Newsletter: Edition 3, Term 2 – 2023
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From the Principal
Early Learning Centre
Junior School
Senior School
Cocurricular
Chaplain’s Chat
Community
From the Principal
Adrian Farrer
Principal
Early Learning Centre
Movement and Motor Skills
Last week, the ELC opened its doors to our families for an information night to discuss the importance of movement and motor-skills development. This session highlighted the value and benefits of allowing time for children to play in order to develop gross motor and fine motor skills.
What an amazing turnout we had! Some inspiring ideas and information were shared.
As we all know from being around the Kangaroo and Joey students, children have a great need for physical exercise and activity. They need opportunities to use their muscles to run, swing, climb, jump and balance. Children use their whole body when they are engaged in outdoor activity. There are also opportunities for risk-taking and trying new experiences. This helps the children to develop a sense of their own boundaries. Play also offers opportunities for learners to gain confidence in navigating their own body in different play spaces.
It is important for children’s physical and emotional wellbeing that they have time outside. This provides opportunities for our students to exert their energy. Being outside means that children naturally get Vitamin D, which is proven to improve moods and create a positive attitude. Outdoor play is an important way to develop children’s creativity and imagination. The children’s imaginations are stimulated by the natural elements and objects around them. They invent interesting ways of using the objects they have collected from the garden and incorporate these into their play.
We value the importance of outdoor play in our ELC and incorporate this into our daily experiences. The children have regular opportunities to engage with our nature-inspired outdoor playscape where they can run, climb, imagine, interact, and create using their whole bodies and their senses. The benefits of wet weather play were also stressed by the presenters. When playing in the rain, our students have new opportunities, problems to solve and resources to use! They have to navigate slippery footpaths, can jump in puddles and analyse their altered play space for new risks. We are looking forward to getting our students out in the elements more throughout the year.
Naomi Wright
Director of the Early Learning Centre
Junior School
The Junior School at Trinity is a thriving, busy place and one which enables student to challenge and extend themselves beyond the classroom, in a diverse range of pursuits. Below have been some of the highlights of the past few weeks.
Music
Our community was privileged to witness the Prep- Year 12 Annual Strings concert last week, which saw over 60 Junior School students take the stage and perform in a variety of musical numbers. The concert is a chance to showcase musical talent and proves that the early morning ensemble rehearsals and afterschool practise are very much worth the effort. It is a great opportunity to highlight the musical journey that students can enjoy as they move up through the various levels of the school. It is also an incredible opportunity for the younger students to witness the skilful performances of our most senior players. A highlight of the night was the finale number which saw Prep student, Patrick Xu, begin the item with a solo performance, accompanied by Year 12 student Daniel Chong on the drums.
Co-curricular Activities
Each Monday and Thursday after school, our older Junior students have been attending a range of clubs. The activities commence once the school day has finished and run until 4.15pm. Students have been engaging in activities ranging from chess to robotics. Amongst the offerings we also offer several sports that students may not have yet had the chance to experience playing, including hockey and table tennis. Much fun has been had by all and excitement has begun to grow about the Term 3 offerings.
Drama
This year the students are eagerly working towards the Year 3-6 performance of Seussical the Musical. Year 5 and 6 students have flexed their singing and acting talents with over 80 students taking part in the audition process. As the term progresses, we will see the musical begin to take shape as we work toward the Term 3 opening night.
Sport
Always popular amongst the student body is the many sporting activities on offer. One of the most popular and perhaps the most physically demanding being the whole school Cross Country trials. Although it’s a chance for more skilled runners to shine, the focus of the event is on everyone ‘giving it a go’. Every boy is encouraged to run the course and the effort the students make is a great source of pride. From here, our Junior School Trinity Cross Country Team was formed, competing in the recent SSV Cross Country against ten other schools. Trinity was lucky enough to take away first place overall, a testament to the hard work and team sprit shown throughout the day. We wish the team all the best as they prepare for the AGSV event in the coming week.
his term also saw the reintroduction of Round Robins. Students had the opportunity to engage in a variety of winter sports against PEGS and Camberwell Grammar. The competition was fierce but ultimately many friendships were formed.
