In the years since I completed Year 12 at Trinity, I have benefited time and time again from my connections within the Trinity community, both personally and professionally. I believe a school community network is one that is hard to parallel in life after school and therefore should be nurtured and valued. And, now that I have a son at Trinity, and a second child set to commence in the coming years, my network, my sense of belonging, and my vested interest in the school is only growing.

For me, ‘connections’ is another word for ‘relationships’. Relationships are key in whatever we do. Family, business, friendships, acquaintances; all our relationships are built on connections which emanate from shared values. Simply the connection of knowing that someone else is a part of the Trinity community is a head start in any budding relationship. It’s a moment of recognition that you value community, hard work, dedication, wellbeing, perhaps sport, music or academia, or any of the other many things that Trinity Grammar School represents.

These moments are ones that happen often in my life, and they are the moments that I treasure. I recently reconnected with an OTG who finished 10 years after I did, it was through business, and the moment we realised that we had a Trinity connection, it felt like we had a shared experience that we could immediately build upon.

I really enjoy the events that bring the Trinity community together and the upcoming Community Connections Breakfast will be another really great opportunity. To be able to have Tess Madgen – Australia Opals Basketball Team Captain – as our next speaker at the Community Breakfast will be fantastic. Not only will she be just returning from the Paris Olympics, but she also represents so much of what Trinity is about; hard work, pride, dedication and commitment.

It will be a fantastic time for the whole Trinity community to come together – connecting past students, current students, past parents, current parents, past teachers and current teachers together. A time to reconnect and also meet new members of the Trinity community.

I’m a proud Old Trinity Grammarian. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a student and am equally enjoying it as a current parent and member of the OTGA.

Trinity has taught me the importance of giving back and also understanding how fortunate we are to have such a lovely and welcoming community.

On Wednesday 12 June, Trinity Grammar School, Kew hosted its third annual Trinity Community Giving Day, and we are pleased to share the incredible outcome of this day with you.

This year’s Community Giving Day raised an amazing $164,021 in support of a means-tested scholarship. This remarkable achievement highlights our community’s dedication to making a difference. Through various social justice programs and activities throughout the year, we strive to embody our values of truth, service, courage, and community. Community Giving Day offers one of these opportunities for our community to come together with purpose and impact, supporting a means-tested scholarship.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the 270 generous donors and matchers whose contributions made this achievement possible. Your support not only reflects your commitment to our school but also helps us to live out our core Trinity values.

Together, we aim to enable more students who otherwise would not be able to attend, the chance to benefit from a Trinity education. We want to provide them with a supportive environment to reach their full potential, whilst also fostering diversity and inclusivity for our current students. The means-tested scholarship funded by this year’s Giving Day will open doors for a new student, providing them with the opportunity to experience the exceptional education and nurturing environment that Trinity is known for.

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the success of Trinity Community Giving Day. Your generosity is making a real difference in the lives of students and the broader community.

Welcome and congratulations on your appointment as Parents’ Association President! What does it mean to you to be able to represent the parent community in this way?

Thank you. To have the opportunity to support the family community of Trinity and to give back in a small way to the students and staff is really special. I believe that by volunteering time to support the school’s community activities, it fosters a strong school-family partnership to enhance the educational experience for all. It is an opportunity to support the school’s culture and allow for a collaborative environment to enhance the boys’ experience.

Tell us about the Small Grants Program. How does it align with the objectives of the Parents’ Association?

The Small Grants Program is an opportunity for the Parents’ Association to give back to the school community. Funds raised by the Parents Association, through the Founders’ Day Fair and the Green and Gold Ball are distributed back to different parts of the school to enhance our boys’ learning. This may be through a marquee for rugby, a camera for the cricket team, books and small equipment for ELC or a kiln for making jewellery, just to name a few.

By being able to give small amounts to different faculties around the school, we can be a special part of the boys’ learning. The PA has a wonderful ability to provide short-term support to school departments, a cherry-on-top gift to the resources already offered to our boys. With two grant-giving periods, the PA can provide small funding for resources that give additional benefits to students. The PA always aims to ensure the benefit of the funding will reach as many students as possible.

Melissa with her son James (Year 1)

What do you enjoy most about being involved in the Trinity parent community?

