In this issue

World Challenge
FOSTA Shopping Spree
PTV Bus Information
Relay For Life

Grammarian Issue 16, 2 November 2018

Traralgon Junior School

From the Head of Traralgon Junior School,
Mr Andy McNabb.

Dear Parents,

Another busy fortnight has flown by and the mention of the term we use for a period of two weeks brings us to the popular online game, ‘Fortnite’. James Avram, our Director of Learning and Teaching at Warragul Secondary School posted an article last time in the secondary component of the Grammarian and the comment was made that some of our Junior School students are either playing this game or at least asking about it. We have included the article in both Junior School editions this time in the hope that it will be a help and provide some guidance for parents when talking with their children. Most of you reading this will be younger than me and probably more technologically savvy (Space Invaders anyone?) but technology is moving at such a fast pace it can be very difficult for parents to keep up. Hopefully you will find that this article informs and leads to good discussion with your children.

Right, what has been happening in school? An easier question may be, what has not been happening, so here is a quick summary.
Our Cricket teams took part in competitions at both Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6 levels. The girls and boys teams all did a great job and the Years 3 and 4 teams were undefeated on the day.

All four of our ELC groups entertained their grandparents and special guests over the two days last week. I could not get over to see what was going on but the place looked very busy!

Year 4 enjoyed a trip to IMAX and then went on to Scienceworks. I was privileged to go with them and would like to compliment them on their outstanding behaviour.

Our swimming program for Prep and Years 1 and 2 has continued. I have been asked about other year groups swimming and the format may change again for next year but we have tried to listen to feedback from families and instead of everyone swimming this year, we have limited it to our youngest students. Swimming tends to be quite a divisive topic with some seeing it as imperative and others firmly of the opinion that it is not something which needs to happen at school. We have deliberately focused on one lesson a week, so that it has as little impact on the classroom as possible.

I lost count of the number of bandannas we sold in support of CANTEEN last Friday. The students enjoyed wearing them and it all goes to a great cause.

In Week 4, we had a first when our Debating team took on Warragul Junior School via Skype. It was a little surreal, debating with people on a big screen but our students performed really well and gave good, clear reasoned arguments, whether for or against the motion.

As part of their studies, Year 3 visited the Aboriginal Keeping Place at Krowathunkooloong where they got to try on a possum coat which contained art work related to Aboriginal stories.

Now our regular ‘View from the Classroom’ slot as told by Nicholas and Alanna –
Last week we visited the Year 5 students and had the opportunity to talk with them about leadership in 2019. We gave them some pointers about preparing their leadership speech and to talk about their intention to serve and support the School. They also need to tell people a little about themselves and their hopes and plans for the future. They had lots of good questions and we were happy to pass on our advice.
Over the weekend of 20 and 21 October, the Year 6s took part in Relay for Life at the Tyers footy ground. It was cold and wet but we braved the weather and walked all night. The candle ceremony to remember those who had passed was really moving. We had a great time, working well as a team and most importantly we raised over $7,000 for a great cause.

Thursday was all about ‘Nude Food’ and the students had collected food scraps and wrappers all week. Gestures like this can make a big difference to our environment and I know at home, we have taken this seriously and been amazed at how little we now put into our red top bins.

To finish the week off, Harold the Giraffe arrived with the Life-Ed Van. Over the next week or so, every class will attend and look at sessions including Harold’s Friendship/Cyberwise/All Systems Go/Safety Rules and Think Twice. The students enjoy their trip inside the van and learn all sorts of safety and social lessons pitched at different levels by Harold and his helper Jan!

Do not forget that the school is closed next Monday and Tuesday for the mid-term exeat, along with Melbourne Cup Day public holiday. When the students return on Wednesday, it will be the first official day of our Book Fair. Due to the break for Melbourne Cup, the Book Fair will then run for slightly longer than a week and conclude on Friday 16 November.

At the end of Week 5 we will hold our own Remembrance Service at school on 9 November and then due to the centenary celebrations, our School Leaders, Alanna and Nicholas will place a wreath at the town event on Remembrance Day Sunday morning. You are very welcome to join them at the service which starts at 10:30 am.

You may have seen their pictures in the Express and last week; Alanna and Nicholas went up to the Traralgon Cemetery to meet the organisers of the centenary event which some of our Year 6 students will attend. We have purchased a tree and a plaque to commemorate the one hundred years since the end of WWI and our students will take place in the ceremony and also do an organised search of veteran’s graves while they are there on the day.