Samara Madden
Deputy Head of Junior School
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Senior School
House Athletics Carnival
Bloody Long Walk
In memory of Old Trinity Grammarian Hugh Blunt (OTG 2018) and to support people affected by mitochondrial disease, a group of our students, staff, Old Trinity Grammarians and members of our wider community completed the Bloody Long Walk- a 35km walk across Melbourne.
Year 7 Mother’s Day
Susan Hill
Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School
Cocurricular
One Day Schools Cup
Our school volleyball team recently participated in the One Day Schools Volleyball tournament, and they gave an outstanding performance, displaying impressive coordination, skill, and teamwork.
Throughout the day, Trinity’s volleyball talent was on full display, with Roman, Raph and Will’s impressive serves leaving the opposition struggling to keep up. The team’s impressive performance was not limited to their powerful serves, which had the opposition constantly on their toes. Lucas, Louis, Hugo, Michael and Alex moved around the court like a well-oiled machine, showing excellent technique and control over the ball.
As the tournament progressed, our opponents grew tougher, and we faced stiffer competition in the quarterfinals. Though we ultimately were knocked out of the tournament, the team gave it their all, playing to the end with grit and determination, and with big smiles showing how much fun they were having.
They have made themselves and Trinity proud, and we look forward to seeing them excel next season! A big thank you to Grace Harries for coaching the team.
Neil van Herk
Head of Science; Teacher in Charge: Volleyball
Generations in Jazz – A Great Success!
From 5-7 May, 32 very talented Trinity musicians attended the Generations in Jazz Festival in Mount Gambier, South Australia, for the first time since 2019. This festival brings together over 5,000 jazz musicians from all over Australia. The students presented some amazing performances with Belling Jazz finishing second in the Small Jazz Combos section, Stage Band were fourth in Division 2 Stage Bands section and Big Band finished 12th in the Division 4 Stage Band section. There was also some individual success with both Daniel Chong (Percussion) and James Viero (Trombone 3) selected as members of the Division 2 Superband and had the opportunity to perform the test piece as a member of this all-star band to a packed James Morrison Pavilion on the final day of the event. Congratulations to all staff and students involved.
Jazz in the Chandelier Room
On Monday 15 May, the annual small jazz combos concert was held in the beautiful Chandelier Room at the Hawthorn Arts Centre to an appreciative full house. Students from Junior Jazz, Jazz Apprentices, Trintones, Augmented 7’s and Belling Jazz performed a wide variety of jazz classics from greats such as Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Chick Corea, Miles Davis and more. This is a fantastic concert, where both Junior and Senior School students perform together, allowing the younger students to see the pathway they can follow as they progress on their instrument through the years. Well done to all staff and students on a fantastic night of relaxed and high-quality entertainment!
Jamie Ransome
Head of Brass, Woodwind & Bands
Annual Strings Concert
We celebrated the Strings Program at Trinity on the evening of 10 May with the Annual Strings Concert. Over 200 boys participated in seven different string ensembles and orchestras. We finished the concert with a combined piece which involved every string student from the youngest to the oldest. The piece was led by Patrick Xu, Prep and Daniel Chong, Year 12. Well done to all the string students and teachers for their work towards making the concert such a memorable event for all.
