From the Head of the Preparatory School
Mother’s Day
The annual Mother’s Day stall is always a highlight and this morning did not disappoint. The excitement on the boys’ faces as they approach the tables full of goodies is priceless. It is clear that our boys have great affection for their mums by their enthusiastic and thoughtful decision making about the ‘perfect gift’ for their mum. I trust that the gifts are just right and that all the mothers across the Prep community have a wonderful day on Sunday and are suitably spoilt by their sons.
Click HERE to watch the highlights!
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the volunteers who ran the stall this morning, and for the enormous commitment from the faithful few led by Lorey Eboli who prepared the gifts in advance. Thank you!
It was also fantastic to see so many Pre-K and Kindy mums at school throughout the day to participate in the respective Mother’s Day festivities. I hope that these events are the beginning of a great weekend.
If you happen to be onsite in the next week, please take the time to visit the Library foyer to read the messages of appreciation that each of the boys have written about their mums. For those that can’t visit, here is a photo of the appreciation wall.
Auxiliary Meeting
Next Friday morning we are holding our first Auxiliary Meeting for Term 2. The meeting will take place onsite at School on Friday 13th May at 8:45am. I encourage all parents to join us for this meeting as we discuss matters relating to our School community. We will be joined by Phillipa Lowe, Director of Marketing and Communications and Paul Queeney, Head of Information and Communications Technology to share the vision around parent communication, website and more. I encourage parents to join us for this session to be informed and to ask any questions they have about this area of school life.
Communication with Parents – Prep News, School Calendar and the Record Book
While on the topic of communication, it seems appropriate to speak about some of the key forms of communication that support the partnership between home and school.
Prep News is our main vehicle for communicating with parents about the week’s activities, upcoming events and important information about School life. In addition to the general updates and news, we also publish class-based newsletters every three weeks to provide parents with a window into the students’ learning, both past and future.
Whilst the Record Book continues to be an important and reliable source of information about upcoming events, the online version of the School Calendar provides additional information about upcoming events. I encourage parents to bookmark this site so that it can be used to as a reference point, particularly for week to week activities. The contents of the calendar can be filtered to only list Prep-specific events.
The Record Book is an important document for each family in the Preparatory School. It acts as a tool for your son in helping him to organise himself with his homework and providing information on school events and expectations. It is also an effective communication tool for parents and teachers. Additionally, parents can see upcoming Preparatory and whole school events. Please note the colour scheme for diary entries in the Record Book is; Black – Whole School, Dark Green – Middle and Senior School, Light Green – Preparatory School, and Blue – Junior School. I encourage all parents to monitor their son’s Record Book on a regular basis.
NAPLAN
Over the next two weeks our Year 3 and 5 boys will participate in the NAPLAN assessments. These assessments are an important part of our academic tracking processes. However, it is also important to note that these assessments and the data which is obtained from them are only one piece of the ‘reporting’ puzzle, alongside all other information parents receive about their son’s learning. Year 3 and 5 parents, please refer to the information that has previously been sent home for more details.
Safety of our students – nuts and sharing food
Peanuts and tree nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts) have been responsible for the highest number of fatal anaphylactic reactions in schools. Trinity has many students across all year groups who have anaphylactic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts. The School Canteen as well as catering at Trinity Grammar School, does not use peanuts and tree nuts in the food it prepares. Whilst the School cannot claim to be peanut or nut free or to have banned peanuts or tree nuts, to reduce the risk of potential contact we request that parents/students do not send/bring peanuts and tree nuts to School. We would also ask parents to remind the boys about the importance of not sharing food with other boys. Whilst it is a lovely gesture of friendship to share, the safety of our boys must be maintained.
Pre-K enrolments
Our Enrolment Department is about to embark on the process of interviewing prospective students and families for next year’s Pre-Kindergarten cohort. Over the last few years demand for these places has greatly increased. Whilst siblings have priority in the enrolment process, it is essential that enrolment applications have been received prior to the interview process beginning.
Chris Wyatt | Head of the Preparatory School
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2
