Traralgon Junior School

From the Head of Traralgon Junior School,
Mrs Gwen Hunter.

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful start to the term we are having!  Even though the weather has begun to deteriorate it is still heartening to see the students enjoying themselves in and around the school grounds when the sun is shining.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed for lots more to come!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT
Many thanks must go to so many groups of people who support our school community, it is always hard to know where to start and who not to miss out.  However, for this newsletter I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge our wonderful FOSP team once again for their tireless fundraising efforts, the overwhelming support for the Mother’s Day Stall was sensational, thank you to you all.

Also, a huge thanks must go to the Year 6 teachers who forfeited their warm, snug homes and beds to sleep on the floor of their cold, draughty classroom with their students.  This was in an effort to learn and really understand the plight of homeless people within our community, being able to experience just one tiny glimpse of life on the streets.

Finally, thank you to all parents who continue to allow your children to take part in the many fundraising events that we organise.  Digging deep each time to find a gold coin or two really warms the hearts of the SRC and those organising the events, knowing that they are helping someone in greater need than themselves.  Thank you to you all.

TRAFFIC
Unfortunately, I feel that this subheading continues to a feature in each fortnightly newsletter, which I would very much like to leave off next time.  Some of you may be aware of the car accident that happened last week at the front of school and as a result I will continue to urge and remind you to take the utmost care in and around the school carpark.  Patience and courtesy are values very much needed when waiting to exit the carpark, please take your time, be patient, check and re-check the traffic conditions before you leave.  If you are wanting to turn right along Cross’s Road, we strongly advise you leave the carpark via the roundabout past the Secondary School instead of the exit next to the Salvation Army carpark.  Please TAKE CARE!

ILLNESS
Currently we are experiencing higher than expected rates of illness across the school.  From coughs and colds to sickness and flu, please can you be extremely mindful of not sending your child to school if they are complaining of feeling unwell.  These illnesses can spread very quickly and not only are other students becoming infected but so are the teachers!  Health guidelines advise that children should be excluded from school until at least twenty-four hours after vomiting and diarrhea have ceased.  Thank you for your understanding.

SPEED STACKING
For many, this exciting opportunity that all Junior School students have been given the chance to experience, is a new one!  Speed, or Cup stacking is an international sport that many students are making incredible connections with.  We have been very fortunate to have the Australian Coach at school for two days teaching the students the skills and strategies necessary to have a go at this sport.
Speed stacking has some amazing educational benefits:
•  promotes hand-eye coordination and ambidexterity, which are important skills in any sport.
•  gives children the opportunity to use both sides of their body and brain which encourages brain development.
•  helps to develop motor skills.
•  encourages children to set goals through establishing personal records.
•  reinforces persistence, perseverance and practice as the way to improve those records.
•  reinforces the values of cooperation and team work.​

Look at the students having so much fun!

SPORTING EVENTS
Congratulations to all students who have been taking part and achieving so well in so many different sporting events around the district over the last few weeks.  We have some fabulous successes in both cross country and winter sports teams (particularly girls soccer).  Thank you very much to all teachers and parents who have helped coach and support these teams and individuals in achieving so well.

Have a great couple of weeks, stay well and stay warm!

Gwen Hunter
Head of Traralgon Junior School

 

 

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

MAY
21 May  ELC Discovery Morning, 9:30 am to 10:30 am
National Simultaneous Storytime
22 May  Division Cross Country (selected students only)
Whole School Anniversary Service, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium
28 May  ELC Incursion – Mr Ants
29 May  ELC Incursion – Mr Ants
31 May  STUDENT FREE DAY

JUNE
7 June
  Year 6 Excursion to St James Church
10 June  Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday
12 June  Year 5 Band Concert for parents
13 June  Flying Bookworm Incursion (ELC, 11:15 am/Prep and Year 1, 1:30 pm)
15 June  RoboCup Competition
17 June  Author Mitch Vane visits Year 3
Year 3 Strings Concert for parents
18 June  ELC Incursion – Wildlife Xposure
Traralgon Ensemble Evening, 7:00 pm
19 June  ELC Incursion – Wildlife Xposure
19 to 22 June  Years 5 and 6 Canberra Tour
20 June  Multicultural Day
21 June  Reports Distributed
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 sixty 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.

Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the St Paul’s website or by contacting Carol Reid via email creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should be received by 23 April 2019 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 21 May 2019 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 29 MAY 2019

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 29 May 2019 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:30 pm for members of the Company.

