Trinity News

Early Learning Centre

Last week our ELC families logged onto a parent seminar run by Robyn Papworth – an exercise physiologist, a developmental educator, trainer and mum. Robyn presented some very helpful and simple self-regulation strategies for daily routines, activities and play spaces to our parent community. 

Robyn shared her expertise on children’s gross motor and fine motor skill development, play-based learning, attention and focus strategies with ELC families. The session shared ideas and strategies in supporting children towards mastering crucial skills that lay the foundations for their enjoyment in school and life. 

The brain and body need to be ready through many play-based opportunities, gross movement experiences, dancing, movement and singing and incorporating all senses to learn the skills necessary before reading and writing can happen. Robyn shared the importance of connecting with our body sensations and creating opportunities and time to develop our students’ motor skills. 

Many opportunities and experiences within the ELC are provided for our learners to develop their core strength, visual tracking skills as well as songs and games to practice crossing the midline, balance experiences and many sensory experiences focusing on touch, smell, sight and vestibular function daily at the ELC. 

Developing movement benefits our student’s coordination, self-regulation and in turn, learning.  

We as educators value the importance of nature play and time outdoors each and every day. Daily movement builds strong foundations for our students to focus and learn. 

“Young children are encouraged to explore their environment and express themselves through all of their available expressive, communicative and cognitive languages, whether they be words, movement, drawing, painting, building, sculpture, shadow play, or music, to name a few.” Edwards, Gandini & Forman, 1998. 

Anzac Day Service

The ELC students were part of our whole school Anzac Day service on Wednesday. We proudly made and wore poppies to the service. 

Junior School

SSV State Swimming Championships

The State Primary and Secondary Swimming Championships were held at MSAC on Friday 19 April. After competing at the District, Beachside Divisional and Southern Metropolitan carnivals throughout Term 1, Trinity had a number of students that qualified. The following results were achieved by our students:  

Congratulations to all of our students at this state event. A special mention to Harvey Huang who swam during the Southern Metropolitan Regional Carnival to help the 11-year-old relay team qualify for the state carnival.  

AGSV Junior School Swimming Carnival

Our Junior School AGSV Swimming team achieved many outstanding results at MSAC on Monday 22 April. Certainly the highlight of the meeting was performed by our 12 Years Medley Team – Evan, Daniel, Massimo and Mason and our 12 Years Freestyle Relay Team – Evan, Daniel, Massimo and Beau who  set new AGSV Records in both of these events.

Congratulations to the entire team on their performances in the pool at this final carnival for the year. 

Junior School Prep to Year 6 House Cross Country

A return to school after the Anzac Day public holiday saw, for the first time, Prep to Year 6 students travel by bus to Bulleen to take on the challenge of running their cross country course with their classmates. A large group of parents cheered loudly as the students completed the course. The results for cross country were:

The House Spirit Cup was awarded to Summers for their enthusiasm, support of one another and commitment to the event.  

Ray Woods House Cross Country Cup was awarded to the overall House winner. The results were:

Congratulations to all of our students for their wonderful participation and a big thank you to the Year 8 mentors who acted as pace-setters for each of the races.  

National Hockey Championships 

Congratulations to Angus who has been selected to play for Hockey for Victoria Under 12 State Team at the upcoming National Championships to be held in Cairns in August of this year. A wonderful achievement to be selected for a State Team!  

We wish Angus and the team all the very best at this annual tournament as they compete against other selected state and territory teams from Australia. 

Senior School

Anzac Day Services

Thank you to our school community for supporting the Anzac Service held at Trinity last Wednesday, and at the Dawn Service held at Kew RSL on Thursday. 

Year 9 Play 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of ‘The Glove Thief,’ which comprised Year 9 students from both Ruyton and Trinity. Under the direction of Darcie Kane-Priestley, Director of Drama at Ruyton, the students worked very hard throughout Term 1 to put on an outstanding show at the Kew Courthouse last week.

Year 10 Camp experience 

This week, we are pleased to welcome back our Year 10 students after they enjoyed a rewarding week of either camp or work experience.  

