In this issue

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

Season Greetings
As this is the last Grammarian for the year may I take the opportunity to wish all a very merry and safe Christmas and a cheerful start to the new year.

Year 10 Farewell Dinner
The Year 10 Farewell Dinner was a wonderful evening.  Thank you to Kirsten Enders and Sandra Timmer–Arends for organising the evening.  I wish the Year 10 students every success with their next phase of schooling and trust that your memories from the Traralgon Secondary School are fond ones.

Presentation Assembly
The Presentation Assembly will take place on Tuesday 12 December at 12:00 noon in the school gymnasium.

The assembly is scheduled to finish at approximately 1:30 pm where a light afternoon tea will be provided in the foyer of the gymnasium.  Reports will be available for collection at the conclusion of the assembly.  It barely needs mentioning, however, students are required to wear full summer formal uniform with blazer.

As there are no scheduled classes on this day, students will then be permitted to leave with their parents or to sign out with a note.

For students who need to attend for the full school day we will provide appropriate supervision and activity.

beyondblue Fundraiser was Beyond Expectations!
Last Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending a High Tea Fundraiser for beyondblue organised by Rachel Jennings.  Rachel had organised the event for her Personal Project as part of the Year 9 Thinking and Learning Program.  What a fabulous afternoon, the food, service, guest speaker, entertainment and the organisation was all top shelf.  There was a real buzz in the room.  The event was emceed by Nathan Byrne, our Head of Performing Arts and we were entertained by the silky voice of Melissa Clarke who while on family leave found time to support the event and also by Joshua Albanese who swept us away with a virtuoso performance on the violin.  Students served as waiters, there was also a table of students and a table of staff, who had all attended in support of the cause.

There was a plethora of fund raising activities during the event, from the raffles, to spinning wheels.  Rachel would like to thank all who were kind enough to donate the prizes.

In excess of $4800 was raised!  I was most impressed.  Congratulations Rachel, on a wonderful event!

Congratulations Rachel!

Joshua, a virtuoso performance.

The student wait staff.

Year 9 students enjoy the high tea.

Run for East Timor
On Monday 11 December from 9:00 am to 11:00 am we will be holding our annual Run for East Timor to raise funds for Friends of Ermera, an organisation that assists schools and community groups in the Ermera area of East Timor.  We are asking students for a donation of $5.  The $5 donation will be collected in Mentor Group or can be handed in to the office.

Students are invited to dress up in fancy dress for the run, with prizes and house points to be won for the best dressed and the most laps run!  A house theme has been decided on in house meetings last Thursday.  If students do not wish to dress up, they need to wear house sport uniform and bring a hat.  The run will take place at the cricket oval on the school ground.

Icy poles can also be purchased for $1 on the day.

Year 10 students of 2017 who are wanting to attend will need to sign in and out of the school and pay their $5 entry fee at the office.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Kirsten Enders.

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

DECEMBER
4 December
to 8 December  Early Commencement
4 December
to 6 December  Year 7 2018 Orientation
8 December  Christmas Celebration Evening
11 December  East Timor Run Fundraiser
12 December  Presentation Assembly 12:00 noon
12 December  Final Day of Term 4 2017

Fee Payment Reminder

• Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have a periodical payment arrangement in place.
• Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 27 October 2017 and are now overdue.

Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

Information regarding school developments and the 2018 fees schedule will be distributed to families next week.

Peer Support Leaders at the Summit
Ms Enders and Mrs Timmer-Arends took eleven students to The Summit in Trafalgar last Friday.  They were joined by the potential Peer Support Leaders from the Warragul Campus and Reverend Lowe.  The day focused on leadership and teamwork.  The purpose was to observe the leadership skills and potential of students in order to select a team of Peer Support Leaders for 2018.