We have even introduced purple poppies this year. These are to remember the many animals who worked with the armed forces. These included dogs, camels, horses, donkeys and pigeons. We also have some cuddly toys as part of the poppy appeal and with Remus and Kira here, we thought it was particularly relevant.

Frank spoke to the students in assembly this week about the Carp-A-Thon #2 which is happening on Saturday 10 November. You will probably have seen the banners around the school, so do not forget to order your tickets from the office at $10 per family. There were some great catches last year and as a complete non-fisher, I was able to just enjoy the atmosphere and the beautiful weather. FOSP have ordered similar weather for this year, so dust off your rods and do a bit of digging to find some worms as bait. If the worms prove elusive, then apparently canned corn is almost as good. Who would have thought!

Many thanks for all your shoe buying over the last year! Athlete’s Foot have just presented the school with a cheque for $1,300 based on the fact that you have simply mentioned the school when you purchased shoes from there. Every cent of that money will go towards a whole variety of initiatives to benefit our students and I posted a picture earlier this week of Sophia and Amelie receiving the cheque in Athlete’s Foot.

I must mention the huge amount of work and organisation which our FOSP group has put in over recent weeks. If you drive past the school in the evening, you will often see cars parked and the light on in the staff room as they meet to plan the Christmas Celebration on 7 December and are already planning for next year as they are organising an exciting event to replace our Welcome Night down at the pool. We are truly indebted to these parents for all the work they put in to make things possible for everyone to enjoy.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go and dig in the garden for some worms. Failing that, I will be off to the shops for some canned corn…

Andy McNabb
Head of Traralgon Junior School

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

NOVEMBER
5 November Mid-term Break, Student Free Day
6 November Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday
10 November Carp-A-Thon, St Paul’s Wetlands, Cross’s Road, Traralgon, 9:00 am until 2:00 pm
12 November Report Writing Day, Student Free Day
13 November Years 4 and 5 Girls (and parents if they wish) Personal Development Talk, 9:00 am to 10:30 am
Year 6 Personal Development Talk, Session 1, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Prep Excursion to Inverloch, 8:30 am to 3:20 pm
13 to 16 November Book Fair
14 November Year 6 MasterChef, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Prep Swimming Lessons (Prep S, 2:00 pm and Prep V, 2:30 pm)
15 November Prep Transition 1, 2:30 pm to 3:20 pm
Year 2 Swimming Lessons (2S, 2:00 pm and 2C, 2:30 pm)
16 November Year 1 Swimming Lessons, 2:00 pm
20 November Year 5 Boys Personal Development Talk, 9:00 am to 10:30 am
Year 6 Personal Development Talk, Session 2, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
21 November Prep to Year 2 Athletics
22 November Prep Transition 2, 2:30 pm to 3:20 pm
Year 5 Leadership Speeches (Year 6 2019)
Prep to Year 2 Swimming Lessons, various times between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm
Year 6 Rotary Awards Dinner, 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
23 November FOSP Shopping Tour, 5:00 pm to 10.30 pm
29 November Year 6 Graduation Dinner, 5:45 pm to 11:00 pm
Prep Transition 3, 2:30 pm to 3:20 pm
Prep to Year 2 Swimming Lessons, various times between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm
30 November Year 5 Market Day

The dangers of allowing your child to play Fortnite

The days of playing a computer game in complete isolation on a disconnected home console or computer are long gone as modern gaming has moved into the work of the MMO (massively multiplayer online) game.

The more sanitised and child-friendly MMO offerings such as the fantasy adventure/block building title Minecraft have given way to online shooters such as Fortnite and PUBG and a number of similarly themed games that are readily available on a number of online platforms. These games almost invariably attract a more adult gamer and introduce a number of new gameplay and lobby dynamics that may not be suitable for minors.

