them hard this week. Charlotte also established trusting relationships with a number of her HTLC staff, and they too have been left reeling following the news of her passing.
This week has been one of the most difficult weeks that HTLC has had to endure in its 45-year history, but it has also been a week where the sense of community has never been more evident. In times of crisis, leadership comes to the fore and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of a number of key groups of people within the college who have stood up to provide support where needed. The Wellbeing team, Year Level Coordinators, Admin team, members of the Executive team and Pastor Hans have all gone above and beyond to ensure the community has been supported through this challenging week, and I sincerely thank them all for the way they have led in their area.
The college has also received great support from the wider Wimmera community with neighbouring schools reaching out to offer support, encouragement and services, and this has also been greatly appreciated. This support has also extended beyond the Wimmera area. Pastor David Spike (LEVNT Pastor for Ministry and Formation) and Mrs Natasha Rae (Head of Wellbeing at Geelong Lutheran College) were onsite on Wednesday and Thursday to offer counselling support, direction for the Leadership and Wellbeing teams and generally being present offering support and guidance. This was greatly appreciated and valued by the college. I have also had a number of Lutheran school principals reach out and offer support, guidance, advice and care which has also provided much-needed encouragement.
The journey of healing and recovery for the HTLC community and the Maher family will be a long one, and this week is only the first step of many. But after experiencing the response from within the college and the wider network, and also spending some time with the Maher family this week, the trust and faith we all share in the knowledge that Jesus Christ died so that we can enjoy eternity with our Heavenly Father will provide much reassurance and hope, even in the midst of some of the greatest pain you can ever imagine. I pray that we all find the peace that rests in this knowledge.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7
Mr Jason Przibilla, Acting College Principal
Faith News
Divorce and remarriage
by Charles Bertelsmeier
Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Luke 16:18).
Why would I pick this passage for our devotion today when there were much safer subjects in today’s reading? Well, for starters, both my current wife and I were divorcees when we were married some years ago, and this was a passage we had to come to terms with. The passage is seemingly unambiguous and comes from the mouth of Jesus himself. So, there is no wriggle room.
For this devotion, I also bravely searched the internet for inspiration and discovered lots of discussion on who fitted into the categories of those who could never marry again because of divorce. I found discussions on who could find wriggle room to squeeze out of these categories. I felt that much of this was very legalistic and not in the spirit of the God I have come to know. Yes, God has very high standards, and there is no option for divorce (and, therefore, remarriage) in God’s perfect plan.
When my first marriage broke down, and we eventually divorced, I did commit myself to be single for the rest of my life. (Looking back, I think part of the reason was also my guilt at failing to make my marriage work). I found a group of loving Christian friends (or they found me), and through these relationships, God matured me in my relationship with Him. But all the time, I kept fending off any attempts by women to develop a romantic relationship with me. But God seemed to have a different idea. First, He brought Diane into my life. Then, God organised for a Christian friend to give me a lecture on the practicalities of God’s forgiveness and grace. He stressed that when God forgives, the past is forgotten; in God’s eyes, it is as if it hasn’t happened. While He was haranguing me, the Holy Spirit was lovingly convicting me that the failure of my marriage was no longer on His mind. Jesus had dealt with it on the cross, and it was buried with Jesus in the grave. Unknown to me at that time, God was also working in Diane’s life to bring us together.
After we got married, we still had to deal with many issues from our previous relationships, but we were also able to provide more stability for our respective children. There were ways God grew us through being in our relationship that may not have happened if we both had stayed single. And we came to understand more personally about God’s grace and mercy.
So, back to Jesus’s words. The context was that He was speaking to the religious and legal rulers who loved playing legal games by adding their own interpretations and providing legal loopholes for themselves. Jesus just cut through to God’s clear plan.
Heavenly Father, as hard as we try, we just keep failing to live up to your standards. Thank you that Jesus took all these failures on himself to the cross and grave, and they are all still buried in the grave. Amen.
Sub Schools News
Junior School News (3 May, 2024)
Mother’s Day - Friday, 10 May
All special ladies (mums, grandmothers, family friends and carers) are invited on 10 May to our Mother’s Day morning!
Junior School Mother’s Day chapel will be at 9am, with the Foundation J class rostered on. Junior School classrooms will be open for activities until recess. There will be a special morning tea picnic from 10.30am. Catering for this event is now closed; however, you are invited to bring your snacks as an alternative! Thank you to the PTFA who has organised this year’s Mother’s Day stall, with all items $5 and under.