After a brief introduction, groups were divided and sent off to various activities around the venue.  Our students started off with initiative activities, followed by the rock wall, abseiling, snow river challenge, high wire and finished off the afternoon with the leap of faith.  All the students did extremely well and were very encouraging of each other especially when they were faced with some challenges.

For our campus, our eleven students will be organising activities to do with our 2018 Year 7 cohort during Orientation week.  This will be the final process after they have already completed an application, an interview and a day at The Summit.

Carissa Hughes and Lily Griffiths at the Initiatives with Tom Dowler.

Our students completing part of the Snow River Challenge.

A group shot of the potential Peer Support Leaders at The Summit.

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School,
Ms Laura Butterworth.

This is our last Grammarian for 2017, and as such, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the entire St Paul’s community for their support and care this year.  I am very proud of the opportunities for education and personal growth that we offer our students and very impressed by the way in which our students embrace these opportunities.  2017 has not been without its challenges with the Arts Centre closing for refurbishment and a new building on the Bowen Street site forcing us to reconfigure events and student movement, but in true St Paul’s style we worked through the issues and events such as ‘Centrepiece’ were a triumph in an altered setting.  Our students have also adapted to the building site and altered conditions for foot traffic.  We all look forward to the opening of the building in 2018 and the opportunity to use the space.

Presentation Night 2017
Our 2017 Presentation Night will be held on 12 December starting at 7:00 pm.  All students are expected to attend and must do so in full summer uniform including blazers.  If it is a warm evening we will give students the option of removing them.  At the conclusion of the formalities we will hold a supper at the back of the gymnasium which will be an opportunity for our families to farewell Ms Lisa Moloney our Principal.  We look forward to this event as the formal conclusion to our academic year.

2018 Leaders Induction Service
On Thursday 30 November we officially inducted the following student leaders for 2018:
Year 8 Leaders, Year 9 Leaders and House Representatives, Year 10 Leaders, Deputy House Captains, Co-curricular Captains, Student Representative Council, Bus Captains and Peer Support Leaders.

It was a warm day so conditions in the gymnasium were trying, but despite this our students respectfully welcomed their new leaders for 2018.  It was lovely to see many parents and guests in attendance and I thank you for your time.  Our whole school leaders, including Prefects and House Captains, will be inducted in the new year.

The Prideaux Gallop
The Prideaux Gallop will be held on the morning of Tuesday 12 December, the last day of school for Years 8 to 10 students.  The Prideaux Gallop has a long tradition in the Secondary School and is a fun way to bring the school year to a close.  Students and teachers participate in this fun run around Brooker Park and raise money for a local charity chosen by the Prefect-elects.  Each student is asked to bring a gold coin donation for the charity.  Students may walk, run or jog around the track.  Ribbons are awarded to the fastest runners and there are also prizes for best costumes.  The students are encouraged to dress up and get into the spirit of the event, helping to build upon this tradition and contribute to a great cause.

Final days of school
Our final day for classes during Early Commencement is a staggered finish.  Our 2018 Year 11 and 12 students will cease classes on Friday 8 December whilst our 2018 Years 8 to 10 students will finish on Tuesday 12 December.

Year 9 Reminders
A new cohort of students has successfully transferred across to the Miller’s Factory Year 9 Centre to experience the Year 9 program.  A few reminders for parents and students regarding this transition are:
Students are to walk in pairs between the Bowen Street campus and the Sutton Street campus.  They are required to use the signed crossing outside the Bowen Street campus and are reminded not to detour via the corner store.  They are asked to be respectful and considerate of local residents using the path.  They are also reminded to care for the public environment through which they are travelling as a member and representative of our St Paul’s community.

During summer terms students must wear a hat when walking between campuses and when they are out in the yard at morning tea and lunch.