 

CLASS AWARDS

Prep V
Estelle for being a kind and caring friend.
Pres S
Lachlan for thinking of interesting adjectives in our writing sessions.
Prep S for giving all the challenges at the cup stacking session a red hot go.  Even when they were getting more difficult, you never gave up.
1F
Jessica for showing great persistence when faced with a challenge in sport!
Nik for making great progress with his reading.
1W for using a ‘Growth Mindset’ during our working on the hundreds chart and never giving up when it was a bit challenging.
2C
Anna for her very creative ‘Habo, the lovely flamingo’ inspired by Adam Wallace.
Zebulon for his continued effort at writing in a variety of genres, independently.
3CD
Angela for trying really hard on her persuasive writing.
Vanessa for working hard on learning her times tables.  Great to see Vanessa!
3BH
Lacey for her effort and attitude during district cross country.
Amaya for a thoughtfully written Mother’s Day message.
4S
Angelina for using descriptive words and phrases to up level her writing.
Lachlan for showing persistence and determination when understanding new concepts!
4P
James for being thoughtful to his peers and having pleasing progress in Maths.
Olivia for making great inferring about characters emotions and actions.
6R
Arabella for covering Sports Shed while Sports Leaders were training for Winter Sport.
Liv for covering Sports Shed while Sports Leaders were training for Winter Sport.
Ruby for coaching, supporting and encouraging the girls soccer team in Winter Sport.
Jayla for covering Sports Shed while Sports Leaders were training for Winter Sport.

 

 

YEAR 6 SLEEPOUT FOR THE HOMELESS

On Friday 10 May, fourteen Year 6 students and two teachers spent the night at school sleeping semi-rough.  During the day, we as a school raised over $300 for the ‘Two Good Co.’ who donate food to women’s shelters in Sydney and Melbourne.  We chose to support this company because last year we discovered that women and children are homeless far more than people think.  Rob from that company had a Skype session with us and explained homelessness and what his company does to help.  The children were very impressed.

As part of D & T, students researched and designed an appropriate blanket for a homeless person.  It had to be waterproof, warm, tough and lightweight.  They were asked to find materials around their home to make the blanket.  Finally, they had to test them by measuring the temperature drop of a bottle of hot water, wrapped in their blanket.  There were some very interesting results.

Throughout the night the children read statistics and went without food (until the soup kitchen, organised by the teachers arrived).  They looked in the garbage that we had collected during the day at school and were shocked at how much we waste.  They slept on the hard floor in the cold (no heater, no pillow – just one blanket) and ultimately had a much better understanding of ‘not judging’ those who are less fortunate than they are.

Fiona Ridger
Year 6 Teacher

Michael Gali and Josh Bellingham found a sheltered doorway.

Elyse O Brien, Charlotte Bray, Olivia Comben and Josh Bellingham testing their blanket designs.

Joshua Neave, Thomas McDonald, Axel Sellings and Ruby King enjoying their soup.

Students sleeping on the floor with the blankets they designed.

DONATE A DICTIONARY

In the first week of the mid-semester holidays, ten Warragul and Traralgon Secondary students together with teachers Andrea Heard and Kirsten Enders, will be visiting East Timor.

One of the highlights is visiting the village school in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.  We are hoping on the upcoming visit to present each student in the school with an English/Tetum dictionary.  Each dictionary costs $5 and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families from the school could donate $5 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student.  A nameplate will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift and naming the family/student who donated it.  If you would like to provide a family/student photo, this could also be attached to the dictionary.

If you would like to donate, please either email Andrea Heard at aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders at kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or complete the attached form with your money and drop it to either Traralgon Secondary Student Services or Warragul Secondary Student Services.

Thank you for your support.

East Timor Dictionary donation

Family/student name: ______________________________

Amount of dictionaries donated: ____________

Amount enclosed: $ ____________

 

 

 

Traralgon Secondary School

From the Head of Traralgon Secondary School, Mr Stephen Klemke. House Music Congratulations to Monash House on their recent victory in House Music.  It was …

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Traralgon Secondary School

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

House Music
Congratulations to Monash House on their recent victory in House Music.  It was again an event full of fun.  The Monash House group performance was to the tune of ‘YMCA’ and was both musical and theatrical.  This year staff also participated with their house.  Special mention should be made of Kirsten Enders who made a guest appearance as the boxer in ‘Eye of the Tiger’ (Chisholm) and to Victoria Wilson as the grumpy teacher in Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ (Gilmore).

