Newsletter

A Subject Information Session will be held on Wednesday 19 August. Year 7 will meet in Lesson 1 and Year 8 in Lesson 2.  This presentation will guide students through the process of making their subject choices and raise awareness of the possible pathways for their school journey. On this day, students will receive the Junior Curriculum Handbook, which outlines subjects available across Years 7-9, and I encourage families to use this as a tool to build a conversation at home. The Junior Handbook will also be available through PAM under Student Resources and on our College Website.

In preparation for these day discussions, you might use at home could be framed around,

Following these presentations, students will select their subjects through the Web Preferences link, which will be emailed to them.
If you have any questions about Subject Selection or the process involved, please don’t hesitate to contact me at medwards@tcc.vic.edu.au .

Mr Matt Edwards

Acting Director of Learning (Years 7 - 9)

Students completed placements across a wide range of industries and professions, allowing them to gain valuable insight into the world of work, explore potential career pathways and develop important employability skills.

We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented Trinity College. Employers spoke highly of their professionalism, positive attitude, willingness to learn and respectful manner. It was pleasing to hear such consistent praise for how well-presented, polite and enthusiastic our students were throughout their placements.

We are also delighted that several students were offered ongoing employment as a direct result of their Work Experience. This is a wonderful achievement and highlights the value of embracing every opportunity with enthusiasm and commitment.

A sincere thank you to the many employers across our local and wider community who generously welcomed our students into their workplaces. Your support plays a vital role in helping our young people gain real-world experience and confidence as they begin planning their future careers.

We also extend our thanks to our parents and guardians for their encouragement and support throughout the program.

Congratulations to all Year 10 students on the outstanding way they embraced this opportunity. We look forward to seeing how these experiences help shape their future career journeys.

Feedback from Businesses

“It was great to have a work experience student onsite for the week.  We received great feedback from everyone involved in his mentorship while he was working with us. Even when his role was quiet, he always found something to do, whether it was picking up a broom and cleaning or helping someone else. When the time comes, if the student were to apply with our team, we would not hesitate to employ someone with his personal skills and initiative. At the end of work experience, he personally thanked each person he had worked with that week, which goes to show the type of person he is. We welcome him back any time.”

“The work experience student was a pleasure to have during work experience. He showed a strong passion for the industry and was very interested in broadening his knowledge in the automotive industry. He showed great initiative and was always willing to listen and learn throughout each task.”

“The work experience student showed a strong willingness to learn what we do and displayed great confidence while with us. To the point that by the end of the week she was calling prospective job seekers and phone screening them for some open vacancies of ours.”

“Student is welcome back any time; one of the best work experience kids we have had at the office.”

“Work Experience student was brilliant; he used all tools safely and effectively, listened to instructions, and showed a willingness to learn. He picked up the trade quickly and showed great initiative every day; we would happily have him back.”

“Student was an absolute pleasure to host. She was so polite and sweet. She was fantastic at nursing and showed natural qualities of a Dental Nurse. She was organised, friendly and had a very steady hand! We would gladly have her back. We wish her all the very best in whatever path life takes her.”

Mrs Julie Demasi

Careers Coordinator

Upon arriving at Emmanuel College, perched like a castle on the hill, our team made their way to the mezzanine, where competitors from across the region gathered in their school blazers, ready for a day of challenging competition.

The format was demanding. Seven games across the day, with players needing a score of 4.5 out of 7 to qualify for the Regional Chess Tournament later in the year. Trinity got off to a flying start, and after the first three rounds, we were sitting 2nd out of 8 schools.

The matches that followed were hard-fought and intense. Our Chess Captain, Leo (Year 9), battled bravely against one of the day's eventual top performers. In contrast, our smiling assassin, Max (Year 8), kept his composure and was among the first of our players to secure qualification for the next stage.

As the final round approached, many of our students needed just half a point to advance. They played with determination, confidence, and resilience, refusing to let their opportunity slip away.

We are incredibly proud to announce that 7 of our 15 players have qualified for the Regional Chess Tournament in Werribee later this year: an outstanding achievement and one of the club's strongest performances in recent memory.

Top performers:

The celebrations continued on the bus ride home, which was undoubtedly the loudest we have ever experienced! Captain Leo, usually deep in thought over the chessboard, barely paused for breath as students celebrated Trinity's 2nd-place finish and one of our best tournament results in many years.