Being involved in the Trinity parent community is a really lovely way to meet other families in the school community as well as have an indirect impact on our boys’ journey. I enjoy the collaboration on initiatives that support our children’s education by being part of a positive school environment. It is very rewarding to contribute to a community that gives so much back to our boys and their learning.

Image: Old Trinity Grammarians Jack Stewart (far right) with (L-R) Harry Osmond, Matt Moran, Dan McNab, Alex Boxer and Will Toner volunteer at the returning OTG careers session.

Tell us about the recent event that you and your peers were part of. What drew you to be a part of it?

We helped run the returning OTG careers session for the second consecutive year, where we organise a group of recently graduated OTGs studying a variety of different things to speak to the Year 11s and 12s about their tertiary courses; what they entail, how to navigate the application process, and so on. This year we had 15 OTGs present on more than 10 study areas, ranging from commerce to science to aviation.

What does it mean to you to be able to give back to Trinity students through opportunities like this?

It’s always nice to come back to Trinity and provide some advice to the students. It wasn’t too long ago that I was finishing up at school, so I can empathise with the decisions and challenges confronting the older boys, especially. There are many different cross-age mentoring programs run at Trinity, and I think that there’s plenty of scope to maintain those relationships between senior students and recent school graduates.

What has it been like navigating life post-school? What has been the most surprising element?

Post-school life is a significant transition, at first. University is far more self-driven than school. Some people enjoy the freedom, others struggle without the structure and routine. One thing that I have found surprising is the relative difficulty forming new friendships – with more online learning and less contact hours, meeting new people is not as easy as when you’re at school.

What was your experience during school in considering future career/study? What resources did you find most helpful at the time?

It’s hard to know whether or not you’re making the right decision when choosing a career path. I think that you’re just making a somewhat reasoned guess and hoping that your decision proves to be a good one. The school’s careers counsellor at the time I was completing Year 12 is someone whose advice I’ll always be grateful for regarding course selection. I’d definitely encourage all of the students to consider meeting with the school’s careers counsellor, Gina Bolch, at some point, to discuss their plans for the future.

How would you describe the sense of connection between fellow OTGs, the school and the Trinity community?

I think most people who graduate from Trinity still hold a fond sense of attachment to the school, regardless of whether they remain formally connected or not. The sporting clubs are obviously a strong point of connection between the OTGA community and the school, but I think that there are other areas where we can establish better links – job opportunities for university graduates, for example.

What advice would you give to students considering their career paths?

Consider your strengths and passions. Consider what sort of work-life balance you want to have. Talk to your parents. Talk to your friends. Also, be comforted by the fact that you can always change your mind about what you want to do – I know plenty of people who have changed their university degree, or pursued a different path than originally expected, and that’s ok.

Tell us about your journey in the Careers space while at Trinity. When did it start?

My journey in the Careers space began like many others – with Work Experience in Year 10, scheduled one-on-one sessions with the Head of Careers at the time and attending careers expos offered by the school. For Work Experience, I did Maxme, which helped me get a clearer definition of what I wanted to do and gave me insights into how the workplace worked.

What are your current goals for post-school? Have they changed during your time at Trinity?

My current goal for post-school is to get into the Doctor of Medicine course at Monash University. This was always my ‘dream’ throughout my time at Trinity, but as I got older, and aided with the Careers space, this helped affirm my desire to get into medicine.

Have you had any interaction with OTGs through Careers events? If so, what was that experience like?

I vividly remember Will Browning (OTG 2020) and Jack Stewart (OTG 2020) who came and gave us invaluable insight and knowledge in how to get into medicine, and also what their experience was like at university. Some things they informed us about was their work/life balance in medicine, how much they prepared for the UCAT and interview and also how the course worked – all new information that we found very helpful.

What has been the most valuable aspect of the Careers program at Trinity? Has there been an experience that has changed your perspective on what you might like to do post-school?

For me, I feel like Careers space helped put my ‘dreams’ and goals into something much more tangible. Knowing that there were past Trinity students who went through the ‘same’ journey and have not only completed but excelled in their current university course gave me some confidence that I could do the same.

What is it that you have learnt during your time at Trinity that you would like to take into your life and career post-school?

Trinity has indirectly and directly shaped the person I am today – it has guided me to have discover my own values and what I stand for. I hope this will give me a good foundation in my life and career post-school.