Market Week
Congratulations to Ms Enders’ Commerce class on their running of Market Week.  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 and the significant amount of effort put into their stalls.  While for some, not everything went to plan, it was a great learning opportunity and I am sure many will have benefited from the experience.  Our map area was indeed turned into a market and many students took the opportunity to purchase the wares that were on offer.

Anniversary Service
Wednesday 22 May is our Whole School Anniversary Service at the Warragul Campus, Secondary School Gymnasium.  All students will be catching buses shortly after mentor group.  After the service students will participate in whole year level activities with their Warragul counterparts.  We return to Traralgon at approximately 1:50 pm where they will have a lunch break before undertaking Period 6.
The only time our students will have access to a canteen is during a twenty-five minute recess at the Warragul Campus.  It would most likely to be easier if your child brings lunch for the day.  They can still plan to visit the canteen at Warragul, but if they run out of time or something else goes amiss they will need backup sustenance, important for many teenagers.  I would also appreciate it if you could ensure your child is in perfect formal winter uniform.

Stephen Klemke
Head of Traralgon Secondary School

Monash House in action.

Franklin House performing ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’.

 

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

MAY
17 May  East Timor Movie Night
21 May  SEISA Music, Visual Arts Excursion
22 May Whole School Anniversary Service, Warragul Secondary School Gymnasium
da Vinci Decathlon (Selected Year 7 students only)
‘The Addams Family’ Production Rehearsal, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
23 May  SEISA Winter Sport, Junior, Round 2
‘The Addams Family’ Production Rehearsal, (Years 7 and 8 only), 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
DAV Debating
24 May  St James Church Community Lunch Excursion
30 May  SEISA Winter Sport, Junior, Round 3
Year 10 Career Wise Testing Information Evening, 7:00 pm

 

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 sixty 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.

Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the St Paul’s website or by contacting Carol Reid via email creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should be received by 23 April 2019 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 21 May 2019 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 29 MAY 2019

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 29 May 2019 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:30 pm for members of the Company.

 

MYSTPAULS PLAGIARISM CHECK

Occasionally we hear from parents who are concerned about a high plagiarism percentage that their child has received on MyStPauls.  Below I will share about why this occurs and why a high score may not be a problem in some cases.

The plagiarism checker compares student work to internet sites, but also to all the work that has ever been submitted to MyStPauls including other work the student has done.  This means that most work is likely to be seen to have some level of ‘plagiarism’ by the technology.  For example, if a student is writing on a novel in English, then the question and many of the quotes from the text are likely to be used by multiple students in their submissions.  Sometimes it can also be very high because students have submitted a draft already on the same topic for feedback and the final submission will still be quite similar.

The plagiarism checker does allow teachers to identify chunks of text that have been unfortunately copy and pasted from the internet with minimal editing.  Teachers will contact parents if there is unethical plagiarism.

If you are ever worried about a plagiarism score, you can see what is contributing to it by clicking on the plagiarism score for a specific task while logged in with your child’s MyStPauls account. (It is currently not possible to access this information in parent view.)

If you have any questions about MyStPauls that you would like to see answered in the Grammarian, please email me cbrown@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Chris Brown
E-Learning Coordinator

 

 

SPORT NEWS

SEISA Winter Sport, Junior, Round 1
Last Thursday our Junior SEISA teams played their first round against Beaconhills, Pakenham.  All teams played well.  Our best results were in both the boys and girls soccer where they both won their games.  After each round, the coach awards MVP (Most Valued Performer) votes (three votes, two votes and one vote) to players who display good conduct, attitude, sportsmanship, teamwork and uphold our school core values.  We had several players awarded votes based on their performance in their respective sport.  In AFLW, Indi Van Berkel received three votes and Tiger Doultree two votes.  Boys soccer, Hayato Ochi received three votes and in girls soccer, Nikita Nicola three votes, Tiana Bordonaro two votes and Tia Paku one vote.

Victorian School Associations Competition (Swimming)
As a SEISA Association we were invited to attend for the very first time, the Victorian School Associations Competition at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre which was held on Monday.  Swimmers were selected based on their SEISA swim times.  We had seven students selected: Molly Cargill, Jordyn Cargill, Caydence Bezzina, Ashley Nicholes, Zoe Dowler, Oliver Haberl and William Pendergast.  There were nine other associations including Melbourne independent schools, Ballarat Grammar and Geelong Grammar competing, with many of these schools having their own national swimmers.  It was a great experience for everyone and something to look forward to again next year.  Our standout performer was our Elite Sports Performer, Molly Cargill who picked up a third place ribbon in the 12 to 14 years 50m Freestyle.  Her time was 28.08.