Wellbeing

Child Safety

Our work to promote Child Safety at is of the highest priority at Trinity. A key feature of our work is empowerment of students to understand warning signs of harm or risk, and to seek help when needed. In addition to programs already in place, this year Trinity has introduced some additional resources and activities to keep students safe, including: 

• Safety and bullying surveys and discussion at Years 7-12 (led by Wellbeing Coordinator, Ione Norris) 
• Information posters appropriately designed for each age and stage to promote safety and help seeking placed in learning areas across ELC, Junior School and Senior School 
• Introduction of the Cyber Safety Project program at Junior School and Year 7 

We will continue to promote key messages at all levels about respectful behaviours, inclusive practices, safety and help seeking through our wellbeing and pastoral care programs.  

You can view Trinity’s Child Safety Policy on our website and your feedback is most welcome. Please email brandonc@trinity.vic.edu.au. 

SchoolTV 

SchoolTV is an incredible award-winning resource provided for Trinity families. Videos, articles and reports are provided to equip parents with knowledge and skills to build relationships, and to promote mental health and wellbeing for young people. The link to SchoolTV is on a Partnering with Parents page on myTGS. 

This week’s feature is the Online Safety Toolkit from SchoolTV, which has been produced by Netsafe. It provides information and strategies for parents to support them to keep young people safe online:

https://trinity.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter-external-resource/online-safety-toolkit. 

The Soundtrack of Success 

Unlocking Academic Potential through the Power of Music.

Did you know that:

• Music is a powerful tool for academic success
• Listening to music can improve memory, focus, and overall cognitive function
• Studying with music can enhance creativity and problem-solving skills
• Playing musical instruments can enhance mathematical abilities and spatial reasoning
• Exposure to music can improve language development and literacy skills

Parents, senior school students and community members are invited to join us to learn from award winning, internationally renowned expert in learning, neuroscience and music education, Dr. Anita Collins. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to empower your child’s (or your own) academic journey by harnessing the power of music!

Dr. Anita Collins is an award-winning educator, researcher and writer in the field of brain development, learning and music. She is the author of The Music Advantage, a book for parents and teachers about the extraordinary and often surprising benefits of learning music.  

Date: Tuesday 7 May 2024 

Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Venue: South Room, Crawley Centre for the Arts, Trinity

This event is proudly supported by the Trinity Friends of Music. 

Chaplain’s Chat

I was chatting with one of our soccer coaches who is an OTG last week and asked him how university was going. He is studying Commerce-Law. He said he enjoyed his course but found it challenging to be completely responsible for his time. He said that Trinity was great but that he had grown used to people reminding him about deadlines and suggesting how he structured his time. At university, there was none of that and he felt that it was the most difficult adjustment. I guess it’s all about age and stage, and you can certainly go too far the other way – dropping young people in the deep end when they need a bit more support.  

My schooling was entirely in the government system here and in the UK and while we had caring and expert teachers, the emphasis was on self-sufficiency, which sometimes felt like ‘sink-or-swim’ to us. The upside was that the kids who decided to work knew it was down to them and I witnessed friends from difficult backgrounds achieve university entrance, often as ‘first-in-family’. When they got to university, they might have had certain cultural barriers to navigate but they had already developed tons of resilience needed to push through. It is a balancing act, and different for every young person but how do we tread the fine line between being over-protective and expecting too much independence? There is something essential to human flourishing captured in this question and I’ll finish with this passage from ‘Romans Chapter Five’ which might hopefully open the question further: 

‘And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.’ 

Subject Spotlight

Trinity Grammar offers many opportunities for students to study different historical eras. For instance, in the early year levels students are introduced to the ancient world with the exploration of fascinating artefacts and structures from Australia, Greece and Egypt. Moving into more modern history, the focus is on some of the major conflicts of the twentieth century including World War One and World War Two with a particular focus on the social impact. Our staff are made up of expert teachers who specialize in their specific fields particularly in VCE, in subjects such as Revolutions, Global Politics and Ancient History.  

We have an upcoming academic tour to Italy in January 2025 (to Sicily, Sorrento and Rome). Applications for the tour next year have closed but in future, we welcome applications from Years 9-11. Opportunities closer to home include participation in a model United Nations. Last year the students composed their own resolution to work towards a “Pathway to Peace”. 