We hope and pray all special women in our community have a great day on Sunday!
Single sign-on in The Hub
Thank you to Mr Matthew Polack and the IT team, who have been working with a third party to ensure that whatever device you choose to access The Hub, it will sign you in effectively and efficiently, and the need to do this should be the one time!
In the Junior School we have been waiting patiently for this innovation to occur before transitioning into communication into this space. We look forward to opening our classrooms up to you through this one main line of communication over this year.
Enrolments for Foundation 2024
This year, Jason Przibilla, Jacqui North and myself have been sharing the enrolment interview process. We have found this very beneficial, as we are nearly up-to-date with seeing prospective families to this point. At this point, there will be two classes of Foundation students for 2024, so we encourage all college families to spread the word to prospective families that this process is occurring at this time.
Junior School leadership and parent communication
On reflection for our first term, both Jacqui North and I thank parents for their patience in seeing either the Learning and Teaching Coordinator (Jacqui), or the Head of Junior School (Adam) for enquiries and appointments regarding student needs. As we both teach about two days a week, we have discovered this shared responsibility works best for availability!
We also take this opportunity to thank parents for understanding that the duty of care for your individual children rests with the classroom teacher, and so this is always your first line of communication to ensure that your child’s needs are being met as you join together as that co-educator team!
Years 5-6 Winter Sports
Just a shout out for any parents who would like to assist with AFL coaching, netball, volleyball or soccer on a Friday afternoon, as our students begin their practice to participate in the Horsham Winter Sports competition between the local schools. If you are available at all and are interested in any of these sports, please touch base with our Years 5-6 teaching team!
Chapel
Thank you to Year 3D who led our Junior School Chapel this morning. Next week we invite all mums, grandmothers, carers and special friends to celebrate the gift of women, for our special Mother's Day chapel. Please encourage your child to bring a small offering.
National Ride2School Day
A big thank you to all who participated in Ride2School Day this morning. The Horsham mornings are getting pretty crisp, so well done for promoting good clean healthy activity as a great hobby for our kids to enjoy! Thanks also to Mr Busbridge for organising the morning’s event!
Premiers' Reading Challenge
If you would like your child to be involved in completing the Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge, please see your classroom teacher, or our lovely librarian Mrs Jaci Gabbe! Jaci is in the process of registering classes or individual children and either the classroom teacher or Jaci will email you your login details.
Honk the Musical
It is exciting as the Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 students prepare for Honk, as musical rehearsals begin with our Music teacher Mrs Michelle Hahn. If you are a parent inclined for some musical fun, please make yourself known to Michelle, as she would love all sorts of assistance from our wider community as this term progresses. We aim to present early in Term 4.
Coming up in Weeks 4 and 5
Monday, 6 May - school photos; assembly slides (in classes)
Wednesday, 8 May from 2pm to 3pm - performance of Life is an Echo
Thursday, 9 May - Year 1 Olden Days dress-up
Friday, 10 May at 9am - FJ Mother’s Day chapel; mums invited into classes; mums invited to recess
Friday, 17 May - FL chapel
Blessings on your weekend and the weeks ahead.
In Christ,
Mr Adam Borgas, Head of Junior School
Celebrating Teaching and Learning
Over the past few weeks, Junior School teachers have been focusing on report outcomes and assessments in preparation for both diagnostic testing in Week 6 and end-of-semester reporting. This ensures consistency in our practice across the school and allows for mediation between year levels.
Each fortnight, the Teaching and Learning section of the newsletter will recognise those students who have received awards and celebrate the learning that takes place at HTLC.
Awards
FJ: Winnie D and Jude P, FL: Brady S and Halle O, 1H: Fred R and Senara R, 1P: Mason S and Isaac K, 2H: Jack P, 2S: Charley U, 3B: Henry E and Veronica P, 3D: Finn O and Ryan R, 4F: Javier B, Mila J and Blake O, 4M: Sophia B and Ava N, 4R: Lachlan K and Ryder E, 5D: Aksel F and Maeja R, 5R: Lachlan E and Indi W, 6H: Halle S and Victoria W, 6N: Matilda S and Allira C, 6V: Olivia C and Charlotte H. Specialist awards: PE: Jaxon E, Liam R and Xavier M.
Our Trinity Tiger (5-6) Award recipient was Hallie S, Trinity Cub (3-4) Ava H and Trinity Cub (F-2) Charlotte S.