SEISA Athletics
On Thursday 2 May, students from St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School travelled to Casey Fields Athletics Centre to compete in the annual SEISA Athletics Carnival.  All students had a successful day and represented our school to a high level against Newhaven College, Gippsland Grammar, Beaconhills Berwick and Beaconhills Pakenham.

Ashley Nicholes was highly successful across all his events, including coming first in shot-put and second in discus.  Ashley was rewarded for his performances, awarded the under 13 year old boys age champion.

Many students were competitive across the day with the following Traralgon students finishing top five in their age championship:  Zach Nabulsi and Ella Warner from the Junior School.

Age Champions Rhys Galvin (Warragul Secondary School) and Ashley Nicholes.

Sandra Timmer-Arends
Head of Sport – Traralgon Campus
Health and Physical Education

 

DONATE A DICTIONARY

In the first week of the mid-semester holidays, ten Warragul and Traralgon Secondary students together with teachers Andrea Heard and Kirsten Enders, will be visiting East Timor.

One of the highlights is visiting the village school in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.  We are hoping on the upcoming visit to present each student in the school with an English/Tetum dictionary.  Each dictionary costs $5 and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families from the school could donate $5 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student.  A nameplate will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift and naming the family/student who donated it.  If you would like to provide a family/student photo, this could also be attached to the dictionary.

If you would like to donate, please either email Andrea Heard at aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders at kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or complete the attached form with your money and drop it to either Traralgon Secondary Student Services or Warragul Secondary Student Services.

Thank you for your support.

East Timor Dictionary donation

Family/student name: ______________________________

Amount of dictionaries donated: ____________

Amount enclosed: $ ____________

 

 

Warragul Junior School

From the Head of Warragul Junior School, Mr Rowan van Raay. It has been wonderful to see so many of our students presenting about their …

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Warragul Junior School

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

It has been wonderful to see so many of our students presenting about their passions and individual talents and speaking about what is happening both inside and outside the classroom at our assemblies so far this year.  We have also celebrated many of our students’ achievements.  On Monday, Aura deVent from Year 5 was brave and took part in the World’s Greatest Shave raising over $1,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation.  For those of you who do not know Aura, she has been growing her hair for many years, so it certainly was an amazing thing for her to be participating in this incredible cause.  She had just over sixty centimetres cut off!  Well done Aura.  I encourage all students to think about presenting their passion or achievements at upcoming assemblies.

Our Year 6s thoroughly enjoyed their camp at Coolamatong last week.  Students actively participated in a range of activities including, sailing, tubing, canoeing, climbing/abseiling, survivor and raft building.  The camp also included a boat trip to Raymond Island and Ocean Grange.  Many students rated the tubing as their highlight and I sincerely thank all of the staff who attended the camp and for making it an enjoyable experience for the students.  Many photos have been uploaded on the Year 6 page in MyStPauls for families to view.

Our first Soirée for the year was held on Wednesday evening with many Years 5 and 6 students performing.  My thanks to all of the students who performed and to families, friends and staff who attended to support the students.  A special thanks to Mrs Bramstedt who organised the evening, staff who attended and to the Year 6 Performing Arts and Co-curricular Leaders who compered the night.  Well done everyone!

Well done to all Years 3 to 6 students who competed in our House Cross Country competition on Wednesday.  It is always a tricky course and whilst Mr B acknowledged that distance running is not everyone’s favourite, he did congratulate every student who competed to gain points for their house.  The top six place getters in each age group will move on to the divisional stage.

School photos were taken today and I remind parents to order their photos online using their unique shootkey that was provided to all families recently.  If you have misplaced this, please contact the photo company (MSP photography phone: 5222 6747 or email: southern.victoria@msp.com.au) directly for a new one.  Orders should be placed by 27 May to avoid the late fee.

Could I please remind students who intend to play on the ovals at recess and lunch that they need to bring a spare jumper (footy or soccer top) to cover their uniform and runners to wear now that the wetter weather is upon us.  Staff have been asked not to let students play on the ovals if they do not have a top or runners beginning next week to save a daily wash of uniforms for parents.

Student Free day:  A reminder that Friday 31 May is a student free day for the Warragul Junior School only.  ELC and Secondary School classes will run as normal.