Transitioning to Year 9 is quite a change.  We encourage parents who have any questions, no matter how large or small, to contact their student’s Mentor for clarification.  The class Mentor is the first point of contact for all Year 9 students and this year they are:
9.1 Mr Peter Willems – pwillems@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
9.2 Mrs Leonie Clark – lclark@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
9.3 Mr Chris O’Brien  – cobrien@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au
9.4 Mr Brad McCabe – bmccabe@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Please do not hesitate to make contact with the class Mentor, via telephone on 5622 7900 or email, and allow them to assist you and your child to navigate these early weeks of transition into the Year 9 program.

Reminder about the mobile phone policy – while we acknowledge that students do have phones in their possession we do ask that if you or your child needs to communicate that you do this through our Year 9 Reception on 5622 7900.  Students are welcome to use the phone in student services to make a phone call home should this be required throughout the school day.

There are fewer staff on campus at Year 9 and the buildings may not be open or attended prior to 8:30 am.  We do want your children to remain safe at all times so please be aware supervision may be limited prior to teacher starting time at 8:30 am.  We would prefer your child arrive after this time each morning.

Beginning of 2018 reminders
Please note that students return to school on Thursday 1 February 2018.  School photos will be taken on this day.  Students must ensure they are in full summer school uniform.  The uniform policy must be fully adhered to for students to partake in the photos.  This includes hair tied back, cleanly shaven, no make-up and the only jewellery allowed is a wrist watch and a single gold or silver stud or sleeper as per the uniform policy.  An alternative program will run on this day including school photos and an extended mentor block.

Students also need to return with their lock for their locker, so keeping it in a safe spot over the break is advisable.

I would like to congratulate our HPV team who very successfully travelled to Maryborough to compete last weekend.  Please continue reading for a full report of their tremendous success.  I would also like to wish our U18 Girls Basketball team the best of luck as they head to Melbourne next week to compete at the nationals.  Our French Exchange students are taking off with Mr Cussen today and will be returned safely to us by Ms Bellis in the new year.  This is such a wonderful experience and I know they will make the most of it.  We also have students currently with Mr van Raay in Rwanda taking part in our alternative schoolies program and I look forward to hearing about this opportunity when they return.  I would like to extend my congratulations to the Performing Arts team and all of the extraordinary performers in last night’s Middle School Concert.  There really is opportunity all the way to the end of the academic year here at St Paul’s.

I hope all of my students and families have a relaxing break and spend time together.  I thank you all for your contribution to our St Paul’s community during 2017 and look forward to returning to see you all in 2017.

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

DECEMBER
1 December  French Exchange departs
1 to 3
December  SEISA Leadership Camp weekend
2 December  Equestrian Clinic, Baw Baw Equestrian Centre
4 to 6
December  Year 7 2018 Orientation Program begins
7 December  Christmas Service
8 December  Years 11 and 12 2018 classes cease
9 December  Gathering of Friends
9 December  St Paul’s Christmas Equestrian Clinic
10 December  Christmas Carol Service
11 December  Student Leaders Workshop
12 December  Final day of the school year
12 December  Presentation Evening, 7:00 pm

Fee Payment Reminder

• Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have a periodical payment arrangement in place.
• Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 27 October 2017 and are now overdue.

Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

Information regarding school developments and the 2018 fees schedule will be distributed to families next week.

Visual Art Student Exhibition
On Friday 10 November the Visual Arts Faculty opened the inaugural student exhibition ‘THIS IS (NOT) IT’ at Miller’s Factory Year 9 Centre.  For the first time, students from Years 7 to Year 12 had work on display.  This huge exhibition showcased student work from Art, Studio Art, Visual Communication Design, Product Design and Technology Hard and Soft Materials.  The exhibition featured over three hundred works from our students.

During the evening, textiles students showcased garments which they designed and made themselves. After researching, creating and illustrating possible options, students selected a final design and then embarked on a production process of altering patterns, cutting and sewing, fitting and finishing their garments to a high presentable quality.  Students modelled their garments to appreciative audiences and we are very proud of their achievement.

