Traralgon Junior School

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

 

Dear Parents,

Welcome back for Term 2 everyone.  I trust you managed to get a good break over Easter and you are raring to go for the next ten weeks!  We have only been here for a few days but there is already lots going on and I need to alert you to a few things coming up in the next week or so.

We welcome our new Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert who is now on board and we will meet next week.  I am sure he will have lots to do in the initial weeks and we look forward to getting to know him, whilst wishing him all the best as he settles in.

We also welcome Tokio Miki who has joined us in Year 2 in Mrs Cotterrell’s class.  I know as well as his immediate classmates you will all make him welcome when you see him around the playground.  We have two more students joining us at the end of April, in Years 2 and 6 and we will welcome them properly when they arrive from interstate.

A reminder that our lunchtime clubs have hit the ground running and you can get more information from the posters around school.  There is something for everyone to enjoy, from Beyblades to Painting Club and on Wednesday we gave a successful launch to Bike Riding Club where students cycled down to the wetlands.

We have our Open Day from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Wednesday 2 May and as part of that event we will hold the first of our Robotics workshops, which will be particularly aimed at Year 5.  This year, for the first time, we will be entering the RoboCup competition and some of our staff will undergo training in the art of robot building next week.  I am sure the students will quickly surpass them in knowledge and skill as they prepare for the RoboCup to be held in June!

Open Day will also see the official launch of our STEAM Centre down in the 1/2 building where we have the wonderful facility of a brand new extra classroom.  This is where the majority of the Robotics activities will take place but STEAM does not have to be based in a particular room.  This week, Ms Steendam, Mrs Hunter and I presented our STEAM proposal to the Board and as part of that we were able to highlight many of the great projects we have previously undertaken as a school.  This extended from Year 6 creating the Melbourne CBD to the Prep to Year 2 ‘STEM Engineers Club’ where they tackle a host of challenges using both simple and more complex resources.

Why STEAM rather than STEM?  We wanted to extend what is already the great concept of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by incorporating the vital component of Art and design.  So the STEAM Centre will be where much of this work will take place, whilst recognising that wonderful work also happens in the main classrooms and also down at the fantastic wetlands facility we have here at Traralgon.

Next week we will hold our campus ANZAC Service at 10:30 am on Tuesday 24 April and then you are all welcome to join some of our students at the main Traralgon Service on Wednesday morning.  Our School Leaders, Nicholas Fenech and Alanna Magee will be representing the Junior School at this event and some of our Year 3 students will be marching in the main procession.  We also have one of our Year 6 students, Kaja who has been chosen to address the Morwell ANZAC Service and we are very proud of all our students taking any part in these important ceremonies.

I would like to particularly thank the staff who gave up their time and a night’s sleep to make our first Year 6 overnight camp such a success at the end of Term 1.  Mrs Ridger, Mrs Harkins and Mr Treble were amongst others who spent the night down there and were then joined by Mrs O’Malley.  It was a great experience for the students and was only possible because these staff gave up their time.  There was even STEAM going on down there as the students then floated the craft they had designed to tackle the water of the wetlands.

We finish the week next Friday with Year 1s excursion to the Melbourne Museum and on Tuesday we have the chance to officially welcome Mr Herbert as he attends our ANZAC Service.  I would also like to thank Mr Hastie in advance as once again he has agreed to conclude the ceremony with his bagpipe playing.  He has very quickly established himself as a bit of an institution at our ANZAC and Remembrance Services!

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go and get my bicycle off the garage wall where it has hung for a long time.  Tyres permitting, I will be joining Bike Riding Club next time it runs!

 

 

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

APRIL
24 April 
Whole Campus ANZAC Service, 10:30 am
25 April  ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
27 April  Year 1 Excursion to Melbourne Museum

MAY
2 May  Traralgon Campus Open Day, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
THRASS Information Evening, 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
4 May  Cross Country
8 May  ELC (Possum Group) Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
ICAS Exam – Digital Technologies
9 May  Whole School Anniversary Service, Warragul
11 May  FOSP Mother’s Day Stall
ELC (Joey Group) Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
14 May  ELC (Koala and Wombat Group) Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
15 May  NAPLAN
16 May  NAPLAN
Prep Information Sessions, Morning – 9:30 am and Evening – 7:00 pm
17 May  NAPLAN
18 May  Winter Sports
22 May  ELC Discovery Morning, 9:30 am to 10:30 am
23 May  Division Cross Country
National Simultaneous Storytime
24 May  FOSP Fun Run
29 May  Division Winter Sports
ICAS Exam – Science
ELC Incursion (Pre-Prep and Pre Kinder) ‘Mr Ants – Head for the Clouds’
30 May  ELC Incursion (Pre-Prep and Pre Kinder) ‘Mr Ants – Head for the Clouds’

JUNE
1 June  Report Writing Day | STUDENT FREE DAY
11 June  QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
13 June  ICAS Exam – Spelling
14 June  ICAS Exam – Writing
19 June  ELC Incursion (Pre-Kinder and Pre-Prep) ‘Wildlife Xposure – Creepy Crawlies’
20 June  ELC Incursion (Pre-Kinder and Pre-Prep) ‘Wildlife Xposure – Creepy Crawlies’
22 June  End of Term 2, 3:20 pm finish

 

 

 

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY

Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?