Other exciting opportunities include an essay competition in memory of an Old Trinity Grammarian who fought in the First World War, Vernon Gordon King. The winners (Matthew Fallscheer, Kyan Wang and Ethan Zhu) were announced at our Anzac Day Assembly. The essays focused on democracy and included topics such as freedom of speech and the US election.  

Cocurricular

Annual Strings Concert

Our Annual Strings Concert was held on Wednesday, 20 March at MLC. Over 200 students performed in ensembles from our Suzuki and Ensemble Programs. This event is a unique event on the Trinity calendar, as it involves performances from students from Prep to Year 12. We finished the evening with a combined item which involved every student and included members of the audience. On behalf of the Trinity Strings Department, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the evening and acknowledge the leadership of our Year 12 students, particularly our Music Captain and Senior Strings Concertmaster, Alexander Chieng. 

After School Recitals

String students have the opportunity to perform in short 30-minute after-school concerts in the music department each Tuesday from 3.00pm – 4.00pm. Both Suzuki students and traditional students are welcome to perform their polished piece with the approval of their private teacher. Congratulations to violinists Neil, Eddie, Yi Yan, Ethan, Brian, and cellist Ethan who performed on 19 March. Special congratulations go to Leo who gave his first solo performance playing a variation of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’. 

Trinity Musicians at Suzuki Autumn Festival

28 Trinity Suzuki violinists and cellists participated in the five-day Suzuki Autumn Festival conference during the school holidays. Students along with their parents rehearsed together in small and large group classes, attended concerts, performed, and generally had a good time. Trinity students performed as a group in the Ensemble Concert, individually in the Afternoon Concerts, and three Trinity Senior School students were selected to perform in the prestigious Gala Concert. Trinity Suzuki staff attended professional development and taught many of the classes on offer. We look forward to next year’s major conference held during the 2025 July holidays which will be even bigger, attracting families from across Australia and the Pan Pacific region. 

VCE Top Class 

Congratulations to our Music Captain and Year 12 student, Alex Chieng for his wonderful performance at this year’s Top Class at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Top Class is a series of concerts that celebrate outstanding performances by young students who received very high grades for the VCE music performance examinations. It certainly was very special to see Alex on stage, showcasing not only his exceptional musicianship, but also representing Trinity. Thank you also to Alex’s instrumental teacher, Mrs Moirsheen Kelly-Keesing for her excellent work with Alex over the years. 

Bigger Better Brains – What happens to your brain when you sing?   

This great article explores the impact that music learning has on young students.   

Read more here:  

https://www.biggerbetterbrains.com.au/research-updates/music-is-the-jackpot 

2024 National Track and Field Championships 

Two Trinity students have recently returned from Adelaide, where they represented Victoria in the 2024 National Track and Field Championships.  

Will Stratford – Year 10, appearing at his first Nationals, competed in both the Under 16 Heptathlon and 100m. Will put in an excellent performance across the two-day multi-events, finishing a very respectable 6th overall, and securing seasons bests in all 7 disciplines! 

Will Katic – Year 11, competed for Victoria in the U18 400m, 800m and 4x400m relay. With a busy schedule, Will performed extremely well, just missing the final of the 800m, but finishing 7th in the final of the 400m. Deserving success was finally to come for Will in the afternoon of the final day, as he led off the Victorian team to Gold in the 4x400m relay, beating their nearest rivals, New South Wales, by almost 3 seconds! 

This concludes what has been a long season for our Track and Field athletes. School athletics training will begin again in a couple of months, in preparation for the 2024 AGSV season and All Schools competitions.  

Community Engagement

As we move into the second week of the term, anticipation is building for the many significant events on the horizon: Mother’s Day and the Green and Gold Ball. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, our Parents’ Association, Class Reps and staff alike are preparing to celebrate and honour the special women in their lives.  

