Congratulations to the following students across the 3 Schools of Holy Trinity Parish who Celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation last Friday.

 YEAR 6 CAMP TO PORTSEA

On Wednesday the 25th of November the day we were waiting for had finally arrived. We were finally going on camp after an unimaginable year.

Our first activity was Enchanted Gardens for the 1st group, and Horse Riding for the second group. Our groups depended on our classes. When we arrived at the Enchanted Gardens, we were blown away.

The place looked incredibly fun, and we were excited to start the activities. First, there was a safety briefing on how to clip on our harnesses.  After a practice session, we started the first level. At the start, it looked pretty scary and overwhelming, but as we started moving through the course, we became more familiar with it. It was great fun and we all had a blast. After that, we went down to the tubes and the maze. It was an amazing place and we all had a lot of fun.

The next activity we completed was Horse Riding. We started off with a safety check and then went right into it. We did bareback riding, which was riding a horse without a saddle. That was super fun and really challenging at the start.

The next of the three activities was horse maintenance. We learnt how to care for each horse and clean out their hooves. It was crazy to think that we were taking care of such a big and beautiful animal, and it was an amazing experience that we all enjoyed.

We then completed a trail ride. Each person in the group was assigned to a horse and we rode around the whole area on our individual horse. It was a beautiful and peaceful ride with a few bumps along the way that our horses handled very well. It was many people’s favourite part of horse riding, and it was a once in a lifetime experience that was incredible. Then we headed to Portsea after an exciting but exhausting day. That night we unpacked our bags, found out our cabins and then settled in for dinner.  For dinner we had chicken schnitzels and as a late night snack pizza. That night we had a campfire, which included making a campfire song. There were 8 teams that all created their own song. Team 1, named the Rainbow Russells won and they were allowed to toast their marshmallows first. Then the second team went second, and so on. It was great fun to be all together outside around a campfire late at night and we all loved it. Then, we all headed to bed and had some good sleep.

The next morning we woke up nice and early to get into breakfast and then into our activities. The activities were Giant Swing, Raft Building, Hut Building, Kayaking and Gaga Ball. Giant Swing was as fun as it was the first time we did it. As soon as they unclip you, you are basically free-falling for a few seconds, and they are the scariest seconds of your life. Kayaking was great fun to learn and we all enjoyed learning how to kayak. Raft Building was hard as many of the rafts failed to float, but we still went and had fun in the water anyway. Then we completed the other two activities. Hut Building was a massive challenge for every team, as we had to make a nice sturdy hut that could withstand a bucket of water being poured on top. After we made our huts, we went to play Gaga ball which was extremely competitive. They were both extremely fun and enjoyable and we had a laugh with all our friends. After finishing our second and craziest day we went in to have dinner. For dinner we had classic Fish and Chips. Then we had one of the funniest and craziest things of the camp yet; the disco.

The disco was an absolute ball. The dress up themes was the 70s and 80s. Most of the boys were wearing mullets, and most of the girls wore fluro. Half of us lost our voices, and even Mr Hanney popped a few moves. The night was so much fun and if you asked anyone they would say it was amazing.

The next morning we woke up exhausted and packed up our cabins and bags. We had breakfast then headed on to the bus. Our first destination was SUPAWORLD. There was a Ninja Warrior Course, High Ropes, a dodgeball arena, and free jump trampolines. It was super fun and we all loved it as it had something for everyone.

After that we went to the place we all had been waiting for, The Melbourne Cable Park. This place was awesome! It had inflatables above water and you were allowed to push people in. We had a full session here, which meant we were in the water for an hour. Lots of people enjoyed pushing their friends in, and it was funny and enjoyable at the same time. Thankfully no one was injured, and we all had an icy pole before heading back on the bus.

Overall, this camp was super fun, and it wouldn't have been possible without any of the teachers' help. So thank you to all the teachers for even being able to book us a camp, let alone such an amazing and fun one. This meant the world to all the Year 6’s, and we are truly grateful for the work you put in to give us this insane opportunity.