At present there are over seventy members of the School’s Company.  Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00.  Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.

Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies you are invited to contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR

In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the school community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2018.

Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Monday 23 April 2018 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 23 MAY 2018

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 23 May 2018.  Persons interested in applying for new membership of the company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Jenni Griffiths via email mailto:jgriffiths@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should have been received by 17 April 2018 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation of this year’s Annual General Meeting.  Later applications can also be considered but must be received by 15 May 2018 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

 

CLASS AWARDS

Prep V   for a great first term, Well done!
Prep S   for an outstanding effort with our first dictation activity!
Year 1F  Ari for including lots of details when writing his weekend recount.  Well done!
Year 2S  Jake for a very convincing persuasive writing piece.
Year 2C  Alexandra for her quick recall of addition and subtraction facts, especially during ‘shoot out’.
Year 3BH  Kasey for completing her narrative writing with well-structured sentences.  Dylan for the great way he gets straight down to his work!
Year 3BD  Chloe for a terrific performance during her group role play (solving a problem).  Harrison for always being thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of others.
Year 4O  Amelia for the thought and consideration she has put into her word choice in Writing this week!
Year 4/5W  Josh for contributing thoughtfully to ‘Number Talks’ this term.  Alex for working hard to improve your handwriting.
Year 5H  Connor for having a fantastic start to the year, showing some great personal improvements!  Cassie for a great positive and hardworking attitude in Term 1, keep it up for Term 2!
Year 6R  Alanna for accepting the challenge of some tricky Maths.  Lucia for accepting the challenge of some tricky Maths.
Year 6H  Holly for attempting to solve problems appropriately in adult situations.  Well done!

 

 

 

 

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

Annual Fee Account
Families have been receiving monthly statements via email to keep them informed of fee balances.  If you have any queries in relation to your annual fee account, please contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833.  As detailed on the second page of the account, payment options are:

Direct Debit:
All families are encouraged to participate in the School’s direct debit payment arrangement.

  • Fortnightly instalments (22 payments) commencing 9 February 2018
  • Monthly instalments (10 payments) commencing 15 February 2018

It is not too late to commence payment by Direct Debit, please contact Mr Peter Lees, accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Instalments (due dates):

  • Instalment 1 – 9 February 2018
  • Instalment 2 – 6 April 2018
  • Instalment 3 – 8 June 2018
  • Instalment 4 – 17 August 2018

The second instalment was due on Friday 6 April (during the school holidays).  If you have missed this date, please arrange payment immediately.

Sundry Accounts
Term 1 sundry invoices for any co-curricular activities such as Performing Arts and VET Courses have been issued via email.   These invoices have 14 day terms, please pay the sundry account in full immediately as they are now overdue.

Private Car Conveyance Allowance
Families driving students more than 4.8 kilometres to attend St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School may be eligible to receive a conveyance allowance.  For further information on the eligibility criteria and application process, please refer to http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/finance/Pages/conveyance.aspx

Eligible families applying for the car conveyance allowance will have funds credited to their fee account during the year.  If the fee account has been paid in full, or is on a direct debit arrangement, any allocation will show as a credit on the following years invoice.  These forms need to be handed to the school by 4 May 2018 for claiming in Term 2.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.  Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply.  $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to www.education.vic.gov.au/csef.  Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form as soon as possible, so that payments can be made from March 2018.  However schools can accept parent applications up until 8 June 2018 for processing in Term 2.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2017 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2018), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2017 to 2018 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system automatically validated the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink on 29 January 2018.

 

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School, Mr Stephen Klemke.   MARKET WEEK Our first Wednesday saw the introduction of Market Week, which is run …

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Traralgon Secondary School

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

 

MARKET WEEK
Our first Wednesday saw the introduction of Market Week, which is run by Ms Enders’ Commerce class.  Market Week is a variety of stalls organised by the Year 10 Commerce class to develop their understanding of running a business.  I was most impressed with the energy and enthusiasm of the students.  Many had put a significant amount of effort into their stalls.  While for some, not everything went to plan, it was a great learning opportunity and I am sure many will have benefitted from the experience.   Day two is this coming Monday 23 April.

ANZAC DAY
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School will be laying wreaths at the 11:00 am local service at the cenotaph on ANZAC Day.  If you have not attended an ANZAC Day service in recent years please consider coming along.  It is an experience I think you will find well worthwhile.

