Newsletter: Edition 4, Term 3 – 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
Literacy in the ELC
Literacy incorporates a range of modes of communication including music, movement, dance, storytelling, visual arts, media, and drama. It also includes electronic and print-based media. Before children can learn to read and write, they must first develop the ability to speak, listen, understand, observe and draw.
Literacy experiences are richly embedded in our ELC. It is critical these experiences are relevant and meaningful in the context of the children’s lives and experiences.
Our students are exposed to a range of books and texts within our ELC Program. Signs and symbols are displayed in the classroom, stories, songs, rhymes, poems and opportunities to play with words are encouraged each day. Our students engage in regular conversations and discussions with their peers and educators, practicing the roles of listening and speaking and develop an understanding that conversation is a reciprocal exchange.
Our students actively engage with a variety of books including fiction and non-fiction within our space. They also develop skills in prediction as they anticipate what is going to happen next and then reflect on the key messaging in the story.
Literacy is also promoted through our Library Program, when our students visit the Junior School Library. On Friday 24 August, the children look forward to celebrating Book Week by dressing up as their favourite story book characters with the students from Junior School. The parade will start at 9am on the Taffs Oval.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss
Naomi Wright
Director of the Early Learning Centre
Junior School
As we draw close to the end of Term 3, the pace of daily life in the Junior School is by no means slowing down. The upcoming Seussical the Musical will see the culmination of a semesters work take the stage; tickets are still available to purchase here. Another exciting event in the calendar is our Grandparents and Special Friends morning coming up next Friday 1 September, we would love to see as many members of our school community coming together for this joyous occasion. You can purchase tickets here.
During this term we were also lucky enough to host eight Indigenous students from a community in One Arm Point, Western Australia. Below two of our Year 6 students recount their experiences from this memorable week.
To start the day, we went out shopping! The drive there was amazing for my buddy as he got to see the city and the MCG. My buddy wanted to go to Culture Kings so that’s where we went. He got a nice new pair of shoes which were very cool.
Not too shortly after, a few of the boys went to LUME which were showing an indigenous display which our buddies really enjoyed.
We continued to shop at DFO afterwards. My buddy wouldn’t have access to the same shops at home so it was a great opportunity for him. Then a few of us went to the Eureka Skydeck and the view was amazing from up there! When we came down, we headed to the footy match which was Collingwood VS Hawthorn. It was very fun to watch the game with everyone. At the end of the game we got to have a kick of the footy on the MCG oval.
I was sad to say goodbye to my buddy, however, knew that it wouldn’t be long until I get to see him again. Us eight boys will get the opportunity to go to One Arm Point in the first week of the September holidays. When we are there, we will go fishing, crabbing and make spears with our buddies. We will also make rockets and do science experiments. I’m very excited to go and experience how our buddies live.
Luc Mugavin- 6G
The One Arm Point tour is an opportunity for eight Year 6 students and eight students from the One Arm Point remote community school to host each other and learn about the different communities we live in. One Arm Point is located in Western Australia, around a 2-hour drive north of Broome.
The One Arm Point students have the opportunity to visit Melbourne, experience life as a student at Trinity Grammar and see all of the great sights we have. During the first week of September school holidays the eight Year 6 students will visit One Arm Point and spend time experiencing living in a remote community. The opportunity is a great experience building friendships with both Trinty and the One Arm Point students.
Last week we welcomed the One Arm Point boys to our school and had an incredible week, jam packed with experiences. We got to show them parts of Melbourne, parts of Victoria as well as spending time at school. On Tuesday both myself and Luc met our buddy students; I was with Chris and Luc’s buddy was Dwayne. We were to spend the week, even after school times together. Even though we were all a bit hesitant at first, we quickly bonded when playing a few games in the playground and a game of footy. Some of the highlights from the week include: watching the training session for Collingwood and meeting some of the players, exploring Werribee Zoo and the safari ride, and travelling to Lake Mountain to test our skills of snowboarding and skiing. It was our buddies’ first time ever seeing snow which was an amazing experience. During the week after school my family and I were able to take Chris to a gelato shop, Bounce, and spend time at home playing with my dog and video games. I really enjoyed being able to show Chris parts of my life here in Melbourne before heading to his community in a few weeks’ time.