Student work
This week, we showcase the incredible holiday writing efforts demonstrated by our Foundation students. They are writing with capital letters, detail and punctuation!
Mrs Jacqui North, Junior School Teaching and Learning Coordinator
Secondary School News (3 May, 2024)
Uniform
All students should now be wearing their winter uniform. The Uniform Policy is available under Policies via The Hub.
Study Centre
The SC Study Centre is open for students to complete independent study from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.
Middle School students: Mondays and Wednesdays (supervised study)
Senior School students: Monday to Thursday
Elevate Study Sessions – Years 7-11
On Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 2, students from Years 7-11 participated in Elevate Study sessions. These sessions aim to provide students with effective study skills. Each session focused on key concepts and skills, complemented by strategies to improve study habits and critical thinking, targeted specifically for each year level.
Year 7 – Study Skills Kick Start
Year 8 – Junior Time Management
Year 9 – Memory Mnemonics
Year 10 – Study Sensei
Year 11 – Time Management
Mrs Alicia Schneider, Year 9 Coordinator
Anzac Day
On 24 April, our school community gathered for a commemorative ceremony to recognise and pay our respect to the Anzacs of past and present who have served our nations.
Led by Mr. Wayne Bandel, our Anzac Day service allowed us to give tribute to the legacy of the Anzacs. The ceremony commenced with a heartfelt Welcome to Country by Eliza S. This was followed by a stirring rendition of the Australian and New Zealand national anthems by Zara N, setting the tone for a service filled with reverence and respect.
Prue H and Zara N sang a rendition of the poem ‘In Flanders Field’, followed by Annabelle’s reading of The Ode, a timeless tribute to the fallen. Rebekah W and Alannah J also delivered a moving poem. We were deeply moved by the words of Collingwood Football Club captain Darcy Moore's 2023 Anzac Day speech, which served as a reminder of the significance of why we commemorate this day.
The strains of the Last Post and the Rouse were played by our College Chair Mr Bryan Matuschka, before student representatives and leaders laid wreaths as a symbolic gesture of remembrance and gratitude. The ceremony concluded with a heartfelt prayer by Matisse H, offering thanks for the sacrifices of our Anzacs.
I would like to express our sincere gratitude to all students for their respectful conduct throughout the ceremony.
Miss Mackenzie Connelly, Years 7-12 Humanities Coordinator
College Ball 2024
The organisation of our College Ball requires a huge commitment over a number of weeks from both our trainers and our parent committee. The hours of work contributed by Mr Lawson, Mrs Schneider and Mrs Greiger ensured our Year 11 students performed in a manner they were extremely proud of. We are sincerely thankful for the endless hours of preparations by our parent committee, friends and family who assisted with setting up and packing up, and who helped make the evening the success it was. An evening that the students will remember for many years to come.
Tuesday, 29 October-Wednesday, 20 November – VCE written examinations
Monday, 29 July – VTAC applications open
Tuesday, 22 October – last day Year 12
Friday, 15 November (TBC) – Year 12 Valedictory and worship service
Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School
Sports News
Sport News (3 May, 2024)
State swimming finals
At the end of Week 1, four HTLC students travelled to Melbourne to participate in the state swimming finals. Matching up against some of Victoria’s best athletes, Ellua B, Edward J, Chase B and Jacob M demonstrated their very best efforts and did HTLC proud. Jacob M achieved his goal of earning an individual medal at the state finals, finishing second in the 100-metre butterfly, and third in the individual medley, which is an exceptional achievement.
Ellua, Edward and Chase all supported Jacob by swimming up (sometimes multiple age groups above their competition level), and held their own in the medley relay and freestyle relay, despite not earning a podium finish. Congratulations to all the students for their efforts.
Jacob M: 12-20 men's 100m butterfly (2nd), 16-20 100m freestyle (6th), 18-20 50m freestyle (4th), 12-20 400m freestyle (5th), 16-20 200m individual medley (3rd)
16-20 men's medley relay: 4th
18-20 men's freestyle relay: 7th
HTLC cross-country
Week 2 saw the HTLC cross-country, with the whole college participating in various events designed to give every student the opportunity to be physically active. It was a fantastic day to be wearing red, with Wimmera coming away with the win in both the primary and secondary competitions.
Final scores for the Secondary School were Wimmera 432, Mallee 427 and Lowan 341. In the Junior School, Wimmera racked up 630 points, finishing ahead of Lowan (599), with Mallee in third (554).