The night was a fantastic celebration of student achievement and it was also a farewell to our graduating art and technology students.  We wish them all the best with their future creative pursuits. Thank you to all of the Visual Arts teachers who have worked tirelessly this year.  Thank you to all of the parents who have supported their children in completing a Visual Arts subject.  Thank you to the staff, friends of St Paul’s and wider school community for all your encouragement.  And above all, thank you to all the exhibitors for your excellent work this year.

The Adventures of Team Jaffa and the Almighty ‘Kev’
On 23 November the St Paul’s Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) team – affectionately known as Team Jaffa, embarked on a journey of monumental significance.  Not only was this their first opportunity to race in Kev, their newly-constructed race vehicle, but this was Ian Maud’s 25^th year of HPV – a massive achievement that the team was delighted to celebrate!

The RACV Energy Breakthrough event is held annually in Maryborough and over four days caters to six thousand school participants and attracts thirty thousand people to the town from around the country and the globe.

The team had their best performance yet, taking out first place for ‘Design and Construction’ and being named the Overall Runner-Up in the Try-athlon Class (Open).  This outstanding achievement is a testament to the work of Mr Maud, volunteer parents and the impressive talents of the students involved.   Congratulations to those involved and watch this space for more HPV success in the future!

SEISA Summer Sport Success!
On Thursday 23 November St Paul’s had three junior teams qualify for the grand final in the SEISA summer competition.

Girls Softball: After dominating their opponents over the past five weeks this team went into the grand final as overwhelming favourites.  Once again the team was able to play the game with determination, spirit and superb sportsmanship.  The final result was decided with an extra innings with Anneka Pellet the standout performer throughout the game.

Winning Softball Team.

Girls Basketball
This team put in another great performance to play their best game of the season, comfortably beating Beaconhills Pakenham in the process 35 to 15.

Girls Basketball team.

Boys Basketball
These boys played their best game of the season and pushed the undefeated Beaconhills Pakenham team all the way losing 34 to 39 (Pakenham had won all previous games by a minimum of 30 to 40 points).

Boys Basketball team.

Also a big thanks to all staff involved for organising and coaching the all teams this season. Lastly, well done to all students for a fantastic season and a well deserving reward.

Ben Zanella
Head of Sport – Warragul Campus

From the Acting Head of Warragul Junior School,
Mr Phil Barkla.

Last week saw our Years 3 and 4 students head off on camp to Waratah Beach Camp and The Summit respectively.  I visited the Year 4 children on the Thursday and was very proud of the way they joined in all of the activities, had a go at everything even when they were outside their comfort zone and encouraged each other to do their best.  Thursday evening saw the children working in groups displaying their performing arts talents, when they made up a play about their teachers and performed it to much laughter and interest.  Mr van Raay showed his surfing prowess with the Year 3 students although I believe he could not keep up with Miss McGrath – really gnarly!  All of the children came back buzzing about their experiences, here are some of their thoughts:

• “One of the best things on camp was seeing everybody encouraging each other and stepping out of their comfort zones.”  Asha
• “Some of the highlights of camp were the Giant Swing, Flying Fox, The Cave, Rock Wall, Monster Course and Snakes and Nails.”  Dylan
• “I enjoyed having fun with my friends and challenging myself…particularly in the cave!  Also, the quality of the food was outstanding!”  Liam
• “On camp, I learnt if I push myself a little further, I might do something AMAZING!”  Stephanie
• “I learnt how to trust myself and others more on camp.  I also got comfortable being uncomfortable!”  Zoe

The Year 6s have almost finished and are ready for Early Commencement on 4, 5 and 6 December.  Then on the Thursday they have their Graduation Dinner.  The Year 5s have just received their leadership roles and the staff are looking forward to working with them in 2018 as they get their first taste of leadership.  All the Junior School students are keenly anticipating finding out who their new teachers and classmates are on Tuesday 5 December on Orientation Day, as well as getting to meet our many new students who are starting with us next year.