Cello Recital in the East Room
Last week 24 cello students of Ms Jasmine Alexandra gave outstanding solos in the East Room. Students worked diligently to prepare their material, and this was evident in their successful performances. Congratulations to the following students that performed:
Aarush Vaddadi, Year 6
Rian Raiden, Year 4
Patrick Ma, Year 7
Edison Zhang, Year 4
Cayden Quah, Year 9
Miles Cerny, Year 4
Nathaniel Guo, Year 3
Nikhil Hendehewa, Year 10
Roman Wang, Year 2
Evan Deng, Year 7
Jonathan Markopoulos, Year 4
Wilson Liu, Year 4
Kosta Dokolas, Year 10
Conor Zhou, Year 3
Jacob Guo, Year 1
Sean Kim, Year 10
Ryan Huang, Year 7
Patrick Chan, Year 4
Gabriel Rajanayagam, Year 3
Ivan Shi, Year 1
Timothy Ma, Year 9
Dylan Sugumar, Year 3
Weijun Li, Year 3
Oliver Wilkie, Year 12, Vice-Captain of Music
Thérèse McCoppin
Head of Strings
2023 May Gala Concert
This year’s May Gala Concert will be held on Wednesday 31 May at 6:30pm at Melbourne Recital Centre’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. This promises to be one of the highlights of our musical calendar.
You can book your Tickets here: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2023/trinity-grammar-school
We look forward to welcoming you on the night.
Bigger Better Brains – Benefits of Music Throughout Our Lives
This great article points out that music learning is beneficial throughout our lives, including in the period of life when work and child rearing are done and the focus on longevity, physical and cognitive health are so important: https://biggerbetterbrains.com/news-post/ageing-in-harmony/
Jan Blazejczak
Director of Music
Chaplain’s Chat
The Roberts House playground may be worlds away from the ancient city of Jericho, but today saw the Preps re-enacting the story of the tumbling walls of Jericho, ably assisted by some Year 6 ‘Joshuas’. This was the bible story told in today’s chapel service as the first in this year’s series of Old Testament Heroes. The story tells of Joshua, the successor of Moses, leading the Israelite people to the ‘Promised Land’. In order to take the city of Jericho, Joshua had to trust and obey a very unusual instruction from God: to circle the city once a day with his men in silence, accompanied by the priests on their trumpets. On the seventh day, they were to circle the city seven times, then follow a command of Joshua’s to ‘Shout!’ leading to the collapse of the city walls and their ultimate victory.
As with all stories in the Old Testament, we look to see what the story is telling us about God; in this case God exhorts Joshua many times to be ‘strong and courageous’ and reassures him with the words: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.’ We may not be leading armies, but from time to time, we all face our own battles. Ours is a God on whose strength and encouragement we can always reliably depend and who will never, ever leave us alone.
Cecilia Fairlie
Junior School Chaplain
Community
Wellbeing
Young people are being bombarded with advertisements promoting gambling as a fun way for mates to enjoy sports. Some recent Australian studies have also shown there can be a progression from video games to online gaming for money, and to gambling.
Gambling causes a very high and rapid surge of dopamine (the ‘feel good chemical’) in the brain, creating abnormally high levels of pleasure. The brain links this sensation to the action of gambling. Addiction may be triggered when the brain is frequently flooded with high levels of dopamine, as it can develop a tolerance to this chemical. This means that people need to do the activity more frequently to feel the ‘buzz’. Gambling is addictive and can devastate lives. *
Ahead of the Game
Trinity Grammar will be working with the team from The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation who have developed excellent school resources and school presentations to ensure students get the facts about gambling.
More information about this topic can be found in articles from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation or see research from NRM Science.
There are some great articles about this topic on SchoolTV, accessible on mytgs, including Tips for Talking with Teens; Gambling and Gaming with Dr Kim Le; and a video message from Psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg.
*Information Sourced from the Victorian Responsible Gaming Foundation
When digital Gaming & Gambling Collide – What happens next?
A free educational event for parents and teachers plus Q&A Dr Jim Sauer and Dr Aaron Drummond (University of Tasmania) are psychological scientists with an interest in the effects of video gameplay on cognition and behaviour.