Lek Freiverts- 6F
Samara Madden
Deputy Head of Junior School
German Poetry Regional Finals
To qualify and participate in the Regional Finals of the German Poetry Competition, students need skill, strong nerves and einen guten Appetit for glory and afternoon tea!
Toby Adams, James Moutsios, Archie Pennington, Hamish Pragnaratne and David Wang (Year 5) and Heli Cheung, Xavier Nilson, Thomas Odman, Josh Sidhu, Aaryan Walter and Ming Zou (Year 6) joined students from Scotch, PLC and CGGS in the Tudor Centre to be welcomed by Principal Adrian Farrer, perform before twelve judges, and join a 60-student-strong celebration of German language and culture.
Each Trinity student did himself and Trinity proud. We applaud the achievements of all our Regional Finalists and congratulate our prize-winners: Hamish (4th), Ming and Thomas (3rd and 4th, respectively).
Dankeschön to the judges, Ms Madden, Trinity’s Library and Catering staff, and our indomitable Frau Hohlweg, who, after organising two magnificent Poetry Competitions at Trinity, has set the bar high for Scotch in 2024–2025! 
Dr Jill Reid
Junior School German
Hockey 7s
A very cold yet sunny Wednesday morning saw 11 Trinity students from Years 5 and 6 journey to Frankston to play in the SSV Southern Metro Regional Hockey 7s tournament. The boys played valiantly and with a great deal of spirit and finished as Runners-Up, based on percentage points. The boys won their first match and tied their second match, which was a great effort. They were supported by Henri du Toit who was an outstanding mentor. I hope this is just the start of a long and happy association with hockey! Well done and congratulations to: Lucas Bosco, Xavier Nilsen, Raymond Huang, Samuel Rooke, Charlie Byrne, Angus Dunkley, Peter Huynh, Alex Zhang, Felix Liu, Alvin Lin and Freddie Batt.
Ray Drake
Junior School Coordinator of Enhanced Learning
Year 6 Dumplings
In our Chinese classes through Year 5-6 we were lucky enough on Tuesday 15 August to have dumpling tasting. We were given four dumplings; three chicken and one veggie. My personal favourite was the veggie, but others may not agree. It was a fun experience, one that I will miss in Senior School.
Dean Gallace
Captain of the Junior School
Camp Trinity September 2023
Camp Trinity will be held for five days during the first week of the upcoming September school holidays, beginning on Monday 11 and concluding on Friday 15 September. Camp Trinity is staffed by Junior School teachers and the activities are designed to be engaging for boys from Prep through to Year 6.
The camp online booking system can be accessed by the link below. If you have any questions concerning Camp Trinity, please contact me via email at wattsr@trinity.vic.edu.au
https://events.humanitix.com/camp-trinity-september-2023-program
Rohan Watts
Camp Trinity Coordinator
Senior School
‘And The Australian National Champions are… Aurora from Trinity Grammar School, Kew! And that was the day our entire lives flipped upside down’ – Andreas, Team Principal
Our very own F1 in Schools team, Aurora, is headed off to compete in the 2023 Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals in Singapore in less than three weeks. Representing Australia, Team Aurora is set to take on the world’s top 68 teams in the 2023 F1 in Schools World Finals, competing for the coveted title of World Champions in one of the largest and most prestigious STEM competitions on the global stage.
The Team Members are as follows:
Andreas – Team Principal
Peter – Director of Enterprise
Ryan – Public Relations
Jay – Director of Engineering
Connor – Chief Manufacturer
Christopher – Design Engineer
These six students have invested an immense amount of time and effort into perfecting their project, delving into the intricacies of engineering, enterprise, and project management.
As the days count down, we eagerly anticipate their representation of Australia and Trinity Grammar School, Kew on the world stage. For real-time updates on our journey and behind-the-scenes insights, Aurora has social media on LinkedIn, Instagram and their website.
