Newsletter

The glowing light represents our faith in their God-given abilities and offers a prayer to illuminate their hearts and minds when they feel burdened.

The Year 12 students entered the exam hall on Tuesday as prepared as they could be, with practice exams taking place during the school holidays and subsequent feedback from teachers providing vital information to maximise their performance.

Year 11 and 10 exams follow the seniors and our candle will continue to offer a petition to God for inspiration during any doubts and uncertainties.

Good luck to all our students, and God Bless.

Prayer for Exams
Dear Lord, as I take this exam, I thank you that my value
Is not based on my performance, but on your great love for me.
Come into my heart so that we can walk through this time together.
Help me, not only with this test, but the many tests of life that are sure to come my way.
As I take this exam, bring back to my mind everything I studied
and be gracious with what I have overlooked.
Help me to remain focused and calm, confident in the facts and in my ability,
and firm in the knowledge that no matter what happens today you are there with me.
Amen.

Mrs Paatsch’s deep connection to the College spanned 48 years in her roles as teacher, librarian, archives manager and parent.

After many years of teaching and managing the library, Mrs Paatsch worked as a volunteer in the school’s archives for 24 years, maintaining and cataloguing documents that date back to the early days of St Joseph’s College that was established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1888. Her subsequent publication, ‘Looking Back – 50 Years of Trinity College Colac’  documented the history of the school as part of its Jubilee celebrations in 2017 and is a valuable resource for the community.

Located in the foyer of Trinity’s St Joseph’s Resource Centre, which was known as the Paatsch Library prior to its refurbishment and restructure, the new plaque also acknowledges Mrs Paatsch’s late husband, Frank, who was a renowned builder in Colac and volunteered his time and skills in the early days to assist the Christian Brothers in building the school.

Mrs Paatsch’s contributions to the Colac community has been extensive and she was awarded an OAM for services to the Colac community in 2013. Amongst many other things, Mrs Paatsch has been heavily involved in St Mary’s parish, including being a member of the Finance Committee, and was president of the Friends of the Gardens group, publishing a book on the history of the Colac Botanic Gardens.

Mrs Paatsch was accompanied to the special ceremony at Trinity by her son, Tony, who is principal of St Joseph’s College in Geelong, and long-time friend and work colleague, Dr Dawn Peel, who is also a well-respected local historian.

Father Michael joined the celebrations after Mass while the 2025 College Captains and Vice Captains made sure the visitors were looked after, offering refreshments and chatting about their plans for the future.

Mrs Paatsch asked the newly commissioned leaders many questions, showing her love of education and the development of young people has not waned in the intervening years.

We do understand that everyone is busy but hope that you can contribute just two hours of your time to assist. We don't expect pressure selling and we find the community is very supportive and generous with their ticket purchases.

Please select the days and times that you are able to help by following this link .

Thank you.

Ms Jenny Barake
Executive Assistant

Commencing with the traditional signing of shirts on Thursday, the Year 12 students arrived early for their big day on Friday to create a little harmless havoc in the carpark by blocking off car bays and issuing parking tickets to staff.

A hearty breakfast supplied by Trinity staff gave them energy required for a visit to Colac Tenpin Bowl followed by their final farewell performance in the hall. Emotions were running high as the cohort finally gathered in their farewell circle, taking in the moment, before they ran through a guard of honour formed by the College community.

The graduands are now heading into their final exams before celebrating their Trinity journey with a special ceremony at St Mary’s Church followed by a function with their friends and family at the College.

It was a close result, with the panel of judges taking into account the delivery, including expressions, fluency, tempo, poise and eye contact, as well as the construction and clarity of the written argument.

All of our talented orators impressed the audience with their persuasive and passionate talks on a variety of subjects and it was a tight result.