EASTER SERVICE
Our Easter Service was conducted on the last Thursday of term and was a wonderful occasion.  Our Chaplain Glen Treble’s retelling of the Easter Story with a modern twist was not only beautifully presented, it was most entertaining.  The service was followed by an ‘Egg Hunt’ organised by FOSP.  Thank you to the members of FOSP for doing so, the students loved it.

ANNIVERSARY SERVICE
Our Anniversary Service is coming up on Wednesday 9 May.  This year is especially significant as we will be welcoming our new Principal, Cameron Herbert.  All of our students will visit the Warragul Campus for what is a wonderful occasion.  There are only two times a year when we bring St Paul’s together as a whole and it really is a sight to behold.  After the service our students will participate in activities in year levels with their Warragul counterparts before returning to Traralgon.  While students will have access to the Warragul canteen during recess, I would ask all students to bring a cut lunch.  We are not scheduled to return to Traralgon until 1:50 pm where we will have a short late lunch followed by period 6.

YEAR 7 2019 AND BEYOND INFORMATION EVENING
Thank you to all who helped present the evening.  Our Year 9 Tour Guides, catering club members, our talented musicians and our student speakers, all performed exceptionally.  Thank you also to our staff who supported them.

OPEN DAY
Our Open Day is on Wednesday 2 May from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.  I would encourage you to mention it to anyone you know who may be interested.  Particularly to the new families who have provided such wonderful feedback to me this year, please accept my invitation to mention our Open Day.

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

APRIL
23 April 
Biology Excursion
24 April  Food Wise Excursion
ANZAC Service
Macbeth, Complete Works Performance Excursion
25 April  ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
26 April  Tug of War
Year 10 Careerwise Testing
27 April  St James Community Church Lunch Excursion

MAY
2 May  Traralgon Campus Open Day
3 May  SEISA Athletics Carnival 

 

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY

Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?

At present there are over seventy members of the School’s Company.  Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00.  Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.

Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies you are invited to contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR

In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the school community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2018.

Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Monday 23 April 2018 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 23 MAY 2018

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 23 May 2018.  Persons interested in applying for new membership of the company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Jenni Griffiths via email  jgriffiths@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should have been received by 17 April 2018 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation of this year’s Annual General Meeting.  Later applications can also be considered but must be received by 15 May 2018 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

 

SPORT NEWS

House Athletics: Late last term we held our Combined House Athletics Carnival at the Newborough track.  The weather was a little more favourable than at our swimming carnival.  We introduced triple jump to our program which was well received by our students.  The Year 12s were rewarded for best dressed on the day.  Chisholm narrowly won above Franklin on the day.

Molly and Charlotte at the House Athletics.

Jorja Halsall, Equestrian:  On Sunday 8 April, Jorja competed at the Victorian Interschool State Championships in the Secondary Senior Novice section.  The section of forty-two riders were split into two divisions.  She had to ride two tests placing third and fifth and made the top three overall placings for her division; being Division 1.  This meant that she then had to ride in the “ride off” which was against the top three from each of the other two divisions.  She placed third overall for the section, with the top three having very close results.  She is currently a reserve for the nationals at the Australian Interschool Championships being held later this year.

Jorja and Max with her winning ribbons.

Jordyn Cargill, Swimming:  Jordyn qualified for ten events at Nationals next week in Sydney and will be competing in nine of these events.  Jordyn is ranked top ten in some of his events and will hopefully make some finals that will be swum at night.  We look forward to hearing all about it when he gets back.

Jordyn Cargill.

Sophie Waller, Swimming: Sophie has also qualified for Nationals competing in the 50 metre freestyle.  We wish her the very best as well.

 

 

 

 

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

Annual Fee Account
Families have been receiving monthly statements via email to keep them informed of fee balances.  If you have any queries in relation to your annual fee account, please contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833.  As detailed on the second page of the account, payment options are:

Direct Debit:
All families are encouraged to participate in the School’s direct debit payment arrangement.

  • Fortnightly instalments (22 payments) commencing 9 February 2018
  • Monthly instalments (10 payments) commencing 15 February 2018

It is not too late to commence payment by Direct Debit, please contact Mr Peter Lees, accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Instalments (due dates):

  • Instalment 1 – 9 February 2018
  • Instalment 2 – 6 April 2018
  • Instalment 3 – 8 June 2018
  • Instalment 4 – 17 August 2018

The second instalment was due on Friday 6 April (during the school holidays).  If you have missed this date, please arrange payment immediately.

Sundry Accounts
Term 1 sundry invoices for any co-curricular activities such as Performing Arts and VET Courses have been issued via email.   These invoices have 14 day terms, please pay the sundry account in full immediately as they are now overdue.