It was announced this week that two of our long serving education support staff, Marianne Fontaine and Heidi Elkington are moving on to begin new phases in their lives.  Both of these ladies have been a part of the School for more than ten years and have given students and teachers over that time ongoing support.  They have been an important part of our team.  We will miss them a great deal and we wish them every success in all that they do in the future.

The Shapardon and the Sidhu families are moving away from Warragul and we wish them every success in the future.  We wish Joshua Shapardon in Prep, Aaron Sidhu in Year 1 and Lochlan Shapardon, Year 2 all the very best as they start at their new schools in 2018.  The staff and students will be able to say farewell to them at our final assembly on Friday 1 December.

Mr van Raay asked me to remind you of the following end of year events that he included in the last Grammarian:

Reports will be sent home with Prep to Year 5 students on Wednesday 6 December and with Year 6 students on Thursday 7 December.

Our annual Year 6 Graduation Dinner will be held on Thursday 7 December (6:30 pm for a 7:00 pm start) in the Junior School Gymnasium.  We are looking forward to celebrating a special milestone for our Year 6s together with their parents or special guest.

On Friday 8 December our Prep to Year 2 classes will be involved in special Christmas activities while at 2:30 pm in the Junior School Gymnasium we will be holding our Prep to Year 6 Christmas Service.  Parents are welcome to attend.

Also on Friday 8 December, some of our Year 6 students will be visiting a range of Aged Care facilities in Warragul with Mrs Davies and myself to perform items and sing some Christmas carols.

Our final day of school will be on Tuesday 12 December with Presentation Assembly beginning at 9:30 am to 11:00 am in the Junior School Gymnasium.  This will be an opportunity for us all to celebrate the 2017 school year with each year level providing a short snapshot of their year and to wish our Year 6 students well as they complete their junior schooling.  Parents are welcome to attend the assembly.  Students are permitted to go home with their parents at 11:30 am.  After school care is available for families who require it (please let Danielle know if your child/ren will be attending after school care).  Buses will also run on this afternoon if required at the normal time.

This is the last Grammarian for the year and I would like to acknowledge and thank all of our fabulous staff, who work so hard to reflect our values of wisdom, compassion, integrity and respect to provide the rich and rounded education that our students experience.

On behalf of all of the staff in the Junior School I would like to wish all of our families a blessed and peaceful Christmas, a happy and safe New Year and a wonderful holiday season.  I look forward to welcoming you back in 2018 for another exciting year.

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

DECEMBER
4 December  Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival (weather permitting)
4 to 6
December  Year 7 2018 Early Commencement
5 December  Years 1 to 6 Orientation Day
6 December Reports distributed
6 December  ELC Christmas Celebration
7 December  Years 3, 4 and 5 Swimming Trials
7 December  Year 6 Graduation Dinner
8 December  Year 6 Community Concert
8 December  Prep to Year 2 Christmas Celebrations
8 December  Prep to Year 6 Christmas Service, Junior School Gymnasium, 2:20 pm
12 December  Presentation Assembly, 9:30 am to 11:00 am
12 December  End of school year, 3:20 pm finish

Fee Payment Reminder

• Tuition Fees are now overdue for families that do not have a periodical payment arrangement in place.
• Sundry invoices were due for payment by Friday 27 October 2017 and are now overdue.

Please arrange to pay outstanding invoices immediately.
Please refer to your original fee statement issued in January for payment details or call Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833 or email accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au.

SEISA Dance Festival
Co-curricular dance lessons for junior students have been a great success in 2017 and are set to continue in 2018.  Classes take place after school at the dance studios at the Miller’s Factory Year 9 Centre with Ms Casey Hall and are timetabled in consultation with families to fit in as conveniently as possible with your child’s schedule.  We currently have vacancies in the following classes: Junior Jazz (Years 2 to 5), Junior Tap (Years 2 to 5) and Junior Movement Workshop (an introductory class combining jazz, tap and ballet for students in Prep to Year 2). Private lessons and classes in additional styles are available.  To enquire or enrol, please fill out an Application for Dance Lessons – Warragul Campus form available at the Secondary School Performing Arts office or from the Performing Arts – Warragul page on MyStPauls.

