Newsletter

As part of the day, we welcomed Education Consultant Kirstin Bourne, who worked with staff on the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence in education. While AI provides many opportunities, Kirstin challenged us to consider its effect on students' ability to retain and recall knowledge. One key message from her presentation was that, in many cases, the solution may lie in returning to more traditional learning approaches. Encouraging students to spend more time learning with pen and paper, rather than relying exclusively on devices, can strengthen memory, engagement, and understanding. It was a thought-provoking session and one that will undoubtedly influence our future teaching practices.

On the sporting field, Trinity students continue to achieve outstanding success. In fact, 2026 may be one of the most successful years in our school's history, with teams progressing to State Finals. Congratulations to our Junior Girls Netball Team, Senior Girls Netball Team, Senior Girls Basketball Team, Junior Boys Soccer Team, Intermediate Boys Soccer Team, Junior Girls Soccer Team, Junior Boys Football Team, and Senior Boys Football Team, all of whom have qualified for the State Finals.

This week brought even more excitement, with our Senior Boys Football Team winning both their quarter-final and semi-final matches to secure a place in next week's State Grand Final. We wish them every success as they prepare for this significant occasion. While we are incredibly proud of the results our teams achieve, what impresses me most is the way our students represent Trinity. They play with determination, humility and respect, always competing in the right spirit and making our school community proud.

This week we have also been celebrating National Science Week. Our Science Leader, Mrs Casey Kelly, organised a range of activities to engage students and promote curiosity in the sciences. Activities included Science Trivia competitions, interesting food tasting experiences, and hosting students from St Brendan's Primary School for a series of exciting science demonstrations. Thank you to Mrs Kelly and our Science staff for creating such an engaging and enjoyable week for our students and visitors.

Next week, a group of our Year 11 students will head to Mt Hotham for our annual Ski Trip. We wish them a safe, enjoyable, and memorable experience, and we're all hoping for a little more snowfall before they arrive. Outdoor education experiences such as this provide students with opportunities to challenge themselves, build resilience and strengthen friendships. I would like to sincerely thank the staff who are giving their time to accompany the students: Mr Tomkins, Mrs Hawker, Mrs Gill and Mr Barnett. A special thank you also goes to our wonderful cooks, Mrs Parker and Mrs Marwood, whose efforts help make the trip such a success each year.

Finally, I would like to provide families with some information regarding the upcoming education sector pay increases and how they may impact Catholic schools, including Trinity College. I fully support teachers and education support staff being fairly remunerated for the increasingly complex and challenging work they undertake every day. However, Catholic schools receive approximately 80% of their funding from the Federal Government, and those funding arrangements are currently locked in until 2029. This means that the forthcoming pay increases will effectively be unfunded for Catholic schools.

At Trinity College, we remain committed to keeping school fees as affordable as possible for our families and do not anticipate fee increases beyond those that would normally occur. Consequently, we will need to identify savings in other areas of our budget to absorb these additional costs. At this stage, we are still awaiting final details of the new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, including salary increases and changes to employment conditions. Once these details are confirmed, we will be in a position to begin making informed decisions about how these additional costs will be managed.

Importantly, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality learning experiences for our students and continuing to improve our facilities. We are still hopeful that construction of the new Rice Wing will commence sometime next term as part of our long-term Master Plan. While the new agreement will undoubtedly place additional financial pressure on the College, we will work diligently to manage these challenges responsibly and will continue to communicate openly with our families about any decisions that need to be made. I expect we will have a much clearer picture of our position by the time the next newsletter is published.

Mr Paul Clohesy

Principal