Private Car Conveyance Allowance
Families driving students more than 4.8 kilometres to attend St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School may be eligible to receive a conveyance allowance.  For further information on the eligibility criteria and application process, please refer to http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/finance/Pages/conveyance.aspx

Eligible families applying for the car conveyance allowance will have funds credited to their fee account during the year.  If the fee account has been paid in full, or is on a direct debit arrangement, any allocation will show as a credit on the following years invoice.  These forms need to be handed to the school by 4 May 2018 for claiming in Term 2.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.  Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply.  $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to www.education.vic.gov.au/csef.  Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form as soon as possible, so that payments can be made from March 2018.  However schools can accept parent applications up until 8 June 2018 for processing in Term 2.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2017 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2018), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2017 to 2018 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system automatically validated the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink on 29 January 2018.

Warragul Junior School

From the Head of Warragul Junior School, Mr Rowan van Raay.   WELCOME TO TERM 2! Welcome back everyone.  We hope that you took full …

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Warragul Junior School

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

 

WELCOME TO TERM 2!

Welcome back everyone.  We hope that you took full advantage of the fabulous weather in the holidays to enjoy some family fun and have a restful break.  We particularly welcome our new Principal Mr Cameron Herbert and extend a warm welcome to the De Santis family who have two children starting this term; Noah in 2G and Lucas in Prep G.

Anniversary and Induction Service
We would like to invite parents to join us Wednesday 9 May for our Whole School (Prep to Year 12) Anniversary Service to be held in the Secondary School Gymnasium at 10:30 am.  Not only will we be celebrating our anniversary but Mr Cameron Herbert will be commissioned as the new Principal of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.  The Anniversary Service is always a wonderful time to celebrate and bring all the school community together.

Students Demonstrate Robotics Skills at the Future Schools Expo
Students from St Paul’s had an exciting opportunity to demonstrate their robotics knowledge to a broad audience of educators at the Future Schools Expo which was held in Melbourne.  The foci for the exhibition were emerging technologies, STEM, coding, robotics and the new digital curriculum.  Our STEM Coordinator, Ms Traceye Rapinett, took the Year 6 ICT leaders (Sydney Parke, Cameron Mann, Jaspar Carson, Daniel Hemphill and Ryan Kee) to the expo at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.  The students were part of the interactive exhibition, demonstrating their coding and problem-solving skills, while Ms Rapinett presented on the topic of RoboCup.  The experience was valuable for the students both, through sharing their learning and by having the opportunity to learn from others about a range of technologies.  It was an excellent way to showcase part of the St Paul’s STEM program in the Junior School to the wider education community.

Year 5 Camp
Our Year 5 students set off to Lady Northcote Camp in Bacchus Marsh this week.  The students enjoyed camp adventure activities, with the GaGa Pit again being very popular during spare time and a bush dance on the first night to expend some excess energy after the bus ride.  The campers also watched ‘Blood On the Southern Cross’ as part of their day at Sovereign Hill on Thursday and visited the Shrine for the Legacy Students’ Service on their return home.  Thanks to Ms Rapinett, Mrs Berends, Mr Beamish, Mrs Davies, Mrs Leighton, Miss McGrath and Mr Barkla for organising and attending the camp.

School Tours
The families who visited the Junior School during school tours showed a great deal of interest and were impressed by the facilities and programs.  The work samples left out by the classes showcased the variety of opportunities and the high standard of work of the students.

Mini Expos
At St Paul’s Junior School we value parent participation in their child’s education.  The Mini Expos, which were held at the end of Term 1 by both the Year 2 and Year 6 classes, are a great example of how families can be involved at school and talk to students about their learning.  Both year levels invited families into the classrooms to see the culmination of the Term 1 studies about Australian animals and STEM projects on energy.  Many parents attended and the students were delighted to explain their learning in some detail.  We appreciate the number of parents, grandparents and family friends who came along to support the students and showed an interest in the work they had completed.

Special guest at Easter assembly and end of Term 1
The final day of Term 1 saw Lynton Allan (the artist and storyteller) attend as special guest at the Easter Service.  As he spoke to the students he worked with coloured chalks to complete a large illustration of a kookaburra.  He told a story about the kookaburra which was based on the parable of the Prodigal Son and emphasised the importance of family and friends in our lives.  The whole Junior School attended and were all highly engaged by the service.

The last day of term was also a fundraising day featuring casual clothes and a basketball theme.  The dress up day was complemented with lunchtime activities for all students, based around basketball.  The money raised went towards Rwanda, a local child who was severely injured in a car accident as well as toward sponsoring a student who is participating in the World’s Greatest Shave.

Years 3 to 6 Uniform
A reminder that from Week 3 students must wear the winter uniform, including the blazer (boys may wear shorts).

Sports News
Well done to the fifty-seven students participating next Monday at District Athletics Carnival.  The top two in each event will progress onto the Division stage (18 May). We wish them well.

At the State Swimming Championships at MSAC in Melbourne we had Seth Cannon, Harry Vanschyndel, Thomas Halloran-Lavelle and Tarrant Cannon competing in the Boys 9 to 13 year old Medley Relay.  They finished sixth in the state!  They also swam a personal best by 4.5 seconds!  We congratulate the boys on a great achievement.