Casey Hall
Performing Arts/English Teacher

Junior students enjoying their co-curricular dance classes.

Year 2 Ponytail Party!
This week Year 2 supported and celebrated alongside Ella, one of our class mates with a ‘Ponytail Party’.  After losing her hair last year due to treatment for leukaemia, Ella’s hair has grown to a stage where she can now put it all up into a ponytail!  She was so pleased, she invited her friends from the Year 2 cohort to join in for a special day of ponytail action.  Children, teachers and Ella spent all day with varying styles of ponytail and Ella was overjoyed, as you can tell by this photo!

Deanne Blanchard
Year 2  Classroom Teacher
Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching

St Paul’s Anglican Grammar Junior School Warragul; Coordinator Danielle Smith 0423 793 825

Since the start of term:

We have a second snack (after fruit), the children constantly request the items they want to eat that day for example sweet biscuits, hot food, saladas and rice cakes. A popular request is jam sandwiches or the rice cake pizzas- which the children help make before they consume. The children learn language, patience, cognitive and independence skills.

We have ventured out to the playgrounds, the basketball court, football oval or the tennis court within the school when the weather is kind to us. We ask that the children have jumpers and hats so we can all go outside as a group. The children learn gross motor, language and patience skills.

A popular activity at the moment is building houses or beach scenes with the warmer weather. The children construct their creations themselves and decide what is used and where it goes. The children learn independence, language, patience and team work.

Art and craft is also popular and the children enjoy making colourful pictures or 3D creations either individually or in a group. The children especially enjoy being creative in free choice art and craft sessions, they love using their imagination! The children learn patience, cognitive and fine motor skills.

This past fortnight we started our TCAF program. We make different things for other children overseas. The children are creative and generous in what they create for other children. The children are given a chance to work in teams and individually. The children learn language, cognitive, team work and fine motor skills.

If your child is booked in and they need to get changed for another activity, they can do so when they wash their hands for afternoon tea. This is convenient for parents and the children learn independence and cognitive skills.

Please feel free to come and have a look at the program.
Session times: 2:50 pm – 6:00 pm

Thanks
Danielle Smith
OSHC Coordinator

Brenton Jones, Class of 2009

Class of 2009 Alumnus, Brenton Jones, started at St Paul’s in Year 4 when he was eight years old.  He still remembers his first teachers Mrs Janne McFadyen, Mr Norm McLennan and Mrs Robyn Baker.  Brenton is now a Professional Cyclist living in Europe.

During his time at St Paul’s Brenton loved participating in many sports and co-curricular activities from interschool competitions to state level events with his sporting teams.  He was Navy House Captain in the Junior School and Chisholm House Captain in the Secondary School both of which gave him the opportunity to be a role model to younger students.  Over time he also helped to develop a cycling team to compete in many competitions and organised fun events for students to take part in.

One of Brenton’s stand out achievements whilst at St Paul’s was being awarded a ‘triple colour’ award in his final years at school in recognition for his service to the School in a number of areas.

We asked Brenton a few questions about his time after St Paul’s…

What has your pathway been since graduating?
“Following my completion of VCE in 2009, I was given the opportunity to study a Certificate III and IV in Sport and Recreation whilst working at the school as one of two sports trainees in 2010.  I had a great time, it was fun to work on the other side of the school as a staff member and I was passionate about the work I was able to accomplish.  Following my sports traineeship I wanted to follow my dream of becoming a professional cyclist, despite a very big crash in 2011, which almost ended it all, I bounced back to work harder than ever and was committed to reaching what I set out to achieve on the bike.  Fast forward to now, I’m living in Europe, racing as a professional cyclist, travelling the world as my day job and loving every minute!”