Rowan van Raay
Head of Warragul Junior School

 

 

WHAT’S ON IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

MAY
21 May 
Year 6C Community Service
22 May  Whole School Anniversary Service, Secondary School Gymnasium, 10:30 am to 12:00 noon
23 May  Prep 2020 Information Morning, 9:30 am
27 May  ELC Discovery Morning, 9:30 am to 11:00 am
31 May  Student Free Day

JUNE
3 June  St Paul’s Parent Prayer Group, Prideaux Centre, 9:00 am
Canberra Tour Information Evening, Secondary School Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 7:00 pm
6 June
  Performing Arts Concert, West Gippsland Arts Centre
7 June  Winter Round Robin
10 June  Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday
14 June 
Centrepiece, West Gippsland Arts Centre, 7:00 pm
15 June  RoboCup Regional Competition
17 June  Studio Concert, Parker Centre, 7:00 pm
19 to 22 June  Canberra Tour
20 June  Winter Round Robin (Division TBC)
21 June  Reports Distributed
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 sixty 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.

Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the St Paul’s website or by contacting Carol Reid via email creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should be received by 23 April 2019 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 21 May 2019 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 29 MAY 2019

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 29 May 2019 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:30 pm for members of the Company.

 

 

DONATE A DICTIONARY

In the first week of the mid-semester holidays, ten Warragul and Traralgon Secondary students together with teachers Andrea Heard and Kirsten Enders, will be visiting East Timor.

One of the highlights is visiting the village school in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.  We are hoping on the upcoming visit to present each student in the school with an English/Tetum dictionary.  Each dictionary costs $5 and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families from the school could donate $5 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student.  A nameplate will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift and naming the family/student who donated it.  If you would like to provide a family/student photo, this could also be attached to the dictionary.

If you would like to donate, please either email Andrea Heard at aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders at kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or complete the attached form with your money and drop it to either Traralgon Secondary Student Services or Warragul Secondary Student Services.

Thank you for your support.

East Timor Dictionary donation

Family/student name: ______________________________

Amount of dictionaries donated: ____________

Amount enclosed: $ ____________

 

 

 

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

If you are interested in getting together with other parents of the School to pray, you are most welcome to join the following two prayer groups:
First Monday of the month, 9:00 am Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School.  Next gathering Monday 3 June.
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937
Fridays Fortnightly, 9:15 am, Jenny Charles’ home
Contact: Jenny Charles 0402 249 036

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done.” Philippians 4:6

 

Warragul Secondary School

From the Head of Warragul Secondary School, Ms Laura Butterworth. On Monday we start Week 5, the midway point of our term and it signals …

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Warragul Secondary School

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

On Monday we start Week 5, the midway point of our term and it signals the start of a very busy run through to the mid-year holidays.  There are a number of important events and dates that parents and students need to be aware of that I have outlined below.

Friends of St Paul’s Meeting
Our next Friends of St Paul’s (FOSP) meeting will be held at 7:00 pm on Wednesday 22 May in the Staffroom.  All current and new members are welcome to attend.

General Achievement Test (GAT) – Years 11 and 12
The General Achievement Test (GAT) will be held on Wednesday 12 June and all Years 11 and 12 students who are currently studying a Unit 3 and 4 subject will sit the GAT.  The practice GAT will be held for the same students during the afternoon on Thursday 23 May.  Further instructions and details will be provided to students from Mr Bruno Testa – Director of Studies during Pastoral time.

Career Wise Feedback Year 10
Earlier this term our Year 10 cohort sat their Career Wise testing.  The results of this testing will be explained during a parent session to be held in the Science Centre Lecture Theatre on Wednesday 29 May.  This evening will start at 7:00 pm and is an important session for all parents to attend.

Semester 1 Examinations
The examination period for Year 11 begins on Thursday 30 May and Monday 3 June for our Years 9 and 10 cohorts.  The timetable and arrangements for each year level is different so please refer to the information provided by your student’s Head of Year or visit their MyStPauls page for the timetable and further details.  When students are not doing an exam, supervised study halls are available and students should be using this time to prepare for their next exam.  All students have been briefed on procedure.
A reminder that students should come to their exams prepared with the following items:
•  Clear pencil case or clear zip lock bag with all writing equipment – blue or black pen only
•  Clear water bottle – no labels
•  No electronic devices watches or phones
•  English – Dictionary without dust cover (not a Thesaurus or Dictionary/Thesaurus)
•  Mathematics – Correct calculator with spare batteries
If you have any concerns or questions about examinations please contact Mr Bruno Testa – Director of Studies.