ANZAC Day Service
On the afternoon of Tuesday 24 April, the Prep to Year 6 students will attend our ANZAC Day Service in the Junior School Gymnasium.  On ANZAC Day our Junior School Captains, Ben and Ananya, will represent us at the ANZAC Service in the township of Warragul and will lay a wreath on behalf of our school community.

Years 5 and 6 Soirée
Years 5 and 6 families are invited to join us in the Prideaux Centre at 7:00 pm on 9 May for our Years 5 and 6 Soirée.

School Photos
Family and Junior School photos will be taken on Friday 11 May.  Students in Years 3 to 6 will be required to be in full winter uniform (including blazer).  We plan to take the family photos first, beginning at 8:30 am in the Junior School Gymnasium.  Family envelopes will be available from Monday 23 April at Student Services or the Junior School Office.  All individual and class photos will be processed online so there is no need for students to bring an envelope.

Mother’s Day Stall   
Our FOSTA parent group will be holding a Mother’s Day Stall on Friday 11 May.  There will be gifts available from $1.00 to $10.00.

Key Dates
All of the important dates for the term and the pink slip can be accessed on the Warragul Junior School page of MyStPauls.

 

 

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

APRIL
23 April  District Athletics Carnival
FOSTA meeting, 9:00 am, Junior School staffroom (toddlers welcome)
Years 3 to 6 assembly
24 April  ANZAC Day Service
25 April  ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
26 April 
RoboCup Junior Workshop, STEM Centre
30 April  Year 6 leave for Camp Coolamatong

MAY
9 May  Whole School Anniversary Service
11 May  Mother’s Day Stall
Warragul Junior School and Family Photos
(Family envelopes available from Student Services and the Junior School Office)
15 May  NAPLAN
16 May  NAPLAN
17 May  NAPLAN
18 May  Prep Community Excursion
20 May  Junior School Fun Run 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
25 May  STUDENT FREE DAY

 

Drouin and Warragul public school bus network notice

Please be advised the public school bus network services will not run on the following dates in Term 2:
• Friday 4 May 2018, Warragul and Drouin Networks
• Friday 8 June 2018, Drouin Bus Network

Please ensure you have alternative travel arrangements for these days.  All St Paul’s buses will run as normal on these days.

 

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY

Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?

At present there are over seventy members of the School’s Company.  Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00.  Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.

Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies you are invited to contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR

In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the school community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2018.

Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Monday 23 April 2018 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 23 MAY 2018

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 23 May 2018.  Persons interested in applying for new membership of the company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Jenni Griffiths via email  jgriffiths@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should have been received by 17 April 2018 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation of this year’s Annual General Meeting.  Later applications can also be considered but had to be received by 15 May 2018 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

 

 

JAPANESE ASSISTANT TEACHER

Students and teachers at St Paul’s are preparing to welcome our new Japanese assistant language teacher, Yuuri Inokuchi, from Fukuoka, Japan.  We are fortunate to have Yuuri assisting students in the Junior School as well as in the Secondary School.  Yuuri will also work closely with the VCE Year 12 students with their Japanese studies.

Yuuri is twenty-two years old.   Yuri especially enjoys exercising, cooking and drawing and she is looking forward to experiencing many aspects of Australian culture.   Yuuri will be with us until the end of the school year and will be home staying with families of St Paul’s.

If you and your family are interested in hosting Yuuri, please contact your child’s Japanese teacher.  Arigatoo.

 

YEAR 6 STUDENT’S FUNDRAISING EFFORTS FOR LOCAL FAMILY

An important part of the Year 6 program at the Warragul Junior School is the Community Service Award.  This voluntary award challenges students to complete hours of service in the home, school and community.  Luka Butters in 6E loves her basketball and was moved to act when she heard about a Leongatha family who were involved in a horrific car accident while travelling home from a tournament in Warragul.  Through a series of fundraising efforts, Luka raised $1023.05 for the Riccardi family.  On top of this, she sought support from her local basketball association, who chipped in an additional $1,700.  She also got the Warragul Junior School involved, with the SRC contributing $200 to the fund, following a basketball themed casual clothes day and lunchtime competition she organised.  Luka is proud of what she was able to achieve, “I feel happy because they needed help and I was able to help.”

Luka Butters speaking at assembly about her fundraising campaign.

 

 

 

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

Annual Fee Account
Families have been receiving monthly statements via email to keep them informed of fee balances.  If you have any queries in relation to your annual fee account, please contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833.  As detailed on the second page of the account, payment options are:

Direct Debit:
All families are encouraged to participate in the School’s direct debit payment arrangement.

  • Fortnightly instalments (22 payments) commencing 9 February 2018
  • Monthly instalments (10 payments) commencing 15 February 2018

It is not too late to commence payment by Direct Debit, please contact Mr Peter Lees, accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Instalments (due dates):

  • Instalment 1 – 9 February 2018
  • Instalment 2 – 6 April 2018
  • Instalment 3 – 8 June 2018
  • Instalment 4 – 17 August 2018

The second instalment was due on Friday 6 April (during the school holidays).  If you have missed this date, please arrange payment immediately.