Paying particular attention to the current frontrunner, Fortnite is a game that was not made for children and started off as a cross-platform PC/console game attracting an M rating in Australia upon its formal release. In spite of this, Fortnite and its spinoff sequel Fortnite Battle Royal are both games that were designed for a more mature audience that attracts a number of younger gamers as it is a ‘free to download and play’ title that is now available on a number of game capable devices including mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The battle royal version of Fortnite sets players amidst one hundred other players who are unvetted and unscreened, allowing free chatting through a lobby as its default setting. This means that your child is able to contact players who may be minors, or adults, with little restriction if the voice chat feature is not toggled.
As an online shooter, Fortnite follows a ‘one man left standing’ setup. Players are shut out of a session when they are shot and killed by another player and are forced to wait until the session ends before their avatar respawns for another session.
It is a common practice for players to log out or “suicide” during a game when the initial load out or positioning was unfavourable or when waiting for their avatar to respawn.
As players wait for a respawn, the game allows players to watch over another player’s shoulder, hear their commentary with no censoring (along with the comments that are shouted back at them). Bad language and lewd commentary is rampant as is trolling, verbal abuse, targeted stalking and hunting parties and taunts abound with no restriction irrespective of the player’s age.
The routine of sudden and unexpected exits from gaming sessions can often trigger repeated frustration in younger players who are not accustomed to playing in a high pressure and competitive environment. This may be compounded following a prolonged session of dying and respawning followed by sudden (and often unfair) exits. The game then vividly prompts players to eagerly log back in the lead up to another session and the cycle continues. The short matches and the constant goading by the game and other players can make the gameplay decidedly addictive.
The impact of the game can also be so pronounced for some children that it borders on obsession. The short term play cycle makes it very easy for players to inadvertently while away hours playing without realising it, making it very difficult to remove themselves from the game and attend to other activities. The game cycle itself is geared to encourage players to “have one more go” which is matched with icons displaying how close they are to gaining the next achievement or progress level, rank whilst prompting in-app purchases.
Recent media reports have confirmed the addictive nature of games such as Fortnite providing the account of a seventeen year old player who spiralled into debt due to numerous in-app purchases. His obsession with the game further led to him abusing narcotics so that he could stay online, logged in and gaming for longer.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6901822/fortnite-gamer-attempted-suicide-after-becoming-obsessed/
Whilst the game features cartoon-like graphics, the violence is insistent, repeated and the singular focus of the game is to stalk, confront and kill other players. As indicated by the Australian OFLC in its review of Fortnite’s classification, “the title offers no alternative objectives or gameplay options” other than the unremitting cycle of log in, kill, be killed, respawn.
As a ‘free to play game’ Fortnite’s revenue stream is derived from in-app purchases and DLC. Players are prompted at various points such as when they log in and when they die to part with real-world cash and purchase an upgrade or a new weapon or crafting tool. This practice has been described as predatory by scores of industry experts, but this practice is a common staple amongst online games and Fortnite is no exception.
Parents are able to control access to the game and its various features such as online chat restrictions and in-app purchases via the parental controls on platforms like the XBOX One, PS4, Switch and iOS. However, the basic structure and mechanics of the game as a first-person shooter cannot be toggled and there are limited tools that allow parents to restrict who their child will be playing against.

James Avram
Director of Learning and Teaching
Warragul Secondary School

RELAY FOR LIFE

On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October, a team of Year 6 students from Traralgon took part in the 2018 Latrobe Valley Relay For Life. We raised $1,476 during Purple Day in Term 3 and then carried on fundraising with our friends and families. During the relay we walked, listened to other’s experiences, reflected and supported each other. It was a fabulous event where the students worked brilliantly as a team, sharing laughter and tears and to make sure our relay was continuous for the whole eighteen hours of the event. Our grand total raised this year was $7,600 and for the seventh year running, we can specify which cancer charity we would like to support. Again our team was recognised for its dedication, participation and good behaviour during the whole event. We are so proud of our students and the support from their families.