We extend our wishes for their success as they continue their preparations for the World Finals.
AGSV v APS Representatives
Congratulations to the following students who were selected to represent the AGSV v APS in sporting matches:
Badminton
Frederick Zhao (Co-Captain), Alex Gao
Basketball
Aidan Slaverio-Pascoe (Co-Captain), Angus Nelson
Cross Country
Jamie Blackburn (Captain), Lucas van den Berg
Hockey
Joel Taylor, Henri du Toit, James Round
Football
Boston Dowling, Will Spratt, Liam Callaghan, Antwan Huddleston, Tom Gross
Soccer
Kosta Antonopoulos, Marc Petheriotis, Lewis Crompton, Tyler Roche, Ben Chiew
Susan Hill
Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School
2022 VCE Premier’s Awards
Congratulations to the 2022 VCE Premier’s Award winners:
Andrew Liu – Prize for Mathematical Methods
David Dodson – Prize for English and Prize for History Revolutions
Adem Wilmshurst – Top All-Round VCE High Achiever and Study Award for Global Politics
Max Huyton – Prize for Geography
Thomas Deane – Prize for Ancient History
Life Saving Victoria Awards of Excellence
Congratulations to Jackson Comrie, who received Youth Lifesaver of the Year (14-17) at Life Saving Victoria’s annual Awards of Excellence. The Youth Lifesaver of the Year Award recognises and rewards a young member aged between 14 – 17 years, who has made an outstanding contribution to the delivery of patrolling lifesaving frontline services. It is aimed at a junior lifesaver undertaking lifesaving duties and who can be identified as an ambassador for Life Saving Victoria. To receive the award, you must be first nominated by your club executive, short-listed by Life Saving Victoria and then sit an interview process with Life Saving Victoria.
Jackson is very dedicated to Lifesaving and has been a member of the Inverloch Surf Lifesaving Club for many years. As part of the 2023 nominations, some of his club contributions that were considered in the process include:
- Approximately 180 patrol hours during the 2022/23 season (in the top 10% of all members in the state)
- He was part of the 2023 Training Team for the recent SRC and Bronze Medallion life saver graduates at Inverloch
- Current Junior Club Captain of Inverloch Surf Lifesaving Club
- First Aid Officer of Inverloch Surf Lifesaving Club
- Member of the Inverloch Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) racing team
- Inverloch Patroller of Year (2023)
Jackson receiving his award from Paul James, LSV President.
German Poetry Regional Finals
The Tudor Centre was abuzz on Wednesday, August 9, when 60 students from Trinity, Scotch, PLC and CGGS came together to be welcomed warmly by Principal Adrian Farrer and compete in the Regional Finals of the annual German Poetry Competition.
Trinity was represented by Felix Cantale, Ben Palmer and Harrison Sinnett in the Year 7 category, while Otto Hunt, Zander Mellos and Ben Saunders wore the Green and Gold for Year 8. All our students demonstrated excellent commitment to progress to the Regionals and represented their school with pride. Special accolades go to Ben and Otto, who placed second and fourth, respectively, in their level. Ben has qualified for the State Final on August 26, and we wish him viel Glück!
We thank the twelve judges, the Trinity library staff and the catering team for their efforts, and herzlichen Dank to Maria Hohlweg who organised and orchestrated the event – es war wunderbar!
Dr Jill Reid
German teacher
Junior Science Olympiad
This year 21 boys self-nominated to participate in the ultimate Science challenge, the Junior Science Olympiad. This national competition is for students in Years 7-10, all competing against each other in a 2-hour exam. The Olympiad allows students to challenge themselves and potentially be selected for the Australian Junior Olympiad Team.
Luckily for Trinity, we had Eason Yang (a recent member of the Australian Junior Olympiad team) offer some coaching sessions in the lead up to the exam. During lunchtimes and after school, boys would come in to discuss strategies and work through practice problems.
Congratulations to all boys who participated. A special note to 13 of those boys who were awarded a Credit or higher. Impressively, three boys from Year 9 were awarded a High Distinction. This places them in the top 10% of the country that participated in this highly contested competition.