Our speakers for the evening were:

JUNIOR (3-4 minutes)
Year 7
Daisy – Why we should be allowed to chew gum in class
Brock – Concussion in school footy
Stella– Why creativity is important in a balanced life
Layla – Why we should adopt rescue dogs, not buy from breeders
Carter – Pollution
Olivia – Why zoos should change their actions
Ellen – How sport brings out the best in people

INTERMEDIATE
Year 8 (2-3 minutes)
Pippa – Bullying
Miller – Fast fashion
Matehya – Banning seismic blasing
Year 9 (3-4 minutes)
Audrey – Why happiness and joy are a state of mind
Georgia – How society has includence our perspective on beauty
Sam – Education and intelligence
Matilda – The gambling industry and sports sponsorship

SENIOR (4-5 minutes)
Year 10
Gabby – Why Religion should not be a compulsory VCE subject
Madison – Music has a healing power
Marissa – Why unethical products shouldn’t be sold in supermarkets
Eliza – Transgender athletes in single-sex competitions
Bailee – Ozempic and the diet culture
Matilda – The age of criminal responsibility

Our 2025 College Captains, Kane and Olivia were MCs for the evening, which provided to be an inspiring showcase of the future leaders of our nation!

Entertainment during the interludes when the judges conferred was provided by Jesse, Charlotte and Audrey, with Mr Stephen Gill attending the mixing desk.

The panel of judges was made up of retired Trinity teacher Mr Des Ryan, Director of Learning Years 10-12 Mrs Karen A Hart, and Deputy Principal Ms Rachel McGennisken.

The annual contest is presented by the English department and provides a forum for our Trinity students to develop their confidence in public speaking as well as persuasive writing.

Trinity Trailblazers A and Trinity Titans B were the top two finishing teams, with the former defeating Mercy C in the grand final to bring home the Spirit Cup for 2024.

Gender equality is a basic human right that helps to prevent violence against women and girls and means our communities become safer, healthier and happier places for all of us to live in.

The friendly mixed netball games highlight the schools’ common bond as Catholic schools who are inspired by Jesus to make a difference every day.

Trinity Trailblazers A: Tahli, Emmy, Macey, Luella, Izzy, Will, Jordan and Izaac, with Jess umpiring.

Trinity Titans B: Sara, Amol, Jess, Sascha, Ruby, Millie, Sid, Jarvis, Goanar and Archie, with Kieley umpiring.

Students with unreported damage to the College computer must contact the ICT department as soon as possible to avoid delays. As stated in the College Computer Loan Agreement, any damage requiring repair/replacement or intentional graffiti to computers will incur an excess charge.

Key dates for computer return and collection for each year level:

If you are still yet to consent to the available vaccines for your child in the following years, please follow the appropriate link below:

Year 7 https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au//PrivacyCollection/?id=e744af3a-692f-ef11-840a-000d3a796851&Year7

- Boostrix – diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough)

- Gardasil – Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Year 10 https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au//PrivacyCollection/?id=eb8e3039-692f-ef11-840a-000d3a796506&Year10

- Meningococcal ACWY

If you have any queries regarding this program, please contact Barbara Pain, Colac Otway Shire Health Protection Department (03) 5232 9429 inq@colacotway.vic.gov.au .

Fee payers who use the direct debit facility should have fees finalised by Friday 20 December so minor adjustments may need to be made by you to achieve this result. Such fee payers are reminded that direct debit deductions will continue over the summer break unless the College is notified in writing to adjust individual schedules.

It also may be necessary to increase fortnightly or monthly deductions for 2025 fees. This calculation and adjustment can only be made by the fee payer and is not automatic by the College.

Thank you.

Mr David Testa
Business Manager

Keeping things in perspective for students and parents alike, can help prevent everyone getting overwhelmed. Although this final year is important, it will not be the most important year of your child’s life.

There are many strategies that students can implement to help themselves. Parents can provide support, not only emotionally, but also practically by keeping their child well-nourished and encouraging physical activity.

In this special report, parents will find useful tips to support their child during this often stressful time.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact Trinity School Wellbeing Department for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://tcc.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/year-12-exam-stress-special-report

Read more about study set-up below.