Since 2018, they have studied the effects of engaging with loot boxes (gambling-like rewards in video games) on player’s gaming behaviour and well-being. Sam Macauley is a proud primary school teacher whose advocacy for student leadership and digital citizenship led him towards becoming a Co-Founder of the Cyber Safety Project. Engaging with young people, educators, and families about online safety and digital well-being.
Date: Wednesday 24 May 2023
Time: 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Where: ZOOM. Booking through TryBooking https://www.trybooking.com/CHJQZ
Catherine Brandon
Director of Wellbeing
Prayer Breakfast – 9 June
Mustard and Camberwell Girls’ Grammar invite you to join students from across Melbourne, parents, staff, and supporters at a special Inter-School Prayer Breakfast. Hear inspiring stories of students living out their faith at school and pray with them.
Please feel free to contact myself or Rev Hale if you are interested in attending.
Reverend Bryn Jones
Senior Chaplain
Trinity Grammar School woollen blankets
If you would like to purchase the super durable woollen blankets, they are available to purchase online – please click on the link: https://www.trybooking.com/CFWMS
Fine Foods Group
The Trinity Fine Foods team have jams, cordials and sauces available to purchase. 5 for $15 or $5 each – or a Mystery Five (where we pick for you) for $10. Collection from Community Engagement office – 55 Wellington St.
Items can also be purchased online: https://www.trybooking.com/CFSSB
Upcoming Parent Events:
Year 7 Parents Coffee Morning
Date: Thursday 1 June
Time: 8:30am
Location: Via Verona Cafe. 193 High St, Kew (back room).
No need to RSVP.
Important Dates
Thursday 25 May
Information Morning (Whole School), 8:45AM
Year 12 Scone Morning Tea, 10:35AM
Junior School AGSV Cross Country, Chelsworth Park 11:15AM
Middle School Play Auditions, P&F Hall 12:30PM
Trinity Shop, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
Middle School Play Auditions, P&F Hall 3:30PM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
Friday 26 May
National Sorry Day
Year 3-6 House Cross Country, 12:30PM
Middle School Play Auditions, P&F Hall 12:30PM
Africa Homework Club, 3:15PM
Trinity Ruyton Musical Rehearsal, Ruyton 3:30PM
Saturday 27 May
VSRU Round 4
AGSV Sport Reconciliation Round
Trinity Ruyton Musical Rehearsal, Ruyton 2:00PM
Trinity Ball, Plaza Ballroom 6:30PM
Monday 29 May
National Reconciliation Week commences
Year 11 Unit 1 classes conclude
Harambee BBQ – Reconciliation Week, 11:50AM
Junior School Musical Rehearsal, P&F Hall 3:30PM
Tuesday 30 May
Junior School SSV Divisional Cross Country, Bald Hill
Year 11 Study Day (no classes)
Reconciliation Breakfast, Centre for the Arts 7:00AM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
Wednesday 31 May
Year 11 Study Day (no classes)
May Gala Concert, Daytime Rehearsal, Melbourne Recital Centre 8:30AM
Afternoon Performance Year 10 Drama Performance Exit Stage Left, P&F Hall 4:30PM
May Gala Concert, Melbourne Recital Centre 6:30PM
Thursday 1 June
Year 11 Semester 1 Examinations commence
Junior School Trinity & Ruyton Term 2 Buddy Day
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
Friday 2 June
National Reconciliation Week concludes
Year 6 Winter Round Robin, 12:00PM
Africa Homework Club, 3:15PM
Trinity Ruyton Musical Rehearsal, Ruyton 3:30PM
Middle School Play Call Backs, P&F Hall 3:30PM
Saturday 3 June
VSRU Round 5
AGSV Sport
Trinity Shop, 10:30AM-12:30PM
Trinity Ruyton Musical Rehearsal, Ruyton 2:00PM
Tuesday 6 June
Senior School Class Representatives Meeting, The Drum and online 12:00PM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
OTGA Committee Meeting, 7:00PM