The three boys are:
- Chenxin Hao
- Joshua Solomon
- Timothy Ma
Ben Elliott
Deputy Head of Science
Latin Reading Competition
On Wednesday August 9 Trinity hosted the Latin Reading Competition. This competition requires students from Years 7-12 to read assigned passages aloud. Trinity Latin teacher Mr Andrew Williams ran every aspect of the event, from selecting the passages to be read to being Master of Ceremonies on the night. Nearly one hundred students came to take part from a large number of Victorian schools.
Lily Sun from Ruyton, who studies Latin at Trinity, achieved Runner-Up in the Year 11 level of the competition.
Chris Scholten
Head of LOTE
William Angliss
During Term 3, on Monday nights, the Year 12 Hospitality students travel to William Angliss to work in the ‘Angliss’ restaurant. The restaurant is located at 550 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Sit back and enjoy the atmosphere of the Angliss experience as our Hospitality students greet and serve you with a huge smile and professionalism. Furthermore, the students have the opportunity to enhance their skills and expertise while providing live service to paying guests at the restaurant.
Please find more information and make bookings on the link below:
https://www.angliss.edu.au/restaurants-events/angliss-dining/angliss-restaurant/
Brett Stewart
Head of Hospitality
Cocurricular
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Middle School Play 2023
Tickets are now available to attend our 2023 Middle Years Play, Terry Pratchett’s The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents.
The play follows a conniving and streetwise cat, Maurice, as he leads his clever rat companions and a curious human boy named Keith on a thrilling con; fooling towns into believing they have a rat infestation. But in Bad Blintz, a dark secret emerges, testing their scam and commitment to each other.
Performances are on September 1 and 2, featuring our talented cast and crew of Year 7s and 8s. With limited tickets available, secure yours now!
https://events.humanitix.com/the-amazing-maurice-and-his-educated-rodents
Rebecca Cecil
Productions Manager, Drama Department
Let’s Play! August Recital Series
During the month of August, we are pleased to host after-school and evening recitals providing a platform for music students to showcase their abilities in performance. Our recital program has built the confidence of many students and increased their skills, contributing to the development of each musician. The standard of performance from the beginners to the more advanced, has been delightful; all students played with a beautiful sound and accurate intonation, while demonstrating musical connection with each piece of music. It was impressive and I felt lucky to work with teachers of such high calibre!
Susan Searle
Junior Music Coordinator
Weekend Rehearsal
On Sunday 13 August our Trinity Symphony Orchestra and Senior Choir rehearsed for an upcoming professional recording of a new work that was commissioned called, A World of Mine by Melbourne composer, Tom Law. The recording will feature as the opening of the Twenty-Second Biennial ASBA (Association of School Business Administrators) National Conference, to be held in Melbourne in September 2023.
Victorian School Music Festival Success
Last night, Symphonic Wind, the most senior of our concert band ensembles, conducted by Mr Jamie Ransome performed at the Victorian School Music Festival in the Advanced Section. The ensemble performed highly demanding repertoire at an extremely high level, and the adjudicators, including Chief Adjudicator Dr Mary Schneider from Eastern Michigan University, were extremely impressed with so many aspects of the performance and made some outstanding comments. Symphonic Wind were awarded GOLD for their performance, an outstanding achievement at this level of competition.
Congratulations to all staff and students involved.
Jamie Ransome
Head of Brass, Woodwind & Bands
Bigger Better Brains – Music Learning Helps Literacy & Numeracy
Jan Blazejczak
Director of Music
Chaplain’s Chat
At Trinity in Religious Education, we explore the ideas, values and beliefs of the commonly opposed fields of ‘Science and Faith’. This may seem strange to some but for me it is an obvious area to look at. Lots of people believe that science and faith cannot co-exist, or that a person cannot simultaneously trust the work of science and maintain belief in a God or have a faith. Personally this is not how I see it; as a person who has a mum who teaches science and a dad who is a minister, the two perfectly fit together, as they both serve to help us to understand the world around us and our purpose on this earth.