The green and gold took to the beautiful Melbourne Recital Centre stage for the annual May Gala Concert; a spectacular showcase of our Senior School students’ musical talents.

These beautiful shots were captured backstage as students prepared for their moment under the lights.

Since 2022, the passionate thespians of Wellington Street have been bringing stories to life on stage, forging connections with each other, their audiences, and themselves. This year, we were thrilled to present Urinetown, a satirical musical that promises to entertain and provoke thought in equal measure.

In our roles as leaders, we had the privilege of guiding students from both Ruyton and Trinity. Bringing together diverse creative minds to form a cohesive vision is no simple task. It has required close collaboration, deep understanding, and a commitment to helping each individual achieve their best. This journey has been both challenging and immensely rewarding.

The cast of Urinetown showed incredible dedication and enthusiasm. Their willingness to fully embrace this quirky, comical piece of theatre is a testament to the strong bonds they have formed. It takes a special kind of commitment to bring a show with such an unconventional title to life, and our cast has risen to the challenge with gusto.

David Youings (OTG 2017), an Old Trinity Grammarian, played a pivotal role in this production as the Music Director. David’s experience and passion for music have been instrumental in bringing the musical landscape of Urinetown to life. His mentorship guided our performers to new heights, ensuring that every note and harmony resonates with the audience.

The success of any theatrical production relies heavily on the connections among the cast. When performers are comfortable with each other and can be their authentic selves on stage, it creates a powerful dynamic that the audience can feel.

This connection transforms the audience from mere spectators into accomplices in the storytelling.

The creation of an engaged community, central to who we are, celebrating and strengthening the relationships across our students, educators, school and families network is pivotal to our pedagogy within the ELC. A sense of connection shapes our practice, our way of being and unpacking how we act individually and collectively as a community, transforming from a group of individuals at the start of the year into a learning community who learn together and develop a sense of togetherness is a ongoing process.

Our students and our families have a sense of connectedness and belonging, a place where the children feel that these links between home and school are recognised and broadened.

Within our community we create a space of genuinely inclusive, a space free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A space that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. A space where difference is valued and celebrated. A space where many students across the school spend time, collaborate with us and enrich our learning and daily interactions. What could be more important if we are to be a community where every student is able to grow into the best versions of themselves?

The space we hold here at the ELC, a sanctuary of connection, of routines, of belonging and understanding underpins all we do. Our students have a sense of connectedness and belonging, a place where they feel that these links between home and school are recognised and broadened.

All students at Trinity have unique qualities, a little like fingerprints. Whilst fingers look mostly the same from the outside, fingerprints are individual and are a symbol of our different characters.

As we reflect on our experiences and use them as the foundations for enriching the educational landscapes we create within the ELC.

Relational pedagogy underpins the ways in which educators build trusting respectful relationships between children, families, other educators, and professionals as well as members of the community.

In May, it was announced that Trinity Grammar School, Kew will become a Global Football Development Partner of Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

The multi-year coaching partnership, a first for Victoria, will focus on soccer development, strategies and understanding of the game. From 2025, a Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Development Coach will deliver an annual 12-week coaching program to Trinity students and partner organisations.

The launch coincided with a visit from the team, who were in Melbourne for their match v Newcastle United at the MCG.

Trinity students Axel Fedele (Year 5) and Ben Dieudonne (Year 5) had the opportunity to walk out onto the field with Tottenham players before the game.

“Soccer has been a big part of my family for as long as I can remember,” Axel said.

“Ever since I could understand, I had a soccer ball at my feet, and I would sit and watch all leagues. My nonno and dad both played and coached soccer, and their passion for the game deeply influenced me. My dad, who coached me for seven years, has been a significant contributor to my love for soccer. Being half Italian and half Turkish, soccer is a national sport for both sides of my heritage, which further fueled my passion.”

“The THFC launch week was an unforgettable experience. Attending the match, training with elite coaches, and participating in the clinics were all incredible opportunities that deepened my love for the sport.”

“Walking out on the field with Pedro Porro was surreal and a moment I will cherish forever.”

At the end of July, the AGSV Soccer season culminated with a 6-1 premiership win for the Trinity Firsts squad against Mentone Grammar School.