Greetings to members of HTLC.

During the week families may have seen construction commencing for our Junior School Classrooms and Middle School staff spaces. These additional spaces will provide 2 extra classrooms, refurbishment of the current Junior School classrooms and add a new staff space for our Middle School teachers. As the weeks and months of construction continue I ask that families move carefully through the pick up and drop off zone as traffic conditions may need to be altered from time to time. I thank you in advance for your patience as we further develop our college.

The PTFA is currently organising several activities for our college community that will take place during the year. One of these is the Spring Fair, planned for mid October. It is anticipated that the fair will include amusements and rides, market stalls, food and drink options, along with class led stalls. An organising committee is looking to be established to help support the event and PTFA is seeking the support of families to help out. If there are parents, grandparents or relatives who would like to help. Please fill out the expression of interest form so they can be in touch with you. The first meeting for the organising committee is scheduled for Monday 30 May. It is hoped that additional support from our community will be available for this exciting event.

Click here to express your interest.

Preparations for Ski Trip 2022 (Years 7-12) is well underway with students and staff getting ready for their trip during the September holidays. There are still spaces for additional students to join the trip so I encourage families to get in touch with me if they have any questions, or wish to join us.

A final reminder that our Open Day is taking place this coming Sunday 22 May, from 11am to 1pm. All three sub schools will be open during this time and I warmly invite current and new families to attend.

Finally, the Junior School is looking to employ a teacher (or teachers) in the Performing Arts and Library for classes from Foundation to Year 2 (total FTE 0.6). If you are a teacher, or know someone who may be interested, the position description and application process is available on our college website.

Have a great week.

Mr Daniel Weller, College Principal

by Pastor Tim Klein

Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us (1 John 4:10).

I am wondering about this statement: real love is love that has its origins in God’s love for us.

This short section of 1 John 4 mentions love 27 times, and it’s all connected to the love that God has for us. This is the love that he commands us to express in love toward each other.

In verses 7 and 8, it is made very clear that true love – or what we might call ‘real’ love – has its origins in God: love comes from God; God is love.

In verse 10, John says it again and makes it clearer: real love isn’t our love for God but his love for us.

We all need to be loved. We all need to love for that sense of completeness and satisfaction. It seems to me to be an innate part of who we are as people. It has always been in me; has it been in you – to love other people? But do we always get it right?

It starts with God’s forgiveness in us that, in turn, in love, we can give to other people. Some people can get hard to love. How can we keep loving and forgiving those who reject our love, turn their back on us or even attack us? We need another source of love that will empower our love and capacity to forgive and serve other people. I can tell you from my experience of love that whatever real love I am able to give cannot be self-generated or sustained. If I try to love on my own personal ‘love batteries’, I soon run empty, and the unreal nature of my love is exposed.

What we all discover is that we all depend on being loved by God. Only, he loves us with such depth and passion that not only are we loved to contentment but loved to the brim in such a way that his love will overflow in us. Jesus is our source of real love, and we keep love real when we keep on loving others in his name.

I wrote this verse several years ago, referring to God’s love for us in Jesus:

He was grace on a journey, walking the roadWith an eye for the broken – an ear for their cryHe said to the cripple, ‘Get up and go’On the blind and the lonely, his love overflowed.

I am that person, crippled and blindStruggling for reason, pretending I’m fineJesus – he heals me – tells me the truthHe tells me to ‘Love – as I have loved you’.

Now I’m living and loving – the old is now newby the grace of the Lord, I’m living for youtill the journey is over – wherever I goI’ll give, and I’ll serve – that his love overflows.

–Tim Klein, His love overflows, AT 638

Lord, thank you for your love toward me. Thank you for the forgiveness you give and the ways in which you serve me in life. Keep topping me up with your love so that it will overflow from my life into the lives of others. Amen.

Open Day - Sunday 22 May 11am to 1pm

Please encourage any friends or family who are interested in learning more about our college to come along to the Open Day, to walk through our beautiful college and speak to our staff. There will be Junior School tours commencing at 11.30am and 12.15pm. 

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and Year 5 students have now completed their NAPLAN assessments. Excluding the paper based Year 3 Writing assessment, all tests were completed online with minimal disruptions. The students have applied themselves very well throughout the testing process. 

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

On Tuesday morning our staff held a ‘Biggest Morning Tea’ to raise money for the Cancer Council. Collectively we raised over $600 and shared some delicious treats! 

Position Vacant

Our Junior School is looking to employ a teacher or teachers to teach Performing Arts and Library for classes from Foundation to Year 2 (total FTE 0.6). If you are a teacher, or know someone who may be interested, the position description and application process is available on our college website.