In Year 7, we encounter ‘Science and Faith’ as we look at the origins of the universe. The Big Bang, evolution, and the creation stories in the Bible are ideas that our students sometimes find conflicting and confusing, or completely compatible. In Year 9, we have introduced a whole unit on ‘Science and Faith’, which has given students the opportunity to engage with these complex ideas at length and in greater depth. We are asking questions like, ‘What do some of the world’s leading scientists believe and what do they say about the origins of the world? Do science and faith work together or against each other?’ My hope is that through this work, students are challenged to think about what they believe and to investigate it; many students enter the class confident in their position, it is encouraging and important when they show a willingness to grapple with the questions of, ‘Why do I actually believe what I believe? Does it make sense? Has my bias got in the way of my understanding? Have my peers or the culture of the day influenced my belief?’
Ultimately, the question asked by many of our students is, does it take more faith to believe in Jesus or in atheism?
‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.’ (Romans 1:20)
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please send a message through Trinity Connect or email me at halej@trinity.vic.edu.au.
Rev’d James Hale
Assistant Chaplain
Community
SAVE the DATE for the 2023 Founders’ Day Fair
Happening on Saturday 11 November from 2pm –8pm, the Fair will again be hosted at the Junior School site and we encourage you to mark it in your diary and invite the whole family along! The afternoon format will enable you to attend Remembrance Day commemorations and sporting activities in the morning and join the Fair festivities in the afternoon and evening, perhaps staying on for dinner with friends whilst enjoying some live music.
Lucy Cohen
Director of Community Engagement
Construction works – footpath closure
On Thursday 24th August 2023, Friday 25th August 2023, Monday 28th August 2023 and Tuesday 29th August 2023, DrakeBuild will be demolishing the existing footpath and replacing it with new to same at 68A Wellington Street, Kew. Therefore, to ensure the safety of the students, teachers, public and workers, the footpath along the southern side of Wellington Street Kew, between Glenferrie Road and Gordon Street, will be closed.
Access along the footpath to the northern side of Wellington St will remain open, therefore students and teachers can safely cross Wellington Street at the traffic lights at Glenferrie Road and Charles Street to safely access the campus.
Vehicle access to all properties including driveways will be maintained and will not be impacted by the footpath closure or the works.
The footpath will be closed from approximately 7:00am to 5:00pm on the above-mentioned days and we have organised for a specialist Traffic Management Team to be on site during the works and the required timeframes whilst works are in progress however we strongly encourage all students and the public to use the traffic lights at Glenferrie Road and Charles Street to safely cross Wellington Street.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your co-operation and understanding.
Footpath Closed – 68A Wellington Street, Kew – 15A-0723 Drake – Revised
Sam Riali
Drakebuild
Navigating school refusal: Understanding and supporting students
School attendance is important for students to connect with peers and to experience learning and success. If a student becomes reluctant to attend school, and this extends into school refusal, it can be a great challenge for families that requires understanding, compassion, and cooperation. This issue can be quite serious and can have psychological and social causes, and implications.
In this edition of our newsletter, we aim to shed light on this issue and provide valuable resources that can help us better comprehend the underlying factors, explore strategies to support, and consider ways to create an environment where each student feels they belong and are empowered to learn.
Leading psychologist, Michael Carr-Gregg, has put together several excellent resources including interviews with specialists, recommended books and information for students to provide information and answer questions about this topic.
- School Refusal – Schooltv
- Information booklet for young people on school refusal.
- Interviews with leading specialists
- Factsheets, books, podcasts, apps.
Catherine Brandon
Director of Wellbeing
Memorial Service – Barbara Argall
Past Trinity Head of Strings, Barbara Argall’s memorial service will be held on Sunday 10 September, from 2-5pm at Glen Iris Uniting Church (200 Glen Iris Road, Glen Iris).
Any current or past staff and/or students who wish to pay their respects are invited to attend. Please contact communityengagement@trinity.vic.edu.au if you require further details.