Assessment and Reporting Day
Friday 7 June
is our Assessment and Reporting day for staff at the Secondary School and a student free day for your child.  Semester 2 will begin at St Paul’s after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend on Tuesday 11 June.

Ms Laura Butterworth
Head of Warragul Secondary School

WHAT’S ON IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL

MAY
17 May  Unit 1 and 3 Theatre Studies Assessment Performance, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
21 May  SEISA Visual Arts
Federation University Experience Day – Business or Science and Psychology
22 May  Whole School Anniversary Service, Secondary School Gymnasium, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
23 May  Practice GAT
SEISA Winter Sport, Junior, Round 2
VCAA Plain English Speaking Award, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
DAV Debating, St Margaret’s, Berwick, 4:00 pm
24 May  Year 9 City Experience Day 3
Japanese Calligraphy Incursion, Years 8 and 10 Japanese students, between 11:15 am and 3:30 pm
East Timor Tour Meeting, 3:45 pm
29 May  National Simultaneous Storytime, Year 10 read to Junior School students
Career Wise Feedback Session, Science Centre Lecture Theatre, 7:00 pm
30 May  SEISA Winter Sport, Junior, Round 3
30 May to 5 June  Year 11 Exams

JUNE
3 June  St Paul’s Parent Prayer Group, Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School, 9:00 am
3 to 4 June 
Year 10 Exams
3 to 5 June  Year 9 Exams
5 June  Year 10 Day at Traralgon Campus
6 June  Years 10 and 11 Exam Catch Up Day
7 June  Curriculum and Assessment Day (Student Free Day)
10 June  Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

 

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 sixty 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.

Persons interested in applying for new membership of the Company can obtain an Application for Company Membership form from the St Paul’s website or by contacting Carol Reid via email creid@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Applications should be received by 23 April 2019 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 21 May 2019 to be able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 29 MAY 2019

The Annual General Meeting of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is to be held on Wednesday 29 May 2019 at the Warragul Campus commencing at 5:30 pm for members of the Company.

 

 

MYSTPAULS PLAGIARISM CHECK

Occasionally we hear from parents who are concerned about a high plagiarism percentage that their child has received on MyStPauls.  Below I will share about why this occurs and why a high score may not be a problem in some cases.

The plagiarism checker compares student work to internet sites, but also to all the work that has ever been submitted to MyStPauls including other work the student has done.  This means that most work is likely to be seen to have some level of ‘plagiarism’ by the technology.  For example, if a student is writing on a novel in English, then the question and many of the quotes from the text are likely to be used by multiple students in their submissions.  Sometimes it can also be very high because students have submitted a draft already on the same topic for feedback and the final submission will still be quite similar.

The plagiarism checker does allow teachers to identify chunks of text that have been unfortunately copy and pasted from the internet with minimal editing.  Teachers will contact parents if there is unethical plagiarism.

If you are ever worried about a plagiarism score, you can see what is contributing to it by clicking on the plagiarism score for a specific task while logged in with your child’s MyStPauls account. (It is currently not possible to access this information in parent view.)

If you have any questions about MyStPauls that you would like to see answered in the Grammarian, please email me cbrown@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

Chris Brown
E-Learning Coordinator

 

 

YEAR 12 PHYSICAL EDUCATION

On Tuesday 14 May our Year 12 Physical Education classes were very fortunate to have METS Performance Consulting visit our school to perform a variety of elite style fitness testing.  This session was a great way to link the theoretical understanding from class into a more practical setting and therefore be able to apply these concepts to real athletes.  Both Murray Myers and Zoe Cooper performed the V02 max test, which tests the maximum amount of oxygen their bodies can use and their aerobic endurance whilst cycling.  Segun Fashogbon performed the Wingate test on the same bike to calculate his peak power within his legs.  Students were able to use this valuable laboratory session to further understand key concepts during activity including energy systems, acute responses to the body, fatigue and recovery.

Ben Zanella
Head of Year 12
Head of Health, Physical Education and Food Technology

 

SPORT NEWS

Victorian All Schools Swimming Championships
Students from St Paul’s Warragul and Traralgon qualified to represent SEISA at the Victorian All Schools Swimming Championships on Monday 15 May.  Results from our SEISA swim event in Term 1 qualified them for this competition.

Congratulations to the following St Paul’s Warragul students who qualified for this event:  Mayah Cannon, Seth Cannon, Tomas Dowler, Jessica Emmett, Callum Halloran-Lavelle, Mia Nippers, Anton Risch, Izzy Risch and Abby Warner.