Sundry Accounts
Term 1 sundry invoices for any co-curricular activities such as Performing Arts and VET Courses have been issued via email.   These invoices have 14 day terms, please pay the sundry account in full immediately as they are now overdue.

Private Car Conveyance Allowance
Families driving students more than 4.8 kilometres to attend St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School may be eligible to receive a conveyance allowance.  For further information on the eligibility criteria and application process, please refer to http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/finance/Pages/conveyance.aspx

Eligible families applying for the car conveyance allowance will have funds credited to their fee account during the year.  If the fee account has been paid in full, or is on a direct debit arrangement, any allocation will show as a credit on the following years invoice.  These forms need to be handed to the school by 4 May 2018 for claiming in Term 2.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.  Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply.  $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to www.education.vic.gov.au/csef.  Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form as soon as possible, so that payments can be made from March 2018.  However schools can accept parent applications up until 8 June 2018 for processing in Term 2.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2017 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2018), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2017 to 2018 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system automatically validated the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink on 29 January 2018.

 

 

Warragul Secondary School

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School, Ms Laura Butterworth. After a sunny two week break we returned to school on Monday to a change …

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Warragul Secondary School

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

After a sunny two week break we returned to school on Monday to a change in the weather.  Thankfully it did not dampen too many spirits and a change to winter uniform has been timely.  As a devoted sports fan I spent much of my holidays glued to the Commonwealth Games, as I am sure many did.  The Australian team certainly performed well and finished the games with a substantial medal haul, but what I enjoyed watching the most were the moments of great sportsmanship.  Our three female runners in the 10,000 metres running race, who cheered and willed the last competitor across the line, was a standout moment for me.  I often find myself speaking to our students about being ‘good people’ and living the values of our school.  In my mind sportsmanship and demonstrating our core values of integrity, respect and compassion far outweigh the need to win.  At the end of last term I watched our Senior Girls Basketball team win the SEISA Grand Final by a point in the dying seconds of the game.  It was a hard fought win well worth celebrating but it was not the win on the day that impressed me but rather the camaraderie and sportsmanship that both sides showed at the end of the game.  Hands were shaken, hugs were exchanged and both teams came together for a group photo.  The students from Beaconhills were extremely gracious in defeat and our girls were very gracious in their success.  I was incredibly proud of the way they conducted themselves throughout the match and at its conclusion.  Congratulations to these girls for representing themselves, their families and our school so well.

On Monday we  welcomed back our World Challenge tour group who spent the holidays completing voluntary work in Java and Sumatra.  A full report of their trip will be in the next Grammarian but we applaud their commitment to this trip and their service to communities less fortunate than ours.  I would also like to thank Mrs Carissa Kelly and Mr Brad McCabe who led the tour, and Ms Christie Bransgrove for assisting with the organisation.

This week we welcomed our new Principal, Mr Cameron Herbert.  Cameron was introduced to the student body at our assembly yesterday and has been warmly welcomed to Warragul.  Rowan van Raay will now resume his position as Head of Junior School but I want to thank him and Donna Sweeney for their thoughtful and steady leadership of our school during Term 1.

The annual Presentation Ball will be held this Saturday at Lardner Park.  This is a much anticipated event on the school calendar each year.  Many hours of training, dress and suit shopping will come to fruition.  I hope all of our students and their families have a wonderful evening.

ANZAC Day falls on Wednesday next week and this is a student free day.  We will hold our own ANZAC Service on Tuesday 24 April.  Our Captains Isabel Thomas and Cameron Wong, along with our Principal Mr Cameron Herbert, will represent our school in the march as well as laying a wreath at the Warragul service.

Our Open Day will be held on Saturday 5 May.  Many of our students take part in this day and we are very grateful for their participation and their service to school on this day. If your child is taking part they will bring home a permission form for you to sign and return to school.

 

 

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A ST PAUL’S COMPANY MEMBER or BOARD DIRECTOR?

MEMBERSHIP OF COMPANY

Are you aware parents are able to become members of the St Paul’s School Company?

At present there are over seventy members of the School’s Company.  Applying for membership involves completing an application form and submitting a fee of $20.00.  Continued membership involves renewing your membership once a year and paying an ongoing annual fee of $20.00.

Company membership entitles the member to attend the School’s Annual General Meeting in May each year and also to cast a vote in the event of an election of Directors to the School Board.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies you are invited to contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

BECOMING A BOARD DIRECTOR

In keeping with the Board’s commitment to an inclusive governance approach within the school community, persons interested in potentially filling a Board vacancy are encouraged to become a member of the company and respond to the nomination/election process prior to the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2018.

Nomination forms for Board Directorship are required to be forwarded to the Company Secretary no later than Monday 23 April 2018 at 5:00 pm.