Women of Trinity Group
All mothers whose youngest son graduates from TGS this year, are warmly invited to join the Women of Trinity Grammar (WOTG), an informal, all-inclusive social group which aims to retain a link amongst mothers/carers of Trinity Grammar School, Kew through events and gatherings.
This group is a wonderful opportunity to stay engaged with the School community and to meaningfully connect with other TGS mothers/carers. Activities range from lunch to afternoon catch ups and vary based on input from the membership cohort each year.
The WOTG patrons, Liz Beasley and Sue McNally, have enjoyed a long association with TGS over many years with both their youngest sons graduating in 2018.
If you would like to join the group, please click the button below to register your best contact details. There is no joining or membership fee involved.
Donna Cameron and Carolyn Crouch
Co-convenors, Women of Trinity
Liz Beasley and Sue McNally
Patrons, Women of Trinity
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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
Parent name badges
If you have not received a parent name badge, please complete the form below and we will arrange a replacement for you. Please double check with students/in school bags before completing the form and complete a separate form for each parent.
https://forms.office.com/r/BimyBQ5SW6
Important Dates
Thursday 24 August
ELC – Year 6 Father’s Day Breakfast, 7:15AM
Trinity Shop, 2:00PM-4:00PM
Junior School Co-Curricular After School Activities, 3:15PM
Junior School Musical Rehearsal, Cotham Road Showroom 3:30PM
Years 7 & 8 Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:45PM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
Friday 25 August
National Skills Week concludes
Junior School Book Week Parade, 8:50AM
Middle School Play Rehearsal, P&F Hall 3:30PM
Year 11 Outdoor Training Team Meeting, 3:30PM
Saturday 26 August
AGSV Athletics Trial Meet #4, Bill Stewart Athletic Track 9:00AM
Philippines Immersion Tour 2023 Half-Day Immersion, 9:00AM
Middle School Play Rehearsal, P&F Hall 3:30PM
Monday 28 August
Early Finish – Senior School – no sport, music or co-curricular activities, 2:45PM
Year 10 Parent Teacher Interviews, 3:00PM
Middle School Play Tech Rehearsal, P&F Hall 3:30PM
Junior School Musical Rehearsal, Cotham Road Showroom 3:30PM
Tuesday 29 August
Cowen House Chapel & Breakfast, Centre for the Arts 7:15AM
Years 3-6 House Athletics Sport, Doncaster Athletics Track 9:00AM
Middle School Play Dress Rehearsal, P&F Hall 3:30PM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
2023 Cowey Club AGM, 7:00PM
Thursday 31 August
ELC Grandparents’ Day #1, 9:00AM
AGSV Track Eliminations, Lakeside Stadium 9:00AM
Junior School Musical Rehearsal, Cotham Road Showroom 3:30PM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
Concerto Concert, Centre for the Arts 6:30PM
Friday 1 September
ELC – Year 6 Grandparents’ Day, 8:30AM
Year 10 Outdoor Leaders’ Course Landskills Test, 3:30PM
Somers Training Team Camp commences, Lord Somers Camp Powerhouse 4:00PM
Middle School Play Performance, P&F Hall 6:30PM
Saturday 2 September
AGSV Athletics Trial Meetings conclude
AGSV Final Athletics Trial Meet, Bill Stewart Athletic Track 9:00AM
Middle School Play Performance, P&F Hall 6:30PM
Sunday 3 September
Somers Training Team Camp concludes, Lord Somers Camp Powerhouse 5:00PM
Monday 4 September
Year 10 Outdoor Leaders’ Course Landskills Test, 3:30PM
Junior School Musical Rehearsal Eldon Hogan Theatre
Parent Portal Consultative Session, The Drum and online, 5:30PM
Trinity Revue, P&F Hall 6:00PM
Tuesday 5 September
Junior School Musical Rehearsal Eldon Hogan Theatre
Junior School SSV District Athletics, Box Hill Athletics Track 10:30AM
VCE Cello Recital, Centre for the Arts 4:30PM
VCE Study Night, 6:00PM
Junior School Musical Performance, Eldon Hogan Theatre 6:30PM