Ned Cannington 

Please see photos below.

YEAR 5 CAMP TO PORTSEA

It was a busy Monday morning with parents saying goodbye and kids rushing to the classroom. We were all so excited and before we knew it we were on the bus, on our way to Portsea. The bus ride took 1 hr and 30 mins and as soon as we saw the sign that said Portsea we were all very excited. When we reached Portsea we went down to the volleyball court where we met Alice. Alice is a Portsea Camp instructor and she was there to teach us about the rules of camp.

After Alice had told us about the rules we went to our cabins to set up our beds. There were 7 activities to be completed at camp, each going for 1½ hours. The activities were: The Giant Swing, Hut Building, Gaga Ball/Orienteering, Flying Fox, High Ropes, Beach Games and Raft Building. On the first day we did 1 activity and then we went back to our cabins and got ready for the disco. At the disco everyone was jumping around and singing along to the songs. The disco went for an hour and afterwards we all went back to our cabins to get some sleep for another day at camp.

On the second day we all had 4 activities each. After the first activity we had morning tea. We had biscuits and some fruit. Then after the next activity we had chicken wraps for lunch. They were delicious. Then we continued with the next two activities and had dinner. After dinner we went back to our cabins and got ready for the campfire. At the campfire we all split up into our groups and made a song. The winning song got to roast marshmallows in the fire first. After we had roasted marshmallows we went back to our cabins and spent our last night at camp. 

In the morning we had toast/cereal for breakfast and then we went back to our cabins to get ready for our last activity at camp. After our last activity we went back to our cabins and started to pack ready to leave at 11:00am. After morning tea we got our backpacks and got onto the bus. It was a 10 minute drive to Sorrento beach where we went on the Coastal walk which overlooks Sorrento. The view was amazing. After the walk we went down to the beach for lunch. For lunch we had a roll, shapes, and a juice box. Then we got back onto the bus and began our way home. 

Camp was an amazing experience and we would like to thank all of the parents for sending their kids on camp. We would also like to thank all of the teachers for letting us have this great opportunity.

Lauren and Sneha  5RD 

Please see Photos below

COLOUR FUN RUN

A Big Thank you to the P & F for organising the Colour Fun Run last Friday at such short notice.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Tuesday 15th December

• 9:30am - 11:00am Meet the 2021 Teacher
• Year 5 Bike Education
• Year 6 Swimming - Surf Life Saving 11:40am - 3:00pm

Wednesday 16th December

• Year 6 Surf Life Saving 9:00am - 1:00pm Mentone SLSC
• Year 5 Bike Education
• 2:30pm Final Assembly - Year 6 Farewell
• All Students Finish for 2020 at 3.25pm

2021

Wednesday 27th January

• First day back for staff 

Thursday 28th January

• First day back at school for students 

Congratulations to the following classes on being the winners of the Walk/Ride2School Day on Thursday, 3rd December.

PREP - 2 - 2GS

YEAR 3 - 6 - 6KM & 6SH 

Our last Walk/Ride2 School Day for the year was on Thursday, 3rd December.

Congratulations to everyone for participating in these days and keeping themselves active. 

P & F NEWS

Thank you to the P & F for organizing the Sausage Sizzle today. They are looking forward to being able to organize a lot more fun and exciting events for our families in 2021.

Kids_on_Key_St_Peter_s_Add_Nov_2020.pdf

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Why give thanks - The final cuppa before the tea runs out!

A teacher once remarked “at the end of the day, it’s not about the lesson plan. It’s not about the fancy stuff  teachers and others at  schools make, the crafts we do, the stories we read or the papers we laminate. No, that’s not really it. That’s not what matters most.

They won’t remember how organized your bulletin boards were. How straight and neat  desk rows were.

Nor, will they remember that amazing decor you’ve designed.

But they will remember you.