CLASS AWARDS

Prep V
Darcy for his “have a go” attitude in all activities in the classroom. Well done!
Ollie for his creative invitation writing.
Prep S
Jessica for showing determination in all classroom activities.
Lani for working hard to improve the neatness of her work. Well done!
Lewis for showing resilience in tricky situations.
Patrik for reading with expression.
Year 1F
Ryan for being a very creative St Paul’s ninja warrior.
Zebulon for making great improvements in his letter formation.
David for completing detailed book reports. Well done!
Fraser for always supporting his friends with a positive comment and smile when needed.
Year 2S
Isaiah for being curious and inquisitive and asking great questions during our geography unit.
Lacey for fantastic thinking and questioning during our ‘Me and My World’ unit.
Year 2C
Nate for being a great helper with packing up at the Year 2 sleepover.
Adele for fabulous ideas and excellent use of pirate language in her pirate narrative.
Year 3BH
Ryder for accepting others and their achievements, while congratulating and supporting their success.
Angie for consistently settling to assigned tasks with diligence and care.
Year 3BD
Lachlan for using adjectives and connectives effectively to produce an entertaining piece of writing about an everyday event.
Fraser for being so encouraging and supporting of others during our Maths games.
Year 4O
Ethan for his persistence and efforts to punctuate accurately each time he writes.
Year 5H
Connor for supporting, caring and creating a team approach within his table group in the class.
Year 6R
Zali for engaging enthusiastically in class discussions.
James McDonald and Darcy Ellen for excellent work on their vehicle (boat) that was self propelled and worked every time they tried it. Well done!
Year 6H
Kate Edgar for the design and drawing on our Year 6 Relay for Life photo prop.
Year 6
The Year 6 Students for participating in the Relay for Life and once again making our community very proud of them.

BUS TRAVEL

School Bus Management System
In the lead up to the 2019 school year, all travellers wishing to access School Bus Program services, are required to log in to the School Bus Management System and submit their travel applications.

The school wishes to stress to parents that safety is our number one priority. If your child is not registered and is still travelling on a bus, then the School Bus Management System and our school records will not have them listed to catch the bus. In the event of an incident or a need to stop the bus, these records will tell us if your child is on the bus. Without them we will not be informed to contact you.

To log in to the School Bus Management System please go to, https:\\schoolbusapplication.ptv.vic.gov.au

Existing Travellers
These are students who already travel on the school bus and are registered on the School Bus Management System. If your child requires continued travel on the school bus, then you must submit a 2019 travel application.

The chart below will help families already registered on the School Bus Management System to:

• Renew Applications – If your child is already travelling and needs continued school bus access and has not changed school or home address
• Add Travellers and New Application – If you are already registered on the School Bus Management System, but have a child accessing a bus for the first time
• New Application – If your child is already travelling but has changed school or home address.

For your convenience, please see chart below to help with the process.

Diagram 1 – Existing Travellers

New Families
All new families seeking access to School Bus Program services for the first time will need to register on the School Bus Management System. Please go to https:\\schoolbusapplication.ptv.vic.gov.au

Once registered, families will be able to add travellers and submit travel applications online.

For your convenience, please see the chart below to help you with the registration and application process.

Diagram 2 – New Travellers

When Can You Submit Your Child’s 2019 Application?
Now. The School Bus Management System is accepting 2019 applications now.

When Will You Receive A Travel Offer?
The School Bus Management System will process all 2019 travel applications at the end of November 2018.

What’s Next?
When you receive your child’s travel offer, log in to the School Bus Management System and manage your child’s offer. This completes the process.

Need Assistance?
In the event families need assistance, please contact Public Transport Victoria’s call centre on 1800 800 007.

We are excited to announce FREE PTV bus routes which travel straight to our door at the St Paul’s Traralgon Campus!

Along with the current Country School Bus network of bus routes travelling to our campus, these additional routes will now allow more students to travel to St Paul’s Traralgon free of charge. Students will be required to purchase an upfront annual student concession myki and will be reimbursed the full cost from the conveyance process.

To find out more about how your child can travel for free to St Paul’s Traralgon Campus by taking advantage of these new PTV routes or to find out further information regarding exact routes please contact our bus coordinator on buscoordinator@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or 5623 5833.

ARTISTS OF THE WEEK

Competition finalists for the Traralgon Junior School 2019 Diary Cover.

CARP-A-THON

Saturday 10 November 2018
9:00 am until 2:00 pm
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Wetlands, Cross’s Road, Traralgon

Cost is $10 per family. Entry includes sausage sizzle. Prizes to be won!

Great family day, invite your friends.
Please RSVP to Junior School Reception for catering purposes.

Tip: Earth worms are the best bait but corn does work.

Grammarian Issue 16, 2 November 2018

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School,
Mr Stephen Klemke.

Year 8 Camp Lakewood Park Camp, Gippsland Lakes
I had the pleasure of attending the first day of our Year 8 Camp with Ms Laura Butterworth, Head of Warragul Secondary School whilst our students participated in their groups against the back drop of the Gippsland Lakes. The first rotation of activities included stand up paddle boarding, sailing and mountain bike riding. Once those activities were finished the students had some free time before dinner. It was wonderful to watch a myriad of cross campus student/staff games erupt. There was the mega game of tippity run, a soccer game, some basketball hoops happening, kick to kick with the footy and some students just relaxing and chatting. It really did reinforce that sometimes when we join campuses the sum of parts is greater than the whole.