Friday 3 May  

Year 7 Mother’s Day Breakfast, South Room, 7:00AM  

Friday 10 May  

ELC – Year 6 Mothers’ Day Breakfast, Leonda by the Yarra, 7:00AM  

Meanwhile, excitement is also mounting for the upcoming Trinity Green and Gold Ball taking place on Saturday 25 May, a limited number of tickets are still available and can be booked by clicking on the link below. This is certainly a highlight of the school calendar. As part of the evening’s festivities, we will be hosting both a Live and Silent Auction. We’re actively seeking contributions from local businesses. If you own or are aware of a business that can offer a unique experience or gift, please don’t hesitate to contact me via gallowayh@trinity.vic.edu.au. 

Event Details

Saturday 25 May 2024 

6.30pm – pre-dinner drinks & canapes 

7.00pm – sit down dinner 

12.00am – event concludes 

Plaza Ballroom, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne 

Book Now 

Supporter Earrings 

Show your support at school events, sport fields, performances, classrooms or on the sidelines with an exclusive pair of Trinity earrings.  

To pre order Trinity Earrings please click on the link below  

https://forms.office.com/r/HVuu1TLJ4e 

Trinity Founders’ Day Fair Plant Stall – Call out for New Members and Plants 

We wanted to say a big “hello!” from the Trinity Founders Day Fair Plant Stall Team.  

We would love to hear from you if you’re interested in joining the team or if you have plants or cuttings that could be potted and nurtured through Winter and then donated to the stall; we would be most grateful. 

No skill is required, as you will be guided by parents who are willing to help. We welcome everyone from our Trinity Community, including parents, grandparents, students, and siblings. In September, we will start potting sessions at the school. These are normally held on a Thursday between 2 and 4 p.m.; everyone is welcome to join. 

Please reach out via our email trinityplantstall@gmail.com. 

Looking forward to working with you. 

Important Dates

Wednesday 1 May 

Music Scholars’ Concert, South Room, 6:30PM 

Thursday 2 May  

Trinity Shop, 14 Charles St, Kew, 2:00PM 

VCE Study Night (Year 11 & 12 students only), Tudor Centre, 6:00PM 

Friday 3 May 

Year 7 Mother’s Day Breakfast, South Room, 7:00AM 

Generations in Jazz Competition commences, 8:30AM 

Year 12 VCE and Careers Expo, Melbourne Convention Centre, 12:40PM 

Trinity Ruyton Senior Musical Rehearsals, South Room, 3:30PM 

Saturday 4 May 

Trinity Ruyton Senior Musical Rehearsals, East Room, 2:00PM 

Sunday 5 May 

Generations in Jazz Competition concludes, 9:00PM 

Monday 6 May 

Early finish – Senior School – no sport, music or co-curricular activities, 2:45PM 

Junior School SSV District Cross Country, Fawkner Park, 10:00AM  

Junior School Assembly, South Room, 1:30PM 

VSAC All School Swimming Representative Team, MSAC, 6:00PM 

Year 7 & 8 Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:00PM 

Tuesday 7 May 

Henty House Breakfast & Chapel, South Room, 7:15AM 

VCE Study Night (Year 11 & 12 students only), Tudor Centre, 6:00PM 

Senior School Parent Presentation, Anita Collins, South Room, 6:30PM 

Wednesday 8 May 

Parents Presentation, ELC and Junior School, East Room, 9:00AM 

VCE Study Night (Year 11 & 12 students only), Tudor Centre, 6:00PM 

National Careers Week OTG Session, 3:30PM 

Thursday 9 May 

ELC Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, 2:30PM 

2004 OTG Reunion, Tudor Centre, 6:30PM 

Friday 10 May 

ELC-Year 6 Mothers’ Day Breakfast, Leonda by the Yarra, 7:00AM 

Trinity Ruyton Senior Musical Rehearsals, South Room, 3:30PM 

Saturday 11 May  

AGS Sport 

Trinity Ruyton Senior Music Rehearsals, South Room, 2:00PM 

Monday 13 May  

Junior School Assembly, South Room, 1:30PM 

Jazz in the Chandelier Room, Hawthorn Arts Centre, 6:30PM 

Tuesday 14 May 

Information Morning #3 (Whole School), Arnold Hall, 8:15PM 

VCE Study Night (Year 11 & 12 students only), Tudor Centre, 6:00PM 

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