From the Head of the Preparatory School
Harmony Week and National Day Against Bullying and Violence
This week we have celebrated Harmony Week and today we have commemorated National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and encourages a focus on inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence serves as a reminder about the importance of taking informed action to ensure that bullying doesn’t occur.
Across the week, teachers have engaged students in a range of learning experiences to explore the related messages of these two events. We have encouraged the students to realise that an attitude of inclusion and acceptance is a perfect remedy to ensure bullying has no part in our school community.
Equally, it is important to help students to distinguish between ‘bullying’ and unkind behaviour. We would love for every day to be without unkindness; however, we are also realistic to know that this is most unlikely. Unfortunately, people can be unkind, however, this is very different to bullying. Unkind behaviour should never be tolerated, however, the way we respond as individuals and as a school should be very different to bullying. When it comes to this type of situation, our encouragement is for students to let the other person know that they have been upset by the unkind words or actions and to seek the support of a trusted adult if they feel they haven’t been heard. On the contrary, addressing bullying requires a more significant intervention with the perpetrator to ensure it stops, they change their behaviour and the victim is supported to feel safe.
At Trinity we adopt a definition of bullying that is consistent with research in this space. Bullying is far more than unkind behaviour as it meets the following criteria:
- It is targeted and deliberate
- It is repeated
- It involves an imbalance of power.
I encourage parents to adopt a similar approach when discussing behaviour with their children.
World Maths Day
Next Wednesday is World Maths Day. To celebrate the day we are having the next round of House challenges. Students will have the opportunity to score points for their House by participating in a variety of mathematical challenges. House Masters and House Captains will also participate in a maths challenge during the day in front of a captive audience.
COVID testing
Parents are reminded that any positive tests from Rapid Antigen Home Tests must be registered with NSW Health and students should then follow advice received from NSW Health, including isolating for 7 days. We cannot accept a student back at school within this period regardless of whether a subsequent PCR test is conducted and a negative result is received. The only way a student may return to school within the 7-day period is with a clearance letter from NSW Health.
Parents back onsite
It has been lovely to have some parents back onsite this week as a result of the COVID restrictions being eased. Whilst it has only been Pre-K and Kindy parents dropping off and picking up students, it has felt right. We have missed having parents onsite and hope that this is the beginning of a return to life pre-COVID when parents were part of each school day. From next week, all parents are invited to wait on the top basketball court in the afternoon if they are picking their son up on foot, and to use either the main Llandilo gate or the Boulevarde gate which will be opened of an afternoon. Kiss and Ride will continue to operate as normal.
Three-Way Conferences
Next week our Three-Way Conferences begin. The teachers are looking forward to welcoming parents back into the school to engage in these important round table discussions. I hope these conferences are instrumental in establishing some clear learning goals for the students for the remainder of the year.
2022 Soloist Competition
On Wednesday evening Brian Y, Ethan L, Ryan N, Kingsley L, Jack N and Adam J performed in the Finals Concert for the Soloists Competition. All of the students played outstandingly and should be congratulated for their efforts in preparing for such a performance.
Congratulations to Kinsley L who won the Junior Section and Adam J who won the Intermediate Section! The boys will repeat their performances at the upcoming Public Speaking Competition Final.
Cross Country Championships and Head Master’s Dash
On Thursday we held our Cross Country Championship at Bressington Park. The length of this event is always a challenge for some of the boys, but it was great to see them doing their best and supporting one another throughout. The winning House will be announced at our Monday morning Assembly next week. The age champions were as follows:
Under 8 Age Champion – Max Ge (3Arc)
Under 9 Age Champion – Valentino Di Maria (4Sch)
Under 10 Age Champion – Aris Ferizis (4Sch)
Under 11Age Champion – Harris Yang (6Hil)
Opens Age Champion – Ethan Marangou (6Arc)
Following the Cross Country, we conducted our version of what was formerly known as the Head Master’s Dash, a 40-metre sprint that crowns the fastest boy in the Prep School. This year’s winners were Claudio Luzzani, Jayden Paskaranathan, Austin Su and Josh Tsang.
Click HERE for some of the highlights of the morning.
Archer and Henderson House Chapel Service
The first of the House Family Chapel Services will be held this Sunday, 20th March for boys in Years 3-6 in Archer and Henderson Houses. The Service will begin at 10:00am in the War Memorial Chapel at Summer Hill. All boys in Archer and Henderson are expected to attend this service. All families in these Houses are encouraged to attend and to join in a time of community worship. Boys are to be dressed in their school uniform for this service.
Year 3 Sport
Today was also the final week of our Year 3 Sport programme. It has been wonderful to hear of the boys’ involvement in the Term 1 Football programme. We look forward to seeing them broaden their skills in the coming terms as they engage in other sports. This programme is vital in providing our boys with a solid grounding in the skills, teamwork and sportsmanship that will be required in the Saturday Sport programme in Year 4 and beyond.
Chris Wyatt | Head of the Preparatory School
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26