Students and Jayne Sherrard getting ready to go stand up paddle boarding.

Year 12s Return
We had a wonderful visit and afternoon tea last Friday with the Year 12 students of 2018 who attended the Traralgon Campus. Our staff were very excited to catch up and see how they were going. On behalf of the Traralgon Secondary School I would like to wish all of our Year 12 students the very best for the upcoming exam period.

Exhibition Evening plus MyStPauls Parent Information Workshop
I would like to warmly invite all families to attend our campus Exhibition Evening this Thursday 8 November, beginning at 7:00 pm. You will see all the details further down in this edition of the Grammarian, however, I wanted to highlight, in response to the recent MyStPauls parent survey, we are running an information session on MyStPauls at 7:00 pm for approximately twenty minutes. If you miss the information session you will still be able to drop in to the MyStPauls stand to ask any questions. We hope the twin opportunities of seeing the showcase of our students’ many achievements and gleaning some timely MyStPauls tips will tempt many. I hope to see you there.

Comparative Reports
At the end of each semester, parents may request that the school provide them with written information that clearly shows their child’s achievement compared to his or her peer group at the school. The information will show parents the number of children in the group in each of the achievement levels/subjects. However, where group numbers are less than twelve this data will not be provided, in order to protect the privacy of the students in the class. Class teachers will instead explain the student’s level relative to their peers, without identifying the number in each band.

No School
A reminder that there is no school on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 of November.

Stephen Klemke
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

NOVEMBER
5 November Mid-term Break, Student Free Day
6 November Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday
8 November SEISA Summer Sport, Junior, Round 4
Traralgon Secondary School Exhibition Evening and MyStPauls Parent Information Workshop, 7:00 pm
10 November FOSP Carp-A-Thon
12 November Sport Science Excursion, Gippsland Tech School
15 November SEISA Summer Sport, Junior, Round 5
20 to 22 November Year 10 Exams
21 to 22 November Year 9 Exams
21 November Lamont Book Collection, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
22 November Traralgon Secondary School Year 10 Farewell Dinner, 7:00 pm
23 November Traralgon Secondary School Student Free Day
FOSP Shopping Tour
26 November Early Commencement Begins
30 November Year 9 Swim Test

DECEMBER
3 to 5 December Year 7 2019 Orientation
7 December St James Community Christmas Lunch Excursion
FOSP Christmas Evening
11 December Run for East Timor Fundraiser
12 December Traralgon Secondary School Presentation Assembly, 12:00 noon
End of 2018 school year

SECONDHAND UNIFORM SALE

The end of the school year is fast approaching and it will not be long before our next cohort of Year 7s start their orientation program. To help families with the cost of starting at Year 7 we are offering a secondhand uniform sale during the three days of orientation (3 December to 5 December). If you have any clothing you would like to sell during these days we ask that you follow the guidelines below and we will endeavour to sell these for you.

Step 1 – thoroughly wash any clothing, dry cleaning of the blazers

Step 2 – write a list of all your items with the size beside each and any markings such as names, ripped tags, spots and other

Step 3 – using a safety pin, pin your name and asking price for the garment on each item

Step 4 – bring the items to the office

Items will be put on sale during the orientation program. Any clothing not sold will be returned to you along with any money from your sales.

BUS TRAVEL

The school wishes to stress to parents that safety is our number one priority. If your child is not registered and is still travelling on a bus, then the School Bus Management System and our school records will not have them listed to catch the bus. In the event of an incident or a need to stop the bus, these records will tell us if your child is on the bus, without them we will not be informed to contact you.

To log in to the School Bus Management System please go to, https:\\schoolbusapplication.ptv.vic.gov.au

The chart below will help families already registered on the School Bus Management System to:

For your convenience, please see chart below to help with the process.

Diagram 1 – Existing Travellers

Once registered, families will be able to add travellers and submit travel applications online.

For your convenience, please see the chart below to help you with the registration and application process.

Diagram 2 – New Travellers

When Can You Submit Your Child’s 2019 Application?
Now. The School Bus Management System is accepting 2019 applications now.