Congratulations to all of our age champions on the day:
Foundation: Hadley W (L) and Ethan C (M)
Year 1: Harriet R (L) and Isaac K (W)
Year 2: Ariana R (L) and Jake S (M)
8-9-year-olds: Maya S (M) and Jaxon D (W)
10-year-olds: Luella R (L) and Steele O (M)
11-year-olds: Emily L (L) and Peter S (M)
12-13-year-olds (primary): Luella B (L) and Judd O (M)
12-13-year-olds (secondary): Charlize vZ and Bailey D
14-year-olds: Grace P, Ellua B and Ryan S
15-year-olds: Ilze vZ and Toby U
16-year-olds: Indira H and Jed P
17-year-olds: Regan B and Tadhg M
18-20-year-olds: Sophie P and Jacob M
The cross-country victory means that Wimmera has achieved the coveted Secondary School Grand Slam, becoming the first house to win all three major carnivals in a calendar year, after taking out the athletics and swimming carnivals in Term 1.
Greater Western Region volleyball
Following on from the cross-country, our Years 9 and 10 girls volleyball team represented HTLC in the Greater Western Region volleyball finals on Tuesday of Week 2. The girls have been training hard, with many of them hoping to win through to the state finals again after their efforts in 2023.
With two opponents standing in their way, the girls started the day strongly, with a convincing win over Kings College from Warrnambool. Their second match of the day would be the decider, as the girls again faced the team from Daylesford. The team started well and opened a convincing first-set lead, but stalled on 18 points. Needing just two points to secure the set, the HTLC girls faltered slightly and allowed Daylesford to take the lead at 18-19. However, some cool heads and smart volleyball managed to turn the tide, with the girls clinching the first set 23-21, before going on to easily win the second set 20-13 and secure a place in the state finals in two weeks’ time.
Congratulations to Eva D, Amelia F, Ava J, Willow M, Abbey O, Adelyn P, Rachel R, Emma S and Ilze vZ for their efforts, and good luck for the date finals!
Black Ranges boys netball and girls AFL
Week 3 kicked off with the Black Ranges boys netball and girls AFL competitions in Horsham. HTLC’s Years 7 and 8 girls AFL teams played matches against Horsham College’s A and B teams, winning one of their two games. It was fantastic to see the girls’ improvement over their two matches, including their commitment to getting themselves to the footy. Thanks to Miss Cashin for her efforts coaching the girls, and to Malakai vB for umpiring for us on the day.
HTLC also sent two teams of students to the boys netball competition on the same day. The Year 8 boys worked hard throughout the day but were unable to come away with the overall win. The Years 11 and 12 boys team had a great run out against Hopetoun in a match that was a tune-up for the Greater Western Region finals, which will be held in Colac on Wednesday, 22 May. Thanks to Mrs Erhardt and Jess D for their work as coaches and umpires on the day.
Wednesday saw 35 Junior School students travel to the Horsham Racecourse to compete in the HCPSSA cross-country. This event is the first one on the pathway to the state finals, and it was fantastic to see so many students from HTLC qualify to attend the event. Our students performed exceptionally well, with almost two-thirds of them finishing in the top 10 in their age groups. HTLC had 11 students finish in the top six positions and qualify for the Little Desert cross-country finals, which will be in Nhill in Week 5.
Congratulations to Maggie K (6th), Jack S (3rd), Steele O (4th), Emily L (1st), Maeja R (3rd), Maddie H (6th), Tristan vZ (6th), Luella B (1st), Elsa D (3rd), Becky W (6th) and Judd O (3rd) for their efforts, and thanks to Mrs North and Miss Roy for supervising the students on the day, and our parent volunteers Emily Smith and Nibras Oakley for their assistance with marshalling.
Black Ranges athletics
Yesterday, almost 70 students from the Middle and Senior schools travelled to Stawell to compete in the Black Ranges athletics. It was a wonderful day weather-wise and the competition on the track was great as well, with students from across the division showcasing their skills. While the official final results have not yet been released, HTLC won at least 10 third-place, 14 second-place and 11 first-place ribbons in individual events.
Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen delays on the day, no relay events were run. We will be in touch with the relay teams once we hear more to determine a path going forwards to allow them the opportunity to qualify for the Greater Western Region finals in Term 4.