Our SEISA team competed extremely well against top swimmers from around the state.  Two St Paul’s students made it onto the podium with quite a few students and relays finishing just outside of the placings.
Molly Cargill: Girls 12-14 50 Freestyle, 3rd 28.08
Anton Risch: Boys 12-14 50 Breaststroke, 3rd 33.20

SEISA finished seventh overall in both the girls and boys overall championship.  Congratulations to all students who competed on the day.

Tomas Dowler and Molly Cargill.

Anton Risch.

SEISA Athletics
On Thursday 2 May, students from St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School travelled to Casey Fields Athletics Centre to compete in the annual SEISA Athletics Carnival.  All students had a successful day and represented our school to a high level against Newhaven College, Gippsland Grammar, Beaconhills Berwick and Beaconhills Pakenham.

Rhys Galvin was highly successful across all his events, including breaking a fourteen year old record in the Triple Jump, achieving 12.45 metres.  Rhys was rewarded for his performances, awarded the under 15 year old boys age champion.

Many students were competitive across the day with the following Warragul students finishing top five in their age championship:  Benjamin Denton, Remy Ferguson, Samuel Williamson, Myah Healey, Mia McCrohan, Claire Birks, James Gourley and Emma Wong.

Congratulations to Benjamin Denton for also breaking a six year old record in the under 12 year old discus event, throwing 20.72 metres.

Age Champions Rhys Galvin and Ashley Nicholes.

Ms Melissa Hoskings
Head of Sport – Warragul Campus

 

 

DONATE A DICTIONARY

In the first week of the mid-semester holidays, ten Warragul and Traralgon Secondary students together with teachers Andrea Heard and Kirsten Enders, will be visiting East Timor.

One of the highlights is visiting the village school in Ponilala, built with money raised by St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School.  We are hoping on the upcoming visit to present each student in the school with an English/Tetum dictionary.  Each dictionary costs $5 and we have approximately one hundred and fifty to buy.

We are hoping that students or families from the school could donate $5 to buy a dictionary for a Timorese student.  A nameplate will be placed inside each dictionary noting that the dictionary was a gift and naming the family/student who donated it.  If you would like to provide a family/student photo, this could also be attached to the dictionary.

If you would like to donate, please either email Andrea Heard at aaheard@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or Kirsten Enders at kenders@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au or complete the attached form with your money and drop it to either Traralgon Secondary Student Services or Warragul Secondary Student Services.

Thank you for your support.

East Timor Dictionary donation

Family/student name: ______________________________

Amount of dictionaries donated: ____________

Amount enclosed: $ ____________

 

MATHS SUPPORT SESSIONS

A Maths support session will be offered in Room 3 (Year 9 Centre) each Tuesday at the end of the school day.  This session will operate from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm and students are able to attend for all or part of each session as required.

Participants may use this session to get assistance with and complete homework tasks, seek an additional lesson on a particular Maths topic or simply work with other students who share a similar love of Mathematics with extension activities provided as required.  This session is primarily aimed at students from Years 10 to 12 although all Secondary School students are welcome to attend.  These sessions are additional to those already provided by teachers from the Maths Faculty which occur regularly at nominated lunchtimes.

No formal registration is required.  Students simply attend whenever they feel the need for some additional support or extension.

For further inquiries please contact Mr Rowley via email jrowley@stpaulsags.vic.edu.au

 

ST PAUL’S PARENT PRAYER GROUP

If you are interested in getting together with other parents of the School to pray, you are most welcome to join the following two prayer groups:
First Monday of the month, 9:00 am Prideaux Centre, Warragul Junior School.  Next gathering Monday 3 June.
Contact: Sheryn Cutler 0417 158 937
Fridays Fortnightly, 9:15 am, Jenny Charles’ home
Contact: Jenny Charles 0402 249 036

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done.” Philippians 4:6

From the Chaplain

LEGO MASTERS LIFE Who would have thought that one of my favourite childhood pastimes would become a reality TV show!  Yes, after some initial reluctance …

