Newsletter

Trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zone can be confronting, but it can also be rewarding. And all of our students were able to achieve success throughout the week.

A big congratulations to our students on how they conducted themselves; the staff told us many times that we had lovely students who were well-mannered and very accommodating. It certainly makes for a great trip when everyone works together to create a positive environment on the slopes and in the lodge.

I would also like to thank our fabulous staff and volunteers: Daniel Barnett, Shani Gill, Stephen Gill, Shauna Platt, Steve Robertson and the favourite staff members who nourished us all week long, Deb Parker and Gloria Marwood. Thank you all for helping make the 2026 ski trip such a fantastic experience for all our students.

Mr Michael Tomkins and Mrs Jane Hawker
Ski Trip Coordinators

Students observed an elephant’s toothpaste demonstration and joined in on a few classroom experiments on energy and forces with students in Years 7 and 9. It was wonderful to see Trinity students engaging and explaining their experiments with the St Brendan’s students.

Thank you to the science staff and students for welcoming our guests into their classrooms and sharing this experience. 

Mrs Casey Kelly
Learning Are Leader: Science

Over coffee and delicious egg and bacon rolls, families enjoyed games, laughter and quality time together. The morning was a special opportunity to recognise the important role fathers, grandfathers, and father figures play in our students' lives, providing encouragement, guidance, support, and a sense of belonging as they grow and learn.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the morning so special. We hope all the fathers and father figures in our Trinity community had a lovely Father’s Day.

Miss Dina Pannekeet
Development & Communications Leader

The students were presented with a genuine, real-life business problem and were challenged to work together to analyse the situation, undertake research and develop practical recommendations. Throughout the week, they worked closely with Michael, Barry and staff from AKD and Minerva Foods, developing their ideas and applying a range of problem-solving tools and techniques.

The week culminated on Friday at Trinity College, where the students presented their recommendations to business management and staff, school representatives and their parents.

We are extremely fortunate to have formed such a strong partnership with Mindshop Excellence, with this year marking our 12th year participating in the program.

Over the years, our students have developed and refined an impressive range of skills through their involvement. They learn about teamwork, communication and presentation, research and the discovery process, time management and structured problem-solving. Importantly, they also gain a greater understanding of how businesses operate and what it is like to work in the REAL world.

The program challenges students to think differently, step outside their comfort zones and approach problems from new perspectives. It gives them the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of making a genuine difference while developing valuable skills that will support them throughout their senior years at school and beyond.

We sincerely thank the Mindshop Excellence Facilitators, Mr Barry Jenner and Mr Michael Burke, along with Emily Splatt, for once again supporting and inspiring our students through this fantastic program.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to AKD and Minerva Foods for their ongoing support of our students and their commitment to providing authentic learning opportunities that help prepare our young people for their future.

We are incredibly proud of our students and how they embraced the challenge, worked together, and presented their ideas with confidence and professionalism.

Student reflections

For the students, the experience provided an opportunity to develop skills that will benefit them well beyond their time at school.

Will said the program had provided valuable life skills and was an experience he would recommend to other students.

“I got lots of life skills out of the Mindshop Excellence Program. It was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who was considering it.”

Fellow student Monique said the program helped her build confidence and develop important workplace skills.

“I enjoyed getting to experience the Mindshop Excellence Program. It gave me the opportunity to work on a real-world business problem and helped me develop my teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.”

“I also gained more confidence in sharing my ideas and working with others, and I think the experience will be useful for me in future work and career opportunities.”

Lily particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work as part of a team and put the strategies she had learned into practice.

“I have really enjoyed the Mindshop program. It has given me insight into teamwork and problem-solving. We solved the challenges we faced as a group by implementing the strategies we learned on Monday from Michael and Barry.”

“Minerva Foods was very welcoming, and we had the special and unique privilege of getting a tour.”

For Charli, the program offered an opportunity to see how new ideas could be applied within an established business, while her visit to Minerva Foods provided valuable insight into an industry where she felt a personal connection.

“The Mindshop Excellence Program was a great way of expressing new ideas into a developed business, teaching us as students the importance of teamwork and real-world experiences”.

“Minerva Foods was a great experience for me. Coming from a beef business myself, it was very insightful to see the abattoir industry first-hand. The Minerva Foods team were very knowledgeable and informative, making the experience very intriguing.”

Pippa said spending the week at AKD provided a valuable insight into the workplace and the expectations of being part of a team.

“Spending the week at AKD was the perfect opportunity to get an inside look into the real working world. It gave students like me the chance to solve a real on-site problem as a team.”

“Not only did we learn how to think creatively, improve our problem-solving skills and work better with others, but we were also treated like real employees, which prepares us for when we start to shift into the workforce.”

“At the end of the week, not only did we walk away with skills that we can take and implement into our everyday lives, but we can take away the experience that helped us build resilience, independence, and overcome challenges together.”

Beau also valued the opportunity to experience workplace expectations and responsibilities.

“I really enjoyed the program, and I think it is a great opportunity to experience what it’s like to be treated as employees. I would recommend it to future students.”

Xavier enjoyed working as part of a team while experiencing the expectations of a real workplace.

“I really enjoyed the week as we got treated like employees and solved a real-life problem. It was fun to do it as a team, which helped build our skills.”

