Principal's Message

The change of season is also upon us at school in terms of our academic year. Seniors are looking towards their practice exams in a couple of weeks and then NCEA externals shortly afterwards, and junior students are thinking about next year and the promise of new and different subjects as they make their option choices for 2024. Winter sports have come to an end for most and our teams have enjoyed a wonderful week away at tournaments all over the South Island. Yesterday, it was a pleasure to watch part of the game that ended in a win for our Junior Boys’ Basketball Team who beat Waitaki Boys’ High School to come third in their tournament. After a close loss in the semi, it was great to see their sense of determination to make sure that their great teamwork gained them a third rather than a fourth in their final game. We also await the results of the Girls’ First XI Football team as they take on Columba College in the tournament final in Timaru today. There will be a wrap up of the tournaments next week in the newsletter.

It is timely then, as the winter sports season comes to a close to thank the many parents who dedicate so much time during the season to coach and manage teams. It is always complex, relies on a huge amount of background admin, and the communication and relationships required with students and parents take a lot of energy. It takes a lot to put yourself out there as a coach where the weight of responsibility can sit heavily, often with the added complexity of having one’s own child in the team which needs to be navigated sensitively. This year we also have ex-students and community members with no connection to Trinity who have also put their hand up to coach our teams – we are very grateful! While I see so many of our parents being wonderfully supportive and grateful to our coaches and managers, occasionally they also suffer criticism and complaints from other parents, which I know happens in all schools. This makes me sad, and I do encourage those who may have criticised to firstly think ‘would I trade places’ with the coach. Let’s work hard as a wider college community to live the values that we encourage in our young people at school. Our children watch and learn from us all the time.

We were fortunate to have John Parsons, cybersafety expert and child protection educator in school this week. He worked across all our Dunedin Catholic schools delivering strong messages to our students, parents, and staff. If your child has not talked about the messaging, please ask them what they took away from this. Setting boundaries at home, no IT in the bedroom, bathroom or in pyjamas, were key takeaway messages, along with one I rather liked “You are unique, you are valued, you are loved, and your body is your own – you are not a product”. This message sits so well with our special character ethos and is a platform for conversations at home and school about the importance of consent, which can begin so simply in a conversation about only taking and sharing photos with permission – and yes, parents, that goes for us as well!

Enjoy the first weekend of spring and Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in our college community. Have a wonderful day on Sunday.