HCPSSA athletics
On Wednesday next week, the representative sport opportunities continue with the HCPSSA athletics at Dudley Cornell Park. HTLC will send a contingent of almost 70 students to the event, with individuals and relay teams competing for the opportunity to represent the college at the Little Desert athletics in September. Good luck to all the students for their events.
If you have a Working With Children Check and you are available on 8 May, the HCPSSA would love to have you on board to assist with the running of the Athletics event. Please email matthew.mcloughlin@htlc.vic.edu.au if you can help!
Black Ranges cross-country
On Thursday a team of more than 40 Middle and Secondary schools students will travel to Murtoa to take on the muddy trails of the Black Ranges cross-country course. Students have received information regarding the event on Consent2Go.
State tennis finals
Good luck to Sienna N who will represent HTLC at the state primary tennis finals on 10 May. Sienna will take on a field of 15 other girls from across the state. She earned her place in the finals after winning the Greater Western Region finals last term in Ballarat.
Coming events
May
8 - HCPSSA Athletics
9 - Black Ranges secondary cross-country
10 - state primary tennis
13 - Little Desert primary cross-country
15 - State Years 9 and 10 girls volleyball
16 - Black Ranges Years 11 and 12 boys AFL
16 - Black Ranges Years 11 and 12 girls netball
17 - HCPSSA Years 5 and 6 girls AFL
18 - AHPVSS round two: Tailem Bend six-hour
22 - Greater Western Region boys netball
24 - Black Ranges Years 9 and 10 boys AFL
24 - Black Ranges Years 9 and 10 girls netball
24 - HCPSSA winter sport round one
27 - Greater Western Region primary and secondary cross-country
28 - Black Ranges Years 7 and 8 boys AFL
28 - Black Ranges Year 7s and 8 girls netball
29 - Little Desert Years 5 and 6 Lightning Premierships
June
6 - Black Ranges Years 9-10 and 11-12 soccer
14 - AHPVSS round three: Adelaide (JS teams)
14 - HCPSSA winter sport round three
21 - HCPSSA winter sport round four
21 - Years 3-4 Hooptime basketball
27 - Black Ranges Years 7 and 8 soccer
Mr Matthew McLoughlin, F-12 Sport Coordinator
Wellbeing News
Supporting our children's mental health
Our understanding of mental health in young people is ever-increasing. We have made great strides in understanding that mental health is as important as physical health and we don't need to feel stigma when talking about mental health challenges any more than we would if we had a physical injury.
Having a good understanding of the proactive things we can do to support good mental health is one of the most helpful things we can do as parents. Many proactive steps are practical acts of self-care such as ensuring our children get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, get enough movement, have social time, and making sure children know who they can talk to if they are experiencing worries or have concerns about their mental health.
There are loads of great resources available for this including this mental health care plan developed by Beyond Blue. This is helpful for us to plan how we care for our mental wellbeing the same we do our physical wellbeing.
Beyond Blue has some other helpful resources including a coming seminar for parents about how to support children's mental health, a breathing exercise to help parents engage in self-care, and the emotion wheel that can be used to help children identify what they are feeling, which helps parents know how to respond.
Finally, here are two interesting YouTube clips that help us understand what is going on with children's and teenagers' brain development and their experience of anxiety. Understanding what is going on physically with our children can help us respond empathetically and in a helpful way.
Keep in mind that the HTLC Wellbeing team, Kate Polack and Kelli Both, are available to support children and families if that would be helpful.
Community News
School photos: what you need to know
School photos are on Monday, 6 May. Please note, you must order photos before 4.30pm the day before picture day. See below for details on how to order your photos.
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and HTLC is excited to be participating. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including:
access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 6 September, 2024.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Years 3 to 10 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former premiers.
If your child would like to participate in the challenge please get in touch with Jaci Gabbé in the library at school.
The Hub changes to logins
This week, HTLC has changed the way families log into The Hub to use an easier system. Instead of using a school-set ID number and password to log in, you now use your own email address as registered with the school and a password of your choice.
If you are having issues accessing your Hub account, please call the college on 5382 2529 for help.
HTLC Open Day
Just Be Nice founder talk
Bunnings Mother's Day family night
Fly2Health Horsham
A masterclass with Josh Piterman
Doin' Pizza job opportunity
Doin' Pizza has a job opportunity available for a junior. We are looking for someone with clear communication skills, neatness and a passion for cooking. Previous experience not required. Tasks will include:
customer service
dough rolling
pizza making
cleaning
If interested please bring a resume to Doin' Pizza. The minimum age requirement for positions is 15 years.