If you have any questions in relation to the Board vacancies or are seeking a nomination form, please contact Mrs Leah Young, Company Secretary via email companysecretary@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or phone 5623 5833.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 23 MAY 2018

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 23 May 2018.  Persons interested in applying for new membership of the company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the School’s website or by contacting Jenni Griffiths via email  jgriffiths@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should have been received by 17 April 2018 for consideration at the April Board Meeting in preparation of this year’s Annual General Meeting.  Later applications can also be considered but must be received by 15 May 2018 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

 

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

APRIL
21 April  Presentation Ball, 7:00 pm, Lardner Park
23 April  Units 1 and 2 Biology Excursion, Healesville Sanctuary
Year 9 Foodwise Supermarket Visit, 1:55 pm
Studio Concert, Parker Centre, 7:00 pm
24 April  ANZAC Service, 10:30 am
SEISA Surfing Carnival
Year 10 Complete Works Performance – Macbeth, 1:50 pm
25 April  ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
26 April  Year 10 CareerWise testing, 9:00 am
Year 12 Photos, 9:45 am
27 April  Year 9 City Experience Day
Self Defence Incursion, 8:55 am to 1:00 pm
28 April and 29 April  VEIS: Tintern Schools – Eventing
28 April  Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Scrutineering
29 April  2018 HPV Series, Round 2

MAY
3 May  SEISA Athletics Carnival
HPV Workshop, 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm
4 May to 6 May  Generations in Jazz Festival
8 May  Year 11 Federation University Taster Day

 

Drouin and Warragul public school bus network notice

Please be advised the public school bus network services will not run on the following dates in Term 2:
• Friday 4 May 2018, Warragul and Drouin Networks
• Friday 8 June 2018, Drouin Bus Network

Please ensure you have alternative travel arrangements for these days.  All St Paul’s buses will run as normal on these days.

 

JAPANESE ASSISTANT TEACHER

Students and teachers at St Paul’s are preparing to welcome our new Japanese assistant language teacher, Yuuri Inokuchi, from Fukuoka, Japan.  We are fortunate to have Yuuri assisting students in the Junior School as well as in the Secondary School.  Yuuri will also work closely with the VCE Year 12 students with their Japanese studies.

Yuuri is twenty-two years old.   Yuri especially enjoys exercising, cooking and drawing and she is looking forward to experiencing many aspects of Australian culture.   Yuuri will be with us until the end of the school year and will be home staying with families of St Paul’s.

If you and your family are interested in hosting Yuuri, please contact your child’s Japanese teacher.  Arigatoo.

 

MATHS TUTORIAL CLASSES

Monday – Year 9, 1:20 pm, Year 9 Centre
Wednesday – Years 7 and 8, lunchtime, YS2
Thursday – Years 10 to 12, lunchtime, JM4

 

VCE SEASON OF EXCELLENCE

For the fifth consecutive year, a student from St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School has been accepted into the VCE Season of Excellence.

Zoe Morley has been accepted into the 2018 Top Arts exhibition with her artwork from her Year 12 Units 3 and 4 Art subject titled “just another day…” which is a combination of oil stick, charcoal and synthetic polymer paint on plywood.

Top Arts is part of a larger annual exhibition the VCE Season of Excellence, which showcases the top work from VCE students across all of Victoria.

Top Arts opened Friday 23 March at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melbourne and will run until Sunday 15 July 2018 and is an exhibition of outstanding work in photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media, ceramics, film and printmaking produced by VCE Art and VCE Studio Arts students.

Zoe Morley with her artwork at the opening night of Top Arts.

 

FROM THE FINANCE OFFICE

Annual Fee Account
Families have been receiving monthly statements via email to keep them informed of fee balances.  If you have any queries in relation to your annual fee account, please contact Mr Peter Lees on 5623 5833.  As detailed on the second page of the account, payment options are:

Direct Debit:
All families are encouraged to participate in the School’s direct debit payment arrangement.

  • Fortnightly instalments (22 payments) commencing 9 February 2018
  • Monthly instalments (10 payments) commencing 15 February 2018

It is not too late to commence payment by Direct Debit, please contact Mr Peter Lees, accountsreceivable@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Instalments (due dates):

  • Instalment 1 – 9 February 2018
  • Instalment 2 – 6 April 2018
  • Instalment 3 – 8 June 2018
  • Instalment 4 – 17 August 2018

The second instalment was due on Friday 6 April (during the school holidays).  If you have missed this date, please arrange payment immediately.

Sundry Accounts
Term 1 sundry invoices for any co-curricular activities such as Performing Arts and VET Courses have been issued via email.   These invoices have 14 day terms, please pay the sundry account in full immediately as they are now overdue.