Chapel

This morning our Year 5D classes led us in worship, with a focus on showing kindness to everyone. The Bible verse was Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. Please remember to send a small offering with your child each Friday morning. Parents and friends of the College are welcome to join us for worship. 

Congratulations to this week's award winners!

FJ: Darcy Currow, Lincoln Mumford FL: Roly 1C: Nixon Smith, Ariel Moore 1I: Indi Oakley 2B: Jacob Collins 2H: Boh Adams, Alfie Janetzki 2S: Chelsea Smith 3B: Leni Johnstone 3D: Hallie Souter, Alexa Watson, Kristan Casipit 4B: Matisse Hose, Ella Bailey, Nixon Broadbear 4M: Spencer Kannar, Zara Przibilla, Angus Crute, Allira Steicke 4R: Audrey Jochinke, Harvey O'Donnell, Ajiyah McDonald 5D: Eden Dunn, Alexis Bartlett, Charlize van Zyl 5H: Denzel Adams, Roxie Knoop 6M: Eva Macumber, Lauren Jones, Sofia Barlow-McCallum 6N: Tom Wade, Lani King 6V: Brodie McIntosh, Sam Nurse Art: Joshua Kalms Digital Technology: Roly Performing Arts: Alfie Adams P.E: Jack Peterson Library: Azahlia Bruenjes Jing Award: Sapphire Schirmer

God Bless,

Mrs Fiona Friberg, Head of Junior School

Open Day

The Holy Trinity Lutheran College Open Day will be held this Sunday 22 May. This day will be a great opportunity to showcase the facilities, staff, students and programs on offer in the college. The Middle School will be a buzz with a range of activities for students to enjoy and participate in, including:

• Live music
• Free sausage sizzle
• Complimentary tea, coffee and hot chocolates
• Sports activities
• Science experiments
• Maths games
• Woodwork and art demonstrations
• STEM activities and more...

Thank you to those students who have put their hands up to volunteer on the day. Their presence will be valuable as they help to showcase the different curriculum areas. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Year 6 Interviews

As a follow-up to the Information Evening that was held on Wednesday, from next week I will be meeting with current and new Year 6 families. The purpose of these meetings is to introduce myself to the students and their families, start to put together an Individualised Learning Profile and to answer specific questions families may have about the Middle School. I look forward to getting to know the students and discussing their educational passions and interests and am excited by the prospect of welcoming these students into the Middle School in 2023. These interviews will continue for the next 3 weeks. Families who are yet to book an interview are welcome to do so by contacting main reception (admin@htlc.vic.edu.au) or accessing the online link that has been emailed to families.

NAPLAN

The final NAPLAN tests were held this week. Well done to all Year 7 and 9 students for completing their testing. Results will be made available to parents later this year. Support and guidance will be offered for any families wishing to discuss individual results once they become available.

Year 8 Excursion

The Year 8 Melbourne excursion will take place next week on Wednesday and Thursday. All the best to the students and staff involved and we hope it is a memorable experience for all.

Mr Jason Przibilla, Head of Middle School 

Commencing Senior School in 2023

Following the completion of the Morrisby profiles and career guidance interviews, packs containing information relevant to the commencement of Senior School will be sent home with Year 9 students next week. Please take the time to read through the pack and if you have any questions or topics you would like to discuss, the opportunity for a pathways interview will be available over the coming weeks. This is a significant time in a child’s education as they begin to explore potential future study and career options and to develop their individual pathways.

Senior Centre – after school study

Each night after school, the Study Centre is open for Senior School students to study independently or with peers until 4:30pm. On most evenings staff are running organised sessions with VCE students and are available to students seeking support.

Pre-service teachers

Over the last few weeks, ACU Masters students, Rebecca Weatherall and Morgan Holmes have been completing their final teaching placements in our Humanities department. During their time with us they have worked closely with our teachers, shared their passion for teaching and learning with our students, and involved themselves in our school community. It has been a pleasure hosting Rebecca and Morgan in our community and we wish them both well as they move closer towards the commencement of their teaching careers.