Your kindness. Your empathy. Your care and concern. They’ll remember that you took the time to listen. That you stopped to ask them how they were, how they really were. They’ll remember the personal stories you tell about your life: your home, your pets and your kids. They’ll remember your laugh. They’ll remember that you sat and talked with them while they ate their lunch.”

As teachers and staff we hope at the end of the day we have made a difference in the children’s lives.

If a student wakes up in the morning and wants to come to school then that is a great sign.  If they finish the school day wanting to come back the next day that is also great.  At one level we have done our job.

A person’s happiness is the key to everything in life.   

Every child is special, bright and gifted because every child, like you and I, have God within us.  But we are often too quick to parade our child as better than others.  To me, a child’s happiness is the core gift and value in life which will then transfer, hopefully, into adulthood.

The greatest disservice we can do for our children is to pressure them beyond their limits.  Yes, we all want them to be successful but if success is at the price of happiness then we do success a disservice.

We are all on our own journey.  None of us know the path this will take.  At times it will be rocky and other times a breeze.  The God we believe in says to us to find the blessing in whatever we are doing and give thanks.  When we give thanks, we learn something about ourselves and therefore about God.

In chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel, we find  the story of the Sheep and the Goats.  A wonderful story which in many ways is a list we could keep to check off at the end of our lives.

I can assure you, that when we have our meeting with God, to enter eternal life, God will not ask what score we got in our VCE, or why we couldn’t play an instrument, etc.  But the God I believe in will ask whether I was kind, forgiving, loving and happy.

This is not to dismiss academia in any way but it is time we focused on what life is really about.  If there was a blessing in the lockdown this year it was the blessing of looking at the priorities in our lives.  The quiet streets were a blessing to many, the curfew for many was a blessing, crime was down, people having dinner around the kitchen table was up, board games were up and parents saw much of what their children were learning in remote learning.

Now that we are coming out of lockdown, have we returned to the past rat race or have we started to live in a different way?

Joan Chittister says, “All of life cannot be planned. Our life is God’s and gratitude is its key”.
 
She says, “Giving thanks to God is good psychologically to keep our thoughts light and full of energy. It is not true, psychologists tell us, that we think the way we feel. On the contrary, we feel the way we think, and thoughts can be changed.
 
Giving thanks to God is good spiritually. That is the beginning of contemplation.
 
Giving thanks to God is good socially. It makes us a positive presence in a group. (Only negative people want to be around negative people.)
 
We need to stop and thank God—consciously—for the good things of the day. We spend so much time wanting things to be better that we fail to see our real gifts.   The ordinary is what reveals to us, little by little, inch by inch, “the holiness of life, before which, we bow down in worship.”

Do we ever stop to just Give Thanks?  How often do we stop and say, Thank You God?

To be more than Catholic by name is to take these little things seriously.  Giving Thanks is a courtesy we all want, and so too does God!

And back to the start….as my four year contract  concludes in January 202, I say farewell to the Federated Schools of Holy Trinity Parish.  I say thank you to the Staff, Students and Families for all you have given me these past four years.

I say thank you to Fr Michael Sierakowski whose vision was the birth of a wonderful and inspiring collaborative leadership which gave Michael Juliff, Lynda O’Donnell, Catherine Tammesild, Michael Hanney and myself a supportive network in what are, at times, lonely positions.  Sadly, the vision was not seen worthy enough to continue and for that I am saddened and disappointed. 

But I do not allow disappointments to stop what has been a joyful and happy four years where I truly believe I have learnt more than I was able to give.

If any of the students ever remember me perhaps they will remember two things: The optimism of a true Dees supporter and the different wacky socks worn every day at School!  Hopefully they saw in me the joy, peace, compassion and love to others and oneself that can come from following and loving God.

As we all continue our journey in life may everyone be kind to each other, gentle with each other and show the love and empathy that Jesus showed to all who came in contact with his message of love.

Edward Dooley (Mission and Faith Leader)