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From the Chaplain

LEGO MASTERS LIFE

Who would have thought that one of my favourite childhood pastimes would become a reality TV show!  Yes, after some initial reluctance and skepticism I have decided to get on board with the latest reality TV show, ‘LEGO MASTERS’.  For those of you not familiar with the show, Channel 9 describes it this way, “LEGO MASTERS will pit eight pairs of brick heads against each other in a quest to impress with their creativity, design and flair, driven by their unparalleled passion for the possibilities that will start with a single LEGO brick.”  What really struck me about the show was that it seemed to me to be built on what I as a Christian consider to be some of the most fundamental and celebrated aspects of humanity.  To put it simply, LEGO MASTERS makes sense if we are all made in the image of God!  Firstly, there is the desire to create.  The Bible opens with the words, “In the beginning God created…”  It should come as no surprise to us that humans, made in God’s image, have an insatiable urge to create.  Give a person of any age a large supply of LEGO and it will not be long before they are building something with it.  Which brings me to the next aspect of humanity that underpins the show.  Nobody is alone.  Everyone has someone to work with.  All contestants work in pairs and even the host, Hamish Blake, teams up with the judge (‘Brickman’ Ryan McNaught) to provide commentary.  Why does this make sense?  Because God is a relational God and we, made in His image, are relational people.  I think one thing I enjoyed about LEGO MASTERS is that aside from some gentle teasing from Hamish, it did not indulge in the usual reality TV fodder of abuse, deception and dysfunction in the relationships between contestants.  Of course, the show is competitive in nature so there must be some sort of judging criteria.  Which brings me to the final aspect of humanity that I see reflected in the show.  As well as technical skill, one of the things that is talked about in almost every build is the ability to tell a story.  An amazing construction is all well and good but it is incomplete if it does not hint at something bigger than itself.  In the same way we, as God’s created beings, find meaning and purpose in a story that is bigger than us.  In the first episode of LEGO MASTERS the teams, having built some impressive buildings, had to transform their creations to look like they were under attack.  This, for me, was a poignant representation of the world I see around me.  A perfect creation, damaged and broken, and yet somehow being redeemed by the work of the creator.  We are painfully aware that all is not as it should be in the world.  The damage and hurt we witness and experience are not part of the intended plan.  But when we start to see the bigger picture, the story of God’s redeeming plan for our broken world, then we also find cause for hope.  So while this article may sound like a plug for LEGO MASTERS, what I am more encouraged by is the reminder that we are wonderfully creative people, made in the image of a creative God who delights in His creation.  We are designed to be in relationship with one another and with God and to delight in the created world.  And in the midst of brokenness God invites us to be a part of His story, the story of the redemption and renewing of the damaged world we live in.  So what does God want you to build today?

Reverend Daniel Lowe
Senior Chaplain

 

From the Principal

It is not every week that we head into a Federal Election.  Unexpectedly, education funding has taken a back seat on the campaign agenda this …

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From the Principal

It is not every week that we head into a Federal Election.  Unexpectedly, education funding has taken a back seat on the campaign agenda this year, with both major parties on reasonably common ground.  At the time of writing, over three million Australians have already voted, with many more likely to do so before 18 May.  For those of us who will be voting in the traditional manner on Saturday, I trust that we will survey the candidates thoroughly and consider the issues which matter most to us.  Unfortunately, but understandably, politics and politicians are frequently viewed in less than an ideal light, often with cynicism.  It is worth remembering, however, particularly for our young people who are voting for the first time, that the right to vote for someone to represent you in Parliament is not something that every country in the world enjoys.  Enjoy the privilege and take it seriously.

I have just voted in another election of sorts, one of a much less significance than the Federal Election, but for me of equal interest.  ABC Classic FM is conducting an online vote for the Classic 100 Favourite Composers.  Participants are asked to select their personal ‘Top 10’ favourite composers of all time and then to select the best composer in their opinion.  Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is the hot tip to win, but Mozart (1756-1791) and Beethoven (1770-1827) are probably not far behind.  But who knows?  It might be a great contemporary Australian composer such as Ross Edwards (b. 1943) or a legendary female composer such as Clara Schumann (1819-1896).  Voting closes at 9:00 am on Monday and then the countdown to number one will begin, as I understand it.  Either way, we will hopefully by then know which political party will form government in Canberra, even though there will be probably be uncertainty about a number of marginal seats such as Herbert and Corangamite for a considerable time afterwards.

We have a lot for which to be truly grateful.  As Australians, we are fortunate to live in a democracy, providing us with relative peace, law and order.  As human beings, we are able to engage in a world of beauty, meaning and emotion that is exclusively the domain of the arts, including music.  I am sure that each of us, if we take the time to reflect on our lives, could produce a long list of things for which we are thankful.  Let us never take these things for granted.

Cameron Herbert
Principal