If I was asked to sum up in one word ‘what makes a great school?’, I would say Unity. Unity encompasses so many aspects of school – staff working together with one shared purpose, which in our case is our vision and mission to provide Excellence in Learning and Teaching in a Climate of Faith and Pastoral Care. Unity among our students; an understanding and living out of our values and supporting one another to be the best versions of themselves; having a united pride in our place, a pride in our crest and uniform, and a pride in being part of something bigger than themselves – unified. Unity among our wider community - parents and whānau, our alumni, the Diocese – believing in what Trinity offers and can offer, and providing support in whatever way possible.

In this way, our college name is perfect! Trinity means unity. It is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - unified. Surely the perfect role model for our college.

Tomorrow is Trinity Day at school. It is a day of celebration. A day to celebrate not only Trinity Sunday in the Church, but it is also an opportunity to celebrate our college unity, our purpose, and the fact that working together as a team creates so much more than that of the individual parts.

This year’s musical production is another example of unity in action. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you are missing out on a real treat. This team of people, including so many of our young people from year 7 to 13, have created something special. The hours of work that go into our annual musical is huge! And it is all done because of the desire to create something special and allow our students to be the best they can be. Thank you all!

Next Friday, school is closed for a Teachers’ Only Day with our Kāhui Ako (our Catholic community of schools in Dunedin). Again, this is an example of unity and the aim to create something bigger through not just our faith connection but also through the power of sharing resources and knowledge. We welcome our Professional Learning mentors from Auckland to share the day with us, supporting us to continue our work on creating best practice in our classrooms.

Have a wonderful weekend, and I will leave you with this very appropriate quote from Julian of Norwich:

“The Trinity is God, and God is the Trinity. The Trinity is our Maker and Keeper”