What do you enjoy most about your current occupation?
“The freedom I get from riding my bike, doing what I love and the many experiences I gain from it along the way, each year is different and I have visited so much of the world at the age of 25.  It is a great lifestyle and the rewards like travelling the world or new products from my sponsors and team is what I work for everyday and enjoy most.”

Why did you choose this field?
“I liked the challenges and loved to dream that one day I could make a living from my hobby.  I am passionate about fitness, sport and cycling, so naturally I was focused to see how far I could go with it.”

What do you find most challenging about what you do now?
“The sacrifices, there are so many.  The discipline, it is a constant battle and you have to maintain it 24/7.  Everything you do is going to either assist or be a determent to your performance so keeping consistent and disciplined can be a challenge sometimes.”

What training/course was required to get to that field?
“Many years of hard work and training has seen my talent develop and my ability on the bike rise to a level where I can make a sustainable future in the sport of cycling, it is my dream job.  I have been training full-time since I was sixteen years old, dedicating countless hours on and off the bike since then to improve my performance.”

What or who influenced you to take this path?
“My Dad definitely showed me the path onto the bikes, encouraging me in many sports but allowing me to see my potential and passion that I found in the sport of cycling.  I looked up to my role models, ex-Professional Australian riders who I used to watch compete in the big races and who inspired me to chase the dreams I had in cycling.”

Outside of work Brenton loves to cook and shop for healthy fresh ingredients. “It’s a passion of mine and I find enjoyment from cooking great meals or baking cakes or slices for others”.  He also loves watching sport and is a passionate Sydney Swans, Manchester United and Melbourne Storm supporter.  Brenton loves to teach and help others learn the basics in riding a bike, a life skill.  When he is home in Australia he tries to be involved in as many cycling skills clinics as he can that have a big focus on developing the next generation of stars.

Brenton has many fond memories of St Paul’s and he remembers being nervous and excited at the same time when he graduated from the Junior School and transitioned to being a “big kid” in the Secondary School.

When asked about favourite teachers, Brenton said “I had favourites of course, but I got along well with most of my teachers and that’s something I liked from St Paul’s.  Being an aspiring athlete at the time, I was a little bit different from the majority of students who focused on the academic side and I’ll be honest and say it wasn’t my strongest point but I had many teachers who supported and encouraged my career pursuits and it’s thanks to them that I am living my dream today.  I spent a lot of my final schooling years working with Mrs Bethany Kemp-Esmore (Thearle) and Mr Peter Bruce who supported me through my VCE years and helped me to manage my studies around travel, training and representing Australia in overseas competition.”

Brenton also believes that he developed his public speaking confidence whilst at school.  “I love to engage in any media opportunities and am not afraid of the TV camera or a radio interview live to air.  I remember initially getting nervous holding a house assembly as Chisholm House Captain, but my confidence grew having the many public speaking opportunities at school.”

Brenton describes his time at St Paul’s as “friendly and welcoming”. “The school offers fantastic opportunities for students to further themselves in their chosen career path, whether that is in sport, a trade or preparing them for further education. Its facilities were a highlight for me too, offering great space for sport or lunchtime activities and quiet classrooms or libraries for study and focused tasks.”

Brenton still stays in contact with St Paul’s today and has visited both Junior School and Secondary students to provide valuable advice from his own experience of being a professional athlete.

“I really like what St Paul’s and Mr Scott Armour have done to develop the St Paul’s Elite Sports Performers Program, it is a great program assisting the talented athletes that attend the school.  Juggling school work and sport training is tough and I know how hard the final years can be, it’s great to see the school producing a support network for its young athletes and help them overcome setbacks in chasing their dreams.”

Now but not yet.