Mrs Julie Demasi
Careers Officer & VET Coordinator

The day gave Ann a hands-on introduction to university life, the Optometry course, and the many opportunities available within the profession. One highlight was a practical activity with third-year Optometry students, where Ann learned how to remove foreign bodies from a simulated eye.

Ann particularly enjoyed the practical experience and the opportunity to speak with current students about their studies, university life and future career opportunities. The experience gave her a greater understanding of the profession and showed her that Optometry involves much more than glasses and eye testing.

The program also included a treasure hunt around the Waurn Ponds campus, giving Ann an opportunity to explore the university environment and gain an insight into what life at Deakin could be like.

Most importantly, the experience helped Ann think more confidently about her future career pathway. After attending the program, she said she had gained a deeper understanding of Optometry and was now even more interested in pursuing the course at Deakin University.

Ann described the day as “an unreal experience”, saying she had learned more about what she could do in the future.

It was a valuable opportunity for Ann to explore her interests, ask questions and experience university learning firsthand.

Deakin University: “Day in a Life” Medical Imaging Program

Deakin University has one more upcoming program in its“Day in a Life…” series. Students interested in finding out more about Medical Imaging are encouraged to take part. The program is open to Year 11 and 12 students and will be held on:

Wednesday 28 October 2026
Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus
Transport will be provided for students

If you are interested in attending, please see Mrs Julie Demasi, Careers Officer, for further details.

Mrs Julie Demasi
Careers Officer & VET Coordinator

Northcote High School 3-0 Trinity College Colac

As the wind blew a gale, Trinity set themselves up for a tough contest against a very talented Northcote High School. The boys fought hard and were unlucky to concede a penalty late in the first half, which goalkeeper Nate (Year 10) narrowly missed. The second half saw the boys play against the wind. Parker produced some great saves but was unlucky to concede two more as the game progressed. 

Gleneagles Secondary College 1-0 Trinity College Colac

Trinity were unlucky not to get the win against a well-organised Gleneagles outfit who scored a wonder goal in the first half and sat back for the remainder of the game. Joar (Year 10) and Levi (Year 10) worked tirelessly throughout the game to create chance after chance, but the Gleneagles goalkeeper was not to be beaten. Ingemar (Year 10) ran at their defence with real intent throughout the game and was unlucky not to be rewarded for his efforts. Standout performances from Rory (Year 10) and Nate (Year 10) who pushed the boys on from the back line.

Miss Jess Woods
Sports Assistant

Despite narrow 1-0 losses in our opening two matches, Trinity was highly competitive against both Narre Warren South P-12 and Preston High School. In both games, we created opportunities and showed we were more than capable of matching some very strong opposition.

Pool Results

Trinity College Colac 0–1 Narre Warren South P–12

Against a high-quality opponent, Trinity made a slow start but fought hard throughout. As the game progressed, we created several opportunities and pushed hard for an equaliser but unfortunately ran out of time.
Better players: Roy, Leo, Nader, Joseph and Kade.

Trinity College Colac 0–1 Preston High School

We went into our second match with greater confidence and enjoyed plenty of possession in our forward half. Injuries to key defenders Joseph and Zaiden disrupted our structure, and Preston capitalised.

Despite the result, Trinity had an excellent even spread of contributors across the pitch and again showed we could compete strongly against quality opposition. It was another match where the final score didn't quite reflect how evenly contested the game was.
Better players: Dashiell, Luca, Talon and Leo.

Trinity 5–1 St Joseph’s College Mildura

Trinity saved its best performance for the final game, producing an excellent 5–1 victory built on strong teamwork and relentless pressure across the pitch. Nader produced one of the highlights of the day with a brilliant goal from outside the box, while Roy found the back of the net from an almost impossible angle.

After spending time in goal, Max moved onto the pitch in the second half and kicked two goals, while Finley was rewarded for Trinity’s continued forward pressure with another.
Goals: Max 2, Nader 1, Roy 1, Finley 1.
Better players: Roy, Max, Nader and Finley.

Final Pool Standings

The pool ultimately came down to a dramatic final match between Preston HS and Narre Warren South. Preston scored with only a minute remaining to take a 2–1 lead before conceding a late penalty. Narre Warren had the opportunity to equalise but was unable to convert, leaving Preston on top of the pool.

Overall, it was a great day for the Trinity team. While the opening two results didn't fall our way, both were extremely competitive one-goal games against the teams that eventually finished first and second in the pool. Responding with a dominant 5–1 victory in our final match was a fantastic way to finish and reflected the effort, teamwork, and persistence shown by the group throughout the day.

Congratulations to all of our players on representing Trinity College so well.

Miss Jess Woods
Sports Assistant

After narrow losses to Coburg High School (2–1) and Mentone Girls SC (2–0), the girls produced an outstanding 2–0 victory over Bendigo South East SC, dominating play and finishing the day on a high.

Regan, Nellie, Lena, Chloe and Miley were among the team’s standout performers, with Regan scoring a superb goal against Coburg, Chloe scoring against Bendigo and Nellie confidently converting a penalty.

The highlight of the day was being awarded the School Sport Victoria Spirit Award for the team’s outstanding attitude, encouragement and sportsmanship. The girls demonstrated tremendous teamwork, positivity and resilience, making the school extremely proud.

Miss Jess Woods
Sports Assistant