When Will You Receive A Travel Offer?
The School Bus Management System will process all 2019 travel applications at the end of November 2018.

What’s Next?
When you receive your child’s travel offer, log in to the School Bus Management System and manage your child’s offer. This completes the process.

Need Assistance?
In the event families need assistance, please contact Public Transport Victoria’s call centre on 1800 800 007.

We are excited to announce FREE PTV bus routes which travel straight to our door at the St Paul’s Traralgon Campus!

WORLD CHALLENGE TEAM UPDATE

The St Paul’s World Challenge teams have gotten their fundraising off to a great start for the 2020 Malaysia/Borneo Expedition. Many challengers have been getting part-time jobs such as paper rounds, food service and car washing. They are very excited to see their bank accounts starting to grow already!

So far this term, the team have assisted in the implementation of the SPARK School Holiday Program, operated two stalls at the Gippsland Garden & Home Expo selling roast meat and salads, icy poles and ice-creams, as well as Onya reusable products and a car wash at the Miller’s Factory Year 9 Centre. The World Challenge team would like to say a big thank you to Christie Bransgrove and the school, Helen and Russ Hateley who donated the cool room and most of the equipment for the expo as well as Jenny Moore, Supercheap Auto, Burson Auto Parts and TNT Auto Parts for their donations for the car wash.

Still to come this term, the team will be running a car wash at the Traralgon Campus as well as an end of year pool party in conjunction with the YMCA Warragul Leisure Centre.

It has been rewarding to see the team starting to get to know each other as they begin their shared journey towards this amazing experience.

Carissa Kelly
Head of Science

CARP-A-THON

Saturday 10 November 2018
9:00 am until 2:00 pm
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Wetlands, Cross’s Road, Traralgon

Cost is $10 per family. Entry includes sausage sizzle. Prizes to be won!

Great family day, invite your friends.
Please RSVP to Junior School Reception for catering purposes.

Tip: Earth worms are the best bait but corn does work.

Grammarian Issue 16, 2 November 2018

Warragul Junior School

From the Head of Warragul Junior School,
Mr Rowan van Raay.

It has been a ‘jam-packed’ couple of weeks in our ELC and Junior School. Our Pre-Preps have been getting to know their Year 4 buddies while the Prep to Year 2s concluded their swimming program with their carnival recently. Our Years 3 and 4 and, 5 and 6 Hoop Time basketball teams participated in a tournament while our T20 cricket teams competed in a T20 Blast tournament on Tuesday. This week we also had three students, William Brewer, Benjamin Denton and Lucy McKenzie compete in the State Athletics. The Year 5s are currently in the middle of applying for their Year 6 Leadership positions and have completed their interviews with Mr Barkla and Mrs Davies. This is an exciting time for our Year 5s as they begin to think about being leaders of our Junior School next year.

It was wonderful to see over two hundred students and parents attending our sexuality education sessions on Monday evening run by HUSHeducation. I thank the families who attended and hopefully the evening has encouraged parents and their children to continue open conversations about this ‘tricky’ topic. Our Years 5 and 6 students followed up with two classroom sessions during the week. My thanks to Mrs Davies and Mr Barkla for organising the program and coordinating the night.

A reminder that our Junior School Art Show is open until next Thursday, so pop in and see the amazing artwork on display. I thank Mrs Bristowe for all of her hard work and the Year 6 Art Captains who assisted with the set up.

Coming up we have Grandparents and Special Guests Day next Thursday while our 2019 Preps commence their transition program next Friday. Our ELC and Junior School photo is on Wednesday 14 November, 9:15 am, Junior School oval. All Years 3 to 6 students need to wear their summer uniform and bring their blazer to school for the photo. Classes who have PE should bring their PE uniform to change into after the photo. Our Prep to Year 2 Soirée will be held in the Prideaux Centre on Wednesday 14 November while our ELC 2019 Information Evening will be held on Monday 19 November, also in the Prideaux Centre.

Staffing for 2019 is almost complete and parents will be notified of who will be teaching at each year level in the coming weeks. Orientation day for our 2019 Year 1 to Year 6 students will be held on Tuesday 4 December, 12:00 noon to 3:20 pm. On this day students will spend some time with their 2019 teacher and classmates. We will also hold a short welcome assembly at 2:00 pm in the Junior School Gymnasium. Next year’s class lists will be sent home to parents on this day. Our Year 6s will be involved in three days of early commencement orientation days over at the Secondary School beginning on Monday 3 December.