Early Commencement has plenty going for it; socially, emotionally and academically it provides many benefits for students.  However, there is no doubt it can be a slightly disorienting time.  Students claim the benefits of moving up a year level (new lockers, new common rooms and new privileges) but at the same time it is still 2017.  Reports are yet to be received, text books haven’t arrived and when someone asks ‘what year are you in?’ there is always an element of confusion in the answer.  Early Commencement is great but it has its challenges.  We live for a short time in the ‘now but not yet’.

But did you know that God is into Early Commencement?  The idea of living in the ‘now but not yet’ helps Christians make sense of why the world is the way it is.  Simply put, the idea is that Jesus came to restore our broken world and by his death and resurrection, evil was defeated.  But that victory will not be completely fulfilled until Jesus returns.  The war is won but the battles still rage and to our eyes the world stills seems broken.  So what sort of victory are Christians claiming?  Some theologians compare it to living between D-Day (June 1944) and V-Day (Spring 1945) during World War II.  D-Day was when the allied troops invaded Europe and began to push the German army back to Germany, while V-Day was when they actually claimed victory: The decisive battle in a war may already have occurred in a relatively early stage of the war, and yet the war still continues.  Although the decisive effect of that battle is perhaps not recognised by all, it nevertheless already means victory.  But the war must still be carried on for an undefined time, until “Victory Day”.

The Christian hope in the face of the evils of the world – be they illness, terrorism, broken relationships, cynicism, anxiety or despair – is that ultimately victory is assured even when our battle seems lost.  So if you are struggling as the year ends, if you are feeling disoriented by grief or pain in a world that should be joyful, perhaps you may find some hope and comfort in the Christian celebration of Christmas.  The celebration of the first move in a decisive battle that will ultimately defeat all evil.  The moment when God entered the fray in human form and confronted the world’s evils shoulder to shoulder with his people.  God’s promise for our future is that His “home is now with his people.  He will live with them, and they will be his own.  Yes, God will make his home among his people.  He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain.  These things of the past are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

May you know God’s love and peace this Christmas and share in the hope of a better future as we see in the New Year.

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

Farewell

It is hard to believe that after seven very busy years, this is my last Grammarian article as Principal of St Paul’s.  While in some ways the time has flown, in others, it has been a very long journey.  Over the years, we have revisited our Mission, Vision and Values and developed a clear strategy for the future of St Paul’s.  The biannual LEAD surveys have provided us with regular parent, student and staff feedback and indicate great improvement in community satisfaction over the years (while also alerting us to areas for further attention).

Of all that we have worked on, our greatest focus has been learning improvement. Teaching staff have become very proficient at using data to measure improvement and at regularly reviewing what and how they teach.  As part of their professional learning, each teacher has set improvement goals, been observed by peers, sought and acted on feedback and planned for further improvement.  When you add the implementation of MyStPauls and online assessment and reporting, a focus on effective feedback, encouraging a Growth Mindset within the community and the regular implementation of curriculum changes, one cannot help but admire our teachers for their exceptional dedication.

In addition to our focus on learning, we have constructed numerous new facilities including additional ELC rooms at each campus, the Science Centre, Library and new Junior School classrooms at Traralgon, and the STEM Centre, John McIntyre Centre and soon to be open extension to the Prideaux Centre and new Secondary School classrooms at Warragul.  The school grounds have had significant investment, including extensive roadworks to improve safety and access.

It is sometimes easy to overlook the importance of the hard work of those staff who work in facilities, reception, administration, maintenance, marketing, IT, canteen and classroom support, they are indeed the unsung heroes of St Paul’s.  They too work exceptionally hard and regularly go ‘above and beyond’ to make sure that everything is done as well as possible.  The School is very fortunate to have such a committed team working behind the scenes.

I am incredibly proud of all that has been achieved over the seven years, but without the support of the School Board and the Executive team, it would not have been possible.  I thank them all and members of the school community for their support and encouragement.

Lisa Moloney
Principal