Mrs Sally Kuchel, Head of Senior School

Please find upcoming sporting dates below for your calendar;
Year 5/6 Girls AFL at HTLC - Friday 27 May & Friday 3 June
Greater Western Cross Country in Warrnambool - Monday 30 May
Year 5/6 Lightning Premiership Carnival in Horsham - Wednesday 1 June
Junior Hoop Time Basketball in Horsham - Thursday 2 June
Senior Hoop Time Basketball in Horsham - Thursday 9 June

Greater Western Cross Country

We have 8 eligible students in line to compete at the Greater Western Regional Cross Country on Monday 30 May in Warrnambool. A bus will be travelling from school and return on the day along with our eligible Senior School students. We wish our little runners all the very best for a great run on the day and we look forward to seeing our school's results. Enjoy the experience!

Year 5/6 Lightning Premiership Carnival

We have been completing skills training, match play and preparing teams according to EOI as a part of our Year 5/6 Friday Sport for the upcoming HCPSSA Lightning Premiership Carnival. This will be held for some of our winter sports in Horsham on Wednesday 1 June. Sports involved in this Carnival and locations are as follows; 
Netball – Central Park (1 team)
Soccer – Dudley Cornell Park (1 team)
AFL (Boys) – Coughlin Park (2 teams, A & B)

Students have expressed their interest for one of the 5 winter sports on offer; Volleyball, Soccer, Table Tennis, Netball or AFL (Boys). There will be continuation of these groups into Term 3 with Year 5/6 involvement in a 4-week HCPSSA Winter Sports Program. Teams will play at interschool level against other primary schools with the potential of proceeding to Greater Western Region level if they are the overall winners within each eligible sport.

Year 5/6 Girls AFL

We have commenced training for our Year 5/6 Girl AFL team this week during lunchtime sessions, we've seen some great talent exhibited. Parents of girls who have expressed their interest in being involved have received all information relative to training and competition dates earlier this week. We very much look forward to a successful competition here, making use of the HTLC Junior School oval. Thank you so much to those who have offered to be involved to date, including our vital umpires!

Hoop Time Basketball

Expressions of interest have been sought from students wanting to be involved in the Basketball Victoria Hoop Time competitions on Thursday 2 June for Years 3/4 and Thursday 9 June for Years 5/6. This will be held from 9.30am to 2.30pm at the Horsham Basketball Stadium. We are currently looking for coaches, team managers and parent involvement on the day. If you have availability either day or this may be of interest to you, please make contact with me via email at hayley.thomas@htlc.vic.edu.au or phone 5382 2529.

Yours in Sport!

Mrs Hayley Thomas, Primary Sport Coordinator

"Happiness is not the result of bouncing from one joy to the next; achieving happiness typically involves times of considerable discomfort. It’s more than simply a positive mood, it’s a state of wellbeing that encompasses living a good life." - Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

Happiness is defined as the balance of positive and negative emotions, combined with overall life satisfaction. Happiness and gratitude have been studied in positive psychology for many years and researchers have found that gratitude is always strongly associated with greater happiness. Although everyone has their own definition of happiness, many of us want to feel more positive emotions than negative ones. However, negative emotions are still important. They have a lot to teach us and alert us when things need to change. Practising gratitude helps people feel more of the positive emotions, enable us to relish good experiences, improve our overall health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships.

Watch this week's episode.

Vaping is becoming a trendy pastime that is growing in popularity across Australia, especially amongst teenagers. It is the act of inhaling a vapour created by an electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette. Many teenagers are succumbing to peer pressure around this risk-taking activity due to the ease of accessing and hiding vapes. They are often cheaper than conventional cigarettes, making it more cost-effective and attractive to young people.

Although under 18s are not legally allowed to purchase any type of e-cigarette or vaping product in Australia, teenagers are finding ways to access them online. Australia has strict regulations in place for nicotine-containing products, and attempts are being made to regulate vaping and ban the importation of them. Many of the flavoured liquids associated with vaping, contain not only high levels of nicotine, but other potentially harmful additives. Many of these “e-liquids” contain chemicals that are likely to be toxic, that when inhaled or vaped repeatedly, can cause severe damage to the lungs.

Vaping is often marketed as being the “healthy” alternative to smoking. However, doctors strongly advise that if you do not smoke, then you should not start vaping. Most teenagers are unaware of the associated risks and potential impact vaping can have on their development and overall health. Parents are encouraged to discuss the dangers of nicotine addiction and include e-cigarettes in the discussion alongside alcohol and drugs.

This Special Report highlights the facts around vaping and e-cigarettes and what are the potential risks.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

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

Click here for your special report.

We warmly invite families to attend our Open Day, this Sunday from 11am to 1pm.

Explore our state-of-the-art facilities, discover our learning pathways, and meet our teachers, students and leaders, to hear about the opportunities that await your child firsthand.

Register your attendance at https://www.htlc.vic.edu.au/op...