A huge thank you to Mr Guedes, Mr Klein, and Learning Support Officer Danila for generously giving up their time to support our students and the Chess Club.

Congratulations to all competitors, and best of luck to our regional qualifiers in Werribee!

Mr Todd Klein

Teacher

How does it feel to be crowned National Champions?
Pretty amazing; it’s something that I never thought I would be able to say. We had spoken about it being our goal to win gold at the beginning of our campaign, but I certainly didn’t believe it was possible.

It had been 36 years since Vic Country's last national title win. What makes this Vic Country group so special, and what do you think helped to the success?
Our group of girls is special, and we have some incredible athletes. We’ve been playing together for about 3 years now, and we have grown close. Going into the final, we just had the right mindset; we had nothing to lose, and we weren’t expected to win, so we used that to our advantage.

What does it mean to you, to represent Vic Country on the national stage?
It’s a rewarding feeling to represent Vic Country. The coaching is amazing, and it’s so great to hang out with other great athletes.

Is there a moment or play you're especially proud of?
I’m proud of the way I managed my expectations across the week. We have a team of 12, and everyone is good, so minutes were hard to come by. My expectations for minutes in the final were low, but I’m so grateful as I got to play defence on one of the best players in the metro side and do my bit in securing gold.

What was it like competing against the best players from across Australia?
It’s an incredible experience, but the pressure is extreme; there’s no room for error, and at that level there aren’t many mistakes made by your opponents. However, it pushes you to the best of your abilities and helps you become a better player.

How do you manage the demands of school alongside elite basketball, especially in the lead-up to the championships?
It is hard; even if training doesn’t go all day, there are about 2 hours of driving on either side to get to and from home, which basically takes up a whole day. Some of my homework gets done in the car, but mostly I try to get it done at home after school.

What advice would you give to other students hoping to reach this level, not just for basketball but in sport in n general?
Take every opportunity and give everything a crack. Work hard to achieve what is being asked of you. It’s important to be brave; there will be times when you don’t make the cut, but never give up.

What's next for you in the basketball world?
From here, I hope I will continue with the Victorian High Performance Program and hopefully make it to the Albury Cup in January, which acts as the selection for the U18 nationals, which are held in April.

All three athletes represented the College with determination and pride. Ruby completed the challenging 3 km course in an impressive 13 minutes and 33 seconds, averaging an outstanding 4:31 per kilometre. Fred also produced an exceptional performance, finishing the 3 km course in 11 minutes and 34 seconds, an incredible average pace of 3:51 per kilometre.

Unfortunately, Lena was unable to complete her race due to injury. However, based on her outstanding performance at the Greater Western Championships, she had certainly earned her place among the state's best runners. She was capable of averaging close to 4 minutes per kilometre.

Reaching the State Championships is a remarkable achievement in itself, and all three students should be incredibly proud of their efforts.

Mrs Jane Hawker

Sports Coordinator

The triathlon takes place at and around the Bluewater Leisure Centre. It consists of 12 laps of the pool, an 8km bike ride and a 3km run. Most students do not believe they will be able to achieve this in the space of 5 months. However, with training sessions each week and a lot of persistence and determination, the majority of students get there in the end. I want to congratulate all the students who had a go, toughed it out and managed to complete the triathlon. Mr Barren, Ciara (Sports Trainee), Ms Cogger, and I were certainly all very proud of their accomplishments, and I know that those students who completed it felt really good about themselves and what they had been able to achieve. In my eyes, they are all winners for completing it.

The top 3 times for boys and girls were as follows:

It is worth noting that Jarryn, currently a Year 10 student, holds the record from 2025 with an impressive time of 35:04. Ruby Kerr (Class of 2021) still holds the girls' record from 2019 with a time of 43:34.

Mrs Jane Hawker

Sports Coordinator

In 2026, I represented Trinity College Colac in the VEIS Dressage Series with Double TT Debonair and Tamrie Park Primadonna. Following our results throughout the rounds, both Ollie and Penny and I are reserves for the Victorian National Team.

Double TT Debonair – Medium

Overall: 3rd in the 2026 VEIS Medium Dressage Series.

Tamrie Park Primadonna – Preliminary

Overall: 3rd in the 2026 VEIS Preliminary Dressage Series.

As a school, Trinity College Colac achieved outstanding results throughout the 2026 VEIS Dressage Series, finishing 2nd overall at the final round and 5th overall across the entire series out of 73 participating schools.

Mietta

Year 12 Student