Our final day of school will be on Wednesday 12 December with our Presentation Assembly beginning at 9:30 am and concluding at 11:00 am in the Secondary School Gymnasium. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the 2018 school year with all year levels giving a short presentation. We will also be wishing our Year 6 students well as they complete their junior school journey and all parents are welcome to attend the assembly. Students will return to class for half an hour and are then permitted to go home with their parents at 11:30 am to enjoy a well-earned holiday.

Recently Mr Avram (Director of Learning and Teaching, Secondary School) wrote about the dangers of allowing your child to play Fortnite in the Secondary School newsletter. Given that many of the Junior School students are also now playing or wanting to play this game, I include a version below for parents to read. I hope you find it helpful when deciding whether to let your child play, or continue to play, this online game.

Have a wonderful LONG weekend everyone, remember no school on Monday and Tuesday!

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

The dangers of allowing your child to play Fortnite

Paying particular attention to the current frontrunner, Fortnite is a game that was not made for children and started off as a cross-platform PC/console game attracting an M rating in Australia upon its formal release. In spite of this, Fortnite and its spinoff sequel Fortnite Battle Royal are both games that were designed for a more mature audience that attracts a number of younger gamers as it is a ‘free to download and play’ title that is now available on a number of game capable devices including mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The battle royal version of Fortnite sets players amidst one hundred other players who are unvetted and unscreened, allowing free chatting through a lobby as its default setting. This means that your child is able to contact players who may be minors, or adults, with little restriction if the voice chat feature is not toggled.
As an online shooter, Fortnite follows a ‘one man left standing’ setup. Players are shut out of a session when they are shot and killed by another player and are forced to wait until the session ends before their avatar respawns for another session.
It is a common practice for players to log out or “suicide” during a game when the initial load out or positioning was unfavourable or when waiting for their avatar to respawn.
As players wait for a respawn, the game allows players to watch over another player’s shoulder, hear their commentary with no censoring (along with the comments that are shouted back at them). Bad language and lewd commentary is rampant as is trolling, verbal abuse, targeted stalking and hunting parties and taunts abound with no restriction irrespective of the player’s age.
The routine of sudden and unexpected exits from gaming sessions can often trigger repeated frustration in younger players who are not accustomed to playing in a high pressure and competitive environment. This may be compounded following a prolonged session of dying and respawning followed by sudden (and often unfair) exits. The game then vividly prompts players to eagerly log back in the lead up to another session and the cycle continues. The short matches and the constant goading by the game and other players can make the gameplay decidedly addictive.
The impact of the game can also be so pronounced for some children that it borders on obsession. The short term play cycle makes it very easy for players to inadvertently while away hours playing without realising it, making it very difficult to remove themselves from the game and attend to other activities. The game cycle itself is geared to encourage players to “have one more go” which is matched with icons displaying how close they are to gaining the next achievement or progress level, rank whilst prompting in-app purchases.
Recent media reports have confirmed the addictive nature of games such as Fortnite providing the account of a seventeen year old player who spiralled into debt due to numerous in-app purchases. His obsession with the game further led to him abusing narcotics so that he could stay online, logged in and gaming for longer.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6901822/fortnite-gamer-attempted-suicide-after-becoming-obsessed/
Whilst the game features cartoon-like graphics, the violence is insistent, repeated and the singular focus of the game is to stalk, confront and kill other players. As indicated by the Australian OFLC in its review of Fortnite’s classification, “the title offers no alternative objectives or gameplay options” other than the unremitting cycle of log in, kill, be killed, respawn.
As a ‘free to play game’ Fortnite’s revenue stream is derived from in-app purchases and DLC. Players are prompted at various points such as when they log in and when they die to part with real-world cash and purchase an upgrade or a new weapon or crafting tool. This practice has been described as predatory by scores of industry experts, but this practice is a common staple amongst online games and Fortnite is no exception.
Parents are able to control access to the game and its various features such as online chat restrictions and in-app purchases via the parental controls on platforms like the XBOX One, PS4, Switch and iOS. However, the basic structure and mechanics of the game as a first-person shooter cannot be toggled and there are limited tools that allow parents to restrict who their child will be playing against.

James Avram
Director of Learning and Teaching