Private Car Conveyance Allowance
Families driving students more than 4.8 kilometres to attend St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School may be eligible to receive a conveyance allowance.  For further information on the eligibility criteria and application process, please refer to http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/finance/Pages/conveyance.aspx

Eligible families applying for the car conveyance allowance will have funds credited to their fee account during the year.  If the fee account has been paid in full, or is on a direct debit arrangement, any allocation will show as a credit on the following years invoice.  These forms need to be handed to the school by 4 May 2018 for claiming in Term 2.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments directly to the school for the benefit of the eligible student to attend camps, sports and excursions.  Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply.  $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 per year paid for eligible secondary school students.  Payments will go directly to the school and be tied to the student.  For more information and to download the application form please go to www.education.vic.gov.au/csef.  Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form as soon as possible, so that payments can be made from March 2018.  However schools can accept parent applications up until 8 June 2018 for processing in Term 2.

For parents who received CSEF at the school in 2017 (and the student/s are still enrolled in 2018), the school will ‘copy’ the application across from 2017 to 2018 on the CSEF system.  The CSEF system automatically validated the parent’s eligibility with Centrelink on 29 January 2018.

 

From the Chaplain

READY PLAYER ONE I love a bit of escapism and indulged in some recently by taking my son to see the movie ‘Ready Player One’.  …

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From the Chaplain

READY PLAYER ONE

I love a bit of escapism and indulged in some recently by taking my son to see the movie ‘Ready Player One’.  For those of you not familiar with the movie (or the book it is based on), this is how Warner Brothers describes it:

“In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place.  The only time Wade Watts truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days.  In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone – the only limits are your own imagination.  The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday, who left his immense fortune and total control of the Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir.  When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends – aka the High Five are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.”

While there were some glaring holes in the plotline and a disappointing ending, the exploration of virtual reality (VR) was fantastic and the plethora of 80s references gave me a real buzz.  What really got me thinking though was the idea of how we perceive reality and find purpose.  In the movie, reality is so unpleasant and meaningless that most people choose to escape into the virtual world.  “People come to The Oasis for all the things they can do, but they stay because of all the things they can be.  It’s the only place that feels like I mean anything” (Wade Watts).  There is some tension throughout the movie about the merits of this escapism.  Wade’s love interest, Samantha, declares in frustration “This isn’t just a game.  I’m talking about actual life and death stuff”.  And yet in the end the movie fails to offer any real alternative to VR escapism and the best it can offer is an ‘ad free virtual experience’.

But what if this world is the shadow world?  What if there is more to life than what we see?  What if the reality we experience is merely a shadow of a greater reality?  This is not a new idea.  Consider the words of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.  It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”  Macbeth recognises the inadequacies of our material world but fails to see a way out.  The Bible puts a more hopeful spin on this idea.  As the Apostle Paul writes, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12).  For Christians, the answer to the problems of this world is not an escape into a virtual reality but rather the embracing of a deeper reality.  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17). God invites us to join in this restorative work, doing what we can to make our own lives reflect the full glorious reality intended for us by our creator.  Reality is not something to escape but something to redeem.

I had fun escaping into a fantasy world as I watched the movie but as I sat there with my son, I reflected that my hope and prayer for him is that he is being equipped to embrace reality in all its fullness, rather than to escape it.  And that is the task we have as carers, parents and teachers.  To equip our children for reality.  A challenging task but, in the words of Oasis creator James Halliday, “…as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.”

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

 

From the Principal

It is an inestimable privilege for me to join St Paul’s as Principal this week and I am greatly looking forward to the term ahead. …

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From the Principal

It is an inestimable privilege for me to join St Paul’s as Principal this week and I am greatly looking forward to the term ahead.  The staff of the school are thanked sincerely for providing a solid start to the year.  I particularly thank Ms Lisa Moloney for her outstanding work as Principal from 2011 to 2017, leaving me with a school in such good shape, and Ms Donna Sweeney for acting as Principal prior to my arrival this year.  Ms Sweeney’s excellent leadership of the school during the first term was complemented by the excellent work of Mr Rowan van Raay, Mr Stephen Klemke, Mr Andy McNabb, Ms Laura Butterworth, Mr Phil Barkla, Reverend Daniel Lowe and the other members of the Executive team.  It is already apparent to me that this cohesive leadership team is clearly one of the great strengths of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.

My main aim in the initial months is to get to know people – particularly students and staff in the first instance – and to begin to understand the “way things work” at St Paul’s.  Every school’s culture is unique and I believe that a considerable amount of time, discussion and interaction with people are required to comprehend the many subtleties and nuances of school culture.  By taking the time to develop a deep understanding of a school’s people and culture, I believe that the Principal is well placed to lead astutely and assuredly into the future.

I was attracted to St Paul’s by the school’s values, strategic directions and pursuit of excellence.  St Paul’s standing as an independent, Anglican school that grew from a rural community’s dream was also appealing to me as someone who grew up as part of a Christian family in a rural community.  It is my hope that, as Principal, I will be able to contribute significantly in these areas and help St Paul’s to continue confidently on its path, going from strength to strength as a leading regional school in Australia.

Cameron Herbert
Principal